Art Connection Part III
Posted on Thu May 18th, 2023 @ 5:20pm by Lieutenant Vura & Captain Edmund Merrick
Edited on on Thu May 18th, 2023 @ 11:23pm
0 words; about a 1 minute read
Mission:
Episode 14 - The Poseidon Adventure
Location: Poseidon Station Various
Timeline: MD006 1500 hrs
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.
Trying desperately to shift the focus off of her, she asked Edmund, "Have you noticed anyone else who was interested in you romantically? Or has anyone sparked any interest for you?"
Staring at Vura for a long moment "I don't think I would make for a good counselor. I've just learned a thing or two though during my own counseling sessions with other counselors." Edmund remarked. "As for anyone being interested in me romantically? Well, I suppose there could be? I just haven't pursued anything further than a dinner with someone. And only a kiss on the cheek, that is all. There is someone that I am interested in, surprisingly I want to see if it goes beyond one dinner date, to maybe a second or third dinner date? That will remain to be seen though, if I am comfortable with having that happen, if she is wanting to have that happen. I won't say who it is though, as I am frightened just a bit as if, my mentioning her name, it will end up not happening."
Vura gulped hard. Edmund was sweet and scared but he was finally willing to open up again. She had to encourage it. "I would have never taken you for a superstitious person, Edmund." Her warm smile returned as she focused more on him. "And that is truly wonderful that you experienced a kiss on the cheek. How long ago was this first date?"
"Actually, it was my giving a kiss to the lady I had dinner with, my not receiving one. She had made dinner. As for that date, it has been a little while ago. I haven't pursued anything afterwards. The other woman I am interested in, well, we'll see what happens. I just want to check on her to see if she is alright. That is all," He paused for a moment to add a few more lines upon the drawing capturing the essence of Vura then he continued, "that is all that I can do all that I dare to do. Baby steps you know?"
Curiously, Vura turned her head and asked softly, "Why did you not pursue anything with the lady you kissed? And a second woman? Well, Edmund, my dear, you seem to be quite the charmer." As she got towards the end of her sentence, her voice started to take on a purring tone. I like him too, not that it could ever be more than a friendship. The purr left and became more sympathetic and compassionate. "I definitely appreciate your baby steps. Have you told either of these women why you are acting so cautiously? Or are you concerned with opening up at all to either of them?"
"The first one that I kissed; I've not really been in contact with her since that dinner. There was maybe a slight connection, an interest but not enough for me. I didn't want to lead her on. The other lady has no clue that I am interested in her. In fact, just well yours and my interaction has made me want to see if there could be more with her. I have locked myself in my own ivory castle and yet I feel that the lock I placed upon the door is now loosening. Maybe I am not bad luck where ladies are concerned?" he gave a wry half smile, and a shrug.
"Why did you fall out of contact with the first one? Did you let that woman know that you did not want to pursue the connection, as you call it?" Vura asked with a hint of concern. "And, as to this new interest, I strongly suspect that she has a clue. It is rare that people do not know." Her tone became more whimsical, "Oh, I know that there are people that do not know, but it is far more rare than you would think. Most people in your potential paramour's position are just hoping and waiting for someone in your position to actually ask them out. Honestly, Edmund, this is an area where we Deltans have a distinct advantage because we just telepathically project visions in the other person's head. So, why hold yourself back? Everything that you're telling me, tells me that you're ready. It is almost like you're waiting for someone to give you permission, to say it is OK to take this chance."
"Well as for the first woman, I just didn't think of even saying anything as to my possible interest, I just drifted away and didn't offer any encouragement, just taking myself out of any possible equation. I sketched her after dinner and gave her the portrait. She was beautiful. Just not the one for me. And I will not name names either. The second one, just clicked." he paused and looked around, maybe in an out of the way place but, talking about anything else that would be even more personal and perhaps even on the secure side of things and that wasn't going to do.
"I won't be speaking about the other one, not in a public place. Sufficeth it to say, with yours and my encounter today and an experience I had early on, I feel that I can give myself permission to attempt another relationship. We shall see how that endeavor will work out." During this time he had resorted to using his colored pencils to add color to his drawing of Vura.
"Good," Vura concluded. "You have a right to be happy and you have a right to be happy in a relationship," she told Edward firmly. "And you deserve it. If someone else cannot see in you what I do, then that person has no idea what they are missing and you are better off without said person." She put her hand delicately against her chest. "Well, that was a lot of proselytizing, wasn't it?"
Edmund chuckled softly, "Come what may, I will definitely try. And Vura, may you find healing as well, despite your oath of celibacy. Don't lock yourself away like I have done, what I did was also block myself from making... strong friendships. I held myself back quite a bit. Granted I have developed friendships before but, I still kept a good chunk of myself locked up, not truly letting anyone in." a final touch, blending in the colors and the background. He signed the portrait, and looked at the portrait, and smiled.
Edmund had captured her smile, a carefree one, of which he noticed early on, when they first met, also perched upon a flower not too far from her a blue butterfly had settled, its wings outstretched. Before he moved forward to hand the image to Vura, he smiled gently saying "Turn slowly to your left, you have a visitor."
Damn him! Vura thought. How dare he give me a lecture and then act so cute! He has no right to that! Despite herself, though, she slowly turned to her left to see the blue butterfly settling down on her. Vura's focus now shifted onto the butterfly, her face alighted with pleasure. "Well, hello there. To what do I owe this pleasure, my friend?"
She let the butterfly sit on her, trying to get in touch with every sensation that it gave her. Her voice fell to a whisper as she told Edmund, "I'm surprised that it did not choose you."
"My brother once told me something he had learned from a friend of his. A butterfly is symbolic of growth and new beginnings, kinda like rebirth and change, renewal of hope, and good luck, when it lands on a person. Also the butterfly may think you smell better than I do, as you are certainly sweeter than I am." Edmund gave a broad smile.
