Dress to Impress

Posted on Mon Jun 21st, 2021 @ 3:31pm by Jerant van Rijn & Lieutenant Xavier Leiko

Mission: By Artemis' Bow
Location: Mess Hall
Timeline: Set right after 'Jump'
2648 words - 5.3 OF Standard Post Measure

Jerant had pondered on Xavier's departing comment, not quite sure what it was supposed to mean. He'd sprinted back to his own quarters, taken a quick sonic shower and then spent a minute or two in front of his sparse wardrobe. Ultimately, he chose an earth-tone outfit with dark brown pants and redbrown shirt after changing a few times. "Dress to impress, what is that supposed to mean?" he wondered out loud as he departed his quarters.

Just a few seconds shy of the agreed ten minutes, he walked into the mess, eyes scanning the room for his 'date'.

Xavier mused over the turn of events the day had taken. He had joined a holodeck programme to take his mind off things and now he was going on a date. Was it a date? There was definitely some flirting, but dinner in the mess didn't necessarily say date, did it? Xavier wasn't so sure why he was so confused, he had asked Jerant afterall, so what were his intentions? Did he even know anymore? He had spent the last few weeks so hung up on Ari, as if they had recently split up. In reality they hadn't been together for years, so why did he feel so guilty?

Xavier forced himself to take a deep breath as he pulled on his clothes. He had decided to wear a black v-neck t-shirt, grey jacket, and dark fitted jeans. He was going for a semi casual look; smart enough for a date but also fitting for drinks with a friend. That was how he was going to think of tonight, food with a friend, then he wouldn't be disappointed if nothing sparked between the two. He walked into the mess just a few seconds after Jerant. He tapped the man on the back, he was clearly looking for Xavier, "lost something?"

Jerant turned and beamed at the man. "My, you clean up nice," he smiled, "now I wish I'd had put on a jacket too, but they're so not my thing." He sized the man up, then gestured towards a vacant table by the windows. "Shall we, before that spot is taken?" He did his best not to read the man, even if among Betazoids it was perfectly acceptable insofar he was taught by his mother. He tilted his head a fraction as he waited for Xavier to respond, the linguist in him easily reading the body language even if he avoided to read the emanating feelings. He did look relaxed enough even though there was an air of uncertainty about him. "What would you like to drink?"

"Let's," Xavier responded as the two headed toward the table Jerant had pointed out. He could feel that the other Betazoid wasn't probing his mind, and for some reason Xavier was grateful of this. It was the longest time he had spent with another Betazoid without 'probing' each other, it was just the norm for his people. But for some reason Xavier wanted his privacy right now, maybe it was because his head was abit of a mess. Truth was, it had been a mess ever since he had returned from shore leave. Ari's bombshell had left a lasting impression on him. Damn, maybe his mother was right, he was more Human than Betazoid.

"I'll have a cloudy lemonade," Xavier said after some thought. He didn't want to cloud his judgment tonight with alcohol, even though a little booze might help him relax a bit more. "I don't think I've recovered from the holodeck yet," he joked.

Jerant flagged one of the waiters and ordered two drinks, the lemonade for Xavier and tea for himself. "What do you mean you haven't recovered, you weren't hurt were you?" Jerant turned to size his companion up, as if to check him for injuries that hadn't been noticed before. He'd feel terribly guilty if for some reason he had gotten hurt, and he hadn't noticed. Since he was trying not to read the man, the joke was lost on him despite his linguistic skills.

"No, no, I'm not hurt," Xavier said reassuring the man. "I'm just not used to using my core strength like that, it takes some getting used to," he said as he ran his hand across his flat stomach.

"Yes, that could use some training," Jerant chuckled, resisting the urge to playfully slap his stomach, "but I'm glad you're not hurt. You'll probably be sore later though, if you're not used to this. The holodeck does provide with some programs for relaxation and massages, unless you have a tub of your own?" Though he was pretty sure a lieutenant didn't rate a tub.

"A tub?" Xavier asked with an eyebrow raised.

"You know... a bathtub," Jerant clarified, "you're not telling me you don't know what a bathtub is, do you?"

