Into The Wilderness

Posted on Tue Jun 27, 2017 @ 1:11pm by Danielle Mercursi-Mallory & Lieutenant Commander Arrda

Mission: Shore Leave
Location: Mallory Estate
Timeline: MD 13 || 1500 Hours

All things considered, Arrda was happy. Granted, he was not pleased with the bug-things he had encountered on the ship. True, he had only encountered one; but where there was one insect, there was usually a hive or whatever they called themselves. And the fact that it was so fast disturbed him. Even if they could scan the little buggers, they would have hell catching or exterminating them. To say nothing of the possibility that they might be sentient, and he wouldn't be allowed to kill them then. But that was borrowing trouble, and this was now the Captain's problem. He had made his report, complete with the scan he had taken with the engineering tricorder, and now he was officially on leave. Two weeks of leave. And he intended to make the most of it.

The first thing he had done when his duty shift ended and his leave began was to get his wife and take her down to the Estate. His plan was not to stay here, though, but it was (a) a good place to get away from all things Starfleet and (b) a good place to start on preparing for any other destination they decided on. When they had arrived, Karine and two other servants had taken their things to the Master Suite while Vala brought them each a drink.

Arrda led Danielle out to the back patio and sat in one of the lounger chairs that were designed for two. "How's the drink?" He asked. "That's Vala's Gift, by the way, being able to make just the right drink for pretty much anyone. I've actually never seen him miss." Unless, of course, he'd missed this time with her -- no one was perfect, after all -- but Arrda doubted it.

Danielle wore a lightweight blue summer dress with her hair down as she accepted the drink and walked beside of him. She took a sip and smiled. "It's wonderful, Arrda," she said. "Then again, I wouldn't expect anything other than the best where you are concerned."

Arrda smiled at his wife lovingly. "I do try. Now, have you thought about how you would like to spend our leave time?" he asked. He did have an idea himself, but he always wanted to know what she wanted.

"This is your shore leave, Arrrda," she purred before taking another sip of her drink. "I laze around and shop all day when I'm on the ship. You're the one who puts yourself in harm's way every time you get called. Besides, you know the most fascinating places and I love seeing them."

The requisite shiver curled its way up his spine at her speaking of his name, but he didn't really have time to let it rest there as she continued. There would be plenty of time though. "Sorry, Love. It's how I always have been with my ladies, treat them to what they want." He smiled. "I do have an idea, but first, how do you feel about truly roughing it, camping like they used to before all of this technology turned camping into mini-resort-ville?"

"You mean without even a tricorder and whatever other doodads that you usually take?" Danielle asked him. "And....aren't I rough enough with you in other places?"

Arrda chuckled. "Oh, completely. But yes, without a tricorder and other modern devices."

"I think I can do it," she said. "After all, you aren't modern and I do just fine with you."

That earned her a hearty laugh. Setting down his drink, he pulled her onto his lap. "I may not be modern, but I bet I'll still outlast most of these newer models."

Danielle wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned in to give him a kiss once she was in his lap. "That is so true and you know a lot more tricks, too," she said.

"Good programming." he jested, keeping with the technology motif. After a moment taken to pull her close and return her kiss, he tried to refocus on the plan at hand... tried. "Now, shall we go somewhere on your world or a world you've never been?"

"Surprise me," she said with a gleam in her eyes. "Actually, I'd like to go somewhere I've never been before and rough it with you. Maybe some quaint little backwater that allows Federation visitors."

He chuckled. "I know quite a few of those. All right, surprise it is." He leaned forward to place a soft little kiss to the tip of her nose playfully. "Since you've never done it this way then, I guess I should show you what you need." He knew he had given her verbal ammunition even before that statement left his lips, but he just could not seem to help himself with her.

"I have everything I need," Danielle said with a chuckle as one of her hands reached down between them. "And since you supply that, you can bring the rest of the gear, too. I figure a tent, sleeping bags, something to cook on, utensils, bug spray and food."

