Worlds Apart part 2

Posted on Wed Apr 19th, 2023 @ 8:39am by Petty Officer, 3rd Class Lottie Daglish & Ziu'Liherasefra

Mission: Sojurn
Location: Entertainment Precinct
Timeline: Day 333
4446 words - 8.9 OF Standard Post Measure

"So, if you're so far from home and stuck on a ship most of the time, what do you do for fun?"

An hour later, and Hera had somehow acquired more energy than when she'd started. They hadn't wasted a lot of time at her place, the Ziu'ni seemed content enough to go out as she was currently dressed and had taken time only to pull her hair up away from her face and touch up her makeup. A shot of something she declared as vital for keeping the cold out certainly assisted in navigating the icy winds without a huge jacket but the pair had huddled together to push through the howling corridor that was the main strip and arrived, pink-cheeked, on a promenade that featured a massive open-air dancefloor surrounded by bars and eateries and smaller clubs that required descent into the lower ground. Hera had wasted no time ordering them drinks, this time a flamboyantly pink one, and had quickly claimed a table near one of the space heaters. Dancing would come eventually, her curiosity hadn't quite abated yet.

Lottie had gone with the flow of Hera and had to admit it was nice to just let someone else be in charge and to allow herself to just relax a little. The place was amazing and she had seen a couple of crew mates among the crowds as they were easily portable due to not being green or grey tones but no Marine looking for her and no one to interrupt the evening that she was enjoying more and more by the second. "Me? Read our dwindling supply of fresh reading material... hang out with the people I am stuck there with. I am the only day nurse so I do not exactly have a lot of free time." She admitted whilst it did not bother her much, it bothered her in the regards of she was tired sometimes.

As the explanation had evolved, Hera's expression had sunk deeper into incredulous distaste. "How does that even count as fun? Oh, you poor thing. Well," she reached across the table to squeeze Lottie's hand, enough drinks in now that being overtly tactile was clearly a natural thing, "Now that you're here, we'll have to fix that. What's something that you miss doing?"

"New... just new experiences." It was simple but when you did the same thing over and over there was not much room for change or to experience the thrill of something being new. Lottie moved her hand to squeeze back. "It is fun... my life is a bit simpler." She did not see it as a bad life in the slightest, it was just different from what people here expected she supposed.

"This is a good place to start then." The pink-haired alien took a long sip from her matching drink and turned slightly, hand still in Lottie's, to survey the area. As predicted, it was already quite busy, though it would be another hour or so before the dancefloor really took off. Spinning in her seat, Hera rose in one fluid motion and dragged her new friend up to her feet to follow. "Come try some of the finger-food."

It was an imperfect translation, meant to describe any number of the small vendors dotted about the pavilion preparing food from their tiny little stations that allowed them to specialise in only a handful of local delicacies. Hera wove her way through the crowd, Lotte in tow, towards one particular cart selling seafood bites served on a long skewer. Once again slipping into fluent Realian, Hera ordered a serving and then turned, plucking the first morsel off with her fingers and offering to feed it to her companion. "Here, try."

Lottie grinned as she was pulled through the crowd, everything was a whirl of colour and sensation. She was surprised when the woman offered her a bite but took it keeping her eyes levelled on the other woman as she started to chew. It was delicious with the same sweet and sour taste from the drink that she had not enjoyed earlier, the difference was in food it reminded her of Chinese food. "It is good." She approved.

"I may have a slight addiction," Lihera confessed, using her teeth to slide off a bite before handing the skewer over. "It's very easy to eat way too much here, the selection is fantastic for the speed in which they fill orders." She was moving again, a trail of mauve and a scent faintly reminiscent of vanilla but slightly muskier. The next selection appeared to be an assortment of fruit slathered in a thick treacle-like sauce. "This is spicy," she warned, fishing out a piece with her fingers and then dragging it through the goo. "But so good. I skipped dinner, this is dangerous." A deep sigh of contentment accompanied the first taste. Here," Hera held.out the bowl. "Help yourself, don't let me eat everything or I'll bloat."

