Rangers Reunited Part 1

Posted on Sun Jun 14th, 2026 @ 9:12am by Indigo (*) & Theodore Winslow (*) & Dodai Yaari

Mission: Shackles
Location: All Hallows
Timeline: MD03
3506 words - 7 OF Standard Post Measure

Indigo stretched out on the huge bed that she had, had solely to herself for the duration of this mission in trying to find the source of a huge amount of misinformation around the Fenris Rangers. She had found them within days and neutralised them by giving them over to Starfleet Intelligence thanks to Winslow's links but now she was bored of the being alone which was not something to often admitted. She did not mind being alone, it was one of the things she savoured about her life going where she wanted and being with who she wanted but she had found herself thinking on Dodai often. She had resisted reaching out arguing it was her solo mission with Theo that was stopping her but it had ended days ago and the SS Mary Rose and Rangers were in orbit she could easily reach out and ask to meet up by why did she not not. Her moment lying on the bed was broken by the familiar knock of Theo at the door.

She bounded over and opened it to the younger man who offered a wave.

“Hello? I thought I had time before dinner?” She wondered glancing back at the chronometer.

“I was in reception and I found someone waiting for me or you… he did not really say who.” Theo stated quietly and indicated down the short corridor to where Dodai was. Theo had gotten the impression it was certainly not him but he was not going to state that.

By all rights, a man whose bulk alone made two of the average native should have stood out like a sore thumb. Dodai, having carved out a solitary lifestyle, didn't seem to have the graciousness to look out of place in new situations. Instead, like the trickle of honey between the gaps in the pancake stack, he stood utterly comfortable in his own skin, admiring the ceiling cornices as if they were works of art, and had the audacity of making the hotel foyer seem a little sheepish for not better accommodating him. He was on his best behaviour, as evidenced by the fact he'd pulled his long hair back into a messy arrangement that only partially consented to remain tethered, and was wearing a newer jacket than the leather thing he seemed to live in. The slightly damp, frigid climate was a little soggier than he was used to but Dodai was overall no stranger to the cold. He certainly didn't seem bothered by it.

Indigo frowned before she smiled a little at Theo. The man had been nothing but a gentleman throughout the last couple of weeks even now he was trying to be kind and point her in the right direction which he seemed to think was Dodai. She grabbed up her jacket and started down the corridor. “Hello you,” she greeted.

A familiar half-grin matched the man's nonchalance, his hands already stuffed deep into his pockets as Dodai simply stood and waited for the lady of the hour to reach him. "And here I thought you weren't a fan of the cold." The teasing lilt conveyed affection for what was just one of many minor incompatibilities; Dodai found joy in snowstorms, right down to standing out in the middle of them when any sensible person would be inside huddled close to a heat source.

“Maybe it's growing on me after 200 years.” She commented as she stood there looking up at him. “How have you been? Glad to see Kaylin or Tevik did not throw you out of an airlock.” It had been one of many possible scenarios that she had thought up whilst she was away and not able to damage control.

The scrunch of Dodai's features was a familiar attempt to select an honesty that wasn't too damning. His status on board was still about as tenuous as it had always been and the daily reminders that he needed to prove his worth alongside his innocence definitely kept things interesting. "Not out one, no." A flash of mischief culminated in a wink. "Just oriented in the general direction of one as per the requirements of proving a point. I have not been a nuisance," he added, reassurance that at least landed as sincerity amidst his humour. "At least, not intentionally."

The woman smiled up at him and shook her head at the way he brought her to an easy smile. She looked the opposite of him but the elders assured them over and over that all was well and they were perfect together. Was this what they meant? “Well that is something I suppose and you are here with all your limbs intact. Did you come down to check I was alive or did you come for something else?” She wondered.

