[ussbansheec] Indecision
- From: Andy Maluhia <CaptainAndy@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: ussbansheec@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Sun, 25 Sep 2005 05:32:25 -0400
Dark eyes stared off into space, quite literally. Etienne had been
staring out a the forty year old then space, which he knew was not quite
the real scientific explanation, and thinking. Every few minutes, he'd
turn away, his mind made up but then he'd turn back, changing it a few
seconds later. "Merde. This is ridiculous..."
"Oh, well now, that's just rude," came a soft, gently lilting voice from
just off to his left. Vidya wandered out of the shadows, her cinnamon
hair in a long plait down her back, sage green eyes dancing in a
flesh-coloured yet clearly Cardassian face. Smiling up at the dark
haired, dark eyed man before her, she said in her odd mix of Creole and
Irish, "Not a happy bunny tonight, Etienne?"
Etienne blew out a soft breath of annoyance, at his own cowardice, and
turned around. "Bon soir, Vidya, and excuse my language please. I
disgust myself sometimes and this would be one of them."
Laughing brightly, it sounded almost like a musical bell playing, she
shook her head at him. "I've heard worse from my Ammi and Père when
they're pissed, trust me. What's got the funny little Frenchman in a
muddle anyway?" She nudged him in the ribs playfully as her eyes
danced. "Come on, my fellow Francophone, you know we have to stick
together."
Etienne snorted in amusement then leaned against the rail, his back to
the stars. "I am a complete and utter coward, mon amie. I...mon Dieu!
This is so stupid."
That made Vidya blink and gape at him. "You're many things, my friend,
but a coward? Nah, not in this lifetime."
"Then explain to me how I can know someone for thirteen years and be
afraid to talk to them? That I can talk to her about home or work or a
game of football but not...this. Coward, n'est-ce pas?"
"Coaimhe?" Vidya beamed at him, the light of love dancing in her eyes.
"Oh now you must, you'd make just the prettiest couple. As my Ammi
would say: Anam Cara."
"Yes, Coaimhe. We all know T'Cerys and David have their own
understanding and I wish them everything beautiful but I cannot think of
what to say to Coaimhe. For all I know, she will slap my face and I will
ruin thirteen years of friendship. I will not lose that," Etienne said
with a sigh. "You know, I am not always so morose. She's so lovely.
Those eyes are like pure emeralds and she makes me laugh..."
"And tell her!" Vidya laughed merrily. "You're a fool, Etienne. A
total fool. Just tell her. She's your best friend, her knowing how you
feel isn't going to change that. And it is Coaimhe we're talking about
here. Since when did she become the slapping sort?"
"Have you ever met her Maman? Seen her when she's angry?" Etienne
asked wryly. "The females in that family are fierce."
"Have you ever seen the woman hit someone?" Vidya countered.
"Coaimhe? No, she's very sweet," Etienne protested. "You know, whoever
said all Frenchman were great at romance never met me. I think I didn't
get the gene from my father. As I said: I am a coward."
"In the immortal words of my mother: bollox. And if you're not careful,
I'll drag you over there to force the issue myself," Vidya informed him
primly, or as primly as the Creole drawl allowed. "How long have you
had these feelings for her, anyway?"
"Zut! Non! That would be enough to make T'Cerys laugh," Etienne said,
finally chuckling. Very quietly, he added, "Thirteen years, since the
day she dropped into the chair next to me in the library."
"Oh Etienne," Vidya said softly as she reached out to take her friend's
hand, rubbing her thumb around his palm. "You are too much, too sweet
and lovely. Tell her, please."
Etienne let out a sigh and ran his other hand through his thick dark
hair, which finally showed the Trill markings along his face and neck.
He smiled softly then leaned to kiss Vidya's cheek. "Thank you, mon amie."
"Now if I weren't into the whole, tall, dark haired, blue eyed
engineering type," she chuckled, referring to her long standing crush on
JD that pretty much everyone knew about, "I'd definitely be jealous and
head over heals for you." Scrunching up her nose at him, she shook her
head. "But you're just too short and non-JD-ish for me."
