ON: Scorpio Base, about 17:00
Biiin boon
The door chime called Tom from the kitchen.
Tom Freeman was busy at work in the living quarter's kitchen, having a few small pots and pans at work on the small stove that rested in front of him. The area around the Yamataian was a little bit of a mess, with a variety of vegetables, some meats and a little rice and fish on the side. Luckily, these items were strategically hidden behind the dividing wall that separated the kitchen from the tiny eating area next to it. When he heard the doorbell, Tom moved quickly to answer it.
There Suzuka Yukari stood in the doorway, looking about as shy and reserved as she usually did. She wore a skirt uniform with grey panels on top, lap pocket easily holding her datapad and her arms bare from below her shoulders to above her wrists. She kept her hands in front of her, smiling as he opened the door.
Tom could notice something was not quite the same, however. Her hair was shorter, for instance, kept in a slightly smaller bun than before. Her eyes were still an intense green, but otherwise, she looked normal. "Good evening, Freeman-Heisho," Yukari said.
"Good evening, Yukari-Chui," Tom replied with a bow. The Yamataian had changed out of his military suit and into a pair of slacks and a slightly poofy black sweater. "You look very nice this evening, ma'am. I like what you did with your hair." He motioned into the room. "Please, come in."
Yukari blushed; she'd not been complimented on her hair before. She bowed a little in return and stepped inside. "I like your sweater," she said awkwardly, but with a smile.
He smiled politely, sensing his companion's shyness. "Thank you very much. Please, take a seat at the table. I've set it up for us." The circular table near the kitchen had a white cloth draped over it and silverwear set, as well as two glasses at each plate. In the center of the table was a small vase with a collection of flowers in it.
Yukari blushed even more. Though it was not, in truth, too much, she had never received such treatment. She could see the care put into the arrangement. "Thank you," she said quietly and went to the table. As she drew the seat back, she winced; she'd pulled on it too fast and it had scraped some. "Aheh," she said neverously before sitting down.
"It's not my chair, no worries." Tom said as he walked by her and to the entryway of the kitchen. He leaned against the door, turned to face her. "So, ma'am. Did you have any preferences as to what you wanted to eat?"
"Ah, no," she said, slipping into Japanese briefly. "You are the chef -- I trust you completely."
"Thanks," Tom replied. "It's kind of a relief because I made a bit of everything, to be safe. Omachi kudasai, Yukari-sama."
He dissappeared into the kitchen.
Yukari blinked, barely believing the words she'd just heard. "Ah, Freeman-Heisho -- " And then he was gone. She rubbed her upper arms and looked about his quarters. Even petty officers and soldiers were treated well on the base, it seemed.
A few moments later, Tom returned with a small set of Onigiri on a white plate in one hand and a small salad in the next. "I haven't prepared this much before, so I hope it's acceptable. It's tuna and shrimp Onigiri as an appetizer and a ginger salad to complement it. What would you like to drink?"
Yukari blinked. Tuna and shrimp onigiri? That sounded too much like "tenshi no tabemono," the food of heaven. Had she even made it out of the procedure? The auroma was wonderful. "Ah -- tea?"
Tom snapped his fingers with a smile. "I knew that too! I prepared some green tea." He again returned with two cups of hot green tea and placed them on the table. "It's nothing special, ma'am. Just something from storage." He sat down opposite of her.
Yukari smiled at the food. "Itadakimasu," she said with a little bow. Chopsticks in hand, she grinned and took one of the onigiri onto her plate. She broke it up a little bit, not feeling quite so famished as to simply devour it from her hands. One bite resulted in her "mmmmmmming."
"Freeman-Heisho ... this is wonderful."
"Oh shucks, you flatter me. And please, you don't need to be so formal. A simple Tom is fine." Tom looked over the food. "Healthy appetite for a healthy life. Like the animals of the land, so must we adequately nourish ourselves for the coming winter." With that, he followed up with a bite of a tuna onigiri.
"Ah, yes!" Yukari nodded in agreement. If healthy living in Ralt meant eating like this, she was all for it. The onigiri on her plate was gone; her tea down to half the cup in a gulp. She tried the shrimp next, and felt even better -- it was just plain enough.
"More tea, Yukari?" Tom got up and grabbed the pot that contained the liquid.
