Alligator Skin and Peacock Hair

Posted on Mon Jan 18th, 2021 @ 7:45pm by Lieutenant Anna S. Thesia M.D. & Chief Petty Officer Sapphire & Lieutenant Bonnie "Bon-Bon" Durnell

Mission: Healing of Minds
Location: various
Timeline: pre-Bajoran emergency

The morning after brought with it unfamiliar noises, a headache the likes of which she had never experienced before and a room temperature that rivaled Gnome Alaska in the winter. Without opening her eyes she asked the computer to increase ambient temperature to 78 degrees. Normally she would wonder why her pre programmed settings had not been enacted but this morning had her mind reeling on the pain it was in.

“Computer, belay that order”, Sapphire said, still sleepy and not otherwise moving. 78 degrees? Was Bonnie trying to kill them? That temperature was hardly survivable for humans, but certainly not for an Andorian.

Bonnie spent several more minutes stirring under the covers. Even stretching out once, feeling the stretch from her fingertips all the way down to her toes before curling back into a ball under the blanket. Was that her own breathing she heard or someone else's? And what was that humming noise? She opened her eyes which were immediately pierced by the brightness of the light in the room.

Squinting, she looked around. So far everything looked normal. These Starfleet quarters often looking just like the next afterall. But, something felt different, off somehow. "Computer, what time is it?" She asked.

"The time is 09:34."

Oh no. She was late getting started for her shooting match with Anna. She threw back the blankets, sat up and then rotated to a sitting position. Ugh. What the hell hit me last night? She blinked in an effort to adjust her eyes, then stood and took a step before immediately crashing to the floor, taken down by an unfamiliar blanket. "Owe." She grunted.

“Good morning”, Sapphire said, opening her eyes. “I hope you’re not suffering from too much of a hangover.” Then she realised that Bonnie was no longer there. She propped herself up on the bed, seeing her lying on the floor. “Oh, hi, there you are.”

"Uughhhgh merderlafer." She grunted into what felt like a large boot. As she pushed herself off the floor she unsuccessfully attempted to unravel the blanket from her leg. "Morning." She grunted out. Upon feeling her head, and her pluff of hair as it stood up in all manner of directions, she added "the hangover is just like I remember actually." She attempted to slide her butt from the floor back onto the bed with great effort.

Sapphire clambered out of the bed enough to sit on the edge, helping Bonnie back up. “Did you sleep well? You were fairly far gone last night, but I think that was partly my fault for giving you that third glass of ale.” She smirked. Yes, she had definitely not heeded the warning calls. “What do you remember?”

Sapphire's hands were warm, almost comforting. She held her pounding head in her hands. "Bits and pieces mostly. Did… did we storm Minas Tirith with Boudica and then have a war paint dance party with fruit bowls?" She was struggling to get her eyes to focus. "Apparently I passed out sometime after that, all I can see is a pair of red eyes looking back at me."

“We wanted to do that, but didn’t get as far”, Sapphire smiled. “Come, let’s get you in the shower, you’ll need to wake up properly.” Sapphire stood, and just then the doorbell rang. “Come!” she called.

As the doors parted, Anna walked in, seeing a nude Andorian and a groggy-looking human. “Good morning. Oh Bonnie, you found Sapphire here to help you with your sheets, I see.” She smirked.

“Anna!” She panicked, probably more than she should have. “It’s not what it looks like.” She exclaimed while at the same time coming to realize Sapphire was standing next to her naked. Why did women keep taking their clothes off around her? “I mean, I’m not really sure what it looks like to be honest, as I can’t really see that well.”

She nudged Sapphire, “Nothing happened between us, right? Like I don’t remember anything ‘unprofessional’ that would indicate why you’re naked, right?” She whispered to Sapphire despite her whisper voice being as loud as it would normally be.

“You did grope me fairly aggressively”, Sapphire smirked. “But I’m nude because I just got out of bed, and it’s how I sleep.”

