Flying Blind

Posted on Mon Feb 11th, 2019 @ 7:17pm by Lieutenant Commander Mnhei'sahe Dox & Lieutenant Mona Gonadie

Mission: Earthly Visitation
Location: Flight Control office, Ten-Forward, Crew Quarters Deck 8
Timeline: 2396

It was just before shore leave began that lieutenant Mnhei'sahe Dox first began to realize that she was harboring more than just friendship for her fellow pilot and flight control assistant Chief, Mona Gonadie.

The two had worked closely together many long nights in the Flight Control office since shs was made its Chief and over time, Dox found herself stealing more than the occasional glance at the colorfully plumed Miradonian. But that came to an awkward head a few weeks ago when the young Romulan pilot found herself swimming in a rush of freshly restored hormones that stoked the embers of an attraction into something much larger.

The acute senses of the Miradonian picked up on Dox's pheromones, to say nothing of the fairly obvious fawning that followed. There was awkwardness and Mona flirted playfully, tormenting Dox. But since then, nothing had been said of it.

The two still worked together every day with no problems, but both went their separate ways on shore leave which left the awkward, lonely young Romulan woman to begin beating herself up over what she should do. But as of today she had made a decision. She was going to say something. She didn't know what, but something.

It took a pep talk from Death herself to push Dox out of her comfort zone, but now she found herself sitting at her desk at the end of a long day with the final paperwork filled and crew rotations all set. Mona was coming out of her workshop as Dox was finishing up and the anxious pilot did her level best to quash the knot In the pit of her stomach.

"Good night, Ensign Gonadie. Uh... well... we're officially off duty... Uh... Mona." Dox cleared her throat as she stumbled over her words. "I was going to grab a bite to eat in Ten-Forward... and... uh... was wondering if... uh... I was wondering if you wanted to maybe get something to eat too."

Mona sauntered over to the flustered half Romulan, a grin spreading across her face. "Well, I thought you'd never ask. Ten forward you say? Why not someplace a bit more private instead? That way we can... Take our time. Unless you prefer it be in public?"

Feeling herself go flush, Dox swallowed nervously. "Well... I just figured it would be nice to... Ya' know... talk. Get to know each other outside of the office."

"Ah, of course. Sorry, I misunderstood." This time it was Mona's turn to blush, one hand going to her face. "Yeah, ten forward is fine."

"Oh, no. No, no need to apologize. I'm just... I thought it would be... Ya' know...." Again, Dox found herself rambling and bit her lip as she tried to compose herself. "Ten-Forward. Yes. I just need to shut everything down here but can meet you in about ... fifteen minutes?"

"That will give me just enough time to change and grab something from my quarters." Mona nodded, a now nervous smile on her face. "I'll see you there."

As Mona headed out, Dox scrambled to shut everything down for the evening, and now wished she had decided to suggest more time to stop in her quarters herself, though she knew she didn't have much to wear other than her uniforms. Nothing except for the exquisite, green feathered dress that Mona had gifted her. But that would be way too much, Dox thought

'Hnave...' Dox thought. 'She didn't just laugh in your face. Just relax and stop over thinking everything.' After a few minutes, she left the office on her way to Ten-Forward.

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Pacing the deck for a few minutes longer then the fifteen minutes mentioned, Dox finally worked up the nerve to finally step in. The double doors of Ten-Forward wooshed open to reveal a half full room, bustling with activity. Looking around, Dox froze as she saw Mona waiting by a table at the far end wearing a short blue and yellow angular dress and holding a shiny silver gift bag.

Noticing Dox enter, the brightly plumed Miradonian waved. "Hey! I'm over here!"

From across the lounge, Dox heart felt like it skipped a beat at the sight of Mona. She looked absolutely stunning in her dress and Dox felt pathetically ridiculous still wearing her uniform. But after a second, she nervously walked over, adjusting her top as if it were a cadet review. "Uh... you look .. you look amazing, Mona."

"Thank you. You look very professional." Mona smiled and blinked enticingly and motioned to the table she had been saving for them. "Shall we? I um... I got you something during my trek through the Amazon. They had these holographic parrots in the gift shop at the end and... I don't know... I thought of you..." Obviously embarrassed, Mona handed of the gift bag to Dox.

Nervously Dox sat down and took the bag somewhat sheepishly. "Oh my goodness, Mona. You... you didn't have to... Really." Chuckling nervously, Dox fumbled with the bag to pull out the gift. "I asked you to dinner and you have a dress and a gift ready. And I look like this. I... I'm sorry. I'm screwing this all up.

"You just need practice with social engagements is all," the brightly plumed Miradonian replied, chuckling softly.