"Ah -- yes please," she said in Japanese. She nearly choked on another piece of onigiri, but she managed to gulp it down first. "Ketsurui-Taii had warned me of butter ... but this is quite nice!" Two onigiri down, she started on some salad.
"I learned a bit from the last time I prepared a meal," Tom said as he poured more tea into Yukari's cup. "It seems that Yamataian tastes are quite varied."
"Lots of food for lots of enjoyment, I think." Yukari managed a cheerful smile as she tasted the salad. The ginger added a sharpness to it, but it wasn't half bad.
"Agreed!" Tom sat down and nibbled away at his onigiri and salad. "Is everything ok?"
"Delicious," she said between bites. Without koi chips in her stomach, Yukari was famished. She didn't manage much discussion before the appettizers were gone.
Tom as well had finished most of the light food that served as a start to the meal. He picked up on her hunger and added, with a wink. "Time for the main course?"
"As the chef commands," Yukari said with a grin.
"Sure thing. Give me one moment." Tom grabbed the two plates off the table and disappeared into the kitchen once more. After a few moments, he once again returned, the plates full. "Grilled chicken with lemon seasoning, accompanied by a lightly buttered vegetable melody, made with care for the healthy eater." He placed it down gently in front of Yukari.
" ... " Yukari was speechless. It smelled delicious. Far better than anything she'd had the chance to eat before. Her cooking paled in comparison. " ... Tom ... this is wonderful!" she breathed. There was little else she could say. She prayed over the food again, but waited for Tom to sit down. "This is too much for me?"
Tom was happy to see her so thrilled. He grinned. "I could say something romantically lame like 'nothing is too much for a pretty lady such as yourself,' but wouldn't that be so cliche?" Tom winked at her. "But I'll say it anyway."
The blush across Yukari's nose was unavoidable. "Flattery," she said simply, looking at her plate. "From a junior officer, no less. I feel unclean." She looked up at Tom, but she was grinning a little.
"Oh, so you heard? I hadn't even put the pin on yet." Tom leaned back in his chair. He ate some of his chicken.
Yukari cut off a bite for herself -- just as she had anticipated. He'd cooked the chicken just so. Eating on the Miharu would not be so bad after all. "Ketsurui-Taii is the commanding officer, I the executive. She does tell me things."
"I figured as much," Tom said with a shrug. "But that's boring talk." His eyes lit up. "Tell me about yourself!"
"So forward!" Yukari smiled, tasting the veggies. "You know there is little to tell. I want to know more about the North lands -- they are much more interesting than me. What was the coldest it has ever been?"
"Ah..." Tom sighed a bit, brushing his spiky yellow hair. "We don't really measure temperatures that often--I mean the townfolk in their everyday lives. But if I could guess, I'd say cold enough to kill a fellow twice over."
" ... " Yukari shook her head, smiling. "Amazing. Nekovalkyrja could hardly stand such temperatures ... not in the same way."
"Well, you tend to learn a few things about cold survival when every day tends to be just like the other," Tom said matter-of-factly. "Mainly, lots of layers of clothing."
"I bet it is fashionable." She giggled at her own little joke. "What is done for fun?"
"Fun, now there's an interesting word. Well, we usually had to make our own fun, so what was called 'fun' really was anything anyone enjoyed doing." Tom thought a moment, having paused with a bit of chicken hanging on his fork. "Playing in the snow, trying to spook animals, playing hide-and-seek, drinking in the tavern, those kinds of things. Although we always made sure to stay within town borders when darkness came."
Yukari smiled, focusing on her veggies. "What is a tavern like? I have never visited one ... "
"Really? How interesting." Tom was a little surprised by the statement, but maybe tavern's weren't a particularly common thing outside of his hometown. "Well, a tavern is usually a small wooden building with a bar, an eating area, a fireplace and some instruments, maybe a piano or a fiddle. People in our town always gathered at the tavern at night. Everyone: men, ladies, children, had a great time with music and dance and alcohol."
"That sounds like such fun ... grouping together and playing music. Instead of ... " Yukari blushed a little. "The Sakura."
"Ohhhhh? What happened on the Sakura? I haven't heard much about it, other than it's a very important ship in our military." Tom finished his chicken and started on his vegetables.
Yukari's veggies were gone, and the chicken wasn't going to last long. " ... It is a strange ship. I cannot explain it well. The crew is very close, but in many strange ways."
