Lorelei's Quarters

After a particularly intense session with a married Betazoid couple the night before, Lorelei was glad for the day off. She slept in late, then took a long shower and took her time going through all her beauty rituals. She had no plans to go out for the day, and so kept her hair down and wore only a billowing translucent peignoir tied just under her breasts.

The Risan replicated some hot bergamot and jasmine tea and idly went through her schedule of appointments for the week. Her evenings had filled up nicely with performances at the Eel since her successful debut. She had found out about the assignment of the war ship Hippolyta, and the consequent re-assignments and promotions within the crew from Akhil, who showed up in a stew at the baths a few days ago. The new developments worried her, but at the same time, it would bring new people to the station. That might be something to look forward to.

Because one didn't just show up at someone's quarters unless you knew them well, T'Pren had first gone to seek Lorelei at the bath house. But, of course, Lorelei wasn't there. And she had said Pren could come by. And she didn't want to disturb the Phylosian. And she still couldn't sleep in her quarters without the help of heavy sedatives. Especially not now, with the knowledge of her time with the Cardassians fresh in her mind.

So the half-Vulcan had gone back to her quarters long enough to frown at them in distaste, to take a sonic shower, and to put on a loose coral tunic over black leggings. She at least stopped to look at her hair before she left, but decided not to put it up completely. She just tied the very front back in a small braid that joined behind her head, leaving her ears covered.

And so she arrived, shuffling awkwardly outside the door for a few minutes before finally getting up the courage to press the bell.

Despite her uncertainty and all that inner turmoil, she was, in fact, surprisingly more relaxed than she had been since she arrived. Relaxed and much more confident.

Lorelei was not expecting visitors, but she was feeling quite relaxed, and did not mind. She answered the door just as she was, and smiled when she saw T'Pren on the other side of it. "Lieutenant! What a pleasant surprise," she said genuinely, stepping aside, "Do come in." The peignoir billowed behind her, sweeping around her shapely legs. "I just made tea, would you like a cup?"

For a moment, T'Pren gaped openly, green eyes wide and jaw slightly slack. When she realized what she was doing, her skin flushed green, contrasting sharply with the color of her shirt. And then she pulled herself together and carefully did not stare. Not much anyway.

"I'm so sorry to show up unannounced like this," she offered as she stepped inside, stopping just inside the door to take things in. That was, after all, the point of the visit. "I went to the bath house after I went off-duty, but they said you weren't in today. And I'm..." She took a deep breath and gave a slightly askew, self-deprecating smile. "I'm a little desperate to fix my room so I can actually get some sleep."

Yes, the little half-Vulcan is apparently much more relaxed. She even can make full sentences when not drunk or in uniform.

"I would love some tea, thank you."

Lorelei glanced over her shoulder at Pren, setting down a second delicate china cup and saucer on the table. Her rooms were an extension of the Risan's taste and personality. They were plush and comfortable, every corner aesthetically pleasing yet cozy. Orchids bloomed under an artificial light in the corner. Lorelei's bed was piled high with cushions and half-hidden behind a diaphanous drape.

"Don't be sorry, I told you were welcome," Lorelei brought Pren's attention back. She poured the tea. "I have no plans today - we could go to the promenade and take a stroll around the shops." She sat down, folding one leg over the other, and invited Pren to sit in the chair across from her.

Despite the fact that T'Pren most definitely had the urge to flop unceremoniously on the offered chair, Lorelei made her feel gangly and awkward and graceless, so she set herself down as gently and properly as possible. Like a Vulcan, rather than a human. One hand even self-consciously tucked a curl behind one of her pointed ears.

"You wouldn't mind?" she asked with obvious relief and an outpouring of gratitude. "The Captain had mentioned something about asking the Phylosian to make the station a little less...unfriendly. But I don't want to ask when I don't know them yet and I'm sure they have a lot to do in the Pleasure Gardens." She took another deep breath and let it out audibly. "And I have to get some sleep, even if I am half-Vulcan."

"Oh, I'm sure they have *plenty* to do in the Pleasure Gardens," Lorelei laughed, knowing Val had a date. "I don't mind as long as you don't mind waiting while we finish tea and I get dressed," she added. "You still haven't come in for a massage at the bath house. That might help the sleeping problem too."

The implication about the Pleasure Gardens went right over T'Pren's head, but she was sipping her tea as the Risan brought up a massage and she practically choked on it, clearing her throat and putting the cup carefully down as her face burned green.

"Vulcans are touch-telepaths," she explained lamely. "Massages are..." No, wait. T'Pren's expression fell from awkward to thoughtful as she realized, "Actually, you know, I've never had one. But touch is...a sensitive thing."

"I can wear gloves," Lorelei said smoothly, smiling over the rim of her cup. She decided not to make Pren choke again by mentioning she's had Vulcan clients before. "Do you like my orchids? Maybe we could put some in your room."

The look T'Pren gave Lorelei when she mentioned gloves was comical in its surprised realization. "Gloves. Of course. Obviously." She gave a breathy laugh. "I don't know why I didn't think of that."

She rolled her eyes and picked up her tea again, letting the green slide slowly from her cheeks. "Well, I know why." But for now, she passed over whatever it was. "I love orchids."

