Domestic Bliss

Posted on Thu Sep 14th, 2017 @ 10:29pm by Chief Warrant Officer Daytona Ral & Akira Zhuri
Edited on on Sun Oct 1st, 2017 @ 5:03pm

Mission: When Iconians Deserve to Die
Location: Artan Fortress
Timeline: Backpost

Daytona was looking forward to getting back to shore leave. Unlike a lot of Starfleet officers, he was a firm believer in work life balance, probably because he’d seen in himself what happens when a person became obsessed with their work. He knew that he didn’t like the kind of person he became when he had to do that. Sometimes service in the fleet required that kind of obsession. Today, it didn’t. Yes, a race of godlike aliens had returned to this plane of existence and yes they presented a threat, but the threat wasn’t immediate and there was nothing to be done at this exact moment. This was all a long line of reasoning that lead Daytona to the conclusion that he could spend time with his lover without feeling guilty.

Daytona and Akira had been sharing quarters while at the fortress. For Daytona, it was a matter of wanting Akira around as much as possible. He suspected that for Akira it was more of a practical issue. She didn’t actually need quarters of her own at the fortress. All of her physical belongings were on the ship, she didn’t need clothes, and as far as Daytona knew, she rarely slept while manifested except with him.

Daytona entered the quarters he shared with Akira.

“Anyone home?” he said. “Preferably the incredibly beautiful, smart, and funny Akira Zhuri, thrilled that I’m back safe and sound, and, if I’m really lucky, naked?”

Akira had been elsewhere on the station, just walking around taking in the sights and working out how to get to the hot springs that Schwein had suggested, when she heard the ‘summons’ and immediately materialized into their shared quarters. Then she heard ‘naked’ and blinked at him in surprise, but she couldn’t suppress the smile that formed on her face.

“I can make myself naked if that would improve your day,” Akira offered cheerfully. “But I am very happy that you have returned and that you are safe. I was quite worried when I heard the Hera’s Folly was bringing back injured, so it is a relief that you were not the one injured.” Then she frowned. “Is it bad of me that I am glad you were not injured? It’s like being happy that the other person is injured, it doesn’t seem right.”

Daytona walked over to her and pulled her into a kiss, taking a moment before speaking.

“Being glad that I am unharmed is not the same as being glad someone else was harmed,” he said. “But that feeling does sometimes come with a side order of guilt. Speaking of naked, I need a shower. Care to join me?”

Akira nodded, accepting his words about guilt; it made sense, and he did seem to know what he was talking about. “If you wish to relax, I have been reliably informed that the Fortress has some hot springs, which I understand are supposed to be relaxing. But they are not really for washing…” she offered in return.

“Actually,” Daytona said. “That sounds great. Give me five minutes to wash the grime of Nimpella III...er...that’s a planet, not a woman. I haven’t been running around on you. Anyway, five minutes”

Daytona leaned in and kissed Akira once more before running off to the shower. Five minutes later Daytona reappeared in comfortable, easily removable clothing and sandals, his hair still damp, a sparkle in his eye.

“As promised,” Daytona said. “Five minutes. Lead the way!”

In those five minutes, Akira had browsed through logs of swimwear that would be appropriate for this kind of thing. When he came out, she was wearing her white sundress, and underneath was a swimsuit, a cute little two piece that she was excited to show off. She looped her arm in his much as they had done on their first date, and she led him through the gardens to the caves where the hot springs were. The walk itself was leisurely and relaxing, and gave Akira for more of that small talk-thing that she needed practice with.

“So, did you find the person that you were looking for?” she asked as they walked.

