“Hey, boss,” Fletcher called, his voice carrying like a tune, light and easy, sing song and whimsical.
Rear Admiral Rumi Talionis looked up from her work by the bridge consoles some distance away, her furred face furrowed in a way that indicated she wasn’t certain who was speaking and she was reserving judgement until she saw who it was. Her felinoid face cleared up once she spotted the archer, giving him a slow blink. One of those strange trianii things that worked better than a smile because there weren’t any sharp fangs involved.
The bridge was almost empty, a skeleton crew keeping her running in the middle of the night cycle. Fletcher approached, eyes roaming over the blinking consoles, taking in the sights as well as noting every entry/exit.
“Nice place you have here,” he remarked, coming up next to the console Talionis was working on, leaning against the side of it and crossing his arms. A burn on his forearm itched, but he ignored it, just like he’d ignored the gritty feel of dust and debris sticking to his skin. The curl to Talionis’ muzzle told him that he probably didn’t smell too great.
Maybe he smelled like dinner, slightly singed.
“Successful mission?” She asked, tapping the console gently.
“Yes, boss. As successful as a deep cover op can be, I guess,” he said, scratching the side of his neck, shrugging his shoulders.
The pair lapsed into silence, but the felinoids tail came up to wave underneath his nose, brushing gently against his skin. It bumped against his face and he reached out to grab the appendage, fingers tightening around it to keep a hold of it, but not tightening too much. The tail twitched in his grip, squirming against being confined, slipping out between his fingers.
“Isn’t it past your bedtime?” he asked, jerking a thumb at the time display on the console. “You have the day shift.”
“Always work to do,” the trianii answered.
“Really,” he remarked wryly, hand grasping for that roaming tail again, but missing this time. He was no longer leaning on the console. “Well, I’m going to hit the sack, boss.” This was said as he finally got a good grip on the tail again, this time tugging it firmly as he walked the way he came, letting the silky appendage slip through his fingers when he got the wanted aggravated response. He shot her a smirk and wink, unrepentant.
It was invitation enough. Talionis waited a beat by the console, inputting a few final commands, before she turned to follow.
