Sometimes Flirting Can Be Mean

Posted on Sat Dec 17th, 2022 @ 11:48pm by Ensign Ilan Ocara & Sergeant Bryana "Bri" Locke

Mission: S1 Episode 4: The Cloud
Location: Lounge
Timeline: Mission Day 2 at 2125
5016 words - 10 OF Standard Post Measure

Though she'd been aware of the reassignment to Shadow Squad and the rules that came part and parcel, it still felt a bit surreal to her to be the second on the team. Her teammate's personalities were more than a few unique flavors. Julius was an unapologetically strong flavor that didn't give a damn if you liked him or not. Zoe seemed to have a stubborn streak that she wasn't sure if it was because of her upbringing in the orphanage or just a personality quirk. Their demolitions expert was an entirely different basket of snakes, given it seemed he was kept around for his savant-like expertise with explosives that was paired with what appeared to be some social anxiety or acceptance disorder.

She wasn't sure how he made it through the psych evals for Boot Camp, but an exception could be made for anything if the skill was worth it.

While she wouldn't count herself within the realm of being average or without some quirks to her personality, she would need to figure out a way to ensure a working relationship built within the unit since Julius seemed to be taking the smash-it-and-rebuild-it approach.

Fiona and Cedrik seemed to be squared away, young but squared away, which meant they hadn't necessarily picked up any peculiar habits in their careers.

She was leaning against the back of the lift mulling over Shadow Squad when it came to a stop, drawing her attention to the doors as she stood up so she appeared presentable to any officer who might board.

Stepping onto the turbolift, Ilan focused entirely on the PADD in her hand. Only when she gave a cursory glance up did she notice someone was standing there and a... marine? She blinked and lifted her head, giving her typical warm smile. "Hey there."

Ilan was just a naturally friendly person. It was unusual on a ship like this, but she didn't particularly care. "Don't see too many Marines up on these decks."

"It's not often we have reason to leave our barracks." Bryana flashed the dark-haired woman a warm smile that seemed to come naturally with the sweet drawl. "I was coming up to grab something from the Mess,"

She took a moment to admire the other woman, not ogling her but giving her an appreciative once over before deciding that friendly was certainly something they could use a little bit more of on the ship. "Sergeant Bryana Locke."

"Ilan Ocara." She said and offered her hand to Bryana to shake. "Nice to meet you. That's a fancy patch you have there." She indicated to the woman's shadow squad patch on her uniform. "I haven't seen that before."

Accepting the hand, Bri chuckled a little as she looked at the patch before her attention returned to Ilan and met her delightful green gaze. "It's for a new unit, so fresh we just got moved into our new bunks today." Though her hands weren't rough or callused like hers, Ilan had a firm grip that the Marine appreciated in anyone she met.

Letting her hand go, the dark-haired Marine looked at the teal collar and the Warrant Officer tab. "Teals a good color on you; not many people can pull it off or make it attractive."

A compliment was an excellent way to get things started, and Ilan was undoubtedly easy on the eyes, making the lift ride a bit more enjoyable. "So, are you with science or medical?"

"That's sweet of you. I like it pretty well, honestly." Ilan ran a hand down her cropped uniform top, over her abdomen, and down to her skirt. "The uniform is easy on the eyes." Chuckling, she looked up at Bryana.

"I'm in the sciences, for all that's worth, on a warship. That would be why we are a 'department' of three, not counting our three slaves."

Bri's eyes followed Ilan's hands as she just let herself enjoy watching them move before meeting the other woman's eyes, giving her a flirtatious smirk. "It most certainly is, though personally trying to decide if it is the uniform or the one wearing the uniform that makes it so."

The lift stopped, reluctantly drawing the Marine's attention away, turning back to Ilan. "Why don't you let me treat you to dinner? I can tell you a few stories about being assigned a protection detail on a prospector's vessel."

At the invitation to come along, Ilan's expression suddenly grew much more unashamedly appraising of the Marine. She looked Bryana up and down slowly, assessing her, and then eventually trailed up to her eyes. Suddenly, Ilan just gave a smile and shrug, her expression brightened.

