Updates in Life, Pt 2
Posted on Sat Apr 6th, 2024 @ 1:31am by Ensign Leland Trizur & Ensign Suki Solwick
2,466 words; about a 12 minute read
Mission:
Episode 119 - "Shattered Mirror"
Location: Starbase 400, Promenade
Timeline: MD01 17:30 hrs
Starbase 400, Dinner on the Promenade
“You didn't realize it's been 6 months, my parents are asking when we're going to get married?” Suki blantley's told Leland as they started to enjoy their meal together. She wasn't beating around the bush, it was time for him to get married and she wanted a definite answer.
Leland looked at her for a long moment. Yes.” He simply said. “I am ready and have been for quite some time. I was waiting for you to ask me.” He wasn’t going to step over the line with her.
“I did 6 months ago.” Suki said to him boldly. “I think Captain Rodgers should marry us.” Suki suggested to him. It wouldn't take her much effort to get her family to come. She just helped his Captain would be okay but the beta is a tradition of no clothing for their wedding.
“I will ask her.” Leland said easily. “I know she will do it for us.” Captain Rodgers was a good captain and very approachable. He couldn’t see why she would say no.
“Good, make sure you ask her as soon as possible. I haven't been going to the gym for no reason. I'm ready to get married, I hope you are.” Suki said hoping he didn't get cold feet.
“I will go speak to her today.” Leland informed her. “I will message her right now and set up a time we can talk.” He looked at her. “Do you wish to come along?”
“No, right now you're spending time with me In a little bit will be fine.” Suki reminded him. She would ask, but it wasn't her captain.
“Okay.” Leland nodded. He hadn’t intended to go now but later on. At least she could not say he hadn’t asked her along.
“I understand it might be a little nerve-racking for you, to ask your captain to marry us. But our family is insisting that we get married soon. And I don't want to let our families down.” Suki said to him, recalling the conversation she observed between him and his mother not too long ago. She knew how he felt, because she had the same conversation with her mother.
“I am fine with asking Sarah.” Leland said honestly. “Captain Rodgers is very approachable. She will give me an honest answer and I am pretty certain it will be yes.” He was being honest, he really felt she would.
“Good, because I think we've waited long enough.” Suki pointed out to him. “It's time for you to become a Solwick.” Suki said with a big smirk on her face.
“So do I.” Leland agreed with her. He was ready. So were his parents. His mother was probably already packed to come for the wedding. He would not put it past her to already be there, hiding somewhere. “It will be the best day of our lives so far.”
“Aren't you the chipper one today “ Suki said with a grin. She loved the fact he was onboard with getting married soon.
“There is much to be happy about.” Leland said with a smile. “We are getting married and I am hopeful my captain will do the ceremony. It is what I have hoped for, for a while and I know you have as well.”
“Good, I hope to get good news from you, real soon.” Suki said as the scene starts to fade away.
“I am going to see her as soon as possible.” Leland said with a nod. He wanted to get this moving along.
“Well let's see, I don't want your food getting cold plus we still have a full night ahead of us.” Suki suggested to her fiance.
“Yes we do.” Leland smiled. It would wait for tomorrow. “I am ready to relax and enjoy our evening and tomorrow I will go speak with her.” His eyes were on her. “I am so happy that we are going to get married.
“I don't mean to be rude, but what is that you're eating? It looks like some kind of human food.” Suki said, wondering what that weird looking concoction was.
“It is chicken rigatoni.” Leland explained. “There isn’t a lot of human food that I find appetizing, but this is one of them.” It was circled type pasta, stuffed with chicken and had a white sauce with cheese on it.
“It smells funny.” Suki suggested to him. She wasn't fond of the smell. She ate a traditional Betazed food.
“I can trade it for something else if you prefer.” Leland suggested. He didn’t want the smell of his food to then her off from eating her own.
“Do I look like a dictator to you?” Suki asked playfully, she meant it more as a joke but she wanted him to understand that he can eat whatever he wanted.
“Not at all.” Leland said easily. “You are the woman I love. I know you aren’t bothered by what I eat but if the smell was really bothersome then I would eat it at other times. It’s compromising.”
“So now you believe you're in love with me?” Suki said with a big grin on her face. It's about time she thought to herself, she knew part of him was fighting the bond at first. But she could sense that he was starting to come around.
“I know I love you.” Leland said seriously. “I thought you knew that.” It was then that he realized he hadn’t really expressed it to her. He smiled then. “You are my soulmate, friend, lover and the one I want to spend life with.”
“Lover? You've been a bit of a prude in this area. I'm down with the idea, but I don't think this is the romantic way of saying let's get It on. At least take me out to dinner, first.” Suki teased him with a slight grid on her face.
“I plan to.” Leland said with a smile. “As soon as you are ready to go.” His eyes met hers. “Tomorrow night. I found the perfect restaurant and I know you will really like it.”
“Do I have to wait till tomorrow night to find out what it is?” Suki asked, she was a little curious it was not traditional betazed men to plan dates.
“It depends on whether you like surprises.” Leland said with a smile. “I have never planned something like this before but I wanted to do something different.”
“I don't mind surprises, as long as it's for a greater good. I'm not a big fan of surprises that are designed to tease or belittle someone.” Suki said with a big grin on her face.
“It will not belittle or tease you.” Leland said quietly, “I can promise you that. I am not the kind of person who would ever do that to someone I care about.”
“I appreciate the belittling part, but I don't mind the teasing from time to time.” Suki sitting around cute little seductive tone.
