View Full Version : A Sneaking Proposition
Castus Annen
Feb 16th, 2014, 06:12:41 PM
There wasn't ever much that needed to be said during these dinners. It was a time for eating, after all. Why humans insisted upon gathering to talk in places that required the use of their mouths for things other than discussion was something puzzling, but the Selonian simply allowed himself the notion that it was one of those great mysteries of the universe. As it was an unsolvable quandary that he was happy enough to let alone. Especially since he was guilty of just that very same indulgence. Not often, but often enough to tick away at his mind. It was no bother, but more of an idle irritation that he dealt with.
Of course the company was certainly a factor in his decision to defy the perceived conventions of his mind, as it was always a welcome - if not many times silent - affair that both Selonian and Felacatian partook in.
Their dinner, taken in his quarters upon the Marianas, was simple enough, with Castus having given strict instructions to the galley crew that their meal would be the same as always, with no deviation and that if there was such a thing, it would be noted in their personnel files.
He'd ignored the rolled eyes sent his way.
But now, sitting at the table that'd been set for two, Castus held a jakrab haunch in an almost dainty grasp, his other hand picking at the meat with an extended claw. He wore his standard uniform; there was no need to dress overly formal for this dinner, and his company knew it. Perhaps there was a slight bit of liberty taken in the fact that his stiffly buttoned uniform neck had been unfastened to reveal the white undershirt beneath and the wild tuft of chest-fur that rebelliously spilled over the low neckline.
A piece of jakrab was held up, inspected, and then placed in his mouth.
"I think that the chef overcooked this," he grumped, "... again."
Not necessarily overdone, but still there was the barest hint of meat that'd been left to simmer for a slight amount of time beyond that which was needed. It was also something that gave him the opportunity to grouse to the one across from him.
Wiping his hands on the cloth napkin in his lap, he looked up over the tops of his eyes at Stali.
"I trust that yours is at least acceptable?"
Meeristali Peradun
Feb 16th, 2014, 07:56:44 PM
The current stationing at Moonus Mandel had afforded certain freedoms that eons with the Wheel had not. Being able, for example, to take his leave of the irksome habits of those he had to grudgingly call squadron mates in some fashion other than holing himself up in cramped quarters. The persistent insistence that he go and participate in the social norms of the group was met with grudging attendance, at first and on occasion, but largely avoided with a combination of their knowledge of his genetics and a muted foul mood that was only sometimes an act. Sometimes it made him regret the decision to pilot, regret leaving the special forces, but the experience was valuable, practical.
It did not, however, afford him satisfactory company, so when it had just so happened that a familiar, old friend had discovered his proximity, and an ensuing invitation had arrived, he had not hesitated to accept. It had turned into a routine of sorts, since then. It was a welcome opportunity to have a valid reason to wear something other than the wholly unsuitable, ghastly orange endemic to Alliance fighter pilots. His garb was something approximating business casual, and it made him feel human again… insofar as he could, given the facts.
“It is… sufficient.” He said, with nary a note of insistence. He didn’t need to insist. He didn't look up.
The woeful part of it all was that he was used to the ‘grub’ of grunts and pilots, after so very many years. Oft-times his stomach did not appreciate it, but it had gotten to the point that sustenance was sustenance and he merely suffered without complaint. Now even slightly overcooked, the jakrab served to remind his tongue what it had forgotten, and he gingerly pulled a neatly carved cube of it from the his fork with his teeth, chewing in close-mouthed silence. Blissful silence that made his tail curl unconsciously around a leg of the chair.
Castus Annen
Feb 16th, 2014, 08:44:15 PM
So often had he had to endure the low chatter in the mess hall aboard-ship. The noise was something that he detested, and so it was without surprise that Castus had begun to spend his meals in the quiet of his own quarters. Here there were no distractions, only blessed quiet that he interrupted for only a select few.
Meeristali Peradun was one of those exceptions, and he much preferred the Felacatian over all others. Stali was a man who was as dedicated to silence as he himself, and it was always a welcome relief when their dinners came to pass.
The Selonian's ears gave a slight twitch, and another claw-pull liberated a second bite of jakrab. This one he held up to the light, inspecting the meat as if trying to divine some meaning from his dinner. Other than the ship's galley having fun at his expense, there was nothing to discover, and he popped it into his mouth, chewing thoughtfully. To most, this silence was uncomfortable. It was awkward and for some, would be unbearable. But to the two individuals who wallowed so happily in the simple sounds of eating, it was as if they had found heaven. A questioning grunt was answered with a vocalization of the same type, and so on and so forth. There was no need for words between them. They were satisfied well enough with their current situation.