A shiver of a whole different breed twisted up his spine as she put her hand down between them. That shiver was accompanied by a maelstrom of other feelings, as always, and he felt himself tense just a bit, but not unpleasantly. Restraint, Arrda. Plenty of time. "You know, Love, if you keep that up, we may end up breaking this lawn chair. I don't think it was designed with our exploits in mind." he teased. "And as to the supplies, Karine will prepare them for us, though I do always check them over myself before leaving." Since she'd left it to him and not expressed a desire to do that part, he'd let the servants handle it. After all, Karine had been a Seeker once upon a time; if anyone knew how to pack for the back end of nowhere, it was a Seeker.

She gave another seductive chuckle. "You're the one who pulled me into your lap," she pointed out. "But I suppose we can go pack and then see where we end up. We have two weeks and I want to make the best of it."

"So I did. Karine can handle the packing; I have something else in mind for you." He smiled mischievously, running a hand down her side. "Ever made love in a hot spring?" he asked in a soft, silken tone.

"I can't say that I have," Danielle said with a smile. "But you always make everything so hot and steamy that we could make love on the floor of a holodeck and it would seem like a hot spring to me."

He chuckled. "No, my Love, you have that backwards. It is you who does that to me. But whoever's 'fault' it is, I wouldn't change it for anything." He kissed her softly, then continued. "I asked because, deep in my garden, I have a hot spring." He left the rest to her well-known, at least to him, imagination.

She gave a delighted laugh and returned the kiss. "Nor would I," she said. "Shall we take up gardening?" she asked him. "I suddenly find myself in need of water should we start, though."

Arrda chuckled, standing and gently putting her on her feet. This was one of the many things he loved about her, this adventurous streak. "It's about two hours into the garden." he pointed toward what had likely been mistaken for the edge of a small forest. As he spoke, Vala brought them each containers of water and a basket. Arrda tilted his head at the basket. "Karine?"

Vala nodded. "She sensed your desire to go deep into the garden."

That was not the desire foremost on his mind, but he nodded. "Thank you." Turning back to Danielle, he grinned. "Shall we?" Holding out an arm for her to take, he held the basket over the other and his container of water in that hand.

"Two hours? Out there?" she asked. "Walking?"

Oops... wrong idea. "Well if we walked, yes. There is a safe path. You don't think I'd build a garden that I couldn't walk through, do you?" he countered gently. "But there is also the cart." He motioned to a thing vaguely resembling an old-fashioned golf cart but much sleeker sitting off to the side of the path. "If we take that, we can get there in minutes." He had assumed that she would want to see the garden, but he realized his mistake now... assuming.

Danielle mulled it over for a moment, then shrugged. "We can walk," she said. "I need more exercise. Being on that ship is spoiling me almost as much as you. I swear I gained five pounds just walking down the Promenade." She paused. "Of course, I also went into a dozen places for samples of their goodies..."

"Some of those treats are hard to resist." he admitted, giving her a squeeze. "You know what, we'll take the cart." he said after a moment's pause. "For one thing, there will be plenty of time to see the garden on the way back. And besides," his hand stopped its trek down her back to rest on her butt, "I don't think I want to wait two hours."

Now she laughed and wiggled her hips. "The cart it is...then we can walk back," she said. "Well, if I can still walk and you have someone who wouldn't mind a two hour walk to get the cart and bring it back."

"There are plenty of people who wouldn't mind." he confirmed. "Shall we then?"

"Certainly," Danielle said with a smile. "Is there a towel or two in the basket for us to dry off?"

"Those are here." said a soft but strong female voice behind them. The woman herself was fairly short, standing at only 5 feet tall. Her bright green eyes sparkled as she took the basket from Arrda and put it along with the towels in the rear storage area. "I can even solve the cart problem for you if you don't mind having a chauffeur out there." she offered.

