JP-LtCmdr. Talos Dakora & Sam Richards- Taking A Leap [Part 3]
Travis
((The Squawk Box - San Francisco - A Little While Later))
How they managed to pull themselves apart long enough to make it somewhere else was beyond her, but the overly typical Karaoke bar they stumbled into next was exactly what they needed. It didn’t take long before they were a couple more drinks in and already on the stage, microphones in hand, singing their hearts out to a terribly old rendition of “I will survive” by Gloria Gaynor.
Halfway through the song, a decent sized crowd had gathered to watch the two making absolute fools of themselves. Fools or not, they were having the time of their lives singing a song that felt oddly appropriate for both of them, all things considered.
Together:
Go on now, go, walk out the door
Just turn around now, “cause you’re not welcome anymore
Weren’t you the one who tried to break me with “goodbye”?
Did you think I’d crumble?
Did you think I’d lay down and die?
The more the crowd cheered them on the more they gave it their all. Dancing around each other and putting on quite a show.
Together:
Oh no not I. I will survive.
Oh as long as I know how to love I know I’ll stay alive
I’ve got all my life to live, and I've got all my love to give
And I’ll survive
I will survive
As the music faded out the two handed the microphones off to the next couple ready to take on the stage. Sam took Talos’ hand and headed for the door, looking back to him with a smile.
S. Richards: I think we need to get some air.
Once outside Sam spun around to face him, lunging forward and wrapping her arms around his waist, pulling him into a hug.
S. Richards: That was so much fun.
Despite being the one to initiate the embrace Sam held her breath for a moment, a small bit of anxiety taking a hold wondering if she had pushed too far past the boundaries. It wasn't until Talos wrapped his arms around her that the fleeting feelings vanished.
Having victoriously conquered some ancient Earth song, Sam had lead Talos outside into the crisp night air. Despite his– increasingly feeble– attempts to keep things above board with Samantha Richards, the pair seemed to be having more and more trouble keeping their hands off each other.
And he wasn’t exactly complaining about it.
Dakora: I know. ::He chuckled.:: I’m going to have to add that song to my playlist!
Sam pulled away just enough to look up at him.
S. Richards: Let’s do something crazy.
Talos’ eyebrows raised despite himself. He’d had a truly amazing night with her thus far and with alcohol lubricating his –already flimsy– inhibitions, he stumbled into a response.
Dakora: Well, I… uh…um…
S. Richards: ::narrowing her eyes and playfully nudging him:: That’s not what I mean!
oO Although…I bet he’s really good at- No, stop that.Oo
As the night progressed Sam found it more and more difficult to keep the suggestive thoughts away, she shook her head to help her refocus.
Talos grinned. With his mental barriers decimated by all the drinking, he had picked up on a stray thought or two that had continued to reinforce that his interest in her was far from a one-sided affair.
Dakora: Right. No. Of course. What did you have in mind?
S. Richards: What I’m trying to say is, if we want to make this night one to remember, l want to take you somewhere.
Sam didn’t let the silence linger for long to avoid any presumptions— no matter how tempting they were.
S. Richards: Have you ever gone cliff jumping?
Talos’ mouth fell open slightly and he shook his head. Whatever proposition he’d expected her to make, it certainly wasn’t this.
But he wasn’t about to back down.
((St. Mary Falls, Glacier National Park - Montana))
Through all of the laughter and excitement on their rendezvous to the Falls, Sam finally divulged to Talos her fear associated with cliff jumping. After her sister died, she felt the overwhelming need to be more careful. Standing on the edge of a cliff and jumping into cold water just wasn’t something she felt safe doing, leaving her to sit off to the side and watch as her friends took the leap. That night, she wanted nothing more than to feel the rush and feed into the urge of the thrill.
With the Artemis in orbit over Earth, it wasn’t hard for him to request a site-to-site beam out for the two of them. The conversation they’d had during the brisk walk to their destination and their lack of additional drinks had taken some of the edge off, but no one would mistake them for sober any time soon.
S. Richards: ::pointing:: We just have to make our way up over to that ledge.
Eyeing the spot with trepidation, Talos turned to Sam with a concerned expression.
