An unexpected encounter

Posted on Monday 1 February 2021 @ 17:36 by Civilian Sansa Draxx-Jones & Lieutenant Commander Hayley Godding & Major David Scarlet

Mission: Homeward
Location: Caledon Trailway, Ontario
Timeline: MD10 1000
2809 words - 5.6 OF Standard Post Measure

ON:

Sansa had been many places during her time here on Earth.... San Fransisco, Scotland, London, Ireland, the Bahama's, Rome. Since they only visited Earth occasionally, she wanted to see as much of it as possible. Now, she had talked Hayley into trying some cross country skiing in Canada. She had arranged a nice log chalet for a couple of nights near Ontario.

This particular morning the weather was perfect. It had a crisp clean quality to it and the fresh layer of fallen snow looked so inviting. Since she was a beginner, Sansa had selected a relatively flat trail to begin with but it promised plenty of wildlife to see and there was a nice little cafe at the far end where they could get a bite to eat.

"Come on Sweetie!" she called out to Hayley as she finally managed to get all the layers of clothes on so she felt warm, topped with a rather fetching bobble hat.

"There!" she said triumphantly as she got her skis on the first time. She beamed a smile at Hayley "It's easy..... Woah...Ahhhhh" she let out a small scream as she promptly lost her balance, toppled backwards and landed on her bum with a soft thump.

She sat there a few moments, her cheeks burning red with embarrassment. Finally, she held out her hand. "You know, I only did that so you'd come and rescue me."

Having already rolled with laughter, Hayley smothered it down and reached out to pull Sansa back up onto her feet. "Uh huh, I believe you baby-girl." She grinned at her. Wearing a very fetching ski-suit with an additional thermal jacket and knitted hat atop her head, Hayley actually looked like she belonged on the slopes. The irony being that her only actual skiing experience was on a holodeck, and even that had been part of a holo-romance-novel experience where she'd hooked up with an attractive female skier, but it had involved a good deal of skiing at least... if only fictional.

"Give me a chance. For my first time on Skis I think I'm doing an ok job." She said as she got hold of her ski poles and found her balance again.

"Hey, this was your idea, don't forget!" Hayley quipped, laughing. "I wanted to take you on safari, remember?"

"I wanted to try something different" Sansa protested. "Besides all that sand and hot air..." she shook her head. "Whereas here, this evening I was thinking a roaring fire, bottle of wine... you to keep me warm..." she tried to glide closer to Hayley but it didn't quite work. In the end she turned towards the trail. "Come on."

Hayley chuckled; "Alright." She said. It would do far more harm than good to tease Sansa about her skiing, so she just decided to go with it.

Sansa set off on the trail. After only about 10 minutes, she was already decided she had too many layers on and had to remove her topcoat and tie it around herself.

They hadn't seen anyone else on the trail so far, except for a family of deer in a nearby clearing that looked up only briefly as they passed.

"Having fun, hun?" Hayley asked Sansa, as she slid up next to her.

"Oh yeah," Sansa replied. The crisp cool air had given Sansa's cheeks a healthy glow.

The brisk air was refreshing to his lungs as he shushed along. He felt comfortable. Relaxed. He had the weight of an old rifle on his back as he skied. There wasn't currently a biathlon, but it'd been forever since he trained.

Scarlet was lost in his own thoughts when he saw two others on the trail. He slowed down as he got closer. "Good day." He said through his facemask.

Sansa slid to a stop next to him, a look of recognition flashed over her face. "Hey, I know you don't I?" She snapped her fingers. "You're from the Merlin, aren't you." The glow in her cheeks was covering that she was now blushing that she couldn't remember his name. She glanced over to Hayley for help.

"It appears that Earth is a very small planet after all." Hayley said. "Sansa, this is freshly minted First Lieutenant Scarlet, Merlin's latest marine company commander. Lieutenant, this is Sansa Draxx-Jones, the Captain's daughter." Hayley announced, gesturing between them as she made her introductions. She noticed the rifle on his back and chuckled. "Whether in security or a marine, you genuinely never relax without some kind of firearm in your possession, do you?"

Scarlet pulled down his facemask and nodded. "Nice to meet you Sansa. How is... your head and our visitor?" He asked as tactfully as he could.

He looked to Hayley for a moment before realizing he still had the rifle packed on his back. He'd gotten used to the weight while he skied and had all but forgotten about it. "Ah... yes. The rifle. It's training for a biathlon. The skiing portion at least. I didn't set up any targets."

