Law of Attraction

Posted on Thu May 3, 2018 @ 11:15pm by Lieutenant Marisa Cheshire & Lieutenant Venus Quinnell

Mission: Falling Star
Location: Gymnasium
Timeline: MD34 || 0600hrs

A yawn was Venus' first reaction as she entered the gym. Gone was the standard uniform. In its place, were gray, with pink accents, leggings and matching sports bra. A towel was currently wrapped around her neck and her raven hair, often in her a regulation bun was tied in a pony tail for the occasion. A pink headband added to the assemble.

The few men who were up at dawn to do their routines took notice of the shapely woman but her serious demeanor at this time of day soon ended the antics of lascivious juveniles. After spending a large portion of her evening and overnight dealings with repairs, even one ill mannered member of the crew right now would have faced a scathing lecture on 24th century ethics, not to mention Starfleet regulations, protocol and decorum. That was Venus Quinnell.

Marisa on the other hand didn't mind the attention at all. Ordinarily she'd throw a flirtatious wink at anyone she caught staring at her for too long. They'd come over, flirt with her and then she'd make an observation that would send them shirking. She wasn't particularly interested in anyone that couldn't take a little banter.

Today however, she already had a toy to chew on.

Dressed in a black sports bar and spats, which had a red stripe running down either side, Marisa was already running on a treadmill as a light pace. A metalic bottle rested in a cup holder and a blue towel was draped over the instruments in such a way as to not obscure the readings she was interested in. When she noticed the engineer enter the pilot waved to get her attention.

Venus noticed the pilot's motion and made her way over. "Have to apologize that repairs occupied a good portion of the hours since we talked." Another yawn as she watched the other woman jogging on the treadmill with ease and grace. She tossed her towel on the adjacent treadmill then began her stretching as she continued. "However, I am still more than willing to be your workout partner this morning, so no worries."

"That's unfortunate." Marisa said sympathetically, her breath only slightly labored as she continued in her rhythmic stride. "Did the assistance from the deck crew make a dent at least?"

Venus did one last stretch, reaching down and touching her toes. "I have a section chief giving them instruction and what Lieutenant Gefel has informed me, they seem to be taking it quickly. Even with a sizable staff and overtime, I am very grateful for the extra manpower." She climbed on the treadmill beside Marisa, tapping on the touchscreen. The rate at first was easy, a slight jog to get her into rhythm. "I am sort of cheating." The Engineer smirked, glancing over, her ponytail bobbing up and down. "I have a synthetic leg so only half the stress." Off duty she was more relaxed, especially as time went on.

"I won't hold it against you." Marisa replied with lopsided smile "I'd imagine you'd have to work twice as hard to burn the same amount of calories and get to that point where the dopamine hits you. So I'm not going to feel too jealous."

Venus glanced down at her left hand gripping the railing. "Don't be. I lost my arm as well and you never truly get use to it." Her thoughts drifted to the tragic event ten years ago that made her into a cyborg. She didn't want to dwell on them, so much baggage from that time always seem to follow her wherever she went. "At least if something goes wrong, I can repair it myself.." The Engineer quipped in her attempted to make light of it. "Any how you been on the Triumphant long?" She tapped commands on the screen, increasing the speed of the treadmill. Her gaze now on Marisa who seem to have a positive affect on her mood, something her staff would be happy to hear.

Marisa took a glance at the arm. She sensed the trepidation in the engineers voice. It was the traumatic kind, the kind that wasn't fun to poke. So she let it be.

"I think its been about six months by now." The pilot said pensively. "The Triumphant was conducting an operation against the Orion Syndicate and my squadron was passing through the area. Skipper needed a CAG and I was up for reassignment so it just kinda fell into place." She took a deep breath "I was actually thinking of mustering out at the time." She mentioned wistfully.

"Lucky for me you didn't." Venus responded, continuing her cardio at a more increased pace. "I suppose that's life. Things sort of strike us when we least expect it and here you are."

"So how are you finding it here so far?" Marisa asked "What's it like being the CEO on a cutting edge vessel?"

Venus pondered the question a moment. Whether for dramatic affect or not was to be seen. "Every engineer in the Fleet wants to be where cutting edge technology is. Its the future and you dont want to be forgotten with the past. I assume there were many candidates for my job and you are very correct about being on an Odyssey class. As Chief Engineer, it is quite the privilege." She paused as if deciding whether to indulge more or not. "Though being chief engineer is exhilarating on it's own, my goal...My hope is to command my own starship one day." If she could puff out her chest in hubris while jogging in place, she would have.

