hormonal imbalance

[warpfairy]

They study Klingon. They work out a sleep schedule. They approach Betazed.

They are two days away from the system when Isabella notices something - troubling.

She takes longer than usual to compose herself that morning, and emerges from the living quarters with carefully measured steps, and avoids eye contact.

"Do you," she asks Lalita quietly, "have the ability to fly this class of ship?"

Comments

[dream_me_up]

"Different things, depending. Right now it means that I wouldn't have to have one just to make my everyday life convenient. I could get most of the same things out of living with you, in mostly the same ways, whether I officially existed or not."

[warpfairy]

"That's true. If you give the Harlequin to a museum you won't need the identity to keep your ship registered either."

[dream_me_up]

"See? And if something else comes up, well, then it comes up. I can always start existing again."

[warpfairy]

"What's the procedure for that like?"

[dream_me_up]

"Mostly, I make the old name disappear as much as I can and start using the new one. Sometimes I invent records; sometimes I just let the new paper trail speak for itself. The methods tend to change over the years."

[warpfairy]

"What was your original name?"

[dream_me_up]

"There was a first thing I was called, but it wasn't a name and I don't like it," he says.

[warpfairy]

"...Oh?"

[dream_me_up]

"What part of that do you want me to elaborate on?"

[warpfairy]

"Any of it you're disposed to."

[dream_me_up]

He thinks about this for a little while.

Then he says, "The people who made me didn't think of me as a person. I probably would've hated anything they called me, but the fact that it was essentially a model number makes it that much worse."

[warpfairy]

"I'm sorry."

[dream_me_up]

He shrugs.

"Thanks, I guess."

[warpfairy]

Isabella reaches out and puts her hand on his arm.

[dream_me_up]

He puts his hand over hers and smiles softly.

[warpfairy]

"I have been known to experience mixed feelings about my parentage, but - nothing comparable."

[dream_me_up]

"Yeah," he says with a quirk of a smile, squeezing her hand gently. "You had parents, for one thing."

[warpfairy]

"Who loved me. And gave me names, one each." She squeezes back.

[dream_me_up]

"I like your names," he says, and he picks up her hand and kisses it.

[warpfairy]

She smiles. "I do too. I default to Isabella, but among Vulcans or anyone who might be more cooperative in some way if I present Vulcan, I go by T'Mir."

[dream_me_up]

He smiles back, nuzzles his cheek against her hand for a moment, and then kisses it again.

[warpfairy]

She smiles and squirms just a little. These chairs don't roll, but they do swivel; she turns hers towards him.

[dream_me_up]

Lalita gets up out of his, and stands in front of her, and leans down and kisses her on the cheek.

[warpfairy]

Ooh, kisses. There should be more kisses. Isabella crosses her wrists behind his neck and increments kisses.

[dream_me_up]

Kisses! He approves of kisses. Mmmmmmmmm.