“Yes,” Daytona said. “Along with other disturbing information that I’ll let your Aunt Enalia fill you in about as she sees fit. Needless to say, this galaxy has become a more dangerous place. It was an incredible mission, though. I encountered Earth’s mythology in my travels quite a while ago. Books, holovids, things like that. Religions sometimes interest me. I was a monk once...did I tell you that? A Rigelian monk, of course, so I wasn’t expected to be celibate. Well, I was more of an acolyte. I wasn’t monk material, though. I mean, I learned my psychokinetics well enough. I can do somethings with electricity, combustion, temperature, I can move things with my mind if I want to. I used these abilities on Rigel or when I was stationed in the Rigel System, but not outside of it. It makes me too memorable and my job requires anonymity. Anyway, I was hopeless with my own religion, numerology, and I later devoured what I could find on the gods of the ancient Vulcans. I guess I found Earth mythology equally interesting. Well, on this mission, I actually fought an Amazon! Like, a Greco-Roman Amazon! And I won! It wasn’t the kind of interaction I’d fantasized about when I read about Amazons, but they were awesome to see in action.”

“Yes, you’ve told me,” Akira replied with a smile, listening with great fascination as he continued on. She had to pause for a moment to look up Amazons so that she would have some context, but it only served to impress her further. “It sounds so exciting! In a way, it makes me want to learn to do some of the things you do so I can see some of these wonders for myself, but I doubt I would be all that useful outside the ship, even with a mobile emitter…”

Daytona touched Akira’s hand, turned his head, and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

“You sell yourself short, my love,” Daytona said. “The physical skills you can learn...well, not the psychokinetics, but the hand to hand combat. If you ever want my help with that, I’d be more than willing. But it’s your mind that makes you valuable, and your compassion. I can handle myself physically, but that Amazon was as strong as I was, maybe more, and her tech was better. I didn’t beat her down with brute force. I outsmarted her. You have the brains, I know from experience how strong you are…”

Daytona winked at her.

“All you need is experience,” he said. “That comes with time.”

Akira blushed adorably with his kiss. “I know I am smart, but sometimes I feel... “ Akira sighed as she tried to find the words to accurately describe how she felt. “Inadequate… I look at other Officers, real people with so much experience, socially and on the job, and sometimes I feel like I cheated to get my job, like just because I’m essentially a super computer and I’m indirectly related to the Captain, I was just handed the job. And, I can’t lie, sometimes I get a little jealous because I can’t leave the ship yet. I know, I know, I’m on the station, but that’s only because it is so well equipped with holo-emitters, but I’m still confined, you know.”

“Just because your origin and your connections got you your job, doesn’t mean that you don’t deserve it,” Daytona said. “Some people are born smarter than others, learn faster, adapt better, and that puts them at the head of the line, sometimes regardless of experience. And people’s connections get them in the door for jobs they wouldn’t otherwise be able to get all the time. It’s what you do when you get there that counts, and you prove yourself worthy everyday.”

Daytona slipped his arm around Akira’s shoulders and let her slip her arm around his waist as they walked.

“And,” he said. “I know that being limited to areas with sufficient holoprojectors is difficult for you. I can’t imagine what that’s like. I won’t patronize you by trying to convince you that you aren’t missing anything. You must feel like a bird in a cage sometimes. No matter how nice the cage is, it’s still a cage. I often wish I was a brilliant engineer so I could whip up a solution for you, but I’m not. So I try to bring some of the outside world to you whenever I can. I would have brought you back something from Nimpella III, but it was a really gritty, dirty, place and it didn’t have much going for it. But the next planet I visit I’ll bring you back something, I promise!”

“Thank you, that is sweet,” Akira said with a soft smile. “And I am working on a solution, it is just slow going; the Captain gave me the plans for a mobile emitter, but most of the circuitry is too small for the replicator, even the industrial replicator resolution is not high enough to accurately recreate the necessary components, so I am having to do it by hand, which is time consuming,” she explained. They were coming up on the caves and she could already smell the minerals from the water. “I am nervous about trying the emitter once it is finished; the one in use by the Voyager’s EMH was far more advanced and had a bigger capacity, I worry that the plans I am working off of won’t be able to support me because I consume far more resources than the Doctor.”

