DANGER DANGER HIGH VOLTAGE [Gavin/Jiseth]

[Gavin Van Gelder]

There was a slight snort that accompanied her smirk. At the very least they could come to terms with how unpleasant a future it would be if peace was made between them. Not dissimilar from the worries of a century prior after Praxis popped, thus forcing the Klingons and Humans to put aside their differences in order to glare at each other and twiddle their thumbs another day.

Though in the case of Jiseth and Gavin, it was more accurately like getting the Borg and Species 8472 on amicable terms.

"It would be one less thing for her to feel stressed about... Plus, I'm trying to not be the absolute worst role model in Callion's life... Then the hormones will hit and if she was anything like me as a teenager, I may have to go on the reserve shift. You, I'm sure, have a much clearer memory of puberty since it happened for you like, what... Maybe a year ago?"

Her tongue playfully poked out briefly as she wiped the sweat off her forehead with a small napkin. It was incredibly warm in the room still to her. Like being on the cusp of the volcano's mouth rather than dunked in it.

"And by the way... I turn 28 in about 6 weeks. Halfway to being a cougar..."

"More like a warrigul," Gavin replied, shaking his head as he swirled the springwine around, finishing the flute of it in one long, gulping pull.  He was starting to feel the sweet, delicate Bajoran drink in his cheeks and stomach.  It felt pretty damn good.  Unfortunately, he had to face reality, too.  "We both just want the best for them," he shrugged, rolling the glass around in his hands and staring at it.

Sighing deeply, Gavin looked up at Jiseth.  "For her sake.  Both of their sakes.  We...we can try this.  I don't think experimentation is a foreign concept to either of us."  Gavin chuckled, tucking a stray lock behind his ear.  "I still get a pimple every once in a while."

[Jiseth]

For perhaps the first time since coming on the Discovery, outside of the company of Zero or Callion, Jiseth found herself genuinely smiling. Laughing even.

"They've going to think we've lost our damn minds."

From a slightly concerned bartender curious if the woman was really such a lightweight, she ordered a simple Shirley Temple. It was one of the few nonalcoholic Earth drinks she liked even though it was abhorrently sweet. He was even kind enough to put out several extra cherries in it. She never really could the stems to tie up using just her tongue and here again she failed, pulling one from between her lips and setting it on a napkin.

"...There was this one time, she memorized several books on the subject of sex because none of her colleagues in sickbay were too helpful on what to do. Camel Sutra or something, some old Human thing, I don't remember. What I do is what she was wearing then and how hilariously awkward her attempts were at well... everything. Her idea of talking dirty was to um..."

She leaned over to Gavin's ear and whispered.

"...Are you ready to engage in sexual fantisization, followed by erotic epidermal contact, followed by intense rhythmic muscular contractions in your pelvic region?"

[Gavin Van Gelder]

For perhaps the first time since coming on the Discovery, outside of the company of Zero or Callion, Jiseth found herself genuinely smiling. Laughing even.

"They've going to think we've lost our damn minds."

From a slightly concerned bartender curious if the woman was really such a lightweight, she ordered a simple Shirley Temple. It was one of the few nonalcoholic Earth drinks she liked even though it was abhorrently sweet. He was even kind enough to put out several extra cherries in it. She never really could the stems to tie up using just her tongue and here again she failed, pulling one from between her lips and setting it on a napkin.

"...There was this one time, she memorized several books on the subject of sex because none of her colleagues in sickbay were too helpful on what to do. Camel Sutra or something, some old Human thing, I don't remember. What I do is what she was wearing then and how hilariously awkward her attempts were at well... everything. Her idea of talking dirty was to um..."

She leaned over to Gavin's ear and whispered.

"...Are you ready to engage in sexual fantisization, followed by erotic epidermal contact, followed by intense rhythmic muscular contractions in your pelvic region?"

Unfortunately, Gavin had refilled his glass and had taken another drink of springwine as Jiseth leaned in and whispered in his ear.  He didn't exactly spit his drink, but it did snort up the wrong hole, the alcohol burning his sinuses with an intensity that the usually-gentle Bajoran wine didn't normally have.  "Oh my dear God in heaven," he said, voice strained as he coughed and cleared his throat, cheeks flushed with embarrassment...both at what Zero said, and at laughing at it.  "I...uh.  Huh.  It's Kama Sutra, by the by.  Mostly overrated.  Eye contact and enthusiasm is better about 80% of the time, and...uh."

