SIM:Adyr Falling In

((The Retreat, USS Victory))

:: It pleased her greatly that the crew was having such a good time. After all, that was the point of the whole mindset behind The Retreat. She hadn't had a lot of time to put into this particular dinner, but things had gone off without a hitch anyways. She enjoyed the company and the conversation, and now, as others gathered their dessert, she watched in amusement as Lt. Commander Diaz put some of the more optional aspects of the place into action. The lights dimmed and he used the middle of the room as a dance floor.::

:: Even under the dimmed lighting, Liam felt as if he were being watched. Not by everyone, but by enough people who were wondering just what in the world he thought he was doing. But it was a feeling that he had come to expect. It was a look that had followed him from his earliest days in the Academy. And though they never asked out loud, he always silently gave the same answer.::

oO Just watch me. Oo

:: Cayden smiled at the goofy nature of some of the officers. There were the brave ones that stepped out onto the floor and danced alone or with others to the upbeat music. She found herself tapping her foot to the beat until the song ended and many of the officers moved off. A new song came on, only this one was much slower. The floor was nearly empty now and she waited to see what couples might take the opportunity to dance now.::

:: She didn't exactly expect that she would be one of them who was moving out there, though the voice that broke through her thoughts was more than welcome.::

Frost: May I have this dance?

:: His charming smile made it impossible to say no, not that she could have anyways. Her interest in this man seemed to go beyond the normal interest in the wellbeing of the crew around her, even though she wasn't an actual officer on the ship. She had been around these people long enough to get to know some of them well; but she wanted to get to know this one a bit more than the rest…::

Adyr: ::Smiling.:: I believe that even if I wanted to, I wouldn't be able to resist you.

:: She extended her hand to him and he took it, leading her out onto the dance floor. It had been some time since she had danced; what with all the travels that young Cayden had experienced in her own life, she had little time to slow down and be the object of any mans desires. She was too busy going here and there, never slowing until she had come full circle. Her joining had started with Jaxx in a roundabout manner, and now her life had led her back there.::

:: What she didn't expect, in the process, was to meet anyone that invoked those old feelings that her previous hosts had memories of in her shared mind. Still, he was here, now. And for the first time, the calm and collected Trill was nervous.::

:: Carrying himself like he knew what he was doing, even when he didn't, was something that Liam had learned to do as well as any other skill he possessed. It was at least partially responsible for getting him as far as he had come. Being in unfamiliar territory was nothing new, but being nervous about it was. Perhaps it was because he was standing in front of a woman who had, for all intents and purposes, already lived a half dozen lives before he had even been born. It was, at times, difficult to tell where Adyr ended and Cayden started. And he found that idea to be both mildly intimidating, and yet incredibly fascinating.::

:: And in that moment, Cayden lost herself. With the past memories of the prior Adyr hosts, she had learned that many moments in life only come once. It was best to live each moment to the fullest, leaving nothing unsaid and nothing undone. While she had never been able wholly follow this advice, in this moment she came closer than before to just letting herself get lost. There was no calculation, there was no planning; she hadn't expected to be out there with a senior officer on the crew under her prior hosts lover, and when she really stopped to think about it, it almost made her head hurt.::

:: He quickly managed to find an unoccupied section of the floor, not too far from the crowd, but far enough that he wouldn't bump into anyone if his nerves got the better of him. He wasn't a great dancer, but he knew enough to get by as long as he kept himself in check. He forced the slightest of tremors out of his hand and placed it as gingerly as he could on her hip. He smiled somewhat more sheepishly than he had intended as they moved to the beat. ::

:: Still, as he took her hand in his and placed his other on her hip, she closed out as much of the others as she could and allowed herself to be the carefree girl that she was before she was joined. In that moment, she was Cayden, without the benefit of memories and experience gleaned from multiple lifetimes, and though she couldn't shut it all down, for a moment she felt free. Freedom from knowing better, from feeling as if she had already been in these situations before, or from the vague reminiscence that she had felt this way before; it was freedom that she rarely got, but for that short moment, all the other `voices' in her head grew silent.::

:: Feeling like the only person in the room was a feeling that Liam had never really felt for long. His attitude tended to put him in the center of things whether he liked it or not. And yet in that moment he was, in a strange way, both of those things at once. The feeling of eyes on him faded the moment she leaned in and placed a hand on him, except for hers. Then and there, he was the center of her attention and that was the only thing that mattered. He was vaguely aware of the sound of music that filled the room, enough to keep him from falling over, but to him, there wasn't a single person in the galaxy but the two of them.::

