Rising

[Ilana Telak]

[Corridors]

It only took Raynor a few steps for his excellent hearing to pick up on the fact that Ilana wasn't following him.  And so?  Why the hell should I bother?  The woman made it clear that she'd rather be anywhere else than where we were.  Let her, then.  It made sense.  More sense than him actually being upset at her attitude.  Had he not basically barged into her place of work, her sanctuary, and forcibly taken her?  Why should he expect anything else?

Why, indeed...however.  She was obviously upset about something.  What kind of friend would he be if he didn't at least make all available efforts?  What kind of warrior would he be?

Sighing softly, Raynor put on a devil-may-care face, turning around to face Ilana again.  "Doctor," he said, raising an eyebrow.  "Is something...amiss?"

Ilana looked up from the deck where her gaze had been fixed as Raynor spoke to her again.  Why are you talking to me? she thought to herself.  It's obvious that I'm not adventurous enough to meet your requirements of a friend.  She quickly looked down at the deck plates again, unsure of what to say.

"I... I... I d-d-do n-n-not kn-know wh-wh-what t-to d-d-do..." she murmured.  "I w-w-will n-not b-b-be allowed b-back into s-sickbay until t-t-tomorrow."

[Raynor Hughes]

Ilana looked up from the deck where her gaze had been fixed as Raynor spoke to her again.  Why are you talking to me? she thought to herself.  It's obvious that I'm not adventurous enough to meet your requirements of a friend.  She quickly looked down at the deck plates again, unsure of what to say.

"I... I... I d-d-do n-n-not kn-know wh-wh-what t-to d-d-do..." she murmured.  "I w-w-will n-not b-b-be allowed b-back into s-sickbay until t-t-tomorrow."

Raynor frowned softly, until he remembered that even his lightest frowns tended to make people think that something was wrong, so he schooled his face into something a bit more neutral.  He nodded.  "I see.  Well...the night is still fairly young, doctor.  Would you like to...I don't know...go for a walk?"  He was finding the situation to be growing slightly awkward, and was disconcerted at actually feeling awkward.

[Ilana Telak]

Raynor frowned softly, until he remembered that even his lightest frowns tended to make people think that something was wrong, so he schooled his face into something a bit more neutral.  He nodded.  "I see.  Well...the night is still fairly young, doctor.  Would you like to...I don't know...go for a walk?"  He was finding the situation to be growing slightly awkward, and was disconcerted at actually feeling awkward.

It was easy to pick up on the nervousness between them, neither Cardassian nor Klingon entirely sure how to address the situation.  Ilana shied back slightly, hunching her narrow shoulders.  She wasn't sure she trusted Raynor any more, not after the night's events.

"I... I d-do n-n-not kn-know."

[Raynor Hughes]

It was easy to pick up on the nervousness between them, neither Cardassian nor Klingon entirely sure how to address the situation.  Ilana shied back slightly, hunching her narrow shoulders.  She wasn't sure she trusted Raynor any more, not after the night's events.

"I... I d-do n-n-not kn-know."

Raynor suppressed a sigh.  It was difficult.  He wanted to just grab the woman and shake her.  This indecisiveness was maddening.  It was enough to drive a man to drink.

"Well, if you don't know, then...who does, doctor?  Look...would you just prefer if I left you alone?  That can be arranged," he said, not bothering to hold the sigh back this time.   

[Ilana Telak]

Raynor suppressed a sigh.  It was difficult.  He wanted to just grab the woman and shake her.  This indecisiveness was maddening.  It was enough to drive a man to drink.

"Well, if you don't know, then...who does, doctor?  Look...would you just prefer if I left you alone?  That can be arranged," he said, not bothering to hold the sigh back this time.

Ilana threw up her hands in irritation, both with Raynor and with herself.  This was starting to get maddening.  She had no idea what she wanted to do with this unexpected off time.

"Y-y-you w-were th-the one wh-wh-who d-d-dragged m-me out of m-m-my office!  I w-w-would n-n-normally b-be s-s-still w-working!"  Ilana was a creature of habit.  She got out of bed in the morning, worked right through until she couldn't any more, eating while she did so, then collapsed into bed at the end of the day in order to repeat at the beginning of Alpha shift.  Now that Raynor had disrupted that routine, she was completely lost.

[Raynor Hughes]

Ilana threw up her hands in irritation, both with Raynor and with herself.  This was starting to get maddening.  She had no idea what she wanted to do with this unexpected off time.

"Y-y-you w-were th-the one wh-wh-who d-d-dragged m-me out of m-m-my office!  I w-w-would n-n-normally b-be s-s-still w-working!"  Ilana was a creature of habit.  She got out of bed in the morning, worked right through until she couldn't any more, eating while she did so, then collapsed into bed at the end of the day in order to repeat at the beginning of Alpha shift.  Now that Raynor had disrupted that routine, she was completely lost.