Lottie had eaten but that she not mean she was not going to enjoy something new. "Spice is good." It had been something that the woman had been missing as they did not have much available but the chef did what they could to add variety. She took the bowl and ate a couple nodding approvingly as the sensation filled her. "I highly doubt it." Lottie laughed at the suggestion of the woman bloating.

Hera rested a hand over her stomach. "Well, now you're just making it a challenge." Grinning, the effervescent woman drizzled another dollop of fruit goop into her mouth and then glanced around the food section. "How about you choose the next, I promise I won't influence the decision." Fingers pressed against the small of Lottie's back as Hera shuffled forward to avoid being pushed out of the way, the vendor being one of the more popular.

The nurse slowly started to lead the way through the crowd to a smaller vendor who was handing out free samples to tempt people in. “It looks like what we call ice cream.” She said looking at the little tubs that they had been given. She supposed though that most worlds that became cold at any point would have something like that.

The Ziu'ni made no comment, true to her promise and content to just smirk around mouthfuls of fruit. Still chewing, she shook her hand as the vendor tried to pass her a sample, swallowing quickly to respond in Realian. The seller bobbed at the shoulders in acknowledgement and moved on to another waiting customer. Hera turned to eye Lottie keenly. "Well?"

Lottie took the spoon and gathered a small mouthful onto it. As soon as the cool food hit her tongue her eyes lit up. It was like eating a mouthful of honey and she let out a soft moan. “Better than ice cream.” She decided nodding her approval.

"I'll have to take your word for it. They make it with yaknnub milk and I am, as I learnt through painful process of elimination, overly sensitive to it." Hera shrugged, circumspect. "Something something enzyme something, I don't remember what the medical diagnosis was in the end. Thankfully, it's considered quite a delicacy and doesn't have wide-spread use." She grinned. "This is the only vendor I have to avoid, also by previous process of elimination."

Having finished her spicy fruit salad, the woman deposited the container in a nearby reclamation unit and then slid her hands into her back pockets to watch Lottie's emerging culinary love affair. Reaching out, she swiped a dollop of the concoction from the woman's nose and held the finger out for licking. "Wearing it's not fair." Hera winked, an unabashed flirtation.

“Typical of me to pick something someone’s allergic to.” Lottie commented licking the ice cream honey off of her finger. She smirked at the flirting but did not blush this time. She quickly finished off the small tub and put it in the reclamation unit herself before looking around taking it all in.

Hera, on the other hand, had eyes only for the exotic beauty in front of her. She was, by nature, a woman drawn to the unusual and out-of-place and Lottie's complexion found no equal amongst the local population, nor was it standard amongst Hera's own people. That, coupled with the woman's accent, was enough to completely enthrall the Ziu'ni. "You're forgiven," she responded, a tad delayed. Then, wrenching her eyes to scan the area, Hera added, "So, what are you in the mood for? Tonight is entirely my attempt to show Lottie Daglish of Earth Starfleet as many new things as she can handle." Her tone lent heavily into suggestion, though the glint in her eyes did nothing to dampen her earlier kindness.

Lottie for her credit continued to look around for a moment before something caught her eyes. “What is that?” She wondered pointing to an area that seemed busy but had steam coming from around it like it was giving off lots of heat.

"Ah, the woman has immaculate taste. That, eny'i," Hera declared, taking the woman by her hand to weave a path towards the mysterious source of vapor, "is something that is only active during the festival. There are natural gas vents that heat a water source not too far out of the city. The Realians revere it as part of their spiritual and emotional observance and it is mostly used by couples to replenish their ongoing commitment to each other. It's only open to outside visitors during the festival and, even then, they are overly picky about how much traffic heads that way. To preserve the site itself, they found a way to tap into a second source directly beneath the plaza."

It was, for all intents and purposes, a large communal bath, somewhat more reminiscent of a resort swimming pool except for the fact that it sent enough steam into the surrounding air to suggest the temperature was well suited to the current climate. Unlike a swimming pool, which could attract the capering antics of young children and other thrill-seekers, the atmosphere was laid-back and serene, populated by lazy, contented swimmers sipping on drinks from the floating bar. Hera turned to study Lottie's face, her own expression glistening with anticipation, and asked in a tone that dared, "You want to get in?"