“Well,” Daytona said. “I don’t want to hold you back, but I’d appreciate it if you didn’t put yourself at too great a risk. As you may have noticed, I’ve grown rather attached to you. Besides, I have faith in your abilities, and in you. You’ll figure it out.”

“I have grown quite fond of you as well,” Akira said with a blush. “I don’t plan to do anything reckless, so you have nothing to worry about.” The caves they were entering only went a short distance and then opened up into a series of heated mineral springs. Akira beamed brightly at the sight, excited to give this a try; truth be told, she had been interested in trying this in Daytona’s holo-program, but she chickened out before they could get there. “Oh wow!” she said in breathless amazement as looked over the springs, running her fingers over some bamboo that was being used as privacy screens. “This looks like so much fun!”

Daytona watched Akira explore, enjoying the look of wonder on her face, letting the feelings of love and tenderness he felt for her overwhelm him for a moment before getting himself under control. There was such a thing as too much affection. It could get annoying. All things in moderation...well, sort of.

“Well,” he said, seeing one that was off a bit from the others. “That one seems to be empty. Shall we get in?”

“Yes, let’s!” Akira said eagerly, practically pulling him along the combination of cobblestone pathing and boardwalk to a small area where they could disrobe and store their clothes. Akira, of course, technically didn’t need to disrobe or store her clothes, but she did so simply to blend in, letting her white sundress to slip from her shoulders and to the floor. Underneath was a white halter top and boy-short swimsuit to show off her slender frame. Offering him a bright smile, she found the towels and waited for him to disrobe before heading over to the empty pool. Akira gazed into the water curiously, watching as steam floated up from the water’s surface. Curious! She wondered how this would interact with her matrix! Setting the towels aside, she held his hand to keep her steady and cautiously offered a foot to the steaming water, then another, slowly wading deeper and deeper. It was so warm! But there was something else about it, something she couldn’t really describe, almost like the water was… thick? Was that it? Analytically, she knew it had something to do with the minerals in the water, but she was trying to ‘feel’ and not overthink things. “Oh wow,” she said as she sat on a ledge within the murky pool, submersing herself to her shoulders. “This feels incredible!”

Watching Akira let her dress slide off of her, seeing it glide across her skin, made Daytona weak in the knees, but he recovered quickly. He removed his sandals, shirt, and pants. He folded the clothes and put them on a shelf, then helped Akira into the pool. Once she was in, he joined her, sitting next to her on the ledge, sighing as he felt the tension of the last few days melt away.

“This does feel fantastic,” he said. “This was a good idea. And to think, you couldn’t understand the big deal about getting wet! Next we have to teach you to swim.”

“I must confess, I have no idea why this looked so appealing when the lake confused me before; it may possibly be a residual impulse from Father’s memories, but now that we are here I really am enjoying this!” she said. She hadn’t realized it before, but her matrix could emulate muscle tension and body fatigue, and even the relief the heated pools could offer, but she was starting to realize it now as she started to feel a relaxing contentment and drowsiness. She rolled her shoulders as she felt this relaxing effect on what should have been very tired and knotted shoulder muscles if she had them. “Mmm, I would be willing to brave the holodeck to make this a regular thing,” she stated, then rested her head on his shoulder.

“I would like that very much,” Daytona said. He closed his eyes and enjoyed the heat of the water and Akira’s closeness. He let his tensions melt away in waves. There had been a great deal on his mind lately and he really hadn’t realized how tense he’d become. Fighting it out with an Amazon warrior didn’t help. He simply sat and breathed deeply in and out, becoming more relaxed as he did so. He reached out and placed a hand on Akira’s leg, almost possessively, but not in a negative sense, and caressed her leg with his thumb, nothing more. Just some added contact, something to show his affection without being demanding or pushy.

