A Matter of Priority

Posted on Mon Sep 26th, 2022 @ 12:22am by Delaney O'Callaghan & Leiddem Kea (*)

Mission: Mission 16: Hysperia
Location: Market forge
Timeline: MD01
3785 words - 7.6 OF Standard Post Measure

Leiddem loved Hysperia and the atmosphere of the planet. Most of the crew wanted to retire to Freecloud or somewhere futurist but Leiddem was 100% sure he could settle on the planet and not at all grow bored with food, people, or atmosphere. Where else in the universe could her declare he was going on a great adventure and it did not seem odd or crazy but absolutely encouraged? There was really nowhere else like it in the universe and he knew some other members of the group felt the same. He looked around the market for Delaney and frowned as he realised that they had been separated for what felt like the millionth time in the busy market that was preparing for the Harvest Festival.

Love didn't even begin to cover the way Delaney had taken to the local culture and its people. It had become very apparent early on that her affinity for this kind of living ran bone-deep and, truly, the universe could not have carved out an environment more like one the holo-novelist would have created herself if it tried. She had immersed herself immediately, flung herself with gusto into every opportunity to familiarise herself further, and had won more than a few over with her content knowledge and, surprisingly, her language. The ability to read and speak Gaelic, even as rusty as Delaney was, had proven to be admirable to those who considered it one of the scholarly dialects. Time and misuse had seen the Hysperian's version of it deviate somewhat but Delaney's casual ability to directly translate some of the oldest proverbs had created quite a stir at first, at least amongst the small group of locals that cared for such things. Her soft, lilting accent had gone some way towards charming the rest. She felt at home here, and that had helped ease the disappointment of not being able to use the time to see her own family.

Not that it would have been very appealing to leave anyway, unless she'd been able to convince Leiddem to go with her. When the dust had finally settled, and it felt possible to say they were finally out of harm's way, her own health issues had made a brief attempt to spoil celebrations. With that as far behind her as her boyfriend would let her push it, Delaney had put the doctor's 'restricted travel' recommendation to good use and embraced the opportunity to just be. Limited work, plenty of scope for exploration, and time, finally, to enjoy her relationship. She loved the Leiddem had fallen for the place as much as she had; their mutual enthusiasm had a tendency to snowball.

Right now, with the market at its most crowded, Delaney was knee-deep in her element. By the time Leiddem had thought to look backwards and realise he'd left her several stalls behind, she had a toddler on her hip and was talking animatedly to its mother, whose textiles business had become a frequent favourite lately. Without access to local currency, Delaney had bartered her way into an exchange of labour; she took on some of the mending and repair work in exchange for the fabric she needed. More coveted was the opportunity to discuss design work and seek fresh inspiration from a local expert. Lorna's needlework was divine, embroidery well beyond anything Delaney would even attempt.

Leiddem started backtracking and found the woman in her element. He shook his hair and sided up to her waving to the woman who ran the stall. He should have known really especially as he had commented on it as they had walked past which obviously the woman had taken as a sign to stop and look at the same thing she had barely three days before. He had brought some of the textiles from it and had sent it off to his mother to make something with so he knew the quality but he was sure that there was nothing new but there Delaney was. "You look good with a baby on your hip." He teased knowing it would knock her that he was saying something like that even in a jovial manner.

A faintly withering stare was all he received. Motherhood, whilst an eventual aspiration, felt like a distant pinprick of light on a far horizon. Delaney was still at a point in her life where she wasn't entirely convinced of her skills in the area of parenthood, though she supposed nobody really felt prepared until it happened. She was rescued from an immediate response, however, by the stall owner, who had warmed to the couple almost instantly. "Sure but you'd better make an honest woman out of her first," Lorna winked, holding her hands out as her son became fussy. "Festival would be the time for it too. We get them from all over for the handfasting."

Delaney, somewhat bewildered, slipped an arm through Leiddem's and wrinkled her nose. "I don't think tying us together would be sensible. At least one of us is falling over at all times."

“Mostly you, dear.” The man said staring down at her withering stare and grinned, pressing a kiss to her temple. “One day but three months is no time to confirm you won’t kill me in my sleep.” He said gently, squeezing her arm through his against him.