"He's a smart one, I give that to you. Good man, too, even if he is a
bit peculiar sometimes but aren't we all?"
Choosing to ignore Etienne's teasing dig at the gorgeous engineer, she
took his arm and started walking them out of the Observation Lounge.
"How about you and I go visiting?" she said with a wink.
"To Engineering? Eh, why not? I think I've spent enough time staring
out this window. Those stars and I are on a first name basis," Etienne
replied.
"No, ya daft apeth, to Coaimhe's quarters," Vidya said, rolling her eyes
and keeping a very firm grasp on his arm as she continued to propel him
down the corridor.
"Are you insane?" Etienne gaped at her. "Coward I may be but that
doesn't mean I have no sense of style. All four of us, we usually have
dinner together each night. I think tonight, I will tell David and
T'Cerys to get lost."
"Not insane, also a romantic, but we're stopping off at the arboretum,
getting you some real flowers and you're telling her now," Vidya said
firmly, still moving them forward.
"Come on now, this is not fair!" Etienne protested. "Have you no sense
of the dramatic? Do you really think I would change my mind and go back
to staring out the window?"
"I'm Cardassian, we are drama," she stated as they turned a corner and
were confronted with the doors to the arboretum. "And as much as we
appreciate the tragic side of life, there are times when tragedy just
becomes stupidity." Stopping in the middle of the large, open space,
she gazed around her. Taking his hand, she dragged him off to one of
the small fields of flowers. "Tulips," she declared. "Red and yellow
ones." Giving him a look that clearly stated that if he ran off she'd
staple his feet to the floor, she knelt down and picked half a dozen of
each, hoping that the head gardener didn't see her. Once done, she
handed them to Etienne and marched off to a patch where several large
sunflowers stood tall and proud, wired to long stakes. Looking each
way, she cut one off and turned to take the rest of the bunch from
Etienne. She arranged them just so, handed them back and grinned.
"Perfect."
"You should take up horticulture arrangement, Vidya," Etienne said as he
looked over the flowers. "These are beautiful. She will love them.
Ah, have you some sort of suggestion other than asking her straight
out? I would ask my papa since he was rather good at these things
according to Maman. They know Coaimhe's parents from years before we
were born. He will be pleased with this I think."
"I'm an engineer not a florist," Vidya teased. "But how about asking
her for a stroll through a holodeck program of your home? Make it a
nice summer night, in a park with night flowering jasmine. Then just
ease into it. Take her hand first, draw her away from the path and
always keep eye-contact. Touch her face like this," she brushed her
hand over his cheek softly. "Tell her she's beautiful. Then say that
you love her."
"You know, she's on duty now. I can't just drag her off. Lieutenant Li
is a good man but I doubt he would appreciate this," Etienne said, still
trying to stall despite picturing Coaimhe's face when she saw the flowers.
Sticking her tongue out at him, she hit her comm-badge. "Le Beau to
Ecitsuj, you got a minute for some lunch, honey?"
Coaimhe looked up from her work screen, massaging a neck sore from
looking down too long. "That would be entirely too welcome. How sweet
of you to ask," Coaimhe said brightly. "I have break about now any
way. Where shall we meet?"
"Holodeck two," Vidya said with a wink at Etienne. "I have a surprise
for you so you'd better hurry up."
"Oh really? Surprises are always good," Coaimhe said. "I'll be there
in three minutes."
"Tu es mauvaise, Vidya, tres mauvaise," Etienne said with a crooked smile.
"But you love me really." Kissing him firmly on his cheek, she gave him
a shove toward the door. "Go and be her surprise, sweetheart. And if
you chicken out, I'll set my Père on you."
"Le fils du diable lui-même? No, thank you. I'm going, I'm going,"
Etienne said, shaking his head, still smiling. "Thank you, Vidya. I
promise to tell you if I chicken out."
A very loud, wet raspberry followed him out the door. Once he was gone,
Vidya started giggling. "Son of the Devil, indeed. Go, you silly
little French-Trill. Go make your Scot happy."
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