Ancient games

Posted on 03 Sep 2020 @ 2:23am by Lieutenant JG Oliver Stevens & Lieutenant Xu Chang Lau

Mission: Mission 4 - Race against the machine
Location: Holodec 3
Timeline: MD7 1900
1501 words - 3 OF Standard Post Measure

ON:

Oliver had spent some time on this programme. And Jon always encouraged him to go big. You couldn’t go any bigger really. Not for a first date.

He had managed to get an appropriate approximation of mount Olympia and dialled in a little fantasy. After all they were playing gods. He wondered what Xu would show up in, his brief had only said “Ancient Greek.”

He wasn’t sure what she would make of him in a toga ....

Xu had taken a few liberties with the Goddess theme Oliver had sent her. Instead she had put her own twist on it and decided to go as an invading Japanese Goddess, specifically Amaterasu-ōmikami the goddess of the sun.

In her collection of Kimono she had a long white gown with red inlay, gold Obi and an elaborate golden head dress that pulled her hair into a volcanic vent like shape before spilling out from the top in a cascade.

It was the first time in a long while she had gone without her Jade Hairpin. The makeup she had decided on was understated but with a flare for fire, the colours and shaped around her eyes expressing it with poise and certainty.

The Obi was also of a thinner material than was traditional, but only so she could move a little easier, not really knowing what else he had planned, but this replacement Obi pulled at her waist, tightening her Kimono so it was almost form fitting from the waist up.

She stepped up to the holodeck doors, smoothed her kimono over one last time as she chose to ignore the stares from the passers by before requesting entry.

Stepping through into clouds, a sea of clouds nestled against the upper most peek of a mountain plateau. She immediately regretted going with Amaterasu-ōmikami as her chosen Goddess realising it was defiantly a greek goddess she should have come as.

"Oliver!" she called as she saw him facing away from her, his broad muscular form this first thing she could make out from the toga he was wearing.

Oliver turned and his jaw dropped. "Wow. I mean wow. But not exactly greek ehh," he joked attempting a quick recovery.

"The sun goddess?" He said. "It suits you."

"It is indeed... Which one are you? I'm not fully versed in Greek myth?" but her eyes could seem to be lifted from his partially bare chest. This man was in far better shape than his uniform would give away.

"Im meant to be Zeus but clearly I don't have the beard," he chuckled. "Well lets hope Hela doesn't find out I was entertaining another goddess in her stead," he winked at her. "I might be armed with thunderbolts but there's nothing more powerful than a woman scorned.

Your throne milady," he indicated an ornate seat on the edge of the clouds looking down at an area on the mountain where the games were being set up.

"Its dinner and a show," he smiled. "For your entertainment tonight we have wrestling and the pankration, and some horse and chariot racing events. I've toned it down so its not as gory as the real thing but if you want to skip it no problems. I was trying to be as close to the ancient writings as I could. But yes gaming. It really all got real here you know."

"I will take your word for it" she smiled, gently lifting the front of her Kimono as she scaled the small steps in front of her 'throne'. It also gave her chance to force her gaze away from him for a moment in hopes that her flushed cheeks had chance to recover. "Will we be taking part in the chariot racing or just observing?"

"Oh wow that's an idea isn't it?" his eyes sparkled. He clearly hadn't expected her to be that outgoing. He also was trying to imagine how she would manage in that beautiful kimono.

"Would you like to? We have the opening ceremony so I had programmed it for us to go down there and inspect everything in a chariot. I'm supposed to make some dusty speech but actually racing that would be a lot more fun. Probably best to do it before eating right?" he winked at her.

"In which case, I won't sit down yet" the devilish twinkle in her eye giving away her thrill for life and the more active elements to life. It was the main reason she had taken up dance as a child and why she had always wanted to take up a martial arts form... something she still needed to settle on.

"Shall we go now?"

"Computer. Move us down to the games and make us part of the chariot races," Oliver stated. "You don't need to tell me twice. I assume you will want to drive?" he asked as the scene shifted around them and they appeared both on a small chariot.

He offered her the horses reins and grabbed hold of the side firmly. "I knew there was some secret exciting side of you just needing to break out," he grinned. "I should have programmed the Pegasus's. Made it more around the god legends."

"Gul D'Var, my Cardassian liason when I was stationed on Cardassia took me out on his riding hounds, I developed a taste to it and it was similar to this. The chariot was far bigger as it was used for hunting which I wasn't so fond of, but the thrill of driving the hounds from the chariot... exhilarating!"

She accepted the reigns and before he was fully ready she had flicked the reigns hard enough to power the horses forward, a rush of hooves and they were off, pressing forward so the wind was whipping Xu's cascade of wild hair into a whip pulling behind her, the kimono billowing away behind also, like ribbon dancing, the shapes both elegant of captivating.

"Don't be fooled, I'm a little more wild than most believe me to be Oliver!"

"That's an exciting discovery," Oliver said his arm grabbing her waist in an attempt just to stay upright. He hadn't been expecting to hold on for dear life as the chariot set off like a rocket.

~Probably a good thing I didn't try and race against her~ he mused.

"Anything else I need to know about?" he asked cheekily.

A playful little smile tugged at the corners of her mouth, trying to hide it from him as she focused on the whip of wind in her hair and the power of the steeds ahead of her.

"All good things come to those who wait Lieutenant!" she said playfully enjoying the feel of his athletic frame pressing against hers and his strong arm hugging her waist.

"Oh its Lieutenant now is it?" he asked. "Going all formal on me when I have to put my arm round you ehh?"

"Have too!" she noted while glancing at the ornate grip rails running the length of each side of the chariot. Instead she focused on his strong hands on her waist, pulling her close to him and feeling a rush of heat once again bloom across her cheeks.

"I do believe your blushing," Oliver teased.

All she wanted to do was pause the program and turn in his arms to put her own arms around his neck and pull him close to kiss him... was that to forward? Possibly, this was after all only the first date!

“Woah ....” Oliver said suddenly forcing his eyes away from admiring her hair. He grabbed the reins Putting one of his hands over hers as they almost collided with another chariot. “Oh you definitely live dangerously,” he chuckled.

“Is that the finish line?” He asked not letting go of her Hand, his other tightening even more round her waist as he tried to keep balance. “Come on my little goddess let’s take the victory.”

His first question 'Is that the finish line?' had only one answer, something very forward, something that she knew she may regret but her mouth was already forming the words "The finish line is a lot closer than you could hope Oliver!"

She hoped he thought she was talking about the actual finish line and not the metaphor that it was laden with. It was his fault. His hand over hers, strong, powerful yet still able to gently caress her hand in such a way that was sending bolts of electric throughout her body.

The holographic crowd started cheering as they took first place, Oliver pulling the reins to stop the horses, they lurched forward his whole body colliding into hers.

Oliver decided to be bold, and turned her round gently now the horses were at full stop. His hand gently combed away a stray hair that had fallen over one of her eyes and then cupped her face before touching his lips to hers. “A kiss for the winner,” he whispered.

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