"Sure, why not. That sounds like fun." Ilan wasn't particularly busy, so a little fun flirting over lunch would be okay.

As she examined the Marine, Ilan could tell she was a woman who took excellent care of herself. She was fit, and though muscular, she still possessed a confident, feminine allure. All in all, she was easy on the eyes, at the very least.

The Marine chuckled at the other woman's reaction before leading her to the mess hall; the corridor wasn't packed. However, there was still a bit of activity with the crew getting ready to handle the decalithium harvesting operation. Once they'd gotten their food, Bryana let Ilan pick where they sat, allowing the Marine to admire her companion's luscious rear being hugged by her uniform skirt.

"So I think I had teased you with stories about being on a prospector's ship," She shot Ilan a playful smirk while sorting out her soup.

Ilan was quite aware when she was being allowed to go first out of politeness. As well, when she was allowed to go first because someone wanted an eyeful of her rear as she walked in front of them; thankfully, she was also not the type who minded when it was for the latter reason. She had grabbed a club sandwich with some sweet potato fries and found them a table off to the side of the room by the viewport.

"Yes, yes, you did." She pulled her napkin into her lap and smirked as she looked at Bryana. "Do you like to be a tease, sergeant?"

"I might." Bryana purposefully teased Ilan as she settled her napkin into her lap while enjoying a bit of a hearty five-bean soup before she started to stir her meal. "Though I've been told I need to be careful since it could get me in trouble."

"So my prospector ship deployment was my first assignment right out of Boot, small five Marine security team assigned as protection for Imperial assets." She began simply enough while gently stirring her meal. "Have you ever been on a prospector?"

"No, I can't say that I have. Not really too much science to be done up there." Ilan chuckled, picking up a fry to nibble on. Her green eyes settled on Bryana, studying her manner as she started to speak. There was definitely an easy confidence there, but there was something else behind it that she couldn't immediately place.

"Not much of anything going on for a Marine," She gave a dismissive wave of her hand, finally sipping her drink. "Supposed to be there to deter pirates, since mineral hauls can be valuable, never saw a one during my eight-month deployment, thankful for that in a way, but it was a slough."

"So I can sympathize a bit with that lack of not having a lot to do on a ship." The dark-haired Marine gave her a sympathetic smile before it shifted to a coy smirk. "Though hopefully, you've been able to find something to keep yourself entertained."

"Oh, I definitely manage." Of course, she laughed at her knowing comment, a joke with herself. The grin she flashed the Marine right after was very telling. "Did you end up seeing any action during your assignment there? Kill any pirates?"

Bryana took in that grin. While it wasn't an outright admission to whatever she had done to entertain herself, it hinted, and she could likely guess from the mischievous glint in her emerald eyes. "No pirate action on that deployment; I had to find other ways of entertaining myself. Cargo inspections can be quite...exhaustive."

Her eyes twinkled in amusement, a slow, easy grin flashing to the other woman as she crumbled some crackers into her soup.

Bryana took in that grin. While it wasn't an outright admission to whatever she had done to entertain herself, it hinted, and she could likely guess from the mischievous glint in her emerald eyes. "No pirate action on that deployment; I had to find other forms of entertainment; cargo inspections can be quite...exhaustive."

Her eyes twinkled in amusement, a slow, easy grin flashing to the other woman, plucking a piece of fruit from her drink.

"Hm. I bet." She watched Bryana's hands for a moment as she picked a piece of fruit from her drink and looked into the other woman's eyes. "So what else have you done in your career, Sergeant? Hopefully, not all cargo inspections…."

"No, I've had some interesting encounters." The Marine chuckled as she turned her attention to Ilan for the moment, considering her words before speaking again. "I've been stationed on Luna, completing low- and zero-gee training there, which can be a lot of fun."