"Strange ways? Elbaborate, if you will. I'd like to know about it made you hesitate." Tom knew he was prodding a little. "Trust me, I'm a pretty open-minded guy."
"Open-minded ... yes, that's a good way of describe them. They are open-minded about sex, intercrew relations, mission protocol ... I cannot do the situation justice." Yukari nibbled on more of her chicken.
"Oh, I see." Tom's lip curled into a half smile. "I take it you didn't tend to agree with much of it?"
He stood up to take away their empty plates and return them to the kitchen.
"Well ... " Yukari smiled and let the plates be taken away. "It was hard to accept. I was dared to kiss Nyton's penis -- I did so, as I had to. But it was ... bizarre?"
Tom frowned a bit at that statement. "Sounds a little like coercion to me, having to do something like that as part of a game." He quickly put the plates away and the scraps of food in the kitchen away, as well as the pots and pans. "But I speak out of line, I believe. What we do with our time is our owns, is it not?"
"Our time is that of the Star Army," Yukari said, not sounding fully convinced. "It is up to our commander to utilize it -- the Sakura's captain though that was the best use." She smiled.
"Oh, well then, I can't argue with a captain." Tom laughed. "So, now that dinner's out of the way, are you ready for the next part of our date?" He extended his hand to her.
Yukari blushed again. "There is more? The food was excellent, though ... "
"Why yes, ma'am. We are to dance." Tom smiled, his hand still extended.
<center>* * *</center>
Yukari would have been sweating at this point, if she were able to. But that didn't seem to be the case, so she just looked silly as she looked at the hand, looked at Tom, then slowly took it.
Tom was a bit swept in the moment, or rather, the beautiful timing of it, so he failed to notice how small the room was for these kinds of activities. "Have you ever done this before, ma'am?"
"Ah -- no, I have not," she said nervously. Even with her gloves on, she could feel the gentle roughness of his hand, how his skin responded to touch. Not at all like Corro or Nyton.
"Well then, ma'am, I shall be gentle," Tom said as he carefully lead Yukari to her feet. "If all else fails, we always have antigravity." He was joking, of course, and his voice was playful. Yet deep in his voice there was a slight lace of seduction. He escorted her to a nearby chair that rested beside the door to his room. "Excuse me for one moment. I have to get a few things prepared."
Yukari's blush wasn't going away. She silently cursed the Yamataian for his charming demeanor, her smile slightly goofy. "Ah -- okay," she said, unable to muster anything more proper. 'We always have antigravity?' I am in trouble ...
Moving quickly, Tom slid the dining table into the corner, as well as moved all the other pieces of furniture to their nearest walls. The fruit of his labor was the creation of a wide circular area in the center of the room, a little more than 20 feet. A media player rested on a nightstand and Tom sorted through his musical options. "Do you have any preference? Is there some kind of dance that you wanted to try?"
"I trust you," Yukari replied, too quickly. "To not make me look like a fool!" she added, smiling again. She hadn't sat down.
"That's a bit too hard for me to determine by myself," Tom said, turning his head to face Yukari. He smiled warmly at her, trying to dissipate her shyness. "Music covers so many emotions, my lady. Give me a mood and I will match it."
" ... " Yukari felt like she was being interrogated, but in a way, she liked it. Tom was ... she could not place it. Words were practically being sucked out of her mind. "Mildness," she finally said.
Tom had to pause for a moment. Yukari's preference was perhaps the only one he could not immediately find a suiting a match for. He appreciated the challenge, though. Yukari's mindset was... refreshing. "Hm... how about... no... errr..." he said as he sifted through items.
Yukari smiled a little -- he was trying, not correcting. She waited patiently.
"Hm... ok. How about a foxtrot then? If you want pure mildness, we should do a squaredance, but, unfortunately, we don't have the number or space to do it." Tom spoke as if in deep thought. "It's also a fairly easy dance to pick up, and it's peppy as well."
"Fox ... trot?" It sounded strange. Yukari's usual idea of dancing was shaking around in her undergarments after she woke up.
"Yes, Foxtrot," Tom answered. "It's a word used to describe a vast number of dances, under the umbrella of slow or fast steps."
"Ah sou," she said. Slow steps. She could do those.
Finally, Tom had found the perfect music. "Slow style it is, then." He pressed the button and moved toward Yukari with his hand out. "How fun. It's been a long time since I've ball-room danced."