Akira hummed with a pleased smile at the gentle contact, then her hand found his and laced their fingers together. But she could tell there was still so much tension in Daytona, he still felt so stiff beside her, so after a moment she moved in the water, sliding into his lap to straddle him, then she extricated her hand from his, bringing both hands up to begin exploring the muscles of his neck and shoulders, finding knots and gently kneading them out. “I always wondered if Mother Maica’s rather extensive database would ever come in handy,” she commented idly as she worked to help relieve the tension plaguing her lover.

“Hmmm…” Daytona said. Akira’s sudden move startled him but he liked it and he loved the way her fingers felt as she explored his neck and shoulders. He let his hands rest gently on Akira’s thighs.“That feels nice. Ah...yes...right there...oh I have missed you.”

“I missed you as well,” Akira replied, applying more pressure to a particularly tough knot. “I found it difficult to get through the day; no duty shift, no work, there’s only so many times I could practice my violin or walk the gardens before I just got lonely. Playing with Moriko helped, but I ended up shutting myself off when she didn’t need me,” she confessed.

“I’m sorry, my love,” Daytona said. He let his hands roam a bit as he talked. “We need to get you more friends to spend time with. Some men’s egos would be inflated by the idea that their lover’s life revolved around them, but I don’t think that’s fair to you. I admit that I’m glad you missed me, that you thought about me, but not that you were so lonely you had to shut yourself off. Have you ever thought of spending time with Thex? I’ve heard that she’s very easy to get along with and she’s an engineer. You could break the ice by talking to her about your mobile emitter. I hear she’s pretty bright, and she was able to put together two very small, but very powerful jamming devices on short notice. And...you’re both blue, so you have that in common.”

Daytona kissed Akira and winked at her to make sure she knew he was kidding about the skin color comment. He pulled her just a little closer to him. He massaged her back and legs as she worked on him.

Akira pouted, but then she saw that playful wink and she smiled. “I have been meaning to talk to her about helping me build something; with the power fluctuation that happened over Selen VI, there were concerns about my efficacy during a power outage, so it was suggested that I build a computer for me to inhabit, linked with but separate from the main computer and working on an independent power source, and since the holo-emitters also work on their own internal power cells, I would be able to continue to function even in the event of a full system shut down,” she said. “I was also curious about finding that Scottish fellow… he seemed interesting.”

“Hmm…” Daytona said. “You feel nice. And anything that helps keep you functioning is a good idea in my book. I’ll admit, I worry about you when there’s an issue with power or the main computer. That settles things for me. You should definitely talk to Thex. Invite her out for a drink. You can have the bartender in the lounge make you a holo-drink. Doesn’t have to be alcohol, but it could be if you want it to be. Or invite her over to your quarters to look over your ideas. It might be fun. If you want to do it over shore leave, there’s a nice bar here. If you want me to come with you, we could take her out for a drink together the first time.”

“It’s the water; the heat and the mineral content improve the feel of the skin,” Akira replied with a smile, working up his neck right to the base of his skull, and the way she kneaded at him caused the muscles to go completely lax to the point that she was supporting his head. “And after the wine you gave me, I’m not overly eager to try anything alcoholic again, but I think I would still like to give the bar a try; I’m always willing to try new things, and I can definitely bring some of my plans along to show Thex.”

“Hmmm…” Daytona said as he lost himself to Akira’s massage. “Thex...yes...we’ll...ask her…”

Akira’s massage was relaxing the muscles in his neck and shoulders...and arms...but her closeness was having the opposite effect on him, made more evident when she worked the back of his neck up the back of his head with her fingers. He was very sensitive there and despite the warmth of the water, Akira’s touch there sent shivers down his spine. Daytona pulled her closer to him..

“Oh!” Akira exclaimed as he quite suddenly pulled her close. “Am I to understand that you like what I was doing?” she asked playfully as she let one of her hands find his ear, her deft fingers gently tracing along the pointed pinna.

