New Memories

Posted on Tue Nov 22nd, 2022 @ 4:45pm by Ka'see 'Cassie' Anderson (*) & Executive Officer Jake Ford

Mission: Mission 16: Hysperia
Location: Hysperia Hotel
Timeline: MD02
1562 words - 3.1 OF Standard Post Measure

Cassie was not sure how long she stood on the balcony just watching the view. They had finished the show to find a communication request where Jake had to rush off to deal with leaving her there in his hotel room. Was she meant to wait all night or leave? It was not something she had experienced before but she was content for a moment to just watch Hysperia and the way it shifted from day to night.

The old town and the original part of the colony were built upon the fertile soils that had allowed craftsmanship to grow in its pasts and really build up to the dream that the founders had. Its beauty was matched by the backdrop of a gentle mountain which helped shaped a small colony into what it was today. Cassie was just about to give up as she realised the night was fully in when the door opened inside. “I am out here.”

Some shuffling and stepping of feet later, a weary Jake exited out onto the balcony alongside her. His hand touched her arm, tracing lightly downwards as he leaned into the railing. "Burnie and Delaney got into some mischief with a dragon. Honestly, that's probably not a sentence I thought I'd ever say...although on reflection maybe it's not the most surprising thing either. How are you?"

Cassie looked at him and then back at her view and laughed sweetly. “I am fine. I had not realised I had been stood here so long I was just considered if it was awkward for me to still be here when you eventually came back.” She admitted staring into his eyes giving him her attention, marvelling not for the first time how handsome he was to her especially looking a little flustered.

"Well that's good. Be glad you weren't called in too, seems like we have a few folks wanting to create their own trouble this shore leave."

Cassie put her hand over his heart as she turned properly. “Not surprising in the slightest. I am more surprised it has only taken until now.” She had expected more crew to get into mischief with dragons especially the human crew when it seemed to be built into them that dragons could be friends. “Not felt the draw of dragons?”

"Me? Not really. And certainly not after the tale I just heard." He shook his head. "Did you have some thoughts in that direction?"

“No I once met giant ice worms on the Androian Homeworld and it gave me a huge fear of everything bigger than me.” The woman said softly. “Burned through my path and I spent three days trapped in a EV suit whilst people tried to dig me out.”

"Not everything bigger than you, I hope?" he chuckled, looming a little to make it obvious that he towered over her more diminutive height.

“There are certain things that do not give me any sign of fears when they are bigger.” She said turning to look at him and tugged him close. She stared at up at him admiring him. “I am thankful to have you in my world.”

"I'm still trying to imagine getting stuck in an EV suit for three days on Andoria. Must have been hell...hopefully the shutdown on Rosie didn't bring back too many bad memories of that," he wondered.

“Not in the slightest. The EV suite kept me quite warm.” She assured. “Plus I used to be a lot more stoic and Vulcan like. I used Vulcan mediation to combat any issues I felt around it. We were there to advise on a primeval bacteria that had been found so it was an interesting situation where I could not be beamed out for fear of beaming out that.”

"I'm trying to picture you more 'stoic' now," he remarked with a slight grin. "On the bright side, you're not quite as emotional as Liha or Kali, so you have that going for you." He made a point of turning his face into an over-the-top serious frown. "Am I doing it right?"

He got the frown perfectly. “Completely.” She laughed running her hand over his lip to wipe the frown away. “Being in this century has lightened me ever so slightly despite the trauma of being 150 years from all you know.” She did not even need to mention the trauma of being cycled through the transport for 150 years or the final seconds of 2246.

"Strange how in a quadrant this large but it's time that feels the biggest distance," he said, somewhat philosophically. "I'm dozens of light years from where I was born, but it's still within reach. I can't imagine being so out-of-time that my home and people would be totally different if I went back now." He paused and glanced out over the sky. "Made any plans with...you know, I don't think you told me your granddaughter's name?"

“Mara… let’s just call her Mara.” Cassie said quickly feeling just how uncomfortable the man was with it all. “Not really. She needs a bit of space and sleep.” Cassie said quietly thinking it was true. “Why you get me but I think you are wrong slightly in what you said. I might be out of time but the people who care about me are still on the same ship which is handy. I do not have any human family and the Vulcans… well I do not believe any of them really know what to do with me.” She admitted with a smile trying to lighten the mood slightly.

It was a nice name, he thought to himself. Mara. In some ways he suspected that Cassie was keeping them separate deliberately. Maybe out of shame or embarrassment. Or maybe to avoid awkwardness. He couldn't do much but respect that desire in the end. "Something you can change one step at a time. Like us: we said we weren't rushing to figure things out, right? I guess the same applies."

“I am very much trying to figure you and us out.” Cassie assured quickly. Him and whatever this was between them was one of the few things that did not make much sense but did at the same time. She knew she had fallen for him but she did not want at all to try and understand it for now. “It is not something that needs rushing now is it?”

"Not at all. But, we do have time to ourselves finally. And we're not totally freezing to death in some storage locker in the bowels of a starship now, are we?" Jake mused. "There's not rushing, and there's pretending the subject isn't there." He gazed into her face, trying to break down her expression.

“We had time before I went to Earth.” She teased leaning up to wrap her arms around his neck and just gazed back. “It was busy but definitely had time.” Cassie saw him trying to work her out. She kissed him gently and stroked her thumb over his cheek. “I am not pretending you are not important to me Jake.”

"You keep saying that," he observed. "Still trying to figure out what it means. For me and for you." He relaxed into a sheepish smile. "That's me overthinking again. I guess I'm doing a little too much of that lately." His eye twinkled momentarily. "Probably need some help to relax..."

“I am fully aware of what important means to me but you need to discover what it means for yourself but you do not need to over think this Jake. I like you for you not what you on the ship or any of that nonsense.” She soothed softly not missing the twinkle in his eyes at all. “So let’s relax?” Cassie suggested trying to sooth the tension.

There was a faint irony, in the back of his mind, that a Vulcan might suggest he was overthinking something. That almost formed into another grin but he held it back, instead giving her his full attention. "Well, Miss Anderson, I believe we have a hotel room entirely to ourselves right here. And if I recall correctly, you seemed to have found some excellent ways to relax in a makeshift hammock...so, I'm curious to see what you can do with access to a full suite of facilities..."

“Miss McAvoy.” She corrected with a soft rise in her accent as she said her mothers surname. She could see the confusion on his face but lent up kissing it away as it did not in the slightest matter. She was not going to change her name again without deep thought on what she wanted . “You are never going to let me forget that are you? Not sure that I can ever live up to that moment.” She breathed softly as he played with the ties on his shirt.

"Why would either of us want to forget it?" he queried back with a grin. "I was hoping we could make a few more memories while we were here."

“Well in that way…” Cassie said simply with a smirk. She never wanted to forget those strange days even if it was strange and not exactly how she would have started a relationship but despite it all it was perfect to her. She just needed to figure out where they were going.