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Working Late

Posted on Wed Jul 19th, 2017 @ 11:00pm by Commander Mal Xustos & Lieutenant Commander Eneas Clio
Edited on on Sat Jul 22nd, 2017 @ 8:29pm

Mission: Death is in the Details
Location: Clio's Office/Mal's Quarters
Timeline: Pre-Slingshot Maneuver

Mal looked at his chronometer and realized that it was around dinner time. He'd actually fallen asleep with his head on his desk and his neck muscles hurt. Tomorrow, he'd see Maica about a massage. Even though his neck and shoulders were conditioned to his having horns on his head, if he fell asleep in a stupid position, like sitting in a chair, face down on his desk, it could put a real kink in his neck.

Speaking of kink, Mal thought. I wonder if Clio has had her evening meal yet? I suspect that she is still in her office, though she's probably being more productive than I was being just now.

While Mal would have plenty of Command and Control functions to support the upcoming mission, he would have no direct role on any of the Away Teams. He'd been finishing up some of these mission support details when he'd apparently fallen asleep. Looking over his work, he realized that he was only one signature shy of having completed it all. He added the signature and uploaded all of the files to the computer to be sent to their various recipients.

"Computer," Mal said. "Please give me the current location of Lieutenant Commander Eneas Clio."

"Lieutenant Commander Eneas is on deck thirteen, intelligence offices," the computer replied, confirming Mal's suspicion that Clio was still working.

In fact, it wasn't unlike Clio to work late. She liked to have as much of the annoying paperwork finished as possible so she wouldn't have to deal with it early in the morning. At that moment, she was painstakingly adding her signature on multiple forms, taking care to ensure each matched exactly. While some Starfleet departments cared little about such detail, a long career in intelligence had taught her that even minor variances brought scrutiny to the papers.

"Thank you, Computer," Mal said.

"You are welcome, Commander Mal Xustos," the computer replied.

Mal shrugged at the computer's response and rose from his desk. He exited his Ready Room and made his way through the corridors to Deck Thirteen, eventually arriving at the Intelligence area. He tapped his commbadge.

"Commander Xustos to Commander Eneas," he said. "I have arrived to rescue you from the turbulent sea of paperwork I assume you are drowning in."

Though she hadn't been expecting a visit, Clio also wasn't surprised to hear Mal's voice come over her commbadge. Finishing the final signature, she tapped the badge to reply. "You've come to save me? How sweet." She couldn't help laughing a little. "Let me get everything secured and I'll join you."

"Fantastic!" Mal said, happy that he'd been able to get Clio to come out of her lair. Spending time with her would be the perfect end to a stressful day. "I'll be waiting. If I told you that all I was wearing was a fig leaf...a very large fig leaf, would that hurry you along?"

In fact, Mal was in his uniform, complete with utilikilt, but he filed the jumbo fig leaf idea away for another time.

"Like the Greek statues?" Clio snickered, though she had to admit that the idea of Mal in nothing but a fig leaf was... stimulating. With a practiced ease, she powered down all the systems in the intelligence area and secured any loose PaDDs in locked drawers before opening the door. "You tease! You're still dressed!"

Mal gently pulled Clio into his arms and kissed her for a long moment.

"We both are," Mal said when he broke the kiss. Still holding her, he smiled seductively. "If I may be so bold, that is a state of affairs I plan to address...or rather undress...before the evening is over."

"Oh really? Sounds like you have a fun evening planned then." Clio kissed him again, a seductive smile of her own on her lips. "But first, dinner. I'm starving."

"Absolutely!" Mal said. "I came here fully prepared to feed and water...er...wine and dine you before I swept you off your feet and carried you back to your bedroom where we will hopefully take turns having our way with each other! So, to dinner. Ship's lounge? Or something at home? We could swing by my quarters and pick up a bottle of that wine you like."

"Something at home sounds nice. I'm not feeling especially social today." To be perfectly honest, Clio wasn't especially social most days. "But let's definitely get that wine first."

"Your wish, my command," Mal said. He held his arm out to Clio. "Walk with me, lovely lady, and tell me about your day. It had to have been more exciting than mine. My weapons used to be my fists, my hooves, a hand phaser, the ship's weapons systems, those were the days. Now I find my self armed with a stylus most of the time, fending off piles of electronic paperwork. I was so swamped that I couldn't get away to watch you practice to be a convincing Orion slave girl! Actually, that probably would have been a bit creepy for the other ladies, so perhaps that was for the best."