Yukari took the hand again, gulping a little. "I have never danced in a ballroom before ... "
Tom raised his eyebrows at Yukari and smirked. "Then I hope you have an unforgettable experience." He gently pulled her body closer to his, but not too close, giving the two plenty of room in-between their bodies for movement. As he held her hand in his, he took his other and guided it to his back. "Hold your hand here and follow my lead. The slow dance focuses on very rigid steps and patterns, so you should be able to pick it up quickly.
"Ah -- hai," she said, the sudden closeness making her a bit uncomfortable. But soon, with her hands in the right spots, she was following him well enough through the motions. Not that she was thinking very hard about them. He has a toned back, she mused with a little mental giggle.
Tom slid his hand indiscretely down to her hip, as was the normal procedure for this kind of dance. The music was a slow orchestral ballad, accentuated by rising violins. "You're doing pretty good, Yukari." He meant that genuinely. I see she is as graceful as beautiful.
"Thank you," she said quietly in return. She had felt his hand fall to her hip; his hand was a little bit cooler than she had expected as they slowly danced away from a wall they'd come a little close to. "You are a good teacher."
"You flatter me," Tom replied softly. The dance was entertaining enough, but the rigid pattern of 4/4 timed patterns, one two one two, didn't lend itself to much creativity. "This dance also focuses on graceful movements, which I see you have plenty of."
"Liar," Yukari said with reserved laughter, following his steps a little better now. "I could be cheating and having KAMI guide me, after all."
"Liar," Tom said with a grin. "No, honest, you have strong natural talent. You see, because this dance is so predictable, the only way good performers can stand out from the bad ones is by doing the steps with as much fluidity as possible. The way you carry yourself in public has really paid off." At last, the song finished, Tom taking a step backwards and releasing his grip from her.
Yukari smiled warmly and bowed at the end. "Officers are taught more than tactics during their training," she said with a touch of embarassment. "I was not a very graceful NH-17."
"Well, you're definitely a graceful Yamataian. I'm happy for you." Tom walked back to the machine. "My turn."
Yukari's brain practically seized at the word "Yamataian." She gulped -- "Tom ... "
"Hm?" Tom looked back to her. "Am I being too forward?"
"No, that is not it ... " She looked away. "I -- I am not Yamataian now." Yukari couldn't think of another way to put it.
Tom's brow furrowed. "Not Yamataian now? You changed bodies?"
Yukari felt put on the defensive. "I was not doing well in the armor training ... and before that, my body had limited me. I want to be able to protect my friends."
Tom could sense the emotional weight of the matter, as well as the change in Yukari's mood. This was obviously a difficult matter for her. He worded what came next carefully. "You did not come to this choice lightly, ma'am, and I appreciate your willingness to do what you feel to be the right thing."
" ... So sorry," Yukari said, looking down, hands in front of her. "I did not want to lie to you."
Tom walked up to her swiftly and picked her chin up so that her eyes met with his. "You have no reason to be sorry. I trust you completely. In the short time we've been together, you've proven that tenfold." His eyes were soft and compassionate, as was his smile.
"Ah!" Yukari's entire face felt red. Tom was so forward! "Ah -- s,sou." She smiled a little -- then music came on. Fast-paced, with acoustic guitars and other instruments Yukari hadn't heard in some time. She knew the music though.
"Tango?" she said, chin still in Tom's hand. He was so tall.
Tom smiled mischeviously, his nod revealing the truth. He pulled her body close to his. "Might I say again that red looks good on you?" he whispered playfully.
"Idiot," she whispered back in Japanese, not willing to accept she was fighting a losing battle against his charm. She wore a small smile. "You do not care what I am, do you."
"The only thing I care about is that Yukari is Yukari. As long as you remember who you are, I will care for you no matter what body you decide to wear." Tom dipped her body, leaning into hers with his. "Although, I must say, that this one is rather flexible."
Yukari was barely able to contain herself. She was sure she was hot to the touch. She had to hold onto him for dear life, not that she minded. Her bust was millimeters from touching his chest, and she knew he knew it. "It is the finest Yamatai has," she said with a shy smirk.
Tom slid back slowly, admiring her body before pulling her back to meet his. "Mmm... I agree."
The music picked up and Tom guided Yukari through improvised steps, their legs and bodies so close together that several body parts brushed together repeatedly.
