Hydroponic Bay Blues Part 2

Posted on Tue Jul 7th, 2020 @ 1:13am by Ensign Alexandra 'Lexi' O'Connery & Crewman Finn Jones & Lieutenant JG Mattias Constantine

Mission: Mission 3 - 100
Location: Deck E - Hydroponics
Timeline: Day 32, Month 2, Year 0 1900
1782 words - 3.6 OF Standard Post Measure

Constantine looked as if he was at a loss for words. He had expected there to be some more back and forth, some resistance from somewhere, but perhaps the observations made by his friends had been correct. The only thing that was keeping he and Lexi apart had been each other. With each step he took, he began to realize that very occasionally, if one was lucky, the right thing to do and the easy thing to do were the same thing. He offered his hand and a question to her.

"Dance with me?"

Lexi could not believe that she had stunned the man who knew so many languages into silence. It was a pretty amazing sight to see and she wished she had her polaroid to capture the moment. The woman took the hand without hesitation and giggle at him. "We have no music?" She questioned looking up at him.

"Ah, yes, about that," he smiled, knowing now that there was nothing that mattered more than holding her close at that moment. "You probably suspected with as much humming as I do, but I can sing a little. I'm kinda shy about it, so keep it as our secret," he gave her a little squeeze to drive the point home. So he began to sing a little song and swayed with her to the beat.

The woman wrapped her arms around his neck and resisted the urge to play with his hair. It was getting longer than normal and she lasted seconds until her fingers played did it. It was impossible and she found herself wishing she had taken this step weeks back when they had. had a moment just before being flung across the universe. "I think I am going to drown under all our secrets." She teased him just a little as she was held close to him. They were used to working close but this was the first time that it was something different.

"Well now, it's difficult to speak and sing at the same time silly." Mattias kept time and finished their short routine with by leading Lexi through a twirl before pulling her back to him one last time. He couldn't be sure if he was still in a lucid dream where nature and circumstance had conspired to bring them together, but the feel of having her in his arms convinced him that his dream and his reality had become one. "I should've done this a long time ago, I'm sorry," he spoke in a quiet voice. There was no need to speak up, they were draped over each other as close as could be. "Let's go on a date. I've got nothing scheduled three days from now, pending any Vrav interference. What do you say?"

Lexi looked the way he was looking at her and smiled a little more. It was a reflection of her own. "Takes two to tango Mattias but I do enjoy this." She pointed out with a shrug as she tried to play her emotions cool but failed. It was impossible to not to want to rush headlong into whatever this was but how could they create anything with the Vrav stepping in and causing trouble all the time? "So Tuesday? Is it Tuesday?" Lexi wondered quietly half to herself, half to him.

"It's Wednesday."

A third voice joined into the conversation. Crewman Jones, the hydroponics specialist, had returned from his errand and entered the room unnoticed by either Mattias or Lexi. His eyes carried the weight of monotonous boredom, and his reactions were so muted from repetitive work that he hardly even raised an eyebrow when he noticed the two officers tangled in an embrace. Instead, after answering the question, he sat back down and started tweaking the mineral content of the water used to grow the plants in hydroponics.

"So Saturday night then?" Matt asked, amazed at how unphased Jones had been. He had been so surprised that only Lexi's insistent tug on his jacket sleeve dragged him out of the hydroponics bay and into the corridor. "What the heck just happened?" It was all he could do to keep himself from bursting out into laughter.

"That was Jones," Lexi said as if that was an answer for everything. She smiled knowing he needed more of an explanation. "His name is Finn Jones. He is one of the specialists for the hydroponic bay. He is a little... I am not sure what is going on as he will not talk about it. I keep trying to get him out of the bay but he won't." Lexi explained looking a little sad for a moment before she looked up and down the corridor. She grinned when she realised they were alone and leant up and kissed him softly. "So Saturday night?"

"Ew, cooties," Mattias stuck his tongue out before playfully ruffling Lexi's hair a little. "Yes ma'am, let's do Saturday night," his smile faded just a bit as he thought back to the look on Crewman Jones's face. "You know, we oughta do something nice for Finn sometime. Poor guy looks like he could use a break."

