Ryder felt she was getting even closer to Jaal. Their conversations took on a new intimacy, he sought her out more often. She was feeling more confident in her role as Pathfinder, and things were turning around. Her team was starting work as a unit. Things were going well.
She was thrilled to get a personal email from Jaal
Dearest,
In your culture, is "dearest" too strong a word to use when two people are fond of each other? And is "fond" too strong a word to use when two people enjoy flirting with each other?
I enjoy you. Even now, I smile picturing your face. Angara are free with our emotions, and it feels normal for me to lay mine at your feet. I hope this is not too strange for your species and that you can comfortably accept them. I enjoy you – but more than that, I adore your strength and courage and beauty.
She felt her heart race uncontrollably. "Holy shit," she put her hand to her chest and grinned. "More than just a friend." He called her dearest, he was so complimentary and sweet. She read it again, wanting to memorize every word. She was charmed by how sensitive he was to make sure he wasn't coming on too strong, not knowing the difference between species.
She wanted to run out and tell him how she felt too, but she was already dressed for a mission to help Liam out, and needed to bring Drack along. He'd complained about being cooped up on the ship, and she knew he would help keep Liam in line.
The mission was a total shit-show, and she was pissed Liam had been so reckless and put them in danger for trying to be some sort of hero – ambassador. He tried to laugh it off at the end of the mission, knowing how angry she was, apologizing a few times. That just made her even more mad. "This was bullshit, Liam. You put everyone at risk. Yes, it turned out ok, just barely. Never again, do you hear me? Or I will drop you off at Kadara port and not look back. Don't think I won't do it."
He was silent.
She huffed and turned to look at the ship out the window. "Get a team together, maybe we can salvage something-"
The ship exploded.
She turned and glared at him and silently walked away. She headed towards the showers and slammed the door shut. She furiously scrubbed as she thought over the events of the mission. She couldn't have someone on her team who was going to go rogue like that. It undermined the entire team and the initiative. Peebee or Drack, she could see maybe doing something like that, but Liam was Initiative and he had different training and knew better. She turned around in the hot water and ran her fingers through her wet hair. He was so anxious to make things the way he wanted, he failed to see the big picture. She shook her head, so frustrating.
She turned to get the shampoo when suddenly the door opened. She turned to see Jaal come in, to her surprise.
"Jaal!"
He closed the door behind him and put his towel on the interior shelf.
She turned away and looked over her shoulder at him, "I put my picture outside the door."
"I know," he turned the shower on, "I didn't think you would mind."
She smiled and shook her head no. She looked down nervously, "I got your email this morning. It was really nice."
He turned around and let the hot water spray over him. "I wanted to make sure I wasn't offending you."
"Oh, no, not at all. I liked it, very much." She gave him a wide smile. She tried to cover her front with her arms.
He certainly wasn't shy at all, he scrubbed up with the different shower gels he had and turned around beside her, talking to her.
She answered his questions about the mission, keeping herself closed up and turned towards the shower head. She put shampoo in her hair and scrubbed, leaning forwards in the water and letting it wash down her back.
He watched her quizzically, "Why do you keep your front covered, but have no problem showing your backside?"
She squinted at him through the shampoo froth on her eyes, "What?"
"Is that something particular to humans? The modesty your species has is very different, and odd."
"Um," she rinsed her face off quickly and turned towards him, her arms crossed over her chest, "I never really thought about it, but I guess women are more modest about their breasts and um, private area." she looked at him to try and gauge his reaction.
He looked at her while he cleaned off, "I don't know why, you are lovely creatures."
"Are we very different from Angaran women?"
"Hm, yes, and no. Some similarities. However, Angaran males are different from Human males as well, correct? It's all how you see the differences."
She nodded, still clenching her arms across her. "Well, I don't have a problem with the differences."
"That's good to hear."
She felt a jolt of excitement, and shifted her thinking from feeling self-conscious to realizing, they were both naked in the shower together. She finished rinsing all the shampoo out and put the bottle back, missing the shelf and dropping it. She turned to pick it up and slipped on the soapy shower water. Before she realized she was falling, Jaal had grabbed her arm and pulled her back up. She gasped as she struggled to regain her footing.
"Are you alright?" he held on to her, looking at her with concern.
"Yes, it was so slippery, I don't know what happened." She started to chuckle.
He still gripped her arm, and ran his thumb over her skin, "Fascinating, how the water beads up on your skin, ours is not like that."
She looked down at her arm, nodding, then back up at him. She took a deep heavy breath of the steamy air. His eyes bored into her with a new intensity. She suddenly felt a tingling in her arm that intensified into a sharp shock.
"Ow, ow!" she pulled her arm back reflexively. She rubbed her skin and examined it. She could see faint red marks where his fingers had been.
"What, what happened?"
She rubbed her arm, "It felt like a shock."
"I apologize, it must have been the electromagnetism. I lost control temporarily. Angarans use it as a method of communication with each other, a way to further express feelings." he reached down for her arm, "Very careless of me, in combination with the water, it must have hurt."
"It was more of a surprise, I wasn't expecting it."
He picked up her arm and saw the red marks, "I am so, so sorry Kathryn, stars, I injured you, I apologize."
"It's not that bad really, that's superficial."
"Please see Dr. T'Perro,"
She laughed, "No, those marks will be gone soon, really it's no big deal."
He sighed and looked at her with deep concern. She laughed again, "Interspecies differences, there's bound to be more."
He cracked a smile, "Yes," he let her arm down.
She looked up into his eyes again and moved close to him, "Jaal –" she said quietly. She held his forearm, her other hand moving up his abdomen as she pressed herself against him. She watched as he took in a deep breath and closed his eyes. She felt his hand lightly press against her back. Her emotions washed over her body, anticipation and the pleasurable feeling of his warm skin against hers overwhelming.
Bam, bam, bam!
She jumped back, startled. Someone was banging on the shower door. "Just a minute!" she called out, irritated.
More banging, harder this time, BAM, BAM! She let go of Jaal and went to the door, just in time to see it dented in by the hammering. "Get out! You've been in there too long!" Drack's voice called out behind the door.
She grabbed a robe and put it around her, "The fuck!" she opened the door angrily, "What the hell's wrong with you Drack!"
He stood calmly, "You guys have been in there too long. There's other crew who need to use it, you know."
She looked over his shoulder and saw Liam behind him, holding his arms up to his side, "I told him to wait." He squeaked out.
She turned back to Drack, "Dammit, that's pretty extreme don't you think!" she huffed and tried to pull the door back out, it was moving in a herky jerky motion. She stepped out and tried to close it, it wouldn't because it was warped. She pressed her lips together and glared at him. "Really?"
"Hey, that's shoddy construction. I barely knocked on it."
She rolled her eyes and said, "Fine. Then after your shower, you can help Gil make a new one."
Jaal came out with his towel around him, as Ryder breezed past Drack towards her quarters.
"What were you guys doing in there, anyway?" Drack asked Jaal.
"Getting clean, the fuck?" Ryder shot over her shoulder. She went into her quarters and as the doors whooshed shut behind her she stood panting in her robe, soaking wet, hair dripping around her shoulders. She felt a little wobbly, still reeling from being so close to Jaal.
Pathfinder?
"Yes, Sam?" she stood shivering.
Nothing.
She nodded and rummaged around her closet for a towel.
