JP - Cadet Leenaya Edrei & Cadet Lyara Alroyo - Come fly with me! [PART 4]
Lyara Alroyo
(( A beach in the San Francisco Bay ))
Edrei: Royo, are you crazy?! Wait!
Given how drenched the kindling was, lighting it on fire would rather result in the Bajoran burning before she could put the kindling on the logs. And Lee didn’t see herself going back to the Academy alone admitting to a shuttle theft and the death of another cadet. She assumed it wouldn’t really look good on her record. And uh, she also would like to keep her best friend, if possible.
Lyara: I’m not crazy. I’m lighting this damn fire.
Edrei: What do you mean?! There’s NO way you’re lighting up the fire in the most unsafe manner-
Alroyo turned to her friend and accidentally interrupted her with a stern point.
Lyara: I couldn’t be any sa-
The Betazoid held up a finger at her friend to make her understand she hadn’t finished.
Edrei: ::grinning:: -without me.
A slight smile formed on Lyara’s face as she started to giggle. Once again Lee was her worst influence, but Lyara liked it that way. She picked up a log and wrapped a dirty cloth around it and covered it in a small amount of lighter fluid.
Lyara: Here, we’ll light this on fire to keep us safe and at a distance. That way I'll keep my perfect brows. ::She waved dismissively:: Just throw it on the fire once it’s lit.
Edrei: But seriously, there’s no way we’re doing it like this. Don’t put the whole thing in it, only the tip. ::pause:: That’s what she said…
She did as she said while Lyara put the other kindling on the logs.
Lyara: ::Between giggles:: Just the tip then.
Edrei: Okay, light it up.
Lyara: Let there be light!
Lyara lit the lighter at the tip of the kindling, which immediately caught fire nicely, and Lee held it like a torch.
Edrei: Hey, I look like one of those old explorers! ::in a deep voice, holding the torch forward:: Fear not my friend, for we will vanquish this island’s beast, retrieve the treasure and return safe and sound to the mainland!
Lyara laughed and grabbed Lee’s arm pretending to be a scared maiden. She put on a “southern belle” voice and pointed to the fire.
Lyara: Oh Mr. Explorer. Please light the fire to repel the monsters.
Lyara pointed to the logs so that the fire she had so desperately been trying to start would be lit. All she wanted was to cook under the stars with her lovely dame, was that too much to ask?
Edrei: Everything for my damsel, of course.
She slightly bowed at her, careful to keep the torch far away from them both, and especially from their hair before throwing it in. The logs took fire immediately, lighting their surroundings in a nice orange light.
Lyara: Oh my hero! I must give you a reward.
She raised an eyebrow with a slight giggle, and Lee looked at her with a smirk. She perfectly got Royo’s intentions from her mind, but decided to play with her a little.
Edrei: A reward? ::smirking:: Well, you did say that you’d cook tonight…
It was only half a lie, given that Lee couldn’t cook to save her own life.
Alroyo was caught off guard by the Betazoid woman’s request. She must have not gotten the memo that she wanted to be dipped like in the holonovels she watched growing up.
Lyara: ::Dropping the voice:: I’ll cook for you too, but- ::Putting voice back on:: I wanted to- ::Dropping the voice again:: Oh just kiss me dammit.
Lee started laughing. It was usually easy to make Lyara admit what she really wanted with her, and this time was no exception.
Edrei: ::smirking:: Someone’s demanding.
The Betazoid grabbed her friend’s wrist gently, drawing her close and putting her other arm around her waist. She locked eyes with her and slowly pressed her lips against Royo’s, before trying to dip her just like the Bajoran wanted. Unfortunately, Lee learned a valuable life lesson when she discovered lacked the core strength to hold the position. It had seemed so effortless in holonovels, but real life (or more particularly, Lee’s abs) had other plans. Royo slipped out from her arms, making the Betazoid topple and awkwardly fall on top of her. The surprise of falling to the ground made Lee let an honest-to-the-Four meep out, and quickly braced her hands on the sand next to the Bajoran to take the weight off her and avoid crushing her best friend.
Lyara: We have got to stop meeting like this Leenaya…
Although, she wouldn’t mind if it became a common theme for them.
Edrei: I am SO sorry! Did I hurt you?
Royo flipped her hair back and looked up to Lee with an assuring glance.
Lyara: You could never hurt me dear.
Lee couldn’t help but chuckle at the situation. Royo in turn responded with a giggle as she looked up to her Betazoid friend.