"Well, I was fairly certain of the first already," Dodai pointed out. Quite apart from the fact it seemed likely they would have been informed of the mission's demise by now, it was an apt moment to point out she couldn't very well disappear without him knowing. "The planet's full of curiosities, more than worth exploring, and arguably better when shared." Offering a warm half-smile, Dodai reached out to tuck an errant strand of blue hair behind her ear and added, "It's been a while since we've been able to explore something new together."

The woman closed her eyes for a second at the way he tucked her hair behind her ear before she opened them and looked at him. She had not expected to be hit by these feelings again and it just made her frustrated that someone centuries ago knew that this man could do that to her. “Do you have a location in mind?” She wondered quietly.

A familar placid confidence guided Dodai's partial shrug. "Wherever the mood takes us. It's difficult to know if somewhere is appealing enough to explore until you're done with at least an initial check." A brief wink, a flash of mischief fast enough that only Indigo caught it, invited a recollection of just how much of the man's life had been lived by this specific creed. "Consider it a scouting run."

"Let me grab a few things." She indicated back towards her room and tugged on his arm to bring him back into the room for a moment so she could sort out her hair and grab a coat because he was right, this part of the world was foggy and a little cold. It really was not where she would have decided to go if she had been given the choice.

The privacy of Dodai's amusement was not enough to entirely disguise the gleam of affection in his eyes. It was, of course, how their dynamic always played out; he threw the cat amongst the pigeons and somewhere along the way, Indigo scruffed control of the situation and, before he knew it, he was being dragged around a mess of tomfoolery entirely of his own devising. It had caused some minor friction early on but, these days, it was easy to suspect he leaned into it enough to guilty of setting it up intentionally most of the time.

He stood, hands still stuffed into his pockets, just inside the door and fooled nobody by looking contrite and well-behaved.

"They have quite a bonfire or two dotted about the place," he ventured, once again admiring the ceiling. "I overhead some concern that they might be intended to make an example of any heathens hanging about." A pair of pursed lips bought him just enough time to add, "I should have brought a disguise," to save Indigo the trouble.

“I believe the last time there were bonfires. I was nearly burned as a witch and I did not even have blue hair then.” She said smiling over at him as she pulled on her black coat and did it up. “So maybe you are not the person who needs the disguise.” She added pulling ip her hood to prove her point for a moment she pulled it down.

She stepped up to him and smiled offering her hand to him. “Ready when you are.”

"So," Dodai asked, several minutes later when the blast of cold air from the opened foyer door had hit them both in the face, "how was your adventure this time?" He persisted, as always, in referencing even a simple work task as something grander, worthy of scrutiny even though he was perfectly aware that she couldn't tell him too many details.

The woman smiled at the way the coolness hit them. “My adventure was good. Theo is fun to work with.” She admitted knowing she had met the man as a stuck up Starfleet officer but he was growing on her. “He was a perfect gentleman.”

"Handsome fellow too, if not a little baby-faced."

Centuries of practise had honed Dodai's ability to tease without moving any telltale facial muscles. It wasn't a comment born out of jealousy; their relationship was too complicated for that kind of sensibility to dominate. Still, after all this time, he still couldn't quite resist the urge to point out when Indigo's ability to masquerade as a fresh-faced youth brought her attention that didn't reflect her years.

"He is handsome but a little baby-faced indeed," She said quietly, looking at him, trying to work out if the teasing was his usual or whether it was something more. "But I am certainly not his type. He would be searching for something a little more traditional, seeing what planet he is from, plus... You and I are back in the same ...whatever this is again." She said quietly, struggling to work out the correct words.

A hint of intentional introspection skewed Dodai's expression into a momentary squint. "I think you called it a 'diabolical farce' at one point." Additional exaggeration brought his hand up to stroke at his beard. "Or was it an 'unmitigated disaster waiting to happen'." A familiar look of knowing amusement drifted sideways before he continued, unfazed. "I also don't recall that stopping you before."

