[Backsim] [JP] Ensign Kaito Moore & Lieutenant Bec Iko - Bec and Moore's Totally Awesome Adventure Pt. 2
Ani
((“Targs and Wargs Bar and Grill” Bar, Qam-Chee, Qo’nos))
Iko: Uhh—
Kaito and Ejoll both looked at Bec, and then started laughing.
Moore: I’m sorry, Bec. ::Laughs a little.:: This is Ejoll. Ejoll. Bec Iko, a very good friend.
Ejoll: Good to meet you, anyone who is a friend of House Moore is a friend of mine.
She nodded, resting both hands back on the table, clasped in front of her, and still with so many questions.
Iko: And you know each other… how?
Moore: My dad officiated her wedding back in eighty six.
Ejoll: At least Clarke’s side of the wedding. His mother wanted a Betazoid wedding.
Bec looked back at Kai again, wondering if he could fill her in.
Moore: Clarke was the old Bartender on the Concord, and after messaging him earlier, I learned he had a tavern really close to us.
Iko: So that's why you dragged me here…
Moore: Kind of, I wasn’t kidding about not being able to sleep, and I figured a friendly place could be good for both of us. Plus, I did want to see Ejoll and Clarke.
Ejoll: Seems we can't keep you away for very long, can we Kaito?
Moore: It’s been five years!
Bec smirked.
Iko: Okay, but I have to ask: did little baby Kai help out in part of your wedding?
Moore: What?! Hey! Baby Kai? I was ten!
Ejoll: Clarke would call you a baby, I would think you were old enough for your first weapon.
She then looked at Bec.
Ejoll: And yes he did have a most honorable part. I know Clarke has the recording somewhere of him and his sister.
Kaito’s eyes went wide.
Moore: No… no no no. Don’t say it.
Iko: Say what?
Ejoll: ::Ejoll grinned a little:: It is okay. I am told there is no shame in having such a… high pitched voice, among non-Klingon children. Clarke called it… a most angelic soprano.
Kaito just put his face in his hands, embarrassed beyond measure. Ejoll just smiled towards Bec, knowing her job is done.
Bec shrugged.
Iko: You should have heard what happened to my poor mate Stephen.
Moore: Okay? What happened to Stephen?
Iko: long story short he goes and he rocks up at me house—like an idiot, unannounced—like an idiot, and his high-pitched voice and haircut made mum and gran go and think he was a “princess Megan” or some $#%@, and so I go pissed trying to defend him, but in the end he goes “awh, nah, it's cool” and ends up dating onea me brothers for a bit.
As the story progressed Bec's speech got more and more laid back and possibly nasally, and she saw it in Kai and Ejoll's faces.
Kaito just slowly turned his head to the side slightly, as he tried to process that.
Moore: Okay, I think I got it. So your old friend Stephen comes to your house, and everyone thinks he dresses a little feminine? Then goes on to date your brother?
It at least took away from the embarrassment from Kaito’s secret getting out there, replaced with confusion on Ejoll and he suspected his face too.
Iko: I mean, that sounds about right, but it's not as funny when you tell it like that.
Ejoll: Was it at least an honourable pairing?
Moore: Yeah, that’s the real question, was it honorable? Did they stick together?
Iko: Until Stephen started getting my brother into snakeleaf, pretty much. Then we all went “yeah nah” and collectively dumped him.
Moore: Wait, collectively dumped him, and what is snakeleaf?
Iko: …It's a drug.
Ejoll raised her eyebrows.
Moore: So Stephen got into drugs, and you all dumped him. Got it.
Iko: And he dragged my brother along.
Moore: I mean I would have dumped him too. It makes sense.
Aaaaaand that was the end of that.
Iko: Anyway… it was lovely to meet you, Ejoll.
Ejoll: And you, Bec of house Iko. ::pondering:: House Iko… I've heard of that one before.
Bec looked away, swallowing down the cocktail of emotions that wanted to flow right out.
Iko: Oh, it's uh, it's nothing. Lived on earth, never got properly initiated, y'know?
Ejoll: Well, that's something we should definitely rectify. Isn't it Kaito?
Moore: It’s something we’re working on, but we’ll get to the pain sticks soon enough..
She wasn’t quite sure about that part yet.