"Though I do have a story about visiting an Orion Pleasure Den that's not quite pirate-y, it does involve Orions, shore leave, and the son of a Terran nobleman that we ended up having to rescue." The Marine gave a cheeky grin as she took a sip from her drink.

"Oh, when it involves Orions, it's always sure to be raunchy and entertaining. Do tell." Ilan prompted with a smirk and sat back, taking a sip of her drink and simply giving Bryana her attention instead of drifting around the room like it usually would have.

Bryana couldn't help but match Ilan's smirk as she chuckled and took a sip of her drink. "So, a little background; this happened when I was assigned to the ISS Montu on a year-long outer territory patrol, and we were overdue for some shore leave. We knew about the Orion den from previous patrols; it was built into an old mined-out asteroid, covered in flashy lights, the whole nine. It was considered neutral ground since we used it for resupply, shore leave, and other necessities outside Terran-controlled space while the Orion ran other business through it."

These were dry and somewhat dull details, but the context was important. After a sip of her drink, the Marine wet her whistle before continuing, though looking at Ilan made her thirsty for something else. "So we make it to the station, leaves are approved, and I find myself wandering the station's main drag in a saucy little number, the perfect little black dress. I still wish I had it."

Her expression turned mournfully nostalgic as she thought about the dress before shaking her head. "Eventually, I found my way to one of the clubs, enjoying a few drinks and taking to the dance floor, where I ran into a deliciously handsome Orion man and his charming Romulan companion."

Ilan ate her sandwich while Bryana spun her tale. While the Marine had maybe only come in for a drink, Ilan had been hungry. She didn't mind eating while the other person just drank, though. At the mention of the black dress, trying to imagine the Marine in one and couldn't quite get there, a fact which only told Ilan there was more to study. She preferred to keep information gathering as pleasurable as possible, which had worked well for her so far.

When Bryana paused, Ilan nodded. "Orion males don't get enough credit for their looks, I think. Too much obsession over the females."

"Mmm, still to this day, I've yet to find anyone with hair as soft and silky as his." The Marine smirked a little as she remembered how eager he'd been with her, both him and his companion. "He loved having it tugged on,"

Ilan chuckled softly. "Bring it back in, Marine. I don't think the man's tongue had much to do with that Terran nobleman."

While Ilan usually enjoyed a little flirting and drifting thoughts, this story could have been valuable, so she wanted to get to the good part.

"Can't let a girl have any fun." She teased Ilan, giving a little chuckle before refocusing her story. "Back on point, though. During an interlude between putting my handsome Orion friend through his paces, his talented tongue let slip the interesting news."

"It was about a Terran noble who'd gotten a wild hair up his ass about reclaiming the frontier for the Empire, went there to hire some mercs, and they'd decided they could make more off a ransom than fighting for pay."

"He was the son of a minor house in Norway, not powerful, but they had connections, the Luhnens or Lucknens," Her face screwed up as she tried to remember the name. "Something like that. I personally try to stay out of the politics of the nobles and muckity-mucks. Just seems like a whole lot of NOT fun."

"Lauritsen?" Ilan prompted curiously and tilted her head slightly at Bryana's mention of the Norwegian noble family. This could be quite an exciting story. She nibbled on a fry and then pushed the plate closer to the other woman with the fries facing her in case she might like one.

"That's the one!" Bryana exclaimed with a bright grin picking up a fry and pointing it at Ilan before she continued. "So I cut my leave short...ish and reported the kidnapping of Ahti, Ahti Lauritsen; that first name'll haunt me to the day I die just cause it's definitely letters that make a name."

Before continuing the story, she shook her head and nibbled on the fry she'd taken. "I ended up going back to the ship to report what I'd found out, though when I beamed back on, I showed up on the pad; my clothes - dress and all, ended up somewhere else, which had me seeing red and ready to wring the transporter chief's scrawny neck."

She downed her drink before tapping a button to order a lager, shaking her and sighing at the memory of the incident.