"Danielle, this is Karine. She's technically the head of servants for the Estate, but she seems to always be wherever I need her." he introduced with a smile.

"Hello, Danielle. I am pleased to meet you. And it's my job to be where members of the family need me, Arrda." she chastised gently as she offered Danielle a hand in this planet's customary greeting.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Karine," Danielle said as she shook the other woman's hand. "As for Arrrrda, well you must be very special to be able to meet his needs. I know how he can be." She cast a glance at him. "Boy do I."

Karine chuckled softly. Arrda was caught between the way Danielle purred his name and the implication that he was difficult, even joking as it was. In the end, he surrendered to the humor and chuckled himself. "Hey now, you can be quite the handful yourself, my Love."

Karine chuckled again. "Oh, Danielle, you have no idea. I watched this one grow up; he was even worse before they made him an Enforcer."

"Hey, hey now!" He protested playfully. "No ganging up on me."

Danielle laughed. "Oh, I bet you have stories to tell," she said to Karine before she glanced at Douglas again with an expression of innocence on her features. "Why, I have no idea what you could be talking about," she said.

He swatted her butt playfully with a wink. "Oh, I just bet you don't."

Karine grinned at Danielle. "Oh, I have lots of fun stories, but for another time. When you two are done with the verbal foreplay, we can get moving." she teased.

She laughed again and moved to get in the cart. "I look forward to hearing them," she said. "Especially since I know my beloved would object greatly."

Arrda got in beside her mumbling something about servants and mothers, but it was all in good fun. He was not truly upset. Karine got into the front bench and started the vehicle up. "Of course he does." The cart started into motion, making its way onto the stone path through the garden. "He even protests when his mother brags, though, can you believe that?" She laughed softly.

The stones of the path were rough cut, giving the impression of having been naturally in the format they now rested in and the garden having been built around the path. Along the edges of the path, at ten-foot intervals, were medium-sized blue-gray stones. These were not truly stone but were fashioned to look so to avoid breaking the illusion of nature.

Beyond these edge stones was the garden, in truth more of a small forest or jungle. This was a completely self-contained ecosystem complete with animals. At the moment, only some of the smaller breeds were visible, peeking out from the brush or down from tree branches. A squirrel, or something vaguely related to them, chittered angrily at them as they passed beneath it. But the moment the cart moved past him, he retreated to his hole in the tree.

"I'm just not a vain person." he protested.

"What you are, Arrda, is too humble." Karine pointed out. Ahead, they could see a place where the path forked.

While they rode, Danielle looked around and began to notice the regularly spaced blue-gray stones and looked at Arrda. "What are those stones?" she asked and pointed one out. "They look like they're natural." She frowned and looked back at him. "Defense measures?"

Arrda looked where she pointed and smiled. "Observant as ever, my Love." he complimented. "They aren't rocks, but we fabricated them to look like it to keep the illusion of pure nature. They're actually part of the containment system. They generate part of the shield web that keeps the animals on that side and off the path."

"Ohhh," she said. "That makes sense. I was really hoping they weren't weapons. Not that you don't have a right to defend your home, but if they were, they'd be a bit obvious with the regularity. Why don't you have them painted to look like their surroundings? They'd serve the same purpose and you could find them with a tricorder."

He smiled; always thinking, this one. "Karine, pause please?"

Karine stopped the cart's forward movement. Arrda pointed beyond the rocks they were discussing to some underbrush. "See the blue coloration in those plants? The blue-gray coloration of those shield rocks blends that with the gray of the stones of the path. It becomes a sort of color bridge."

Danielle looked, then blinked. "You know, I was looking so intently for the pattern after a few minutes that I missed the picture." She gave a self depreciating laugh and leaned over to kiss his cheek. "You are a very smart man and I am lucky to have you."

