Eat Me, Drink Me, Kiss Me, [Censored]

Posted on Sat Aug 31st, 2024 @ 5:21am by Lieutenant JG Katie Kellerman & Senior Chief Petty Officer Jadizon Enor
Edited on on Sat Aug 31st, 2024 @ 1:08pm

Mission: Doing What We Do Best
Location: Holodeck 2
Timeline: After Flip Side Of the Coin

"Okie dokie," Katie said as the holodeck doors closed behind them. "Computer: Put us in the center of the Northeastern Plains on Gault. No man-made structures around us, level terrain, and make it a nice, sunny day."

The scene changed to a blue sky overhead, and a large grassy field beneath them. Katie took a deep breath of the earthy, flower-perfumed air, and then stepped back from Jadizon. "All right, computer I need a yellow line between us horizon to horizon. The computer beeped and a line appeared on the ground.

She tapped her padd rapidly, establishing a remote control connection to the holodeck controls. "Okay, ready to grow 10 meters tall?" she said with an evil gleam in her eye.

Jadizon glanced around, taking in the sweeping expanse of the Northeastern Plains on Gault. The simulated environment felt almost real—the warmth of the sun, the scent of the flowers, the endless horizon stretching out in every direction. He appreciated the simplicity and the open space, a stark contrast to the confines of the starship.

When Katie gave her playful challenge, he raised an eyebrow, noticing the mischievous glint in her eye. "Ten meters tall, huh?" he replied, a smirk forming on his lips. "I’m game, but you better be ready to keep up. I’m not going easy on you just because you’re the one calling the shots."

He took a step back, giving her some room. "So, what’s the plan, JG? You going to show me how things are done on Gault?" His tone was teasing but edged with genuine curiosity, ready to see what she had in store.

"I'm pretty sure you already know how Gaultians do it," Katie said, giving him a cheeky smile and tapping her padd rapidly. "Going up!"

From her perspective, Jadizon began to rapidly grow. While it was a proportional growth, it still made him seem like a giant. By the time he stopped, it would take six of her standing on top of each other's heads to reach his height. So that's what I look like to her, she thought. Unfortunately, it wasn't quite the effect Katie wanted. Everything on his side of the yellow line had grown with him. Blades of grass, flowers, rocks, et cetera, were suddenly huge.

She made a face of concentration and tapped her padd again. "Hold your arms out, side to side as far as you can."

Jadizon complied, stretching his arms out to the sides as instructed. The massive size difference was disorienting, but he stayed still, curious to see what Katie would do next. "This is definitely a new perspective," he remarked, his voice deepened by the illusion of his enlarged size. "Let’s see what you’ve got."

She adjusted the settings and things around him began to shrink, however there was still a square of enlarged grass and flowers around him.

"All right...." she said, half to herself. She reached across the threshold aiming for his knee. Her hand immediately shot up and she saw it pressed against his chest. She could even feel his heartbeat.

As Katie adjusted the settings, Jadizon could feel the slight flutter of hesitation in her touch. He raised an eyebrow, amused by the effect this experiment was having on both of them. "Interesting side effect," he commented, his tone light. "I didn’t expect you to literally reach out and touch someone.
"
She quickly pulled her hand back, the sight of it growing in front of her a bit off-putting, and the feel of his chest a bit distracting. "All right, attempt one complete."

She cancelled the modifications and Jadizon appeared back to normal size. "So," Katie said. "We've learned that simple diode adjustments aren't fine-tuned enough." She looked over her readings.

As he returned to his normal size, Jadizon looked around, taking stock of the changes. "You’re right," he said, nodding thoughtfully as he glanced at her readings. "The adjustments definitely need more refinement. The concept is solid, but it looks like we’ll need to focus on precision—especially if we want to avoid unintended interactions like that."

He met her gaze, a hint of a smile tugging at his lips. "Nice work for a first attempt, though. I’d say you’re on the right track. Let’s keep at it and see how we can fine-tune those diodes to get the effect you’re aiming for."

"Thanks," Katie said, smiling at him, batting her eyes a bit. She quickly covered by looking at her padd. "I may go pull a few spares out of storage and fiddle around with them a bit," she said, half to herself. "Having seen them in action, I'm not sure they can do what I want as they are."