Gavin coughed again, wiping a tear from the corner of his eye and avoiding visual contact with the rest of the lounge.  "She always...almost gets it.  But she's getting better.  We can help her."  His cheeks flushed again, half with embarrassment, half with being buzzed.  "Well.  You can help her with certain things."  Gavin flashed a boyish, tentative grin at Jiseth.  "I'm not willing to push this newfound...friendship...into jumping in bed with you..."

[Jiseth]

"Well that's a pity. I was hoping for a good laugh."

She chuckled a bit as she sipped on her bubbly, red drink. Far too vibrant to be the color of blood, but it was as well have been given her reputation. And perhaps on the eve of the Apocalypse since she was sharing said drink with her sworn mortal enemy.

"And eh, we probably won't do anything like that for many months if not longer. Medical's done a number on her while I was gone. Guess I'm stuck with battery-powered nether region naughtiness for a whiiiiiile okay I think I'm... Yeah, I think I'm drunk. Can you feel your face? I promise I won't smack it."

[Gavin Van Gelder]

"Well that's a pity. I was hoping for a good laugh."

She chuckled a bit as she sipped on her bubbly, red drink. Far too vibrant to be the color of blood, but it was as well have been given her reputation. And perhaps on the eve of the Apocalypse since she was sharing said drink with her sworn mortal enemy.

"And eh, we probably won't do anything like that for many months if not longer. Medical's done a number on her while I was gone. Guess I'm stuck with battery-powered nether region naughtiness for a whiiiiiile okay I think I'm... Yeah, I think I'm drunk. Can you feel your face? I promise I won't smack it."

"Thel doesn't complain," Gavin retorted, closing his eyes and sticking his tongue out, his expressions and emotions exaggerated by the flush of drink.  "He calls me his little creative genius."  His cheeks suddenly flared crimson.  How loudly had he said that?  Gavin glanced around furtively, sliding the glass aside.  He'd had enough.  "I did my best to protect her, running intervention when I could.  I was gone for a while, too.  Got my teaching certification updated."  Gavin suddenly felt a little ashamed of leaving Zero for that amount of time, but...he couldn't be expected to live his entire life for her, could he?  Was that not her partner's role?  Her partner, who had been willfully MIA for...

No.  He had to stop thinking like that.  This little sniping game between him and Jiseth had to stop...or, at the least, be put on hold for the duration.  They had to give this a real try.  If not for Zero's sake, then...for Callion's.

"You could come by, you know," he said, his rational mind screaming 'NOOOOO' at what he was about to ask.  Old habits died hard.  "Or we could.  Maybe, y'know, do dinner?  Thel and I took a lot of holovids of Cally when she was a little baby.  We love that little girl too, y'know."  That much was true.  "If you'd like to see them."

[Jiseth]

Jiseth's lips puckered slightly. If there was one persistent annoyance, it was the absence. No matter how many times she went through the motions of rationalizing how far beyond her control the circumstances were, it never seemed to quite counter the weight of her sins. Not to Gavin and least of all to herself.

Slowly she started to nod her head in agreement.

"I would like that. Very much so, actually. It's kinda funny... Zero used to hate all the pictures I took. Not the prints themselves, but the act of taking my random candid shots when we were together. I guess I never really stopped to think why I was doing it or at least make the link between trying to preserve that moment and the very real likelihood of ending up in a crash I wouldn't walk away from. I seemed so familiar to Callion when we first saw each other in person... Like a missing puzzle piece finally put in place."

Raising her cold glass to her cheek opposite Gavin, her lips knotted again. If they were going to have a meal, it would be a shame if this tentative progress being made were suddenly set ablaze by differing culinary tastes. Jiseth was relieved however, to find she had no desire to poison the man's food which for a Romulan was incredibly generous.

"So... Italian suit your fancy? Plenty of wine with those dishes."

Outstanding. Well done on the backhanded observation of his drinking habits when you're supposed to be nice to him, you idiot.

[Gavin Van Gelder]

Jiseth's lips puckered slightly. If there was one persistent annoyance, it was the absence. No matter how many times she went through the motions of rationalizing how far beyond her control the circumstances were, it never seemed to quite counter the weight of her sins. Not to Gavin and least of all to herself.

Slowly she started to nod her head in agreement.

"I would like that. Very much so, actually. It's kinda funny... Zero used to hate all the pictures I took. Not the prints themselves, but the act of taking my random candid shots when we were together. I guess I never really stopped to think why I was doing it or at least make the link between trying to preserve that moment and the very real likelihood of ending up in a crash I wouldn't walk away from. I seemed so familiar to Callion when we first saw each other in person... Like a missing puzzle piece finally put in place."

