Trust

Posted on Fri Sep 23rd, 2022 @ 11:06pm by Executive Officer Jake Ford & Ka'see 'Cassie' Anderson (*)

Mission: Mission 16: Hysperia
Location: Hysperia
Timeline: MD01 10:00
2192 words - 4.4 OF Standard Post Measure

Cassie glanced around the hotel foyer and smiled as she watched a group of women walk in front of her carrying a scarecrow that looked like it was going to fall apart if they let it go. Anywhere else it would have drew some type of weird reaction but after nearly three months in orbit over Hysperia in was common for the majority of the crew - even her who had been gone for the last month to try and sort a few things out that had required her to go to Earth. She had promised Jake she would meet him at the hotel but she was starting to think she had miss understood the message and should just head to the ship.

"You realise you're standing out like a sore thumb there," a familiar voice said.

Approaching from behind, Jake appeared. Not in his customary Rosie clothing but in a much more native and loosely-fitting cream shirt that had a thin piece of string across the chest. On his arms he wore fitted leather bracers, and his pants and boots looked completely different to standard-issue. He grinned. "I ended up going shopping. What do you think?"

Cassie turned and took a step back looking at him. He was a sight for sore eyes that was for sure and dressed like that made her raise an eyebrow. She had not seen him since she had left the ship even over communication when she had so much to do on earth. “Good… you look great.” She assured quickly before looking down at what she wore. It was very much current earth trend. “I guess I do stand out a bit but I have only just gotten off my flight.”

"Maybe this'll help." He fished around in the pouches attached to the leather belt and found what he was looking for. Sliding in behind her he lifted the jeweled necklace up to her collar. "I saw it on a stall, thought it would help to know that I wasn't just running around having fun while you were gone. I was thinking about you."

Cassie looked at him confused as he moved up behind her and put the necklace around her neck clasping it together securing it. “Jake… it’s beautiful.” She whispered looking over her shoulder at him.

He sheepishly smiled down at her. "Then it matches the wearer."

“Flirt. Matches the only piece of clothing that I could blend in here with thank you. Now I fell bad that I only brought you something small back from earth.” She teased turning to look up at him.

"You bought me something?" he asked, surprised that she had also had the thought.

“Oh yeah. You mentioned you missed a whisky from earth so I got you a bottle. It’s somewhere in my bag.” She indicated the pack on her shoulder that she was carrying. “So something small I guess but I knew you’d want. So almost practical and no where near as thoughtful.”

His surprise was maintained in the moment that she would be so thoughtful. And have actually considered something he would like, which although she did have Vulcan tendencies was far more personal than he would have expected. "On the contrary, that's...incredibly thoughtful," he replied, stopping short of just kissing her on the spot. Taking that moment to just enjoy those feelings, he finally relented and took a half step back to no longer feel like he was smothering her. "How was your trip? Did you do everything you needed to?"

Cassie just watched him and leant our touching his hand as he stepped back giving her a little bit of space. “Yeah… Can we discuss my trip later?” She asked quietly.

"Oh. Uh...sure. Did something not go well?"

“No it’s just I brought someone back with me.” She admitted looking down at her hands.

"Some...one?" Jake's eyebrow went up as his mind ran through a dozen possibilities. Immediately he wondered if she was secretly betrothed to someone on Vulcan. Or if there was some whirlwind week-long affair she'd jumped onto - though Cassie was literally the least likely of anyone to do that.

“My grand daughter….” She finally admitted so there would be no confusion on the subject as she could see there questions all over his face.

"Your-" He was taken aback. From memory, he knew she'd been involved before - back in the 2240s. But this wasn't something he'd actually put together in his head, and certainly it was a different story to his relationship with Eden. Naturally Cassie would have relatives. Long-lived ones, at that. "Is she here?" he asked, immediately uncertain whether he wanted to actually meet them yet.

Cassie winced at the expression that crossed his face and shook her head. “I sent her to the ship.” Cassie assured. “It’s complicated and you deserved to have a bit of a warning over it all.” Cassie wished she had not had to reveal it all so quickly but the look on his face and the confusion made her need to clear the air.

"All right," he nodded. It was sensible. He looked at her with concern. "Are you okay with it? Bringing her here sounds like it could be a big step. I know you like to be careful and considered, so this seems like a pretty significant move."

“I could not leave her on Earth with no one and just deferred her place at the Academy for a mental health crisis other Tevir’s death.” Cassie said quietly looking sad for a moment over the events of the last few weeks. It had been draining and staggering the amount of emotions that she had been through. “I know it complicates us… or whatever this is but she’s still a little part of me that was lost in 2246 and I had to try and help her.”

