06-14-2024, 12:04 PM
== Day 6 - after the meeting with Coleman ==
The chronometer had rolled from 0024 to 0025 in time with the first door chime but she hadn't budged. It wasn't from not hearing it -- she definitely heard it -- but there was nothing good that came at this hour of night. Her father had always told her that nothing good happened after 2100 and with very few exceptions, she'd come to believe he was correct. Given everything happening, she didn't think this would be one of those exceptions.
However, her late night visitor didn't seem to have gotten that memo and rang the chime again. It wasn't Cera, who would have let herself in already, nor Jenny who would have done something similar. Damian would have called ahead at this hour of night, though he'd know she was awake. It could be Chase but he knew better to beat down her door in a drunken stupor. And she suspected he would also be able to break in. It had to say something about her that her closest associates would all break in.
She flopped an arm over her eyes, begging for whoever it was to just go away before she was forced to vacate her spot on the couch but there was no salvation in sight.
The third and fourth chimes were on each other's heels and she was on her feet, ire raised before she even knew what she was doing. Her finger jammed the door's release with every ounce of pent up frustration.
"What do you want?" Her words were near venom even as they tried to claw their way back into her mouth in a hasty retreat moments later.
Her step forward had brought her eye level with her visitor's chest but it was the deep inhale to set off her explosion of words that stopped her dead, the familiar smell of cedar and something sweet setting her back on her heels.
And then, she just leaned forward, forehead connecting with his chest as that lung full of air pushed itself out.
He shifted around her, arms wrapping around her to pull her more fully against him and his shoulders rounding so that his chin could rest on top of her head. His breath stirred her hair as he settled her closer, hands carefully running up and down her back.
After countless heartbeats, she slowly pulled back, her hands smoothing over where she'd left wet spots on his shirt, as she tilted her head back to look up at him. There was a tiny part of her that needed to make sure the stress wasn't finally driving her to see things that weren't there, leading her to assaulting a poor, tall midshipman, but no, her husband was very much standing there, looking down at her with a look that was all concern and worry.
His fingers carefully brushed away the tear streaks from her cheeks, his thumb caressing along her jawline as he regarded her closely. She could feel that familiar warmth where he touched her, the tiniest sign that he was searching deeper than the surface.
"I would have broken in but I am well aware of how many weapons are hidden in your quarters," he teased, his crooked grin edging out his concern for a moment.
"What are you doing here?" she asked softly as she took one of his hands from her face and used it to gently guide him inside. Fortunately, there was little traffic on Artemis during shore leave and even less at this time but she didn't need more rumors swirling.
"'If the Mountain won't come to Mohammed, Mohammed must come to the Mountain,'" Thomas quoted, still watching her closely. It felt like he could see straight to her soul and despite having done significantly worse things in her life, she felt that trickling concern he wouldn't like what he found.
"No one could tell me what's going on and even Cera has been less than reassuring so I needed to see for myself. I called in some favors and here I am," he answered at her continued silence, using her hand to pull her back towards him.
"You didn't need to," she stated but the sniffle that punctuated the ending belied the sentiment. "But I'm glad you're here."
"Hell couldn't keep me away from you," Thomas reassured, even as he took a step back to assess her. She knew his dark blue eyes were looking for the tell tale sign of injuries and he knew the tiny signs to look for that always gave away her wounds, even if freshly healed. And yet, he looked puzzled when he found none. "You look like Hell but you also look whole and intact."
She arched her eyebrow as she pulled away, moving towards the couch in a lazy saunter. "Boy, you must be a hit with the ladies if you're laying down lines like that," she remarked before collapsing onto the couch, her glass back in her hand without conscious thoughts.
He grinned at her but she could practically see the wheels in his head moving as he assessed the situation and her. He knew her best, he knew her defenses and her coping. He'd know that the tears were red alert territory but sarcasm and bourbon were her armor. If she still had them, she wasn't entirely doomed but if she was crying at the sight of him, it wasn't sunshine and rainbows either.
She could see him in her peripheral pour himself a glass before settling into the corner of her couch, seeming content to wait her out. This was becoming a regular occurrence at this rate, which she was sure wasn't lost on either of them. There was a time when he wouldn't have joined her in the bourbon but those years were long past, buried under more scars than either wanted to acknowledge.
It didn't take long before it just poured out. There were some things that she couldn't actually find words for but she didn't think she needed to. She had no doubt that he could feel the swirling emotions as she voiced her frustration and this general sense of betrayal. Her frustration, anger and this suffocating feeling of helplessness over Elias also seemed to stick in her throat, as did her frustration with Damian being caught in the blast. And yet, she was certain he knew.