Rambling, Dox pulled out the package. A small bird stand with a holo-emitter built in. Pressing the button, a small yellow plumed bird appeared, squalking "Hello, Hello." And Dox let out a laugh. "It's... It's adorable. Thank you. You really didn't have to."

"I felt like I should get you something to remind you of me... Or something..." Mona looked away a bit sheepishly. "Anyway, I taught him a few phrases already like I love you and kick him in the nuts and ah... I think he picked up a few other things I say a lot."

Freezing for a moment, Dox stared up at Mona as she talked. "You taught him to say..." The red-headed Romulan turned the holographic gift, fumbling with the off switch and placed it on the table. "It's wonderful... Thank you so much. Really. But... I really have been... I've been meaning to talk to you and... after last time I..."

Shutting her eyes and biting her lip, Dox took a breath and, trying her level best 'sultry' voice which instead came out like an awkward squeak. "I... I like you, Mona. I like you in the way that I... don't need a gift to think about you." Her face was scrunched up as if waiting for a punch.

Instead she felt Mona's hands tenderly resting on hers. "I like you too. I think about you before I go to bed and when I wake up in the morning."

Feeling a shot of electricity running down her spine, Dox's throat went dry. She slowly opened her eyes to see Mona smiling back at her. She looked down to Mona's hands resting over her own and blinked in disbelief. "I... I made such an ass of myself in the office when Kodria was there... I didn't want to say anything. I figured... I..."

Clearing her throat, Dox took a breath and pushed through her anxiety. "Me... me too."

Mona preened on her nose a bit before speaking. "I've gone out and mated without much thought quite a few times but they've all been one or two nights and that's it. One of us would fly the coop and never be seen again. When I met you though... I started having different thoughts but you never noticed the normal mating signs my people use... So I kind of gave up."

Blushing, Dox began fidgeting in her seat. "I'm sorry... I'm not... I'm not good at this. I pick up on signals and my brain does backflips trying to convince me they mean... anything... other than 'she likes you, too.' But I didn't want to let my stupid anxiety talk me out of trying with you again. And, I guess, here we are."

Centering herself and taking a breath, Dox smiled. "Ever since I met you, I've had a hard time not thinking about you. You're funny, and brilliant, and honest, and... absolutely stunning."

The colorful aviatrix grinned back happily. "I feel the same way. I've never felt like this about anyone else before and I doubt I ever will. I'm sorry I tried all my normal tricks of flirting and fawning and flashing for finding a quick mate. I'm kind of new to the long term mating thing myself."

Laughing a little bit, Dox was still blushing. "You don't have to apologize. Really. I'm just glad I wasn't imagining it."

Then Dox's tone shifted slightly to a slightly more serious. "Look... I... I don't want to ruin anything. But... I've... I don't have a lot of experience here. With trying to have a... I dunno... a relationship. I've never really been here before. So, I'm kinda flying blind. But... And I know there are issues with us working in the same department we have to be hyper-aware of... but I really... want to try. I mean... If you do, too?"

"I do, yes." Mona tilted her head just a bit. "As for working together, we just have to keep it professional while on duty, right? Off duty is our time and as long as you don't show preferential treatment to me in any way, there's no issue. That's how Commander Paris and Lieutenant Sonak do it anyway."

"Yeah... absolutely. When we're at work, we're at work. I can do that." Dox hung her head for a second and sighed. "I feel about a thousand pounds lighter... which for me is saying a lot, I guess." She grinned awkwardly at the self-effacing joke made at the expense of her own weight.

"You do carry a lot of excess anxiety, but I think that just adds to your charm," Mona replied, lifting one of Dox's hands and nuzzling on it softly. She was a bit oblivious to the weight reference since her own people tended to be rather meaty and revelled in it.

The young Romulan turned her hand over to cup the side of Mona's face. The knot of anxiety in her stomach began untying, replaced by something warm and new. She smiled as she replied with a slight chuckle. "Well, I'm... I'm glad you find it charming. I guess that says something."

"You could be a frazzled messy ball of anxiety and I'll just kiss you on the beak and do my best to make it all better."Mona nuzzled her cheek into Dox's palm tenderly. "You'll take good care of me as well, right?"

Bringing her other hand up to caress the other side of Mona's face while she felt a tingling go down her spine and somehow everything felt more vivid in the room. "Mona, I... I have no idea what I'm doing.But... but I'll do everything I can and try and figure this out as we go. I promise."

"Then how about we go back to my place and start to figure it out somewhere a bit more private?" asked the brightly plumed aviatrix, starting to thrum softly.

