Parabéns

Posted on Wed Sep 27th, 2023 @ 6:42am by Lieutenant Commander Lyra Cassiel & Lieutenant Commander Andrei Petrov

Mission: In-Between (S1:E5-S1:E6)
Location: Andrei's Quarters
Timeline: Date 2371-08-30 at 2100
3649 words - 7.3 OF Standard Post Measure

After their hunt and the subsequent time spent at the waterfall, Andrei and Lyra had spent a few more hours in Drengavik enjoying themselves, planning raids, training soldiers, and simply having fun with each other. They’d even learned a new song from the program that they had been enjoying singing through the empty corridors on their way back to Andrei’s quarters with one arm around each other while they walked hip to hip. Their leavings from the hunt had been transported back to the surface of Banea like they were garbage, and her radiation device had cleaned up the residual blood once they had left the holodeck. Anyone who might have gotten in their way as they walked quickly moved out of it and simply watched them go by with usually some degree of admiration, awe, and jealousy - sometimes all in one.

When they finally got to his quarters and opened the door, the smell of food hit them immediately. The table was set up nicely though not in an overly formal way, and standing next to it was Lottie who immediately bowed her head when the pair entered.

“Ah, well done, Lottie. Thank you. You may go.” Lyra said with a smile and the slave quickly retreated from the room. She kissed Andrei’s shoulder and moved over to the laden table with a smile.

“Dinner, darling.”

The food hit him like a wave and, instantly, he felt his stomach growl. He smiled at the display of food on the table and pulled Lyra slightly closer, the song they had been singing still ringing in his head.

“Three meals in one day? This is outrageous.” he said with a chuckle as he released her and moved toward the table. “I’m not going to be able to walk out of here.”

As Andrei drew closer, he saw the feat on the table that while foreign to him looked objectively delicious. There was a pile of beautifully cooked small steaks, something cut into thin green strips, what looked like a bowl of cooked onions, and a basket full of round rolls of bread. The only thing he might have had an inkling of remembrance for was the small bowl full of what looked like sand from when Lyra had introduced him to one of her favorite meals the day they had received their promotions, and the simple bowls of black beans and rice.

“It looks wonderful.” he said, pulling out her chair for her and offering it with a small gesture.

“Well, you won’t be able to walk out of here, but it won’t be because of the food.” She flashed a cheeky smirk as she took the seat that he offered to her. As he sat next to her at the “head” of the small table, she continued to speak. “Since you weren’t really too picky with what you wanted and last time you enjoyed the food from my home, I thought you might enjoy it again.”

She gestured to the steaks. “These are picanha steaks, they come from the sirloin cap, have a lot of beefy flavor and are very tender. Any place worth its salt would have this on their menu.”

“Of course we have black beans and rice here, the farofa which you might remember from when we had the feijoada. These here are leeks with a balsamic glaze which we eat as a side dish on its own but obviously can be mixed with other things, and then we have Brazilian style collard greens.” She pointed to each dish in turn as she explained it to him, not wanting him to balk at anything for being to foreign.

“Lastly - this was always one of my favorites growing up and still is - this is pao de queijo. It is cheese bread.”

“It looks delicious, and I did like it last time too.” he said warmly as he put a plate down in front of her and then in front of himself. “I might not think about food too much, but I like it when it comes up.”

“Good. I hope you enjoy it.” She picked up the plate in front of her and started to fill it with small-ish portions of everything but the meat of which she took two of the small slices of and then switched his plate out for the full one.

“The bread is one of the three things I actually know how to make.” She hadn’t lied to Yana, when push came to shove she didn’t really know how to cook much of anything, but she had helped her mother enough with three certain simple things that she did know how to at least make those. Once she had filled her plate, she poured them both caipirinhas from the small pitcher on the table.

“Dig in. Tell me what you like.”

Dig in he did. As he tried each item of food, he nodded in one way or another and moved on to the next one without immediate comment. Eventually, once he had tried them all, he turned to Lyra.

“The meat is cooked to perfection, of course, and I like that the best, but I can certainly see why you like the bread so much.” He said before picking up his fork again.

