Good Meal, Beautiful View

[Tavis Daley]

[Made for Katrina Cole ]

Tavis couldn’t remember being nervous. Well, he couldn’t remember anything from before his surgery - “an unfortunately common side effect to the process,” they’d told him - but he had a gut feeling that he was usually cool, collected, and in control of the situations around him. He still felt in control, as much as he could in a compound where nearly everything was controlled for them, but there was a hint of uneasiness there as well, under the surface.

He blamed Katrina. The prospect of seeing her at dinner, taking her to the Greenhouse on what could have been called a ‘date’ many many years ago, made his heart flutter. She made his heart flutter. She was gorgeous, lithe, limber; intelligent, confident, and absolutely capable of kicking his ass. Just thinking about her sent sparks of electricity running through him - literally. Luckily no one noticed the sparks before they dissipated into his skin.

Tavis stood near the entrance of the mess hall, ignoring everyone passing by him. He had taken his daily ‘shower’ just before coming, taking the time to run his fingers through his short hair so it fell in a way that suited him. He’d made sure his off-duty outfit of a white short-sleeved shirt and khaki pants were properly cleaned and not wrinkled. He’d even checked to make sure his breath smelled good, for fucks sake. It was ridiculous.

In an attempt to assuage some of his nervousness, Tavis leaned against the wall beside the mess hall door and crossed his arms, adopting an expression of utter aloofness. He couldn’t care less if Kat didn’t show up, or decided to cancel their ‘date.’

Finally, after what seemed like an hour but was really probably closer to five minutes, he saw her. Tavis waited until she was closer before he pushed off from the wall and dropped his arms to put his hands in his pockets. He would give her a lazy grin, as if he hadn’t just been waiting for her, ”Hey Kat. May I call you Kat? It sounds less cheesy than ‘beautiful.’” With that he would wink, and wait to see if she was as receptive to his dorky flirting as she had been earlier in the day. And it really was dorky, what was wrong with him?

[Katrina Cole]

After Tavis had left Katrina in the training room, she hadn’t stayed long. She’d expelled any excess energy she’d had, leaving her calm and with the pleasant fatigued feeling in her muscles the physical exertion brought. She’d returned to be barracks, in order to use some of her free time to rest as well before she’d have to go and meet her mate for dinner. She had today off, but first thing tomorrow she would be falling into line with every other private and follow the daily schedule to the letter.

She was an army brat - tight schedules weren’t foreign to her.

Katrina had been given a small package of basic supplies. A few articles of clothing, basic hygiene supplies like a toothbrush and hair ties to keep her wild mane under control, and a few other bits and pieces she would need in order to comply to the standards of Gamma Base. Those had been unpacked, which hadn’t taken long, before she’d laid down to rest her mind and body for a hour or so. She needed to be sharp in order to deal with Tavis properly. He seemed like the type to go slippery really quickly, and she didn’t want to blink and find herself on her back, wondering how she got there.

Finally, it was time for her to prepare for dinner. She cleaned herself as best she could, changing into a clean set of clothes. They hadn’t provided her with a lot of options, nor had she expected them to, so her off-duty clothing consisted of a white t-shirt and a pair of pants. There wasn’t much room for creative interpretation, but she kept from tying back her hair like she would on duty. Instead it flowed down past her shoulders in thick, dark waves.

Entering the mess hall, Katrina’s eyes scanned the room for Tavis. It took her a moment to find him, leaning against a wall without a care in the world. She couldn’t help but chuckle at his hopeless flirting, shaking her head at him. “Wow, that’s… Wow. Yeah, sure, you can call me whatever you like. You know I’m a sure thing, right? There’s no risk of you blowing this.” she said, traces of laughter still detectable in her voice and her eyes shining. No matter how dorky and strange his flirting became, she was still his mate.

[Tavis Daley]

Tavis shrugged off Kat’s words. ”You're not some object to be had, and not some breeding cow for popping out babies. I'm not just trying to get into your pants, believe it or not,” he gave her a wink, but there was still a seriousness in his tone that said he spoke truth. He took a step closer to her, eyes fixed on hers in an intense stare. ”I'm interested in getting to know you. If I just wanted sex I could get some easily enough, but I don't.”

Which felt odd. He certainly wanted sex, he'd be lying if he said he didn't look at her body with a certain kind of hunger, but… Tavis wanted more than that. A connection. Affection. Passion. He'd seen it in some of the old movies, and he wanted it.

