Brandy Makes Everything Easier

Posted on Saturday February 16th, 2019 @ 11:29 hours by Mayterial Droz & Ares Onasis

Mission: Pixie Dust
Location: Mayterial's Quarters, Deck 1, S.S. Fawkes
Timeline: MD01 - 2330 Hours
3659 words - 7.3 OF Standard Post Measure

Ares let out a pleased sigh as she stepped in front of Mayterial’s quarters. She and Colt had completely lost track of time as they chatted non-stop over their dinner at the far corner, and somewhat secluded, table in the Mess Hall. Each time had gotten easier for her as she became numb to the distant childhood memories. It turned out that she and Colt had a lot in common: they both shared a love of firearms, food, and good old-fashioned shenanigans. The man didn’t pressure Ares to reveal anything she didn’t want to. It appeared he was keeping his own hands out of view as well. The longer they spoke, the better Ares was able to differentiate between the obedient Adam and the rambunctious Colt.

And now it was time to face the line of questioning from the Captain. She had owed Mayterial an explanation for her minor freak-outs that probably lessened her trust in the young woman’s abilities to work for her. Ares worked incredibly well under pressure but the demons showing their faces knocked her around a bit.

She pressed the door chime then leaned herself against the door frame before being let in.

Mayterial had finished her exercise and took a quick shower before retiring back to her quarters and laying herself down on the couch. She was going over the latest scans provided by the bridge crew on the expected turbulence ahead. It all seemed quite calm ahead. She was glad they had made the right decision. The chime rang, she looked at her casual attire, sweatpants and a tanktop. Simple and comfortable. She figured it could only be one of three people seeking her out at this moment, "Enter"

Ares slid around the door frame and into the small yet comfortable quarters. "Up for a chat, Droz? Preferably with words?" She gave her a smirk to follow the rather dry joke.

Mayterial slid her legs off the couch and sat up straight before tossing the padd over to the table in front of her, "Always up for some juicy gossip." She lived on the creed of information is power. "First allow me to apologise properly for invading your thoughts." She got up from the couch and headed for the cabinet that held her liquor.

Ares brushed off the apology with a quick wave as she plopped down and leaned back into the couch, kicking her boots off before crossing her legs in front of her. “Innocent intentions. Just warn me next time.” She chuckled lightly as the watched the woman dig through the cabinet. “I had a brief moment of insanity.” After conversing with Colt she was on a roll with being a bit more willing to open up to the people she found she could relate to.

"I'm hoping there won't be a need for next time." May admitted, her bare feet patting across the cold metal floor as she made her way back to the couch with a bottle of brandy and two glasses. "So. Let's start at the beginning. Who's this Colt person to you?" She poured the two glasses and offered one to Ares.

Ares kept her eyes on the glass as she took it and rested it gently on her ankles. “Actually,” she started off hesitantly, clearing her throat slightly before she began the brief synopsis of the soap opera that was her life, “Colt isn’t really anything. You remember how I mentioned he was a spitting image of someone I lost?” She reached into her pocket and took out the simple silver ring to show Mayterial. “My fiancé, or I guess technically I hadn’t said yes to him, died last year. So, seeing Colt kind of rocked my world. Voice, look, build…” Ares took a long pull from her glass.

Mayterial slowly nodded, that seemed like an awful coincidence, "law of large numbers I guess." she mused to herself, pulling one of her feet on the couch as well, subtly mirroring Ares' body language, hoping it would help put her at ease. She took a swig of the brandy herself, "So you had a good long talk with this Colt guy?"

Ares gave her a firm nod. “Turns out we have a lot in common.” She raised her eyebrow at Mayterial, noting the somewhat protective nature of the woman. “And he wasn’t trying to butter me up if that’s what you’re worried about. Just two people talking. I haven’t had that since… well, Adam.” Letting out a quick breath, Ares felt a slightly goofy grin forming on her lips. She never imagined being at a point like this where she was actually a little happy with her present conditions.

"I'm not worried." Mayterial took another sip of her glass, she still wasn't sure it was a coincidence. But in a quadrant as large and populated as this, these things happened, "How did you meet Adam?" It seemed like there was still a lot of unresolved hurt when it came to Ares' fiancé, she kind of knew the feeling and wanted to give her quartermaster the chance to get it off her chest.

