Infectious Laughter

Posted on Thu Aug 20th, 2009 @ 8:47pm by Charlotte Ashcroft & Hank Tasco

1,195 words; about a 6 minute read

Mission: Session One - Jailhouse Rock
Location: SS Warden
Timeline: Before the shuttle launch

Still fascinated with the newly healed skin on her arm Lottie wasn't aware of where her feet were taking her. She suddenly became aware of the presence when she crashed into something soft that uttered a surprised response like herself.
Staggering back a pace or two she blinked in confusion for a second before squaring her narrow shoulders automatically. "Sorry," she said shortly.

He never saw her coming and as a result when the two collided he was sent sprawling to the floor. As he lay on the floor dazed his mind wandered back to his shuttle accident back at the academy and how it changed his life.

Looking up from the floor his eyes locked on to what he had run in to, she seemed to be saying something, however it took several seconds for his dazed brain to process it. Clearing his head Miller pulled himself into a sitting position and rubbed his head. “Its okay… I should have been paying attention.”

"Are you alright?" Lottie asked kneeling beside him dropping the cold act. "I'm sorry I didn't mean to..." she had to clamp her eyes closed for a second to think of something else. He was dashing, but at the moment confused too. "Shall I take you to Sickbay?" she asked again feeling guilty for flooring the man.

“No… ugh… I’ll be fine.” Miller said as he slowly got to his feet. “Besides its not like I’ve never been flattened by anybody…” He said softly trailing off when he noticed for the first time who he had collided with. The brief thought of acting macho to make up for getting laid out by a woman popped into his mind, but he was still slightly dazed and nothing came to him as a result.

He towered over her small frame as stood at last. How could she have missed him? She wondered with a smile. "Long way to fall huh? Sorry again, I'm Lottie" she felt awkward jutting out a tiny hand offering a further apology."

“James Miller.” He said shaking her hand. “So tell me Lottie, what exactly do you do on this ship besides lay out unsuspecting crew members?” He said with a grin as he looked at her.

She laughed good natured at his comment. It was clear considering this was now the fourth time she had been asked the same question she certainly did carry an air of mystery about herself she hadn't realized.
"I do just that, I lay people out." she answered now the laughter had subsided. "I'm the fire power of the ship, I think Jones called it weapon's expert but I think of it more like a hired gun. He'll tell me who to shoot at and where, I do the rest."

Miller was only slightly surprised by her answer, because the fact that she had remained standing after the collision that had sent him crashing to the deck said quite a bit about her. “I take it that also means you’ll be watching our backs when things get hairy?” Miller asked.

"Only if you're worth it," she winked half joking.

“Oh I am.” He said without thinking, quickly realizing what he had said sounded both contrived and corny he quickly started talking again. “So how long have you been a hired gun for?”

Lingering on his previous comment Lottie blinked returning herself back to the present. "I've lived freight all my life. Combat was something that came hand in hand, so I've known how to protect myself since I was small. I suppose I've been doing this for," she paused to think. "Three or four years now, I loose track after a while."

“That’s along time.” Miller said as he thought back to what he was doing three to four years ago. “Why I think I was in my second year at the academy back then. It feels so long ago.” He said with a sigh.

"The academy?" she paused thinking quickly suddenly feeling alarmed but tried not to show it. "Which on did you go to, I completely missed out on school," she continued sounding relaxed.
They were walking now cross the catwalk where she had flattened him, her hand lightly touching her concealed weapon just as a reassurance.

“Oh, Starfleet Academy.” Miller said having thought she would have knew what he meant. “I spent about four years there studying to become a scientist, and was just months away from graduating when I dropped out.” Looking at her as he finished speaking, he tried to gauge her response to finding out that he had spent years of his life working for something only to quit so close to achieving it.

Her fingers inched away from her weapon and returned relaxed to her sides. "What made you drop out?" she asked curiously.

“I was in a shuttlecraft accident that sent me into a coma, and when I came out of it something had changed inside of me. I felt different, I no longer cared for anything I had liked or enjoyed before, so I dropped out.” He replied, absent-minded scratching the area on his head where he had struck it.

"I'm sorry to hear that," Lottie responded watching his face fall. "What about now? Have you found enjoyment again in some of life's pleasures?" Her lips started to curl but didn't quite make it into a full smile. "Are you sure you don't what someone to look at that head of yours?"

“Actually I have,” Miller said, though he stopped short of telling her that putting his life in danger was what helped him to feel like a normal person. “Why you want to look at my head?” He asked with a chuckle.

"Well, I did bowl you over, plus you're being too nice to a girl like me." She couldn't help but laugh in return, his laugh was infectious. "I would like to chat some more, but Jones has something lined up for me. Perhaps we could talk another time, over lunch maybe?"
She almost chocked on her words, she wasn't normally this forward!

“Lunch will be good, whenever you want to do it just tell me and you can consider it a date.” Miller said, using the word ‘date’ on purpose to mess with her.

"I'll make sure I look the part," she flashed him a cheeky grin coming to the halt of the cat walk with a pain of regret that the two of them had to part. Or at least for now anyway.
"I need to go and prep for the Captain's prison run," she said apologetically. "I'll met up with you later."

“Okay, but come back in one piece.” Miller said hoping that this wasn’t going to be the last time he saw her, after all he had just bumped into her literally.

"Oh don't you worry. I have no intention of that happening, besides I've made Jones a promise to bring back are man in one piece as well." She grinned turning away hesitantly as if toying with the fantasy of staying behind but their would be more appropriately times later for that.

 

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