He let his words sink in for a moment before backing up and holding an arm out towards the dinner line with a slight bow and a smile, ”Now, what do you say we get some food before the hot gets cold and the cold gets hot?”

Tavis would let her go ahead of him and then follow beside her, filling his tray with anything available that didn't have broccoli in it. He hated broccoli. And he would leave it up to her where they sat, hoping she'd pick one of the spots away from the crowds of recruits, some loud and rambunctious and some quiet. He wanted her all to himself.

[Katrina Cole]

“We have all the time in the world to get to know each other, Tavis. Even though your hopeless flirting is adorable, there’s no rush. I’m not going anywhere, and neither are you.” Her lips curved upwards when she spoke of the less than perfect flirting skills he’d displayed just a moment ago. It was still funny. But Katrina meant what she said. There was no rush, at least not for her. Neither of them had anywhere else to be as they’d both been enrolled in the program for life. There was nothing beyond the Gamma Base as far as she knew. This was it for them.

His nerdy charms were growing a bit on her, she had to admit that much. It was a nice change of pace from what she’d been used to, both as a teenager and during her time in the military. Katrina was well aware that the gene pool had been kind to her, blessing her with high cheekbones and lovely silhouette. But unfortunately, good looks tended to attract overly confident, chauvinistic bastards who thought they were a gift to every woman, and turned shyer, more introverted men into blubbering messes. She’d missed being treated like something beyond a piece of meat, which was why she was starting to like Tavis.

There it was again. As he made his little bow, Katrina found herself smiling at his special brand of charm again. “I say that’s the best idea I’ve heard all day. Let’s go, before all that’s left is bone and cartilage.” She made a grimace, and moved towards the food line with him just behind her. If this was anything like the military had been, it was first come first serve and those who dallied behind in the back got what was left behind. If you came late, you didn’t eat. It was that simple.

She filled up her tray, picking things that looked as fresh as possible instead of wilted and gray. She scoped the room for a table in a quiet area, preferring to eat in peace instead of going deaf with the noise of others. And besides wasn’t this a ‘let’s get to know each other’-dinner? She chose a table in the back, far from the food line and the crowds of people.

“How long have you been at the base? I can’t imagine you being a brand new recruit.” she asked, tilting her head slightly as she looked at him. From what she’d seen, he seemed rather sure of himself and most new recruits were timid little things for the first few days until they found their place in the hierarchy.

[Tavis Daley]

”Hopeless?” Tavis put a hand over his heart and feigned a wounded expression. ”Ouch. Am I that bad?” He grinned anyways, though he filed her comment away to be overanalyzed later - he didn’t want to be thought of as hopeless. His expression sobered, however, at the mention of time. That wasn’t true, after all. ”Not going anywhere, perhaps. But if Unica decides we would better serve our Empire by…” he coughed and scowled, hating referring to it this way, ”Mating with others instead, then our time together would be cut brutally short.” He grimaced, but kept his further thoughts to himself; thoughts that would be considered treasonous.

Relieved Katrina had picked a more secluded spot to sit, Tavis picked the seat across from her to give her space. There would be time for being close later, once she warmed up to him even more. Plus, this way he could more easily see her face when they spoke.

At her question he shrugged, ”I am. Been here only two days, eleven hours, and…” he glanced at the clock, ”Fourteen minutes.” He grinned. He wasn't really keeping track that much, but he liked to joke.


He loved the way she tilted her head, it reminded him of the cats that were in movies now and again - the cute ones, not the nasty scratching ones. ”And I know today is your first day, since you weren’t at any training or work duty. What’s your story? Do you remember your life before coming here?” He remembered nothing, and while it didn’t bother him much that he couldn’t, it did bother him that Unica would make such a grand mistake as to wipe out a person’s entire memory of their lives. And yet, not in everyone. It was completely random. Another grievance, one he kept to himself. He didn’t want to get Exposed.

[Katrina Cole]

Katrina’s smile was sweet, with an apologetic touch to it. “I’m sorry… But I find it endearing, doesn’t that help a little bit?” She didn’t want to wound his pride, and the comment had been meant in good spirit. He didn’t seem to have taken offense, but instead seemed to take it in his stride and made a joke of it. Hopeless flirting could be the very best kind. Katrina took a deep breath, as he brought up something she’d chosen to ignore: the fact that their lives were not really their own. In many ways, she had accepted this as part of her life. That was their reality, and it held together their world so it didn't crumble in their hands. She tried to remain calm, pushing rise the thought that she had to ask to see her children and couldn’t decide who would father them. “But it has not yet come to that, and the odds are that it won’t for a very long time. And I’m sure you’d find her as charming as you find me.” she wiggled her eyebrows, trying to lighten the mood a little bit again. Starting their meal off on a dark note was not what she wanted.

