Movie Night (Kali)

[Malcolm Adeyemi]

[Starbase Columbus]

"How do you have this kind of pull?" Crewman Santos asked as they walked down the corridor.

"I do not know what you mean by 'pull'," Mahak told her. She had offered to carry his bag, but the Vulcan had waved her off. He had only one night with Reyes, and his overnight bag consisted merely of some toiletries. He was also slightly nettled that the Columbus always assigned a crewman to help new arrivals. Mahak had been assigned to the station briefly, so he knew his way around. He also did not require hospitality, friendship, or talking about nonessential topics. But humans will be humans.

"You got yourself the admiral's suite," Santos replied. She was a thick human with a narrow waist and red streaks in her hair. "Not even the captain stays there."

"That would be the doing of my mate," The Vulcan said. "She has considerable 'pull.'"

"Your mate. I see." Santos said with a tone that Mahak couldn't decipher. "Well, here we are."

[Admiral's Suite]

The room was not carpeted like any other deck that Mahak had visited, whether it be starbase or starship. Instead, it consisted of a faux-marble material dotted here and there with rugs. There were a few fake pillars in the room, giving the entire room an art deco or noveau classical look. There was a baby grand piano and a large, plush looking canopied bed. Set against one bulkhead was a fireplace and above that the largest yet thinnest viewing screen Mahak had ever seen.

"What is this room's purpose?" He asked Santos as he set his small bag down. "This is not a place for a Starfleet officer."

"It's a place for a visiting admiral or head of state," Santos mentioned as she touched a panel on the bulkhead. The room lit up and soft music, some earth classic, started playing. "Fireplace is old fashioned, so no voice command. We keep fresh wood in here, it's in that closet there. The replicator works, but if you want the chef to make something fresh just ask."

"This kind of luxury is not something I often see," Mahak admitted.

"Like I said, pull." Santos grinned. "Ring me if you need anything. Enjoy your stay on the Starbase Columbus."

"Thank you," He heard himself reply, though he did not see the need to thank someone for doing their duty. He waited for Reyes to arrive.

[Kali Reyes]

[Starbase Columbus]

The funny thing about galas is that sometimes, the random drunkard you helped heave his evening meal over the balcony could be a blessing in disguise. In Kali's case, as she sympathetically patted the back of a high-powered dignitary discreetly over the railing, he gratefully offered her a suite for her accomplishments above the call of duty.

Whether it was the goodness out of his heart or the middle-aged human secretly hoped she'd take him with him, Kali never extended the invitation. But it was fine - a lot of people tend to conveniently forget that she was going steady. Sometimes she'd kept her lips sealed, especially if banal flirting earned her free stuff. This was one of those times.

So she bagged the Admiral's suite and, let's be honest, it was quite the loot haul even if for only a night. She was dressed casually, like she was keen for a good workout in her tank top and pants, and maybe she was. There was one particular item she was looking forward to the most: the bed was practically a cloud to sink into.

The doors slid open for Kali and the first thing she saw was Mahak standing in the middle of the room. Before the doors could close, Kali dropped her bag and unceremoniously hopped on him with a happy little sound. "Are you the compliment on the house?" she teased, her arms loose around his shoulders. "Beats the hell out of a chocolate on the pillow."

[Malcolm Adeyemi]

[Admiral's Suite]

Mahak found himself in the grips of a standard issue Kali Reyes four limb embrace complete with squeezing arms and thighs. Mahak hugged her fiercely to him, easily handling her weight. He saw that Reyes was dressed in casual workout clothing, and wondered why he himself was wearing his uniform. Perhaps it was because he never truly felt comfortable in anything but his on duty clothing.

"I'll...leave you two alone." Santos said, perhaps a touch wistfully, and left.

When they were alone, Mahak whirled her around and walked to the bed slowly, enjoying the sensation. He threw her smaller form onto the bed in an easy flex of muscles, and sat on the foot of it.

"That was a very...exuberant greeting." The Vulcan said. He was ever the master of understatement. His skin was flushed green and his breathing had deepened.

[Kali Reyes]

[Admiral's Suite]

She almost forgot there was an audience and lazily waved at Santos until it was just the two of them. Her grip on him tightened until she was suddenly upended on the bed, earning him a huff of laughter in response. Unfettered, Kali turned and hummed into the soft sheets and reached for the pillows to sit her belly on. It reminded her of the beds back home. The kind that didn't leave your muscles stiff and unwieldy in the morning like the Starfleet issued beds did.

Kali rolled her cheek against the cool pillow and smiled smugly at his back. "Mmm. I promise to bow next time. For a head's up, of course." That was a funny thought - a full on bow before a tackle that would make old fashioned football proud.

[Malcolm Adeyemi]

[Admiral's Suite]

Mahak half turned on the bed and cupped his hand to her cheek, running a thumb along the ripe, full lips. It was a gesture of affection, though his face was completely stolid. It may seem out of place for a Vulcan, but mates often exchanged gestures meant to deepen their bond. This was another of them.