Sansa had to think for a minute. "Oh, you mean Fay? She transferred into a new host for her journey back home. I was..... sorry to see her go." She suddenly remembered something. "Did you hear? Mom's pregnant... with twins! And they finally made her a full Captain too" She added proudly. "There is a cafe at the end of the trail. You want to get a coffee with us?"

"I've heard, yes." Scarlet said with the faintest hint of a grin. The girls' enthusiasm and pride were as refreshing as the cold fresh air. He paused for a moment as he considered her offer. He glanced toward Godding before continuing. "I don't want to impose."

Chuckling, Hayley looked at Sansa then back to Scarlet. "One thing I've learned from dating a Jones woman; they always get their way. I've no objections to you joining us. I suspect it's an excuse so that Sansa stops falling over..." She grinned at Sansa's expression.

Sansa frowned. “Hey! I only fell the once whoa.......” she wobbled on her skis and landed once again, on her bum in a drift.

“Maybe I’m not such a big fan of skiing after all...” she mused and held out her hand to Hayley. “You must come with us David. I've heard this cafe does some nice soup and sandwiches.”

Laughing, Hayley helped Sansa back up to her feet and dusted her off. "You have many positive traits, my love, but natural skier isn't one of them. With practice, we'll get you better at it. For now, I do think getting something hot inside you would be a good idea."

Scarlet watched the interaction and could only think of how nice it had to be young and in love. "Skiing can be difficult when you first start, but practice will make it easier and more enjoyable."

"I can give you a few pointers, but I'm also not a skiing instructor." He offered. "Or at the very least I can help Hayley pick you back up when you fall." The instant he said Godding's first name his stomach knotted. It would always be strange to him calling an officer by their first name even if society norms stated otherwise.

Sansa dusted the snow off her. "Hey, I've only fallen twice not so I don't think I'm doing that bad. Come on, she signalled to Scarlet. The cafe isn't far." and she set off at a leisurely pace.

"So what made you join the marines?" Sansa asked, taking more notice of where she was putting her feat now.

He was silent for a moment before exhaling a cloud of warm breath into the cold air. "All about finding the best way to serve. But I'd rather not discuss work right now. There is time enough for that later."

They approached the quaint and rustic looking cafe. There was an area to store their ski equipment outside and Sansa unclipped her skis and put them in one of the racks. Once inside a waiter directed them to a table.

Sansa started perusing the menu.

Scarlet glanced at the menu and then quickly put it down. Hr knew what he wanted and only checked to make sure it was on the menu. Just a cup of mint hot chocolate. A rare treat he would allow himself today.

"How did you two meet?" He asked after a moment of silence. "I know from personal experience that romance and a uniform don't always mix."

Deciding to indulge herself, Hayley ordered a caramel hot chocolate with extra whipped cream and marshmallows. She was going to have to be careful about her intake if she didn't want to put on weight, but this seemed harmless enough.

"Well, it's an interesting story that one." Hayley said, smiling at Sansa. "But then, aren't they always?"

Sansa smiled back. "We did meet briefly when mom invited Hayley to dinner on the Merlin, but the meeting that kicked everything off was on Risa, wasn't it Sweetie?" Sansa replied and gave Hayley's hand a squeeze.

"So, in a stroke of pure coincidence, I was on Risa at the same time that Sansa was there with her family." Hayley explained. "I stumbled upon a scene where a Ferengi was trying to push his unsolicited intentions onto Sansa here. Deciding that I should intercede, I may have... err... bruised his ego..."

"She came to my rescue." Sansa elaborated "I was just looking at one of those wooden statue things and the next thing I know this slobbering Ferengi has his paws all over me. Hayley threw him to the ground like he was a rag doll. The next morning we went on a lovely walk and picnic together. This was just before mom and dad got married. I asked Hayley to give me some basic self-defence training and our relationship took off from there. Now, I can't imagine being without her."

"Yes, the training wasn't entirely successful in that it usually didn't stay as training, but it was fun anyway." Hayley grinned impishly. "For the record, I'd rather not think of life without you in it... again. I didn't do so well the first time..."

The man nodded but stayed silent, listening intently. His own life hadn't been devoid of romance, but as of late that seemed like more and more of a distant memory. "Love has been a double-edged sword in my experience."

At this point, the waiter came back. "Have you all decided?"

Sansa replied first "I would like one of your hot chocolates with whipped cream and marshmallows and a slice of sponge cake too please." She looked at the other two.

"Make that two." Hayley said, folding up her menu.

"Just a plain hot chocolate with mint." Scarlet replied as he handed his menu.

He turned his attention back to his companions as the waiter left. "It's been a long time since I've been off duty. It seems... unnatural to me now."