Lyra had let him try everything at his own pace and left him alone, opting to eat on her own meal instead of staring at him to see his reactions. When he finally spoke, she looked at him while she tore off a small bite of the bread and gave him a smile. “Good, I’m glad. I made them myself earlier while you were on shift.”

She gave the remaining part of the bread in her hand a slight wave. “It may not be the fanciest cut of meat, but picahna has always been a favorite of mine; it has so much flavor and you don’t really need to do anything else to it other than some salt and pepper.”

“I hate to say it, sometimes expensive isn’t as good as the rest.” He said with a nod. “I’m not sure I prefer it over a ribeye, but it’s very good all the same. Are you taking my mother’s prompting and testing your cooking skills?”

“Funnily, I had already planned on making these before your mother said anything at breakfast, but I wasn’t lying when I said I don’t really know how to cook unless you count three things as knowing how. What I can do is follow directions so I imagine it’s something I could pick up easily enough. Besides,” she grinned slightly, though there was a knowing glint in her eye, “she wants to spend time with me and teach me how to make cookies.”

“That is what she said, yes.” He said with a chuckle. There was no suspicion or malice in his expression, though there was more than a hint of understanding in his voice.

“Do you actually know how to cook anything?” She asked curiously then continued on her meal.

“I'm afraid it wasn’t part of my schooling.” He said with a smile, cutting his next piece of meat. “All of my culinary experience is strictly on this side of things. I am a moderately good eater. Why do you ask?”

“Curiosity, darling.” She assured him with a smile. “I know that some men enjoy being masters of grilling, for example, and take pride in being able to cook a steak perfectly.” She gestured to the meat in front of them.

“Though I’d say you’re more than a moderately good eater.” She was talking about the food, partially, but the certain lift to the corners of her mouth indicated more than just that.

“I am a dedicated future lord of the Empire. I take pride in finding the best cooks.” His hand slid onto hers, abandoning his knife. “and I’m a very passionate connoisseur.”

“Future Emperor, darling.” She corrected him and lifted his hand to intimately kiss his fingertips. “Cooks will be clamoring to serve you.”

Andrei nodded, his eyes on her still.

“Well, I spent some time with Crown Prince Giuseppe when I was a child, and let's just say he’s more cruel than cunning. I only mention it because I’ll probably have to kill him if I find I truly want the throne.”

Lyra’s brows lifted just slightly as she picked up another piece of bread. She wasn’t the one to play up her bloodline for clout or to wave it around to make demands of people, so it was relatively easy to forget that in all of her names, Orsini was one of them. His “if” statement didn’t go unnoticed either.

“Yes, he is. He takes particular delight in tormenting his sister Giana.” She pulled off part of the bread, “You’d have to kill Paolo too. The daughters could likely be left alone because nobody would back their claim.”

She paused and mused a moment. “Giuseppe has a son too.”

“Yes, that’s true.” He said as if it didn’t matter to him at all. “And I wouldn’t be so sure about daughters not having their claims pressed. Most of the Empire’s history had been commanded by women. One woman in particular. Giana and Elana are dangerous.”

Andrei leaned in to her, his eyes locked on hers. He was probing, but there was also a small amount of compassion there.

“Were you very close?” He asked in a low voice.

“It has been commanded by women, yes, but that is a fact that has been forgotten by most.” She shrugged. “It would take a singular woman to have the Empire feeling comfortable enough to follow her in current times and neither of my cousins are that singular woman.”

His probing gaze was met by her inscrutable one; she betrayed none of her feelings on the matter. “I was very close with Giana despite our age difference. We were quite attached at the hip anytime our families were together, which was regularly, and she would often tell me how she wished I was her sister instead of Elana.”

“So you wouldn’t want her shot then.” Andrei said, again in an even and comfortable voice. “Nothing to worry about then. What of Elana?”

It was Lyra’s turn to study his expression and his demeanor, then finally she reached out and placed her hand on his. “We will remove whoever stands in our way, darling, regardless of who they are.”

He nodded, seeming to be satisfied with her response. Any hesitation or curiosity in his body seemed to direct itself away from her and toward the meal again.