"I have no doubt that every one of your greetings will be more exuberant than the last," He said. "It is logical that with your having secured our accommodations tonight it falls to me to do the rest of the work. I can build us a fire if you would like to choose our entertainment for the evening."

[Kali Reyes]

[Admiral's Suite]

Kali tried to lazily nip at his thumb, her thoughts curiously moving eye contact to a fireplace not too far off. She half-wondered where the smoke went in the starbase, though the bed was far too appealing for her to get up and find out.

But now that she was deemed in charge of entertainment, Kali reluctantly rolled off the bed to peruse the giant holoscreen just waiting to be used. The selection was very muted, which didn't surprise her at all. What dignitary would like to get caught watching a saucy holovid during a diplomatic function?

There were a couple of documentaries that promised a snooze halfway through, a couple of Federation founding vids for new alien diplomats, and a few cultural blockbusters that belonged to any kind of historical film registry. "Aww..." she half-whined. "They don't have 60 Shades of Blue Redux." Now that was a saucy number she could get behind. The Lovely Green used to be her second favorite sauce flick - until their last interaction with Orions. That kind of put her off nowadays.

She did manage to find a copy of New Star Wars, though heavily altered seeing as the original copies were pretty much lost during the Eugenics Wars. It was only by the determination of fans did they hash out a remake as close as they could to the original. "Do Vulcans have movies?" she asked him. Then her eyebrows wiggled. "Saucy ones?"

[Malcolm Adeyemi]

[Admiral's Suite]

Mahak was busy hauling his wood.

He stacked the pre-fabricated cords of firewood next to the fireplace. He was not at all surprised to find that the wood was replicated. It was too square, too neatly chopped and free of dirt and debris to be true firewood. Still, it was a great deal easier to start and smelled a lot better than a fire back on Harmony. The colony world had very little wood and largely relied on dung to make fires.

"Movies?" Mahak asked. He had his callused boxer's hands out toward the fire, warming them. "Vulcans have not had organized entertainment in milennia, Kali. There is no need for it."

It went without saying that if Vulcans did have movies they would probably be just about the blandest thing this side of plain oatmeal. Mahak had seen human movies before. They were a relic now even on earth, but he found them exceedingly violent, melodramatic, and overblown with needless sex.

"What exceedingly violent, melodramatic and sex filled piece will you be choosing tonight?" He asked her directly, leaving the fire to join her by the bed.

[Kali Reyes]

[Admiral's Suite]

His response didn't surprise her, but maybe she was hoping for something secretly scandalous like a black market hoard of Vulcan 'mating rituals'. Or maybe the holos were nothing more than intense staring competitions that would make the stoutest Vulcan squirm.

"Oh, don't tease," she said with pursed lips. "The library here could only hold so much smut! Like this," Kali kicked off her shoes and settled back into the pillows, the PADD raised aloft over her head. "Birth of a Federation. Utterly scandalous. Space Odyssey Volume 3: The Manufacture of the Warp Core. Oooh, think that'll get ya in the mood?" She gave him her best come hither look.

[Malcolm Adeyemi]

[Admiral's Suite]

"I do not require visual stimulation besides looking at you to 'get in the mood.'" Vulcans had a way of speaking when they were quoting others that was unintentionally hilarious. Mahak unknowingly used it often. "However, I agree that we are not here for a briefing or in any official capacity. Those films would be inadequate."

He answered her come hither look by dropping a kiss between her eyes before getting up from the bed and walking over to the viewscreen. Next to it was a standard panel.

A few taps on it told Mahak what he already knew: that no unsolicited and unauthorized entertainment provisions could be accessed. The Vulcan felt his stubborn streak rear its head. The viewscreen was connected to the starbase's computer, it would be fairly simple to circumvent.

A few minutes later he turned to Reyes and nodded to her. Though his expression was as grave as it ever was his voice had a note of triumph.

"I have accessed the entirety of the Federation's entertainment material," The Vulcan told her. "Now you will be able to choose any movie you like."

[Kali Reyes]

[Admiral's Suite]

Kali sat up a bit and watched him add a bit more to the library. She smiled and did not let out a tiny squee for it. "Hurray! Eat your heart out, James Cameron!" Because she had a few movies in mind under his repertoire, especially the ones prior to the war.

What kind of exceedingly violent, melodramatic, sex filled piece the director had in his belt? "How about a bit of irony for an honest Vulcan?" She flipped the PADD around so he can see the words True Lies emblazoned. "The Lawrence of Arabia of the 1990's. And I think there's a striptease in here somewhere." She looked at the ceiling, thoughtful for humanity itself. "God bless human cinema."

[Malcolm Adeyemi]

[Admiral's Suite]

"The title of this film is illogical. A lie cannot be true." Mahak said. He would have rather watched some human boxing movies. During Basic, for downtime they had been made to watch a series of film called Rocky. Much of the emotional back and forth had been lost on Mahak, but his human and other teammates had adored the films. Even the Vulcan had to admit that the choreography in them was top notch.