But, some things required actual words, and Castus grudgingly accepted the fact with a labored exhale of breath, reaching for his glass of water.
"I am curious, Stali," he paused taking a sip, "... at what point will you decide to vacate the pilot's seat."
Meeristali Peradun
Feb 16th, 2014, 10:23:09 PM
The question came as he swallowed, and in as gentle a way to not create clanking, the man of Felacat placed his utensils on the plate with care and thoroughly considered his answer. His mind went back to what had driven him to take up the mantle of fighter pilot in the first place. It had less to do with any usual reason that the average human would have; no, he had not been dissatisfied with the life of a soldier. The reasons were much more practical.
So, therefore, was his answer.
“When I am either too old…” He began, raising his eyes to look on his dining companion, as he folded his hands together in his lap. “...or when the Alliance requires it.”
These were not, per se, the same concepts. ‘Too old’ had different meaning from species to species. The average life of a pilot was, after all, a statistic primarily calculated on a human base… but the fact still remained that he was in his forties, human or not, and it did weasel its way into his mind that it was only a matter of time before his number was up as an active duty pilot. Meeristali unfolded his hands and brought one above the table, lifting his own glass of water from the surface, and looking into the clear liquid, as if scanning for debris.
Castus Annen
Feb 16th, 2014, 10:43:40 PM
Castus gave a thoughtful grunt at that, setting his glass back down.
It was an answer that he somewhat expected; the two friends had known one another long enough that there was not much that they could do to surprise each other. As it stood, they had both reached something of a level of satisfaction in their chosen life paths, or at least that was what Castus surmised. He gave a look to Stali, whose eyes were intent upon his water, allowing a drawn silence to stretch between them before speaking once more.
"I have poisoned it."
Meeristali Peradun
Feb 16th, 2014, 11:50:16 PM
The glass lowered partway down to the table, and his eyes drifted over to Castus. The quip almost, almost pulled a smile from him where something approximating the space between grunt and a snort came through instead. Stali brought the glass to his mouth, and slowly took in a gulp. He swallowed, and returned the glass to the spot from which it had been retrieved.
With nothing to say, he went back to working on his food, picking up the fork and knife to go about slicing off another morsel of jakrab. He was thankful that there was no expectation of him to laugh.
Castus Annen
Feb 17th, 2014, 12:18:57 AM
The rest of their meal was taken in silence, and for that Castus was thankful. The jakrab had been accompanied by a small amount of Dantooine sweet red corn, and an even smaller amount of sliced potatoes that'd been seasoned, grilled, then finished in the oven. It was certainly nothing fancy, but it was enjoyable enough once one looked past the slightly overdone jakrab. Meals aboard the Marianas - for the Selonian at any rate - were normally spent away from the mess and alone in his quarters, and it was not something that bothered him. He enjoyed the solitary existence as much as Stali enjoyed it.
His empty plate was pushed forward then, the bones of his dinner the only remains left.
His water was taken up once more, and finished easily.
"Will you take wine," the words were not often spoken, even during these dinners that they shared.
Meeristali Peradun
Feb 17th, 2014, 12:42:08 AM
With the dinner finished, his stomach was pleasantly satisfied, his plate holding nothing but bones and utensils, his glass empty. He could simply sit in sated silence, with the mere presence of his friend for company for as long as Castus would let him, for the longer he was here, the less time he was there. The silence brought on by the completion of their meal was broken once again by Castus.
The query was unusual, rare, between them. Castus, as a matter of widely-known fact, was deeply fixed to routine and to change it with the offer of even so innocuous a libation was slightly uncharacteristic. Stali’s eyebrows shifted upward slightly.
“I will...” His eyebrows lowered, his tail slipping lazily into his lap, into a waiting hand. “...please.”
Castus Annen
Feb 17th, 2014, 01:04:42 PM
A grunt of acknowledgement, and Castus rose to stand, stepping away from his seat before pushing it back and tucking it neatly into the table.
His quarters weren't sparse, but they were certainly not cluttered. Everything had a place, from his normal day-to-day paperwork to the few remembrances that rested upon glass shelves along one wall. His rooms were certainly not large, but they were more than what others were issues.
There was furniture, but even those pieces were utilitarian. Simple black leathers and polished metal framework made up his sofa and matching chair, and the low table was a glass-topped affair.
A noiseless gesture was made to his companion to take liberties of the slightly more comfortable seating as he himself moved to a polished ebony-wood cabinet. There was a tray sitting atop the glossed surface, and opening one door, he pulled two stemless glasses from inside to set them gently on the tray. The other small door was opened, and a bottle of dark red was brought forth.
