Graffiti and Grandeur | Part II

Posted on Thu Jun 24th, 2021 @ 10:53am by Lieutenant Percival Bálor Ph.D & Lieutenant JG Elizabeth Stone
Edited on on Thu Jun 24th, 2021 @ 10:54am

1,342 words; about a 7 minute read

Mission: Out of Time

It's was just about time and Percy was there waiting on Siren, his lookout, and the plasma torch she was supposed to be bringing along. It was a good hour to do it. Most of the crew were off duty, a majority of those were long since retired to their beds for the eve or were in one of the lounges. When Percy heard the sound of footfalls, he peaked around the corner of the adjoining corridor. Siren was on time as promised. Good. I like punctual he thought to himself as she approached.

He met her at the corner. "Nice to see you are punctual and not a flake," he said to her with a smile. "Not that I doubted you, but others would have chickened out" he added. "I couldn't help but notice you entering Lieutenant Rose's office a while back, I had left there myself. Did you enjoy the mental probing of the spider?"

Siren glared at him and shoved the plasma torch at him. "None of your business. Of course I'm punctual, I'm a marine." The glare was short lived and more token than anything else though. Clear by the fact that the next moment she was grinning. "You didn't compliment my outfit. I'm insulted." She was dressed in black leggings and a close fitting black tank top, with black sneakers on her feet. "Maybe I sure leave Starfleet and go to ninja school. I'm digging the all black."

"Oh relax," Percy said dismissively. "I do not care to hear about your daddy issues," he said sticking his tongue out at her. "I have a bit of a complex relationship with the dear Counsellor. I'm looking for vulnerabilities, an Achilles heel, blind spots, anything that she may have disclosed about her personal life that would be useful?" He shrugged. "You look stunning by the way, but I prefer having you here than learning to be a ninja."

"I suppose somebody has to be your back up after all." Siren thought about it. "Ummm no. She just tried to be that I want to be your friend counselor. I wanted to gag. But I got out of there relatively unscathed."

Percy scoffed and laughed. "She tried the same with me. Interrogatiom with sweetness," noted Percy. "I cut her off at every pass, and I wouldn't give her a damn thing. It was exhausting, but it was so worth it." He was pleased though he was hoping Siren would have something to give him to work with.

"Alright, so this shouldn't take too long, but if anyone starts heading our way, just ramble off techno babble about repairs and detour them" he said.

"Got it, I can do techno babble. Or I can always flash them." She grinned cheekily. "And if we get arrested, you threatened me with violence."

Percy took the plasma torch and put on a welders mask. "Oh yeah absolutely. I cohersed you into doing this with threat of violence," he quipped shaking his head. "Hopefully after I am done here the Captain's sex life will get a good boost."

Siren just rolled her eyes good naturedly and stood guard. She even opened a panel to look the part of a busy engineer, doing some late night work off duty, well at least from a quick glance anyway. She was close enough to talk to Percy, but with a good vantage point to give him fair warning of anybody coming close. "So tell me more about this sex symbol thing, what did you call it?"

Percy activated the torch and began scorching the man's door. "Horga'hn," replied Percy. "A fertility symbol from Risa. It likely dates back to Ancient Risan mythology, their old religious beliefs, but nowadays? It's commercialization for lack of a better term. Displaying one publicly indicates that one is seeking what they call jamaharon... it is an intimate act, sensual. You could say sex, but it's more than that."

Siren looked over her shoulder, as if she could see the symbol. But he'd barely began, there was nothing to see. "Hmm, I may have to read up on that. Oh!" Siren shifted gears. "I just remembered something. Your arch nemesis, she said she had bad taste in men. Don't know if that helps, but she could have bene lying to try and get on my good side."

"I would not quite say arch nemesjs," ricocheting back at Siren. "She is a pesky thorn in my side at this point. She has yet to reach arch nemesis status, but please, go ahead. What is it that she said?"

"That was it really. She pulled that 'so tell me about yourself'. So I told her I had bad taste in men, and she said she did to. She asked to meet again to have a drink, and I almost bust up laughing. I'd have thought she was trying to hit on me, except for the look on her face when she realized how it sounded."

"If she was trying to hit on you, I would say pursue it," Percy said. "If she has bad taste in men, then she has grown. Presently, I think she and I are interested in the same person. I can't have that. I can't have her getting in my way. She is too sweet, too pretty, and too damn perfect. I can't beat that fairly."

Siren scrunched up her nose in a 'eww' pose a 6 year old would be proud of. "I'm strictly into men. You are right though, she is too damn perfect, it freaks me out." Siren caught up to all that he said and grinned. "Ohhhh, who's the lucky one?"

He stopped the plasma torch for a moment. "She's bad, but the Chief Engineer is worse. That one looks, sounds, and acts like she's still in primary school. The lucky one? Me. I'm the lucky one. I caught sight of my reflection in water and nearly drowned," he quipped teasingly. "Yiv," he added.

Siren snorted in amusement. "Too bad you have no self confidence. I agree. Anybody who goes around calling themselves a genius is just a tool."

"I have plenty of confidence!" he shouted back at her. "I know I can do anything. It may take me a while, but I'll damn well do it." Percy continued torching and scorching until the fertility symbol was evident. "I don't boast that I'm a genius. I prove it."

Siren had to hold in giggles, and actually pay attention to her job as lookout. In a bout of perfect timing, just as Percy was finishing, Siren spotted a couple coming down the corridor. Luckily they were paying far too much attention to each other, and didn't even notice her. She quickly put the panel back onto the bulkhead and turned to grab Percy by the wrist. "Ok that's it, we've got company, let's go." Her grip was weak, as she'd grabbed him with her right hand out of muscle memory she'd yet to unlearn. But she gave a little tug anyway, not wanting to get caught.

"Maintenance shaft," he said quickly. He pointed to it. "We can take it to the next deck above or below," he added. Percy was definitely not going to get caught near the scene.

Siren nodded her agreement. Once they were safely inside the shaft and a bit away from the corridor she let the giggles loose. "Well, I hope that works." She got out between bouts. "If it does, you're putting one on my door next."

Percy guffawed. "I am taking your to Risa. Set your shoreleave time aside for it. We will synchronize, and then I'll take you to Risa. You will love it." He started moving to the next deck. "Thank you for acting as look out. I owe you a night out."

"I hold you to your Risa promise." She smiled. "And you're welcome, it was fun." She turned the other way to make her way back to her quarters to get some sleep. "See ya." Siren waved goodbye.

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