Lt. JG Nathan Richards - Swing Life Away
tas9303
((Hopper’s Apartment, Beijing District, Habit Ring))
Richards: Well, did you tell her? Did you get to say anything?
Hopper: I didn’t really get a chance to clear things up. She had to leave. Something urgent with the noble houses of Betazed. ::Reaching for her wine:: I dunno, they always seem to be in crisis, don’t they?
Nathan chuckled slightly, taking a sip from his tea.
Richards: Yeah, something like that.
Hopper: I dunno, I guess I just needed to talk to somebody who would, you know, understand how weird and complicated this can all get. It feels completely unresolved, and we’re definitely going to need to talk about it properly… ::Resting her head on his shoulder:: I think I’m bad at this.
Nathan reflexively lifted his hand to rest it on the top of her head as he lay it on his shoulder, absent-mindedly playing with her hair.
Richards: Bad at what, exactly?
Hopper: Dating… Relationships… ::Sarcastic chuckle:: Managing my own personal affairs? I dunno, sometimes it feels like no matter how neat and tidy I try to keep things, it all just gets so messy and complicated. Is it just me?
Richards: No, It’s not just you.
Nathan almost physically reached out to grab the words as they escaped his lips. He wasn’t ready to open that can of worms yet.
Hopper: What do you mean?
oODammitOo
Richards: I mean, lots of people have issues in that department… ::Sighing:: Including me.
Hopper: Really? ::Turning to face him, bringing her legs up onto the sofa and sitting cross-legged:: Do tell.
Nathan sat up straighter, placing his hands in his lap.
Richards: Well, there was us, in the beginning. ::Half smile:: But I mean, that worked out. Cause here we are. ::Chuckling:: But more recent events have become somewhat messy, I suppose.
Hopper: Oh…?
Nathan ran his hand through his hair, looking towards the fireplace. It appeared to be his turn to become pensive.
Richards: Back before New Years, when I was in on Betazed… ::Gulping his tea, clearing his throat:: I almost had an…intimate encounter with a certain Betazoid Noble.
Nathan watched her eyes grow wide after what he said.
Hopper: ::Concerned:: Not… Keehani also?
Richards: No! No. A different one. Kyri Taival. Well…things didn’t exactly end in the best way and I found myself…thrown out.
Hopper: “Thrown out?” ::Scoff:: Jeez, what did you do? ::Catching a look:: I'm kidding… Look, what sort of friend would I be if I didnt’ at least razz you a little bit? ::Grabbing her wine:: Okay, okay, sorry – you were saying? Kyri Taival. Betazoid noble. She threw you out of bed, and then…?
Richards: The messy part…is that after the ‘encounter’, there was some kind of telepathic shenanigans going on. I was doing fairly well at just ignoring it, until she showed up on Amity earlier this week.
Robin almost choked on her wine, sputtering and covering her mouth as she coughed, making Nathan chuckle.
Hopper: Oh @#$%. ::Wide eyed, excited:: That is juicy. So, wait, she’s here? Now?
She shook her head in what appeared to be disbelief and seemed to be pondering something before she continued.
Hopper: So I take it you… ran into her, or something? What did you say?
Richards: ::Sighing:: Well, We talked about what happened, and how I was being affected by it. So we came to the conclusion that maybe we needed to…finish what we started…
Hopper: ::Sticking her tongue out at him teasingly:: Ewww…
Nathan stuck his tongue out in return and shook his head.
Richards: Ew is… a way to describe it, i guess.
Hopper: Chuckling:: Well, hey, good for you. You’re a proper noble boy toy now. ::Snickering:: I can’t wait for the arranged wedding. I know a great caterer.
Nathan pushed her gently on the shoulder, smiling and shaking his head.
Richards: That’s not funny.
She whacked him in the chest playfully before holding up a finger to tell him to wait. She stood up and made her way to the record player she had sitting in the corner of the conversation pit.