He turned to Stali, bottle in hand.
"I have a... " he glanced at the label, his furred brow knitting as his eyes passed over the aurebesh. Strange words, the humans used.
"... a Malbec?"
At that he looked back up, searching for some sign of either a yes or a no from his friend.
Meeristali Peradun
Feb 17th, 2014, 10:18:57 PM
In much the same fashion he rose from his seat, pushed the chair back in under the table, and availed himself of the increased comfort of the sofa, settling himself in at the end closest to the matched chair and crossing his legs one over the other; his tail curled around him and over the crook of his arm, and the opposing limb rested over the arm of the sofa.
He watched after the Selonian as he went about retrieving the aforementioned wine, his gaze patient, yet unyielding. At the seeking of his approval of the Malbec, Stali merely tipped his head forward once, in the affirmative.
After, his eyes wandered over the amenities of Castus’ quarters, as he awaited the aforementioned wine... a libation that most fighter jocks he had encountered did not indulge in. In this and many other respects the Felacatian couldn't be more out-of-place amongst them.
Castus Annen
Feb 18th, 2014, 12:38:09 PM
A corkscrew was retrieved, and the Selonian deftly twisted it into the top of the cork with ease before giving it a swift pull back. It came free with an audible pop, the only sound between the two. Turning it up so that the bottom of the cork sat close to his nose, he gave a gentle sniff. It did not smell too entirely offensive (certainly not as offensive as the swill that he'd seen others drink), and satisfied with his choice he set about filling each glass to half. Re-corking the bottle, Castus placed it back within the confines of the cabinet.
Taking up each, he turned about, making his way easily to the matching chair across from where Stali had chosen to sit. His own glass was raised so that he could scent the liquid again - this time from the wider opening offered by the glass. Yes, it was satisfactory.
Lowering his frame to sit, he used the same motion to lean forward slightly, arm out and glass extended for his friend to take.
Meeristali Peradun
Feb 23rd, 2014, 02:59:36 AM
Stali received the glass with one hand, swirled it, and followed this with an identical motion of scenting, the sensitivities of his olfactory sense being unoffended, rather satisfied. He lowered the glass, cleared his throat softly, and looked on Castus, blinking once.
“A credit for your thoughts?”
It was the first time all evening that he had initiated a verbal exchange. Without outright saying so, he wished to draw out the reason why tonight, of all their dinners, his friend had deemed it an acceptable deviation from his routine to bring out the wine.
Castus Annen
Feb 27th, 2014, 01:37:31 PM
With a soft hrmph, Castus gave a brief look to Stali before settling back to lean into his seat while allowing his gaze to come to rest on the glass he held. There was a long moment of silence as he pondered the question posed, and the answer that he wished to give. Lifting the glass up, the Selonian took a tentative first sip. Yes, this was enjoyable.
He swallowed.
"General Brecklin and myself are to have a meeting with Admiral Tyree in two day's time."
The General had always been forthcoming with the information he felt affected Castus, and the news of late had been no different.
"I suspect it is to do with the future leadership Task Force 42."
His eyes blinked slowly, locking with Stali.
"Perhaps it is my own hopes that cause what the humans call a 'good luck' drink."
There was of course more, but for now he was content to give the simple answer. The time would come soon enough for his own question.
Meeristali Peradun
Sep 25th, 2014, 12:05:18 PM
Finding the answer satisfactory, returning Castus' gaze, Stali let off a small note of acknowledgement, tipped the wine glass back gently, and savoured the first sip of the wine that entered his own mouth. Swallowing, he looked down at the glass, pondering it and the contents for a moment, before raising his vibrant orange eyes to settle on the Selonian again.
"Then in accordance, I wish you 'luck'," he replied.
It was all he said, taking another sip of the wine, and considering in a broad sense what this would mean for his friend. His free hand slipped out from under the tail that laid in it, and went to the arm of the sofa, resting there instead and leaving the tail draped across his lap. He considered the fact that were the position of Castus to change, it would likely affect their proximity to one another - to say, their meetings would become more infrequent - but it was not the first time a distance had been put between the two by duty, and their friendship did not suffer for the absence. It was the very nature of their relationship that it should endure such things to little or no ill effect. Regardless, the prospect of other fighter jocks being once again his sole contact with anything approximating civility did feel like something of a concern to the Felacatian.
"The wine is... pleasing," he commented, finally, after five minutes of silence.