“David, you need to learn to relax...” Sansa said, sympathetically. “You’re in one of the most idyllic places on the planet and you're with two beautiful women. Have a slice of cake and take in the sights.”

Scarlet grumbled and shifted uncomfortably on the chair. "Easier said than done. Or at least how you would consider relaxed. Rules and protocol are how I relax."

The waiter chose that moment to bring over a tray with their order. He quickly placed the cups in front of them followed by the two slices of cake before giving a friendly smile. "Enjoy!"

Scarlet lifted his cup to his lips and took a long inhale of the mint scent coming from the hot chocolate. Yes, this would do. "I've had others attempt to... change me. But it usually ends up going poorly for all involved."

"No one is trying to change you." Sansa said as she took a sip of her own hot chocolate. "Just for you to relax and enjoy yourself."

"I am about as relaxed as I will be." Scarlet said with the slightest of a grin. He took a sip of his own hot chocolate. "I just do it in my own way."

He took another sip. "Shooting things usually helps as well."

Sansa raised an eyebrow quizically. "Is that a guy thing?"

Cutting off a slice of cake with her fork, before taking a bite, Hayley paused to look at Sansa for a moment. She finished her mouthful and gave her a knowing look. "It's not exclusively a 'guy' thing, honey." She replied. "More a macho thing. I find it quite relaxing to go out on the range and spend an hour or two hitting targets, or going to the training holodeck and clearing out some CQC scenarios. Of course, I do find that variation is also important, so I have other ways of relaxing too. Watching old movies, my holodeck adventures, spending time with you... David just hasn't broadened his horizons much, that's all. But if that's what helps him wind down and not shoot any more engineers, who am I to criticize?"

Scarlet at first bristled, but quickly calmed. "Doyle will think twice before he launches confetti on the ship at least."

"And target shooting isn't the only thing I do to relax. Sailing is also an enjoyable pastime. But who could turn down the chance to ski in Ontario." He drank more of his hot chocolate before continuing. "What do they call people who live here? Ontarioians?"

"I thought they were Canadians," Sansa replied as she took a bite of her cake.

"Language honey," Hayley smirked. "I believe the colloquialism is 'idiot', but that applies to so many areas that it's hard to narrow it down."

Sansa frowned at Hayley. "That doesn't sound very nice Sweetie. Is something up?" She asked and gave her hand a squeeze.

"No, just being a smart-ass." Hayley sighed and took a sip of her hot chocolate. There was no point bringing up that aspect of her past here and now. Perhaps later, maybe, but certainly not now in front of Scarlet.

Sansa sensed there was more to it than that but decided to let it go. "And a such a sexy ass too," Sansa added with a wink.

Scarlet cleared his throat and took another sip of his drink. "I can honestly say I've never noticed." Leaning back in his chair, he looked around the small cafe and began mentally figuring out possible weak points and routes for assaults as well as count escape routes. He shut it down just as quick as it began. It was true, he never really allowed himself to relax. Glancing back at Sansa and Hayley, maybe he needed a partner. Or a pet.

"Well, that was a lovely hot chocolate and a yummy cake." Sansa said as she picked up the last few crumbs with her fingers. "do you have any plans for the rest of your shore leave?" She asked Scarlet.

"Not really," He said as he finished his own hot chocolate. "I have to finish the transfer to the Marine Corp and familiarize myself with my new duties and requirements."

Scarlet put the empty cup back down on the table. "Is there anything else you're looking forward too?" He didn't specify who he was asking, more of a general question to both ladies.

Sansa replied first "Well, I've got a special evening planned for this one tonight." She said as she put her hand on Hayley's and gave her a cheeky wink. "Then we've been invited to a BBQ The day after tomorrow."

"Shhh! Not in front of Scarlet!" Hayley muttered to Sansa.

After a while, Sansa said to Hayley "Well, come on Sweetie, we better be heading back. Who knows how long it's going to take us or how many times I'm going to fall over." She added with a chuckle. She then held out a hand to Scarlett "It was nice to see you David, I'm sure we'll run into each other when we're back on the Merlin."

"And you Sansa." Scarlet said as he stood up. "And you as well Hayley." He gave her a quick nod as he gathered his jacket. "I look forward to seeing you back onboard."

"Wish me luck getting this hopeless girl back home..." Hayley grumbled, appreciating that going back up the hill was going to be harder for the clumsy red-head than going down it. "Enjoy your leave, David and I'll see you aboard Merlin."

OFF:

Sansa Draxx-Jones
Civilian
NPC Jones

| Marine 1st Lieutenant David Scarlet
Company Commander
USS Merlin


○●● Lieutenant Commander Hayley Godding
Chief Security/Tactical Officer
USS Merlin