Iko: ::forcing a chuckle:: Heh… How about some bloodwine first?
Moore: Yes! Bloodwine first, and if you don’t mind. A place where my friend and I can converse.
She quickly pours them two tall mugs of bloodwine.
Ejoll: You are coming over for dinner, Kaito. Honor demands it!
Moore: I would not miss it.
Iko: And, thanks for the drinks.
Ejoll: Enjoy it. I will leave you two be. No promises of peace, when my husband gets back.
Kaito raised the glass to her. She nodded, and left them to tend to another patron.
Iko: She seems nice.
Moore: Yeah, she always was, granted from the stories I heard, before my time, her father wanted to kill Clarke, so there is that.
He let out a smile, and then sighed a little bit. Looking into his glass.
Iko: Well…
Moore: Yeah?!
Iko: What can ya do?
Moore: Oh, from what I heard, there was a showdown, something about an illegitimate child he didn’t know about, and fatherhood hit him hard? That is what I heard at least.
Certainly interesting, and enough to cause a double-take, but it was something that Bec let slip by.
Iko: So, anyway, was seeing Ejoll the only reason you dragged me out here or was there a reason behind not being able to sleep?
Moore: I guess my mind is kind of busy. Maybe a little bit beyond the trip, but I figured you might like a friendly place to drink too. ::He said, kind of dodging the question slightly.::
Iko: Yeah yeah, I know that, and I know we Sec/Tac guys are all “Yeah, chill, I'm ‘right” but I'm not an angry klingon, and if you wanted to share stuff…
Moore: I mean, you can get a little angry. ::he smirked a little.:: I guess I am kind of concerned, and conflicted.
Bec furrowed her brow.
Iko: Why?
Moore: It stays between us, but I think there is something wrong with me, and it might have ruined something important.
Iko: #%^$... now you got me worried.
Moore: I don’t think it is that bad, well, maybe. ::He sighed and took a drink.:: You know how I have a really good memory?
Bec sighed.
Iko: What did you do?
Moore: Back on the Savoy, the night before we arrived, I might have realized I have feelings for Liv, almost acted on them, and then I kind of had a flashback? If that makes sense? It’s complicated, because they are not normal flashbacks. Think one moment, you are here, and the next, you are flooded back to the past.
Bec nodded. She kind of knew the feeling, and the past she'd go to was never a good place.
Iko: I get it.
Moore: You do? ::He looks over at her.:: Because I sure don’t. I’ve always had a good memory, my whole family does, its some species thing, but never like this until the last few years, and normally nothing bad.
“Normally nothing bad”...
Iko: see, that's where I can't help you…
Moore: Yeah. I just worry it might impact my job, what if it happens during a critical time?
She put her hand on his shoulder.
Iko: Bit I left out of the Stephen story was the massive fight my family had about it.
Moore: About the drugs?
Iko: No? Yes? I don't know. I just know there was lots of screaming and shouting cause I was off my rocker and mum was off her rocker and so my brothers and step-dad also got involved and, ::squinting:: I can't remember if that one got physical or not, but some of em did, and sometimes I'll lie in bed and I can't help but be transported back to those moments.
Moore: Sights, sound, feelings, and all of it?
She shrugged.
Iko: Probably not to the scale you're describing, but yeah.
Moore: It’s real enough. That’s what’s important, it feels real. Yeah mine is like that, and I haven’t seen it like a bad thing. :He smiles a little.:: Normally I can go back to good moments. Like the first time we met, and you called me Moo in front of our boss.
Bec looked down at the glass of bloodwine in front of her.
Iko: C'arn! The fun nicknames are the best ones.
Moore: Hey, it is a core memory. ::He put his hand on her shoulder.:: It’s important to remember the good, and I am grateful for that.
Iko: Only thing is the good were few and far between really until I got out into the D.Q.. Mum knew I was here she'd be so annoyed…
Bec grinned, the rebel streak in her still very much alight.
Moore: Well, pardon my Cetacean, but your mom sounds like a ::He let out a cetacean swear.::
Bec had no idea what Moore had just said, but she got the jist, and eagerly nodded in response.
Iko: And a—
Bec listed off different Terran swear words like she was counting.
Moore: You know, you don’t owe her anything. Right? You’re worried about her being annoyed or upset that you are back in the Beta Quadrant, but… Screw her.