She hesitated then, studying the other woman's face with great weight. Finally, she wondered, "May I tell you something personal and confidential?"

Lorelei held Pren's gaze serenely. "Of course." Many people did, and she hadn't failed their confidences yet.

T'Pren's lack of hesitation when it came time to tell Lorelei secrets was what made her hesitate. But if Akhil confided in this woman, then she could too. She did, however, tell her story to her cup of tea instead of directly to Lorelei.

"I spent most of my adolescence as a Cardassian experiment." She pressed her lips together, carefully regulating her breathing to keep it calm, and looked up to see the other woman's reaction. "So it isn't just because I'm half Vulcan."

Nothing in Lorelei's calm gaze appeared to change as she listened to Pren. It affected her, but she appeared no less kind, perturbed or upset for it. "I'm sorry. Would you like to tell me more?" she asked softly. "You don't have to, if you'd rather not. I can't imagine what it must have been like for you, but I would be glad to listen."

"It's okay," the half-Vulcan offered in reassurance, including a pleased smile when she didn't have to deal with pity. "I've been in counseling since I escaped. And touching is perfectly fine if I trust the person doing the touching." A blush barely touched her cheeks as her smile grew. "I just thought you should know about the baggage before I pay you for my first massage."

After a beat, she added wryly, "I may cry."

Lorelei took another sip of her tea and perched her chin on the ball of her hand. "We met only a few days ago. I don't expect you to trust me yet, and take no offense if you don't. Acquaintances and friendships, and even client-provider relationships, take time," she smiled. "Touch is a very intimate and personal thing even without baggage or a sexual component. I had a client once," she continued, "He was... not a conventionally attractive individual, and he was very lonely and not very young when he finally reconciled himself to paying for attention he could not otherwise get. He cried after our first session, and I can't tell you how grateful and happy I was for the opportunity to give him a gift of something he'd been denied all his life."

Lorelei wasn't exactly sure why she was telling Pren this or even if it was at all relevant to the lieutenant's past experiences. "I suppose what I'm trying to say is we all react differently. Don't feel like there is something wrong with you, or that you have to do anything you don't want to do."

As T'Pren listened thoughtfully to the story, she took a long sip of her tea, and when Lorelei seemed to be done talking, gave her a grateful smile. "Akhil trusts you," she pointed out simply. "I think that speaks volumes in your favor."

She took another drink and circled the liquid pensively in her cup. "And I do want touch. It's become...increasingly apparent the last few days that if I'm going to live here in a way that means anything more than just enduring, I'm going to need a lot more physical contact."

Lorelei smiled at the compliment, then added with a chuckle, "That's living with people for you. It can get a little tight on bases." She emptied her cup and crossed the room to her wardrobe. "But you seem to be getting on well - making new friends, reconnecting with old ones," she continued, brushing back her red hair and going through her clothes.

"Appearances can be deceiving," T'Pren joked, although she clearly knew it wasn't a joke at all. "I've had a hell of a first week."

But she grinned wolfishly and lifted her slanted brows at the mention of old friends. "Okay," she agreed teasingly. "We can talk about Regan."

Lorelei poked her head out from behind the door. "I was not driving the conversation there!" she protested with a laugh, then showed two dresses against her barely covered form, "Green or red?"

"Mmhmm," T'Pren reassured Lorelei knowingly. She blushed helplessly as she finally had to acknowledge more than just Lorelei's face in order to inspect the dresses. "I like the green," she decided, sticking her nose in her nearly empty cup to hide her own green cheeks. "You'll look like a flower." Very, very green cheeks.

"And a little like your face," Lorelei quipped, "Though that's not a bad thing!" She disappeared behind a screen and tossed her robe over it a few moments later. When she came into view again, she was still buttoning up the front of the dress over her ample cleavage.

T'Pren went bright emerald from neck to ears and then some, though she was grinning sheepishly. She pressed her palms to her cheeks as though that might make it go away. The attempt is unsuccessful. "I know," she lamented with a laugh. "I'm such a bad Vulcan."

She cleared her throat as Lorelei came back into view, looking down at her empty cup until she was a little more certain it was less naked in the room. When she looked back up, her brow was furrowed in serious thought. "Do you think we could..." Her lips pressed together as she picked just the right word. "You're so...beautiful. And elegant. I don't think I could ever be...quite like you, but...could you...teach me? Just a bit?"

Lorelei looked up at Pren from her dress. She extended her hand to the lieutenant, "Come here for a minute."

For one brief moment T'Pren had the look of a trapped wild animal, but it melted away as she reminded herself that most likely Lorelei wasn't going to knife her or something...and that whatever was back there was not the end of the universe. Probably.

With a deep breath to make herself brave, she crept uncertainly to Lorelei, standing awkwardly when she got there.

Lightly touching her shoulders, Lorelei positioned Pren in front of a full length mirror that spanned the height of her sliding wardrobe door. "Honey, I don't have anything you couldn't also have," Lorelei said gently, holding Pren's gaze in their reflection, "The only difference right now is confidence, security, and a few years of experience. And those will come to you by and by. You can learn some of it, sure, and I'd be happy to help. But I think you would do best to learn for yourself - not have others tell you what to do. And you've already got beauty and brains."