Jadizon noticed the subtle shift in Katie’s demeanor, the way she batted her eyes before quickly diverting her attention to the padd. He allowed a small smile to form, keeping his tone professional yet encouraging. "Good idea. It’s worth experimenting with the spares to see if you can modify them to fit your needs. Sometimes the solution is just a tweak away."

"I appreciate your help," she said, looking at him again. She tucked a lock of hair behind her ear self-consciously, not sure where to go from there. "So...ever been to Gault?" she kicked herself for asking such a dumb question, but it was the best her brain could come up with to make conversation.

Jadizon chuckled softly, shaking his head. "Actually, I’ve never been to Gault. As a young Betazoid and especially as the son of a Commodore, I wasn’t exactly given the freedom to go gallivanting around the galaxy. I was being groomed for Starfleet Academy from day one."

He leaned back slightly, a hint of amusement in his eyes as he recalled the memory. "You should’ve seen the look on my old man’s face when I told him I was heading to Enlisted Basic Training instead. Let’s just say it wasn’t what he had in mind for his son."

Katie moved and sat down on the grass next to him. "Why'd you do it?" she said. "Did you want to avoid the Academy? Or just avoid his plan?"

Jadizon glanced at Katie as she sat down beside him, her question lingering in the air. He took a moment to gather his thoughts, his gaze drifting to the horizon as he began to speak.

"The Enor family has deep roots in Starfleet," he started, his tone carrying both pride and the weight of expectations. "My father, Commodore Nevin Enor, was set on me following the same path—Starfleet Academy, command track, the works. It was more than just a plan; it was almost a birthright."

He paused, a faint smile playing at the edges of his mouth as he thought back. "But that path never felt like mine. The Academy, with all its protocols and theories, just wasn’t for me. I wanted to be hands-on, to understand the ship from the inside out, to be in the middle of the action rather than observing from the bridge."

"But you were the proverbial 'black sheep', hm?" Katie said. "Did your siblings also go against the grain?"

His gaze returned to Katie, his expression more serious. "My siblings? They followed the expected route. My older brother, Tal, is a Commander in Security. My younger brother, Xander, has a Ph.D. in Physics and wears the Starfleet blue. And then there’s Nadirah, my little sister, who’s a Lieutenant Commander in command red. They all did exactly what was expected of them, and they’re damn good at it."

Katie felt the force of his words, and despite how heavy his tone, she heard the pride in it and gave him a warm smile.

Jadizon leaned back slightly, a smirk forming as he continued. "But when I told my father I was enlisting instead of going to the Academy, it wasn’t just about dodging his plan—it was about carving out my own path. I needed to prove, not just to him, but to myself, that I could make it on my own terms."

He chuckled, the smirk growing. "You should’ve seen his face. It wasn’t exactly a moment of fatherly pride, but it was the right choice for me. My siblings might have the ranks and the accolades, but I wouldn’t trade places with them for anything. I wanted to do things my way, and I did."

"I'm sure he's proud of you," Katie said. "For what it's worth, I empathize. I'm supposed to be back on the farm." She sighed and leaned against Jadizon a bit. "I can hear my father now. "Bah! Talia!" she said, her voice taking on the deeper, booming, German accent of her father. "Ze condenser is not verking again! Vy is Katie not here to reprogram it?" She punctuated her impersonation by pretending to smack the 'machine' in front of her. She gave a giggle and grinned at Jadizon. "When we told him we were applying to the Academy, he said....well a few words even I hadn't heard before," she said. "But then he moved past it and told us he loved us and our room would always be there if we came home."

She looked off at the horizon, in the direction of that home. "It's a nice place to live, here," she said. "But I do love being in space." She looked at him again. "And as a commissioned officer, I'm not exactly 'watching from the bridge,' she said. "We lower-deckers get our hands dirty too, you know." She gave him a playful nudge.

He listened intently as she spoke about her love for space and her mixed feelings about leaving the farm behind. When she nudged him and mentioned the "lower-deckers" getting their hands dirty too, his grin widened.