"They'll have to get used to creepy. And my day wasn't that exciting. A fair amount of paperwork and some... dance practice." Clio wasn't normally shy about such things, but the thought of Mal watching her mimic an Orion slave girl made her a bit self-conscious. "I'm not certain you'd have enjoyed it. I haven't quite got the grace of a real Orion girl."

Mal smiled at Clio.

"You're plenty graceful for me," he said. His demeanor became serious for a moment. "James Kirk said 'risk is our business', and I know your work is risky, riskier than mine these days at least. I respect that and I respect your willingness to throw yourself in harms way. But, please, do try your best to come back in one piece. My life is considerably better with you in it."

"I'm not easy to kill." Clio kissed his cheek in an effort to reassure him. "I can't make any promises to avoid injury, but I will come back alive."

"That's all I ask," Mal said. He leaned in and kissed on the cheek as well. For a while they walked, enjoying being close to each other. They reached Mal's quarters and he keyed the door so they could go inside and grab the bottle of wine. "After you."

"Greek mythology doesn't do the satyrs justice. No one ever mentions how chivalrous you are." Clio couldn't help laughing a little at his insistence that she go through the doorway first, though she was happy to oblige him, slipping through the door. It dawned on her then that while he had visited her on occasion, she'd never been inside Mal's quarters. She looked around a bit, taking it in. "Nice place."

"Thank you," Mal replied. "Please, have a seat. I'll get that bottle of wine. If you don't mind eating here, I'll open it now."

Mal went over to his wine case and pulled out a bottle of Agiorgitiko. He picked up two glasses and a corkscrew. He placed the glasses on table and stood before Clio, the corkscrew in one hand, the bottle in the other.

"What do you say?" he asked.

"Here's good. No point in leaving just to go to my place... your cabin's nicer anyway." With a grin, Clio took her uniform jacket off and hung it over the back of a chair before sitting down.

"Excellent," Mal said. "Now, I am going to open this and let it sit a moment. While it sits, I am going to change out of my uniform. If you'd like to do so as well, I'm sure I have something comfortable you could wear. If you want to replicate something, my replicator is your replicator. If you want to grab a shower, my shower is your shower. Be back in a flash."

Mal went clopping off to his bedroom to change. Once inside, he disrobed, then, after a moment's thought, jumped quickly into the sonic shower. it swiftly vibrated all of the dirt and sweat off of his body and out of his hair. Clio was waiting for him, so he got out as soon as he was clean and walked out into his bedroom. He quickly combed out his long hair and put on a wraparound loincloth, almost the color of light khaki, something that might be considered normal, everyday, civilian clothing on his planet. Satisfied with his appearance, he returned to Clio.

Hearing the sonic shower kick on, Clio figured she might be alone for at least a few minutes. While she and Mal were of a similar build, she had a feeling most of his 'comfortable' clothing tended toward traditional Pomtoli clothing, which wouldn't quite hang on her correctly. So she'd consulted the replicator to find something more comfortable for herself. Occupied with that, she only noticed Mal's return from the sound of his hooves on the deck. Having just replicated a set of leggings with a long tunic, she glanced over her shoulder to acknowledge him.

Only that glance turned into a lengthy gaze. Maybe loincloths were normal on Pomtol, but not anywhere else. She couldn't help but notice how such attire put Mal's well-muscled body on display.

Mal smiled as Clio's eyes traveled over his body. He'd chosen to wear what he was wearing primarily because it was comfortable and because it was what he usually wore when he was off-duty, at least when he was in his quarters. However, when he chose to dress as he was dressed now, he was not oblivious to the effect it would have on Clio. He let her look for a moment, the slowly walked over to her and pulled her into a kiss.

"Hmmm. Why do I get the feeling you're trying to skip dinner and get straight to business?" Clio wasn't as oblivious as she occasionally seemed; she knew exactly what Mal was up to, and his choice of casual wear had her somewhat wishing she'd chosen something sexier than her usual comfortable lounge wear. Of course, she hadn't changed into it yet, so she could always choose something else. That is, if clothing was going to continue being a feature in this evening.