Letting out a long sigh, Ares realized this was probably part of her background check. She had shown emotional vulnerability in front of the Captain (something that never happened) and she had to almost prove to both Mayterial and herself that she was the strong and stoic woman she was infamous for. The woman slipped into a detached state of mind to separate herself from the memories. “Adam was a police officer. He was recruiting across Earth and found me in Greece making trouble for the local authorities when I was 16. He took me under his wing and helped me get early acceptance into the Federation Police Academy. Everything I know about being a police officer I learned from him.”

"When did the relationship evolve beyond the professional?" May's question didn't show any judgement, she seemed genuinely interested in this part of Ares' life. She slowly rolled the liquid in her glass around, releasing some of the smells and giving a satisfying feeling in her hand.

Ares dropped her eyes to her glass that was held as steady as it could be given what she was talking about. She finally picked them back up to get a good read of Mayterial’s face. “I guess you could say it never really was just professional. But to answer your question it was the day I was offered my place in the Police Academy. I immediately went over to his house and when I told him it was like,” she paused, feeling her voice become heavy with the sadness of never being able to see that look again, “I had made him the happiest person in the quadrant. He picked me up and I kissed him on the cheek to thank him for everything and our eyes just locked…” She couldn’t help but smirk, “and that was it. We kept everything secret, of course. I knew I wanted him to be my partner once I got out of the Academy. I didn’t trust anyone else with my life except him.” It was strange actually talking about this with someone. “I hope you realize no one else knows about this…”

"There's only one person whose business this is." Mayterial had no intention to use this information against her new quartermaster in any way, but one never knew what the future brought. "What was it like? The relationship?" She had never really ventured out into a real relationship, the closest she had gotten was with Meghan and it turned out that she was screwing her over royally behind her back, in the worst possible way. She needed to know if it felt the same way. If she'd had that with Meghan and lost it somewhere along the way, or if it had never been there in the first place. She knew Ares was not the person to ask, but she was all May had at the moment.

Ares had to actually think about it. Everything was just so natural between her and Adam and no one knew what their relationship truly entailed. She never had to put her feelings into words. It just wasn't necessary. Taking another rather long pull from her glass she finally understood the term 'liquid courage'. She let out a chuckle at the difficulty she was having in even forming a sentence. She was almost afraid to talk about it out of shame of letting her true emotions show. "Ummm, I guess I can't really describe it. And maybe that’s what makes it so awesome. Adam was my Ride or Die. I could be at my worst, just dirty and broken and he would be there to put me back together. He would look at me like nothing else around us mattered. We could be lost in some desert but as long as we were by each other’s side we would make-” Her voice cracked, choking on the rest of her sentence. The truth was they didn’t make it. She had failed to protect him like he protected her ever since they met. She was paying for it dearly.

May reached out with her free hand and ran it along Ares' upper arm, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to pry." She did mean to pry, this was what she always did. Dig, dig deep, get everything out and then find the strings to pull, the buttons to push, "I've never had anything as you had. For me it's always been manipulations, getting the edge on someone, shake 'em down for all they got." She realised now more than ever that what she had with Meghan had never truly been a relationship on equal footing. Neither of them had been willing to take a bullet, or the fall, for anything the other did. It worked. It sparked. Sometimes it exploded, usually to the detriment of their crew. But at the end of the day they had always been in the same bed. May's eyes wandered over to the king-sized monstrosity taking up most of her quarter's real estate. She should really get a wall panel installed.

Ares looked down at the woman's hand as she listened to her words. Manipulations... getting the edge... shake 'em down... Mayterial had broken into her mind earlier with such ease... She was being pushed into a vulnerable position by the Captain. She had fallen for a game she had played so often before. Ares just snapped. With her jaw tightened to hide the humiliation, she grabbed a hold of Mayterial's hand, placing the palm on the top it and slipping her thumb underneath to secure it in her grasp and bent it back sharply, only pushing slightly to pass on her subtle message: don't touch me. "Getting a little ahead of yourself there, Droz. I'm not buying." Her voice was quiet with a bit of bite.

