[JP] Lt. JG Marshall & Lt. Cmdr. Reynolds - Northern Lights (Part II)
Jo Marshall
((Hillside, Deln Mountain Range, Trill))
::The northern face of the Deln Mountains were a series of smaller sloping hills overlooking the Vessine farms and campsite, leading out towards the purple-tinged Troyval Ocean. A popular spot for visitors and hikers alike, it hadn't been difficult to transport to but to get up to where the best spot was, it involved a walk. However, as it was slowly moving out of the season, the trail was peacefully quiet and still momentarily lit by the last vestiges of the setting sun on the visible horizon.::
::Jo readjusted the rucksack on her back and jogged to catch up with Erin, falling into step beside her. The added layers had been a good thing - it was already starting to drop in temperature and by the time they would reach the lookout point, night would truly be set in.::
Marshall: We follow this trail up, when the light goes we've got a flashlight. The ridge isn't far.
E. Reynolds: You know, I'm not a natural hiker. There's a reason we invented transporters.
::She shot Jo a grin as she said it, the complaints as good-natured as the complainer.::
Marshall: "It adds to the experience", so the library says. Reconnect with nature. Breathe in all that good, non-recycled air. Distance ourselves from technology.
::Though, she had to admit that a transporter up the ridge might have been a nice addition. More time for watching, less time being cold with sore feet. However, Jo being ever the optimist, took the woman's hand and brushed her thumb over the back of hers with an encouragingly enthusiastic grin.::
Marshall: Come on, it'll be worth it. If it's not, you pick somewhere to drag me to in the middle of the night.
E. Reynolds: I, uh... ::She swallowed, shaking her head and smiling sheepishly.:: Um...
::Shaking her head, she laughed quietly at herself, and opted to give up on the response there and there, rather than stammer over her words any further. Giving Jo's hand a squeeze, Erin stared sheepishly and just a little too intently at the trail they were following as her cheeks turned scarlet -- thankfully, that was mostly hidden by the gloom that surrounded them.::
::Jo followed the woman's gaze to the trail, cheeks twinging with pink at the amphibology of her statement that was so unintentional it made her intellectuality roll it's figurative eyes at her. She glanced up at the stalks of tree trunks growing up around them, a canopy of leaves overhead, small flashes of dusk poking through. They walked up the carved out path, light dwindling, a gentle kind of peace in the air, which Jo disturbed with a question she had asked on the warbird.::
Marshall: So, how're you holding up? Being back in the field.
E. Reynolds: Oh. ::The traces of amusement and embarrassment fell straight off her face, the colour following shortly thereafter. She took a few moments before answered, the soft thud of their footsteps on the loam an earthy metronome.:: I'm alright. But I don't know if I *should* be? I thought it would be harder, going back to Starfleet, dealing with the danger and... the rest... but it really wasn't.
Marshall: ::She thought about it, a slight frown creasing in between her eyebrows.:: Why did you think it would be harder?
::Erin's gaze dropped toward her feet, a frown forming to echo Jo's. She shook her head, struggling to articulate what was going on in her overactive brain.::
E. Reynolds: I... ::She paused, then sighed.:: I always thought that I did it because I had to. I coped because I had to. There wasn't any going back, Over There. And I thought that here... I had a choice, so therefore it would be more difficult? ::Her frown deepened.:: I'm not explaining it very well. I guess I'm not quite the person I thought I was. I just don't know if that's good or bad.
::The look etching into the hybrid's features triggered a memory in Jo's mind, of watching the events that unfolded on the colony, and she shifted her shoulder unconsciously with a flare of a phantom burning sensation. It had been tough - death and danger had always been synonymous with the job description of a Starfleet Officer, but more so for the woman walking beside her, whose cosmic mettle seemed to be more of the forged kind than a personality trait.::
Marshall: From where I stood, you weren't just coping. ::She chewed the inside of her cheek for a minute as they walked, trying to fathom the right words.:: You took charge, you protected your team, and when things got really bad, you were there like a lightning rod. ::She looked up at the sky, then back to look at Erin's freckled face, at the faint smile that had briefly flickered into life at her words.:: Why did you say yes? To coming back on board.
E. Reynolds: I don't know. ::She frowned again. She seemed to be saying that a lot.:: The Admiral sort of... talked me into it. And I was lonely down there. ::Her expression changed, to a rueful, embarrassed smile.:: I'd been squashed into a tiny ship with the same people for years, and suddenly... it was all gone. They were all gone.
Marshall: They're your family, as chaotic as it was. ::She sighed as they walked, a touch slower.:: I'm sorry everyone didn't stay together. Hell, they deserve some peace and quiet, I just...
::She stopped for a moment, words trailing off, looking between the trees and the stars peeping through them. They were nearing the summit of the cliff face. Her gaze dropped back to Erin, to find those eyes of copper and honey she could get lost in far too easily, and indicated up the path with a nod and a wicked grin.::
Marshall: It's about to start. Ready to run for it?
E. Reynolds: I'm even less of a sprinter than I am a hiker. ::She recalled her smile, albeit a little faded around the edges.:: But I'm curious.
Marshall: Your curious mind will thank you later. Your legs might not. ::She gave their intertwined hands a gentle squeeze before letting go.:: Let's get that heart racing.
::One wild, heart-stoppingly breathless sprint up the carved out path, with the colour of the sky already starting to change in the distance, they slowed to a stop on the ridge overlooking the Troyval Ocean stretching out beyond the horizon. No moon hung in the darkened cloudless sky above but glittering stars were already beginning to shine.
::Jo dropped her rucksack to the floor, trying to catch her breath, only for the view to steal it back. Between laboured breaths and a heavily pounding heart, she gazed out at the rolling tide of the ocean and the indigo sky swimming with silver stars and coal-coloured voids.::
Marshall: Incredible, isn't it?
::A brilliant, unchecked smile was her answer. Erin stared at the vista, entirely oblivious to her burning lungs, the stars reflected in her hazel eyes as she looked out at the sky and sea.::
E. Reynolds: Oh, Jo...
::She trailed off, wordless, taking a few more steps forward to drink in the view. Jo grinned at the smile on Erin's features and hung back, preferring to watch her rather than what was going on in the heavens, listening to the sounds of ocean crashing against the rocks below.::
Marshall: Just wait…
TBC
--
Lieutenant JG Jocelyn Marshall
Operations Officer
USS Gorkon
G239304JM0
&
Lt. Commander Erin Reynolds
Chief Science Officer
USS Gorkon
simmed by
Rear Admiral Quinn Reynolds
Commanding Officer
USS Gorkon
T238401QR0