She leaned back in her chair, crossing her legs beneath the table. “I remember it all. My parents were in the military, and I enlisted as soon as I was old enough. I volunteered for this program some time ago, but I didn’t think they’d found me suitable until they suddenly called for me. There’s not much else to my story, really, it’s military and Unica all the way.” Her smile was crooked as she shrugged, before taking a bite of her food. She had been raised to serve the Empire as best as she could, and her life had been influenced by the military since before she could walk. “From you question I take it that you don’t remember?” She heard that some people lost their memory entirely. They called it a side effect from the procedure, and she wanted to believe them. But she had her suspicions.

[Tavis Daley]

Tavis smiled and shrugged, ”If it makes you happy, I’m happy.” He laughed at her attempt at humor, ”Doubtful; you’re very charming after all.” He waggled his eyebrows back at her and chuckled.

When he heard the story of Katrina’s life - the basics, anyways - he understood. ”That explains your ability to kick ass,” he said with a grin, ”I’m glad they brought you into the program after all, I don’t know what I’d do if they hadn’t. Be sad and lonely I suppose,” he winked and took a bite of mashed potatoes.

Tavis shrugged again at her question, as if he couldn’t care less. ”No, nothing at all. Yet I still know how to dress myself, and charm the ladies,” he gave her another sly wink. ”So I can’t complain too much. If I decided to join the military after thirty years, it must not have been a very exciting life.”

He let the next few moments pass in silence while they ate before he spoke again as a sudden thought struck him, ”So what do you want? Out of all of this?” He waved his fork all around them, at the base, ”You trying to move up and become a Sergeant or something? I can see you making it that far.” He gave her a genuine smile that made his gray eyes warm up. If anyone could do it, it was this woman. She was quite amazing, as far as he could tell.

[Katrina Cole]

Chuckling, Katrina shrugged. “I do have couple of years training… It’d be a bit embarrassing if I couldn’t deliver a decent ass-kicking.” she replied, a crooked smile on her lips. Being a woman of great pride, it would’ve been unacceptable to her to not acquire this skill after spending a few years training. She still has hours and hours of training ahead of her before she would be even close to mastering the art of hand-to-hand combat, but she liked to think herself a relatively decent fighter. “You would not be lonely, surely… You’d have one of them hanging on your arm.” she teased, pointing her fork in the direction of the new recruits. “But sad? Maybe. Depends on who you got stuck with.” She pursed her lips, trying to suppress a smile and failing horribly. A picture had entered her mind, of Tavis being dragged by his feet behind one of the less feminine recruits. Poor fellow.

“Perhaps it’ll come back to you in time. But otherwise, it’ll be an opportunity to start fresh… or something. If your life wasn’t exciting, make a new one.” She was trying to spin his situation positively, making the complete loss of memory seem a little less dark.Tho was his chance do choose exactly who he wanted to be.

Katrina was quiet for a moment after he’d asked his question, thinking it through while managing to eat some of the food on her tray. Dinner was, undoubtedly, more delicious warm. “I volunteered for the program because I felt I could do more than just rise through the ranks in the military… I wanted to do more than that. I was always raised to do what was best for the Empire. I still have to figure out exactly what that is.” Honestly, she didn't know exactly what she was striving to achieve. She had just wanted more.

[Tavis Daley]

Tavis laughed at her comment; he loved a woman with a sense of humor. ”I suppose so, but where's the fun when your lady can't break you in half when she's pissed?” He gave her a wry look, purposely eyeing her muscled arms… and allowing his eyes to wander a bit on her figure. Just for a second. His gaze snapped back to her face and he gave a small grin.

Tavis shrugged again. ”Like I said, I can't complain. After all, with such wonderful company this already is far more exciting,” he winked, popping a small sugar cookie into his mouth.