Leland smiled at her. “I do like to tease you as much as you do me, I just haven’t perfected the art like you have.”
His response was an instant red flag to her, he was supposed to be a traditional betazed male, but that comment was really over the top. She didn't mind the occasional teasing but if he was doing it to try to compete with her then that was not a good sign. She just gave him a funny look. “I prefer you focusing on being you and not trying to copy me.” Suki suggested it to him.
“Huh?” Leland said, a little confused. “What I meant is on the occasion I tease you back they normally fall flat.” He smiled. “I am comfortable with who I am, I don’t want to be like you.” He had worded what he said poorly.
“I'm not interested in a progressive man, it doesn't mean I won't treat you right. I know how some of us ladies can be a little overbearing, shall we say.” Suki said with a smirk on her face. She knew that there can be a little over aggressiveness, but she believed in treating her man with fairness.
“I am not progressive.” Leland said with a slight smile. “I want to live within the culture of our people. I am proud of who I am and where we come from and our beliefs.” His eyes met hers. “I know and will treat you as the head of our household, being equal in our love for one another.” He hoped he said that right and didn’t make himself sound like a doormat. That is not what he meant at all.
“I am a traditional woman. But I'm also a fair woman, I'm not going to beat you or take advantage of you, that's not my style. But I'm also not into this new age that men should be alphas just because the human men are alphas. I don't want us to lose our cultural identity.” Suki pointed it out to him.
“I don’t want to be an alpha.” Leland said seriously. “So that is a good thing for us.” His eyes were on her. He loved her and he was intent on being honest in all things.
“I hear you saying that, but your actions say otherwise, we're not humans we should not allow their cultural indifferences dictate how we should act as a society.” Suki said to him. She hated the fact that she sounded like her mother, at this very moment.
“You are correct.” Leland agreed. “I will do better I should not let them influence me.”
“When I was younger I wanted to know what it was like to be a human, but after seeing how they live especially their women I am glad that I'm betazed.” Suki pointed out to him. 200 what all the hype was about, and she wasn't very impressed by it.
“I guess it works for them.” Leland shrugged. “I don’t really understand their way of life even though we’ve been exposed. They seem to spend a lot of time with both parties in the couple trying for dominance.”
“I see that's true for a lot of couples that get a lot of outside alien influence.” Suki pointed out to Leland.
“True.” Leland nodded. “It is hard to practice individual cultures when there are so many different ones. I intend to work hard to keep them.”
“The federation is a wonderful ideal, as long as we don't lose ourselves and our culture.” Suki said, feeling like she was beating a dead horse.
“I agree.” Leland nodded. “We will ensure that our culture is important to us and practice it.” He looked at her. “I want a Betazoid marriage and life with you.” He wanted to be clear about that.
“Well we better eat before the food gets cold.” Suki said with a big grin on her face. she slowly reached for a played from her tray. For the past few minutes they've been sitting at the table just talking, while their food was starting to get cold.
Leland ate in silence as he thought about their conversation. He could see Suki’s point. He really needed to remember who he was and who he wanted to be. The traditions of their people were as important to him as they were to her and he wanted to keep them.
Suki was a little surprised that he was eating in silence, she felt like she needed to keep the conversation going. “How are things going at work?” She asked. She hoped this would respark their conversation.
“Really good.” Leland said with a smile. He took a drink. “I am getting to know the crew and I am pleased that they are all team players. I haven’t met anyone yet that I have concerns about working with.” His eyes met hers. “Are things going well for you?”
“They're going pretty well, the Falcon should be operational soon you guys might start having some missions before too long.” Suki pointed it out to him.
“I have heard whispers that we may be heading out soon.” Leland said. “Nothing concrete, just the crew talking. We will probably do a shakedown first, get familiar with each other.”
“To get familiar with each other? The only thing that's changed on the Falcon is the CO, and she's the former XO. I'm sure your new XO won't be an issue.” Suki said, wondering why they needed a shakedown. The Falcon heaven refitted so maybe that was why but the way he said it made it sound like they were a brand new crew and they weren't.
“That is a good point.” Leland acknowledged. “I hadn’t thought about that. The rumor of a mission is probably dead set on.” He hadn’t thought about the fact that the executive officer and him were the new crew.
“Don't tell me you're concerned that the girl is not going to accept you?” Suki asked. She knew he was a little bit of a worry wart, but she didn't think it was that bad.
“Not at all.” Leland shook his head. “My mindset was with a new first officer, as well as me, the captain might want to see how we all fit together. The reality is, that it is just us two that is new. The ship was repaired, not replaced.”
“You've been working with them for the past 6 months, I think, I believe, you don't have to worry.” Suki pointed it out to him. If they had an issue with them he would have heard about it by now.
“I do know them well.” Leland smiled. “I was loosely involved in the former captain’s wedding. Thank you for that reminder.” He kind of felt stupid now that he had ever thought of a shakedown. It was poor thinking on his part.
The new upgrade system would require a shakedown, the only part of her conversation that she was disagreeing with him about is that the crew was already molded together he would need to prove his worth. She knew that he was replacing a good officer. “Well I'm going to be a good partner if I don't care.” She simply reminded him.
“That is very true.” Leland nodded. “I plan to show them that they have no regrets in choosing me. I am good at what I do.”
“Baby, I believe you. And I know you'll show them.” Suki said as the scene starts to fade away.
Leland smiled at her faith in him. It made him feel really good that she was confident in his ability as a Starfleet officer.
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