“Oh. Well. Anna, I know I’m late for our shooting practice. I can be ready shortly if you just give me two shakes.” She looked at Sapphire, “Mind if I shower and maybe have a shot of caffeine?” She didn’t really wait for Anna or Sapphire to respond as she turned and tried to make her way towards the shower area. Absentmindedly kicking off her socks, and dropping her drawers before ever receiving an answer.

“I’ll wait for you”, Anna said.

“And I’ll join you”, Sapphire grinned, following her. Time to get some payback for the groping.

Bonnie was too distracted by her uniform top as she attempted to pull it off over her head, to notice Sapphire had followed her into the shower area. She had it up and over her face, both arms trapped in a compromising position when it just refused to budge. She twisted, grunted and struggled to get it to release from the head which seemed to have swollen 3 times over night. "Argh stupid thing! Let go." And as she flailed about she was knocking into things around the small space.

Sapphire happily helped her. “Here, let me take it off you”, she said. “I can tell you’re a bit clumsy with a hangover.” She wasn’t ready to see yet that this was a general state of affairs with Bonnie.

"Um, okay. Let me just. Yeah. And I will put my knee like this. Is that… is that your stomach? Feels like a rock. Anyway on three, I'll pull, you push? No, right we both pull. Okay? 1. 2. 3." Bonnie pushed her knee into Sapphire's chest while Sapphire pulled Bonnie's top. Due to the Andorian's strength the top released with ease sending Bonnie flying backward into the sonic shower where her feet slipped out from under her. She fell with a thud onto her bottom, the back of her head hitting the shower wall, adding to her hangover headache 10 fold. "Owe."

Sapphire couldn’t help but laugh. Why hadn’t Bonnie held on to her arms, or something, to be able to stay vertical? It was almost as if her mind wasn’t fully in the present.

Sapphire turned on the shower, and cool water rained down on them. Not ice cold, it was warm by Andorian standards as Sapphire enjoyed that. But it was no sonic shower, those were horrible for Sapphire’s sensitive antennae.

She crouched down next to Bonnie. “The water will help you wake up and think normally”, she said. “You’re an odd-ball, has anyone ever told you?” There was no mockery in Sapphire’s voice, just amusement.

Bonnie, in only her underwear, sitting on the floor of the shower, feeling cold and now wet could only chuckle. “Once or twice, yeah. My favorite is weirdo, but I think I’ve heard them all at some point or another.” She sighed. “The girls in my dorm never quite got me. They just saw someone to pity, I think. But I ignored their looks and I continued on.”

She gave a sigh and then a half chuckle, “My papa always used to say ‘Soon, when all is well, you will look back at this moment, laugh, and be glad you never gave up or gave in.’ or something like that.”

“Giving up is never a good idea, I agree”, Sapphire said. “Giving in, sometimes, can be worth it.” She pulled Bonnie up onto her feet, dragging her with her head right under the water. “Come on, wake up already.”

Grateful someone was there to help her, Bonnie allowed the water to run through her hair and down her face and back. She wished the water were warmer but wasn't one to complain. It was slowly bringing her mind into focus. "Thanks Sapphire. You're a good friend. I'm glad I didn't puke on you. I mean, I didn't, did I?"

“No, you didn’t”, Sapphire said. “I hate it when people do that, so that’s good.” She helped Bonnie with washing that unruly hair of hers. Having her hands in full hair felt nice. “You enjoyed yourself, though? Groping me, and all that?”

Eyes wide, brain thinking, "I… I don't remember groping you? If I did I am truly sorry. My intentions were never, no I enjoyed myself last night. I do remember that. But… but groping? That's not like me at all." Bonnie was clearly on the defensive while at the same time racking her brain in search of details about the night before.

“It’s okay”, Sapphire smirked. “I’m not a traditional Andorian, so I’m not going to kill you for it.” It was said in jest, but there was no doubt that some Andorians would take this very personally. “Just, if you want to be safe, never touch an Andorian’s antennae without asking first, okay?”

