Lieutenant Commander Lael Rosek: A Distraction While Dancing
Lieutenant Commander Lael Rosek
((Beta Quadrant, Par’tha Expanse, USS Atlantis, Deck 6, Holodeck 1))
Williams: Now as you might see we still have a table with a whole set of boxes. I won't call everyone forward but everyone who served with us during the spider bot attack will be given the Legion of Merit for staving off the attack. It was a hard and painful struggle but in the end we pulled through. I’ll have to correct myself on this one. Why don't you all get on stage after all. Let our guests see who you are and what you did.
::Wiping away the moisture, Lael applauded as the Atlantis crew stepped up to the stage.::
Williams: ::Raising his voice:: Ladies and gentleman… the proud crewmembers of the USS Atlantis. hip hip
Brell: Hooray!
::With a wane smile, Lael joined the applause, an overwhelming feeling of pride swelling in her chest. This was why she’d joined Starfleet. It was people like the crew of the Atlantis that made her honored to be a Starfleet officer.::
Brell: The bar and buffet is open and so is the dance floor. Enjoy yourselves!
::The dance floor. That was something she’d been looking forward to before things had gotten so complicated. She hadn’t expected Toryn to be entering his season nor had she expected that to have such a powerful effect on her own, so close. She exhaled heavily.::
Rosek: o0 I can control myself. I can stop him if he starts pushing. 0o
::She’d resisted far greater temptations, even if she couldn’t recall them at the moment. Even though she knew what they both wanted wasn’t possible for them right now, she wanted his company and a chance to congratulate him on his promotion. Surely one dance couldn’t hurt, could it? She closed the distance between them enough and stood in his direct line of sight so that her thoughts would reach him and no one else, still giving him enough space that the urges wouldn’t be so strong and that he could think more clearly. She noted that he was talking with a few people she didn’t know, but reached out before she could change her mind.::
Rosek: ::pauses:: ~Congratulations on your promotion.~ ::smiles wanly:: ~I’d say the same for your Purple Heart, but I’ve gotten enough of those to know that the way you earn them doesn’t make up for the award itself.~
Raga: ~Thank you, Lael. To be honest, I was not expecting it....nor was I ever expecting to be made Chief. ~
Rosek: ::worries her lip:: ~Given how badly this could turn out for you if something goes wrong, I understand if you don’t think it’s a good idea, but...dance with me?~
Raga: ~I think there's something wrong, my season has never been this bad. But my mental exercises have calmed it a bit. ::He briefly looked away from her apprehensively:: I don't know how to dance. And being that close, is that wise?~
Rosek: ~No pressure. I won’t try anything, I promise.~ ::smiles:: ~I’ll keep my hands and all other parts of me respectable. I just...even if we can’t be that for each other, I’d like it very much if we could be friends. And friends dance, don’t they?~
Raga: ~Friends. If you don't mind me likely stepping on your feet, sure. ::He considered something a moment:: Can you handle being that close to me? It's difficult for me not to project my thoughts, and that close you'd certainly have to worry about the pheromones.~
Rosek: ~I have my mental shields raised, so I can block what I’m feeling and thinking.~ ::pauses:: ~As far as the pheromones...I won’t breathe too deeply. I don’t know if you can manage the same, but--~
Raga: ~Very well.~
::Her heart missed a beat when he agreed, a lump forming in her throat. She could barely breathe as the excitement of finally getting to enjoy his company without anyone interrupting threatened to overwhelm her. When she saw him moving toward her, she exhaled a shaky breath and moved to meet him, using the time to gather her wits.::
::As she drew nearer, the familiar sensations from earlier returned and she had to remind herself to breathe shallow so that she didn’t take in too much of the chemical. This would give her more time before they began to affect her beyond her tolerance. It was difficult not to focus solely on him. His very presence filled the room, most especially the way his mind touched hers. She could have cried for how good it felt. He was a rock in a turbulent sea, despite the war he was fighting in his mind and body.::
::His blue eyes were so deep and so filled with emotion, she feared she’d drown in them. What his calm expression didn’t show, his eyes betrayed. Black hair hung about his face, making his eyes seem impossibly bluer. The white of the dress uniform was a stark contrast. She couldn’t help thinking how devastatingly handsome he looked in it. The jacket was tailored to fit and did him immense favors, highlighting his toned upper body.::
Rosek: ::moistens her lips nervously:: o0I am in so much trouble. 0o
Raga: So..how exactly does one dance?
::It took Lael’s brain a few moments to catch up.::
Rosek: ::pauses:: Well, first--we need music.
::As if on cue, the beginning strains of Three Doors Down’s “Your Arms Feel Like Home”. A slight flush filled Lael’s cheeks as she recalled the lyrics. It was a classical alternative song from Earth’s 21st century and she was surprised to hear it. She’d thought she was one of the few that listened to that particular genre and era. She chewed on her lower lip for a moment before grabbing his left hand with hers and placing her
Rosek: ~Normally, you’d place your other hand on my waist. But it might be safer if you placed it between my shoulder blades.~
::The warmth of his hand as he followed her suggestion had her suppressing a shiver and she fought the temptation to move closer until the distance between their bodies was non-existent. But she held her position, her gaze locking with his.::
Raga: ~RESPONSE~
Rosek: ::smiles sheepishly:: ~Um...just follow the music. Whatever you do, I’ll follow.~
Raga: ~RESPONSE~
::The fingers of her right hand laced with his as they began to move to the music. Despite her best attempts to keep her body’s reaction under control, her heart thudded against her ribcage, the blood rushing in her ears. Her gaze flickered to his lips. As much as she knew it would be a bad idea, she was sorely tempted to close the distance between them and kiss him, to hell with the consequences. Her body thrummed with awareness of his so close, so undeniably male.::
Rosek: o0 No. 0o
::She shut down the thoughts, but made no move away from him, forcing herself to focus on something else.::
Rosek: ~You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to...but what happened during your last mission that Com--Captain Brell saw fit to award you a Purple Heart?~
Raga: ~RESPONSE~
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Lieutenant Commander Lael Rosek, Eng.D.
Engineering Officer
USS Veritas NCC-95035
I238110RH0
https://wiki.starbase118.net/wiki/index.php/Lael_Rosek