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Tweak says, "noone told me it was demon poo"

William T. Riker (1stofficer) wrote in marinanova,
@ 2014-01-19 00:46:00

Entry tags:

data, deanna troi, duo maxwell (au), helen magnus, kitty pryde (aoa), sam winchester, will riker

day 254 - video; 001
[ When Riker appears at last he's circled back round to Sector 2, framed against the hedge maze. There's no distractions, and his introduction is absent of distractions too. At least at first. ]

Good evening. I hope it's not too late in the day to introduce myself, but I didn't wish for anyone to be surprised to spot me around the place. My name is William Riker, and I just arrived with the latest group of people. It's nice to meet all of you, if unfortunate considering the circumstances. I appreciate the kindness that has been shown to me since my arrival.

I understand some-- [ And suddenly Riker stops, looking up. It's started to rain, and he wipes a single raindrop off his nose. ] I'd better wrap this up. I'd like to speak to some friends of mine, whom I'm reliably informed have been here for a while. Maybe after I get in out of the rain, if that's perfectly alright.

Deanna, I hope you're in somewhere dry.

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counselled
2014-01-27 07:33 pm UTC (link)

[ it's the working with dead crewmates part that's going to take deanna longer to adjust to. hugh had helped them all see through the liberated drones with something other than a purely anti-borg lens, but even he would not be able to fully dissipate years' worth of fear and terror. the crew of the enterprise-d, and now the enterprise-e after its trip to 2063, would always remember what had happened to their captain and fellow crewmates and nothing would be able to penetrate the fear that had settled over them all. meeting the former drone calling herself seven of nine had been a shock for deanna; she could imagine it had been worse for captain picard and will riker.

but she doesn't want to think of any of that, so she focuses on the movements he's doing against her scalp and then the soft urging once he's through. keeping her eyes closed, more to avoid getting soap in them, she steps exactly where he directs, using it as an exercise in trust for the both of them. his words fall gently and easily on her ears and only when he's through rinsing her hair out does she respond, first trying telepathically out of habit and then verbally when that fails. ]

Imzadi. I love you, too.

[ and that's really all that needs to be said. sure, she could offer a thousand other words, a direct response to his attempt to reassure and uplift her, but somehow those seem to fall short compared to these five little words. a smile graces deanna's lips and for the first time in hours, days even, she breathes easily, the soft cycle of breathing coming far more naturally to her. she knows she hasn't overcome it fully, but she has people here who will help her, whose presence she can trust, whom she loves as dearly as family. she'll be fine. they all will be fine. ]

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1stofficer
2014-01-30 04:23 pm UTC (link)

[ Focusing on the Borg any day of the month is frankly something he doesn't want to do. He'd like to not dwell on any of it, and it's easy to brush it all aside when her breathing eases, to just fall into the moment. He doesn't need to kiss her, to pull her against him; merely being in each other's company is a great comfort. He strokes the last of the soap out of her hair, then finds her eyes. ]

Let's leave the rest for the morning. I feel cleaner already, and truly... I just feel like I could sleep for days.

[ And she seems calm enough now that she might stand a chance of sleeping. He strokes her hair back once more, then reaches past her to turn off the water, returning his hands to her to squeeze the water out of her hair, starting high and working down to the bottom.

He was already thoroughly drained, practically sleeping on his feet. There were routines to be observed, though. Her hair needed to be dried thoroughly, for one thing. It would still take time; it wasn't as simple as just falling into bed. He led her backwards out of the shower, reached for a towel to press it into her hands. ]

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2014-01-30 09:55 pm UTC (link)

So could I, but I think Captain Picard might worry if we're away from duty for too long.

[ it's an attempt at humor, one that might make them both smile. deanna doesn't open her eyes until the water's off, they're out of the shower, and he's handed her a towel. then she goes through the process of drying off, making sure he's taken care of as well as she is before she moves to pull on something dry. normally, she might be willing to just let her hair dry on its own, but she doesn't want will to be cold by holding her.

at this point, she is calm enough to try sleeping, especially if she has him with her. and honestly, half the fun of it is taking the time to really get ready for bed. drying off, getting dressed, drying her hair, and then settling into bed... all of it is a good exercise in bonding, togetherness. so once she's dried off and dressed, she grabs a dry towel and turns back to will with a smile still in place. ]

Would you like to do the honors with this, too, or should I?

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1stofficer
2014-02-01 03:36 pm UTC (link)

[ Finally, dried off and wrapped in one of the dressing gowns he'd found, Will moved to take the dry towel, reaching up toward Deanna's wrung out - but hardly dry - hair. If it dried out wet it would be uncomfortable for both of them, and while the temperature inside the dome wasn't presently unpleasant, from what he'd heard the weather was computer controlled and could shift unpredictably at any moment. If the temperature dropped overnight, it wouldn't be good for her. He knew all about that from his youth in Alaska.

As far as bonding rituals go, he's grateful for it. Settling in together in the shower and in bed is one thing, but there's a comfort to the routine, to spending this time together preparing for bed, that is such a balm after the day they've had. It brings the pace back down to something comfortable, and Riker presses a kiss to her shoulder before he begins to rub dry her hair. Once he's done he reaches past her to take up the hairdrier, working from the ends upward, and using his fingers to card it into a degree of tidiness. Without a comb or brush it was the best he could do.

The warm air, the hum of the drier, both were comforting in their own right. There was a sense memory there, something he couldn't quite put his finger on, perhaps even a memory of his mother. He looked back into the mirror at Deanna. ]

Feeling better?

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2014-02-01 06:08 pm UTC (link)

[ it might not be a big movement or mean much in the grand scheme of things, but at this point in time, something simple as having her husband dry her hair is comfort beyond comfort for deanna. she smiles gently as he works, enjoying the gentle scalp massage he's giving as he threads his fingers through the strands of her hair. this is nice. this is relaxing. this is just what she's needed. ]

Yes. Not even a bowl of chocolate ice cream helped this much.

[ and that's saying something coming from her. she means it, though, and once he's done and her hair is dry, she turns to pluck the hairdryer out of his hands, placing it on the counter so she can take his hand and lead them both into the bedroom. climbing up onto the bed, she scoots over to give him room to crawl up beside her and slides under the sheets. their night may have been long and involved, but it's been just what they've needed. it's been the calm after the storm, a chance to breathe easily, which deanna is now doing, and she wouldn't trade this for anything at all. she'll wait for her husband to fall into place beside her before she curls up against him, letting him move until they're both comfortable and she can speak easily again. ]

Thank you.

[ he means the world to her and his actions now have proven that yet again. ]

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