“Mmmm…” Daytona said. “That...liked...yes…”

====Later====

“My love,” he said. “Unless you want poached Rigelian for dinner, I’m going to have to get out of here and cool off.”

Akira nodded in acknowledgement and released her lingering grip on him so he could set her on the ledge. “Mmm, I hate to see you go, but I do love to watch you walk away,” she said, shamelessly staring at his ass as he stepped out of the pool. After the words left her lips, she blushed slightly, somewhat startled that she had even said something so… lewd. But it was appropriate, he did have a very nice looking backside… Slowly, she motivated herself to get out of the pool, sitting on the surrounding stones for a moment while her knees un-jellified.

Daytona almost tripped when he heard Akira compliment his ass, but recovered quickly. He went over to an ornate basin with a faucet by the wall. He activated the faucet and, as he’d thought, the water was cool. He cupped his hands under the faucet and drank some of the water, before scooping out handfuls and splashing it all over himself to cool himself down. He’d really been in the pool too long. Not that he was complaining. He picked up a towel and dried himself off. In a moment of goofiness, he made sure to position his body to give Akira the best view. He put on his pants, deciding that he didn’t want to wear a wet bathing suit under his pants so he just went commando. The pants were soft enough that his rather sore member wouldn’t be too inconvenienced. He slipped into his shirt but left it unbuttoned, and put on his sandals. He grabbed another towel and walked over to Akira.

“You,” he said, offering her a hand up. “Are absolutely gorgeous just the way you are but some people are particular about others not walking around naked. I know you can dry yourself off with a snap of your fingers, but if you want to do it the old fashioned way, I could give you a hand.”

“Oh goodness, I am not that bold… yet,” Akira said with a blush when he suggested she walk around naked, but she did stand and let him wrap the towel around her. Then she rose up on her toes to offer a kiss to his lips. “I’m really glad we came here, I had a wonderful time,” she said sweetly, intending it to be completely innocent, but then she blushed again when she realized how un-innocent that may have sounded. “Oh my stars, you are having a rather… interesting effect on my thought processes,” she admitted with a giggle.

“I like the effect I’m having on you,” Daytona said. “Though you did catch me completely off balance with that comment about hating to see me go but loving to watch me walk away. Neither one of us has to be polite or proper all the time. I certainly don’t mind you talking dirty to me.”

Daytona took Akira in his arms and held her close.

“I’m glad you invited me here,” he said. “I really needed to be with you. Thank you so much for sharing yourself with me. So, here are the racy thoughts that have been running through my brain. Are you going to snap your fingers to dry your suit and put it on under your dress? Are you going to snap your fingers, disappear your suit and manifest dry underwear for yourself? Or and this is the option that’s been pinging around in my brain because these days, if there’s a kinky thought in there, it’s about you, Are you going to wear your dress with nothing under it as we walk back to our rooms?:

Daytona winked at Akira and grinned mischievously.

“Oh my! I- I hadn’t really considered what I was going to do, but… if you really want me to… I suppose, maybe, I could, uh, wear nothing…. Under the dress…” she stammered, blushing crimson.

Daytona gave Akira a gentle kiss.

“While that would be a tremendous turn on for me…” he said. “You know, I’ve never really considered why that’s so erotic. Ease of access, maybe? Anyway, you are never required to dress a certain way for me, never required to wear or not wear something for me. I hope you know that, Akira. Dress however you feel comfortable. If I were a woman, I might feel a little awkward with nothing under my dress out in public, too, so please, as I said, dress in whatever makes you comfortable.”

“Thank you,”Akira said bashfully, and when she pulled the towel away she was wearing dry undergarments. She returned to where they had set their clothes and pulled her dress over her head. “But in the privacy of our quarters, now that I know you have interest in this, perhaps one day I will surprise you.”

“That would be fun,” Daytona said, opening the door to the enclosure. “You look fantastic in that dress. I think I forgot to tell you that before. If there’s ever anything you want to see me in...well, it doesn’t hurt to ask. And Akira: You never cease to surprise me, always in good ways. Now, I could use some food after all of that exercise. Do you mind if I grab something on the way back?”