“Am I not allowed to change my mind after 200 years?” She wondered quietly unloosing her arm from his. “And it has never stopped you either but maybe … maybe you have gotten under my skin finally.” Indigo murmured pulling her hood up against the rain and his gaze. She was having a moment of uncharacteristic vulnerability and him gazing at her was just making it worse.

For all his faults, Dodai knew when to stop pushing. As comfortable in protracted silence as he was telling stories, he let the moment sink into itself and sauntered at a companionable pace that didn't seek to draw attention to Indigo's discomfort. A shift in energies reminded the universe of the combined experience at play, the monolithic intuition that only grew more profound in each other's presence because that was the consequence of a bond that couldn't be denied no matter how much the participants thought it ought to be. He had arrived because of an intangible yet irrefutable belief that he was needed and if Indigo herself was begrudgingly succumbing to the realisation, then there was something significant at foot indeed.

Indigo stayed quiet for a long moment as she weaved through the grey humanoid figures of the local inhabitants and eventually several other species as they got to what could only be described as a gathering square where they were creating large bonfires. “I think today might be The Night of Embers.” Indigo had been on the planet long enough to read the festival guide several times over.

"An auspicious title." As was expected, Dodai's response gave no real indication of what he thought of the place or its people, though Indigo knew him well enough by now to suspect he was absorbing the ethos of unfolding events as a sponge slowly absorbed a puddle of water if left long enough. "Do we know what they intend to set alight or is that part of the appeal, waiting around to see if you go up in flames?"

“I believe we are encouraged to create effigies to burn. I promise not to make one of you.” Indigo said looking up at him under her hood smiling a little more. She was interested in the festival to say the least as someone who thought her self quite brave to the point of stupidity.

"Burning would appear, on the surface, to be quite aggressive," Dodai agreed. "But if you consider the potential for rebirth after the lanscape succumbs to the flame, one could argue that not necessarily a hateful act to throw your loved ones onto the bonfire." Having caught the wisp of a smile on Indigo's face, Dodai winked. "Perhaps the goal is merely to encourage personal growth."

“I think I have done quite a lot of growth over last few months no?” She wondered as she stopped and looked up at him properly. “But I am happy to find a free table to make something with you?”

"Hopefully, we all have."

It was, as responses went, rather more akin to Dodai's usual vague philosophy. It took a great deal more herbal suggestion for him to ramble in any kind of detail but the gist was always much the same; he spoke in broad strokes that seemed entirely intended to make a person draw their own conclusions. Right now, however, he was investigating the availability of said table, and more to the point, the entire purpose of securing one in the first place.

"An intriguing communal tradition. Doesn't this run the risk of giving away the surprise ahead of time?" He craned, an attempt to see what some of those closest were attempting to create. "It may be a tad difficult to remain authentic if the person you're hoping to send up in smoke is liable to peer over your shoulder to pass judgement on the shape of their counterpart's nose."

"I do not think it is for other people but for people themselves," Indigo admitted quietly. She could see what he meant, but she did not want to necessarily put him. "We could go to different areas and then come back together in an hour?" She suggested thinking that they needed to talk honestly.

It was a gift of dubious compatibility, Dodai supposed, that the pair of them struggled to communicate in direct lines sometimes. It was difficult to commit to the minutiae from behind a lens that captured vastness on a scale that words couldn't adequate express, but even as he had joked and poked and prodded his way through this initial introduction to her current state of affairs, Dodai had spent time alone in contemplation of his role. Coming down from his mountain to meet Indigo wherever she was at was a start.

He fixed her with a long, evaluative look and then reached out to tweak her nose.

"Is that when you're going to tell me what this is about?"

Indigo opened her mouth and then closed it for a moment as she turned to look up at the man properly and lowered her hood. “I… I do not believe we are an unmitigated disaster waiting to happen.” She said quietly, wishing she had a better way to speaking or saying how she felt under the surface. “I know I am not who or what you expected to marry, but thank you.”