Dakora: Holy Strokes! ::He chuckled nervously.:: That’s… higher than I expected…
With determination in her eyes Sam led the way up to the overlook, most of the terrain was calm with the occasional rock to climb up. It didn't take long before they reached the top. In front of them was mostly darkness, but the moon was bright, shining down enough to light up the waterfall, the ripples in the water reflected the stars, making them look as if they were dancing.
S. Richards: This is it… ::turning to Talos:: don’t let me change my mind.
As they reached the top, Talos stared out over the cliff’s edge, to the water way down below. He swallowed despite himself. For someone who had been trained to jump out of dropships in low-orbit, he found himself surprisingly nervous about this next leap.
But when his eyes met Samantha’s, he found it impossible to back down.
Dakora: Let’s do it.
Without hesitation, Sam turned with her back facing Talos, stripping off her shirt and jeans, tossing them to the side next to her shoes she had already kicked off. With a smile on her face and hands on her hips she spun around to face him.
S. Richards: Let’s do this ::talking herself up:: I can do this.
He tried and–almost immediately– failed at his attempt not to stare as she stripped down for the jump.
Dakora: You’ve got this. ::To himself.:: We’ve got this.
Talos’ eyes stayed on her as he pulled his shirt up and over his head, discarding it on a rock with his boots and jeans following soon after.
Even in the dim light she could feel his eyes lingering on her now less clothed body, but she didn’t mind. In fact she welcomed it as she stepped closer to him and took his hands in hers.
S. Richards: Jump with me.
He rolled his neck from side to side, attempting to limber up as he responded. He pretended not to notice her eyes lingering on his own tattooed frame, now that he’d stripped down to his boxer-briefs.
Dakora: Ready when you are.
The two stood at the edge of the cliff, hand in hand. Sam looked down at the water and took a small step back, the fear began to creep up on her, until she felt his grip on her hand tighten, effectively calming her nerves.
S. Richards: On the count of three:: nodding to him:: yeah?
Dakora: I’m not sure which of our countdowns were more insane tonight, but let’s go…
In unison: One…. Two… Three!
As soon as her feet left the ground it felt as if time slowed down. Seconds felt like minutes as she felt the air rush through her hair and every beat of her heart pounding in her chest, and for that final moment before reaching the water- with his hand still in hers, she felt safe.
The lake was colder than Sam expected, making it hard to catch her breath but once she did she gave Talos a wide grin.
S. Richards: That was absolutely insane! ::swimming closer to him:: I-I can’t believe I did that.
Treading water beside her, the adrenaline spike of the death-defying jump fought to keep him warm against the chilly water.
Dakora: You barely even. ::He spoke between sharp breaths:: needed me!
S. Richards: I couldn’t have done it without you, but thank you… ::inching closer to him:: for entertaining me and going along with all of this.
With the rush of the jump still fueling her, she closed the distance between them, putting their bodies once again dangerously close. The only sounds around them were the light crashing of the waterfall, the crickets and frogs singing their own kind of symphony and the shallow breaths coming from Sam.
Dakora: Honestly, there’s nowhere else I’d rather be.
She looked up into his eyes, her heart racing as she slipped her hand behind his neck and pulled him closer until his lips met hers, letting the moment linger for a while, but not near as long as she would have liked.
S. Richards: ::pulling back but staying close:: Uhm… We should probably head back to our clothes…
His lips still tingled from the kiss– or possibly from the gradual onset of hypothermia– even after she pulled away.
Inside, Talos’ mind waged a war with his heart (and possibly a few other parts of his body) for control of the situation. In the end he managed a shaky nod.
Dakora: Right. Yeah. We should ::He shivered.:: Find some place to warm up.
S.Richards: Yeah ::nodding:: let’s go.
Giving him a warm smile before they made their way to the shore. As she wrung the water out of her hair she couldn't help but appreciate his strong physique, letting her gaze linger as she fought through the shivers.
The journey back to the top where they left their clothes was cold but pleasant as they walked hand in hand, laughing and gushing over how exhilarating the jump was. Once at their clothes Sam hastily threw on her jeans and slipped on her shoes. As she reached down for her t-shirt she paused.
S. Richards: ::To herself:: Where did it go?
Talos had just managed to pull jeans on and get his boots on his feet–in between the occasional stolen look in Samantha’s direction– when he heard her say something in a slightly alarmed tone.