He carefully took the picture he drew of Vura, out of his sketch pad, waited until she was done communing with the butterfly before he brought the picture he had done, over to her.
"Here you go, hope you like it." Edmund said softly.
"I may smell better than you but you're definitely sweeter." She tucked her head, turned away slightly, and watched the butterfly flap its wings back and fro but stayed on her until the moment that Edmund handed her the sketching of herself, at which point the butterfly flittered back in the air, circling the two of them.
Vura scrutinized the picture. As she did so, her lips moved from side to side, squinching upwards as she looked at it. She had to admit that the sketching was respectable for a human artist. "You have a talent," she told Edmund. "But I think that you have glorified me quite a bit."
"What makes you say that?" Edmund raising an eyebrow up. He was curious as to her reasons for her statement.
"Well, for one thing, I'm not that curvaceous." She stood up and tried to show him but she knew that her dress was selected to make her waist look like it had more dimension. "For another, well, I know that I was not smiling this brightly...."
"My dear lady, I do not do false curves. That dress compliments your features rather well. If you look at the dimensions as to the cut of the dress, this adds instead of takes away. It doesn't diminish you. And yes you were smiling like that. I saw it and I do know my smile was bright as I was enjoying the time I was having with you. I do not do false things. You are beautiful, intelligent, kindhearted and have a genuine warmth. It shows right there," pointing at the sketch. "Just look at it a bit more carefully, you wonder how I manage to have gone so long without intimacy with anyone? Passion can be expressed in another way, and a person can gain satisfaction from that."
Edmund closed up his sketchbook and placed it and his drawing materials into the canvas bag with his other treasures. He closed his eyes for a moment, to bring his emotions under control. "I am sorry Vura. I shouldn't have gotten huffy like that."
Vura melodious laugh returned. "Oh, my dear Edmund, there is no need to apologize." She reached out her hand and consciously had it stop short of him, which caused her face to grimace for a split second before her smile returned. "You are truly a catch. Whoever this woman is that has caught your fancy is in for a treat." Her smile became a bit mischievous and she slyly told Edmund, "But, if you think my smile has warmth, just imagine the rest of me."
Edmund just chuckled, "I could indeed do just that, my eyes have wandered your frame enough but I wish to concentrate on your lovely eyes." giving a bit of a nod. "Enjoy my humble drawing, and it has been a lovely first meeting." the Marine XO said, adjusting his canvas bags over his shoulders.
Putting her hands on her hips with her thumbs facing towards Edmund, “Ohhhh! I see how it is now. Just sketch me and leave me! Whatever is a girl to do?” She looked back at her sketch pad and pencils back on the bench and then back over at Edmund.
Edmund closed his eyes for a moment then gave a sheepish smile, opening his blue eyes to look at Vura. "Well now, this has turned into quite the outing and now I feel like a heel. Since I occupied your time, talking about personal matters, where would you like to go? Would you like to sketch me? Turnabout is fair play. And before you ask, I do not do nudes."
"Don't do nudes?" Vura asked incredulously, bending her right knee slightly, her hands remaining on her hips. "Now, that might be a serious problem for your future paramour." She snickered before continuing, "And I have the feeling that sketching you might cause more trouble than either of us want with your future paramour. After all, I doubt she would want to see another woman's sketch of you in your quarters."
She grinned mischievously. "Now, of course, that could be a certain bit of fun but GOODNESS, Edmund, you really have a lot to learn about women. It is certainly a good thing that I found you, isn't it?" Her tone changed to become more stern, as she looked straight into his eyes, "And you should never tell a woman that you 'occupied her time.' Do you really think that you're a burden? Remember, it was I that accosted you in a turbolift. You just held it. I intruded on your day. And do you know why? Because I felt that you might be worth it, and by the way, I was right. Now you need to start recognizing that about yourself. IF you don't...." She grinned more devilishly, "Well, I'm not sure that you want to find out the answer to the rest of that phrase."
Edmund stared at her silently, his face stoic and serene, taking in this spitfire facing off with him. Then a slow smile crawled across his lips, then became a grin, then he chuckled. "Vura, you are quite the woman, talk about the shoe being on the other foot. " The grin growing even wider. "You are prettier in delivering that message than what I was when I did my own delivery of my message, when we first met. I don't think I am a burden, I hope I am not, however that statement was an attempt of humor. I just need to work on my delivery. Good thing I am not trying to be a comedian." giving her a wink. He looked around at this area, giving a nod."This is certainly a place where magic can happen."
“Thank you for noticing that I’m a special woman,” she answered while relaxing her pose. “And you have a very handsome smile but a comedian you are not.”
She watched the butterflies flit about. “Yes, there is something about this place and now, it is ours forever,” she informed him before sighing nostalgically.
"That almost sounds like a quote I have heard before, 'We'll always have Paris' from some book or even a movie." Another smile. "I do believe I need to get going, would you like me to walk you back to the ship or do you wish to stay here and commune with the spirits here." Edmund giving a nod towards the butterflies.
That was the question, was it not? What did Vura want? Certainly she could stay here and sketch but she has mostly enjoyed her time with Edmund. If she said that she wanted to stay here, Edmund would leave and their time would be at an end; however, if she said she wanted to walk back, she would not be here to sketch. "I think that you can escort me back," she finally decided. "Besides, that will give me a little more time with you before you flit about to your future paramour." She turned her back on Edmund, slowly walked to the bench, picked up her supplies, and said, "Ready when you are."
A Joint Post By
Lieutenant Vura
Chief Counselor, USS Pioneer
Captain Edmund Merrick
The Cure Executive Officer, USS Pioneer
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