Lexi made a face at him but did not comment more on it just shook her head with a smile. "I think you are the senior here sir." The woman said with a touch to his pips and a wink. She had not been wrong after all. "Have you got any suggestions to help him?" Lexi wondered as she was at a complete loss on how to help him or what to do to make things easier for him.

"Honestly, Lexi, I think you're doing a lot for him already. Times are hard right now, and the fact that you keep trying to get through to him and keep talking to him when you visit makes a big difference. Everybody is fighting their own battles in their own way," he nodded, carefully combing her disheveled hair back into place as an excuse to run his fingers through it again. "Maybe I'll go speak with Lieutenant Davis. He might have some ideas about how to help. Introverts recharge differently, some grand gesture probably isn't going to be the ticket."

"Just like we are all fighting our own battles, some of us are trying to make it easier." She assured feeling like she should do something more for the man. It was her torment sometimes as what her eldest brother had always described her tendency to soak up other’s emotions and even physical sensations, like a sponge as empathy. Unlike the three O'Connery brothers she was sensitive and not worn down by the family unit they had all survived. "I might talk to him myself." She mused. Emotional and mental baggage could lead to a lot of physical and psychological disorders such as depression and chronic fatigue in general and she did not want to succumb to something like that.

"That would be a great idea. You know, you've got the most amazing heart," Constantine smiled as they continued to walk down the corridor. "It's part of the reason why I like you so much. I just wanted to let you know that I admire you for that, since I'm telling you all of my secrets now," he winked.

“We all need a little empathy because it motivates us to take action when we see that people are suffering.” The woman said trying to not think on how before she had found it hard to foster relationships the ship being flung across the universe had a massive change in her. Having empathy for other people went a long way in fostering strong relationships but Lexi has never managed it before. In fact, empathy was a fundamental building block for conflict resolution and understanding and bonding with others but for someone with a big heart it had crashed and burned before. It was one of the reasons she had stayed so shielded and she was so surprised that they walked there. “So…” She wondered.

"Ah, yes, it appears we've made a lap around this section of E deck," Constantine rubbed his chin in thought. "What are you plans for the rest of tonight? You know, I could use some help putting the finishing touches on the translator. You left some snacks behind when you left the other night, too," he added quickly, knowing full well that she already knew that the Vrav translator was complete and ready for the upcoming negotiation. After all, she had been there to help test the algorithm. He nudged her in the side, just to see what kind of reaction he would get.

"Hmmm... Yeah..." She winked at him knowing that he was using it as an excuse to hang out with her despite it not being a proper date. "I need a shower first though." The woman admitted feeling a bit sweaty after the battle that afternoon and the wandered around the hydroponics bay. It would only take a few moments but she really did need to do it.

"Is that what that smell is? I thought we were walking towards the barracks... Ow! Hey! I'm joking, I'm joking, I'm joking!" Mattias had mimed taking an exaggeratedly deep breath, which meant that he was in no position to defend himself from the quick succession of jabs to his shoulder. "This is going to seem like backpedaling now, which is unfair because I swear its the truth, but whatever you do in your daily routine makes you smell incredibly sexy."

“Oh really? Honeymoon’s over. You have started telling me the real things,” she replied with a goofy grin. He had never skirted around telling her the real thing before, from what she could remember. He was as open with her as he could possibly be and she respected that. “Oh I am not accepting the back paddling mister,” She told him finishing her poking with a tab to summon the turbo lift.

"I have made peace with my fate,' he deadpanned for a moment before a smile returned to his face. He leaned over and planted a kiss on Lexi's forehead just as the lift arrived on their floor. "Add it to the growing list of my debts at Bank O'Connery. I'm good for it, I swear," he crossed his heart, stepping aside so that the two crew members inside could exit. "Send me a message when you're on the way, I'll see you soon."

OFF::

Lieutenant Mattias Constantine
Communications Officer
NX-05 Atlantis

Ensign Alexandra 'Lexi' O'Connery
Comms Operator
NX-05 Atlantis
(PNPC Leroux)

Crewman Finn Jones
Hydroponics Operator
NX-05 Atlantis
(PNPC Leroux)