“Okay.” Bonnie said innocently. She turned and faced Sapphire, letting the water rinse her hair. “All I’ve ever wanted is to be safe and I never meant to offend you in any way. Thank you for… well for not killing me. I’m sure after last night you probably think I’m a bad example of the Human race huh?”

“Would you like my honest opinion?” Sapphire asked, though it was a rhetorical question as she gave it anyway. “I don’t understand why you lack confidence. You’re hedging, and always worried something bad will happen. And then it does, because you’re so focused on it.” She rinsed out Bonnie’s hair. “When’s the last time you got laid?”

“Um… A while, I suppose.” In fact it had been 3 years, two months, five days and six hours, give or take. “But what does that have to do with anything? I don’t worry about bad things, technically I document when bad things happen. I have a journal and everything. So it’s not about will they happen but when, do you get me?” She turned away again to finish rinsing, oblivious to the idea that Sapphire may or may not have had alternative motives for being naked in the shower with her.

From Bonnie’s perspective, it was a co-ed shower like at the Academy and Sapphire was just there because she cared. But now, the line about getting laid had crossed a personal boundary and a sore spot in her personal life that had Bonnie backpedalling from the conversation.

“What’s it got to do with anything? You played with my antennae, you tell me”, Sapphire chuckled. “I just didn’t want to take advantage of you when you were drunk, you see? But it seemed to me like you were acting on naughty thoughts.”

“So, you’d rather take advantage of me when I’m sober?” No sooner had she said the words when realization dawned. “I was drunk, and I am sorry. I must have been curious or something and I promise I’ll never do it again.” She shut the water off and looked at Sapphire directly, “In fact I will put it in my journal as a mistake so that I never let it happen again. Is that better?”

“I’m not sure”, Sapphire said. “It might have been fun, you’ll never know until you’ve tried.” She rinsed Bonnie’s hair out again, not because she had to, but it kept her hands busy. “I apologise if I crossed a line into personal space, I meant no foul.”

“That’s what Anna said too. I’m fun, when I want to be.” Bonnie half rolled her eyes and sighed. She had never meant to hurt anyone’s feelings, just like she never meant to get drunk and lose herself. “I mean, did you think I was just some easy girl who would fall right into your arms?” As she said the words she enacted the act of falling, and then actually fell forward into Sapphire, having slipped on the water covered surface, her mouth getting the full effect of her hair. Bonnie’s face landing gently in Sapphire’s bosom. She really was a menace.

Sapphire caught her, grinning. “Yes, and apparently I was right”, she teased, holding her and making no effort to disentangle herself. “I’m easy like that, and I’m not ashamed of it either. Life is short, it should be fun. I’m just... well, I’m held back by my desire not to cause any hard feelings. Being proper, and not taking advantage, I mean.” She didn’t usually ramble like this. She just wanted to make sure Bonnie understood that she had no mean intentions, but was open for having fun.

From deep within, Bonnie’s stomach let out a mighty rumble. She had not eaten much before getting drunk and she never had received her fruit. She was not only hungry, she was starving. And Anna was still waiting, probably wondering what the hell was taking so long. Bonnie looked into Sapphire’s red eyes and said, “Thank you, for you know, not taking advantage. Perhaps when we get to know each other better, maybe I will show you my sensitive spots.” She smiled and stepped out of the shower area. “For now though I need food.”

Sapphire followed and tossed Bonnie a towel. “Food is good, I agree. But don’t drip all over my floor, will you?” She towelled off, which was easier for her because her hair was shorter.

In Sapphire’s living room, Anna had already been busy setting the table with breakfast for three - since she was around anyway, she figured she might as well make herself useful. She had replicated some Andorian dishes, but also lighter foods, and made sure there was enough there that would cure a hangover effectively.

