(Backsim) JP-LtCmdr. Talos Dakora & Sam Richards- Taking A Leap [Part 4]

[Travis]

((XO’s Quarters - Deck 02 - USS Artemis))

After a few more stolen glances between the two, they had been whisked away from the great outdoors and into Talos’ quarters.

Talos– shirtless, after donating his to Sam– was grateful he had the authority to request the occasional site-to-site beam out. As the living room of his quarters shimmered into view, he felt the chill of the Montana night dissipate.

S. Richards: Wow, nice place you got here. 

He glanced around, trying to imagine how his space must look to an outsider. While it was the nicest quarters he’d ever had, it was no classic Montana farmhouse or spacious Amity Outpost apartment.

Still, the space was clean, with the polished surfaces and rounded edges of the Artemis’ design providing the backdrop for the handful of knick-knacks and personal touches he’d acquired over the years. He shrugged, proud of it despite himself.

Dakora: Not too bad for a starship, I suppose.

Despite being somewhere less breezy, Sam still felt chilled from her wet hair and damp clothes. 

S. Richards: Do you have something warm I can wear?

Suddenly feeling rude for not offering sooner, he was already headed for his bedroom when he responded.

Dakora: Yeah, of course. Give me just a second.

A moment later Talos returned wearing a ridiculously fluffy white bathrobe, in his hands an identical one which he held out to Sam. Grateful, she took the fluffy robe and stared at Talos for a moment before tilting her head to the side and gesturing a circle with her finger telling him to turn around. Sam was sure she saw him roll his eyes before facing the opposite way. She quickly stripped down to the buff and slipped on the robe, tying it in the front. 

S. Richards: That’s better ::walking up behind him and wrapping her arms around him, resting her head on his back:: So… about this warming up. oO I can think of a few ways to–Oo ::shaking her head:: This robe should do the trick. Thank you.

Releasing her grip around him he turned around to face her. She stared up at him for a moment, her thoughts going crazy, the want to push things further but the hesitation still present. Sam pulled away, hoping some distance would calm the tension. 

Talos let out a little, almost imperceptible sigh of relief when she backed off. It wasn’t that he wanted her to– quite the opposite, in fact.-- but he’d been telling himself from the beginning that there was a line here that he shouldn’t cross. 

But now, alone with Samantha in his quarters, he was wondering if a little line crossing was really all that bad.

Dakora: If that’s not enough I can crank up the heat, replicate some blankets, and put a holovid of a fireplace on a loop on my media display– like a proper gentleman.

He grinned, but he could see that she was pre-occupied with what she was about to say.

S. Richards: Uhm, It shouldn’t take too long for my things to dry a bit, then I can get out of your hair. 

As the words left her, she tensed up, waiting for his response. 

Talos's brow furrowed, just a little, and shook his head slowly. Even if he intended to stick to his increasingly shaky vow not to let anything get weird, he didn’t feel good about sending her home still slightly buzzed, damp, and in yesterday's clothes.

That would just be rude.

And he was almost able to convince himself that those were the only reasons he wanted her to stay. Almost.

Dakora: What!? No way, you’re welcome to stay. ::He raised a hand to pre-empt any assumptions.:: I can crash on the couch, you can take the bed.

S. Richards: ::raising her eyebrows:: Are you sure? 

Dakora: oO Absolutely not. Oo

He smiled warmly.

Dakora: Of course! Don’t worry about me. ::He gestured to the couch.:: I promise, I’ve slept on much, much worse.

Sam sat down on the couch, tucking her legs underneath her and smiling up at Talos. 

S. Richards: How about a snack? That wild night got me hungry. ::pausing for a moment:: Cheezy-poofs! I could really go for some Cheezy-poofs! 

Standing in the middle of his living room, he watched as Sam– looking much comfier in her robe– made herself at home. Ever since he’d transferred to the Artemis (initially as Chief Intelligence Officer) he’d been dealing with a sort of self-imposed isolation. It had only gotten worse when he’d made XO. 

Now, Samantha had come out of nowhere, a civilian completely outside the complications of rank and Command structure and Talos found it just a little liberating.

Smirking, he walked over to his replicator and acquired the requested late-night snack, dropping onto the couch beside her and offering her the bowl of little orange, baked morsels.

Dakora: Only the best replicated cheezy-poofs, for the lady.

Leaning side to side with a small dance of excitement Talos presented her with a bowl of delicious, cheesy, crunchy goodness. She popped one in her mouth and closed her eyes.

S. Richards: Mmm. Why do these taste so much better when you're drunk?

He shrugged. Popping a couple of the little cheese-flavored snacks into his mouth and then, realizing his mistake, covered his mouth as he replied with his mouth partially full.

Dakora: That’s kinda true of most things, isn’t it?

She picked up a couple more cheezy-poofs and threw one in her mouth while she glanced sideways at Talos. 

