Wants and Needs

Posted on Wed Sep 29th, 2021 @ 11:44am by Commander Christopher Mitchell & Commander Alexis Agrax (*)

Mission: Cosmos
Location: USS Cosmos
Timeline: 2396
1397 words - 2.8 OF Standard Post Measure

Alexis waited until everyone else left the room, slightly drunk and happy with how the evening went. She herself felt a little buzzed but she was not drunk nor feeling heavy-hearted or sad. She should have just gone after Maxun to find out what by the deities he was doing there but she wanted to talk to the Executive Officer and find out what he was playing at with saying about them and the cave. It had left everyone looking between them and wondering. She smiled at Christopher as he finally left the Commodore’s station quarters and found her waiting for him. “Me and you need to have a little talk.” She said by way of greeting pushing from the wall to meet him.

"We do?" he asked, a little surprised to see her waiting there for him. "Is this about our previous conversation? How did you find your shore leave?"

Alexis shook her head quickly, her curls bouncing around her face. She had not really done much other than sleep and go for a swim. She still had time to change that but she had a bigger concern right there and then.

“No… what did you mean about us in that cave and how it must have been viewed?” She murmured revealing how vulnerable she felt about the subject but also that her abilities had not been used to work it out without asking. She wanted to talk to him properly, they were friends after all.

"Huh?" He frowned at the unexpected question. "I didn't mean anything by it. Two people alone in a cave overnight - lower decks thrive on that sort of thing. Like to make up all kinds of stories." In his mind it was normal, and entirely platonic, yet there would always be those that 'shipped’ strangers.

Alexis frowned before she calmed down. “Good. Alright then.” She was already shook up from Maxun turning back up in her life and the comment had stretched her nerves.

"O...kay..." Christopher wasn't sure whether to be amused or confused. "Is everything all right? I know you're direct, but I don't think I've ever seen you back down quite so quickly."

Alexis looked at him and shook her head. She was pretty sure she was not alright at all. Maxun being back on the ship had unnerved her, she had been a completely different person then. "The new Intelligence Officer. He is part of my past that I want to forget where I was a weapon." Alexis admitted slowly reaching out to touch the corridor wall. "It's like my past is weighing down on me at the moment and making it hard to breathe."

"Is he going to be a problem?" Christopher asked. "If there is then I would need to know about it. You're both of equivalent rank, both senior officers. I'd expect professional conduct on both sides."

“No. I do not believe so. We are on the same side. I do not believe he is the one who is causing issues and putting in complaints. He.. we… there was a connection once upon a time before Liam.” Alexis said embarrassed slightly as her past being dredged up.

"If you're sure. Perhaps...if you're worried about someone causing you issues, he might be a reasonable person to ask for help? His intelligence contacts may have some insight into who's behind it," he suggested.

“I do not want his help. It would be unprofessional.” Alexis sighed. Life was complicated. She really just wanted a simple life, spouse, kids, hell she would even settle for a cat at the moment. “I will be fine.”

Her 'I will be fine' talk was about as far from the truth as he imagined it to be. On one hand, he thought about leaving it alone and letting her deal with it herself. But on the other - as her friend - he knew that Alexis had tendencies to want to break things (or people) when in this kind of mindset. Somewhat uncharacteristically, he touched her shoulder and squeezed. "As XO of this ship I don't accept 'fine' as an acceptable state," he said, smiling gently.

“But as my friend, you have to especially if you want your Christmas present,” Alexis said surprised by the touch on her shoulder. He never did that and it jolted her back to being the jovial person she wanted to be.

"I was going to ask about that. I thought you were joking - you mean to say you got me something?" he smiled.

Alexis nodded and looped her arm through his and tugged him in the direction of her quarters. A comfortable silence fell between them as they walked. "My family have a 5 Gift Rule at Christmas - Want Need Wear Read plus a special family tradition. I do not really have anyone to give it to anymore and I noticed you needed something last time we hung out." She said thinking back to movie night they had, had just after New Rixx.

"Want, need, wear, read...that's four..." he wondered out loud, not sure he was following her line of thought. Alexis could be deviously sneaky when she wanted to be. He almost expected some sort of prank at the end of this. As they finally arrived, he gave her a look. "Don't keep me waiting!"

"Want Need Wear Read plus a special family tradition... five." She assured opening the door to her temporary quarters. It looked just as bare and empty as her normal quarters apart from these quarters were a lot bigger and had a huge dining area. Set out on the dining table was a proper bow and arrow kit. "Want - full size recurve bow, Need - arrows, Wear - Quiver, Read - a how-to guide plus a special family tradition in a bottle of betazoid nectar," Alexis said proudly before stepping back.

Christopher stood completely still as he stared at the setup. For the first time in a long while he was a little lost for words. That she would go to this effort, to this extent, surprised him deeply. "I...I don't know what to say." He looked back at her. "I guess they were wrong; Alexis Agrax does have a heart."

Alexis blushed and shrugged. “Do not fool yourself. It’s still ice.” Alexis assured quickly. She could not fool herself that she was anything less than ice at the moment. She smiled at him and winked, moving to the sofa area to let him look at it all. It was not something he needed her for.

He ran his fingers along the bow, feeling the craftmanship of it. Followed by the quiver. And the arrows. It was hard to describe how he felt in that moment, as he hefted the ancient weapon and gave the string a short test pull. "Well," he said finally, putting it down and picking up the bottle of nectar. "There's no way I'm getting out of here without sharing a glass of this with you, is there?"

“Course there is. It’s is your bottle to do with how you wish.” The woman assured quickly thinking she had made the right choice of present. It had been a last-second thing but she was pretty sure he appreciated the sentiment behind it all. It had been a long time since she had picked out a present for someone but it was easy when you liked and respected the person.

"In that case, Commander, would you pass me two of your finest tumblers?" he smiled, already breaking the seal. "Because I choose to share it with a good friend."

"Not my tumblers as nothing here is mine but I am sure there are some hanging around." Alexis blushed at what he called her but nodded going to where the temporary quarters held some tumblers and put them on the table in front of him.

Pouring the nectar into both glasses, he held one out to her. "Merry Chrismas, Alexis," he declared, finally using her first name.

“Merry Christmas Christopher.” She said with a wink raising her glass to him when to took it in a salute. Out of all the people in her small universe he was one of the few she valued more than anything. “May 2397 bring us both everything we need but not what we want.”