Marisa chuckled slightly. She was about to reply as her treadmill beeped and began grinding to a halt. Dismounting she walked around the front of Venuses device and lent forward onto the console and let herself be mesmerised by the engineer's swaying body. "You and about half the officers in the fleet." She teased, biting her lip slightly as her eyes explored the curves of Venus's form.

Venus chuckled. "Yes, I suppose starship command is a common enough goal." She glanced down at Marisa leaning on the machine and smiled. Their budding friendship, only a few hours old was tugging on her rather relentlessly. She felt relaxed and personable, not having to put on airs of an ambitious officer. She hadn't felt this way in a long time.

Her own machine beeped and she came to a stop. Her body had a shimmering of perspiration as her chest heaved heavily as her breathing began to slow down. Venus took the towel and patted her face. "Working out tired is definitely not a trend I would endorse but having the right workout partner has its perks." She leaned forward, smiling, placing her hand on the pilot's shoulder. "What's next?"

Marisa straightened up and placed an enthusiastic hand on the console "I am going to introduce you to my friend." she said with an extended index finger. The blonde then pivoted on her heal and grabbed her bottle and towel, heading towards a deserted corner of the gym. It only took her a moment to select a couple of weights, large metal spheres with a thick metal grip welded to the top coated in a florescent rubber, before she quickly returning. She lifted up one of the weights for Venus's inspection with a proud grin. "The kettlebell is the most under-rated piece of fitness equipment."

Venus smirked and took the weight from Marisa's hand. No longer made from cast iron or cast steel, the titanium kettlebells were still effective.

She adjusted it to her still flesh and blood hand where the weight was still felt in the muscles and tendons. The Engineer then lowered it to the floor and with a each hand gripping the handle began the basic deadlift with arms extended, lifting it off the floor to a full standing position then lowering it again.

"You have to be fit to slip your body into that confining cockpit I imagine. Not that you would have any issues." It was Venus' turn to admire the other in her tight fitting workout attire.

Marisa chuckled as she took her bell in one hand and widened her stance. "You'd be surprised." She said as she bent her knees and let the weight dangle down between her legs.

She swung it back slightly and as it gained momentum on the back swing Marisa pushed her hips out and lifted the bell so it was level with her eyes. She then let go and let it hang there for a moment while her opposite hand moved to grab it before it began to fall. It then swung back between her legs where she bent her legs, re-entering her starting pose. She did this another couple of times, entering a rhythm, switching hands each time the bell reached it's apex.

Once she was comfortable Marisa turned to Venus. "I'm a decent chef, so my diet is an absolute mess. Its not been as bad since I came onboard the Triumphant though. Aquaponics frequently needs to cull it's livestock, which is ideal for barbarians like me. And there aren't nearly as many good fish platters that include pasta so it cuts down on the carbs."

"Don't let the Vulcans here you talking like that." Venus laughed. "Trust me, anything is better than sand scorpions on Nimbus III..." She set the kettlebell down before beginning a routine similar to Marisa, studying her actions. "I take it good old replicator nutrition doesn't measure up for you then?"

Marisa shook her head. "I'll eat it in a pinch but the texture is all wrong." She then shrugged "Or maybe its just in my head. Though I know for a fact" Her tone became adamant, "that replicated meat much more chemically homogeneous compared to something that's been alive. So maybe I'm not crazy."

Venus' combadge chirped. =/\= Lieutenant, Ma'am...we have a proton ssssurge in the molecular pulssse control ssssystem. =/\= The male voice, by the reptilian hissing, a Selay, stated, showing reference for her in his tone.

Venus halted her exercise as she tapped her combadge. =/\= Ensign S'Riss, take two teams, one to Jefferies Tube 374 on Deck 23, another to Jefferies Tube 562 on Deck 31. You need to reset the L-relays from 17-42...One at a time and only after its greenlit can you continue. Have Engineering power down pulse control until you are done. =/\=

She hesitated picking up the kettlebell as if she had to deal with this herself because, naturally, deligating would be a mess...But she had to trust her people to do their jobs. If the only Selay did screw it up, then...

"So if they mess it up what's the worst that could happen?" Marisa asked with a carefree smile. She could tell from the engineer's face that Venus was fretting.