Edrei: So first, you make me fall, and now it’s my turn. I’d say we’re quits.
Lyara: So soon? We barely started!
Lee got to her feet and offered her hand to Royo to help her up as well.
Edrei: Sorry, that looked way cooler in my head.
Alroyo pulled herself up with the help of Lee and her arms around her waist to balance herself.
Lyara: And it was way more romantic in mine. But I’m sure you already knew that.
Edrei: Oh yes. I did.
Alroyo gently pushed her away as she turned around to the fire and reached for one of the bags next to it.
Lyara: I felt you digging around up there. ::Beat:: Not that I’ve ever been opposed to it.
It’s true, she was an open book to Lee. But after all the time they’ve spent together and moments they were there for each other, it spawned out of a natural progression of their bond.
Edrei: ::smirking:: You’ve made that clear multiple times.
Alroyo opened up the bag she brought and immediately was hit with the smell of spices and brine. Thankfully her hasperat supplies hadn’t spilt out so their dinner she had offered to cook was still a go. She unpacked the skillet to place over the campfire and placed the ingredients on their towel, while Lee brought her knees to her chest. She was completely useless when it came to cooking, so simply watching her girl- uh, best friend take care of dinner really was the best solution for the both of them if they wanted to eat a good meal.
Lyara: You remember when you first read my mind?
Edrei: ::grinning:: How could I forget that?
It was a funny memory, even if it was a little terrifying at the time. They had been just simply hanging out in Royo’s room and listening to whatever disco album they had found while thrifting. Suddenly, Lee responded to a thought Alroyo had and practically gave the Bajoran woman a heart attack. The Betazoid had been extremely tired that day, and had confused thoughts with spoken sentences. She had realized her mistake when she had seen the horror on Royo’s face, and she had likely mirrored her expression.
Lyara: ::With a slight giggle:: I didn’t talk to you for the rest of the day. It was a little awkward when I put a pillow over my head during our sleep over.
Edrei: ::laughing:: Like it would have changed anything. And yet you really thought it was a brilliant idea.
Alroyo dropped the vegetables onto the skillet and shot Lee a dirty look. Yes, it was true she thought it’d work but she didn’t have to be reminded of her short sighted solution.
Lyara: You weren’t the one who had their mind read out of the blue.
Lee’s eyebrows shot upwards at the Bajoran’s audacity.
Edrei: I’m the one who had to deal with thoughts that were practically yelled out for the world to hear and you’re the victim?
If it weren’t for the fact the Bajoran woman liked her she’d throw a few steaming vegetables at her.
Lyara: Ok just because it was a mundane “what music should we listen to?” doesn't mean it was less intrusive.
She let out a dramatic sigh as she picked up some salmon she got at a local market and put it in the skillet. Lee threw her arms in the air in at least an equally dramatic manner.
Edrei: I’ve already apologized countless times for that. Am I going to have to do that until retirement?
Lyara: That’s if I don’t throw you into space by then.
She let out a laugh as she shook the contents in the skillet around. They hadn’t even agreed to the whole “we’re serious now” thing and yet they were arguing like an old married couple. She hoped to never misplace a toothbrush if this is how things were going to play out. At her words, the Betazoid, smiling broadly, got up and hugged Alroyo, slipping her arms around her waist.
Edrei: ::softly:: You wouldn't do that now, would you?
Alroyo reached behind her and awkwardly put her hand on Lee’s shoulder.
Lyara: You know I can’t stay mad at you.
Lee smiled and eyed their food slowly cooking hungrily, the amazing smell waking up her stomach.
Edrei: That looks so good.
Lyara: And it’s gonna be done soon.
She reached into the ingredient bag and pulled out tortilla’s she got from a Mexican market for a wrap. One of her Bajoran friends from her disco club had recommended the tortilla for a replacement wrap if she couldn’t find a genuine Bajoran one. Lee let go of the Bajoran’s waist and started to spread the salmon and vegetables on the tortilla, leaving the folding to the cooking expert. She’d tried to do it sometimes, but she never got it right according to Lyara. She’d soon given up on folding the hasperat as, admittedly, the wraps didn’t look very good when she did it, and she actually understood why her friend had been so frustrated with her at the time.
Lyara: Watch and learn.
Alroyo quickly and efficiently wrapped both hasperats using a technique that had been passed down many generations in her family. Or at least that’s what she liked to think, as it sounded cooler than “that’s how my mom taught it.”