"Touché," Jadizon said, his tone playful. "I guess I’ve been a bit too focused on my own path. You’re right—being a commissioned officer doesn’t mean you’re just pushing buttons from the bridge. You’ve got your own battles to fight, just like the rest of us."

He looked out at the horizon, appreciating the peaceful scene. "I get it, though. Space has a way of calling to us, pulling us away from what’s comfortable, what’s expected. It’s where we find out what we’re really made of."

Turning back to her, his expression softened. "And Katie, for what it’s worth, I think we both made the right choice. We’re where we’re supposed to be, doing what we’re meant to do. Our fathers might have had different ideas, but I’d like to think they’re proud of us, even if they don’t always show it."

He gave her a gentle nudge back, matching her earlier gesture. "Besides, where else would you get to work with someone like me?" he added with a teasing smirk.

Katie grinned and turned her head towards him. "Probably aren't many--" she stopped as she realized how close they were and was staring right into his eyes, her lips having just brushed his. She paused and then closed her eyes, leaning in again.

Jadizon’s breath caught as Katie leaned in, her lips just barely brushing his. The sudden intimacy of the moment struck him, especially with the knowledge lingering in the back of his mind—he had been with her sister not too long ago. The complexity of the situation made him hesitate, but there was something undeniable in the way Katie looked at him, something that drew him in.

As she closed her eyes and leaned in again, Jadizon found himself leaning in too, closing the small gap between them. The kiss was brief, tentative, yet charged with an intensity that surprised him.

When they parted, he took a steadying breath, his mind swirling with thoughts. He looked at her, trying to reconcile the emotions stirring within him. "Katie…" he began, his voice quieter than usual, "that was… unexpected."

He paused, a faint smile tugging at his lips, but there was an unmistakable conflict in his eyes. He didn’t elaborate, leaving the moment hanging in the air, unsure of how to navigate what had just happened, given the recent past with her sister.

Katie grinned and shrugged. "Good," she said. "Nice to know I can surprise a Betazoid." She looked him in the eyes again and her smile faltered. "What's with the look?"

Jadizon met Katie's gaze, his smile fading as the reality of the situation set in. "What look?"

"The one on your face right now," she said. She looked him right in the eyes and it clicked. "This is about last night," she said. "About Kally."

Jadizon met her eyes, a slight smirk playing at the corner of his lips. "Yeah, it’s about Kally," he said, his tone confident. "I didn’t expect to be in this situation with you but here we are."

He leaned in slightly, his gaze steady. "I figured you should know, Katie. I’m not the type to beat around the bush, and I wanted to make sure everything’s out in the open before we take this any further."

Katie let out a genuinely amused laugh. "What, you think I didn't know? She came over to my quarters after she left yours and we had a talk. We tell each other everything, Jadizon. We learned a while back it was easier than failing miserably at keeping secrets. Especially since she has absolutely no guile." She gave him a wry smile. "So, don't worry about hurting my feelings, or hers. We're a bit more mature than that, and we will talk through things long before you can cause problems. We learned a long, long time ago never to fight over a boy, and we know how to share. Just make sure if you take me out, you treat me right, or she'll kick your ass." She giggled slightly.

She looked him right in the eyes again and leaned close. "So, as you were, Chief."

As she leaned in and gave him the go-ahead, he couldn’t help but grin. He said, his voice low and confident. "As you were, JG." Jadizon raised an eyebrow, his smirk turning a bit more mischievous. "So, if you and Kally are both okay with this," he began, his tone playful yet edged with curiosity, "why not take it a step further? Why not have both of you at the same time?"

He leaned back slightly, studying her reaction, the confidence never leaving his voice. "I mean, if there’s no issue between you two, seems like it could be… interesting." His eyes gleamed with a mix of amusement and intrigue, waiting to see how she would respond.

Katie's smile faltered and she got a slight frown. "Damnit," she said, sounding disappointed.

"Damnit?" he echoed, the cocky edge in his voice softening. "I’m guessing that wasn’t the answer you were looking for."

"You could say that," Katie said, disappointment in her voice. "Kally bet you would be the one to suggest it first. I bet it'd be her." She stood up and put her hands on her hips. "I hate losing a bet."