“I do not have anything to swim in.” She said thinking back to how the romans had something similar. “We have an ancient culture on Earth that has something similar. Ancient Rome baths served as social centers for the community. They were elaborate structures that were designed to offer a variety of services beyond just bathing but this looks similar and almost nicer.” She murmured taking it in.

Staring for a moment, clearly startled, Hers then laughed softly at her own expense and looked immediately apologetic. "I'm sorry," she explained and, as they drew a little closer, it became more obvious where the confusion had set in. "The locals don't tend to worry much about modesty in public."

It was true. In almost all cases, the swimmers appeared naked. Most were Realian, whose smooth, mottled skin provided its own coverage of sorts, but most of the other aliens indulging in the steam were similarly unbothered by their lack of swimming costume. Hera, studying the human's face intently, found all the more reason for affectionate fascination as she hadn't encountered such layers of reservation since leaving home.

"We can always come back some other time when you've had a chance to bring a change of clothing," she ventured kindly. "There are a few other options if you want to relax somewhere a little more private."

“We are a little more reserved and modest.” Lottie laughed awkwardly. It did not offend her but there was a certain limit to her ability to be that free and open. “I would like that. Not swimming in a lot time.” She wanted to but there was no way she could do it without it swimming costume.

Finding it far too endearing to complain, Hera regarded the human with glittering eagerness for a moment and then spoke her mind. "You know what I think you'd love? And it would look amazing on your skin too. Let's see if I can find someone free."

Reaching out once again to take Lottie's hand, the other women picked a path through the throng of people headed towards the hot spring and wove them as a snake might towards one of the connecting alleys that cut through the centralised fixed structures and brought them out on the other side of the circular plaza. This side, rather than a dancefloor, dozens of outdoor seating options were scattered around in front of a live stage. Nothing was playing currently, but it wasn't the main attraction Hera was interested in.

"Take a seat," she insisted, selecting one of the tables on the outskirts and then tapping the call service control in the middle to bring up the drink and food options. "Order us something, I'm going to see if I can track down someone to help us."

Lihera's first attempt involved standing on the bench seat and craning over the crowd in search of whatever specific mysterious assistance she was after. A bounce in her step saw her launch off with an energetic, "Don't move, I see one!" before she dashed into the crowd and, for a moment, disappeared entirely. Though it might have been a heavily orchestrated attempt to escape, there was nothing further from the Ziu'ni's mind and it took only a minute for her to return, breathless and triumphant. "Five minutes!" She had yet to explain anything.

Lottie was not at all sure what was going on but was willing to go with the flow and allow the woman to carry on leading her. It was hard to not just go with the flow when someone attractive was showing you a completely different kind of night. She ordered a drink that looked like a daiquiri so by the time the woman was back it was being served and Lottie handed over some of the shell credits she had. "I thought it was apt with the snow and ice of the festival. We call them daiquiri's and make them out of fruit... not what they are called her obviously but it is similar... so do i get to know what you have planned?" She wondered.

An experimental sip stolen from the woman's drink evoked a look of circumspect appreciation from Hera, who then punched in her own order and settled down in the seat opposite Lottie to grin. "I thought you'd enjoy a onai session. Skin art," she explained, turning her wrist over to show a slightly faded variant of a flower not dissimilar to a lotus. The ink was an iridescent compound that caught the light at different angles and blended flawlessly with the woman's pale skin. "They use a more permanent version of the pigment in their tattoos." A twitch of her lips accompanied the materialisation of her drink in front of her. "I'll have to show you that later though."

As playful as her tone was, there was a boldness to Lihera that left her intention ambiguous. So far, despite having very fluid personal boundaries, she had seemed to keep her focus on honoring Lottie's wish for new experiences and appeared to genuinely enjoy the woman's reactions without expectation of anything more. There was no mistaking her flirtatiousness, however, further exacerbated once the artist arrived with their trolley and Hera slipped from her seat to watch from behind her new friend. Primarily, she was there to ease any translatory issues and to make sure Lottie got from the experience exactly what she wanted, but it was also an opportunity to place her hands on the human's shoulders and offer an encouraging squeeze.

