Keeper of the Book

//Hello friends! I wanted to let y’all know that Rhee and I are still around! However, I’ve moved her to @jrheebox, a sideblog of @maldonadonco for my convenience :)

thebookofsands​: 

“I’m glad that I have you.”

   I’m glad that I have you. 

   Something about those words stalled Aella’s footsteps. Certainly, it was true. There was no hint of dishonesty in her voice, and she had proved beyond a shadow of a doubt her loyalty. But… this, deep down, was all Aella’s fault, was it not?

   Had it not been for her, would Lieutenant Box’ve bled? Have fought? Would she’ve thrown an eyeball in the air, smiled with teeth that almost appeared sharp in the long shadows? 

   “And I, you,” she responded – for it was the truth. But… was it wise? Was it not better to build a distance between them? To keep her safe? 

   She accessed the wall comm and called for a doctor, and when confirming that one was being sent, she returned to Lieutenant Box’s side. 

Rhee frowned slightly at Aella’s pause. Sure, Aella was not the most swift of people- her thoughtful pace was part of what Rhee appreciated about her- but she was not one to simply pause in the middle of doing something. However, Rhee was too tired to put too much thought in it. 

Once Aella returned, Rhee rested her head on Aella’s shoulder. 

thebookofsands​: 

“I used to, but I gave them back to historians on New Vulcan. It seems wrong for me to keep them when there are so few left. I try not to keep instruments that are so few in number that they ought to be amongst their own people. I have one that I replicated, but it does not have the same craftsmanship or sound as true Vulcan-made instruments. They are nice to have as a visual, however, and I do have recordings.” 

   “Of course…” Va’pak had changed very much; and nothing at all. A kind outreaching on Lieutenant Box’s part, but… … No. She shook herself of her melancholic musings. They had no place here. Lieutenant Box had done a thoughtful thing, and she would leave it at that. “I have one, should you wish to play it. Though… perhaps I should turn in mine as well. I had not considered it.” She’d never believed there was anything she had for which a Vulcan would wish, after all, and it had been a gift from her mentor…  

Rhee smiled at the offer. 

thebookofsands​: 

Rhee stumbles over her words. When was the last time that happened? She can’t remember. 

   Lieutenant Box stutters, and the confusion nearly turns to outright concern. What could it be that has her so anxious? It must be… 

   Ah. She’s experienced it before, hasn’t she? That must be it. Perhaps she is reminiscing on that recollection… 

   “I see.” A pause. “… The further you explain it, the more it does indeed sound a bit like a bond mate…” 

Rhee chuckled quietly. She sure wished that Aella would be her bondmate, but Rhee knew that it would never happen. 

thebookofsands​: 

[ PADD: Aella 🌙 ✨  ] On my way. See you in five.

   You mean too much to me.

   It wasn’t a true revelation; these were words Lieutenant Box spoke frequently. But there was still something strange here. It was difficult to place what was happening. It was though there were strings in her soul, being pulled taut – in one direction, or the next, repetitively, desperately, dizzyingly… 

[ PADD: LT Rhee Box ] Are you confident? “Our day” can be any day. Your wellbeing is more important. 

   Perhaps it was cruel to be this insistent about it. She recalled that Lieutenant Box often declared she felt better when she was around her. But such was difficult to believe, and if there were any chance her presence would make Lieutenant Box worse… 

Rhee couldn’t help but melt a little inside at seeing Aella’s message. it felt almost... romantic. But she knew it wasn’t. It was tempting to turn around, but she pressed on, ignoring the ache in the back of her head pulling Rhee back to her room.

[ PADD: Aella 🌙 ✨  ] True, but I’m confident. Besides, I’m already halfway there. It’ll be good for me to be out of my quarters.

When she arrived at Aella’s quarters, Rhee let out a breath she didn’t realize she was holding. She knocked (a special rhythm that only she and Aella knew) and waited for her best friend to answer the door. Yes, she knew the code, but it still felt rude to just intrude.

thebookofsands​: 

“I hope it was not too much. I know you prefer things with more… restraint.”