Mahak found the bed, took off his boots, and quickly and unceremoniously changed into an overnight robe. Reyes was dressed comfortably and he should have been, too. This was supposed to be an enjoyable night for them. His mind drifted as he packed away his uniform, folding every garment with precise, Starfleet SOP lines, to what would happen after the film. He looked forward to dinner with his mate, conversing with her, exploring all of the differences that made her who she was and made them such a complimentary couple. And eventually coupling with her, deepening their physical bond after they had deepened their personal one with conversation. He had not seen Reyes since the incident with the Orion on the Shran, and had leaped at the chance to see her.

He laid on the bed in his robe and propped up some fluffy, comfortable pillows for Reyes next to him. He felt as if he was sinking into the soft bed. Mahak was not used to such softness in his life.

[Kali Reyes]

[Admiral's Suite]

"Oh, I dunno," she singsonged. "If you call out a liar for lying, that's plenty truthful." While he dressed down, Kali flipped on the holoscreen and cooled down with the sounds of wood bits popping in the crackling fire. Very little wound her down, but this bed and ambiance might be what finally did her in.

She almost dozed waiting for the movie to play and maybe she was too preoccupied watching Mahak changed, but the sudden screeching of violins startled her awake. She yawned, made a scene settling against his side and stuck her chin on his chest while the movie opened with a dated title screen. "Should've ordered popcorn," she mumbled.

[Malcolm Adeyemi]

[Admiral's Suite]

"We still can." Mahak told her. He was reluctant to get up. The fire, Reyes's soft and warm body coiled with his, it was all very...comfortable. Perhaps that was the reason he should get up. He did not crave comfort.

He found his commbadge on the nightstand and tapped it. "=/\=This is the Admiral's suite to the galley."

"=/\=Galley, go ahead."

"=/\=Could you bring up some popcorn and something to drink?"

"=/\=Cajun popcorn? What flavor?"

Mahak blinked. He was not one for food. Wordlessly, he motioned for Reyes to take over the conversation. He found one of her bare feet and with his strong, rough hands over the silken skin began to absentmindedly rub her feet while he watched the movie. Something about a computer specialist who was also a military operative. The thought was curious.

[Kali Reyes]

[Admiral's Suite]

There was a lull in the movie where Schwarzenegger quietly sneaks into a lavish party, so Kali's ears metaphorically perked up when Mahak shifted and ordered food. He paused during the order, cueing Kali to crawl over him for the combadge with a single-minded goal in mind.

"Can you make it a big popcorn? And hot dogs! Two - but make one vegetarian. Yes, I know it's gross-" She glanced at Mahak momentarily. "I'm getting a couple beers to drink. Do you want something else instead?"

[Malcolm Adeyemi]

[Admiral's Suite]

Popcorn. Hot dogs. Beer. Mahak had served with humans long enough to know that a hot dog wasn't what it sounded like, but it was still unappealing.

"=/\=Beer is fine." The Vulcan said. Truth be told, he preferred human wine if he was going to imbibe alcohol. It was calmer and not fizzy and didn't bloat him like human beer did. But Reyes wanted it and he would play along for her sake.

Mahak was just settling down with Reyes again when they were interrupted by the door chime. He bade the movie to pause and asked however it was to come in.

A steward in a prim blue uniform pushed a long card into the suite. He blinked at the two of them, clearly expecting someone older, an admiral. He caught sight of Mahak's hung up uniform and saw that he outranked him. The man's eyes narrowed in confusion and envy.

"Just sign for it here..." the fellow said. Mahak indifferently pressed his thumb against the PADD and the the steward filed out.

There was a great deal more than they had asked for. Clearly, the galley was used to entertaining admirals in style. Under a heavy silver tray was a ballpark style banquet. The hot dog and hamburger rolls had been toasted to crunchy perfection and set aside from the meats. Since Reyes had specified vegetarian it was separate from the rest of the food, a tiny tray full of soy dogs and veggie burgers. The regular beef was glistening brown, the hot dogs a healthy pinkish red. Toppings were in tiny, individual sections of the tray: mustard, ketchup, relish, onions, sweet and hot peppers, sauerkraut.

An absurdly tall sturdy box of popcorn was also on the cart, overflowing with steaming popcorn. The golden white-yellow mountain was topped with a veritable sea of creamery butter.

There was a growler of a light, crisp summer ale, clear so that they could view the merrily bubbling golden liquid. Two pint glasses had been frosted and wrapped in heavy cloths so they would stay that way.

Mahak was utterly uninspired by all the food and absentmindedly told the computer to resume playback on the movie. He tested a single vegetarian hot dog on a bun, no toppings. The collective smell of all that food was turning his stomach just a bit, so he sat as far as possible away from the cart.