“What is all of this?” Lottie asked looking at the trolley with interest. It looked just liked something from earth called henna. She was well acquainted with it from weddings and family events. “So how does it all work then?” it was used on Earth for temporary tattoos, in particular for decorating hands and feet but who knew how it worked out there.

"There are two options really. If you opt for a stencil, it will be faster." Hera watched as the selection was spread out across the table in front of Lottie. "But I also highly recommend letting her freeform, the application is very relaxing and you'll end up with a design uniquely of your own. It lasts about a week," she added, leaning her weight a little against her hands to peer around the side at Lottie's profile. "Your choice, I'm happy to watch and wait."

“Free form.” Lottie decided taking the recommendation from the woman. She was experienced with this whilst she only had a vague idea how it worked on an alien world but she tugged her jacket off and shirt to reveal a black vest top underneath my all. It would be cold for a moment but the booze would help and her body would adjust.

The application itself was mesmerizing, and formed a good chunk of the reason for Hera's ongoing fixation with the artform. She had booked entire body sessions in the past, not only enjoying the aesthetics of the final product, but finding the tendency to fall asleep on the salon bed one of the most peaceful experiences the planet had to offer. It was on her list to learn how to apply it herself but there never seemed time to sit down and apply herself to the task. She watched for a while without speaking, not wanting to intrude, and then found herself focusing on the idle preoccupation her fingers had with the long strands of dark hair hanging down the human's back. A more intentional detangling attempted to be gentle, dexterous fingers typically used for plucking a string instrument working their way through silken strands until they freed up a section for braiding.

”Now this feels like home. We call this henna back home. Brides typically wear henna, and have the most complex patterns, to support their greatest joy and wishes for luck as some religions believe it has blessing from gods.” The woman said looking over her shoulder to see the other woman attempting to braid her hair. “It’s most likely tangled.” She explained blushing a little.

"It's beautiful," Hera corrected and smiled as a trill from the Realian onai artist acted as affirmation. She twisted the strands into a loose plait and then used an index finger to marvel at how easily the sections slipped free. "Is this its natural colour?"

The nurse raised an eyebrow at the sound from the Realian before relaxing as it seemed to be a positive sound. “Yeah. We call it brunette. Do you not have darker shades on your world?” She wondered.

"On my world, yes, but not so much my people." Both hands gathered beneath the luxurious weight and lifted it up away from Lottie's shoulders to trickle back down through admiring fingertips. "Actually, that's not true. I could manage this colour, I think, with some practise but it wouldn't suit me half as much. And I certainly don't think any Ziu'ni would be born with such a distinctively complexion." As a rule, they began as a blank canvas; ivory porcelain ready for decoration.

“Humans come in many different shapes, sizes and colours from birth. We cannot change our skin like you. More the pity.” Lottie has not always comfortable in her own skin until she joined nursing school so the compliments that she was getting was filling that bucket of affection that she needed.

"You have no need to change anything," Hera assured and allowed her fingers to glide through the human's hair one last time before she reluctantly went around the table to reclaim her seat on the other side. Chin propped up in her hand, sipping from her drink in frequent enough intervals to require another very soon, the Ziu'ni shook her head in marveled admiration as she watched the way the ink settled into the nurse's dusky skin. "You know I'm going to spend all my time after this trying to replicate your skintone," she remarked playfully and without a lot of hope of success.

Lottie laughed and shook her head as she looked down at the art work that was being created across her arms and shoulders. It was beautiful but completely otherworldly. She always felt that it was a snow storm on her skin. “This is beautiful.” It was pale blue compared to the more earthy tones on Earth but stood out so well on her skin.

Over a long sip of her drink, Lihera smiled as the flutter of the artist's eyelids expressed pleased embarrassment for the compliment. Reaching across, she squeezed the gentle woman's forearm and opted once against for a phrase that the translator hadn't yet figured out how to render into Earth Standard. Realians, poets at heart Hera had decided long ago, had a habit of speaking in metaphor that only made sense in their own tongue. "You may very well be the first of your kind to ever wear onai, Janeesh here is young and I think she's a little overwhelmed by the honour," the Ziu'ni explained.