Iko: Just wish she'd stop trying to contact me.
Moore: I know you don’t talk about this much, but what does she normally want?
Iko: Me to come home? And how she misses and wants to protect her little baby—pfft- NO!—and then she'll brag about what she's been up to and not ask me how I am or anything. I'd show you the last letter, but, uhm…
Bec tapped her fingers on the table.
Moore: What did you do? ::He looked at her, a curious expression on his face.::
Iko: Smashed it to smithereens like I kinda want to smash her face?
Moore: Sounds therapeutic, and she sounds self centered and controlling.
Bec gave Kai a sad nod.
Iko: I moved out at sixteen, and it's been a lot better since.
Moore: Closest thing I have to that was graduating early, and going out to see the Federation, but that’s because my parents weren’t… &#^@$. They actually allowed me to make mistakes, strict mind you, I had rules and requirements, but supportive.
Bec smirked.
Iko: You lucky bastard.
Moore: Well, I feel they were making up for the distance. Seeing as a good amount of the time it was one parent or the other. Kind of like divorced parents, except they still loved each other, and married, but just distant because of assignments.
She shrugged, tossing the bloodwine around in it's cup.
Iko: Yeah, well, my dad and my brother's dads all saw how annoying my mum could be and just left before she could hurt them too.
Katio frowned a little.
Moore: I’m sorry to hear that. That’s ::He sighed.:: That couldn’t have been easy on any of you.
She shrugged, again, trying not to think too much of it.
Iko: Eh, we managed. ::thinking back to the drugs mentioned earlier and her own behaviour as a teen:: not well, but we managed.
Moore: I’m no psychologist, but it sounds like you were dealing with her overbearing and controlling attitude in any way you could. It just might not have been the best, but it’s what you could do.
Bec looked away for a sec, pondering this next part, before returning her gaze to Kaito.
Iko: You know my double we—or, well, you guys met after the ::air quotes:: “trip to Idrustix” last year?
Moore: Yeah, I remember her, she had the hots on for Doctor Wong.
Iko: It's funny. And ironic. Because that's exactly how she thought I'd end up. And so to keep the “humanity” or whatever in us, she tried to stop me from knowing ::gesturing around:: this and she tried to keep Brandon from learning about his Bajoran heritage so that he wouldn’t join the Maquis, though I think he did anyway, and I can't remember what the other excuses were, but that, not any of the aggressiveness, was probably the worst thing she did to us.
Tightening the muscles on the right side of his face, he did a half frown as he pondered that.
Moore: She tried to strip you of your heritage. That is inhumane.
But there was more to the story. There always was. And after one particular memory flooded into her mind with no intent of departing, Bec decided to continue the story. With one hand she pulled up her fringe out of the way and with the other pointed to a couple of certain spots on her ridged forehead. What she actually gestured towards probably couldn't be seen well in the light of the bar, but she showed them to Kaito regardless.
Iko: I think somewhere here I have a mark from the trip to Idrustix; and it's more-than-likely healed over by now, but back in highschool I once gave myself a mark ::pointing to a second spot:: from one night where I was just done with what she was saying and went crying trying to… I don't know why, it's bone, it would never have worked, but trying to, uhm..
She rubbed her eyes and took a breath trying to recompose herself.
Iko: I tried to see if I could just “get rid of it”. Because maybe then, if I were just a human, my mother would treat me better. Which is stupid, because she's a sick #$%@%$ who would've found a way to make my life hell regardless, but…
Moore: You desperately wanted the attention and love of a mother. You didn’t want her to stop, you wanted her to accept you, and show that she loved you.
Bec slunked away from Moore a little bit, trying to do the same to what he had said as snippets from that night played back again and again through her mind.
Iko: I dunno why I'm telling you this…
Moore: Maybe because we are good friends, and you needed someone to listen?
And as she'd sometimes done from an age younger than she was meant to, Bec grabbed the alcohol and poured it down her throat to drown some of the feelings out. She left the mug only about a quarter-full before standing up and giving Kaito a nod.
Iko: I'll be right back.
TBC
--
Lieutenant JG Kaito Moore
Tactical Officer
Amity Outpost
A240006KM1
+
Acting Chief of Sec/Tac
Amity Outpost
A239810RI3