[ussbansheec] Raspberry Kisses
- From: Andy Maluhia <CaptainAndy@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: ussbansheec@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Thu, 27 Jul 2006 10:01:59 -0400
_Raspberry Kisses
_by Scott Ecitsuj & Kinipela Maluhia
***takes place a day after 'Starfish & Lullabies
Croisants, butteries, fresh strawberries from the botanical bays, a
flask of fresh coffee with cream and sugar in little pots, raspberry
jam, butter and orange juice; all of it wrapped carefully in a cloth and
stored in a wicker basket. Scott lifted his rather heavy burden up but
grinned as he set out for Kini's cabin. It was several decks down, and
halfway across the ship but it barely took him ten minutes with all the
little short cuts he knew. Standing before her door, he straightened
himself up and rang her chime.
Kini wished she had fresh flowers but there was no way she was going to
venture out to see if the ship had an arboretum. She typically wore one
in her hair and the cabin seemed so plain without it. Still, she
thought, even if he just comes by to say hello, that smile would
brighten it all right up. Her step was light as she went to the door.
"Hi and Aloha kakahiaka! It means good morning," she said brightly.
"Good morning, lovely lady," Scott laughed, offering her a one armed
hug. "I come bearing gifts." Lifting his basket, he waved it slightly.
"Oh how nice," Kini said with a smile that reached her eyes. "Are
staying here or is there some place that you have in mind?"
"I could take you down to the arboretum, if you'd like," he offered.
"It's very pretty. Maybe I can swipe some flowers for you while we're
there. I, er, forgot them this morning."
"You must have been reading my mind. I love flowers and these rooms
seem so plain without them," she replied. She hooked her hand over his
arm. "I think that'd be a perfect place."
Bright and colourful with air that almost felt fresh on the face, Scott
drew Kini against his side as they wandered into the wide, high
arboretum. "I used to think it was very odd that a heavily military
ship should have such a large one," he commented. "But I'm also really
very glad. It's refreshing here."
"It's to remind you of fresh air and real things. The air on this ship
is perfectly clean but it's perfectly clinical," Kini told him. "No
smell of the beach or flowers floating on a breeze. No smell of fresh
rain in the trees or wood smoke. Whoever thought this up was a very
wise person." She offered him an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry but I
keep asking my uncle about that and that's the same answer he gives me."
"Stop apologising," Scott laughed brightly as they found an area where
he could set out the blanket and breakfast things. "He sounds like a
wise man himself. Poetic, like his neice."
"Let me help with this. I can't just sit still," Kini began as she
knelt to help him. "And ka makua kane really is very wise. Whenever
he's home, he's the one they want to sing our traditional songs or to
take the kids out in the rain forests."
"Maybe you could introduce me to him once he's been found," Scott asked,
placing a hand on top of hers. "Stop, I'm fine. Sit, let me serve
you." Once he'd arranged everything and told her what was there, he
buttered her a croisant then dolloped on the jam and set strawberries
around it. He set the plate in front of her and smiled as he poured her
a coffee.
"Now you're spoiling me," she said with another bright smile. "That
looks so pretty that way and I love strawberries. They're so cheerful
looking." Kini looked at him curiously, at the dark eyes that she
thought were so pretty. "I keep talking about my uncle but you haven't
told me about your sister. I talk so much because I miss him."
"I miss her too," Scott said carefully. He inhaled the steam from his
coffee and stared off into the distance. "She's the sweetest of the
five children. The loveliest and most life-filled. Without her... I
think we may all die inside. That's why I don't talk about her. If I
don't tell people about it, I can pretend she's going to come back." He
shrugged, his eyes still avoiding hers as he stared down into the black
depths of his drink. "Sorry. We'll find them, I'm sure we will."
Kini had been sipping her coffee but she set it down very carefully then
scooted over closer to him. "I keep saying things that upset you,
Scott. I don't mean to," she said, one soft hand on his arm.
Slipping his arm around her waist, he shook his head and smiled for
her. "You didn't upset me. I'm just not very good at dealing with
loss. My father would say it makes me cold, I forget how to be warm."
"It makes sense to think about it that way. I like that. Your father's
people sound wonderful. He has a wonderful son after all," she said with
a teasing grin.
"Yeah, Kai's the best," Scott teased back. "Of course, the other reason
I don't talk about the whole thing so much is that you distract me.
You're too lovely," he said shyly.
"And you're sweet," Kini told him. "I told you you're the first person
to really make me laugh since this started. It's no joke. You father's
right. It was making me cold."
Drawing her closer, Scott cuddled the pretty woman to his side. "Let me
warm you a little then," he murmured as he leaned down to kiss her softly.
There were the butterflies again but they stirred up a glowing warmth,
too. When she could finally bring herself to lift her mouth from his,
she touched her nose to his. "A Hawaiian kiss," she said softly as she
let her fingers touch his hair. "Though the other kind is just so much
warmer."
