JP - Lt. Talos Dakora, Lt. Robin Hopper, & Lohani Vananth-Polgonz: Revelations (Part 6)
Robin Hopper
((OOC - Since this is the final installment in a series of Cross-Ship Joint Posts, and there was a bit of a break between the last couple parts, I wanted to provide relevant links for anyone who hasn’t been reading along: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, JP w/ Dakora & Vataix, and now here we are at Part 6. Hope y’all enjoy…))
((The next morning - Terminal A - Amity Outpost))
Talos sat on a bench facing an observation window, waiting for the ship that would take him back home to begin boarding. He’d just finished an especially delicious cake donut from the delightfully flamboyant donut stand situated in the terminal, when he felt a familiar presence behind him.
Still staring out the window, he felt the slightest fluttering in his chest as he addressed his visitor.
Dakora: I didn’t think I’d be seeing you again…
Robin approached almost timidly, setting her hands gingerly on the bench beside Talos – though her concern was not for herself, but for the man whose world she knew had just been turned upside down.
Hopper: ::Jokingly:: Oof… And here I thought you liked my company.
Glancing back over his shoulder, a slight smile tugged at the corner of Talos’ mouth. He certainly wasn’t unhappy to see her, but there had been a certain finality to their last conversation that left him wondering what exactly she was doing here.
Dakora: I did– er– I do. ::He shrugged.:: I just figured that after the talk we had in your lab, well… you know.
She made her way around the bench, taking a seat beside Talos and crossing her legs, resting her hands in her lap. She once again wore civilian clothes, a blue-and-green abstract-patterned dress over blue tights, a matching sheer scarf draped about her neck and shoulders. She’d hoped it would cut a less ‘formal’ figure than the uniform.
Hopper: I know you’ll be leaving any minute… but I also know how long that six week journey can feel when you have no one to talk to.
Nodding, he replied trying his best to keep the conversation light and neutral. She’d laid out her boundaries and he intended to respect them, even if he didn’t really want to.
Dakora: Yeah. ::He laughed.:: I understand that the trip is orders of magnitude shorter than it used to be, but six weeks still feels like a long time to me…
With Robin now settled onto the bench beside him, he resisted the urge to casually edge closer to her. Instead he directed his gaze out the window, towards the inky blackness of the unfamiliar space beyond as she spoke.
Hopper: ::A little smile:: I thought, maybe you could use a friendly face, and an ear. You know, someone to talk to, before you take off?
Her concern read as genuine, the impression that she genuinely cared how he was doing came through loud and clear, even if the more passionate edge that had been there on that first night was all but gone now.
oO Oh, good, I can add “she’s actually a good person” to the already stacked list of reasons why I’m drawn to her. That’s reeeally going to help make it easier to let go…. Oo
Dakora: That is… unreasonably sweet of you. ::He frowned.:: But trust me, you really don’t want to get involved with the mess I’ve got going on up here. ::He touched an index finger to his temple.:: Especially with all the developments of the past few days…
Hopper: ::Knowing smirk:: I mean, what do we really have to hide from each other at this point? What’s the Betazoid saying? “Naked truth”?
He couldn’t help but grin at her mild perversion of the Betazoid aphorism, but she had a point.
It wasn’t like there was another person in the entire quadrant that he’d feel even remotely comfortable discussing his unusual situation with.
Dakora: That’s a low blow Ms. Hopper; Using my own culture against me like that. ::Gradually his face broke into a smile.:: But you do have a point.
Robin was glad to see a smile on Talos’ face again. Goodbyes were never fun, but she especially hated leaving things on a sour note. She’d had enough of that already.
Hopper: ::Slight shrug:: I usually try to, Mr. Dakora… ::Brows raised, expectantly:: So spill — How are you feeling about your vacation now?
Dakora: How do I feel about it? ::He sighed just a little.:: How don’t I feel about it? Two months ago I couldn’t even remember what the Sixth House stood for. ::He stared off into the void beyond.:: Two weeks ago, I thought this was all just a big waste of time… Now I’m trying to figure out how to disclose my apparently noble bloodline to the SFI Clearance board. It’s been an interesting few days.
Hopper: You can say that again… oO At least you don’t have to tell them everything… Oo Do you know what you’re going to do yet?
Talos managed to peel his eyes away from the window and glanced in her direction. He could only imagine the pile of stress and anxiety he might’ve collapsed into without the welcome distraction she had provided, even in the awkward moments in the days that followed. Even knowing how things would play out, he knew he would’ve made the same choice a thousand times.
Dakora: I haven’t decided yet. ::He shrugged.:: I asked Lohani for some time to think about it and she agreed. ::He splayed his hands out in front of him.:: If I’m being honest with you I really don’t know what I’m going to choose to do. ::He cocked his head to left.:: As you can imagine, fame and notoriety are not attributes that play nicely with an intelligence career. ::He cocked his head the other way.:: But also… It’s kind of nice just to feel like I belong somewhere… you know?
Hopper: ::Nodding, looking around at her surroundings:: Yeah, I think so. At least, a bit. ::Back to Talos:: For what it’s worth, my impression of Betazoid nobility so far, is that they’re never quite what I expect. ::Chuckling:: Usually in a good way.
Talos leaned back onto the bench, feeling better already for having finally spoken the words that had been bouncing around in his mind all day. Any minute now the boarding call for his transport would sound and he’d be on his way, but in the intervening moments, he was glad she had come.
Right on cue, his boarding call sounded over the loudspeakers in the terminal and he hefted his single bag.
Dakora: I guess you’ll just have to find out the next time you see me…
Hopper: I’ll practice my curtsy, just in case.
With that, she stood, her wry smile fading to a bittersweet and comforting gaze.
Hopper: Whatever you decide, whoever you become… you’ll always just be Talos to me.
Talos glanced up at her, settling his obsidian eyes on hers a final time.
Dakora: I hope so. ::His smile went just this side of sad.:: I’ll see you around, just Robin.
Settling the strap of his bag on his shoulder, Talos stood and began walking in the opposite direction and, a little reluctantly, out of her life.
END
Lt. Talos Dakora
Chief Intelligence Officer
USS Artemis-A
O238811CD0
&
Lt. Robin Hopper
Chief Science Officer,
Amity Outpost
V239806K11