"I promised I'd wine and dine you first, but..." Mal kissed her again. "If you want to work up an appetite first, I'm fine with that, too. Either way. Just as long as you know I'm not letting you go tonight until we're both too exhausted to move."

"I think the original plan is good." Clio tugged him close and kissed him, leaning into him for a moment. "Why don't you find us something to eat while I borrow your shower?"

"Absolutely," Mal said. "Any preferences? Or should I just feel free to come up with something?"

"I'm allergic to nightshades. Other than that, I'm not terribly picky." Gathering up her replicated clothing, Clio slipped away into the bathroom to shower and change.

Mal decided on a bit of Greek food. The food was roughly analogous to what he was used to eating and the replicator did a better job with that than it would with Pomtoli specific food. He quickly replicated small plates and dishes of food. Some dolmathakia (stuffed grape leaves), a small bowl of keftethes (a kind of Greek meatball) with a pair of small forks for picking them up, and some tzatziki (a creamy cucumber-yogurt dip) with some warm pita bread on the side. Once he looked at it, he realized it might be too much, BUT, thankfully, the replicators could also recycle anything they didn't eat so no replicatable matter would be wasted. For a bit of sweetness, he added some grapes. Satisfied with the display of food, Mal then quickly replicated small candles and candle cups and set them all around the room, including in the center of the table, and lit them. For the final touch, he dimmed the lights, and waited anxiously to see if Clio liked what he'd done.

At home she usually lingered in the shower, but because she knew Mal was waiting for her, Clio was quick about it, scampering out of the sonic shower unit as soon as she was clean. Once she was dressed, she raked her fingers through her hair and went to rejoin Mal at the table. Familiar smells of Mediterranean fare tickled her nose, and she grinned. "Smells fabulous."

"Thank you," Mal said with a quirky grin. "I replicated it myself! Please, sit."

He pulled out a chair at the table for her. Once she was seated, Mal topped of her wine glass. and took a seat himself. He looked at Clio with an affection that was clear in the expression on his face.

"Eat, drink, be merry," Mal said. And then he remembered the rest of that phrase. Tomorrow we die. He didn't want Clio to die. He wanted her alive and well and close to him. But Mal would never try to stop Clio from doing her duty or try to impede her independence. The fact that was both fiercely independent and highly capable made her even more attractive to him. "And tomorrow we will, Pan willing, eat, drink, and be merry some more!"

Clio was familiar with the original phrase, but she knew Mal wouldn't have meant anything by it. So she smiled, took a sip of her wine, and cheerfully loaded her plate with a little of each dish on the table. "I hope you don't find this rude, but I've been curious. Do the Pomtoli still worship Pan and the other gods?"

Mal also filled his plate and began eating, stopping to answer Clio's question.

"Hmm..." Mal said. "To a certain extent, yes. Pan, or the being that called itself Pan, founded our society. He literally created us, both satyr and nymph. Through Pan, we are descended of Hermes, and Zeus. Remember, these 'Gods' were actually living aliens. We were raised on Greco-Roman mythology, but we learned it as history. So we revere these figures as historical figures, not actual gods. We also fear some of them. Hera, as you may know, was neglected and otherwise treated poorly by Zeus. As we are descended of Zeus, we are not her favorite people. It is unclear if she is still on this plane. She was earlier on in our history, because her minotaurs attacked us. A minotaur is a vicious, brutal beast. They are larger and stronger than us, and though less developed intellectually than us, can and do make up for this deficit with their brutality and brute strength. After my ancestors drove them off, we never heard from them again, but the idea of the minotaur in Pomtol society is similar to Earth's boogeyman. Best behave, children, or the minotaur will come for you! I've never seen one, and I hope I never do, but as I said it is unclear if Hera left with the other gods or whether the other gods might come back someday."

Mal shuddered and took a drink of his wine to calm his nerves. The talk of minotaurs had clearly unsettled him.

"I see. I ask because my people are very spiritual and many of our gods bear the same names as those of ancient Greece. Different hierarchy though, what with us being a matriarchal people." Clio paused to eat some of her dinner. "Pan is one of those who has fallen out of favor in Cervan religion, though I'm not entirely certain why. Artemis is highly treasured, as is Aphrodite. Hera... we just try not to piss her off."