Yukari kept her cool -- sort of -- trying to keep up with Tom. For all her supposed grace, he was obviously an old hand at any sort of dancing, for he easily guided her through. She had little chance to stumble due to movement, but plenty due to sheer "Oh-no-was-that-his-thigh?" moments. She kept her eyes locked on his, however, though it involved looking up.
The music paused for a second, a brief intermission, one which allowed Tom to squeeze in a few words as he clutched her body close and whispered into her ear. "Don't focus on me. Embrace the music. Let it carry you away..."
"I -- mm," Yukari said simply. He felt nice, close to her like this. He was obviously different from Kotori ... but it was more than physical. He felt firmer, like a good mattress, she thought as she tried to let the music roll over her. She could lay on him --
"Wahuah!" She nearly tripped, but recovered quickly, and focused again on the music. "Sorry," she whispered embarassingly. Shimattaka!
"Shhhh...." Tom cooed, "Close your eyes and imagine a canvas, your body, my body. The music, now, imagine. It is the paint. The vivid colors, bold, the beautiful hues." Her head rested on his chest, his words echoing both in his lungs and her ears. "Now paint."
Yukari was mesmerized by his words more than the music. It was really art for him, she could tell, not just steps. She tried to do as he asked, but she felt more like the canvas than the painter. He felt very ... nice. That's the only color she had to paint with, it seemed, but it was enough to get her through the music.
The song ended with the long, crying note of a violin, as the two found themselves embraced in a hug. Tom opened his eyes, little beads of sweat on his forehead. "Glorious..."
Yukari wasn't even breathing hard, but her pulse was a little above normal. "Y-yes ... " She could smell his scent a little more now. A little acrid, maybe, but that was because of the sweat -- once that was filtered, she took a slow breath and let it out slowly. He just smelled ... manly. Yes, that was the word. And being so close to him was odd; she just came up to his chest ...
Tom pulled her back slightly, so that their eyes met once more. There was no hiding the passion that they held. Their bodily communication during the dance had revealed more than a thousand words could. He admired everything about her face and body and his flooding desire for her was barely contained. a flooding desire barely contained. Indeed, no more words needed to be said.
Yukari was unsure what to do next. So close, she could feel him, hear his pulse ... she was sure they were thinking the same thing. But they'd barely known each other! How could they do anything more; they'd already done so much! She was going to explode one way or another; the choice was too much --
"Suzuka-Chui," the base's KAMI said outloud.
... Yukari felt like she was being woken from a dream. A really, really nice dream. "Yes," she said softly.
"A vessel registered to you has arrived on at Dock 108, Concourse 42, Arm 5. A pilot is standing by waiting to transfer the vessel to your care."
Yukari was going to scream. Or shoot something. This was not the time. "Can it wait?" she said, almost desperate.
"The pilot must transfer the vessel immediately," the KAMI replied.
... "Dammit," she said in Japanese. "Of all the times to be swept out to sea." She returned to English. "I will be there shortly," she said, looking up at Tom painfully.
Tom could only let out a small chuckle, one that seemed to say 'oh well, what the hell can you do.' "We're on Star Army time, Yukari-Chui..." His lips moved to hers until they met in a kiss. The moment was painfully short but almost an eternity at the same time, for Tom it felt as if his soul had crossed with hers. He wanted the sensation to last forever, but, finally, with great reluctance, he pulled back, the goofy smile returning. "...but I think they have room... for one kiss."
Yukari's eyes had closed instinctually ... she had barely felt the touch of his lips, slightly rough as they were. But the kiss still left her shivering. Her lips were still parted, just a little, when she opened his eyes. "That ... was nice," she said slowly. She opened her eyes, sparkling green in the soft light. "But that was very forward of you," she chided him, giggling just a little.
"Yes, I agree. That was nice." Tom wanted to take her away, right then and there, but knew that he could not. "What can I say? Any more forward and I'd have to grab a club!" Tom chuckled. At least the joke helped ease the desire.
"Only if I let you," she responded with a grin. "I will ... see you tomorrow?" She wanted to see more of him right now.
"My door's always open," Tom replied as he walked slowly, painfully, to the door.
Yukari walked to the door with him. "Good ... then ... I will see you tomorrow." She smiled at him, eyes clearly wanting him, luring him to follow her ... but she stepped through the door, bid him goodnight, and left.
"Sonofabitch," Tom muttered as he walked back to the kitchen to wash up. "I'm going to have some great dreams tonight."
END