"Shields.." Venus responded quite stoically. "It's one of the auxiliary power sources that possibly got effected during the attack, causing fluctuations in our shields. Yet another issue on top of many." She took a long, deep sigh. "Engineering isn't all glamorous." An attempt at a smile. "I had three hours sleep but I wanted to come here, to see you. Call me crazy..." She leaned against a bulkhead, arms crossed, watching Marisa.

"Well," Marisa said, he cheeks flushing a slightly deeper shade of red as she brought the weight to her chest, holding it's base with both hands. "The ships not going to explode, so any mistakes are just learning opportunities."

She lunged out to the side, extending her left leg while the right bent, lowering herself down until the small over her back only had about an inch of clearance from the deck. She pushed back up and extended her arms upwards, reaching full extension when she returned to the center. Marisa then mirrored the motion for her left side.

"There's a saying at Flight School..." Marisa exhaled as she reached the apex "'The best way to learn is with enough rope to hang yourself'."

"I dont need Engineering becoming a gallows as a learning moment. I run a tight department and do not tolerate mistakes." Venus responded, still leaning against the bulkhead. "I made that clear to them and these battle damage repairs are a good time for them to prove their worth to me. A poor engineer doesn't just mean no running water for your shower...Its potential warp core breach in the making." For a moment her relaxed demeanor became the cold and strict officer of the Engine Room with no room to maneuver in her tightly controlled world.

Marisa turned her head forward while she continued her exercise. "Sorry. I've got a problem with occasionally giving unsolicited advice." she said with an introspective inflection before shrugging slightly, looking back at Venus out of the corner of her eye. "I guess I don't want you running away just yet."

Venus shook her head. "No, unless something happens that they can't handle, I'm all yours." She pushed away from the wall and picked up her discarded kettlebell, saddling up beside Marisa. "At least for the next couple of hours before I'm back on duty dealing with what those mercenaries did to my ship.." A pause followed by a reluctant revision. "Our ship."

Marisa let out an amused sigh. "A bit of possessiveness is fine, just watch it around the Commodore and Captain."

The pilot then pursed her lips for a moment and narrowed her eyes thoughtfully. "So, this might come out of left field but something's been on my mind recently." There was a momentary pause, as though she was hesitating, but Marisa managed to push forward. "How do you feel about romantic fraternisation?" Marisa asked.

Venus dropped the kettleball from the sudden utterance of realization. Not that such thoughts never crossed her mind for temptation was as human as compassion or depravity. The thud of the bell hitting the floor echoed through the gym, catching eyes from those nearby.

A scene, Venus would not have, and quickly apologized for the interruption. The others soon returned to their assorted routines.

When the engineer finally turned to the pilot, it was shock at first so she remained speechless for the briefest of moments. "Marisa.." Of course, the pilot may have been stating a hypothetical situation and she was simply overreacting. A serious faux pas on her part. "I have no qualms about such fraternizations if they don't affect work performance." She put her hands on her hips. "You are full of surprises, Lieutenant Cheshire. Your choice of topics are definitely a curiosity."

"Well, I've kind of been preoccupied with it recently." Marisa said with a shrug as she got on the floor. She then sat up and raised the bell above her head, slid her opposing leg under the small of her back and stood up. "We had an incident a while ago. I'm not going to name names, but one of the crew's partners was placed into a critical condition and he absolutely froze. This crew member was also pretty pivotal to fixing the peril we were in at the time."

Marisa's brow furrowed, the act of recollection outwardly annoying her as she came back down. "If it was me he'd been dating or he was one of my subordinates I'd have chewed him out hard. Luckily he came to his senses and did the job. But we lost some good people. I lost pilots out of their cockpits. And I can't help but think..." She cast a glance over at Venus and sighed, giving her head a subtle shake. "Anyway," Her cadence returned to norm. "It just floors me that Star Fleet personnel enter into these relationships and forget that there's nothing but a thin skin of durainium between them and tragedy."

Venus pulled back from the abyss, believing she had misinterpret Marisa's inquiry. "It happens, love makes people did foolish things. I will always put duty before all. Too many lives depend on it." She lowered picking up her bell. "Lust on the other hand...unless you are into Klingon sex and destroy your quarters, the counselor probably would say its needed for mental health."

Marisa breathed a defeated sigh. "That's why I'm generally against it. People that jump into relationships like that don't normally consider what that entails. You know, I honestly don't care if one of my guys wants to steal away to a storage closet for a 15 minute quickie." she said pensively. "I'll chew them out if I catch them because it's in the job description. But so long as they have their shit squared away and perform when the chips are down I personally don't care." She rolled shoulders slightly.

