Warm Breezes, Sun, and Sand

Posted on 11 May 2024 @ 11:51am by Lieutenant Jason Rhineholt M.D. & Ensign Tora Zalos

0 words; about a 1 minute read

Mission: M-18 The Past is Future
Location: Deck 5 Holodeck 1
Timeline: Current

Jason Rhineholt arrived at exactly 1930 hours dressed in shorts, a sleeveless t-shirt, and sandals carrying a beach towel over his shoulder. He also wore a waist pack with bottled water and sunblock included just because. Walking up to the holodeck Jason could see Tora had already started the program and had entered "Computer, open holodeck doors" came the request and moments later Jason had a clear view of the sandy beach.

Walking in he could see why see loved this place so much with its warm breezes, bright sunshine, sandy beaches, and clear blue water. Strolling over Jason saw Tora lying in the sand on a towel as he greeted her with a smile "Hi Tora, you weren't exaggerating....this place is beautiful" he commented.

"Right?" Tora sat up and grinned widely at the doctor. She'd changed out of uniform into a teal and white striped bikini for the evening, perfect to swim and soak up the (holographic) sun in. "I spent a lot of time on this beach. My home was actually... that a ways." She waved to her east. "My uncle and aunt ran a textile shop in the main resort. By the way. I thought you looked like a surfer when we first met. The look fits you exactly." She said with mischievous smirk. "You must get that comment quite a lot. Surely."

"Ya right" he replied with a laugh while he laid out his towel and sat "Actually you're the first to make that kind of comparison, so thanks for that" then he paused looking at Tora "That must have been fun growing up in a place like this with all the tourists from different planets; I can see why you seem to be such a people person. By the way....nice bikini."

"Thank you. I like blue, really." Tora stood up and stretched. "Well, feel free to get comfy. I think I'm gonna go for a dip. It's been a while, like I said. I can't wait to exercise my water legs." She moved off to the side and began doing some basic stretches to limber up.

Jason sat relaxing enjoying the gentle breezes and the warm sun; not to mention the rather nice view watching Tora getting ready to jump into the water. "Now this I could get used to" he thought while enjoying some relaxing time which seemed to be far and few in-between lately.

"You're not going to lay there all evening, are you? The beach is perfect." Tora quipped as she raised her arms above her head in a stretch. "Come on, at least get your toes sandy where there's more sun, hm? Or are you really just content to sit and enjoy the view?" She stayed just like that, with her arms above her head and an eyebrow raised playfully at him. A loaded question, that was.

Standing Jason kicked off his sandals and removed his shirt exposing his rather well toned upper body; looking at Tora with a smirk "As much as I appreciate a nice view, I'm game to hit the water anytime you are" returning her quip.

Yep, he had definitely been checking out the view - which obviously wasn't limited to just the scenery around them. Tora smiled to herself as she trotted down the sand dunes towards the water and dove in head first. Comfortingly cool water swallowed her, and she sighed happily. It'd been a while since she'd had a good dip in the water like this, and she was going to make the most of it. She kicked strongly, and off she went through the shallows.

Watching as Tora hit the water, Jason wasn't far behind as he dove in headfirst using his arms to pull himself through the clear, warm blue water; he hadn't experienced anything this relaxing in years. After swimming underwater, and only coming up for a gulp of air, for several minutes he finally popped his head above water seeing Tora a short distance away having what looked like the time of her life; the women swam like a fish. Several more minutes went by when Jason realized just how quickly his arms became fatigued and decided to go back ashore and relax; he guessed he wasn't in as good a shape as he thought he was in.

Tora, for one, didn't much mind. The real idea was for both of them to enjoy themselves, after all. Droplets of water cascaded off her form as she emerged from the sea a short while later with her hair sopping wet. "Ooh, that was fun!" She declared as she walked towards him on the sand. Tora was grinning from ear to ear. "Best dip I've had in a while, that's for sure! I hope you enjoyed it too, short though yours was." She snickered mischievously. "Oh, by the way. There's a little bar in this program, syntheholic of course. Want anything? They have snacks!"

Jason sat on the beach feeling much more energized while rather enjoying watching Tora emerging from the water walking towards him "Yes I had fun but unfortunately that's the first time I've been swimming in years so needless to say those particular muscles are rather out of shape" he replied with a grin "And yes I could use a drink and maybe something to snack on now that you mention it; even if the booze is synthetic."