As a first response, looking up and down the street might not have been entirely what Indigo had been hoping for but, in swift succession, a hand arrived gently against the small of her back to coax her towards a nearby empty table. It would mean, Dodai supposed, having to order something to eat or drink eventually but he doubted either of them would mind.

"Now," he started once they were both settled into seats opposite each other, "who told you I didn't want to marry you?" A pair of sparkling eyes twinkled as the question settled and, rather than wait for a response, Dodai chose to elaborate himself. "I believe my concern at the time was being told what to do on the premise that my personal fate was somehow not mine to determine. That is not," he pointed out, "quite the same as disapproving of their choice."

"Well, I am not exactly the daughter of anyone important. Whilst you are the son of an elder... your father made it pretty obvious I was not his pick, but everyone else overruled him." She pointed out, surprised at the softness in his tone. "Though your mother seemed to approve, she always had a way about her that could put even the goddesses themselves at ease." She added, looking up at the man as he settled onto the wooden chair.

If there was ever a topic that turned Dodai into hulking mass of brooding introspection, certainly evoking his father's existence was one of them. There was wisdom in allowing his mother's presence to ride in tandem, and if proof existed that opposites could succeed, then Dodai supposed his parents' union might qualify as a fair example. He suffered from an acute concern that he was growing to be more his father's son as the decades rolled on, which on the surface seemed like an uncessary fear. The nomadic artisan influence was directly his mother's, whereas he would have needed to become a pompous, officious bore to qualify as his father's protege.

Still...

"My father has a great many opinions that may not hold up to close scrutiny. I've found life to be generally more pleasant if I unburden myself of his expectation."

“Easy for you to say.” Indigo murmured quietly as she weaved her fingers together to do something with her hands other than fiddle. “But 200 years ago we were both very different people.” She sighed softly, thinking of the girl she was standing there in front of their elders and expectations with someone whom she thought they would be a disaster.

As he so often did, Dodai switched tracks to veer slightly more towards the tangled heart of things. It wasn't much of a revelation to find Indigo reflecting on the past as a means of understanding what she wanted from the future; he had resurfaced due to the guidance of intuitive synergy, and there was little doubt that the threads that connected them together were once again at a point of direct overlap. The task now was not so much to confess to a need to come together once more, but to figure out what the end result of this chapter of union was meant to look like.

"You are restless," he observed, a statement made without a lot of room for denial. "That much, at least, has not changed." Smiling affectionately, Dodai hunkered forward to rest his weight on his bent arms and fixed Indigo with a look that refused to compromise. "Finding purpose isn't necessarily about doing one thing you're happy with and calling it done. Your current work situation seems to suit you well enough, so it's not your career that's lacking."

Indigo's mouth twitched, caught somewhere between amusement and resignation. "Restless?" she echoed. "That's a polite way of putting it." She drew one knee up, wrapping her arms around it as she stared out past him, even as an Allhallowian came over to take their order. "Um... chia latte please." She said, bringing up the menu properly.

Dodai buried his own amusement in the menu and arrived at a very familiar point of refusing to choose between the most appealing choices. "A pot of the t'panin, some aruva juice and this grilled platter." The final order prompted a finger run along the description, mostly because he didn't recognise half of what was included and had even less chance of pronouncing any of it correctly. "And two plates, for the inevitable revocation of failed appetite." He winked at Indigo, who would pretend as much as she liked that she didn't want to eat anything; she was in the wrong company to convince.

The grey willowy man chuckled as he glanced at the pair. They seemed an odd pairing but there was something about them that worked well as the woman rolled her eyes but nodded at the suggestion. He was not wrong as soon as she saw food she would want something. “Thank you.” She nodded at the waiter that it would be okay. “Theo has learned the same.” She laughed a little feeling a little less tension now that she had got some of what was in her head out. If she could understand it that would be better.

"The menu does suggest it is a helping for four, so we might just scrape together enough of a snack to manage." A wink ordinarily would have been tempting fate but Dodai seemed to quite like the view from the edge, judging by how long he spent living on it.