Lt Alex Storm - A Minor Key Beside Mahogany Shelves
Karen Morris
(( Library - Deck 4, USS Artemis-A ))
This was a deliberate choice. Whispered words, a search for solitude, a need for space to feel without pressure or constraint. Alex padded down the corridor of the Thor after her discussion with Nat about their joint venture. Fuschia heels hooked over the fingers of her left hand, and her wrap around dress of the same color flitted around her legs. Her soles felt their way along the hardened, crisp floor. The frosty sensation radiated up her feet and legs until it slipped into her spine causing her shoulders to shudder.
Alex had never visited the library on the Artemis before, but the schematic played in her mind as she followed it step by step, leading her here - to the doorway. A simple placard beside the nondescript portal was the only thing that set this room apart from every other. As the doors parted for her; however, the air shifted toward her, blowing her hair off her shoulders and wafting a hint of sweetness … almost like vanilla perfume.
The carpet cushioned her feet, hugging them gently as if to say, ‘Welcome’ and drawing her into the maze of shelves and titles. On the shelves, spines of bright or muted colors sat juxtaposed to each other asking her … “Are you searching for something exciting and exotic? Or would you prefer something familiar, grounding?”
As her feet paused, sinking further into the carpet, her eyes slid across the spines until they came to rest on Tom Sawyer, a familiar tale. A smile’s curve softened the straight line that was previously etched across her face. These shelves whispered an unspoken invitation to set aside her cares and step into another world … She could hear their silent beckoning echo, ‘You needn’t linger long. Just a short reprieve.’
oO Maybe around the next corner. Oo Clearing the bookcase, the gentle summons evaporated, and in its place sat Captain Mackenzie opening a book. One corner had broken two apparent quests for stillness. Or … perhaps invited each to open their hearts to a different kind of quietness? Alex’s mouth opened in a silent, “Oh!”
The Captain’s smile, surprisingly, wasn’t one of resignation or irritation. It held a softness in it. oO Hmmm. Maybe the rumors are wrong. Oo
MacKenzie: ::nodding slightly:: Lieutenant Storm.
Storm: Captain.
oO Come on, Alex. Jump in with both feet. What’s the worst that could happen? Oo A vision of an open airlock loomed between her and the Captain. Alex decided to dip a toe into the waters.
Storm: What do you have there? I wouldn’t expect to find the next issue of … Epigenitics Monthly to be quite so thick.
Alex inclined her head toward the open leaves of the book.
MacKenzie: ::holding up the book:: Oh, this? I just thought I'd engage in some indulgent reading. Most of what I end up getting my hands on these days is so dense... Medical journals and the like.
Alex’s palm flattened against the end of the bookshelf, her fingers pressing against the polished grain.
Storm: I’m, well … honestly a little surprised to find you here instead of in your quarters or your ready room, where you could be alone.
Something in the Captain’s quiet tilt of her head — that slow close and open of her eyes — hit Alex like a melody in a minor key. It stood opposite the harmony she had lived in for so long, and the complement and contrast settled deep.
MacKenzie: Sometimes you don't want to sit in your quarters, but you also don't want to be in a place that will draw too much attention, does that make sense at all?
Storm: Because you need an unexpected, quiet, out-of-the-way place that welcomes you in and offers some reprieve from the day’s cares?
MacKenzie: Response
A deep, resonant hum briefly filled the space between them.
Storm: I can understand that. ::A grin slipped across her lips.:: and I don’t carry the weight of the ship on my shoulders.
MacKenzie: Response
Storm: Everyone has something that weighs on them from time to time. I’m surprised more people don’t seek solace in here.
MacKenzie: Response
~*~
Tags / TBC!
~*~
Lt Alex Storm
Tactical Officer
USS Artemis
O240103SK2