Dakora: Everything ok over there? ::He put on a devious grin.:: Need my help with anything?
S. Richards: ::Holding up her finger to Talos:: Shhhh…
A soft chittering came from the bushes, she scanned the area until Sam locked eyes with the fattest raccoon she had ever seen. In its grubby little hands, was her shirt.
S. Richards: ::Yelling at the raccoon:: Give that back! That’s mine, you fat little-
The chubby bandit hissed and scurried off into the darkness, taking her shirt with it.For a moment she contemplated going after it, but decided against it. Raccoons didn’t fight fair anyway. She sighed and turned to Talos, crossing her arms across her chest and pouting.
S. Richards: A fat raccoon stole my shirt…
Talos’ mouth fell open as his eyebrows tried to climb up off his forehead. A little, fat, bandit-squirrel thing sat in the bushes, perched on a fallen log chittering proudly with Sam’s shirt in its oddly humanoid paws… hands!? Talos wasn’t sure what to make of it.
Dakora: A what– did what!? ::Dumbfounded.:: Is that normal!?
She tried to stay mad, but as unfortunate as the situation was, it was also hilarious. Sam burst into laughter.
S. Richards: I wish I could say that’s the strangest thing that’s happened in this park.
Her laughter dislodged him from his confused state and his shock gave way to a hearty chuckle. Finally, Talos cocked his head just a little and shrugged.
Dakora: I guess I shouldn’t complain, the little guy kinda did me a favor. ::He made a show of surveying the woods around them.:: I think I like this place.
S. Richards: I like this place too ::chuckling and walking closer to him:: I grew up here. As a matter of fact… My family runs this park. ::pointing to the west:: About 30 kilometers that way is the house I grew up in. Where my parents still live.
Sam rubbed her arms, trying to stay warm.
For some reason, he knew the Richards’ hailed from somewhere in the center of North America. But the old state and territory names were hard to remember. Even after the cold plunge, it probably wasn’t a good idea to meet anyone's parents after drinking as much as they had.
Dakora: 30 klicks over this terrain would be quite the hike. ::He shrugged, flashing a grin at her.:: And you’re hardly dressed for it.
With a faux annoyance, Sam dramatically rolled her eyes. She didn’t even want to think about what her dad would say if she showed up, shirtless and hand in hand with a big muscular Starfleet Officer.
S. Richards: Besides… they don't know where I’ve been, but that’s a story for another time. ::shivering:: We should probably get going before I freeze to death.
Even with his mind clouded by all the alcohol, fun and (partial) nudity– he knew that pulling on that particular thread wasn’t a good idea. Not that Talos blamed her. Asking about his parents would be an equally complex buzzkill, no matter which timeline he favored.
Snapping out of his thoughts, he saw her shiver again and a thought occurred to him. He pulled his shirt off up and over his head and handed it over.
Dakora: Here. I think I’d prefer you unfrozen.
Talos handed Sam his shirt. A gesture that seemed small, but made Sam’s eyes light up.
S. Richards: Are you sure?
He nodded, a slight smile playing across his face. He’d mostly dried off and didn’t have to contend with a bunch of long, wet hair like she did.
Dakora: Yeah. ::He gestured in the direction the creature had scurried off to.:: Besides I don’t think he’s giving yours back.
She pulled on the dark shirt with the word EXCAL across the front.
S. Richards: ::holding her arms out to the side and smiling:: How do I look?
Talos took a step back, stroking his chin once to make it clear he was really taking in her fashion choices. The funny thing was, he’d be lying if he said the oversized shirt wasn’t kind of cute on her.
Dakora: You’re pulling it off better than I ever did.
With a smile still spread across her face, Sam pulled him close to her, nuzzling her face into his chest.
S. Richards: What do you say we head back to the Artemis? We can warm up there.
Some last little logical part of his mind cried out meekly against that idea, just before the warmth of her body against his snuffed it out entirely.
Dakora: I think that’s probably a bad idea. ::He smirked.:: But let’s go.
He reached into his pocket and produced his comm-badge, already thinking about how he’d buy the secrecy of the transporter Chief.
TBC in Part 4
======//////======>
LtCmdr. Talos Dakora
First Officer
USS Artemis-A
O238811CD0
&
Samantha Richards
Civilian Science Liaison
Amity Outpost
A240103SR3