   A pause, within which Aella took in the woman nursing her instrument and swallowing – apparently – some great emotion. ( Yet it was there, either way. Loud and unrestrained, spilling from her. Emotion could never be totally scrubbed away… only held at bay. ) 

   Silence, as she fought with herself, her words. As she regarded the space before her. And then, finally… “I am… not confident I recall saying that, lieutenant.” 

“Oh....” Rhee swallows hard, stares down at her instrument for another moment. Then, with a strained laugh- “I suppose I should have figured that out by now, seeing as you’ve kept me around all these years.”

thebookofsands​: 

“It’s not uncouth at all. Best friends fall in love all the time.”

   “Do they?” She finds it hard to comprehend – not from any lack of emotion towards Lieutenant Box, but from a simpler lack of understanding of romantic love. She has read literature that has featured love, yes, but books were always exaggerations of real life, warped through the perception of the characters and the author. Stretched thin, cut strangely… ah, life is confusing. 

   Still – she pauses, again, to take in what she senses from Lieutenant Box. Strange feelings for such a casual conversation, yes…?

thebookofsands​: 

She didn’t really want to go see Aella… but this was their time. She HAD to go! 

   Quite unfortunately for all involved, Aella was an empath. It was not something that could easily be switched off – could be suppressed. Far away grogginess spiked to discomfort, and as the words filtered through her screen, Aella knew that she was sensing the correct person. 

   Discomfort… discomfort? Towards… her?

   Her throat was cold. Her hands felt faraway from her. Still, though, she typed.

[ PADD: LT Rhee Box ] You do not need to come, Lieutenant Box. I was simply affirming you were not ill. 

[ PADD: Aella 🌙 ✨  ] Of course I’m coming! It’s *our* day! I’d never give that up! You mean too much to me.

Rhee stares at the PADD, finger hovering over SEND. She worries her bottom lip between her teeth for a few moments, then alters the last sentence.

It means too much to me.

She studies the edits for a few moments, takes a breath, and changes it back. Without debating it any further, she hits SEND and throws the PADD on her bed. The woman searches the floor for clean clothes. Rhee stands quickly and sways as the blood rushes from her head. She white knuckles the dresser for a moment.

Maybe she is ill?

But she can’t back out now. Rhee pulls on a pair of leggings and a wine-colored sweater that Aella had gifted her one year for her birthday after Rhee had noted how cold the new ship gets sometimes. She smiles at her reflection in the mirror. 

The Book pulls at her, but Rhee shakes her head. She can study it later. Besides, she deserves a break. She’s been at this for hours. 

thebookofsands​: 

“Come back to bed. It’s a Tuesday morning. You have no place to be anyway besides with me.”

   Limitless giving.

   Love without conditions. Care without prerequisites. None of these made any sense to her. Her life had been crafted in a lack of such affection, and now, to have it… 

   Her training was useless here. But still, she cleaved to it, for she had nothing else. Or, perhaps… because she was nothing else?

   Rhee was against her, cradling her, whispering against her, and despite herself, Aella relaxed into the grasp. Her body was too weak, her mind too foggy. Ah… what was happening?

   Despite herself – despite the pain, the confusion, everything – she released a breath of air at Rhee’s words. The closest she’s ever come to to a laugh. “Sound logic,” she mumbles, legs beginning to truly go weak now that she has something upon which to prop herself – and she reaches out, grasps at Rhee’s arms to remain upright.

   “You must rest – too.” Insistent, even now.

Rhee smiles at the sound. It’s not a full laugh, but it’s close enough. She will take anything Aella gives right now. She feels the other woman relax in her arms and knows that for now, she’s won the battle. 

“I will,” Rhee murmurs. “I’m going to carry you to bed now. It’s quicker and easier for us both.” 

With that, she gingerly scoops Aella up, crosses the room in a few swift steps, and deposits her onto the bed. Rhee makes sure that the Betazoid is comfortable on the bed before climbing in beside her. She’s farther from Aella than she was yesterday, but Rhee feels like they’re much closer.