"Captain wasn't too amused with me strutting my way back to the barracks in nothing but a birthday suit, but it's not the first time I'd had to do something like that." She chuckled and shook her head as she met Ilan's gaze. "Though it turned out Ahti's pappy was trying to call in a favor to make an exchange, so Imperial Command had the Montu take over; Marines were given the lead to go to kick ass and take some names since it turned out the folks holding the young Lauritsen were already on our naughty list."

"We tracked the mercs back to their little hidey-hole; most of them were drunk as skunks or wasted on something, though it turned out the rabble-rousers were a bunch of ex-pats who'd crossed Ahti's pappy and got tossed out on their heads."

Ilan wasn't entirely sure the woman was speaking English the entire time - Bryana's accent was deepening as she got more and more into the story - but she was following along well enough. At the same time, she worked on finishing off the rest of her sandwich. She remembered the gossip sweeping through Norway of Ahti's exploits; it was terrible for his family and reputation, and they had been weakened because of it. What was to be expected of young noblemen, though? They were taught to rule the world if they tried hard enough.

And way too many of them genuinely believed it.

"So… just a transporter malfunction claimed your dress? Why didn't the chief beam them out of space for you?"

"He claimed there wasn't a trace of my clothes in the buffer, swore he couldn't find them on his end, and postulated that maybe they'd been left back on the station or some business like that."

"That's very strange. Maybe he just wanted to steal your dress." Ilan chuckled and shook her head a bit at the prospect. "Why didn't you replicate a new one, though, if you were that fond of it?"

"I tried to once. It didn't feel quite the same." Bryana shrugged, shaking her head. "I know, it's an oddball thing to say, but it was like the magic had been stolen or something."

She smiled as the lager was delivered; taking a sip, she considered it a moment before her eyes went wide as she looked over at Ilan. "I'm sorry, I was so wrapped up in my story I forgot to ask if you wanted something; look at me here trying to flirt, and I'm being rude as all get out."

"Oh no, no. I'm alright." Ilan waved her hand slightly. "But please don't let me stop you. I'll finish up my food and then see how I feel." She gave Bri a smile. "So what happened with the rabble-rousers?"

"Well, some of them got a wild hair or two up their asses and decided they weren't gonna go quiet, had to go hard to make a statement again the Empire." She nodded after Ilan waved her hand at the offer of a drink. "We put them down like rabid mutts, the rest surrender rather peaceable, and we took them back to Earth to face public execution, and the Orions turned the hideout into a factory of some kind."

"Little Ahti was a bit worse for wear and needed new pants. We got him all sorted out, and the Captain gave him the choice of one to execute."

"Nice of him, really," Ilan noted and finally picked up the rest of her sandwich. The story filled in quite a few gaps about what had happened and would be handy information - more useful had they been back home, but still helpful. "Did you end up taking him back home?"

"We did. We had to cut shore leave short while he got to sit pretty and be all noble-esque on the trip home," The Marine shrugged, seemingly not impressed with Ahti or his antics. "When we got home, the captain even embellished Ahti's daring escape from his captors for the press though not sure what came of that." The Marine shrugged while considering the incident. "Even managed to get some pity sex from the female crew who didn't know the whole story."

"To be fair, he is the son of a lord. That tends not to be pity sex from a lot of people, and it leans toward 'man, I hope he knocks me up so I can ride a baby's status coattails myself.'" Ilan pointed out with a chuckle. It was a common enough maneuver, after all. "That is quite a story. I assume you had to leave your special Orion friend behind in the end?"

"Well, not immediately; I managed to give him a ride off into the sunset, as it were," Bryana smirked as she sipped her drink before leaning back to relax. "He was fun, but even good times have to end."

"See, I'm of the mind they never really have to end... they just become a different flavor," Ilan smirked and wiped her hands off with her napkin. "So what is your new squad supposed to do, exactly? Is it some fancy new marine thing?"

"Mmm, a philosophy I'll have to give a try." The Marine returned the smirk while lifting a delicate eyebrow before shifting to the other side of Ilan's question. "Not just Marines but qualified crew members meant to be a rapid reaction force outside the normal chain of command, meant to be able to handle different missions that might be a little beyond the capabilities of just Security or the Marines."