"Anything to warm you," he said, kissing her quickly once more. "I
think I could be happy keeping you warm."
"I think I might like that," Kini said happily. This sitting together
so cozily was nice, unexpected in such an strange setting as a
starship. "In fact, I'm sure of it. And you were wrong. If Kai's your
brother then you're the best."
Scott's smile was wide and totally happy. "You haven't met him yet,
he's pretty cool. Ex-Borg, like my mother and sister Izzy."
"How many of you are there? I'm the oldest of five," Kini began. "Me,
Ben, Kakali, Mele, and Kolokea."
"Snap," Scott laughed brightly. "Or more, I'm second youngest of five.
Kai, Isobel, Slaine, me and Coaimhe."
"Hee hee. You two are outnumbered just like Ben and Kali are," Kini
chuckled. "Dad said he always wanted a big family and he still teases
my uncle about that."
"A big family would be nice, they are almost as warming as the company
of a lovely lady," he chuckled. "And I need to stop flirting now, I
must be embarrassing you."
"Only a little but it's a good kind, to borrow a quote. I think you
have a bit of a family going here on the ship, at least your lieutenant
watches out for you," Kini mused. "You said it before but now I'm
starting to see it. I'm glad. I'd hate to think of you all cold and
alone."
"I'm not anymore," he sighed. "You're warming me up too well. I may
never be cold again."
"What about the lady with the pretty name?" she asked quietly.
Scott froze, his face dropping. "I forgot about her," he gasped. "I
forgot about T'Cerys. That's... wrong. I've loved her a long time.
I'm not meant to just forget about her. Am I?"
Kini put her hands over his and looked up again. "That's why I asked,
though. I would hate for you to feel bad about even just having
breakfast with me later on if you didn't want to forget. A very long
time though? Really?"
"Since I was about sixteen maybe." Tilting his head to the side, he
tried to work out exactly when. "Possibly. I told her just before
Banshee left. I couldn't bring myself to admit it before then. I'm not
exactly a good catch, and I was a coward who didn't want to be hurt."
"That's a very long time to keep quiet about something," Kini mused.
Such a deep and warm soul, she thought, and so handsome and charming.
"You're a very faithful man, then." She absently took a bite of a
strawberry then added, "Why are you a bad catch?"
"Career military and a lot of people see the Ecitsujs as freaks," he
told her a little sadly. "There isn't one of us without some form of
Borg technology within us, my mother, brother and sister are all
liberated drones and Coaimhe and I are both half Ninitchik. So even if
a woman didn't see me as one, she'd see how I am perceived and decide to
not be tarred with the same brush."
Kini shook her head. "It's all in the eye of the beholder. First of
all, you know I think you're rather handsome and you know I think you're
very sweet but let's talk about that word 'freak'," she began, a gentle
smile on her face. "What would you say about someone who's a fusion of
Andorian, Romulan, Orion, and Human?"
"They must be an incredible shade of turquoise," he grinned, already
trying to visualise it in his head. "And extremely pretty. Do they
have the Andorian white hair and antennae?"
"Actually, she's got a complexion only marginally lighter than her
charan, her Andorian father, but you're right about the hair and
antennae. She's got the Vulcanoid ears, too, and that father's eyes, a
lovely vivid blue," Kini replied. "Now, that might sound freaky,
perverse, and weird to a lot of people but Netha is sort of my cousin.
That part's hard to explain but you're no more a freak than she is or my
other two cousins from Auntie T, either."
"I know I'm not but that doesn't stop many people from seeing it that
way," he sighed, stroking her soft hair absently. "For such an
enlightened society, there are still archaic tendencies in everyone.
Racism, xenophobia is more common than most people think."
Kini settled her head on his shoulder as they sat there. "I know, it's
sad but it's true. Netha's own grandmother wouldn't have anything to do
with her. But not everybody thinks you're so strange, now do they? You
are who you are and you're no stranger than a woman who talks too much
and finds you a catch."
"Who's that then?" he asked, teasing just a little.
She tapped the end of his nose lightly. "Hmmm...the same one who loves
flowers and who thinks you look really silly with raspberry jam on the
tip of your nose?" Kini asked mischievously.
Wrinkling his nose at her, he almost giggled. "I don't have raspberry
jam at the end of my nose. My nose is raspberry jam free. Yours
however..."
She made a swipe at the end of her nose. "You know what? You're
silly. I love it," she said with her own giggle. "If there were more
people like you in Starfleet, the whole organization would be better."
"If there were more like me in Starfleet, we'd all be fly-boys," he
laughed, ducking down to kiss her lightly. Only what started out as
just a peck became stronger and deeper and suddenly he didn't want to stop.
Kini's arms went around him, at first by reflex and then because it just
felt right. If somebody couldn't see him as a catch then they were
crazy. It wasn't the tropical setting she might have supposed she'd
kiss a Prince Charming in but it was fine by her. Her Prince Charming
fit the setting peerfectly.
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