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A Mirror Shattered #118 & 119 - An Unusual Conversation in Unusual CON: <<USS Pegasus, Corridors outside the Gym>> Ryylar, having finally located O'Driscoll, made his way to the ship's gymnasium, walking in and cocking an eyebrow as he looked around, seeing a very tense and worked up Hannah pounding mercilessly away at a helpless punching bag which indignantly hung from the ceiling. Hannah didn't hear the door open, and continued pounding away at the bag. Finally, here was something simple, where she didn't have to worry about impressing anyone, or upsetting anyone, or even Starfleet assasins trying to kill her. In the gym she could forget about everything, and just concentrate on the task in front of her - beating seven shades of paste out of the punchbag. He walked over to her and moved behind the punching bag, catching it in his hands to steady it for her. "Now let it out." He said with a sage nod, holding the bag for her. "BASTARD!" Hannah screamed, and slammed her fist into the bag, splitting it on impact. Sand began to gush from the hole, pooling on the floor below. Hannah slumped to the floor, and ran a hand through her hair. For the first time, she recognised Rylaar's presence. "I'm sorry...it's been a long day." He smiled a bit and sat down behind her, gently rubbing her shoulders. "Rrrrrrrrelax.... It'ssssss been rrrrrrrough on all of ussssss." He said with a nod. Hannah relaxed some. "You're Rylaar, right? We met in the Brig." "That'sssssss me." He said with a smile, gently rubbing and massaging her neck. "Oh, that feels good." Hannah smiled. "Thank you." She smiled up at him. "Does this come under your role as Morale Officer?" "A lot of thingssssss do, including a sssssssong and danccccccce rrrrrroutine." He said with a chuckle, rubbing her neck and shoulders a bit more intensely. "Ohhhhhh...do you do appointments?" Hannah said dreamily. "This is amazing." "I do appointmentsssss, birrrrrrrthday parrrrrrrtiessss, bah mitzvah'ssssss, grrrrrrraduationsssssss, and even anniverrrrrrssssssarrrrrriesssss." He said, stopping after a while to smile as he made his joke. Hannah smiled. "This is fantastic...just what I needed." She looked up at him again. "Wait a sec." She shrugged off his hands, and lay down on her stomach on the deck. She shucked up the light exercise shirt she had been wearing to reveal her bare back. "Would you mind?" she asked. Ryylar sighed a bit and thought for a moment, but decided it wasn't anything horribly wrong and he wasn't hitting on her, so he knelt beside her and rubbed her back, looking off at the walls to not really pay attention to the young woman's bare torso on the floor in front of "It's not been a great week." Hannah said. "A lot of stuff has happened." <Wow, I've reached a whole new level of evasiveness!> "Carrrrrrre to ssssssharrrrre?" He asked her, trying to see if Sulan was telling the truth or not as he rubbed her neck and shoulders, moving his hands now down to the middle of her back between her shoulderblades. "Ohhhh..." Hannah smiled. "Well, the battle was tough," <I broke my arm> "and then all this stuff with Sules," <Stuff? She tried to kill the Ice Queen!> "and of course, I'm still my father's daughter." <Although not for much longer, if Sules is to be believed.> "Yeah I hearrrrrrrd about ssssssssome of that." He said with a nod, his hands moving just below her shoulder blades now to the middle of her back. "Oh really?" Hannah said archly, remembering Sulan's words from earlier. "Mmmm...a little lower." <Watch yourself, girl! Much lower and he'll be doing a freaking rectal exam> He complied and cleared his throat. "Yeah, Ssssssulan wassssss telling me you've had ssssssome perrrrrrsssssonal effectsssss brrrrrroken orrrrrr sssssstolen orrrrr ssssssomething... posssssssibly a thrrrrrrrreat on yourrrrrrrr life." He said with a nod, rubbing lower a bit, hitting the small of her back just above her hips. "Yes." Hannah said. "A doll...it was something personal. Something just to rattle me I don't doubt. It was nothing, really." <Way to challenge those preconceptions, Hannah - lying to your new friends.