Raising her cold glass to her cheek opposite Gavin, her lips knotted again. If they were going to have a meal, it would be a shame if this tentative progress being made were suddenly set ablaze by differing culinary tastes. Jiseth was relieved however, to find she had no desire to poison the man's food which for a Romulan was incredibly generous.

"So... Italian suit your fancy? Plenty of wine with those dishes."

Outstanding. Well done on the backhanded observation of his drinking habits when you're supposed to be nice to him, you idiot.

Gavin smiled to himself, looking down at the tabletop.  "Mom used to take holos all the time.  Me, my sisters, every time we'd go to the beach or to the mountains or when I would present topics to the Prometheus Society's Junior League, and..."  Blinking, Gavin realized he was rambling.  "Anyway.  Yeah.  We have a lot of them.  I think Thelos is softening me up for adoption at some point."

He stood, feeling his vision swirl a little bit, but the real after-effects of wine wouldn't set in until tomorrow.  Thankfully, he was on a bit of a leave break.  "Italian.  Sounds...good? to me.  We can."  It took every ounce of his self-control not to mention that Italian would be a mess if they started throwing it at each other and could they just do, like, BLTs or something?  But...no.

[Jiseth]

"Nothing wrong with adoption. Especially when the child would have such wonderful fathers as you and Thelos."

The Romulan could in fact give a sincere, heartfelt compliment from time to time. There was sarcasm or facetiousness to it. Part of having a rival came a grudging respect even amid blinding hatred. Though as time went on, perhaps induced by alcohol, she seemed to be at a loss for why they were at each other's throats in the first place.

Oh right, because you're a psychotic adrenaline junky and everyone thinks you abandoned Zero.

Calmly and quietly she took a long sip from her glass of water that had been thoughtfully refilled.

"...I'm a decent cook, although I'm sure the replicators would do just fine. When I was in secondary school, I'd take my bicycle to the bay and fish. Sometimes catch something, sometimes go after crab instead. Something always calming about the beach, though... I think watching thunderstorms is my favorite. Just taking in the sheer power of it all. No one at the helm. You ever feel something like that?"

[Gavin Van Gelder]

"Nothing wrong with adoption. Especially when the child would have such wonderful fathers as you and Thelos."

The Romulan could in fact give a sincere, heartfelt compliment from time to time. There was sarcasm or facetiousness to it. Part of having a rival came a grudging respect even amid blinding hatred. Though as time went on, perhaps induced by alcohol, she seemed to be at a loss for why they were at each other's throats in the first place.

Oh right, because you're a psychotic adrenaline junky and everyone thinks you abandoned Zero.

Calmly and quietly she took a long sip from her glass of water that had been thoughtfully refilled.

"...I'm a decent cook, although I'm sure the replicators would do just fine. When I was in secondary school, I'd take my bicycle to the bay and fish. Sometimes catch something, sometimes go after crab instead. Something always calming about the beach, though... I think watching thunderstorms is my favorite. Just taking in the sheer power of it all. No one at the helm. You ever feel something like that?"

"Aurora borealis," Gavin answered, without a moment's hesitation.  He leaned on the back of his chair, though he didn't really need to.  "I'm from Ontario, you can see it so well up there."  His smile was a genuine one that touched his sea-green eyes.  "It's...one of my earliest, best memories, the first time I saw it."  The young science officer shrugged, a rolling of one shoulder.  "It was the first thing I can remember that made me wonder about the wider world around me.  Made me feel that there was something bigger than me."

Gavin suddenly realized that his guard was about as down as it could possibly be.  With that realization, it came back up.  He and Jiseth may be trying this whole...'friendship?' thing, but it still felt so strange to expose himself to her.  Like baring his chest to an assassin's blade and hoping for the best.  "So.  Uh.  Yeah...I guess we'll call."

[Jiseth]

Jiseth's eyes went down and up, giving Gavin a brief inspection. It was fine he did not trust her just yet. She would have been worried if they suddenly started holding hands while tiptoeing through the tulips after bitter stalemates and trench warfare between them. To peal back the veil and see someone that she not only could tolerate, but actually like, it left an unpleasant taste in her mouth having spent so much time as enemies. Wasted time.

"I look forward to it and Callion will love to see her uncles again."

From her pocket she tossed several slips of latinum onto the bar with a flick of her wrist and slid off her stool. After turning away, she held onto the counter for a moment making sure she was okay to walk before heading towards the door.

"Good night, Gavin."

[End]