"It takes time to find your sea legs - and arms - sometimes. What would you like?" Tora asked, leaning over him with her arms crossed. She wasn't at all blind to him enjoying the view, really, and she found it quite amusing indeed. Besides, there was no harm teasing him just a little bit. "Finger food? Chicken wings or something like that? You should try the fish fritters..."

Noticing Tora's current posture Jason grinned hoping he hadn't been too obvious "Mozzarella sticks and a cold beer sounds good" he replied realizing what she was up to.

Tora trotted away down the beach with a playful glance at him, as if inviting him to follow. The small bar wasn't hard to locate at all; soft music of the Risan variety played over speakers as Tora approached and spoke with the bartender in his native language. She leaned on the bar counter and smiled sweetly at him as she brushed sand off her body. Sometimes it got into the crevices between her scales and made her skin chafe. Yep, no thanks.

Watching Tora trot down the beach, Jason thought she might need an extra pair of hands carrying their refreshment so he opted to follow. Walking up to her at the bar "I thought you might need a hand carrying back our goodies" he commented with a smile.

"Or we could just eat here, you know. There are chairs to sit on and music to enjoy, and the company's not half bad. I don't think we have to move." Tora quipped with a mischievous smile. Whether he'd actually come over to help her with their snacks and that was really all, she'd just have to see. "Come on, sit. We've got all evening, and the cheese isn't even fried yet. So we've got some time to chat..."

"Sure" he replied as he sat "I didn't realize there was places to sit and eat" then he paused "The music is rather pleasant....so what shall we talk about."

"Anything. Life, what kind of music you like, your favorite assignment so far, your favorite Academy subject, whether you've been liking what you've been seeing so far..." Tora quipped with a sly gleam in her eye. "They're all great topics."

"Well let's see....life....now that could take decades to discuss so we should probably table that one. Music....I'm rather partial to earth's 20th century music; especially from the sixty's and seventies. Ah....favorite subject.....that would have to be anatomy; I like the way the body interacts with itself" then he paused knowing what Tora was probably fishing for "And yes I quite like what I'm seeing so far.....I mean this place is gorgeous" Jason concluded with a grin looking her in the eyes not giving her the satisfaction of anything further.

"Oh, you're good! I like you." Tora said with a wide smile. Whether or not he was actually interested was definitely still up in the air, and she didn't want to assume - but she did quite like the way he was playing hard to get. Her uncle would probably have yelled at her to propose to him on the spot, what with Cardassians treating argumentation as potential signs of attraction and all that. Thankfully their mozzarella sticks arrived just then, piping hot off the fryer, and she simply had to take one and bite into it. The heat stung her fingers, but she'd never been too bothered by it. "

"You got any inkling as to where we're going next?" She asked through a mouthful of cheese. "You're on the senior staff, you must know something. Right?"

Taking a piping hot cheese stick Jason bit into it "Oh...hot!!" he stated trying not to burn his tongue while chewing this delicious snack then taking a sip of his beer to cool his mouth off "Truth be told, I rather like you too; your personality is refreshing" he replied with a smirk "As far as where we're headed next....not sure....the command team has been pretty tight lipped about it so far. So I guess your guess is as good as mine."

"AHA! I knew it!" Tora smacked the table with her palm and burst into a giggling fit. "You men are really easy to read, just so you know! Not that I mind at all, I'm used to the feeling..." She gave herself a few moments to cool off before adding, "Maybe it'll be a real beach this time. Not necessarily for a holiday, of course, maybe it'll be to make contact with a bunch of beachdwelling aliens - but wouldn't it be nice to have some actual sand between your toes and some real vitamin D? From the sun, of course!"

"I'm glad you find us so easy to read" he replied with a smirk and just a touch a sarcasm mixed in " Women are not which is probably why men find you so alluring and challenging. Anytime you can get your feet in real, honest to goodness dirt or sand is usually a welcome change of pace."

"Hopefully we'll get that next mission, hm? And hopefully I might find out if this interest of yours turns into something more... which I think it might." Tora looked him in the eyes and smiled. "If not, nothing lost, nothing gained. What do you reckon?"

"Just so you're aware, I already have a mistress and her name is 'medicine' " Jason replied with a grin "Beyond that I guess we'll have to wait and see" which was his way of telling Tora he wanted to keep things casual and friendly.

Married to the job. Count Tora a little disappointed, but then again everyone had their priorities in life. But then again, he hadn't exactly said no. Was that an indication of possibilities? She certainly hoped so. "We'll see." She replied cheerfully. "Mozzarella stick? These are really good."

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Ensign Tora Zalos
Science Officer
USS Phoenix

Lieutenant Jason Rhineholt, M.D.
CMO

 

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