Thankfully it seemed no one else was in the springs at the moment, at least not near enough to have heard them making love...twice...well, maybe if they just walked through, no one would notice them as they left.

“Uhm…” he said. “I feel it only gentlemanly to point out that we got a little loud at a few points earlier. I can’t guarantee that no one heard us. If you just want to blink home, I’ll understand. Not that we have anything to be ashamed of.”

“Oh, well…” Akira said, looking over at the empty pools in thought. “I wasn’t really thinking about if anyone would hear us… That would be quite embarrassing if we did run into anyone who might have heard, but… But I am not ashamed of what we did! I will go with you to get food,” she declared, looking at Daytona with a smile.

“See,” Daytona said, grinning and offering his arm. “Always surprising me. I definitely make out on this deal. I get to escort the most striking woman in the galaxy around Artan Fortress! Let’s go dazzle the natives, my love.”

Akira smiled brightly and hooked her arm in his. “You surprise me as well,” she said as they passed through the caves that separated the hot springs from the rest of the gardens. “Every time you allow yourself to be vulnerable with me, it makes me feel so special,” she said softly. “You are always so open around me, and if the closed off personalities of Warrant Officers Nexi and West are any indication, being in Intelligence doesn’t offer much in the way of a ‘trusting’ atmosphere or lifestyle.”

“You’re correct,” Daytona said. “There are few opportunities to trust someone. That’s why I take advantage of being able to trust someone when I can. It’s...it’s been awhile since I’ve felt comfortable enough to trust someone like I trust you. I’m learning that I can tell you anything, but also that I don’t have to tell you everything. To someone like me, someone who often has information he can’t share, that’s important.”

Akira nodded knowingly. “I can’t imagine what it would be like to keep such secrets. It seems to be it would become tiresome after awhile.” She offered him a warm smile and leaned in closer, resting her head on his arm. “But I understand, and I’m here for you.” In whatever way he needed her, especially the pleasurable ways...

“It does become tiresome,” Daytona said. He knew she was there for him, and that it wasn’t only moral support she was offering. He felt himself stirring again, the warmth of Akira spreading from his arm to his chest and through his body. He was starting to think food was overrated. “But it comes with the territory. And I do know you’re here for me, and I appreciate it.”

Akira’s skin carried the scent of the mineral water they’d been bathing in. Daytona remembered the taste of the mineral rich water on his lover’s skin and started thinking about licking her clean when they got back to their rooms. Food was seeming less and less important.

They walked in silence for a while, on their way to an eating establishment where he could ‘refuel’ all the while Akira was smiling happily. But then a glance his way and she caught a certain gaze, a gaze with intent and hunger, and not for food.

“Why are you looking at me like you are about to eat me?” Akira asked.

Daytona grinned mischievously.

“Allow me to escort you back to our rooms and I’ll show you!” he said. "And by escort, I mean...THIS!"

Without giving her a chance to answer, Daytona picked his tiny, young lover up and put her over his shoulder. Akira squealed in mock terror and then giggled madly as Daytona carry her off to their rooms. They got some strange looks, but Daytona didn't care, and Akira was giggling too much to notice.

====Later====

“So,” he said. “If you don’t mind, I’m going to have the holocats bring me something from the kitchen...probably something with lots of protein...nevermind. Anyway, I’m going to have them bring me something to eat, if you don’t mind. I was thinking...if you’d like, we could cuddle here for a while? We could pick out a book and read to each other if you’d like. I just...want to be here with you.”

“You need to eat, so please, eat!” Akira stated with a knowing smile. “If you can bring me a book, I will read to you while you eat, then we can cuddle, how does that sound?”

Daytona smiled and gave Akira a kiss.

