Don't Lose Your Head

Posted on Sun Sep 1st, 2013 @ 12:20pm by Lieutenant Riley Sukotav & Ensign Reva Madhava

Mission: Breaking New Ground
Location: Cafe Zarn

* * * Cafe Zarn * * *

“Don’t lose your head. She’s just a person like anyone else. I know you like her, but you can’t act like a drooling idiot the whole time. Just be yourself and don’t try too hard. Okay?”

Bryce’s words hovered in Riley’s thoughts as he continued along the Promenade. A few of the female civvies and crew smiled and said hello, and he managed a quick wave in passing, then groaned inwardly. This might turn into a quicker lunch than they had planned if he couldn’t carry on a conversation and didn’t have Bryce there as backup.

Was it too early to start drinking? He had to laugh at the idea, however. They were departing in a couple of hours, that’s all he needed. Oh well, nothing to be done now but soldier on and get through it. He paused as the doors of the cafe slid open, then stepped through.

Reva hadn't taken the time to change out of her uniform, but she had let her hair down. And then put it up. And taken it back down, only to artfully pin part of the long black locks up, letting some curl down onto her shoulders. She spied Riley as he came in and raised a hand; her greeting was somewhat lost as she looked being him, expecting to see Lieutenant Kendrick somewhere behind Riley. Her smile faltered as she didn't and she refocused on Riley. "Have a seat."

Riley gave her a quick smile and a nod, then sat down across from her. “Bryce...won’t be here. He..uh...got sidetracked.” He motioned towards the door. “Woman on the promenade.”

She deliberately misinterpreted his last comment. "I'm sure there are plenty of women on the promenade," she said, grinning mischievously.

He took a moment to gather himself together, then answered. “No, I meant...he...found one. More pressing...business.” He fell silent, thinking that a drink sounded pretty good right about now. Bryce’s advice was quickly getting lost in the awkwardness, and he seemed to be getting worse instead of better. Oh, where was the waiter when you needed him?

"Hmm... More pressing business like getting laid, I suppose." Grinning, she watched the effect her words had on Riley. Though she would deny it, Reva had a mean streak and reveled in causing men to stutter and blush.

He opened his mouth to answer but no words came out. Riley was completely at a loss as to how to answer that. True...and I can’t blame him. The thought came and floated out with ease, and he had to smile for a moment.

Humor played over her features. "No, neither can I," she agreed with him. Just at that moment, a server stepped up to the table. She smiled at the woman and ordered a Betazed stew and a beer.

Surprise lit Riley’s face and he blinked at Reva. She’d caught that? He hadn’t been consciously trying to project, so a non-telepath wouldn’t have ‘heard’ him. Which meant…..

The waitress cleared her throat and he mumbled, “I’ll have the same,” without looking up. His attention was on Reva completely as the waitress moved away.

How?

Her eyes narrowed and she reached across the table to touch his hand. My dad is Betazoid. She shrugged with one shoulder. Usually, I need to touch a person to get their thoughts. Unless they think it 'loudly'.

He let that settle in for a few minutes and closed his eyes. His first thought was that she likely had picked up on a lot more than he might have wanted, but the second thought was better. He wasn’t so nervous or uncomfortable speaking to her this way. In fact, it seemed easy.

A smile curved his lips as he answered her. So, how much have you read of me? The thought flowed easily and with it came profound relief. He’d found a way to talk to her that actually worked!

She pulled back, stuffing her hands under the table. "Well... You tend to project a bit, especially when you're nervous," she smiled at him, "and you're usually nervous around me."

He nodded. “I...am.” He looked at her for a moment, then held out his hand. The fact that she’d touched him when she sent her own thoughts over wasn’t lost on him.