With a loud wince Mayterial pulled her hand back and immediately she frowned, "Auw. Sorry. I apologise. You looked like you needed a little comforting." She put up her hands in surrender. Quickly analysing the conversation they had she realised what this might have looked like to Ares, "I didn't mean anything by it. I just wanted..." She felt her breath and her words getting stuck in her throat and her head hung. This is what she got for opening up and trying to be a friend, "No matter how hard we tell ourselves, we can't do this alone." She looked back up and locked eyes with Ares.

"Can't?" Ares asked with a bit of cynicism. "Or aren't willing to?" With a bit of heat in her eyes she down the rest of her glass and refilled it rather forcefully. If the Captain was going to try to make a move on her, or do whatever it was she was trying to do, at least she was going to get free alcohol out of it. "You relied on someone, Droz, and look where it got you: alone and broke and stuck with a bunch of people who have no idea what they're doing. I relied on someone and look where it got me: alone and lost and broke." She stopped, remembering the words she used on Mayterial to secure her place on the ship: 'We'd help each other out.' Ares was just having a tough time dealing with the idea of her trusting anyone completely again and was falling into poor habits again. "We have a business deal, Droz. Don't let your feelings muddy your vision."

"Don't take this for something it isn't, Miss Onasis." Mayterial's exterior now hardened as well, "If it hadn't been for me you'd still be on Starbase 72, feeling sorry for yourself. Knowing the type of person you are probably sleeping around with people."

The comment sent a jolt through Ares's arm and, like a reflex when her ego was bruised, the back of her hand smacked Mayterial across her cheek. The snap of the impact against her skin silenced the air around them and could've been heard out in the hallway. Ares was a fighter and quick to defend herself against those who strike her down. She always fights back. Her breath became heavy as her eyes never wavered from Mayterial's face. She didn't have to speak. Her back-hand spoke for her.

A moment of shock, a thousand thoughts went through May's head, she probably pushed it a too far, a little too close to home. There was some pride in her as well for having pegged Ares for what she was. Her expression softened, "If it weren't for any of you I wouldn't have gotten the Fawkes back into warp for another six years." She shook her head and took a sip of the brandy to dull the pain in her cheek, "both of us are very much willing and able to be unhappy on our own and wallow in self-pity. Sabotage the one good thing we've got going." Her eyes locked with Ares, "That's not why we're here. That's not why I brought you on board. That's not why you joined me." She needed this woman to be on top of her emotions, and on top of her game, at least until they got to Langley. Then she could throw her out and find a capable quartermaster, "People like us, we see potential, we see past the veneer, past the hard assery." She rubbed her cheek a bit to make the tingling sensation go away, "So let's not make this into a pissing contest. We're better than that." She raised her glass, "Truce?"

Ares raised her eyebrow slightly at Mayterial. The woman took the impact like a champ. No sudden outburst of tears, no screaming or punch back. She dished out venom but was able to receive it. Her observation had been uncalled for and she hoped this showed her that Ares was no one to mess with. There was no trust between them, but Mayterial was right: they needed each other to make it to their destination. Raising her glass nonchalantly, Ares clinked it against the Captain's, giving her a sly smirk. They both knew they were walking on thin ice with each other. "Truce."

"Somehow this wasn't how I'd imagined this night to go down." Mayterial faked a nervous laugh hoping to put Ares back at ease a bit, "I didn't know they taught pimp slaps in the police academy." she wiggled her jaw to see if she still had the full range of motion. She's probably have to give Ami another visit tomorrow.

Ares lips twitched up a bit. "They don't." She took a long and slow drink to savor the taste of the brandy. It was going to be the last time she would get any for free. "And somehow I didn't imagine meeting someone that looks like my dead fiancé. Life is crazy like that sometimes."

Life sure was crazy sometimes. May never imagined having an entirely new crew, cruising through the Alpha Quadrant for scraps to rebuild a broken reputation. She hoped that it was with people like Ares, who had a history with the Federation police force, they'd get a bit of credibility back. After this encounter she wasn't sure about any of that anymore. The only thing she knew for sure at the moment was that she needed another drink. She poured herself another glass, and offered the Quartermaster a refill, "Do you think there's people walking around out there with our faces?"