"Maybe I screwed up," she said softly. "But when I think about it, I don't know what else I could have done. Oh sure, I could have thrown my pips down like a gauntlet and told an admiral where to stick it..."
"Depending on the admiral, they might have really enjoyed that coming from you," Thomas teased, wiggling an eyebrow at her to break the mood.
She elbowed him slightly but there was no denying the smirk that crossed her lips. Her eyebrow arched as she sent a shot back across his bow. "Are you saying I should have taken one for the team to get us out of that assignment?"
Her husband nearly choked on his drink, his hand coming up to wipe his mouth. "No," he managed to sputter out before finally escaping the choking hazard. "I quite like being the only member of admiralty, former or present, that knows just how flexible and... athletic you can be."
She hummed her amusement as she took another sip, watching him over the rim of the glass as she did. She could practically see the war raging between supportive and attentive husband and a man who hadn't been in the same room as his wife in weeks, much less without children present. She suspected she knew which side would win --he was half Deltan after all -- but it seemed cruel to let him flounder.
After a few more moments, she set her glass down before reaching out and removing the choking hazard from Thomas' hands as well. Now it was his turn to arch his eyebrow at her with an accompanying crooked grin as she leaned close, her finger curling into his shirt to pull him just a little closer before kissing him senseless.
There was an immediate sense of warmth and comfort as their connection, muted without physical contact, snapped to life. Not for the first time, she considered that maybe she should have just jumped him at the doorway and just avoided explaining everything with words. It certainly would have killed multiple birds with one stone. And she had certainly missed him, a fact that definitely wasn't one sided she learned quickly.
"Let me remind --" he started to tease but she'd already decided to preempt whatever corny pick up line was about to come out of his mouth by pulling him rather aggressively back towards her. There was a second of surprise on his part before he rather enthusiastically sought her out, finding warm skin and smiling lips.
Fortunately, he seemed more than willing to put words to the side for the moment and Tyra was all too happy to let her storming thoughts go for the moment to focus on a much more enjoyable task.
Oh, they still had things to discuss but for the time being, this was what Tyra needed, a haven from the storm and what a delightful haven it was.
== Back to your regularly scheduled programming! ==
The chronometer had rolled from 0024 to 0025 in time with the first door chime but she hadn't budged. It wasn't from not hearing it -- she definitely heard it -- but there was nothing good that came at this hour of night. Her father had always told her that nothing good happened after 2100 and with very few exceptions, she'd come to believe he was correct. Given everything happening, she didn't think this would be one of those exceptions.
However, her late night visitor didn't seem to have gotten that memo and rang the chime again. It wasn't Cera, who would have let herself in already, nor Jenny who would have done something similar. Damian would have called ahead at this hour of night, though he'd know she was awake. It could be Chase but he knew better to beat down her door in a drunken stupor. And she suspected he would also be able to break in. It had to say something about her that her closest associates would all break in.
She flopped an arm over her eyes, begging for whoever it was to just go away before she was forced to vacate her spot on the couch but there was no salvation in sight.
The third and fourth chimes were on each other's heels and she was on her feet, ire raised before she even knew what she was doing. Her finger jammed the door's release with every ounce of pent up frustration.
"What do you want?" Her words were near venom even as they tried to claw their way back into her mouth in a hasty retreat moments later.
Her step forward had brought her eye level with her visitor's chest but it was the deep inhale to set off her explosion of words that stopped her dead, the familiar smell of cedar and something sweet setting her back on her heels.
And then, she just leaned forward, forehead connecting with his chest as that lung full of air pushed itself out.
He shifted around her, arms wrapping around her to pull her more fully against him and his shoulders rounding so that his chin could rest on top of her head. His breath stirred her hair as he settled her closer, hands carefully running up and down her back.
After countless heartbeats, she slowly pulled back, her hands smoothing over where she'd left wet spots on his shirt, as she tilted her head back to look up at him. There was a tiny part of her that needed to make sure the stress wasn't finally driving her to see things that weren't there, leading her to assaulting a poor, tall midshipman, but no, her husband was very much standing there, looking down at her with a look that was all concern and worry.
His fingers carefully brushed away the tear streaks from her cheeks, his thumb caressing along her jawline as he regarded her closely. She could feel that familiar warmth where he touched her, the tiniest sign that he was searching deeper than the surface.