:: The beat was slow and rhythmic, and to it they moved softly across the floor. The world around them faded into the background; nothing more than a blur on the canvas of life. The faces faded too, until they were all there was. Cayden couldn't pull her gaze away from him, so contentedly she let herself get lost in his eyes and in the gentle hold of his hands. It wouldn't be until the night had ended that she would look back and thank the stars that he hadn't been Betazoid. Her feelings were her own until she chose to share them, though her nerves has started to get the better of her as the music faded too.::

:: Yet they remained. Either oblivious to the fact that the music had faded and transitioned into something else, or both unwilling to let that moment slip away, the two continued to move to the beat that was now in their own heads; in their own world. A world created in a moment of intrigue and wonder, where the beginnings of what could become a blaze had started in the kindling of a controlled burn.::

:: He could have spent the rest of his life trying to describe what it was that he saw when he looked into her eyes. It was not unlike the feeling he got when he first saw the stars from the dark side of Luna. Both were profound in a way that he didn't have the words to express. And yet, where the ocean of stars and lights had left him feeling like only a small part of something infinitely larger than himself, the way she looked at him left him feeling as though he were the most important person in the galaxy.::

:: Would they fan the fire? Allow it to grow? Was it even a good idea? The shock of the line of thought brought the present suddenly into sharp focus and the `voices' suddenly returned. Memories of failed loves, of tragedy, and of moments lost flooded her as they normally did, and suddenly she realized that the music had changed again. She smiled in happiness, nonetheless, still holding the gaze of the taller man as they parted slightly and fell back into the sea of tables, Retreat décor, and other officers.::

:: And with the realization of what had just occurred, Cayden shivered slightly almost wishing they were back on the station. At least then she wouldn't have to return to her quarters alone to be left with her mind and the thoughts and memories of Adyr. A contented sigh escaped her.::

Adyr: I'm glad I didn't decline.

:: Her voice was soft and almost playful. She clasped her hands behind her back momentarily to hide the slight tremble from him.::

Frost: Me too.

:: Each moment that passed brought back her characteristic calmness and control. The room was beginning to clear slightly as some of the other officers retired for the night, each undoubtedly looking forward to the coming vacation.::

:: Liam could feel a knot begin to tie itself slightly in his stomach. He knew they had just shared something that he couldn't ignore. Acting on it carried the risk of hurting both of them. That was one of the risks he took as a Starfleet officer. But he knew he would regret it if he didn't. He took a deep breath and reached his hand out to take hers.::

Frost: You know, there's something I've been wanting to do all night.

:: Cayden was, for that second, confused. Without an appropriate answer, she simply leaned her head slightly to the side and looked up at him questioningly. Her confusion, however, didn't last long.::

:: He held his breath as he leaned in and kissed her, lingering just long enough to make his point.::

Frost: I don't know where this is going, maybe nowhere, but I'm willing to give it a shot if you are.

:: Her heart had jumped into her throat and a wave of vertigo washed over her as it had happened. There was no doubt; something about him had drawn her to him, but this…it wasn't unpleasant and it wasn't at all undesired – she knew that now – but it was totally and completely unexpected. With multiple lives worth of experience to draw on, hitting her out of nowhere and catching her completely off guard was something pretty difficult to do.::

:: In the same breath, she realized that it hadn't been completely out of nowhere. It wasn't as if she had fantasized about such things, but there had been a sort of tension between the two since…well, since about the time they had returned from the trip to Lake Armstrong. With that one act, with one kiss, it had been released. She almost felt as if she were a bird that had been set free.::

:: He smiled at her, relieved to know that no matter what happened, he had at least been willing to put himself out there. He had no idea where fate would take him, but at the very least, he was going to enjoy the journey.::

Adyr: I think I would like that.

:: He looked around the room, seeing that the crowd was beginning to thin out slightly. There were still a few people who seemed to be enjoying themselves and the staff had begun getting things out of the way.::

:: Cayden couldn't move. Even as she noticed the room clearing and her staff bustling around and putting things back in order, it was all just background noise. He really had swept her off her feet in a figurative sense. In fact, she was still working on catching her breath.::

Frost: I think your staff can handle things from here. C'mon, I'll walk you back to your quarters.

:: There was no hiding the smile. Neither of them were telepathic, yet he had seemed to have read her mind. Now, more than ever, she didn't want to return to an empty room. What would become of the fire that had grown from a spark into a flame that night? She had no answers for that despite the many relationships that Adyr had experienced over the seemingly endless decades that had come before. It was a realization that almost scared her too; since she had been joined, the experiences and memories had always been there. Now, it simply seemed that she would have to blaze her own path.::

:: And knowing it was him by her side, that was perfectly fine with her.::

:: As he held her hand and they walked out of the retreat, Liam had no idea if he had come to this moment by luck or good karma, but he had no desire to to question it. Right now, he was exactly where he wanted to be.::

Lieutenant Liam Frost

&

PNPC Cayden Adyr
as simmed by
Commander Kali Nicholotti

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