Towel firmly wrapped around her head, none to spare, Bonnie slipped into the bedroom area. She was careful to make sure Anna could not see her from the bathroom because for some reason, she cared about what Anna would say. Then using her voice print she replicated a new uniform and slipped into it without issue. She couldn’t quite remember where she left her boots, but was sure they were around somewhere.

Absently looking, she walked out into the living area and spotted Anna. Her head still pounding slightly, all of that was pushed to the back of her mind when she spotted the food. Her eyes lit up. “Anna, you didn’t have to go through all of the trouble. But I am so glad you did.” She headed straight for the bowl of fresh fruit and eyed the cocoa. With a mouth full of grapes she mumbled, “Oh my goodness, you’re a blessing.”

Sapphire followed, much less self-conscious. She replicated fresh clothes and put them on, not worried about anything. It was the Andorian way. They actually had that in common with Orions. “This is very kind of you”, Sapphire agreed. “You might want to look at her head, put it back on straight.”

“The food should do that”, Anna said.

“No, she hit it in the shower”, Sapphire clarified. “I promise, it wasn’t my doing.”

“Shall I have a look later, Bonnie?” Anna asked.

“Sure. But I’m sure it’s okay.” She rubbed her head where she hit it. “Pretty hard headed.”

“You’d have to be”, Anna laughed. “I know from personal experience that it is indeed helpful.” She started on her second breakfast.

“I still don’t think hitting your head is good for you”, Sapphire said. “I’d wear a helmet but... you know.” She pointed at her antennae and winked with them.

"You would look good in a helmet, and I'm sure we could accommodate your antennae." She picked. If Sapphire were going to hang out with her for any period of time she would likely need a helmet, and maybe some knee pads.

"So, Anna, did we miss our holodeck window or are we still good for whatever you had planned?" Bonnie asked before promptly downing half a glass of hot cocoa.

“Oh, that’s long gone”, Anna smirked. “We’ll have to do this some other time. But look at us, we’re having breakfast, that’s always nice.” A lot of things had been thrown off schedule thanks to the food poisoning the day before.

“Maybe the range is back in operation today, depending on how quickly the engineers worked”, Sapphire suggested. “I’ll give you kiddie phasers.” Those were Andorian toy phasers, whose maximum setting was about half that of Starfleet’s setting one, light stun.

Bonnie pointed her food covered fork at Sapphire, "Now you're just down right picking on me." She turned to Anna, "I'm not a kid, I just have troubles firing phasers. Back me up on this?" She pleaded with Anna knowing Anna also was not good at shooting.

Bonnie was disappointed their scheduled shooting time had to be postponed and she was still unaware there had been a food pandemic on board. Missing vital information tended to happen when she kept her nose in a book or under a console.

“They’re phasers you can’t accidentally set to a dangerous level”, Sapphire said. “I’ll just have to modify some to set them that way, as we haven’t got any in stock.”

“That does sound reasonable”, Anna said. “I’d feel safer with one that I can’t accidentally hurt anyone with.” She smiled at Bonnie. “I am a very bad shot.”

Miffed, Bonnie replied, "You're taking her side now?" She was being playful but in the same thread she felt like now she had something to prove to them. "Okay, what if I told you I had a way of shooting every one of those targets with one hundred percent accuracy? Would you still think I needed kiddie phasers?" She was looking at both ladies, back and forth.

“All I was saying is that I want one for myself”, Anna said. “I’d be much more comfortable with it.”

“And if you can manage that, I’m sure you’ll also pass the certification with ease”, Sapphire smiled.

Bonnie gave Sapphire the stink eye, “Willing to shake on it, make it a legitimate deal?”

“What do I get if you lose?” Sapphire asked. “And what do you want if you win?”

“If I win, you uphold your end of the Certification deal. And I wont lose.” She said boldly before hesitating, “But if I did, what would you want?”