The 'one day' earned him a pair of raised eyebrows, though Delaney knew well enough by now to avoid taking the bait. Instead, she smiled sweetly and agreed, "It's certainly not off the books as a viable option." The dancing of her eyes robbed the threat of any true potency but the Betazoid was clearly lucky they were in the presence of a child. The punch to the arm would have to come later.

“This festival is good for hand fasting?” The man said changing the subject back to the point that the woman had made. That was interesting to say the least it was nothing something he had connected with it.

Lorna dipped her head. "We're one of the last places to recognise it as a legitimate bond. Demands for ceremonies became so significant that the council made moves to limit off-world license applications to the festival. You'll see a lot of private ones crop up, though the majority will participate in the Fest of Unity somewhere mid-festival. Still time to reconsider," she winked at Leiddem.

That was such an interesting concept and would definitely need some research. “Well if they are limited the license got no chance reconsidering.” The man said with a wink back at Lorna and a tickle to the boy under his chin. “Until next time, my lady.” He bowed formally and tugged Delaney off down the market.

"You know, I do actually adore her and her workmanship is amazing, but Lorna is such a gossip," Delaney laughed, pulling Leiddem to the right-hand side long enough to crane her neck towards the day's wooden sculpture. The woodworker, his furniture much coveted, spent most of his day in between sales whittling away at a variety of wooden creations. Some where tiny enough to fit into a child's hands, others were obviously destined for gardens or plazas, but Delaney, as with everything else on offer, found the process fascinating. She didn't stop though, swept up by a very familiar sense of chaotic energy that made it hard for her to stay in one place for very long. "Apparently they've started putting up the decorations already. They really go all out for this, I can't wait."

“Handy that we are here then for the celebration. Gregnol said it’s a other three weeks before we leave so no complaints from anyone other more time spent here. Pretty sure we will lose a few crew to the quaintness of this place. There is a pool going to as to whether Burnie will refuse to leave.” He said already knowing where he wanted to head as they stopped to admire the woodwork process. It was fun watching people make things like that when you processed no skills like that. None of the stalls occupations were something he had ever considered even as hobby.

Curbing her frantic enthusiasm as an intentional measure to better enjoy their time alone, Delaney fell into step with her arm linked through his and settled her head against his arm as they wandered. A slow grin conveyed her own opinion on the proposed wager. "I don't think we should be as worried about him staying as we should watch his attempts to bring half the wildlife with him," she reasoned. "You might have to check his pockets before we leave."

“I am leaving that responsibility to Nollel and to the Captain. Who knows we might have a new boss by the time we leave.” Leiddem said with a shrug knowing that Delaney would get on her high horse about it should be him in charge. “Plus I do not want to be the person to separate him from a dragon. It would be like taking candy from a baby like you humans say.”

"Hey, if he can find a way to keep it so that it doesn't blow a hole in the bulkhead, I'd keep one myself." The engineer hadn't been the only one to completely lose their minds over the local fauna. Delaney, who had grown up around horses and dogs primarily, had never considered that her childhood dream of owning a dragon might actually be a palpable possibility. "Just a little one, it could sleep on the end of the bed."

“In your own quarters. At the end of your own bed sure.” The man teased lightly. He had never dreamed of a dragon as animals still worried him, he did not want to get caught up in there minds and lose himself.

An overstated pout became the only real retaliation. Clearly, aside from the safety issues on board, there were ethical problems with taking a creature from its natural habitat and expecting it to thrive in the artificial environment on board a spaceship. Delaney, who could succumb to childlike whimsy when she wanted, was too much of a conservationist at heart to even consider such a pet. "It could probably be trained to eat spiders," she teased, and then dropped the subject with a chuckle, her gaze returning to its wandering as she let the satisfaction of true contentment claim her. So much about the planet had become exactly what she needed, right at a point where life had threatened to become a little overwhelming. She felt good though, rested and recuperated. Rejuvenated.

“I have a phaser.” The man said simply pressing another kiss to her temple. “So are we going to spend the afternoon together or do you wanna go off explore solo than meet up at the golden dragon?” He wondered, happy to do either as long as he got to go to the black smith at some point. He had a present he wanted to get.