“Sure thing,” Daytona said. “And thank you for not getting offended when I eat in front of you. That makes things much easier.”

Daytona quickly ordered some food and while they waited, he just held Akira close and ran his fingers through her hair. When the food arrived, he placed it on a sort of breakfast in bed type thing. He looked over the books on the wall and found one that might interest Akira’s inquisitive mind. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes.

He brought the book over and handed it to her, then climbed into bed sitting up and pulled his dinner over to him.

“That will either intrigue you or drive you nuts,” Daytona said. “As a former detective, I found them to be a lot of fun to read.”

“Sherlock Holmes?” Akira read off as she took the book. Then she snuggled close to Daytona once he was situated with his meal and began to read aloud. Though after a bit she came to the conclusion that this was going to drive her nuts. “And then he noticed-” she continued to read, several pages in, but then suddenly stopped when she saw something utterly ridiculous. “Oh, now there is no way he can notice all that from across a room! I’m practically a walking sensor array supercomputer and even I wouldn’t notice something like that!” she criticized with a pout. “And this is supposed to be high literature to the humans?”

“Yes,” Daytona said. “Sherlock Holmes has studied everything to do with crime. All of the literature, every case file he could find, every scientific theory and practice related to the solving of crimes. He’s even studied all of the different kinds of cigar ash so he can determine by sight and smell and texture the kind of cigar a pile of cigar ash came from. He knows where to purchase every known type of cigar. In a way, he’s sort of a sensor array/supercomputer himself, only his sphere of knowledge includes only that which he thinks will be useful in the solving of a crime. As a detective, he knows what to look for at the scene of every crime. I know, it’s a stretch, but Holmes is, by the author’s intention, better than other men.”

“Actually, he seems like a terrible person,” Akira remarked, then continued to read.

“Hmm,” Daytona said. “I should have specified that he is smarter and more observant than other people, but as a whole person, he is somewhat less. Because he is a genius, he doesn’t suffer fools. And, you will find, he is addicted to cocaine, a powerful drug. So, no, he isn’t very nice. That’s why Watson is in the story, to give the reader someone they can relate to, someone fairly normal.”

Akira acknowledged his explanation with a grunt. “I see that,” she replied. “I still don’t see how this series is as popular as it is, how can people like this when many of his deductions make no logical sense!”

“Most of his deductions were possible with the scientific and medical knowledge available at the time,” Daytona said. “Deducing height and weight from length of stride and depth of footprints is done today. We can deduce the kind of ash we find at a crime scene, we just use a computer to find the information, while Holmes uses the information stored in his mind. I admit, he makes some leaps, but isn’t completely insane.”

“Yes, yes, and I can do these sorts of calculations and references to databases of information in a fraction of a second, but I am not a biological and I have access to vasts amounts of information, it’s strains credulity for him to know many of these things in the length of his life thus far! Of all the things he has studied, when does he have time to sleep or eat… or get high?” Akira suspected that her issues with the book, well namely that titular character, were amusing Daytona, and she would keep reading if for no other reason than he was enjoying the story, but it was not one that she would be adding to her collection.

Daytona looked at Akira for a moment, then shook his head. He leaned over and kissed her on the forehead.

“You make some excellent points,” he said. “We don’t have to read it if it’s unpleasant for you. Tell you what: why don’t you go put that back and see if there’s one on the wall that interests you. If there’s nothing there, my reading PaDD has a ridiculous amount of material on it. It’s right here on my night stand. Maybe there’s something on there you might like. I haven’t read all of the stuff on there, so maybe we’ll find something new to both of us. Go on, I’m not angry or upset.

“Are you sure?” Akira said, closing the book. “I know you enjoy this one, I really don’t mind reading it to you. I can even keep my commentary to myself so I don’t disturb your enjoyment of it.”

“No,” Daytona said. “I’ve read them before. I want to read something with you that you find enjoyable.”