“I said, if you can manage, you can certify”, Sapphire said. “You still need to certify according to the regs.” She had a suspicion there was some kind of trickery involved, and she couldn’t have that.

"You still haven't answered the question. What is it you want out of the deal?" She also was now doubting herself slightly as it had been some time since she went over the details of the regulations. She was confident however that she could pull it off.

“Your warpaint dance”, Sapphire said. “Like you said you wanted to do last night.”

Sheepishly Bonnie leaned in, “I… I didn’t actually dance last night, did I?” The rosiness in her cheeks gave notice to her embarrassment at dancing but strangely not to the warpaint.

“Yes, but not with warpaint. That’s what I want to see”, Sapphire smirked.

“Can I see that too?” Anna asked. “It seems... intriguing.”

Bonnie looked at each of them and begrudgingly said, “Fine. But I may need some more of that ale when the time comes.” Then she reached across the table extending a hand, “Shake on it?”

“Deal”, Sapphire agreed, taking Bonnie’s hand, careful not to squeeze too hard. The big Andorian had learnt early to be careful around most people.

In the cold of the room, and shaking Sapphires strong hand, Bonnie realized just how the cold was causing her skin to dry out. She pulled it up to her face and cringed, “I’m developing alligator skin.” Then realizing Sapphire probably didn’t know what that was, she showed her the back side of her hand in all of its glory. “How do you manage to not dry out?” Before shoving the last bite of food into her mouth.

“I wear my thermal suit under the uniform”, Sapphire explained. “Keeps my skin nice and cool, so it won’t lose too much moisture. That, and a good skincare lotion every so often.” Sapphire’s skin, of course, needed protection from the parching heat of the ship’s normal air temperature.

“If I wasn’t sitting here in my uniform, but in a dress or some other nice getup for a date, I’d be freezing my butt off”, Anna remarked.

“And it’s too nice of a butt to freeze off.” Bonnie quipped. “I’ve seen it.” She admitted. She then pushed back from the table, stood and began to clean up the plates and things. Always respectful of her surroundings, she insisted on tidiness at least in a friends’ home.

She crossed over to the replicator and deposited a load to be recycled, then made her way back towards the table. As she approached, her hair bounced, fell on her face and she was immediately brought face down to the floor with a heavy thud. Without giving the girls a moment to gasp she raised one arm, “I’m okay. I found my boots.”

Both women laughed. “That’s a fascinating technique for finding things”, Sapphire joked.

“It’s effective”, Anna remarked. “I know that from experience.” She wasn’t nearly as clumsy, but her feet had found things for her before.

---

She clammered to her feet, slid her boots on and assisted in cleaning up the rest of the table without issue. Once the last bit was gone, she asked the room, “So, who’s ready to shoot something?” with a slight twitch in her eye only a mad woman with something to prove could have.

Anna stood. “Well, after a second breakfast, I feel as ready as I’ll ever be. Let’s go.”

“I’ll be right behind you”, Sapphire said. She was used to walking behind others, as she could see over their heads mostly.

She struggled to contain the joy she had inside. Being able to show off something you made, despite what the ethics board had said, to your friends, caused her heart to flutter with joy. "I just need to stop by my quarters and grab something. On the way, Sapphire would you remind me what the regulations dictate about certification?" She turned and walked backward just long enough to ask her question, then seamlessly spun back around and kept walking without missing a beat or tripping. A fact she did not seem to be aware of.

“You stand at specified range, are given a standard type II hand phaser and are expected to hit targets of a given colour in the programme with a certain percentage of accuracy, within a set time limit”, Sapphire explained. “The exact values are calculated by the computer, as a combination of speed and accuracy. You are allowed no other devices to aid you, such as sights or predictive indicators for example.”

“I’d still like to see what you’ve come up with, though”, Anna said.

“Indeed”, Sapphire agreed.

