Art Connection Part II
Posted on Thu May 18th, 2023 @ 5:19pm by Lieutenant Vura & Captain Edmund Merrick
Edited on on Thu May 18th, 2023 @ 11:16pm
0 words; about a 1 minute read
Mission:
Episode 14 - The Poseidon Adventure
Location: Poseidon Station Various
Timeline: MD006 1400 hrs
"Well you would be someone who would make another person want to be around you." Polgara replied, with a slight smile. "It takes passion to do art, and he must have a lot of passion in his body, to be acquiring as much art supplies as he has."
Edmund having gotten the purchases paid for, now with canvas bags, holding his treasure trove. He walked up to where Vura and Polgara stood.
To Polgara he spoke, "Thank you, I have truly enjoyed my visit. I plan on coming back this way again."
Polgara gave a regal nod towards him then looked to Vura, "You both are welcome to come back when you need some supplies."
Stepping out of the shop, Edmund looked at Vura, "Shall we head to the arboretum, and I can sketch you?" This trip into the art shop and being in the presence of Vura, he was feeling... He wasn't quite certain yet what it was, maybe a little bit of a euphoria?
Vura decided that she would not take Edmund's arm. He was clearly under her influence, not that she completely minded that. However, she hardly knew him and if he had any relationship, she did not want to be the cause of any heartbreak. However, she could not completely help herself as she informed him, "It is your loss that the sketching will be in public. In private, you might see something irresistible."
"I cannot argue about that." Edmund blinked for a moment or two, unconsciously pulling his art supplies close to him. "Shall we?" setting out towards the turbo lift that would take them to the lower level of the Arboretum. For some reason though he felt the urge to reach out to take Vura's hand, shifting the canvas bags to the other shoulder, to do so. The hand paused though, as once again like before, he wasn't someone to just make contact with another person without permission, but that desire was welling up inside him. He gritted his teeth and began to lower his hand.
"Of course, we shall," Vura replied pleasantly. Silently she observed the hesitation in Edmund and wondered at it. She knew that her pheromones were in play but for a man to be actively fighting the Deltan touch, was very unusual. Maybe it was time to find out a bit more about this man.
Pleasantly and curiously she said, "Edmund, dear, tell me.... When you're not going and sketching strange women in an Arboretum, what do you do for a living?"
There were some beads of perspiration upon his brow, when they stepped inside the turbo lift. "I am a Marine, Vura. I serve on the USS Pioneer, and I am a Captain as well as the Executive officer of the Marines." he paused to give the deck level he wished to go to for the upper level of the Arboretum. "Deck 67 please," he spoke to the computer and the lift journeyed upwards.
"Oh, my!" Vura exclaimed, putting her free hand to her chest. "This is rather uncomfortable." She told the turbolift, "Stop turbolift." She then faced Edmund and her look became more serious. "I just started on the Pioneer. I'm the new Chief Counselor. Lieutenant Vura at your service. I had no idea who you were and um, well, I'm afraid that I have been a bit reckless with my behavior. So, if you wish to end our evening here, I will perfectly understand."
Edmund's head felt like he'd been drinking, with the buzz he was feeling. "Nah it's okay. I still would like to draw you, unless you deem it best for me to not do so. It's just that, there is a place in the arboretum I heard tell was where a small flight of fantasy, where it looked like a dryad or a fae folk could be seated and would be quite the backdrop for what you are wearing. Sorry, that may not have made too much sense there."
Her tone became morose, "It will be alright, as long as you don't touch me or I you, again. The effect wears off in time, as long as we never are intimate. Then again, you probably forgot that and the fact that Deltans have to take an Oath of Celibacy when we decide to join Starfleet." She sighed despondently and then a second later became more animated again. "So, you consider me to be fae.... That's actually an apt description for a Deltan. As I understand Terran mythology, those who end up dealing with fae are rarely heard from again and often descend into madness, if they are.... So, if you wish to capture a bit of your mythology on paper, I will be happy to be your muse."