Lyara: To quote the French, “Volia!”
She handed a plate to Lee and gave a fake french laugh that would be considered offensive by 25th century standards. Lee mockingly rolled her eyes as she took her plate with the neatly folded wrap. No matter how many times Lyara would show her, she’d never get it right. And that would not only be because of the fact the Bajoran would likely never let her try again, as she’d almost died of a heart attack the previous time.
Edrei: Mercy, made moisel.
Alroyo blushed out of embarrassment as Lee responded in French. Lyara had picked up that one word from a holonovel so she had already used her one French word for the day.
Lyara: I… uh… ::Changing subject:: For the occasion I didn’t hold back on the spice. You’re getting the full Bajoran experience I’ve taunted you about in this hasperat.
The Betazoid suspiciously eyed her friend. Until now, she’d held back on the amount of spice she put in their hasperat. To be fair, she’d tried to build her tolerance over time by making it spicier every time, but Lee still expected the worst when she took a first (small) bite. And she was not disappointed. Even though the flavours exploded in her mouth, so did the spice, and she could swear she could feel her tongue getting on fire. She looked at Lyara as tears welled up in her eyes.
Edrei: That’s really good. But by the Four, I’m not gonna make it alive.
Alroyo before she could take a bite immediately moved to check in on her friend who was now crying from the spices.
Lyara: Do I need to do CPR?!?!
Her friend’s statement made Lee forget about the spices almost immediately.
Edrei: Have you still learnt nothing about the medical stuff I told you? CPR is only-
Lyara moved in and gave her a small peck on the lips.
Lyara: I listen. But I’m a pilot, I like to take smooth approaches.
She was genuine about the CPR part, but wanted to save herself the embarrassment of admitting that to a medical cadet. Alroyo kept asking medical questions because she loved hearing Lee talk, even if she never understood what she meant.
Lee narrowed her eyes at Alroyo. She still couldn’t understand why the Bajoran kept on feigning her medical knowledge when she could literally access her thoughts and get the truth. For now though, she decided to let it slide, and it absolutely, definitely didn’t have anything to do with the fact she’d kissed her. That damn woman.
Edrei: Smooth approaches, except for when you fainted in med class just to get my attention. That wasn’t smooth.
Her smirk told she would never let Alroyo live that one incident down. But as much as she liked to tease her about it, she was glad it had happened, for they would have maybe never met otherwise.
Lyara: But it worked didn’t it?
She took a bite of her hasperat without even flinching at the spice level. But faking an intense reaction for some CPR did sound nice, but she couldn’t do that again because then Lee would for sure know her intentions. And given the look she gave her, she already knew.
Edrei: I, uh… Yeah, I guess it did.
She decently couldn’t contradict Lyara because her attraction was way too obvious to do that. She took a big gulp from her uttaberry juice before starting again on the hasperat. How was Alroyo tolerating that much spice?!
Lyara: How’s the hasperat?
Alroyo was slightly taunting her friend’s lack of experience with spice. The Bajoran experience looked like it was a little too spicy for her Betazoid friend and she felt just a little bad.
Edrei: It’s amazing, as always. But I think I need to get acclimated to the spices just a tad more before eating it again that way.
She set down her plate before putting her hand over Lyara’s and giving her a soft smile.
Lyara: I’m always willing to help with the acclimation process.
Alroyo placed her hand over Lee’s and gently stroked it with her thumb, as the Betazoid’s other hand went to her friend’s cheek. She leaned closer, her lips just a breath away from hers.
Edrei: Really? I’ll have to see about that.
The Bajoran woman looked into her friend(?)’s black eyes she had grown so fond of staring into. She then glanced back to the shuttle they had taken with them and an idea that her telepathic compatriot was sure to get a glimpse of.
Lyara: We could start tonight.
Lee couldn’t help but grin at Alroyo’s idea before pulling back from her. She then stood up, keeping the Bajoran’s hand in her and helping her up before slowly leading her to the shuttle.
Edrei: I’ve got to get the whole Bajoran experience, after all.
A blush formed on Alroyo’s face as Lee led her towards the shuttle. Hopefully the seagulls would enjoy the food they accidentally neglected in their haste to acclimate to Bajoran spices.
Lyara: ::Muttering to self:: By the Prophets…
TBC in part 5
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Leenaya Edrei
Medical Cadet
Starfleet Academy
C240107LE3
&
Lyara Alroyo
Operations/Navigation Cadet
Starfleet Academy
D240108LA4