One of the beautiful things about their natural synergy, something that had become blatantly obvious once they were out of the confines of isolation and able to live life with relative ease again, was just how much of a viable option that really was. Having known only the smothering affection of someone who had struggled to define himself outside of their relationship in the past, it was reassuring to Delaney to know that there were no emotional ramifications for her wanting to maintain a sense of independence now. She missed Leiddem when they weren't together and he'd expressed a similar sentiment when they'd spoken about it, but it was actually a pleasant sensation. The anticipation of connectedness once they did make time for 'just them'. Going their separate ways once in a while created space for expansion of trust, affection, desire... For someone who typically wore her heart on her sleeve in any case, three months was all it had taken for Delaney to spiral lazily into the sensation of falling in love. This time, it felt healthy.

"I'm all yours today," she declared, giving his arm a squeeze. An important part of the balance was to not abuse his easy-going nature because there did come a time where his status as one of the most important people in her life currently required an element of nurturing. Besides, he was excited about something, she could feel it radiating from him. "Well," she added, pressing a conciliatory kiss to his jaw, "I'm all yours every day but you know what I mean. Where are we going, anyway?"

“Nice to hear.” He said stealing a quicker kiss from her lips as he watched her carefully for any sign that she did not want to but he could feel that she wanted to spend the day with him even if he was doing something boring. Leiddem could have teased her about the correction but just smiled and started to lead her towards the blacksmiths that he had been watching working when he had alone time. He did not want to be the type of person that smothered a woman or any type of partner, he had never been that type of person and he was not about to start now.

Delaney would have argued that it was practically impossible to be bored. After weeks and weeks of exploring the planet she still didn't feel like she'd scraped even the surface of what it had to offer. The festival was the icing on the cake but it wasn't the whole meal; Hysperia, like most popular tourist destinations, had a lot of untapped potential the further you moved away from the popular locations. The parts she'd been able to visit actually reminded her a lot of home.

As they sidled up to the blacksmith, a bolt of sudden epiphany struck Laney and she laughed, jostling sideways. "Oh, I should have guessed." Without fail, every time they came to the market together and split up, she would invariably find him here talking the ear off the craftsman. "Have you learned enough to open your own forge yet?"

“Well we are going to have some type of basic holodeck I really could.” The man declared brightly. He had always been intrigued by weapons and how they were built why he had become a weapons specialist once upon a time. He had not done enough of what he loved in the last couple of years and just stood there watching the forge with a beer would be perfect.

"Wait, we're what?"

It was entirely Leiddem's style to throw something that momentous into a conversation and Delaney, who was a perfect sucker for it, knew instantly that she'd fallen for his bait again. Nevertheless, as she stared goggle-eyed up at his grinning face, the redhead once again forewent punching him to focus on the far more important details of what he'd just said. "Since when are we getting holo-technology and why wasn't I told?"

“Have you been to any crew meetings?” He questioned smiling slightly at the disbelief on her face. He had won his bet with Jeassaho as she had bet that the woman was already aware whilst he knew much better.

"I couldn't go to the first ones," she protested, "Someone convinced the people in charge to put me on sick pay and tried to lock me in his quarters." A poke to his ribcage was immediately incriminating, though the first couple of days after they'd emerged from the frigid darkness had involved a lot of fatigue and headaches. And a diagnosis. She'd been a little distracted. "And I've been to one or two since then, nobody said anything about holodecks, I swear it. I'd definitely remember." Of course, she hadn't stayed for all of them, and had been late for quite a number. None of them had been mandatory for her so it hadn't mattered, but now Laney wished she'd read the meeting notes.

For a moment, she stood and watched the forge alongside him, barely seeing it because the focus of her thoughts was turned inwards to the emergence of fresh possibility. Over time, her wistful smile strengthened to a fully-fledged grin and Laney suddenly squeezed the Betazoid's arm enthusiastically, bouncing several times as she failed to contain her excitement. "We can finally do your story!"

“Oh you still wanna share me with the world?” He laughed finally watching her jumped out of her shock. “No sure what type of holodeck it is mind you. It’s not going to be large but yeah… will be there after three refit.” Leiddem was happy to have something like that now on the ship as it gave so many options for them all to have some downtime and relaxation.