Without waiting for an answer, she told the turbolift, "Resume turbolift."
Vura's explanation and remarks finally hit the deepest recesses of his mind about Deltans. In all of his years of service both in Star Fleet and in the marines, Edmund hadn't had any contact with a Deltan ever. The tidbits that had been spoken about and had been read, finally drifted up to the surface of his conscious mind.
"Honestly, you are the first Deltan I've ever encountered and yes I had forgotten all about the do's and don'ts where your race is concerned. Heck, when you said Deltan it was to me, okay so you are a Deltan, another race I am not familiar with. " Edmund gave a slight shrug, " He noted the sadness in her eyes.
"So, I can't hold your hand going into the Arboretum now. Believe or not, our contact earlier was well, the first time in a long time, of having that close of contact; arm to arm, skin to skin with any woman. The only contact I've allowed myself to have was just hand holding on rare occasions. It felt lovely." he spoke as he led the way into the arboretum. "Most of the time I wear long sleeved shirts."
The counselor in Vura could not help but be curious. “Why is that, Edmund? You seem like a sweet guy. After all the contact that I’ve had with you, most people would be begging for my body. So, I have to admit that you do intrigue me.” She paused for a moment and then hastily added, “That’s a genuine compliment. Most non-Deltans are little more than toys to me.”
Merrick gave a wry smile, "I've not allowed myself to give into my baser instincts. I didn't wish to become connected with anyone on a physical level. Those who I work with I have some connection with. But nothing on a very intimate personal level." he spoke quietly, pausing for a moment to get his bearings from the map he had been given. "This way." he said before heading down a path which led to the right then angled to the left. "You see, I feel somewhat like I am sort of a Jonah where relationships are concerned." He paused to lift up a branch and some flowering vine which had the scent of honeysuckle, that draped over the path they were traveling. He waited for Vura to pass, then he let it drift down once more.
"I've spoken to Zhara about this, in our first session. This is due to my having recurring nightmares about the death of my wife." As he spoke those words, the path opened up to a small clearing, where a small fountain cascaded into a pool, which held water lilies which were in bloom. Beneath an awning made up of lattice work and miniature red roses intertwined with the lattice, creating a rather beautiful spot, beneath it was a cushioned bench. There was a blue butterfly resting upon one of the roses, its wings opening and closing slowly, it being at rest.
Edmund stood there, his mouth agape seeing the surroundings, "This is beautiful!" Then he noticed a table and perched next to it were a pair of iridescent butterfly wings. "Oh my!" he whispered.
Vura had remained silent through Edmund's soliloquy. She might have interrupted once or twice but she understood and felt his pain. She knew what it was like to lose her other half. It was probably the entire reason that she joined Starfleet. Lost in her thoughts, she wondered how she could possibly advise Edmund or assist him when she had no real answers for herself.
The Counselor had noticed that, like herself, Edmund could still find beauty, so his heart was not completely closed off. So, why could he not open it again? Vura knew she could not open hers, but that was because she chose the Oath of Celibacy.
Looking around the beautiful landscape, Vura looked for somewhere to sit. She was not going to disturb the butterflies, so she was relieved when she found an ornately carved stool by the fountain that perfectly blended into the landscape. It was made of a white polymer and was sculpted in the shapes of two hearts. There was a bare minimum of materials to support the weight of two humanoids. She grabbed the hem of her dress with the tips of the fingers from her free hand to sit down without revealing any more of her figure and then sat, placing her pad and pencils to the side. She then lifted herself up from the bench about an inch, straightened her dress with both hands and sat back down demurely.
Pressing her lips together, they formed a thin line on her face. Softly and with some trepidation in her voice, she asked, "Edmund, how did your wife die? How long ago was it?"