"Huh, interesting. I didn't think there was a need for such things, but I guess after Commander Petrov's incident with the Kazon and our initial incident with the Ocampa... it makes sense." She tapped her lower lip and sat back, finishing what was left in her glass from her dinner.

"I'll take that drink now, Sergeant."

"What'll have, darlin'?" Bryana's voice turned into a smoky drawl as her fingers teased at the controls, watching Ilan as she licked her lips a little. "Feel free to call me Bryana or Bri since we're in a relaxed setting."

"Surprise me then, Bryana." Ilan prompted, a slight smirk tugging onto her full lips as she watched the other woman toying with the panel on the table.

The dark-haired Marine considered Ilan for a moment, considering what she had said earlier as a little smirk of her own formed on her lips as she started to type in a drink order. It was sent off a moment later as Bryana took a moment to relax and enjoy her lager, considering the other woman again before speaking. "So, what exactly do you do in the science department?"

"Oh, a little of this, a little of that. Nothing essential. Like I said, a warship and all that and a department of three." She chuckled and shook her head. "We are mostly left to our own devices while the chief... does whatever it is exactly that she does. I don't ask questions. That's way more trouble than it's worth. If we get something to work on, we work on that, but we haven't." Ilan shrugged and just smiled.

"Mostly, I keep myself entertained with personal projects."

"Personal projects can be fun; likely have your fair share of time for that." Bryana chuckled softly as she waited for their drinks, considering her companion again and the kind of fun they could get up to. "I've heard rumors that we have a Science Chief but never seen them; I'm starting to think she's like a unicorn or a snipe."

"Maniacal cyborg is most apt." The young woman supplied and brushed her hair back over her shoulder. "Couldn't tell you more except I think she sees everyone as obsolete and beneath her. Not entirely sure how she found herself on a Terran ship in a position of power, yet here we are."

"I suppose when you make yourself more machine than human, you'll likely have more than a few screws loose." The Marine shook her head while sipping her lager.

The server finally came over carrying two drinks in tall glasses filled to the brim with ice, dark indigo at the bottom, clear in the middle, and a lighter blue on top. They were lovely, and Bryana smiled as she pulled over and glanced at Ilan, curious to see her reaction to the drink she'd chosen.

"Well, isn't that pretty." Ilan cooed, pleased by the drink set down in front of her. Truly she was easy for pretty things; she was as enthralled as she was when Corvin had brought her the luminescent drink on Anorra. "What is this, exactly?"

"It's called a Purple Crown cocktail," Bryana supplied with a pleased smile since Ilan at least enjoyed the appearance. "It's a favorite made with butterfly pea flower syrup, Cointreau liqueur, white wine, and Empress gin."

"Well, that's a pretty name… for us girls, at least. Not so attractive for the boys, I imagine." Ilan gave an easy, lascivious grin and picked up the drink. "Do we mix it or drink it like this? Do you know?"

"Oh, nothing wrong with teasing a boy a little, and deep down, I think some of them like it." The Marine smirked as she picked up her drink to demonstrate how to drink it, taking a slow sip before giving Ilan a playful little smile. "Just as is, sip it, and everything mingles into a refreshing whole."

As if summoned by the conversation, or looking for some company, one of the male crew sauntered over to their table and shot both women his most charming smile. "Evening, ladies; I couldn't help but notice you both sitting here drinking all alone and thought you might like some company." In the sleeveless version of the uniform, he wore Command red, the top sleeveless to show off his arms, and flexed a little to show off his muscles. It seemed he was peacocking for them a little.

"Well, not really alone if we are together now, are we?" Ilan smirked, an amused note in her voice as she looked up at the man. She gave him a cursory once over but said nothing else. Instead, she just picked up her drink to take a sip and watched him, waiting to see how Bryana would react.

Bryana had watched the man wander over, sipping her drink as he started to flex for them and peacock for them as a smirk slowly formed on her lips. "We've been pretty pleasant company for each other." He was fit and carried himself with machismo as he leaned on the table and looked between them.