Their beer came, placed between them in frosty mugs. The server read the pair's body language and chose to set the mugs down and walk away without a word spoken. Reva regarded Riley's hand then the mug; after a moment, she wrapped her fingers around her beer and sipped at it. He didn't withdraw his hand, though, and she finally relented, taking his hand in her now-chilled fingers. So shy that you stutter around me, yet you're willing to let me read your thoughts? I feel like I should warn you that I pick up on emotions pretty well.

At least I can string more than three words together this way and we can have a normal conversation. Well, normal for us. And to answer your earlier question, you do make me nervous. I suppose in a good way. The words came without a hitch, without a hint of nerves or embarrassment.

I got that it wasn't in a bad way. After all, you outrank me. It's not like I could dress you down for doing something wrong.

Her words gave him pause and he considered them for a few seconds. Bryce’s advice not to lose his head went a little deeper still and Riley wondered if caution might not be a good idea. He had no way to know really. He reached for his beer with his free hand, took a drink, then set it aside. He suspected she’d pick up on his train of thought and now smiled once more. I think he was right.

"Bryce?" Her brow furrowed and then she clarified who he meant for herself: "Lt. Kendrick." Nodding, she added, Probably, he is. Sex is a great distraction. At least he should be relaxed for our trip. She was pushing Riley's buttons, to see what thoughts that caused in his head.

That isn’t what I…. The thought ceased as an image rose unbidden in his mind, of Reva standing in the moonlight, her long hair curling around bare shoulders. He immediately snatched his hand away.

She bit her lip to keep from laughing and was glad their food was delivered. In his thoughts, it wasn't just her shoulders that were bare. "I'll behave, Riley," she promised, "Though I can tell you that I have the tiniest tattoo on my left hip bone. You know, just so when you're thinking on that image again...." She shrugged and watched him.

He ran his hand over his face and groaned softly. “My apologies….really. That was...uncalled for.” He avoided her eyes as he picked up his spoon and became very interested in his stew. His rebel mind wondered just what the tattoo looked like and he was glad she wasn’t touching his hand just then.

"Usually, I mind. Too many guys see green skin and assume a lot about me. I shouldn't tease you - you're one of the good guys." She ducked her head and concentrated on her stew.

“I like to think so.” He could thank the beer for his much smoother speech. “And no, it’s not the green skin. I also like to think I’m more civilized than to stoop to such stereotypes.”

She touched his hand to let him feel how that resonated in her. It was a good, warm feeling, one that, if followed to a logical conclusion, could curl one's toes with pleasure. We think more alike than you realize.

That surprised him. Riley had never been the sort to draw much attention from the females of any species, thanks to his awkwardness around them. Finally he nodded. “I understand the misconceptions though. They see your skin and think one thing, they see my black eyes and just assume I am reading their thoughts. I understand the sensitivity to the possibility. It’s your first reaction with anyone new. You won’t get that from me.”

"Why not? Every time we've met, you could easily have read my thoughts - or anyone's. I'd think that'd go a long way towards easing your nervousness." She knew that if she could go around and listen in on people's thoughts, she probably would do so more often than not. But then... that wasn't an option for her.

“It’s invasive and a violation of privacy, to put it simply.” He shrugged and took a bite of the stew. Once done, he reached across the table and took her hand again. Read what you want.

Now that she had permission, she balked and didn't read 'what she wanted'. It was a little too intimate. "How about we do it the human way? Talk, be friends, and whatever?"

“I’d like that.” It occurred to Riley that if Bryce were here watching now, he wouldn’t believe what he was seeing. “We’ll be departing soon though. Maybe we can get together once we are underway?”

"Of course," she nodded. "And we'll likely be working together on the ride out and on the planet. Speaking of," she looked at her watch, "I should get back and make sure those supplies are onboard."

“I’ll go with you. My stuff’s already onboard and I’m ready to go.” He pushed his bowl aside, then stood and offered her his hand. “Ready?”

"Yeah," she took his hand and then wondered just what she was ready for.

***************
Lt. Riley Sukatov
Pondering Tattoos

Ensign Reva Madhava
Ready or Not