“I have no doubt.” He said, and then he took a bite of the bread.

Would they do this forever? Little pricks and pushes, glances and words to try and force the other to reveal their feelings on a topic? It seemed so. It was frustrating at times to say the least, but Andrei didn’t want to be direct in anything and he had made his feelings very clear about talking things over on Anorra. Perhaps he still didn’t trust her fully, perhaps it was something else. It wasn’t like she could ask and get an answer.

So they’d continue this dance with each other until something changed - trust or otherwise.

She simply smiled and said nothing, then they continued with the meal until they had their fill lacing their time together with moments of conversation and comfortable silence. Once they were through and she began clearing off the table, she spoke up again.

“So, meal approved, darling?”

“Yes.” he said, leaning back for a moment and placing his hand on the slight bulge of his typically flat stomach. “I couldn’t eat another bite.”

He sighed and sat there for a few more seconds, but then stood and started helping to gather up dishes with her. He helped silently, his mind wandering to its own places in silence as he moved around the quarters. He was a social man, but Andrei was more than capable of getting lost in his head and going to secret places he never revealed. When the cleaning was done, he eyed her from across the room.

“If you don’t have any plans, we could always crack open my new book.” he said, moving his head toward his copy of Dracula. “This one seems like it should be written in Russian instead.”

Lyra moved over to where the book was and picked it up, running her fingers over the cover. She was about to speak when she heard the quiet beeping of someone inputting an access code to Andrei’s door from outside.

“Order yourself a stripper, darling?” She chuckled and didn’t wait for his answer, instead walking to the bedroom and letting him deal with whatever it was on his own.

“I don’t know, love. I order so many, it’s hard to remember.” Andrei said, joking without a smile, and then moved toward the door. After he pushed the control panel, it slid open to reveal his Yeoman. “Jasper. I hope this isn’t some immediate official need.”

“Gods!” Jasper barked as the door opened before he was ready and he took an instinctive step back. When he realized it was Andrei, he blinked once and had a look of confusion about him. In one hand he held a small stack of PADDs and in the other, a bottle of vodka.

“Uh… no. I didn’t expect you to be in your quarters.” His eyes moved past Andrei as if he were looking for something, and then went back to his boss. “I was just coming to drop these off.”

“Reports and Vodka…a traditional combination in my family all the way back to our origins. It's a good birthday first; thank you.” He said with a grin, stepping aside so that Jasper could pass. “Go ahead and sit them on the desk and I’ll get to each in time.”

“You’re in a good mood.” Jasper noted as he walked past Andrei to do as he had asked. “Birthday going well?”

“I’m always in a good mood, Jasper; nothing worries me.” Andrei said without any reservation. “But yes, this one is going particularly well. Lyra has put in a lot of effort and it shows.”

Jasper was quite used to Andrei and that particular brand of response, so he thought nothing of it. He set the PADDs and the vodka down on the desk and was about to say something when he was cut off.

“And it isn’t even over yet.”

Lyra was standing in the archway that led to Andrei’s bedroom, leaning against the side in a way that accentuated her curves. Her soft, shiny hair was down and framed her beautiful face and glittering eyes; her full lips were pulled into a playful smirk. Instead of the shorts and shirt she had been wearing to and from their holodeck excursion, she was instead now in a beautiful black silk robe trimmed with black and silver accented lace. It was short and showed off her long toned legs, and the top showed off a bit of cleavage but nothing drastic. The tie was a silver ribbon and she ran the end of it through her fingers while looking at the two men. She looked absolutely breathtaking in that sensual way.

Jasper turned his head toward Lyra and his eyes immediately widened and began to move over her. He looked at her beautiful face briefly then followed the slim line of her long neck down to her cleavage then to her hands toying with the tie, down her legs and then back up as if he were trying to get a peek at what was underneath the robe. He wanted her, everyone in the room knew it, but everyone also knew he was intelligent enough to not do anything about it. That didn’t mean he didn’t look though, and look he did.