"I would have broken in but I am well aware of how many weapons are hidden in your quarters," he teased, his crooked grin edging out his concern for a moment.
"What are you doing here?" she asked softly as she took one of his hands from her face and used it to gently guide him inside. Fortunately, there was little traffic on Artemis during shore leave and even less at this time but she didn't need more rumors swirling.
"'If the Mountain won't come to Mohammed, Mohammed must come to the Mountain,'" Thomas quoted, still watching her closely. It felt like he could see straight to her soul and despite having done significantly worse things in her life, she felt that trickling concern he wouldn't like what he found.
"No one could tell me what's going on and even Cera has been less than reassuring so I needed to see for myself. I called in some favors and here I am," he answered at her continued silence, using her hand to pull her back towards him.
"You didn't need to," she stated but the sniffle that punctuated the ending belied the sentiment. "But I'm glad you're here."
"Hell couldn't keep me away from you," Thomas reassured, even as he took a step back to assess her. She knew his dark blue eyes were looking for the tell tale sign of injuries and he knew the tiny signs to look for that always gave away her wounds, even if freshly healed. And yet, he looked puzzled when he found none. "You look like Hell but you also look whole and intact."
She arched her eyebrow as she pulled away, moving towards the couch in a lazy saunter. "Boy, you must be a hit with the ladies if you're laying down lines like that," she remarked before collapsing onto the couch, her glass back in her hand without conscious thoughts.
He grinned at her but she could practically see the wheels in his head moving as he assessed the situation and her. He knew her best, he knew her defenses and her coping. He'd know that the tears were red alert territory but sarcasm and bourbon were her armor. If she still had them, she wasn't entirely doomed but if she was crying at the sight of him, it wasn't sunshine and rainbows either.
She could see him in her peripheral pour himself a glass before settling into the corner of her couch, seeming content to wait her out. This was becoming a regular occurrence at this rate, which she was sure wasn't lost on either of them. There was a time when he wouldn't have joined her in the bourbon but those years were long past, buried under more scars than either wanted to acknowledge.
It didn't take long before it just poured out. There were some things that she couldn't actually find words for but she didn't think she needed to. She had no doubt that he could feel the swirling emotions as she voiced her frustration and this general sense of betrayal. Her frustration, anger and this suffocating feeling of helplessness over Elias also seemed to stick in her throat, as did her frustration with Damian being caught in the blast. And yet, she was certain he knew.
"Maybe I screwed up," she said softly. "But when I think about it, I don't know what else I could have done. Oh sure, I could have thrown my pips down like a gauntlet and told an admiral where to stick it..."
"Depending on the admiral, they might have really enjoyed that coming from you," Thomas teased, wiggling an eyebrow at her to break the mood.
She elbowed him slightly but there was no denying the smirk that crossed her lips. Her eyebrow arched as she sent a shot back across his bow. "Are you saying I should have taken one for the team to get us out of that assignment?"
Her husband nearly choked on his drink, his hand coming up to wipe his mouth. "No," he managed to sputter out before finally escaping the choking hazard. "I quite like being the only member of admiralty, former or present, that knows just how flexible and... athletic you can be."
She hummed her amusement as she took another sip, watching him over the rim of the glass as she did. She could practically see the war raging between supportive and attentive husband and a man who hadn't been in the same room as his wife in weeks, much less without children present. She suspected she knew which side would win --he was half Deltan after all -- but it seemed cruel to let him flounder.
After a few more moments, she set her glass down before reaching out and removing the choking hazard from Thomas' hands as well. Now it was his turn to arch his eyebrow at her with an accompanying crooked grin as she leaned close, her finger curling into his shirt to pull him just a little closer before kissing him senseless.
There was an immediate sense of warmth and comfort as their connection, muted without physical contact, snapped to life. Not for the first time, she considered that maybe she should have just jumped him at the doorway and just avoided explaining everything with words. It certainly would have killed multiple birds with one stone. And she had certainly missed him, a fact that definitely wasn't one sided she learned quickly.
"Let me remind --" he started to tease but she'd already decided to preempt whatever corny pick up line was about to come out of his mouth by pulling him rather aggressively back towards her. There was a second of surprise on his part before he rather enthusiastically sought her out, finding warm skin and smiling lips.
Fortunately, he seemed more than willing to put words to the side for the moment and Tyra was all too happy to let her storming thoughts go for the moment to focus on a much more enjoyable task.
Oh, they still had things to discuss but for the time being, this was what Tyra needed, a haven from the storm and what a delightful haven it was.
== Back to your regularly scheduled programming! ==