​[I-ARB] JP - Lt. Moonsong & LtCmdr Skyfire: The Wounding Part 2

[chythar skyfire]

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((Deck 7: Arboretum))

Moonsong: =/\= Moonsong to Skyfire….

:: It took a few seconds for there to be an answering chirp. ::

Skyfire: =/\= Go ahead, Ris.

::For a moment she couldn’t speak around the knot in her throat.::

Moonsong: =/\= Carter… needs you….

Skyfire: =/\= He’ll keep. How’re you holding up?

::How was she holding up? She was falling apart. Her life shattered around her.::

Moonsong: =/\= I… I… it’s … I’ve lost everything…

:: While hardly the words that Chythar was ex

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pecting, he knew that tone well enough to know that she could probably use his presence more than Carter would.

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::

Skyfire: =/\= Where are you? Or we could meet for drinks in Eight-Forward?

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::The thought of the people that would be in the lounge at this hour made her shudder.::

Moonsong: =/\= I’m in the Arboretum….

Skyfire: =/\= On my way. :: and the line clicked off. ::

:: It took about five minutes for Chythar to arrive in the arboretum in his jeans and tank top, and he cast a glance at all the plant life to make sure they stayed where they were before approaching. Once he sat down on the bench, he reached a hand toward her. ::

Skyfire: Do you need a hug?

::She was sitting, hunched over, her arms crossed tightly across her stomach as if in pain. Tears had left trails down her face, and her body was shaking.::

Moonsong: Not… safe….

:: Unlike Carter, the enduring connection that had formed between them seemed to pull at something in his mind. It probably was, to an extent. The rest would lie in their control, which...while he wasn’t sure about her own, he was confident in his. ::

Skyfire: Worth a shot, right? :: and pulled her into a gentle and reassuring embrace. ::

::For a moment her body went rigid. Her shielding was still fragile, but his warmth and care flowed easily through the connection they shared. She held tight to that and her mental shields. With a sob she turned to him weeping against his chest. Clinging to him. ::

:: Chythar’s own shields were stable, and this moment of contact to some extent made him feel vulnerable and exposed. Something about his practiced calm seemed to flow through that connection, and he gently ran a hand through her hair. ::

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Skyfire: Never underestimate the healing power of hugs. :: he smirked and tried lightening the mood. ::

Moonsong: ::hiccoughing sob:: You don’t know… what this means to me… to touch….

:: He could take a guess, because he too had missed the sensation. The only one he had regular contact with was Devlin, and he’d adapted to the small canine’s continually happy demeanor. Now, he was in close contact with another humanoid -- and intimate contact, at that. Different from any of the mind melds he’d experienced -- this sort of contact he hadn’t felt since the USS Excalibur and the mess which made him telepathic in the first place. She was also the first he hadn’t been treating on a bio-bed. ::

Skyfire: I have a good idea.

::The tears didn’t stop, but his embrace held the support and fulfilled her need to touch at this moment.::

Moonsong: I feel you…. how can I touch you…?

:: He nodded and held her close, allowing himself to relax a little as he held her like a protective guardian angel, and allowed her to tighten her grip on him if need be. He had woken up with his share of nightmares in the past, and to some extent was still haunted by memories of Azin and the telepathic trauma that scrambled his genetics. ::

Skyfire: I may have an answer.

Moonsong: How…?

:: He pondered that over, not entirely sure if his theory was a valid hypothesis. Yet, something told him it was a good answer, given the present circumstances. He mulled it over for a good two minutes before he spoke again. ::

Skyfire: You said we shared a connection, right? One that apparently formed when you started helping me gain control over my abilities.

::She nodded against his chest. In order to help him design rudimentary shielding she ended up finding a way to let him into her mind to show him how to develop some methods of control. It had become a full blown link when he had reached out to her during his fever dream on DSX.::

Skyfire: My guess is...because of that connection, it is safe to engage in physical contact. This is only a theory, mind you.

::Raissa sniffled, rubbing her nose with her sleeve like a child.::

Moonsong: Then you’ll see me a lot for hugs….

:: He chuckled softly and repeated his earlier phrase. She seemed to be feeling better, and he also felt some sort of emotional connection in a greater way than that of sibling love that he couldn’t place his finger on. He did care for her, a great deal. In more ways than one. Yet he couldn’t voice it. ::

Skyfire: Never underestimate the healing power of hugs.

::She hugged him more tightly.::

Moonsong: You… you remind me of my brothers when they are being nice to me…

Skyfire: I have no pressing engagements, if you want to just remain here for a while.

:: He tried to form additional words, to express his emotions. Words failed him. In a different fashion. Tongue tied because he couldn’t figure out how to say what he wanted to. ::

::Her voice was soft as she leaned against him, some of the tension easing from her body. She didn’t try to delve into his mind or their connection. She was content just to be held for the first time in what felt like months.::

Moonsong: Thank you...CD… You’re a good friend….

Skyfire: Any time. I’ll be here for you. :: He paused and took a breath as the previously unspoken words found their way to his tongue. :: I care for you a great deal, Ris.

Moonsong: I care about you… you know that…

:: He nodded faintly and tried to say the rest of it. ::

Skyfire: This...this may sound strange, but you mean more to me than anyone I’ve served with.

:: With the notable exception of Taybrim, whom he already loved like a brother. Ris held a special place in his heart because of this connection, and also because she was always honest with him by comparison to Debra, who started their relationship off by a betrayal which followed a “Dear John” type letter. Honesty was a trait he valued, and never had any problems with that when he was around Ris. ::

::She lifted her head to look at him.::

Moonsong: CD… I think of you as family… Sibling of my heart. There is nothing more important to me than family. Whatever happens I will always have your back as you have had mine.

:: He nodded again and hugged her, giving her forehead a gentle kiss. ::

Skyfire: Yep. I’ll always have your back.

::Raissa rested her head on his shoulder. The hurting was no less, but at this moment, she no longer felt as if she would shatter into a million pieces. She still had her duty and she still had a few friends. Her life was not over, but it would be far different than she had ever imagined.::

END

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Lt. Cmdr Chythar Skyfire
Chief Medical Officer
USS Invicta

&

Lieutenant Raissa Moonsong
Chief of Counseling
USS Invicta