No regrets

Posted on Thu Mar 23rd, 2023 @ 12:46am by Captain Akeno Misaki & Lieutenant Rania Bhatti

Mission: When on Risa...
Location: Risa Resort

Akeno shook her head as she made her way towards the resorts restaurant. She was usually an early riser, however she had missed most of the morning. Sheepishly she was avoiding everyones eye contact as if they all somehow knew what she had done last night. She couldn't help but blush in embarrassment as she remembered what had transpired that morning.

Counsellor Rania Bhatti had been mulling over the restaurant's menu items, having already received some hot tea for a beverage. It was the sort of thing she liked to help her get through the days. Her eyes broke from the menu as she noticed that Captain Misaki had entered the establishment, her cheeks with a subtle warmth of color to them. Mmmm thought Rania who smirked ever so slightly.

"Oh Captain," called out the Ship's Counsellor. She sat the menu down and sprung to her feet. "Captain" she added with a crispness to her tone. She waved at the woman to get her attention. "There's a seat right here for you" added Rania.

Akeno sighed as she approached the counsellor. "Rania... I told everyone that there are no ranks on Risa remember" she reminded her as she slid into the chair. At first she was hesitant to actually sit down, hovering for afew seconds before slowly lowering herself onto the seat.

"I'll call you Princess if it makes you happy, but dropping rank is not natural for me," she hissed back. "When you spend as much time as I have around curmudgeonly old Admirals, you get used to ranks. Now, get a menu and help me decide what to eat, and while we are at it, you look like you had a fun night."

"What!" Akeno said shifting around nervously in her chair. "What makes you say that? Like am I giving off some sort of vibe or something..."

Raina narrowed her eyes, peeking over the menu that was in front of her face. "If your cheeks were any redder you could be mistaken for Suauian in a wig." The Counsellor smirked and placed the menu aside.

"And unless you've changed your fragrance while on Risa, I'm getting a whiff of something that you do not normally use or wear. That mixed with your current posture is giving me the body language of someone who has had a lovely night in the company of someone else."

"You can small that?!" Akeno said turning bright red. "Like really?"

"It's not that special really" replied the Counsellor. "There's just a faint masculine scent that is mixed with your usual. He was properly doused in something that he thought would be attractive. It lingers on you ever so slightly."

Akeno shuffledin her seat, clearly flustered. "I didn't know you had such a good sense of smell." She stated. "But yeah... things happened... I have mixed feelings about last night."

Rania smiled. "It is just a small quirk, though I probably would not do so well on a Klingon ship. They tend to make me queasy with their body odor" she explained. "So, about last night. Do they have a name..." the Counsellor inquired trying to establish something to work with.

"Well he's called Xander. He's a nice guy, very gentle..." Akeno blushed. "I think we just 'clicked' you know."

The Counsellor nodded and looked at the Captain. "Xander has a interesting scent" teased Rania. "It is good that you 'clicked' and it seems like you two clicked very well. Will we be clicking again soon?"

If Akeno could blush any more she'd be a tomato. "Well... you know... I like him a lot, and I think he likes me a lot too." She paused for a moment briefly looking away. "Plus, last night was my 'first time' you know. It was special."

The Counsellor smiled at the Captain and kept some of her thoughts to herself. At least she didn't become a thirty year old virgin thought Rania, though she did have a lot of respect for Akeno not to have just slept with anyone for the sake of losing it. "That can be a very important and meaningful step towards a longer, and potentially deeper relationship. On a personal level, a big milestone for some. I am glad that it was special for you" added the Ship's Counsellor.

Shifting a bit, Raina pressed for more. "How does that make you feel? Given that it was special for you and the glow from your presence, I take it there are no regrets about him and what happened last night. I like seeing that" she said reassuringly. Though if he ends up hurting you, I know a few planets where nobody will find him for a very long time thought the Counsellor with a smirk.

Akeno shook her head. "None at all. I never thought I would find 'The One' whilst in Starfleet; and a civilian for that matter," she told the Counsellor. "For years I have been focused on making my way up the rank ladder, all to find out what really happened to my parents. It was never my goal to find love, more to find the truth. However..." she paused for a moment. "I think I can live with it now. I think I can put my search to an end, I've found something that makes me happy."

Counsellor Bhatti held back her immediate response. You're twenty eight years old, Captain. You've hardly breathed in a Starfleet uniform at this point in your life and career thought the counsellor who too was young, but had fewer pips on her collar. "Some things happen quickly, sometimes too quickly," noted Rania. "And other things take time and they come with years of patience, but can be very rewarding when they happen. Now, you said he's a civilian? Will he be coming with us on the Wayfarer when we leave Risa?"

The Captain pondered for a few seconds. "I'm not sure yet. I know he owns his own freighter, but he has expressed interest in coming aboard with me. It would be nice to have someone to go home to."

"Well, I'm leading a group of us up into the Risian mountains today. Going for a good old fashioned trek. I hear there's some nice scenery, so I want to go see what's up there," Akeno smiled as she stood up. "I need to go get ready."

She gave the counselor a friendly nod and scurried out of the restaurant to head back to her room to get changed.

Posting by

Captain Akeno Misaki
Commanding Officer

Lieutenant Rania Bhatti
Chief Counselor