He returned her kiss. "I'm the lucky one, but you are exceedingly smart. The difference, Love, is that you were thinking like a Security Officer; and when I designed this -- well, the original -- I was thinking like an Artist." His attention diverted for only a moment. "You may drive on now, Karine."

Very shortly, they reached the place in the path where it forked. Karine drove down the left branch. As they drove, the atmosphere became slightly warmer and more humid, though not uncomfortably so. The closer they got to the spring, the more the vegetation changed from forest to jungle, from plants more suited to a temperate climate to those more suited to a tropical one. But even here, the path remained the same. The shield stones, however, slowly seemed to have a layer of moss on them as they would in a tropical region.

After only a matter of minutes, Karine stopped the cart again. "It's just past that small outcropping." She indicated a place where the path seemed to give way to more rugged terrain. "Have to walk from here; the cart can't really land nearer." She got out and handed them the basket and towels. "Enjoy." She grinned, winked at Danielle and got back into the cart.

Arrda slid out and helped Danielle out as well. "The path is still safe here, though the shield rocks aren't as easy to see because of the terrain. I just wanted the area around the spring itself to be more natural and less like a landscaped Jacuzzi." He smiled, waved to Karine and offered Danielle his hand.

As they rode, Danielle rubbernecked more and asked a few questions about various animals. "I shouldn't even be thinking like a Security officer," she said. "Especially since I'm not Security. You are, however, an Artist and so much more."

She got out of the cart with his help and moved for the basket. "This place is absolutely amazing," she said before she looked over at Karine. "Thank you for driving us, Karine."

"You're welcome." Karine smiled once more and drove off back down the path toward the house.

Arrda smiled as well. "I'm glad you like it. And you may not be Security now, but you were. And once you learn that thinking, it never really leaves you. Now, come on." Taking her hand, he led her over the outcropping and down into a small hollow. At the center of it was a pool fed by the underground hot spring. Around that was lush jungle growth. Around the rim were more of the shield stones, these more of a red-brown, almost the color of brick but somewhat "faded". The edge and interior sides of the pool were made of a smooth, luminescent rock that glowed softly. It could barely be noticed now as it was still daylight, but the cover of trees darkened the area just enough to allow it to be seen.

Danielle smiled as she held his hand and followed him, then stopped when she saw the hollow and the spring in the center of it. "This is amazing," she said. "Did you make all of this yourself or was it here when you got the property?"

"If you're only asking about the hollow here and the spring, they were here. There were some plants here, but I added to them. Some of the landscaped rock formations I brought in as well. I also lined the sides and edge with the luminescent stone for night visits. So I guess it's about half what was here and half my artistic vision." he answered as he set the basket and towels down on a stone bench.that had been cut out of the rock formation. "But it is all natural. Granted, the luminescent rocks don't come from Earth, but they are a natural occurrence on one of Marai's outer worlds. And they are harmless. I made sure of it before I used them."

"I'd love to see it at night," she said as she began to take her clothes off. "In fact, I can't wait to see you naked by the glowing stones at night. I bet you look like a wild man."

Arrda chuckled at the wild man image and began shedding his own clothes. "I'm sure I will by the time you get finished with me." He imagined her, naked, body glistening with water, beauty captured by the soft glow of the stones. "I had a thought. Why don't we, some night, come out here. I can paint you." He paused dramatically then winked. "And then you can turn me into the wild man."

"Now that," Danielle said as she finished removing her clothes while she watched him. "Sounds like a very good idea, although you're already my wild man, Arrrrda."

This time, he did not even bother to hold back the shudder as she purred his name. "Wild you want. Wild you get." he rumbled back as he finished the removal of his clothing. Stepping to her in two graceful strides, he scooped her up close to him, lifting her off the ground as he did so and kissing her passionately.

She squealed when he scooped her but, but wrapped her arms around him and returned the kiss with equal passion until they both had to break it for air. "Water," she breathed. "Now."

He smiled and carried her into the pool, his own temperature rising with the water...