“Well, what I came up with should satisfy most of those requirements, but… Oh, this is me.” She pointed to her cabin. “Just let me pop in and grab something. I’ll be right back.” She entered her cabin, crossed to the foot of her bed where she pulled out a small box. Upon opening the box, she pulled out a ball in the size of 9.5cm or roughly the size of an American softball. She gave a half smile as she worried about how well it would work to satisfy the regulations and what her new friends would think.

Moments later she walked back out into the corridor, ball in hand. “Okay, I’m ready. Lead on Chief Petty Officer.” She said in a very official tone.

“Yes, ma’am”, Sapphire said, then marched off. Her stride was long, and it meant the other two had to quicken their pace to keep up.

“What’s that?” Anna asked. “Does it shoot for you? Does it fly around and always go where you’re pointing?”

“Um… little of both, actually. It is made from a type II phaser, but it has a multi spatial refracting crystal which allows it to fire in multiple directions at once.” She held it out and pointed to eight dots along the surface. “It uses an antigrav gyro to stay floating and balanced and then a sophisticated voice activated targeting system.” She almost sounded enthusiastic yet sad at the same time.

“Is that legal?” Anna wondered. “I mean, there’s something about combat drones, isn’t there?”

“It’s certainly not going to allow you to certify”, Sapphire said. “But I think combat drones should be a thing.”

“I didn’t set out to make it combat enabled. I was just trying to create a companion, but then the phaser training course came around and I needed a way to succeed without shooting everyone in my class. So I created this.” She heaved a sigh. “And once I saw what it could do, I realized why there aren’t more of them on the battlefield. I’ll demonstrate after, shall I?”

“Please do”, Sapphire said. She noticed Bonnie seemed like a completely changed woman. This was her comfort zone, and this she was good at. But why was she so out of sorts otherwise? This was odd to the Andorian.

As they walked into the range, Sapphire checked the wall. “No hole. This is good. The engineers must have fixed it before their stomachs revolted.”

“Not everyone was affected”, Anna said. “Only those who ate in the lounge, and don’t have strong stomachs.”

Bonnie, just catching on, asked, “So, people were getting sick? Is that why you were given a cure Sapphire? I… I thought it was because… oh nevermind.” She was both relieved and not at the same time. While she understood there was no cure for the way she was, for a brief moment she had hope.

She opened her ball along the equator, switched it on, then closed it up again. Then she placed it at arms length above her head and when she removed her hand, it stayed right where she placed it. It toned, signaling boot complete. “I’m ready when you are Chief.”

“Very good. Computer, start phaser certification training programme, level one”, Sapphire said. “Begin.” She knew it would never pass for an actual certification, but she figured it would be fun to see.

Bonnie asked Sapphire, “What color am I shooting? Um… just to be clear?”

“Anything other than green or blue”, Sapphire smirked.

“Okay. Wilson.” She waited for a confirmation beep. “Target all dots other than green or blue. Do not target biological life of any kind. Power level at minimum and begin.” The ball confirmed with a double beep tone, then spun rapidly on all axes. It processed each color with precision, selected it’s target by color and fired shot after shot one after another. It was moving so fast for a moment it looked as though multiple shots were being fired simultaneously.

“That’s an impressive little weapon you’ve got there”, Sapphire said approvingly. “What’s the drawback?”

Bonnie took a heavy breath, “Let me show you.” Ste stood in military form, arms at her back. “Computer, reset simulation. Create depth of field at 100 meters, provide battleground cover and,” she looked at Sapphire briefly, then back at the simulation space. “Provide 50 Dominion soldiers at random.”

“Acknowledged.” The computer chirped.

“Wilson, target only Dominion soldiers, use killshot mode. Do not target Starfleet officers.” There was a confirmation beep beep.

“Computer, begin simulation.” A planet wide backdrop loaded, there were rocks, trees and walls that spawned for covering fire, then 50 Dominion soldiers appeared and began moving around within the provided depth of field. The ball, named Wilson, began spinning, a moment later it released a rapid burst of phaser fire. It was over in a beat of the heart. The computer double beeped to signal the simulation had terminated, all 50 soldiers lay dead on the battlefield.