"I understand. If you need to take things easy the next few days that's okay. I'm not about to ask to spend all that time with you when I recognise you need to spend time working on that relationship." He squeezed her hand quickly. It was strange, they had danced around this whole 'exclusivity' thing for most of the time Rosie had been in dock. As though they talked a lot about commitment, but never really committed to each other. He wasn't sure what that would mean in the long term, but as they had both said, there was no rush. "I've got plenty of other friends I can hang around with," he added with a reassuring smile.

Cassie shook her head and pulled her hand back dropping by her bag to the floor. She slowly stepped up to him and placed her hands on his chest and looked up at him. “I have spent a month working on that relationship but I have also spent a month missing you.” She explained gently. It might have been quick how she left thanks to Tevir’s sudden death but she thought they at least had an understanding that they were something between them enough that the second she had come back she had ran off to found him. “I came here without even dropping my bag back on the ship or changing or anything.”

"Point taken," he noted. "But you need not have rushed without getting refreshed or anything first. But...since you're here, perhaps we can make the most of it. Assuming you're not going to rush off yet. There's a few places nearby worth visiting if you're at all interested in the local culture. Or we could just find a room upstairs..."

“Well your message seemed like you were not going to be lounging around all day the hotel so seemed I needed to rush.” Cassie nodded and stepped back. “I would like to go for a walk but can I drop my bag in your room?” She wondered thinking it would be less hassle to carry around with her and she could just get her small bag from inside.

"Sure. Can leave it with the concierge if you like? Supposedly they use 'magic' to send it to the right room but I think it's just some of their local transporter tech," he suggested. The Hysperian technology seemed to look from the outside like it had been given a deliberately outlandish fantasy style to everything. While it was fun to watch in action, he wasn't sure he trusted it quite as much as the systems on a modern starship.

Cassie cocked her head at the word magic but said nothing at it. It had been hard to wrap her head around before she left but it seemed that she would have tor readjust to the planets oddities. “Stay here then I will go and sort it all out.” Cassie said disappearing off to where she could see the front desk.

Jake watched her for a moment, filled with admiration, as she passed on her things. He'd missed her quite a lot, he reflected silently. The time apart had perhaps been good for the purpose of helping them take that space but also to recognise that there was something there. Absence makes the heart grow fonder, he thought to himself. And he was becoming very fond of her. As she returned to him, he welcomed her with a squeeze of the hand. "So, what's first? Maybe we should think about getting you some threads to match mine?" he suggested. "Honestly, I can't wait to see what you'd look like in some of the local fashions."

Cassie looked down at herself and nodded as he squeezed her hand. She had not failed to notice him watching her but his look was hard to work out what it could be. Maybe he was right she stood out like sore thumb as her mother used to say when they had come to Earth from Vulcan after ten years of living there. Neither of them had clothes that had been suitable for that environment. “When I was ten we moved from Vulcan to Earth and I only had Vulcan clothes then… I am feeling a little similar to that right now.” She explained what was going on in her head. “So tell me as you’ve got aquatinted with the locals what is the fashion?”

He laughed a little, tipping his head towards a small group of local townsfolk who wore a similar garb to his adopted outfit. "The people here dress depending on their social station," he explained. "I'm not entirely sure who works all that out for us outsiders, but if you want my opinion, you deserve only the best. To match your new necklace of course." He motioned down a pathway, leading the way. "There's a more upmarket tailor down here somewhere. We can give you the royal treatment."

Stepping outside the hotel was like stepping into a completely different world and that was from the woman who had ended up 150 years in the future. Everything was so much more colourful. “I am pretty sure I do not but who am I to judge your tainted opinions.” She teased letting him pull her down the less busy street.

"Tainted?" he echoed, "You wound me, my lady. I merely speak the truth of one's matchless beauty." He said it with a good-natured wink, feeling freer than he had in a while to relax and enjoy himself. He couldn't remember the last time that had been the case. "Only the very finest for the finest woman in all the lands."

“Well… my lord…” she laughed as she stuttered to a stop trying to match his speech but could not think of anything. “You are one in a billion Jake Ford.” Was all she found herself saying. “I just meant that you’ve known me two years and everything but I appreciate your kind words.”

"Well. That's mighty kind of you to say." He held her gaze sheepishly for a second. "That definitely wasn't a 'no' to getting the full princess treatment..."

“Not had that treatment in a very long time…. Not quite sure how to accept it.” She answered still smiling at his sheepish gaze before she looked around him. She looked up and down the street taking in the fashions around them trying to work out what she liked the look of.

"Just say yes and trust me," he answered, pulling her hand a little again to guide her to the street he had in mind; a larger, more elegant-looking establishment that certainly gave off the vibe of being high-quality compared to any competitors. Certainly it was likely to be more expensive, too, but he figured she was worth it. And very much deserving of a little pampering.

Well that changed her view as he was likely one of the few men in the universe that she trusted without hesitation. She nodded, at his idea and let him lead her. “I trust you.” The woman said simply as she let him lead her. This was certainly going to be interesting.