"Oh, I promise I can be pretty pleasant company too." He grinned, sliding into the seat next to Ilan as his attention went to their drinks. "What are we drinking? I'll get the next round."

"Might be the only round there, Muscles." Ilan teased and shook her head slightly. This was something she was used to and wasn't always unwelcome. Bryana didn't seem to mind for the moment, so she didn't dissuade the crewman completely.

"Do you have a name?"

"Wilmar, but everyone calls me Wil. My father called me willful." He smirked while looking between the women as if sizing them up while he seemed to be working on his next move.

"Willful, eh?" Bryana let a slightly playfully predatory smile form on her lips after taking a sip from her drink, placing her elbow on the table as she flexed her arm to show off for both the man and Ilan. "I'll make you a deal. You pin my arm wrestling, and you can get our next round."

"Hell yeah!" Wil seemed rather eager to show off as he shifted closer to the table.

"Hold up, stud. Still more to this deal." The Marine was amused by his eagerness. "I win; my lovely companion gets to order a drink for you,"

She looked at Ilan and smiled. "That alright with you darlin'?"

"Sure, sounds like a deal, I suppose." Ilan chuckled, deciding to be a good sport about it. She crossed her legs and sat back, preparing for the show that was about to go on before her. Wil was strong, that was obvious, so it was entirely possible Bryana might have bitten off more than she could chew.

Bryana smirked as she moved to take her position across from Wil as they locked hands, settling their elbows as the Marine looked into Wil's eyes while he shot her a confident, almost cocky smile. "Looking forward to buying you both a drink." While his tone was friendly, the look in his eyes was much less innocent as Bryana's eyes narrowed a little.

"Say when darlin'." She addressed Ilan.

Ilan stood and put her hand on the pair's clasped hands. She took a sip of her drink, holding them firmly and leaving them in anticipation for a few moments. She let the intensity build and then finally removed her hand. "Go!"

Wil immediately went all in. His muscles bulged and flexed as he grinned, seemingly confident that he could overpower the Marine. She kept her face even while her hand was slowly pressed back as the well-defined muscles of her arm were taut. She wasn't shaking or struggling even as Wil pushed her arm lower. However, she stopped him and smirked a bit as she raised her arm slowly, having to fight the man even as the cockiness wilted from his expression.

"Thinking about what you might order for our handsome friend, darlin?" Bryana smirked as she brought their arms up, but it seemed they'd stay in a stalemate here for a moment or two.

Ilan watched, sipping her drink while standing over them and watching their arms. With a smirk, she placed a hand on her hip and popped it out slightly. "Whoever loses gets to cop a feel on me."

Both competitors momentarily lost their focus on the contest as they looked over at the salacious woman before their gazes met again. The desire to win was warring with the truly tempting reward the brunette warrant officer had offered.

Bryana definitely wanted to cop a feel with Ilan, well more than just a feel, though she also wanted to wipe the smug grin off the Fleeties face as she started to give more.

Wil pressed back with a grunt as he seemed conflicted between winning and losing. His mind was whirring with the possibilities; honestly, the muscular man wanted to let the Marine win so that he could have a chance with Ilan, though he was silently hoping he might have been able to convince them both to leave with him.

Ilan watched them for a moment, seeing how torn they both were between winning and touching. When neither of them gave, she grinned and finished off her drink. "Well, I do hope you two enjoy yourselves. I'll be off now."

She grinned devilishly, winked, and immediately turned and started walking out of the lounge.

Ilan's sudden departure caught both Bryana by surprise, or at least enough to let Wil hammer the back of her hand down onto the table as she looked after the shapely rear of the retreating woman. For his part, Wil seemed to take triumph in his victory before looking around for the other dark-haired beauty, seeming a little confused that she was gone and only catching the doors closing behind her.

It seemed to the Marine that Ilan liked to tease too. She did lose, which meant she was owed something for that.

END