“Anna, would you please confirm that they are indeed dead? There should be a single headshot for each soldier. About the size of a grain of rice.” She had not moved, but her face looked like it was about to let the waterworks flood. For the spirit of the experiment she clenched her jaw and tried to appear stoic.

“I can see that from here”, Anna said, not emotional over this because it was merely a simulation.

“I still don’t see the drawback”, Sapphire said. “Just imagine the number of our people who could have lived.”

“It was deemed unethical. The first comment by the ethics board was, imagine this in the hands of our enemies. And they’re right. They may not be able to use this tech, but they could be inspired to make their own. And then, I would be responsible. At first I thought I could live with killing the enemy. It even modulates on random frequencies against the Borg. But, once they adapt… they would have access to all known frequencies. I… I just couldn’t…”

She wasn’t going to cry. She was strong. She understood what her creation represented. Wilson was just another failed experiment of the Federation, of hers personally. She sucked up her emotion and looked at Sapphire, “Thanks for at least letting me try. So, I didn’t pass? Remind me what I owe you?”

Sapphire didn’t agree with the decision of the ethics board. A photon torpedo could cause more destruction, this device would be helpful for more surgical intervention. But she wasn’t going to argue with Bonnie, as she could see she was already upset enough as it was. “A naked war-paint dance”, Sapphire responded, smirking.

Bonnie blushed. "Um… now? Or... I suppose I should have specified terms huh? Anna, any interjections?" She had been so confident Wilson would satisfy the regulation requirements that she had not thought twice about losing. But she was not going to argue her case as she knew Wilson was a bit of a cheat afterall.

“How about tonight, in my cabin? Or yours, if you prefer?” Sapphire asked.

“And you can do a real attempt again tomorrow”, Anna added. She might have tried right away, if it was her, but what Sapphire was asking sounded like too much fun to want to win the challenge.

“Um… I’ll make a perfectly good attempt the first time I apply warpaint. I don’t think I will have to do it twice.” She replied to Anna, misunderstanding she meant a real attempt at the firing range. “And, your cabin is better since you have real alcohol. I may need it for the nerve after all.” Then she was struck with a moment of inspiration. “Unless you want a full on pow wow, war dance. Then we can set the atmosphere in the holodeck. Would that be better?”

“No, I’m perfectly happy with just my cabin”, Sapphire grinned. “I’ll even raise the temperature for you. Wouldn’t want you to turn as blue as I am.” This was going to be fun. This woman was her kind of crazy.

“A… a private show.” Bonnie sqee’d to herself internally. What have I gotten myself into? “Can… can Anna join us? Do you want to join us Anna? I’m sure Anna would look good in warpaint.” Bonnie was pleading with Anna so she didn’t have to be embarrassed alone. Strangely she was worried about the dancing more than the nudity, and of course her own self respect. Not that she had much.

“Why, yes, of course!” Anna exclaimed. “I love dancing!”

Sapphire flashed both of them a big smile. “It’s a deal, then. I’ll make the place warm, and I’ll get some Andorian dishes ready. This should be amazing.” She was planning on joining the dance, even though it might look awkward as she was almost twice Bonnie’s height - if not in fact, then in perception.

“Okay. Wilson.” She looked up at the spinning ball, hands held out ready to catch. “Switch off.” The ball beeped then dropped quickly, bonking Bonnie in the noggin, before dropping into her hand. “Owe.” She looked at her friends, “Misjudged the distance.” She was blinking her eye, testing it for damage despite knowing she’d be fine. “I’ll meet you in your quarters, nineteen-hundred-hours tonight. Until then, um… dismissed, or see you later, um bye.” She held up her empty hand, sort of in a waving motion, and then turned and walked out of the firing range.