LtCmdr. Talos Dakora - Ambush
Travis
((Old West Simulation - Quark’s Bar, Grill, Gaming House and Holo-Suite Arcade - Deep Space Nine))
They’d stumbled through the door that was supposed to be the exit and somehow found themselves in a wide-open semi-arid desert. Still processing Hallia’s comment about having a Marathon race, he blurted out his own idea.
Dakora: We should totally have a race on the Artemis. ::He beamed.:: I bet I could win. ::His brow furrowed.:: Or maybe Addison. She’s pretty leggy. ::He felt his face redden a little as he
realized what he’d said.:: Uh, not that I’ve noticed.
Genkos whirled around and pointed an enthusiastic finger at Talos, just as the door they’d come through faded out of view. With the amount of drinks he’d downed, that hardly even managed to register as odd. Especially in the face of Genkos’ excited accusations.
Adea: Ah-ha! I knew it!
Yellir: That she’s a good runner or…?
Somehow, they’d managed to go from the Cardassian architecture of Deep Space Nine, to this small Cowboy camp complete with tents, horses and a small campfire and hadn’t even really given a second thought.
Truly amazing was the drunken mind.
Dakora: I… uh, think we took a wrong turn somewhere
.
Adea: Never mind that! Let’s go back a bit - you have a thing for the Captain!
Yellir: Huh—
Hallia’s head seemed to yaw back and forth between them, as if she was trying to solve some great mystery.
Talos Backpedaled, literally and figuratively, nearly tripping over a rock in the process.
Dakora: What? No, I didn’t say that. ::He stammered.:: I- I just said that she- What I meant was-
But Genkos was having none of it. There was glint in his eye that bordered on madness.
Adea: ::shaking his head:: No, everyone’s made out that I’m crazy for thinking it, but there’s definitely a spark there - ::he put an arm around Talos’ shoulders:: you should totally go for it, man, worst she can do is…::he thought about it a bit:: jettison you out an airlock.
Yellir: The jettison part is the least scary because that’d be over quickly, no, she wouldn’t make it so quick if she genuinely wanted to spite you. But I like to think she wouldn’t be so crass.
He grinned sheepishly and shook his head, noting that the world continued its rotation for several moments after the movement stopped.
Dakora: She’s threatened to send me on a long walk out a short airlock for less…
Still sipping at her drink, Hallia led them over to the camp.
Yellir: Hold on— let’s sit down before I fall over, this is so much information.
Hallia picked one of the logs arranged in a ring around the fire and sat and before long Genkos and Talos had joined her. The dim firelight and his already smeary vision produced a sort of other-worldly vibe.
Adea: Waaaaay too much information to process.
He made a wobbly X out of his arms, like he was frantically trying to call off an airstrike.
Dakora: No. I-uh, no. It’s not much information at all… I just…
Hallia interjected this time.
Yellir: When did this start happening— like when did you two… you know…?
Talos’ eyes went wide, just as Genkos began to shake his head enthusiastically.
Adea: Nonononono, that’s waaaaay too much information… ::he realised he was repeating himself:: Again.
Talos smacked his own palm into his face so hard it made a smack sound, which thanks to his current state, barely even hurt.
Dakora: Holy friggin’ strokes! ::He shook his head.:: We haven’t! Nothing has ever… Why are we even talking about this!?
Yellir: I feel awful asking this, cause I know she would probably end me. But do you think she ever considered…?
Now, fully on the drunken back-foot, Talos scrambled to come out the other side of this subject with either his pride or his career somewhat intact.
Not that there weren’t grains of truth to their accusations. Talos had been guilty of flirting with Addison– always unrequited– and he’d be lying if he said he wasn’t attracted to her.
But his futile attempts to woo her had always been more like a dog chasing a car. Even if one day he caught it, then what?
Of course, his intoxicated mind was incapable of expressing any of these points.
Adea: I bet she has! She’s only human after all… ::he looked around realising none of the assemblage was human:: Bwhahahaahaha…
Again, he felt the heat of embarrassment as it reddened his cheeks and ears.
Dakora: I doubt it. ::He shook his head and stared down at the fire.:: She’s already married. To Starfleet. To the Artemis. ::He grinned.:: You know I thought maaaaybe. Maybe one day I might’ve been able to win her over– but that was before I was her XO.
He took a final sip from his glass before throwing it into the fire. The remaining alcohol was strong enough to make it flare up for just a moment.
Dakora: So, yeah, no. Nah– I don’t think so.
Yellir: Response
Genkos laughed, but it seemed like he was trying to reign it in. Just a bit.
Adea: But no, like is this a crush, or is it something more serious?
Talolos shrugged, gazing across the fire at his friends with a drunken smirk.
Dakora: I don’t know. The two of us have been through a lot together. There were times when we had to– I don’t know– depend on each other. Real life and death stuff. It’s hard not to start thinking about the maybes and the what-ifs after stuff like that. You know?
Yellir: Response
Adea: Response
He felt himself gradually regaining control of the conversation.
Dakora: What about you two!? ::He pointed to Genkos and slurred out a few more words:: I know YOU managed to bag a whole Commodore. How the heck did that happen?
Adea: Response?
He nodded a long, dopily.
Dakora: And what about you Hallia? I feel like you’re being suspiciously quiet…
Yellir: Response
TAG/TBC
LtCmdr. Talos Dakora
First Officer
USS Artemis-A
O238811CD0