ten_fwd | (no subject)

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Elizabeth didn't like bars. She didn't drink and she didn't approve of others drinking. It was a vile, dangerous habit that led to nothing but heartache. She especially didn't like taking Anne into a bar, even one as clean and well lit as Ten Forward. The baby was too young to internalize bad examples, but Elizabeth worried nonetheless. Her experiences had her convinced that all men had a secret monster inside their heart that only needed an excuse to come out. It was certainly true for her.

Whether she liked the idea of spending time a bar or not, her other options for gathering information and socializing were limited. There would apparently be some kind of medical examination in the future, but she wasn't ready for all that yet. The choice between a cold examination room and a room full of people was a hard one for her, but in the end she decided she was better able to relax around people.

The baby fussed in her sling while Elizabeth contemplated the replicator. She hummed softly to Anne, her left arm wrapped protectively around the baby's head and body. The noise was probably distressing her, along with the lack of motion. The ship had creaked and groaned, swaying with the waves. The Enterprise was too still and the hallways were so quiet.

When she finally decided to ask for eggs and pancakes she was astonished at how quickly her request was granted. The food smelled okay and didn't seem to be fake, but it had appeared very quickly. She paused a moment to examine it further, curious about how the machine worked. With a baby in one arm and a plate in her other hand there wasn't much she could do other than move her head around to try to look at every angle of the machine. Elizabeth never worried about looking like a fool, and she wasn't going to start worrying about appearances just because she was in a new place.

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"It seems a shame to part so soon after we met." Elizabeth said, reaching out gently to touch his hand. "I want to know more about you. Supper is such a long time from now."

Oh, there was touching? Well, that was a little more overt. Or maybe it was just a Western thing. He smiled, his brows lifting slightly as he turned his palm toward hers. "I suppose it wouldn't hurt to stay and talk a while."

"Wonderful." Elizabeth said, motioning toward her bunk. "There really isn't anywhere else to sit." She led him delicately until they were both close enough to the bunk to sit. "You're so polite. I'm quite impressed."

"Righteousness, courage, benevolence, respect, sincerity, honor, loyalty, and self-control are the Warrior's Way," he said, quoting the tenets of Bushido for her as they sat. "Not that I have perfected such virtues, by any means, but I do my best."

Or perhaps he was just an old romantic. Not that he would have said so in as many words. "Also, I am considerably older than I look."

Elizabeth smiled softly. If only all warriors were trained that way the world would be a better place. "Older than you look, hmm? How much older?"

Alas, not all samurai were faithful the code that made them Samurai. Samanosuke shrugged his shoulders, turning down the corners of his mouth as he tallied up the years since he became Onimusha. "I was twenty-four years of age when I received the Gauntlet of the Ogre clan," he said, gesturing with his right arm, "That was more than two decades ago, and...well...I will let you judge for yourself just how much I have, or have not aged since then."

He was, in fact, pushing half a century.

Elizabeth's eyebrows rose when he said his age. "I wouldn't have guessed that. You've aged well. I assume the gauntlet has something to do with it?" She motioned delicately toward the device. It made her desperately curious, but it was his story to tell in his own time and she tried to make herself be patient.

"Mhm." Samanosuke nodded, and held out his arm for her inspection. Behind the gauntlet's enchanted, metal eyelid, shone an orb of crystallized magic: earth, wind, fire, air, thunder, and light. "The gauntlet grants me long life, and the ability to absorb the souls of genma demons, which once overran the earth."

Of course, he couldn't give her a true demonstration in such an enclosed space.

Elizabeth whistled softly. "That's quite a gauntlet. You must be very dedicated to your task."

"I have to be," he said, nodding. "It wasn't just the fate of Japan that was at stake, but the whole world." Certainly, it had started with Samanosuke fighting for people he cared about, but it had grown into so much more.

"Of course, it seems that I must find a new purpose, now."

Elizabeth nodded sympathetically. She knew what it was like to have to start all over again. "You're a brave man. I think an exploratory space ship might be the perfect place for you, once the strangeness wears off."

The samurai nodded. "I quite enjoyed traveling with my uncle in my youth, and on my sojourn as a new onimusha, while I learned to better understand the powers I was given. And, I can say from experience that travel by starship has thus far been much more pleasant than travel by boat." He could not complain about the company, either.

Elizabeth sighed softly, a smile on her face. "Oh, I adore travel by ship. I used to live on one. Anne's father is a pirate, I think I loved his ship better." She chuckled a little, giving Samanosuke a smile.

"Is that so?" Samanosuke smiled back, pleased to see that Elizabeth was now able to laugh as she spoke of her past. "I suppose there is something about being close to water that can resonate on a very primal level. It's as close as we can get to returning to the womb."

Elizabeth laughed, though the sentiment wasn't terribly laughable. "A lot of men try alternate methods," she noted, to explain her laughter. "Maybe that's why Anne slept better on the ship. I do miss the rocking."

Samanosuke chuckled softly, trying and failing to hide his amusement with Elizabeth's sense of humor. "Men are born to trouble as sparks fly upward," he said. "For instance, some might take this as an opportunity to suggest there might be ways to recreate that sensation of rocking for you."

Elizabeth laughed loudly, throwing her head back and surrendering to the humor of what he'd said.

Then she kissed him. It was a joyful kiss, accompanied by her hand sliding to the back of his head and her body drawing close to his.

Momentarily taken by surprise, despite having seen the kiss coming through their banter and body language, Samanosuke gasped softly against her lips. That sound quickly turned into a rumble of pleasure as she pressed against him, and he lifted his hands to the soft waves of her hair. It had been some time since he had the leisure to enjoy a woman's company for the sake of enjoying her company rather than fighting the genma at each others' side.

The thought of fighting genma with Elizabeth beside him conjured something fiercely passionate within him, and his lips parted to deepen the kiss.

Elizabeth groaned softly when he deepened the kiss, responding readily to his motions. She kissed him for a long time, pouring her attraction to him and enjoyment of the kiss back into it. He was a strong man but his lips were soft and his mouth was warm and inviting.

She gently tapered off for air street a minute or so, breathing heavily. "You're quite a fine man, Samanosuke."

Samanosuke smiled sheepishly, and stroked Elizabeth's cheek as they caught their breath. It was quite a rush, this feeling that had sparked between them, and he could see himself getting easily caught up in it and carried away. But then, that was the idea, wasn't it? "You flatter me."

"There are a lot of 'f' words I could do to or with you," Elizabeth said with a chuckle. "Dinner isn't for a few hours but I want to work up an appetite. Or sate one that's already woken up." She slid carefully into his lap, looking him in the eyes. "I suppose it depends on whether you want to eat your dessert first or not."

Arms around her waist, Samanosuke gazed up at Elizabeth, his pulse quickening with desire. "I believe one should always make time to savor the sweet things in life," he murmured as he stroked the gentle curve of her back. "Don't you?"

Elizabeth sighed and nodded, closing the gap between their mouths again. Why use words when actions would speak louder? It was certain to be an enjoyable afternoon.

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