[ussbansheec] "Art Show"

"Art Show"
Moria McEntire

It had been such a long time since she'd gone out that Moria blinked at her own 
reflection. Her hair was long and flowed in waves down her back, it's color 
sharpened by the black of her dress and the cream white of her skin. When had 
the last time she'd dressed this way been? When was the last time she slipped 
into a pair of heels and did her make-up and hair? It must have been quite a 
while since she didn't think her hair had been so long. 

"You look beautiful, Mo." Emma said softly from the doorway, amused by the 
stunned look in her friend's grey eyes. 

Moria smiled as she turned to look at Emma. "Hardly something I can take credit 
for. My mother is stunning, I was blessed with her and Daddy's genetics and 
he's so very handsome."

Emma laughed as they moved into the shared common room of their two bedroom 
hotel room. "Did I ever tell you I had a mad crush on your father?"

"No!" Moria giggled. "Really?" 

"How could a teenage girl not crush on a man like that?" There was a twinkle in 
Emma's eyes and a blush across her nose. "A big blonde, broad shouldered, tall 
man with these huge dopey yet incredibly deep eyes."

Moria blinked. She knew her father was handsome, but that was the depth of her 
analyses, he was just daddy. "If you say so." 

Emma laughed as she sat on the edge of the couch to put on her shoes. "Oh hey, 
Mom wants to know if you'd like to have dinner with us after the show. She 
really likes you." 

"I like her too." Emma's mother was a striking woman who'd once been an 
actress. She'd given it up to raise her daughter, which had given her the time 
and funds to take in Emma. It was clear to Moria that Emma and her new mother 
loved each other very much, and the first time she'd seen them together 
everything she'd done and felt had been worth it. "I'd love to have dinner with 
her again."

"Great!" Emma beamed as she hopped to her feet and grabbed Moria's arm, pulling 
her towards the door. "But if you keep hanging off her every word when she 
tells her stories, Sarah and I will never be able to live with her again." 

Moria laughed as she was pulled to the lift of the hotel. "But they're great 
stories!" 

The university in Betazed's largest city was holding an art exhibition for some 
of their promising new students. As Moria made her way though the exhibits her 
mind drifted. In another lifetime. She thought as she walked up to a painting 
that instantly caught her eye. The brush strokes were wild, the colors raw, and 
the imagery haunting. As she looked more closely at the piece she blinked. 
Though it was clearly a brush painted piece done with oils, the background 
seemed almost spray painted on. When she stepped back, looking at the piece as 
a whole, she nearly gasped. "It's New Zealand." 

"It's real world." Came a male voice for behind her. 

Moria spun around, blinked, and then smiled brightly. "Jamul!"

The tall dark skinned youth smirked and made no attempt at hiding the fact that 
his eyes were taking in every bit and curve of Moria there was too see. 

A deep pink blush colored Moria's cream white skin. "What?" 

"Little black dresses look a lit better on you then frumpy black and blue 
uniforms." Jamul replied as he came closer. 

Moria blinked again. "I look frumpy in my uniform?" 

His smirk, though it never quiet made it to a smile, was bright. "The uniform 
is frumpy. The dress shows off what the uniform hides." 

"Something tells me my COs would have an issue with me wearing little black 
dresses to work." Moria laughed softly. When Jamul was standing in front of her 
she looked up at him. "What are you doing here?" Looking over her shoulder at 
the painting she added, "That's yours?" 

Jamul nodded as he looked at the painting. "Decided that New Zealand lost it's 
appeal. Filled out the paper work to finish off my time learning something." 

She couldn't help but beam brightly. Moria had been the one who brought up the 
program that would allow him to attend school rather then rotting away in 
prison. His crimes hadn't been as severe as some of the others so she knew he'd 
be accepted, it was just a matter of getting him to apply. "So your here on 
Betazed?" 

"It's an ok place." He shrugged as he nodded. "Almost like New Zealand, no 
sheep though." 

Moria laughed and rolled her eyes. "There had to be something to keep the men 
who couldn't draw like you busy." Turning back to the painting Moria ran her 
eyes over it once again. "It's really good, Jamul." 

