A Night at the Opera, part 2

Posted on Wed Jul 21st, 2010 @ 7:03am by Commander Raven Adams & Khiy Tal'ehrihn

1,079 words; about a 5 minute read

Mission: On Typhon Station
Timeline: Current

ON

[OLD]

"I appologise for the seats actually. The second tier balconies are where the dignitaries and VIP's usually sit. I don't mean to forget your position." He made an effort to keep his eyes fixated on the lights. He was finding the task more difficult then he had imagined.

[NEW]

She touched his arm to get his attention. "I would rather you do forget. I enjoy your company because with you I am simply Miral."

His attention snapped back to Miral at the comment. His eyes definitely read confusion as he looked at her. He understood where she was coming from, the dual nature of personalities. "Well in that case, I'm glad you feel comfortable with me." He didn't know how the words sounded, but they were genuine.

Miral smiled. She was glad, too. Glad, and surprised. She rarely felt like she could be herself. She could count on one hand the number of people around whom she felt comfortable. And the only one she found interesting.

Khiy studied her for a moment as he considered this new information. He had never thought that perhaps she associated with him for nothing more than what some would consider a "normal" relationship. He could identify with how the farther up the chain of importance someone goes, the less "real" the people become as a result. Was this the case now? Could she actually be telling the truth about being herself around him?

His eyebrows dipped in thought. Perhaps he had been too unforgiving of her in the past. He admitted freely to being at guard, but his feelings had been skewed into thinking that she was positioning herself to become a future political enemy. It was not an unfounded thought as there were some in the Romulan senate that wouldn't mind having a political edge like Khiy under their belt when dealing with his father. This thinking had been plaguing him ever since the first visit she made. Even with this in mind, he actually enjoyed her company despite himself. He now wondered if they had gotten off on the wrong foot since day one. Perhaps it was time for a bit of honesty.

"Why did you come to my office that day we met? I mean, really?"

"Curiosity, mostly," she admitted. "You're part Romulan, so I wanted to meet you."

"...Really? That was it?" The simplicity of the answer stuck Khiy as nearly impossible.

Miral waited until he looked at her so she could make eye contact. "That was it. A simple desire to meet another Romulan. I used your father's name as an excuse."

Khiy blinked a few times, digesting the information. He didn't know why, but he actually trusted her words. Suddenly a loud laugh escaped his lips, catching even Khiy by surprise. It took a number of seconds for him to regain his composure.

"I'm sorry." He said, still brandishing a wide smile. "I'm not laughing at you so much as I am laughing at myself." He shook his head and briefly looked over the audience, searching for the words. "I fear I have been sabotaging our relationship since day one."

"Oh," she said, both pleased and intrigued that he called what they had a relationship. She had to admit, though, she liked the idea. "How have you been sabotaging it?"

"I've been trying to read into everything you do and say." He said the words so matter-of-factly as if they held no weight in his mind. The truth was just that, the truth and he saw no need to hide that from her suddenly. "I was worried that you may have been trying to use me."

The little voice in the back of Khiy's head was screaming at him to stop. He really had no reasons to trust her, even now. But he really WANTED to believe her. So, for the moment, he was throwing caution to the wind...perhaps being a businessman was making him soft...

"Understandable. I have been taught to never trust anyone." She gave him a sideways look. "I do not know why I trust you." She'd never been this open with another person before. She was taking a risk with Khiy. If she were still a Sub-Commander she wouldn't dare to relax like this. She wasn't sure if it was a good thing or not.

"Perhaps it's a trust based off mutual distrust of everyone around us." Khiy said as he played off the irony of their situation. After a moment he spoke again. "So where does that leave us?"

"Where do you want it to leave us?" she countered.

"Certainly more comfortable with each other than we were at the start of the evening." Is that all? he mentally asked himself, wondering if he was slipping back into half-truths.

"We already are, based on the current conversation," she said with a muffled grin. "So that does not answer the question." She again looked him in the eye. "Then again, neither did my statement truly answer yours. So, we could continue speaking half-truths, or one of us could actually say what we are both thinking."

She was speaking like an ambassador. Calm, collected, neutral. But the expression behind her eyes held a vulnerability and a fearful hope she did not try and hide from him. "Perhaps we should not spend so much effort analyzing this?"

"I am still trying to determine what this is." He said as his foolish grin turned into a more serious one. "Perhaps you are right. though." Without having said anything, he began to believe that they were actually treading the same line of thought.

She held his gaze until the lights came down, the curtain rose, and the opera began. For a while, Miral said nothing. Her thoughts going from the performance on the stage to the man seated next to her. Both were puzzling.

Khiy attempted to wash his thoughts clean for the remainder of the performance, but succeeded little in the way of doing that. Being honest was by far something he wasn't accustomed to and his thoughts remained disquieted by it. He had convinced himself that all of this was foolish and he had far more to lose than gain. He had also convinced himself, more importantly, that he didn't really care about that.

(To be continued...)

(To be continued...)

Khiy Tal'ehrihn
Chairman
Trans Galactic Trading
Starbase Typhon

Miral Tal'Aura Annhwi (NPC)
Romulan Ambassador
Starbase Typhon

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