Castus Annen
Sep 25th, 2014, 11:45:27 PM
"I am glad you like it."
The was a level measure to his voice as he once more lifted the glass and its' contents up for inspection.
"I find it more fitting than whisky or some fanciful aged rum for nights like this."
Still he stared at the deep red notes held with the thin-walled glass, and ever so slightly his upper lip moved. It was minute, but present all the same, barely curling up over his top teeth. And in the next moment the Selonian brought the glass in for another sip. Rolling the liquid on his tongue, he leaned back in his seat, head angling upward to look at the ceiling as he mulled over their evening thus far. For Castus, this was as all of their others, with little deviation to his habits and mannerisms. Everything was like clockwork. Even the silence seemed so carefully planned. And why shouldn't it be? Silence was a virtue; it allowed one to watch and observe. It allowed decisions to be made in peace.
Silence was comfortable.
But, there was always a balance to achieve, as speech was often enough a necessary evil. The eternal enemy of silence, it was. During these meetings, a balance had been achieved - one of mostly quiet company. And while Castus had for a very long time felt certain music to be soothing during those times of noiseless existence, tonight was not one of those times.
The rumble began deep in his through, welling up to spill out of his lips as a sigh even as he let his head fall back down and casting a peculiar gaze to Stali.
"If I go, I will need a lead squadron commander."
The intent behind his words did not need to be spelled out.
Meeristali Peradun
Oct 25th, 2014, 10:16:11 PM
If he was relieved at the possibility, it didn't show. If one thing was certain, it wasn't something that needed showing in present company; rather, it was that what it meant for Meeristali was implicitly understood. That being said, a slow blink, and introspection stared into the remaining contents of the delicate glassware for a full minute before a breath that had been drawn in the meantime was released, out through the nose in some approximation of a sigh. Citric eyes lifted again, leveling to the particular gaze that Castus had settled on him, and he leaned against the arm of the sofa in turning towards the Selonian. Another minute passed.
The left corner of his mouth twitched. Upward. One-half of a second later, the usual line resumed.
"For the continued pleasure of your company, Castus?" One brow lofted. "As the humans would say, 'how could I resist such an offer?'"
A blink and the held gaze broken, he finished off the contents of the glass.
Castus Annen
Oct 28th, 2014, 12:40:58 PM
It was that minuscule twitch of Stali's lip that made Castus lean forward as well, resting an elbow on the armrest of his chair. He studied his friend; each line and contour of his face. What he saw satisfied him well enough, and the Selonian allow a ghostly flicker of satisfaction flash across his feline features. Leaning back once more, he took a last sip of his wine.
"Good."
Another bout of contemplative quiet passed before he spoke up once more.
"A familiar face in new surroundings will be welcome," leaning forward, he set his glass gently upon the glossed surface of the low sitting room table while in the same motion using his forward momentum to rise to his feet.
"I have taken the liberty of drafting transfer and recommendation papers for you."
Had he known his old friend would accept? Of course he did.
"Do you wish to look them over... ?"
Meeristali Peradun
Oct 28th, 2014, 12:56:22 PM
In much the same fashion, Stali leaned forward and placed the now-empty glass on the low tabletop, but made no move to rise, instead settling back into the comfort of the sofa in much the same physical arrangement he had held prior to freeing the glass from his grasp. One leg crossed over the other, citric eyes switching back over to Castus, one hand shifting through the air, dismissively.
"I trust your judgement."
That was far, far more than he could say for some.
Castus Annen
Oct 28th, 2014, 11:39:47 PM
Castus gave a hrmph, followed by a slight inclination of his head to the side as he looked down at Stali. And yet, despite the reaction, he was not at all surprised. Still however, there was a small amount of business to attend to, and sidestepping the table, he moved to the far wall where an ornately carved wooden cabinet stood. It was taller than he, and shone with a mahogany gloss that spoke leagues to the craftsmanship. Pulling open one of the shallow drawers, he retrived a datapad.
"I will need your signature of acceptance and thumb print."
Moving back to where Stali sat, Castus gave the 'pad an idle tik with one extended clawtip.
"All procedural, and all in order."
He stopped, his arm going down to extent the 'pad to his Felacatian companion.
Meeristali Peradun
Oct 29th, 2014, 12:09:48 AM
Those same eyes followed Castus across the room and back. There was always something. Nonetheless, he was as much of a stickler for proper form and procedure as the Selonian before him; the datapad held out to him was received, signed, thumbed, and handed back with no fanfare...
"I would expect nothing less."
...fingers intertwining over his thigh once the hands were no longer engaged.
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