"I mean, technically there's quite a lot of 'me' out there, so it only seems fair." It wasn't a problem, not really. Her catalogue of shorter adventures had blown completely out of proportion doing the latter stages of her university studies, after the implosion of a long-term relationship had left her struggling against the rest of the campus' attempts to convert her from singleton status. She just hadn't been interested in another relationship, hadn't gone beyond a couple of brief encounters that she'd very carefully cultivated to be short-lived. Making holoadventures had filled a void, but now she faced the realisation that using herself as the main character was kind of...short-sighted.

At the very least, making them available on the central archives had been a step too far probably.

“But I am the only person who gets to see this side of you. The true version of you.“ he whispered pressing a kiss to her temple. He knew that things were a little odd for her in that regards with being recognised sometimes but on Hysperia it had not happened yet. “And no else gets to see this side of me. One day you can tell me about it all and I won’t judge.” He added.

The reassurance earned him a soft hug from a pair of arms that snuck around his waist so that she could lean against him a moment. He was right, of course, and she'd more or less accepted that she'd lost control of her earlier work. Removing it from the archives was on her list of things to do once she had access but the copies that had been downloaded and modified already were forever outside her influence. A lesson learned, and a reason for why the adventure she was planning with him would have alternative avatars to take the place of recognisable crew should they decide to release it for public consumption.

Tipping her head back to steal a kiss, Delaney then loosened her hold to turn back to the forge, one arm still around him as a series of anvil strikes left her wincing. "You should ask if they run any workshops," she suggested. "Curtis and I are signing up for archery if you want to join that, but this looks more like your thing." In the entire time she'd known him, Delaney had never seen Leiddem light up quite the way this place made him light up. She wanted to keep a piece of that, to figure out how to take it with them and continue to help him build a life for himself that wasn't solely defined on what he could do for other people.

“No I would rather not see one of you end up with an arrow in the ass and be duty bound to be a medic to one of you. I have no need to see Curtis’ ass. Plus I can shoot an arrow.” He glanced back at the forge and shrugged. Maybe he could sign up to something. Maybe that was a thing if not there in that forge but maybe another one. “Maybe. Will see another day, I can’t commit to anything until I see the schedule for the next couple of days.” He admitted with the Fenris Rangers coming to organise stuff he was meant to be there to talking about the security updates.

"You can take time for yourself, remember."

“I know”

It was a very quiet reminder, gentle and loaded with patient understanding for why he was tempted otherwise. Delaney had no desire to change the Betazoid, too much of what motivated him formed part of what she loved most about him, but she would always be there to make sure he stopped to breathe once in a while.

"Think of it as upskilling yourself in something that might be useful later down the track. We may not wind up needing a supply of swords," she laughed, "but metalwork is more than just making weapons."

“Well metal work and engineering runs in the family.” He laughed slightly stealing a long kiss from her. He knew she meant well thinking that he was constantly overlooked but there was a lot to him and she knew that.

Smiling into his attempt to preoccupy her, which was a very viable strategy for shutting her up and Delaney knew it, the redhead indulged the moment because it was too enjoyable to interrupt and then flattened her hand against his chest, making a show of smoothing out the material of his shirt. "Just promise me one thing." She paused to hold up an index finger and looked him directly in the eye. "Just one." With that, the hand lifted to settle against his jawline and Laney smiled tenderly. "Whilst we're here, find one thing to do that's just for you. Not a job, not for someone else's benefit, not because it might let you save the day later down the track. One thing that makes you happy."

The man opened his mouth to say something several times but stopped as she put a finger up and looked him square in the eyes, stopping him in his track. “You…” he said grinned at his flirting before he nodded. “I promise.” He said closing his eye at her touch against his cheek.

It would do for now. In the following days, she'd probably have to remind him to actually make time for it but Delaney knew, at least, that he didn't make promises lightly. Turning towards him again, both arms once more wrapped around his waist, she settled with her head against his chest and, for once, enjoyed a rare moment of simple, uncomplicated peace.

And plotted piracy.