“If you insist,” Akira said, rising from the bed to go get the PaDD, leaving the well worn book behind on the night stand. Then she returned to his side to browse through the entries stored within. As she snuggled up to him once again, she couldn’t help but reach out to steal a morsel from his plate; she normally consumed holographic foods so she wouldn’t have to worry about the logistics of disposing of the masticated remains, but she had still consumed real foods a time or two out of sheer curiosity, and the meat on his plate smelled so good, she was delighted to find that it tasted wonderful too.

“Alice in Wonderland…” Akira said softly as she read the synopsis of the book. “Curious,” she added with a small smile, then chose that entry to begin reading.

Daytona settled back and finished his dinner while Akira read to him. Her voice was soothing and he liked hearing it so he refrained from showing the slightest sign that he thought Alice was as dumb as the day is long. The story was actually a lot of fun, silly, and silly could be a good thing. When he was done eating, he removed the tray and then quickly went back to cuddling with his little blue paramour.

“Shall I take over?” he asked.

“If you wish,” Akira replied, handing him the PaDD and snuggling back up to him. She liked it when he read because he did voices! She so enjoyed these quiet times when they could simply relax with one another, and she understood now why biologicals required so much down time.

Daytona started reading, doing voices for the different characters and making Akira smile when the door to the bedroom, which was not all the way closed, swung in a bit. Daytona noticed and was alert for trouble but continued to read as though nothing had happened. Suddenly there was a ‘mew’ and Moriko appeared in their bed. She walked up Daytona’s chest and sniffed his face. Satisfied that this was someone she liked, she turned around on his stomach three times, and flopped over on her side, apparently having determined that Daytona’s stomach was a good place to lounge.

Daytona chuckled softly.

“Hello, little one,” he said and he scritched the kitten behind the ears.

Akira smiled and reach over to pet Moriko as well. She adored Moriko, and the rapidly growing kitten was teaching her more and more about biologicals than she would have thought possible. “Such a conspicuous entrance, I wonder if this cat is about to lead us astray,” Akira said with amusement, as if to compare Moriko to the Cheshire Cat.

Daytona laughed, softly, so he wouldn’t send Moriko scurrying.

“Well,” he said. “I’m only going to start worrying if she starts appearing as a disembodied head.” Daytona yawned.

“Wow,” he said. “You, young lady, have tired me out. What do you say the three of us cuddle here and take a little nap. You have my word that I will finish Alice in Wonderland with you tonight.”

“Mmm, that does sound like a good idea,” Akira replied, yawning as if on cue. She was quite tired, and being so warm and comfortable snuggled up to Daytona was making her even more drowsy. “But don’t forget to finish the story!” she insisted as she pulled up the sheets to cover them.

Daytona squirmed down into a more comfortable napping position. Moriko just went along for the ride, content to cuddle with her mother’s lover who was nice to her and pet her and played with her and cuddled her and sometimes gave her treats. Daytona leaned in and kissed Akira on the side of the head.

“A promise is a promise,” Daytona said. “There will be times when I won’t be able to keep promises because of what we do for a living, but I don’t think this is going to be one of those times.”

Daytona wriggled a little to cuddle in closer to Akira, careful again not to unseat Moriko, then relaxed and closed his eyes, the scent of her hair in his nose and they lay together.

Moriko apparently thought the sheets over her head were part of a game and she played around for about a minute, thankfully avoiding any swipes of her claws to Daytona’s boy parts. Then, apparently done with being covered in a sheet, she shimmied out from under them. She sniffed Daytona again and licked his nose a few times, then did the same to Akira, before finding a comfortable place between and above them on the pillows. She set herself down her digitigrade back legs supporting her and her front paws tucked underneath her. She had already decided in her kitty mind that when they woke up she’d act very cute and play with her people. She liked playing with her people and, if she was cute enough, maybe she’d get treats...or maybe it would dinner time when they woke up! The breakfast and dinner here on Artan Fortress were even better than on the Hera!