> "Well Sssssssulan hassssss been known to overrrrrrrssssstate thingsssss, but ssssssomething about thissssss made me believe herrrrrrr." He said with a bit of a worried tone. "What...exactly did she tell you?" Hannah said, warily. It was hard to be on edge when she was this relaxed, but she was doing a sterling job. "That therrrrrrre werrrrrrrre people who wanted to kill you and that I should keep an eye on you and make ssssssurrrrrrre you'rrrrrrrre taken carrrrrrre of." He said with a nod, moving his hands over her back to rest on her shoulders, then stopping as he let them rest on his lap. Hannah rolled over, covering herself as she readjusted her shirt. "Her name is Angela...apparently." She said quietly. "She wants to kill me, and I have no idea why. I mean, I suspect it's to do with my Father, but that's all I know. She won't stop until she dies...or I do." Ryylar had his eyes fixed on a high point of the ceiling so he couldn't see anything below a row of benches on the far wall. "Well, I don't know. But if what Ssssssulan ssssssayssssss issssss trrrrrrrue, then you'rrrrrrre in dangerrrrrrr and I told Ssssssssulan I would help prrrrrrrotect you. Uhm... by the way... Issssss yourrrrrrr ssssssshirrrrrrt on yet?" he asked her a bit uncomfortably. Hannah grinned at his uncomfortableness, and decided to play him a bit. "Oh, I thought I wouldn't bother with the shirt." She lied happily. "It's so restricting. I've taken my shorts and panties off too - I thought I'd do some exercises nude. Would you hold the punchbag for me?" She stood, giggling on the inside at his expression. "I'm ssssssssorrrrrrrry, but no, I'll leave you to yourrrrrrr excccccccerrrrrrsssssissssessss then." He said, standing. Giving a friend a back rub was one thing, holding a punching bag for a woman who decided to do nude kickboxing was something different. He turned as he stood, dutifully keeping his eyes off of her as he moved away from her. Hannah laughed out loud. "Oh relax, Rylaar, I'm fulling clothed." As he turned back around she smiled. "See, I'm plenty smart. If someone's after me, well, they'd better watch out." He cocked an eyebrow and risked looking at her to see if she was fully clothed or if she had been lying to him just now. "I told you that Sssssssulan entrrrrrrusssssted me with yourrrrrr sssssssecurrrrrrity." He said, looking with relief at the sight of her fully clothed body. "And that comforts me, Rylaar." She assured him. "It really does. Have you seen anyone..." she cringed at the cliché, "acting suspiciously?" "Not that I've noticcccced... Otherrrrrr than Sssssssulan that issssss." He said with a nod. "I ssssssuggessssst we brrrrrrring thissssss up to Commanderrrrrrr Petrrrrrrova and inforrrrrrm herrrrrr of thisssss dilemma." He said with a nod. "Um...I'm not so sure that's a good idea." Hannah said. "I'd kind of like to keep this between the three of us for now." "Why isssss that not a good idea?" He asked her, wondering what reasoning their was behind not informing Kris. "Because she'd ask...awkward questions." Hannah said, thinking of Sulan's earlier revelations. "One's I'd rather weren't asked right now." "If therrrrrrre issssss a thrrrrrrrreat to yourrrrrrr life, then a little bit of unpleasssssant uncomforrrrrrtable quesssstioning sssssssshouldn't be too bad." He said with a frown. <It's not me I'm worried about.> "Listen, Rylaar, I appreciate your help...and your back-rub, but right now, I'm not even sure that there is a threat to my life." She sighed. "Listen, this is my problem. Until it becomes more serious, could we deal with it in my way? I promise, if there's an actual attempt on my life, we'll go straight to Commander Petrova. But until then, perhaps we could keep it under wraps?" "All rrrrrrrright." Ryylar nodded. "Wherrrrrrrre arrrrrre you going now?" He asked her. "Back to the CSC, and my office." Hannah said. "To learn everything I can about Dominion tactics in our universe, and to pray that they're similar in this one." "Verrrrrrrry well, then I will accompany you." He said with a nod as he turned to leave the gym. <Give me a massage and then come to work with me? The Ice Queen will be jealous.> Hannah tried to conceal her smile. "That's sweet of you, Rylaar. Are you sure you wouldn't be of more use elsewhere, though?" "Well to be honesssssst, I don't know wherrrrrre I would be of mossssst usssssse, but at leassssst thissssss way I can possssssibly get onto the brrrrrrridge and ssssssssee Krrrrrrissss a bit morrrrrrre." He said, sighing a bit happily at the thought of Commander Petrova. "Fair enough." Hannah said, shrugging. "I have to warn you though - I'm going to be mostly reading. Not exactly exciting stuff for a bodyguard." He shrugged. "I won't be with you twenty fourrrrrr ssssssseven." He said with a frank tone. "But let'sssss get on with thisssss ssssshall we?" He asked her gesturing for her to lead the way. OFF Lieutenant Hannah O'Driscoll Chief of Security USS Pegasus "And I was so looking forward to nude kickboxing as well..." Warrant Officer Ryylar Morale Officer/Acting Security Officer USS Pegasus |
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