Hopper: Hey – come on. It’s a little funny…
She looked through the stack of vinyl records for a moment before finally selecting one and putting it on the player. There was the classic static and crackle as the needle rode the record, and the music began to play softly in the background. She turned back to Nathan, giving him a wink. He raised an eyebrow at her and shook his head once again. oO How much has she had to drink already tonight? Oo
Richards: Interesting song choice.
Hopper: ::Singing along:: I believe in miracles. Where you from, you sexy thing (you sexy thing you)? ::Holding out a hand:: Come on, lighten up, dance with me.
Nathan reluctantly offered his hand to her, and pulled him to his feet with a grin. Memories from just a few months ago began to flood into his mind as they began to dance to the song. While he knew the boundaries they had set and what their expectations were from then on, he couldn’t help but feel a small pull at the back of his mind for those feelings he felt that night.
Richards: ::Clearing his throat:: Ahem, you seem to be fairly chipper tonight.
Hopper: ::Snickering:: Look, all I can say is I am sooooo glad that I am not the only one finding myself all tied up in this Betazoid noble crap… Turns out we’re both suckers for a pair of black irises…
Nathan raised both of his eyebrows, looking into Robin’s eyes to see if she was messing with him somehow.
Richards: Black Irises? So you had a Betazoid dalliance as well? Is there more to the Keehani story than you are really letting on? Or are you just that drunk?
Hopper: ::Shaking her head:: NO… NOt Keehani. ::Rolling her eyes:: This is going to start sounding like an absolute cliché at this point. I swear, I’m not just ripping pages out of your playbook, but… ::Biting her lower lip subconsciously:: I may have… also, um… engaged in some ‘horizontal diplomacy’ with the Betazoid nobility.
There was a very small pang of something that sunk in Nathan’s chest at her words. Something small enough that he felt it for only a second before it was gone.
Richards: I would have figured you to avoid someone as ‘high profile’ as a noble. ::Teasing smirk:: Are you sure you’re not just taking pages from my playbook?
She raised her hand in defense.
Hopper: ::Grimacing playfully:: Not knowingly. Even he didn’t know. It’s complicated. Actually, it got pretty weird… ::Chuckling, trailing off:: You see what I mean? We’re a couple of hot messes, aren’t we?
They had stopped dancing by then and just stood there as they talked. Nathan still had one hand resting on her hip while the other ran through his hair.
Richards: We really are, aren’t we. Like two birds of a feather.
Nathan looked into her eyes as she gazed up at him. He kept his breathing calm, trying to hide his slightly increasing heart rate. oO What is happening Oo He heard her take a series of short, shallow breaths before he removed his hand from her hip, taking a small step back.
Hopper: Well… At least we’ve got each other – no judgments here, right? ::Picking up her glass of wine and his mug of tea, passing him his drink:: Cheers to us?
Nathan smiled. It felt like they approached that peak once again, but were able to step away fairly easily.
Richards: To us.
They clinked their glasses, each taking a sip.
Hopper: I think that you and I could both benefit from a little ‘quiet time’ – away from the bars, and the beautiful people of Betazed, and… ::Shrugging:: I don’t know what else.
Nathan couldn’t deny that he agreed. Some time with a friend sounded like a good idea. Robin moved over to the record player and turned it off.
Hopper: Thank you for talking to me. I don’t know about you, but I feel better. I think I’m just going to read my book… Do you want to stay? ::Gesturing to his guitar:: I don’t mind if you want to keep playing. ::Smiling:: Actually, I’d like it. If you want.
Richards: ::Smiling:: Sure. I’ll stay. I can add a soundtrack to your book.
She nodded, and took a seat at the opposite end of the sofa to him. He understood why. He took a seat next to his guitar case, pulling the old acoustic guitar from its confines and resting it on his leg. He began to strum across the strings, thinking of a song to play. He glanced up and saw her peering at him over her book but he quickly looked back down at his guitar. He finally decided on a song and began to strum, even singing the lyrics as they came into time. He felt at peace again, just sitting there with her in almost silence.
END
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Lieutenant Junior Grade Nathan Richards
Engineering Officer
Amity Outpost
A239905NR1
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