" She died almost around nine years ago, I was but a young man then." Edmund commented, as he set himself to where he could start to draw, Vura. " And she died saving the ship we were both serving on. She was an engineer." He went quiet as he started to sketch the preliminary of her portrait. "I've told Zhara about that happening. The ship had taken severe damage, there was a block that we couldn't reach to get inside Engineering, we could only remove enough of the debris to where she could fit through the opening to go in, to activate the fire control system. She had to shut the door to engineering before she could activate it, to put out the fires around the ship. That was the last time I saw her alive." his voice going slightly wooden as he retold the tale once more. " I was the one who lifted her up into that small area just so she could get in. There was no one else that could fit."
He then went quiet once more as the portrait of Vura progressed further.
The guilt and the pain were evident in his voice and demeanor. "You are still young," she started, but her voice faltered as she could feel her own loss welling back up inside her. "I..." she started, her voice failing again. Vura had no idea what she wanted to say or how she was going to say it. She wanted to help. She needed to help. It was her job. Say something inspiring, she encouraged herself.
Nobody could know what it was like to lose a loved one well before it was time. Sure, it was nice to categorize the stages of grieving, but the pain, it always remained. No psychology book could ever fully understand that or explain it, but those who lost loved ones tragically knew. Vura knew. She understood. His pain mimicked hers.
In a weak, strained voice she told Edmund, "It never goes completely away, Edmund. The pain. The loss. I would love to tell you that it disappears. It does not. It does fade, though and hopefully you remember much more of the good than the bad." She hesitated and then continued, "What was her name?"
"Her name was Vivian," his hand pausing over the sketch pad, "She was the love of my life back then. I still have that love with me." He turned his eyes upwards to meet Vura's. "And I do know that the pain will fade to a mere shadow of itself. I still get hurt when her favorite holiday comes around. I get more morose and try to hide and yet I hear her voice in my mind's memory telling me to knock it off, to dig myself out of my hole." He paused and moved slightly closer to Vura, actually reaching out to touch her hand just for a moment. Yes, he was knowingly breaking a rule, but for just this moment, he felt it necessary.
"I am sorry that you've suffered a loss as well." He could feel himself reacting just ever so slightly more, however this wasn't going to get out of hand, it wasn't in his nature. Anymore to his thinking it would lead to him leading her on, and Vura didn't need that at all.
"The telepathy," she informed Edmund sadly. "Another reason people should not touch us. Non-Deltans can be overwhelmed by our deep emotional ties and sensuality." Reluctantly, she pulled her hand away from Edmund. "I'm so sorry that you got to sense and feel some of that...." She choked back tears and forced them back down. She was not going to break down here and certainly not in public!
"Cannir was killed in front of me. Pirates? Slavers? He sacrificed himself to let me get away. And so I did. And so I am here. With you." She forced herself to smile wanly. "And you are right, Vivian would not want you to emotionally die for her. I never met her. But the fact that you know it, this is Vivian and your subconscious telling you that you need to make new connections. People are not meant to be alone, Edmund."
Vura looked away, knowing she should be heeding her own advice, but how could she in Starfleet? She took the Oath. She knew the consequences of it. Who knew that she would feel this pain again so soon? "Was the last person that you were intimate with Vivian?"
Edmund moved back to where his sketch pad lay, "Yes Vivien was the last time I was intimate with anyone and also Vura, it wasn't your telepathy that made me realize you lost someone as well. It can be seen in your eyes, in your voice, I've seen such an expression in my own eyes, my own features. Also, I am an artist, plus I am in a profession in which one needs to be observant. Especially reading body language." His words were soft spoken. "And I am sorry I have put you into an awkward position."
"You could have been a counselor," Vura replied morosely. She tried to find her poise that she had at the beginning of their meeting and consciously threw back her shoulders and tried to sit more upright to strike a dignified pose for Edmund.
A Joint Post By
Lieutenant Vura
Chief Counselor, USS Pioneer
Captain Edmund Merrick
The Cure Executive Officer, USS Pioneer
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