Jadizon couldn’t help but chuckle, a grin spreading across his face as he stood up to face her. "Well, I guess Kally knows me better than I thought," he said, shaking his head slightly. "Looks like I owe her one."

"Computer, arch," Katie said. When it appeared, she saved her modification history and ended the program, reverting the room back to the standard hologrid. She checked the computer, tilted her head curiously, checked it again, then smiled to herself, shaking her head. "Well?" she said, turning back to him.

When she turned back to him with that smile, he raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "Well, what?" he asked, stepping closer. "What did you find that’s got you smiling like that?"

His tone was light, playful, but there was a genuine curiosity in his eyes as he waited for her to fill him in.

"Are you going to be a gentleman and walk me to your quarters, or just expect me to find my way?" Katie said, folding her arms and giving him an expectant look.

Jadizon’s grin widened as he caught her expectant look. "A gentleman, huh?" he teased, closing the distance between them. "I wouldn’t dream of leaving you to find your own way."

He extended his arm in a mock-formal gesture, a playful glint in his eyes. "Shall we?" he asked, his voice taking on a slightly more serious tone as he prepared to lead her out of the holodeck. "I’ll make sure you get there safely, Katie. After all, I wouldn’t want to lose any more bets tonight."

Katie took his arm and despite the context of their banter, gave him a very sweet smile. "I won the one that matters," she said, standing on tiptoe and kissing his cheek.

She walked with him out of the holodeck and down the corridor towards the turbolift.

As the couple entered Jadizon's Quarters, Kally sat up from her reclined position in his bed, grinning at the unexpected company, without bothering to cover up. "About time you showed up," she said looking at Jadizon. "Thought you'd never get here."

"Well, he was busy being romantic," Katie said, sticking her tongue out. "You won the bet, by the way."

Kally lit up like Christmas had come early. "Even better!" she said, giggling.

Jadizon took in the scene, his surprise quickly turning into a wry grin. "Looks like I walked right into your plan," he said, glancing between Kally and Katie.

Leaning against the door frame, his smirk deepened. "So, what's the next move? I can tell you two have been scheming." His tone was light, but there was clear anticipation in his eyes.

"He is sure of himself, isn't he," Kally said as Katie sat down next to her.

"Yeah, but in a cute way," Katie said, kicking off her shoes. Neither of them whispered, deliberately teasing him. "And for the record?" she said, now addressing him directly, "I promise there was no scheming. At least not on my part."

"Although, I did tell you I'd be 'round tonight," Kally reminded him.

"And I was perfectly content kissing you on the holodeck," Katie said.

"Oh kissing, hm?" Kally said. "Knew that line about 'working on a project was just code." She gave Jadizon a smile and then nudged Katie. "He's good, right?"

"No complaints here," Katie said. "Although wondering why he isn't right now?" she gave him a look.

"He's hoping I go first," Kally said, teasingly.

"If you want to kiss him first, be my guest," Katie said.

"Didn't mean him," Kally said, leaning in and giving Katie a kiss. When they broke apart, Kally looked over at Jadizon. "Now stop standing there like a weirdo and come to bed."

Jadizon watched the playful exchange between the sisters, his confident smirk never wavering. The teasing banter between Kally and Katie was enough to amuse him, but the kiss they shared brought a new spark to the room.

"Well, you two certainly know how to keep things interesting," he remarked, pushing off from the doorframe. He couldn’t help but admire the chemistry between them, both with each other and with him.

As Kally gave him that final command, his grin widened. "Guess I better not keep you waiting then," he said, striding over to the bed, his tone playful yet full of intent. He joined them without hesitation, ready to fully embrace the night ahead.

Several hours later, Jadizon lay comfortably between Kally and Katie, their bodies snug against his. Kally had a leg still hooked over his, while Katie had a hand on his chest, feeling his heartbeat. The room was quiet, filled only with the sound of their steady breathing. With one arm around each of them, he stared up at the ceiling, a small, contented smile on his lips. It wasn’t how he’d pictured the night ending, but he wasn’t complaining. In the rare stillness, he savored the moment, simply enjoying their closeness.