Xavier slapped his hand on his forehead and laughed. "Ohhh, well yeah I know what one of those are," he said between fits of laughter, "I just haven't seen one in a while, not exactly standard issue on starships. In fact the only person I know who bathes is my mother and I'm sure she only did that to get away from us kids. Do you have a 'tub'?"

"You're joking right?" Jerant shook his head as he laughed. "I'm a civilian, I definitely don't rate one. I use one on the holodeck on occasion, but that's it. We did have one growing up and I remember Savin hating it whenever he stayed over with us." He chuckled. "I've known him since I was ten years old, he's practically a brother to me."

"You two seem really close, have you always been his aide?" Xavier asked as the waiter appeared with their drinks.

"Pretty much. He needs me to help with communication in groups, or when it's essential that he doesn't miss anything." He chuckled. "That does give some hilarious situations sometimes. I usually sign, but I can use telepathy too as he's a telepath as well. I can tell you all this but maybe you should meet with him yourself some time. If you can stand counselors that is." Jerant seemed reluctant to share just why exactly his best friend actually needed an aide.

"Oh I've met him," Xavier said as he remembered their adventure in the secondary engineering room. "He stopped Lieutenant Keating beating me to death whilst we were in nightmare space." Xavier took a sip of his drink, as he pondered his next question. He didn't want it to come across as though he was interviewing the Betazoid, or interrogating him either. "Forgive me if this sounds rude but is being a interpreter something you always wanted to do or something you fell into?"

"I've always had an aptitude for language," Jerant answered, "and so when a ten year old boy needed help with communication, and I needed help with my early onset of telepathy, it was the natural thing to do. So, I guess it's a bit of both? I'm actually formally assigned to Savin as interpreter, but it does help we're close friends." He paused. "What about you? Have you always wanted to be in operations?"

Xavier thought about his answer for a while. "I've always wanted to work on ships," he said after some consideration. "I used to help my dad fix up old shuttlecrafts and found I had a natural talent for it. To be honest, I thought that I would end up in engineering, but turns out I was better suited to starship operations," he shrugged. "Luckily, I love what I do and get to now fix starships and travel the stars, what more could a guy want?"

"Well, a family at some point would be nice," Jerant mused, "if only to get the mother out of my hair. I'm just grateful she isn't pushing every available girl at me, like some Betazoid mothers seem to do. Nor any available man, for that matter, at least she seems to accept that part of me. Again, unlike some mothers that I've seen."

"You'd think in this day and age it wouldn't be a problem," Xavier said as he took a sip of his drink,"but I know for some species and families it is. Crazy," he added more to himself than to the man opposite him. "I still don't know if I want kids. Maybe one day, but I'd hate to raise them on a starship and I'm not ready to give up my commision just yet. Not that I'm implying... me and you..." he added in a horrified voice.

"I'm just glad mom's a bit relaxed about it, I've heard from friends back home that some Betazoid mothers get all matriarchial and decide who their son is to marry and he better comply or face consequences." Jerant smiled in understanding at the horrified expression. "And as far as kids go, I'd love a child of my own at some point but I also realize that might prove to be difficult. Last I checked, men still don't get pregnant. But I'd be okay with adopting, there's plenty of orphans in the universe that'd need a loving home, right? Doesn't even have to be a baby, but that would have my preference if I'm honest. Not yet but you know, down the line?" He grinned. "And I know you didn't mean to imply a me and you, but who knows right?"

Jerant sipped his own drink, studying the man across from him. "After all, you were the one who suggested I 'dress to impress'," he added quietly.

Xavier was a little taken aback, Jerant had a good point Xavier did say that but did that mean he wanted his life mapped out for him. At this point they were just talking in the hypothetical right? Right? He had to admit that the guy was good looking, if not a little intense at times. "I did," Xavier said feigning a confidence he wasn't quite sure he truly felt right now. "Can't have an untidy date can we?" The word was out before he could stop himself, but once it was out there, Xavier found that he didn't regret it, much.