Katrina’s words made Tavis nod, even if he couldn't fully agree with dedicating your life to the Empire. He didn't give two shits about the Empire. ”Makes sense. Admirable.” He lowered his voice so only she could hear, ”And what happens when you grow too old to be of use to the Empire anymore? When you can't fight, can't have any more children?” His eyes were dark, shadowed. He didn't want to think of her as an old woman, tossed out and forgotten by the Empire she was so loyal to. She deserved more than that. He deserved more.

Tavis shook his head as if to clear it, ”Sorry, that's not talk for a first date.” He paused before grinning wryly, the darkness from a moment ago forgotten, ”Assuming this is a first date. Two attractive young people eating dinner together and then going to smell flowers and while the evening away with talk and not-so-subtle flirting? From what I've seen of the old movies, it's a date.” He winked and leaned back in his seat, clasping his hands behind his head, ”The true test is if I get a kiss at the end, isn't it?”

[Katrina Cole]

Katrina shrugged, grinning as she took another bite of food. “I wouldn’t know, I haven’t tried it.” she replied, wiggling her eyebrows. Officially, all mates were of opposite genders, but unofficially other relations did occur. Katrina had never engaged in such a relationship, the curves of women never really appealing to her.

She leaned back in her chair, watching Tavis passively as he lowered his voice and spoke words not meant for the public. If anyone of importance overheard him, Tavis would be regretting those words and paying paying for them with pain. She kept her mouth closed, until he suddenly shook the grim attitude and and was back to his shameless flirting. “No, it is not. Especially in a public setting.” she said, shooting his a warning look. She had grown up in a family proud of serving the empire, and it had rubbed off on her. She knew very well that the system had flaws, but that was not what she’d come to discuss tonight.

Her eyes softened as he kept up his quirky charms, and in a moment she was smiling again.”Dinner and flowers… That does sound like a date to me. All we need is chocolate, and it’ll be a picture perfect example of a date like those in the movies.” She wiped her mouth with a paper napkin, a crooked grin on her face. She pushed her tray a bit further towards the middle of the table, crossing her legs beneath. “If I remember correctly, only good dates end in a kiss… At least if we’re going by the definition set by the movies. Bad dates have less happy endings. So if the date is good, you’ve earned a kiss.”

[Tavis Daley]

Tavis couldn’t say he was disappointed when Kat made the joke that she hadn't been with another woman. While most men liked the idea of two women being intimate, he didn't like to think of this woman being with anyone - man or woman - other than him. And so he grinned and chuckled as she waggled her eyebrows, taken in by her charm.

Her subtle reprimand made Tavis lower his eyes and tighten his lips. She was right, he was foolish to have said such things in public, but… it chafed him to not be able to speak out. Something about it felt so fundamentally wrong to him. But he kept quiet. A discussion for another time, in private. He only hoped she would come to see his side of things.

Tavis smiled at her words, shrugging with a rueful look on his face, ”Ahh, no chocolate, I'm afraid. That will have to wait until our second date.” he winked and pushed his chair out, stacking their trays and picking them up with one hand as he stood.

”I'll have to make sure to sweep you off your feet, then,” he said with a grin. He gave a little bow and took on an admittedly terrible French accent, ”Are you ready for our next destination, madame?”

Once Katrina stood, Tavis would walk with her to the bins to drop off the trays, then hold out his arm for her to take. ”I figure holding hands would be sweaty and cheesy for a first date, but I hear walking arm in arm can be pleasant.” He grinned and winked again, and if she took his arm he would smile even wider and walk with her out of the lunchroom. If not… then he would throw his hands up in a an ‘I tried, didn't I?’ sort of gesture and continue on by her side.

[Katrina Cole]

Katrina faked disappointment when Tavis told her there would be no chocolate. She pouted, putting on her best puppy dog look while hanging her head a bit. But she couldn’t quite hide her amusement. “What, no chocolate? Now you’ve made me sad, Tavis.” She tried holding up the facade, but it soon cracked and by the time she stood up she was smiling again.

She couldn’t help but laugh at his awful, awful accent, shaking her head at him. “Yes, I am… Though nobody’s ever called me madame before." But then again, no one has ever tried as hard to win her over as he was trying now with his cheesy charm. A fact that was very much working in his favor.

“Well, I can’t argue with what you’ve heard… We’ll have to try it and see for ourselves,” she chuckled, taking his arm and feeling like a woman in some of the old-fashioned movies she’d watched - the ones with large dresses, manors and horse-drawn carriages. She’d let him lead the way, walking with him to the greenhouse. This was his night, she was just along for the ride.

[End thread]