S. Richards: Thank you… For one of the funnest nights I have ever had. 

Sam set down the bowl and dusted off her hands before lifting up Talos’ arm and wiggling herself up next to him, letting his arm come to rest around her. She laid her head on his chest and even through the fluffy robe she could feel his pulse quicken. 

S. Richards: I wish it didn’t have to end…

Cuddled up on the couch in their plush robes, it was hard not to get caught up in the moment. He took a deep breath, trying desperately to maintain his self-control and not escalate the situation in the ways that his heart and his body desperately wanted.

She was Nathan’s sister. He couldn’t. Or at the very least, he really shouldn’t.

His head lolled back onto the back of the sofa behind him, as he stared up at the deck above, relishing the closeness anyway.

Dakora: Trust me, I know exactly what you mean.

Feeling the most safe and comfortable she had in a long time, Sam let out a long yawn, the night's events catching up to her. 

S. Richards: We should probably get some sleep… It’s getting pretty late.

With sleep being pretty much the last thing on his mind, he nodded, doing his best to maintain his composure.

Dakora: Right. Yeah. ::He chuckled.:: We’ve had a long night.

There was a look– subtle as it was– that gave him the impression that he wasn’t the only one struggling with lines and when to cross them.

S. Richards: I guess you should show me where I will be sleeping.

Talos stood up, taking her by the hand and leading her to his room. 

Dakora: It’s no luxurious Amity diplomatic suite, but hopefully it’ll do.

The door to his bedroom slid aside, revealing another spartan space with only a few personal touches here and there revealing small hints about the person who lived there. For the first time in his life, he was grateful for the sort of annoying ex-Marine habit of making his bed every morning when he woke up.

S. Richards: This is perfect, thank you.

Pushing herself onto her toes she placed a gentle kiss on his cheek.

S. Richards: Goodnight Talos. 

With every ounce of self-control in his body, he managed to stay there, standing in the doorway to the bedroom, feeling the warmth radiating from the spot on his cheek where she’d kissed him goodnight.

Dakora: ‘Night Samantha.

He turned to walk out, her heart sank just a little bit at how easy it was for him to create distance between them, until she saw the hesitation in his steps. Sam tugged at the tie on her robe, letting it fall open and then shrugging it off her shoulders, allowing it to drop to the ground. 

S. Richards: Wait… 

When he spoke it was a quiet exhalation.

Dakora: Holy strokes…

Before he fully turned back around, she was next to him, pulling him in for another kiss, but this time she let go of any reservations or hesitations. Without parting she led him to the bed.

The bedroom door slid shut behind him and any concerns about lines and whether to cross them left Talos’ mind forever.

((The next morning…))

Talos’ eyes opened just as the soft-wake up function he had programmed began to gradually raise the lighting in the room. His head throbbed a bit, and for the briefest of moments, the events of the previous night were just a bit fuzzy.

Still bleary-eyed, he turned his head, his gaze following the shape of someone under the blankets beside him and– he strained his eyes, focusing on the green lettering on the pale skin that the blankets had slid away to reveal.

ASSIMILATE THIS

In an instant, it all came flooding back to him. The whirlwind adventure of the night before played back in his mind like a montage straight out of a holovid. Had they really gotten hammered and jumped off some random cliff in Montana? As he recalled the rest of the night, a sort of sheepish smile formed on his face in the early morning light. 

Sam slowly opened her eyes, her head spinning as she grasped to remember the events of the night before. Once her vision cleared and she remembered where she was, she rolled over to see Talos laying next to her, his eyes also barely open, but he was smiling. She closed her eyes and smiled back.

S. Richards: Your head hurt too?

Still grinning, he raised his arms and stretched away some of the stiffness from the lingering hangover.

Dakora: I’ve had worse. 

S. Richards: I don’t think I’ve ever drank that much ::scooting closer to him:: and yet I don’t have a single regret.

Feeling electricity wherever their bodies touched, he found himself in agreement. Maybe it would bring some complications, maybe not. Talos would just have to cross that bridge when he came to it.

He pressed his head back into the pillow a bit.

Dakora: And I’ve never jumped off a cliff in Montana and had my clothes stolen by a bandit-squirrel. ::He laughed.:: No regrets.

S.Richards:  Looks like we are in agreement then, no regrets ::she smiled and ran her hand across his chest:: Ten out of ten, would do that whole night again.

Forcing himself to sit up with a groan, Talos swung his legs over the side of the bed and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes before turning back to look at the gorgeous red-head in his bed.

Dakora: Come on. If I’m going to be such a bad influence, the least I can do is make you breakfast…

END

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LtCmdr. Talos Dakora

First Officer

USS Artemis-A

O238811CD0

&

Samantha Richards

Civilian Science Liaison

Amity Outpost

A240103SR3