"Ah, is that what this is," Jerant smiled, sensing the unease. "Don't worry, I don't bite," he promised, "and I haven't had a date in a very long time. We're just having drinks, aren't we? No expectations, I promise."

Xavier wanted to punch himself in the head. He wasn't normally like it, he normally knew what he wanted and just went for it, whether that was a date or a one night stand, or plain and simple fun. Everything became more complicated after shore leave, he wasn't quite sure if he was doing things for himself or doing it cause he didn't want to think about Ari. It was almost as though he couldn't trust his own feelings and emotions, this would be hard for anyone, but for a Betazoid... it was like losing a limb.

"No I didn't expect there would be," Xavier said. "I'm sorry I'm just a bit all over the place at the moment, I'm usually more together than this, I promise."

"Howso?" Jerant arched an eyebrow at him in very Vulcan-like fashion. "I can sense the turmoil in you, but I don't understand it. I could read you but I won't..." He sipped his drink, watching his companion over the brim of his glass. "You do seem a little tense to me," he added, setting the glass back down. Perks of being in the company of a linguist who was skilled at sign language and thus, body language. "What can I do to help you relax?"

Turmoil...Jerant had hit the nail on the head there. Xavier took a sip of his drink, but did this as slowly as he could get away with giving him time to plan what he wanted to say. He could open up his mind and let the information and feelings flow, but he imagined that talking about it, saying the words out loud, would help him.

"Have you ever been in love?" Xavier asked when he finally returned the empty glass onto the table. "I've only ever loved one guy," he continued without waiting for Jerant's reply. "We dated for years and if it wasn't for our careers we would probably still be together. Anyways, he's recently got into a serious relationship with someone, it's one of those relationships where you know it's gonna go the distance, one of those relationships that turns what you had into a footnote, instead of the chapter or even the happy ending you always hoped it would be. What's crazy is that we haven't been together for years and we've both seen other people since then so I don't know why this has hit me so hard? But it has. I want to move on, I want my own new chapter, it's just hard at the moment, you know?"

Xavier looked up, only just realising that he had been staring at his empty glass this entire time. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't be burdening you with all this, especially on a date."

The other Betazoid nodded in understanding. "Unrecruited love," he confessed, finding a sudden interest in his glass. "I had feelings for Savin and he told me quite plainly that he would never return them. It stung of course, but it's better this way. Other than that, I uhm.... have never been in a relationship before." His cheeks flushed a little at that confession. "Maybe it just stings that he moved on, and you haven't?" he then asked, out of curiosity. "Either that or you just haven't found the right person yet."

Xavier felt a pang of pity for the man sat opposite from him. He had been turned down for one night stands, or by guys that didn't really matter to him. However, he had never told someone he loved them and not heard it back. He tried to imagine how that would feel. He imagined it wouldn't be pleasant at all, but also, in a strange kind of way, a bit empowering. Knowing you had the strength to be that honest with another person, knowing the risks, it took guts.

"It sounds like you haven't met the right person yet either," Xavier half stated, half asked. "I'm not sure if I could still stay close to Savin if I were you, it can't have been easy?"

"It wasn't for a while, but he knew something was going on and when he got hurt..." Jerant shrugged, "it just spilled I guess. We're not in the habit of reading each other's mind just like that, but we do communicate telepathically quite frequently. He'll always be my best friend, my surrogate brother, that's what makes it easier. We did grow up together." He paused, picking up his glass again, only to find it empty of contents. "I'm sure the right person will present himself at some point," he reasoned, tilting his head a fraction. "Right?"

Xavier gulped, was this a proposition? "I believe in a universe this big and vast there is someone for everyone. I don't believe in soulmates, not really, but I do believe that someone is waiting for you in the cosmos. Until then, you can have all the fun in the world," he added lightheartedly in an attempt to change the tone of the conversation.

Jerant nodded in approval. "I do believe in soulmates but I also think that it's quite a feat if you find him or her. That's rare, I reckon. But yes fun is good, and important." He gave his empty glass another sad look. "Want another drink?" he asked as he showed his own empty glass, "maybe a snack to go with it?"

"Let's" Xavier said, finding himself having a good time.