A picnic in the clouds

Posted on 13 Sep 2020 @ 5:40pm by Lieutenant Xu Chang Lau & Lieutenant JG Oliver Stevens

Mission: Mission 4 - Race against the machine
Location: Holodec
Timeline: MD7 19:40
1258 words - 2.5 OF Standard Post Measure

ON:

Oliver pulled back already missing the feel of her lips. He might be pushing his luck if he kept kissing her. He had NEVER done that during a first date. He was supposed to do it at the end.

He smiled and stepped off the chariot, offering his hand out to help her down.

“So ...” he cleared his throat a little nervous now. “I have wine and authentic Greek food. Are you hungry?”

She on the other hand had become weak at the knee's from the kiss... that was some kiss! She took his hand but felt as if her legs could give out from under her at any moment, the blood still pumping with exhilaration of feeling his lips pressed against hers.

All she could muster was a nod of her head before allowing Oliver to almost completely lift her down from the chariot.

“Computer change scene back to mount Olympus after the games and I need my picnic,” he murmured as the scene shifted again bringing them back to the two thrones from earlier. Now there was beautiful soft clouds, not much of below the mountain to be seen.

“Where did I,” he let go of Xus had and walked towards the back of one of the thrones. “Here we go,” he chuckled pulling out a picnic basket.

“Wine mi’lady?”

She had followed him to the thrones, feeling a little stronger now than her legs had felt only moments ago. She had waited for him to turn again and she leaned in to kiss him, wanting to feel his lips once again pressed against hers.

She allowed it to linger for a moment before stepping back.
"Sorry, I just needed to make sure that had really just happened!"

“Oh I like your investigative process,” he breathed back with a lopsided smile. “In fact maybe it needs testing one more time. You know third times the charm.”

He leaned in once more The picnic basket in his other hand dropped as his arms found her waist.

She leaned in, relishing this one more than the first two. It really was happening!

Suddenly there was a huge sound, “brother, that is not hera your wife.”

'Wife' was all she heard and even for her that seemed to be a little quick as this was technically their first date!

"Excuse me?" she gasped, not wanting to leave Oliver's embrace!

“Ermmm,” Oliver laughed. “Xu meet Poisidon. Zeus‘s brother. Mount Olympus was home of the gods. I clearly forgot to remove a couple. Hera is Zeus’s wife.”

“Your wife brother yet you continue to stray,” he growled. “And in her Own homestead no less.” A trident appeared in his hand and suddenly ice cold water shot from it soaking both of them.

“That should cool you off,” he barked before disappearing again.

Xu slowly turned to face Oliver once more, her hands stretched out to either side as water dripped from her antique kimono, her hairs unruly cascade now nothing more than a drenched plastering of black matt across her face...

She was just thankful this was holographic water as it would vanish and instantly dry when they leave the holodeck, but all the same, she was not happy about it.

Oliver shrugged, “probably a good job it wasn’t Hades. Computer remove all god characters from the programme.”

He wrung his toga out, “you still look stunning.”

All she could do was continue the glare no matter how funny she did find the situation. While he turned away she started to remove the white upper layer of her kimono to reveal the striking red layer beneath that was just as intricate and beautiful as the top white layer, and it was mostly unscathed from Poseidon's assualt.

He rescued the wine bottle from the picnic box, it had survived phew. Then he opened it and grabbed a glass filling it before handing it to her.

“You ok with heights?” He asked pulling a blanket out and placing it a couple more meeting away on the ground.

"I am fine with heights... I love this view!" the cold feeling now evaporating in the simulated heat from the sun above. "What gave you the idea for this program Ollie?"

"Well I like history, and the Andromeda well shes actually a player in Greek history. Her namesake," He smiled. "So when I took the post I read up and then I thought wow it would be amazing to bring some of this history to life. Ive been working on this programme for a while. But I also as you know like games," he said pulling out cheese, figs, meats, olives and breads and placing them down next to where she had sat down.

"This is teganites like a honeyed pancake," he grinned. "I tweaked it a little just to make the recipe more palatable."

"Sounds lovely!" she smiled, feeling hungry for the first time in what seemed like days. This was also the opportunity she needed to sit next to Oliver, close enough for her to be able to feel his body heat next to hers. She leaned in land a quick kiss on his cheek and whispered in his ear a simple thank you.

He smiled. This date was certainly going better than he had hoped. "What sort of holoprogrammes do you like?" he asked. "You should pick something for our next date."

"I've not really used them much. My time on Cardassia was all work. Before that it was study and before that my childhood was all about learning the art of Geisha".
She shrugged it off. She didn't regret her choices or her way of life afterall they had shaped her into the person she is now. "But who knows, that may change now I'm here and I have a reason to enjoy my time with someone in the holodeck!"

She took a bite of the honeyed pancake he had suggested. It was sticky sweet, something she relished. "What about you... What else do you come here for, other games?"

"Jon and I like to go hiking and rock climbing. We have some good holoprogrammes of places we have been before back on Earth and we like finding new ones to try," he answered. "Variety," he smiled at her.

Well it wasn't a flat out no, he figured but she hadn't comment on a second date.

"So the art of Geisha. Does that means Im supposed to follow some sort of rules as to how I can .... " he wondered how he was supposed to phrase this, "Court you?" he asked.

"Thankfully the tradition of mizuage has not been honoured in several centuries now, so no, there are no rules to courting me" and is was a genuine thankfulness. The tradition to enter into a financial arrangement for someone to purchase the rights to deflower a young Geisha belong in a long forgotten time.

"Then I am a lucky fellow," Oliver smiled. "But curious. I really don't know much about Geishas. You will have to educate me," he suggested popping an olive in his mouth eyes glued to hers.

"In that case, maybe our second date", she turned her eyes from his coyly "Perhaps I should take you to a Japanese tea house... The tea ceremony, I could play the Sanxian for you as well, enjoy some traditional food... If you want?"
She kept her eyes firmly on the view from her perch, the sweeping hills framed by mountains capped with snow.

"Sounds divine," he said.