The average Romulan heart rate was about 240 beats per minute, but in that moment, feeling Mona's body humming through her hands, Dox felt like it must have been twice that. Her skin felt flush and the room seemed to spin. "We... we need to take this..." She swallowed as she spoke through a dry throat. "We need to go slow. I... I can't ruin this, okay?"

Mona nodded and looked deep into Dox's eyes. "We can go as slow as you like. I'll explore this as slowly as you'd like with you."

That was when the server standing next to their table cleared his throat. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but may I take your order? I promise to replicate it slowly."

Instantly, Dox's eyes went wide and she turned a bright green as she blushed from head to toe. Pulling her hands back and sitting up ramrod straight in her chair, the flustered young Romulan had all but forgotten there was anyone else around. "Hnave..." She muttered in Rihan, her native tongue.

"Uh... dinner... Uh... Mona? Do you wanna.... Uh... we can get something to go?" Dox stammered.

Mona also blushed as well, a yellowish tinge flowing through her lighter feathers. "Ah yeah..."

"If you'd like to place your order, we can have it beamed to your destination of preference," offered the server.

Looking over at Mona then back to the server as she placed her gift back into the silver bag, Dox muttered. "Uh... The... uh... Shrimp Scampi Alfredo, please. Mona?"

Mona folded her hands in front of herself and did her best to remain composed. "Loaded omelette, extra cheese and peppers with a side of grilled salmon, please. Your quarters or mine?"

Pausing to think of the last time Dox was in Mona's quarters when she tried on the amazing green feathered dress in Mona's bedroom. The dress that Mona left in a box on the spacious, impossibly comfortable looking nest the Miradonian had. She thought of how impossible it would be to take anything slow in that environment and blurted out, "My quarters should be fine. Uh. Lieutenant Dox, Deck 8, please." Dox smiled awkwardly at Mona, "If... if that's okay with you?"

"Perfectly. I'd like to see where you live anyway." Mona grinned mischievously. She too wanted to take things a bit slow, but wasn't sure she could in her own quarters. They were designed more for relaxation, entertainment, and... Nocturnal activities... If Dox's quarters were as spartan as she suspected they were, they could easily take their time.

Looking up at the waiter, Dox nodded and repeated the instructions. Then, after the waiter walked away, Dox stood up from her chair and, fumbling with the bag in her hands, awkwardly held out a hand to help Mona up, smiling nervously the whole time.

The brightly plumed aviatrix gingerly took Dox's hand and stood up, smoothing out her dress after she did so. "Shall we then? Before our food gets cold? And you can change into something more comfortable as well."

It was a very short, somewhat quiet trip from Ten-Forward to Mnhei'sahe Dox's quarters on Deck 8. As they walked, Dox tried to remember how much of a mess her quarters might have been left in, but she was fairly certain that the bed was made and there were no clothes strewn about as she stepped up the door and it whooshed open. "Lights", Dox spoke to the room as she gestured Mona in nervously.

The room was fairly bare. There were two small shelving units with a few framed photographs. A picture Rita Paris had taken of the command crew shortly after Dox's first mission. 2 of her mother. Some old books and mementos, but very little else on the mostly empty shelves. The rest of the room was furnished only with the basic furniture it came with and nothing more. On the small glass dining room table, were the plates already beamed in from ten-forward. "Um... this is it." Dox nervously declared as she walked in behind Mona.

Mona silently let out a sigh of relief - this was as spartan as she had expected and there wasn't anything weird like some people she had visited. After looking around, she pulled Dox into a close hug, breathing deeply of her scent. "It looks just like you live here."

After the briefest moment of surprise, Dox brought her arms up slowly to return the hug. Her anxiety faded in Mona's arms as she held on tight, her fingers gently following the grain on the feathers on the back of the Miradonian woman's neck.

Slowly, Dox looked up into Mona's deep, golden eyes and chuckled. "I swear, I am the shortest damn woman on this ship."

Chuckling softly, the feathered woman kissed her half Romulan companion softly. "Not by much.

It wasn't the first kiss Mnhei'sahe Dox had ever received. She was kissed by the cruel cadet at the academy that wooed her virginity away to check 'Romulan Girl' off of his sadistic list of conquests, but that was a cold, fake.thing.

This soft kiss filled Mnhei'sahe with a warmth she had never felt before as the hairs on her body stood on end. She rolled her head so that her forehead rolled down Mona's as their lips separated. "We... should eat before our dinner gets cold... and... I need to change."

Her words were deep and breathy as her uniform suddenly felt like it was strangling her. Slowly, she pulled back, licking her lips and still tasting Mona on them. "I'll... be right back."

Standing in the center of the room, Mona stood, smiling as Mnhei'sahe stepped slowly back into her bedroom. As the door was sliding closed before her, she smiled back.