"Thanks." The youth said as he stood beside the shorter woman. 

"Do you have any others showing?" Moria asked, turning and look up so she could 
see his eyes. 

Jamul nodded and then headed off. Moria followed, walking a little faster then 
she'd have liked in heels just to keep up with his natural stride. Jamul 
laughed and closed his gait so she could walk with him rather then sprint 
beside him. They spent the whole show looking at not only Jamul's pieces but 
all of the others as well. Moria was impressed with Jamul's way of seeing and 
thinking, critiquing and analyzing. He could match her point for point, ideal 
for ideal, concept for concept even though he'd never set foot in a museum or 
art show until he'd come to Betazed, and she'd spent her life in and out of 
such places. 

"You really got lost in a museum on purpose?" Jamul asked as they sat on the 
steps of the university's art hall.

"The Louvre isn't just a museum." Moria protested as she toyed with her empty 
wine glass. "And yes I did. I was ten and I slipped away while my mother wasn't 
looking. I spent four blissful hours in the Da Vinci section before she finally 
found me." 

Jamul blinked this time. "Why would you do something so stupid?" 

"Sometimes you've just got to be alone with your thoughts when your in a place 
like that." Moria replied as she leaned back against the stones behind her. 

"Did you mother understand that?" 

Moria smirked before shaking her head. "Not at the time, no. I scared her 
pretty bad and when that faded she was really rather angry. I got spanked when 
we got back to the hotel and she wouldn't take me to another museum for six 
months. But she did tell me that that was when she knew art would be something 
special in my life. I think she still wonders why I haven't become a 
professional artist."

"Good for her." Jamul huffed before polishing off his drink. "And why aren't 
you?"

"Hey," Moria teased, avoiding the question. "Your not suppose to take her side. 
Your suppose to say, "Oh poor Mo." 

Jamul shook his head. "You were a brat." 

Moria laughed at that. "You have no idea." 

Jamul smirked. "Oh you'd be surprised at what ideas I have about you." 

In a very Vulcan like manner that made Jamul laugh, Moria raised an eye brow as 
she stared at him. "Oh you do, do you?" 

"Yes." Jamul answered simply. 

"Well would you like to share your insights with me, Mister Salar?" Moria asked 
in her best counselor's voice.

Jamul looked at her for a long moment in such a way that his Vulcan heritage 
was all to clear. Finally he reached out and titled her head up so they were 
looking eye to eye. "Your the perpetual little girl. Yes your a woman in every 
since of the word and your as smart if not smarter then most, but your still 
just a little girl. You were the kid that was always jumping up and down waving 
your arms around screaming "look at me! look at me!" by acting out. You never 
did anything to terrible though, just enough to get any kind of reaction from 
your parents, your mother. You play at both ends of things, you over think or 
don't think at all. You feel deeply and hurt for a damn long time. You used 
getting into trouble as a way to work out emotions. I bet every time you got 
into trouble the worst, you had a lot of shit on your shoulders." 

Moria blinked. What could she say? He was right. "Smartass." 

Jamul's laugh was like thunder and lightening and it made Moria smile. 

"Do you want to know what else I think Doctor Lil' Bit?" 

"What's that, Mister Salar?" 

Titling her head up again Jamul leaned in and kissed her deeply, passionately, 
and hard. When he pulled away he looked right into her eyes. "I think it's long 
past time that you've had more then a hard kiss."

Her stomach knotted and there was a lump in her throat. "Is that so?" 

Jamul nodded as he got to his feet and held out his hand to her. 

Moria looked at his eyes and then down at his hand. Her mind was reeling but 
she still reached up and took his hand. "I need to tell Emma I won't be making 
dinner." 

"No." Jamul said with his smirk in place. "We'll have dinner. Your going to 
need the strength."

"Awfully self assured aren't you?" She teased as they headed back inside. 

His voice suddenly became a lot softer, yet still remained firm. "I knew the 
day you picked me out as the leader of the crew and stared me down, challenged 
me, respected me even though I was a con, that I'd wanted to lay your head 
gently on my pillow."

Moria swallowed, licked her lips, and blinked. "Oh."

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