“Why would they want to be us?” Ares chuckled as she stretched her glass out in a silent request for a refill. “We are alone, have no money, have arrest records, and live on a ship that can only be compared to a dump truck.” Her lips smirked as she kept her eyes on the liquid being poured into her glass. “The only thing we have going for us is our stunning good looks. Even that goes with age.”

Mayterial couldn't help but crack a smile at that short analysis of their lives, "Only about ninety percent of that is true." She wanted to diminish the bleak view but couldn't help but realise that Ares was, of course, spot on. She shook her head again, "It doesn't matter though. We may be down, but we're not out."

Ares raised her eyebrow as she took a drink from her glass. “You always look on the bright side when you’re drunk?” She couldn’t quite wrap her finger around the concept of Mayterial. She had believed they were of similar background and personalities, but it turned out the Captain had a much more laid back way of seeing and doing things than Ares’s fiery spirit did. Ares had hit her straight across the face and she was still sitting across from her having some more alcohol. This was the first time Ares had ever questioned herself and her ability to maintain the upper hand in a situation. Her sexuality wouldn’t even gain her favor. It would be obviously faked due to their conversation. So she bit her tongue, kept her comments brief, and tried to push the attention onto Mayterial’s life.

"It's not so much to do with the bright side." Mayterial took another careful sip, she needed to remind herself that pacing was important when drinking this Saurian stuff. She didn't want to lower her guard too much around Ares, especially after being slapped around, "It has to do with perseverance." She took another sip, "I am the captain of this vessel. I will always be the captain of this vessel." She looked around the room and couldn't help but feel pride, "That's the only truth I know in this universe."

"You weren't always in charge, though," Ares began prodding. "The court case... what happened?"

Mayterial her eyes narrowed, it was half a year ago now but it still hurt like it was yesterday. "We were stopped in port, I wasn't worried because I had shot down any ideas about smuggling activities over a year before. It didn't take them more than half an hour before a crate came out that I had never seen before." She shook her head a bit, taking another sip and feeling that pang of betrayal again, "It all happened so fast. We got arrested. Seperated. Interrogated for days on end." Her gaze drifted off and her eyes glossed over, "I had no idea. Couldn't give them anything. They took me to trial anyway."

Ares let out an amused scoff. She completely related to that. Except she had been ignorant of the investigation on her and the person who had ratted on her. “Doesn’t matter if you had a clue or not. If you’re there, you’re guilty. Innocent until proven guilty is a myth, believe me. Guilty until proven innocent.” She paused, finishing off another drink, feeling her voice become heavy with the alcohol. “Trust no bitch.”

With a snort and a chortle Mayterial was just able to keep her sip in when that comment came out. There was still a small part of her that baulked at someone calling Meghan a bitch, even in these general terms, but the suddenness of this far outweighed it, "I'll drink to that" She finished her drink and looked over at the chronometer, "I think we should call it a night. Early days tomorrow."

Well, that was quick… Ares raised her eyebrow slightly. “Yes, of course, Droz.” She understood. She had overstayed her welcome. The alcohol had numbed the doubt she had about her place with Mayterial, and she surely was full of alcohol. She was going to have a long sleepless night. She downed the remains of her current drink and placed the glass on the table. “Thank you for the drinks. It was… endiaféron, interesting to say the least.” She stood up, her feet stumbling slightly to grip themselves against the ground. Ares placed her hands up to steady herself, then gave Mayterial a not-so-confident confident nod. “Goodnight, Captain. I will see you in the morning.” That is, if Ares hadn’t been tossed off at the nearest port with her minimal possessions thrown next to her.

When the doors closed behind Ares Mayterial let out a long sigh. This had not gone how she had expected it to go. She was looking for an ally among this entire crew of strangers and was saddened that it couldn't be Ares. She hung back in the couch and closed her eyes for a moment, the world spinning outside of her eye-lids. This was going to be a long road to Langley.

[OFF]

Mayterial Droz
Captain

&

Ares Onasis
Quartermaster

"I have mixed drinks about feelings"