“She’s insatiable.” Andrei said, knowing full well what Jasper was thinking. He stood next to his Yeoman, his eyes locked on Lyra, traveling down her long legs. “Third time’s a charm, yes love?”

“I prefer not to put a number to it.” She remained where she was, comfortable with the attention she was receiving given that was the goal of the moment.

“I bet you don’t.” Jasper said quietly, giving voice to the thought without realizing it immediately. When he did though, he blinked and shook his head slightly, then turned his head toward the door. “Well you two have fun.”

Not lingering, he headed over to leave. “Happy birthday, Andrei.”

“Thank you, my friend. You’re very kind to remember..” Andrei said, patting Jasper on the shoulder in a friendly manner full of camaraderie. As the man left, his eyes turned back to Lyra as he lifted his brow. “That was a bit mean. Poor man.”

“Maybe. Or maybe it was very nice.” She turned then and moved back into the bedroom knowing he would follow on his own time.

When Andrei finally walked inside, he was entering a room that was both familiar and not to him. Instead of the bleak grey walls of the ship, rich carved wood paneling had taken its place. The standard issue sheets had been replaced by fine, soft cotton sheets that looked luxurious even to the naked eye; on top of them on the end of the bed was what appeared to be a throw made of polar bear hide. His windows had changed too; what was usually a display of space was now displaying the skyline of Moscow at night and it was a view he knew well - the view from what had been his room in his home. The window over the bed presented the beautiful clear night sky with all its stars and the moon looming large and high above. She had even gone so far as to lower the temperature in the room to more accurately represent the cool Russian summer night.

On “her” nightstand was a small covered plate and a bottle of the alcohol they had shared on Anorra. On his nightstand there appeared to be a basin of water, a few wash clothes, and a couple of towels. Lyra hadn’t asked for that, but she supposed it showed the slave girl was mindful of what her masters would be doing with each other.

Lyra herself was standing by the window with two glasses of the chilled Anorran alcohol in her hands. With a smile, she extended one out to Andrei.

“Parabéns, Querido.”

Andrei’s eyes fell on his drastically changed room, feeling an immediate swell of familiarity and recognition. He turned around half way, looking at the closet area, and then turned again to fix his eyes on the Moscow skyline. Except for the hum of the engines, it felt quite real.

“I might forget I’m on the other side of the galaxy.” He said, moving toward her and putting his hands on her hips. He pulled her closer and looked into her eyes with a relaxed and pleasant smile. “I’m impressed, really.”

She enjoyed the feeling of his hands on her hips - the way his thumbs would slowly slide up and down unconsciously as he held her and the way his fingers pressed into her magnificent backside; when he held her like this, he only needed to kiss her neck to enamour her to him. Her own easy smile remained. She had been curious to see how he would react to this, and his eyes and body told her more than his words. There had been some element of risk to this, but it had been one she had taken on with confidence.

When he finally took the glass of blue alcohol from her while the other hand remained on her hip, she spoke to him in a quiet and familiar way.

“Home is where we make it.” Her free hand found his side and she looked up into his eyes.

“To you, my darling.” She gently tapped her glass against his.

“Nozdrovie.” He said in a quiet bark as he drew his own glass to his lips and drew from it steadily. After he had cleared half the glass and felt the slight burn of the delicious sweet drink, he put the glass down and grabbed hers from her as well. With a grin which showed every bit of the almost brutal confident charm that was behind even the smoothest of his actions, he put his strong hands on her waist again. Pushing her down on the bed with moderate gentleness, he crawled between her legs and leaned down, planting kisses on her neck. “Now, we’re going to enjoy the rest of my birthday.”

When Andrei unwrapped his "gift" he found Lyra in an enticing set of blood red lace lingerie with straps and lace patterns to please and interest the eye. She had worn his green earlier, but now she was wanting to look her very best and she looked so very good in red.

"My plan exactly." She replied with a grin and kissed him deeply.

So they did just that into the early hours of the morning. The drank themselves silly, they talked, they gossiped, they kissed, they fucked, and after a tired sonic shower spent half holding each other up, they retired to bed to sleep the day off in each others arms content and in love.

It had been a memorable birthday.

END