Venus nodded. "I see we both share the same high standards." She set the kettlebell back on the floor and wipe her face with the towel. "My first day, I laid the law down in my department that I won't tolerate incompetence or any dereliction of duty of any kind. I came from an old ship and my chief ran us ragged because he knew that, we screw up, could cost lives." She swept her hands behind her back which was becoming a common posture in her repertoire.

"I know you were talking about fraternization, but I am just saying I am following the same course." Venus continued. "I don't want good engineers, I need excellent engineers. The Enterprise, for the past twenty years, had that record of excellence. Well I am saying they are going to be in for some competition."

Marisa grinned slightly. "Well, you certainly have the right temperament to get them there." She said as she came to her feet the last time in the set. She brought her arms down to her sides and let the weight dangle from her hand.

"And that's it for the morning warm up." Marisa said, turning to Venus with satisfied smile "You want to hit the showers?"

Venus hadn't exactly fulfilled the entire Marisa's entire exercise regimen but the shower -the archaic over the sonic - would help motivate her with only a few hours sleep. That self discipline needed to kick in she demanded of herself. "Sure. The water purification system is still working and considering everything else, that's pretty good right now." She picked up her kettle bell and placed it back in the rack as she proceeded to follow the perspiring pilot.

"Excellent" Marisa replied, walking with almost a skip Marisa absconded to the locker room. Before disappearing she cast a playful look back at Venus over her shoulder. Once inside she did a quick scan of the facilities for other crew members.

Venus followed Marisa toward the locker room. At the door, she sidestepped an Andorian female in civvies carrying a gym bag as she was exiting. The Andorian made her salutations in passing as Venus suspected she had saw the woman before, perhaps from Medical. Such preoccupation soon passed as she stood inside with the pilot.

Quick observation proved they were alone. Lavatory, showers, were as empty as a looted tomb. It was at this moment, for no apparent reason, that the engineer realized something. "I didn't bring a change of clothes.. I came directly from my quarters." Her eyes skimmed the row of lockers before falling on her new friend.

Marisa turned around and caught the engineer's wrist with a firm but gentle grasp. "Just replicate a bath robe." She said with a smile and a come hither look as she drew Venus deeper into the room.

Venus allowed herself to be led. Marisa's touch felt warm, inviting, intoxicating. "I can do that." She whispered in the confines of the room, that was feeling detached from the very ship itself As if they were the only two people in the whole universe.

Once they were well inside Marisa pivioted on her heal and pulled the engineer into her bosom with a slightly wet splat as the pairs sweat damped skin collided. The hand wrapped around Venus's wrist relaxed and the blonde's fingers ran down her palms, interlocking them. She raised the index finger on her other hand and ran it along Venus's collar bone while looking down upon the dusky woman with half lidded eyes.

"Sooo~" Marisa started with a warm, melodic note "You've been checking me out pretty heavily since we met." The finger running along Venus's collarbone found it's way to her jawline. "Are you just enjoying the view or do you want to, fraternise?"

Venus was hardly passive or fragile as Marisa's proposition didn't make her slip into a cocoon. However, she was operating out of her element with no alcohol or other toxins giving her liberty to her passions. This would be all her.

The Engineer's lips curled in a smile. "I appreciate beauty and as we are of equal rank and different departments.." She spoke softly as if dotting her 'i's and crossing her 't's ; regulations and future captain and all.. She leaned closer, her hands coming up and scooping the blonde locks between her fingers as her lips brushed Marisa's. "Clearly fraternizing."

"I'm so very glad you feel that way." Marisa said with a whisper as her hand slid behind Venus's neck and gently pressed her lips against the engineers.

Venus melted with the kiss. Every disciplined thought did not conflict with the emotions swirling within her as she might have suspected. Keep on task, don't get personally entangled in a web that could not be controlled. All that tough talk of a strict lieutenant slid away, replaced by a passionate woman who had been in a self imposed dungeon.

"Let's go back to my quarters." She mumbled as her lips consumed Marisa's, followed by an ear lobe and a neck.

Marisa gasped as a shiver ran down her spine as Venus's lips hit all the right places. Enjoying the attention immensely, it took all of her willpower to protest. "If... if you'd be more comfortable." she stammered a little as she shuddered.