That made sense to the nurse if she was honest. The woman had a strange green tinge to her cheeks that on a human she would describe as a blush. “Well I am proud to wear it. I have a friend who is more your colouring that I am sure would most likely like to wear it for her wedding.” She said thinking of Lexi.

The remark earned a quizzical look from the Ziu'ni, poised in the midst of ordering herself another drink to consider the opportunity to probe deeper. "It's not uncommon for it to be used in courtship ceremonies. How do humans view romantic commitment?," she eventually asked, finishing the order and waiting for the replimat in the middle of the table to receive the confirmation and materialise it. "Will this be her first marriage?"

“And only if it goes the way they hope.” Lottie laughed. “All depends on the people, some people want marriage and others just the benefits of being able to pick and choose. It’s very much an individual decision.” It seemed the best way to describe it to the woman.

Lihera nodded slowly, clearly experienced enough with the mentality to at least not find it all that unusual. "Realians reevaluate their commitment in cycles but are otherwise predominantly monogamous whilst mated. My people..." The alien exhaled as a putter of lips as she tried to think of the best way to frame it. "It's complicated. We are paired genetically because our reproductive rate requires careful management to keep us off the endangered list." Hera laughed and hunched a shoulder, reaching out as her drink arrived. "It's at least a significant deterrent to returning home any time soon." She watched the human for a moment and then tilted her head again to watch the intricate dab of shimmering ink against her skin. "You could always take some lessons and do it for her yourself."

"I have another friend who would love to discuss genetics which you." Lottie found herself laughing just a bit. "Well, it sounds like you have found some type of home here though? And maybe if were are here long enough." Lottie wondered. They were at the very least there until after the festival when more people could help them with the Atlantis and the fact she had left port some major issues that were not going to help them moving forward.

"I tend to roam around a bit," Lihera replied enigmatically, finding no immediate point to letting her new friend know just how disjointed and unconnected her life was. From one extreme to the next, she'd never really figure out what she wanted. "But I'd love to see your ship and meet some of your friends," she added swiftly. "If it houses that many of you, it will likely put mine to shame." Hera's craft was a sleek and robust craft, modified through sheer tenacity alone, and resembled the only actual home she had. Everywhere else was just a holiday destination that didn't hold enough appeal to become something more permanent.

“I am sure that could be arranged.” Lottie said thoughtfully knowing the Captain had agreed to small groups being allowed onto the ship. It was a way to make friends as well as get resources. “It will if yours is just a shuttle pod compared to a ship for just under a 100.” Lottie laughed offering a grin.

"It's a little roomier than that," Hera laughed, twirling her straw in her drink. "Though still cosier than you're used to. Not all of us can appear out of the void in big fancy ships full of exotic people," she quipped, eyes sparkling.

She watched for a moment as the artwork continued and then swung her attention around to survey the rest of the area. For a festival night, it wasn't as busy as it could get, and the lack of live entertainment was certainly a factor in that. From the other side, the dancefloor's music acted more as a thumping backdrop and Hera realised, in her distraction, that she hadn't consulted the evening's weather expectations before heading out. Pulling the plug on live performances usually heralded a desire to keep crowd numbers manageable, and that almost always meant a snowstorm was predicted.

She turned back and asked Janeesh something that the translator didn't pick up. The response had her nodding.

"Did you want to dance after this?" was what she asked Lottie over a sip of her drink. Armed with information, she could still make the woman's night enjoyable before having to encourage common sense.

Lottie nodded slowly as the marks moved to the side of her neck. "Would love to." She decided that not moving anymore would be a good idea. She just kept her face ahead and watched the scenes around her. Lottie of a year ago would have never believed that she would be on an alien world like this getting henna-ed by a new alien species that Earth Starfleet had never met before whilst talking to another unknown species. It was mildly amusing to say the least to her.

It was quickly becoming the best night ever.