His face becoming a rather dark thunderhead, Raynor snarled, running his hand through his hair.  Well, really, it was over his hair, since it was kept tied back in a tail.  "Yes, I dragged you out of your office, Doctor," Raynor said, his voice starting to rise.  If someone were to pull him aside, right here and now, and ask him exactly why he was so upset, he wouldn't honestly have a clue.  He just...was.  To a Klingon, that was sometimes enough.  "I dragged you out because I see you, day in and day out, stooped over this and that, when you're entitled to do something else, anything else, every once in a while!  You're entitled to be alive every once in a while!"

Raynor clenched his large fist, intent on driving it through the bulkhead.  He was thirty years old, far from a sullen child.  He had the discipline required of his education, and had made it through Starfleet Academy, where more than one had been determined to try and push him over his limit just to see how he would react, the First Officer of this ship no different than them.  The point was...he should be beyond this.

And yet, here he was, arguing in the hallway with someone he was trying to make friends with.  And, from the looks of it, failing miserably.

"You know what, Ilana?  baQa!  You do what you want.  If you find this all so damn unbearable...then far be it for me to inflict any more discomfort!"  He worked his fists, still unsure what to do with his hands.  "That's what we swore to do, wasn't it, Ilana?  No harm?  jISovbe'!  I am going to the mess for a drink.  Stay, go, do what you will...but do it because you want to!  Good night!"

With that, he turned, storming off toward the turbolift, noticing a gawking crewman that had happened to be passing by, noticing the commotion.  Raynor shot the man with a murderous glare of primal barbarity, snarling, "PISS OFF!" so loud that the poor man practically tripped over himself, not even taking the time to see that the Klingon held no real rank.

[Ilana Telak]

Ilana watched as Raynor stormed off down the corridor, at a loss for how to take his reaction.  She knew about Klingon behavioral patterns, having taken an interest in all of the species on board ship and made an effort to learn all about the varied behaviours that could be expected of them.  It helped when it came to judging what was normal and what wasn't for them.

Taking a deep breath, she set off in the direction of her quarters.  She didn't have anywhere else to go on the ship after all.  She didn't dare follow Raynor.  He had obviously had enough of her.

Her quarters were depressingly sparse.  In fact, there were only five pieces of furniture: the bed, a workstation with a chair, and what looked like a flattish rock, large enough for a humanoid to stretch out on and over which stood an infrared lamp.  Trying to blink back tears, she shrugged off her uniform jacket and curled up on the rock.

[Raynor Hughes]

[Lounge]

She's not coming, Raynor thought to himself, for about the tenth time.  He threw back another drink, giving a wince.  It was useless.  The synthehol may as well have been targ piss, for all the good it was doing.  He supposed he should probably be drinking something soothing, like hot green tea...or something.  But no.  Raynor wanted nothing more than to toss down a carafe of firewine.  He wished he'd managed to smuggle some on board with him.  Not much of a chance of getting any in the damned Gamma Quadrant, though.

Raynor stood, drawing a few eyes as he did.  He'd been sitting off in the corner by himself for about the past hour, his glower strong enough to kill flowers, obviously a man who wished to be left as alone as he felt.  It still bothered him that he felt this way.  What had he done wrong?  He saw something that needed to be done - namely, getting the doctor out and having a good time - and she'd been nothing but recalcitrant, every step of the way.

She didn't show up, he thought, storming out of the mess hall.

[Gymnasium]

But you never bothered to ask what *she* wanted to do, did you?  You just barged in like a yammering kolar, he thought, slamming his fist into the punching bag, sending the tall, heavy bag moving in response to the kinetic explosion.  What good would asking here have done?  Nothing!  The bag came moving back toward him, and Raynor ducked out of the way, landing another hard punch, emitting a small grunt.  He was bare to the waist, with small rivulets of sweat running down his chest and back.  No good at all.  She would have ducked the question, sitting there, staring at you like you grew a second skull.  His wrapped knuckles made contact again.  The jolt he felt through his hands and to his arms was a pure pleasure.  It is *NOT* my fault!

Then why do you scream at yourself like a petulant child?

The thought caught him by surprise, a half a second before the returning hitting bag did, knocking him flat on his ass.  He was glad that it was late, and nobody else was using the gym facility.  Long he sat, there on the deck plating, staring up at the bag.  His rage drained like an unstopped hydrotub.  In its place was exhaustion to the bone.

Standing, Raynor reached over for his uniform top.  Stretching the top over his broad frame, he let his hand rest over the top of the combadge.  He should hit it, call for the doctor.  Offer his apologies.  Explain himself.

His hand did not move.  Silently, he left the gym, and headed to his quarters.

[FIN]