"Pan, at first glance," Mal said. "Does not seem very...progressive when it comes to women, and he was the son of Hermes, who Zeus fathered on someone other than Hera, so I can understand why a matriarchal society might not really approve of him. I'm glad that doesn't seem affect your feelings for me. I'm curious, though. How did your people come to revere Earth's Greco-Roman pantheon?"

"I'm not really sure. There are a lot of theories... the primary one being that they weren't gods at all but the same beings who created the Pomtoli. You'd think we'd worship the old Vulcan gods, considering that's where we came from." Clio shrugged a bit, clearly not terribly bothered by the mystery. "I do know that many Cervan names are also Greek. Mine means glory, if translated to English. But I don't know if we ran into these aliens early in our development or if one of the races we absorbed had worshiped them."

"Interesting," Mal said. "Both possibilities seem plausible."

Mal looked at Clio a moment and smiled.

"Glory is certainly an appropriate name for you," he said. "You mentioned the meaning of your name once before. I was curious, I'm often curious about you, by the way...anyway, I was curious, so I investigated the meaning of the English word 'glory'. The noun has two popular definitions. High renown or honor won by notable achievements is one of them. You definitely deserve high renown and honor as far as I can tell. The other is magnificence or great beauty. You are by my estimate and others, from the scuttlebutt I hear, both magnificent and a great beauty, both inside and out. It's also a verb. To take great pride or pleasure in. As someone who is close with you, I can tell you that I take great pride in having earned your trust, respect, and dare I say, affection? And I take great pleasure in knowing you, being intimate with you on more than one level. Physically, of course, but also emotionally and intellectually. So, 'Glory' is a perfect name for you in my humble opinion."

"Are you sure you're talking about me?" Surprised by such glowing praise - even from Mal - Clio wasn't sure she'd heard him correctly at first. "Honor and renown... you make me sound like so much more than I am." But it was obvious she was flattered by his words, a slight glowing blush appearing along her cheekbones. Sure, she'd been stared at often enough. But few thought to take such care with words. "But trust, respect, affection... you've certainly earned those. Perhaps a few other feelings I don't know the words for too..."

Mal was touched by Clio's response. While she could be affectionate, her everyday demeanor was often no nonsense and professional. She had to be, of course. Not only was she the head of the ship's intelligence department, but she was also the ship's second officer. She couldn't afford to appear to be too approachable, too easy. But as she and Mal had gotten to know each other, she'd been showing him her softer side. Not at work, of course, but when they were off-duty and especially when they were alone together.

"I hope I will continue to do so," he said in response. He smiled at Clio. "You know, when you look at me like that, I am completely at your mercy."

"Is that so? Maybe I should look at you like this more often then." Clio smirked at him, enjoying the control she seemed to have over Mal when they were alone.

"Hmm..." he said. He took a drink from his wine glass. "Maybe you should. But if you're going to tell me about your day, you should do that first. That look also makes me want to make love to you so much that I can hardly concentrate on anything else."

"Normal day at the office, really. Nothing exciting." There wasn't much Clio could talk about that was work-related with the sort of work she did. Vague descriptions would have to do. "Meant to get some time in on the firing range, but there aren't enough hours in the day."

Mal knew Clio was glossing over her day for security concerns, but he didn't bring it up. He might be cleared for what she was doing, and he might not. He'd let Enalia decide. He'd eaten a fair amount and didn't want to stuff himself. Mal finished the wine in his glass, then stood and walked over so he was behind Clio. He worked his hands under her hair and onto her shoulders, which he began to massage. He leaned in and kissed Clio on the top of the head.

Clio, too, had eaten enough. As she picked up her glass to finish her wine, Mal started to massage her shoulders, and she melted slightly. Somehow he always knew when she was more tense than usual, and he always knew how to fix it. "Okay, that... you can do that as long as you'd like."

"As you wish," Mal said. He continued to work the muscles in Clio's neck and shoulders. "Would you like the full treatment? I don't have a massage table, but my bed is comfortable enough. You deserve to be pampered a bit, especially since you've got a stressful mission coming up."

"That sounds like an excellent idea. Especially the part about a comfortable bed." Clio tipped her head backward just enough to look up at him. "Lead the way."

Mal bent down and kissed Clio, lingering a moment before rising and taking her by the hand. Mal led his lady back into his bedroom and slowly and gently helped her out of her clothes.

"Lie down, lover," he said. "And I'll get to work."

 

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