"Rilian" (Day 5 - Solstice Evening)

Shopping had been in order that afternoon, after searching in vain through a closet full of uniforms. Riley had settled on something tasteful, burgundy and off the shoulder, seeing how it likely would be covered by warmer attire through the night. It was with dismay, however that seeing Adler, she’d perhaps put too much thought into *what to wear* as the medic, usually impeccably dressed was marred with a loud novelty Solstice tie.

“You’re not seriously wearing that, are you?” She asked, feeling the flush in her cheeks. If the date was some sort of joke to him -- she steeled herself for that eventuality.

Dorian fixed her with a crooked grin. “This was a gift, mah dear,” he replied. “From one of tha crew. She was most concerned about us havin’ a special evenin’....an’ makin’ it easy fah yah tah locate me in tha dark.” He stepped forward to take her hand. “Ah found that highly considerate.” As a dancer might, Dorian lifted Riley’s hand above her head, encouraging a slow pirouette.

Riley complied with the turn, the action and scrutiny she imagined not helping reduce the redness which now grazed her earlobes for a different reason entirely. She briefly forgot the tie, content to be in the moment, but the moment was outside of her comfort zone, prompting her to nudge it back in that direction. “Edwards?” She asked, raising an eyebrow as the turn came to an end. Her eyes quickly flickered taking him - and his tie- in, not even the ridiculousness of it detracting from the way he presented himself. “It glows in the dark?”

“Not by half your glow,” he offered in near breathless words. “You...are...a vision,” Dorian’s smile mirrored the admiration in his eyes. “And yes, tha tie has several light settings.” He leaned close to her, raised a finger to his lips, and whispered, “Ah can always make othah arrangements,” before lifting his voice again. “It’ll be a grand decoration, but none shall see it,” the medic said. “Yah’ll have everyone’s eye tahnight. May Ah assist yah with yah coat?”

Riley turned and held an arm out, which she slid into the wool dress coat with Adler’s assistance. “It won’t be needed, the tie suits you,” she replied, quickly adding in a lowered voice. “Your character, the man who will go out of his way, above and beyond for someone he cares about, even if it’s at his own expense.”

“Says tha woman who nearly flew this boat tah pieces tah save mah eye,” He answered. “Ah’ll ask yah not tah keep a tally...there’s no way mah efforts measure up tah yah example.” Once she’d arranged her coat, Dorian offered his arm. “Ah booked a carriage...tha road inta town is a bit on the slushy side.”

Riley couldn’t help but snicker, while inside her stomach flip flopped. “The mule isn’t classy enough for you?” She quipped.

“Hush now,” he chuckled as they strolled toward the cargo bay. “Ah’m doin’ mah level best tah impress tha woman of mah dreams.”
Though it was an open carriage, the owner had seen fit to equip its’ passenger compartment with small heaters that would come in delightfully handy on this deeply cold Solstice night. Dorian’s play at gallantry was made somewhat comical as the glowing necktie lit the carriage steps for Riley’s ascent. “There,” he smiled as he joined her inside. “A safety feature. ”

“Where to, folks?” The driver turned in his seat. At sight of the illuminated tie, he offered a sympathetic glance toward the lady in his carriage.

“There’s a Bistro on Kensey’s Trace….Paulet’s?”

“I know the place,” he nodded as he reined the horse forward.

“You went all out,” Riley observed, offering Adler a hand to hold. “Considering I asked you to accompany me. The ship’s just been so busy with an overabundance of passengers, seriously, we’ve not had this many that I can recall and…” She glanced over at his glowing tie. “And the last thing I want to talk about tonight is work aboard the Lunar Veil.”

*How satisfying it is*, he thought, *the simple practice of holding her hand.* Dorian replied, all the while enjoying the trace of his fingertips along her open palm. “Tha Veil is also our home,” he turned his eyes toward her. “There’s always good conversation about the folk we’ve taken among our own. But yah right about work,” he relented. “There’s that Riley Thorne who Ah’ve worked with. Ah’ve taken her ordahs….been chewed out once or twice,” he laughed, “and ovah all that time, Ah seem tah have fallen fah. So, what about tha othah Riley? Tha one who has family? Who likes peanut buttah sandwiches?” he teased. “Ah want tah fall fah her, too.”

Riley laughed. “I think some of my first words to you were about a throat punch.” She squeezed his hand tightly with the memory. “The Veil… regretfully the Captain, the current crew is the family I have. And peanut butter is the perfect food. High in protein, filling, portable, and relatively shelf stable, don’t mock peanut butter. I don’t want to disappoint you, but for the most part, what you see is what you get. That ship, as you said, is our home. It’s my career. It’s my world.”

“Ah know,” Dorian held her hand as he reflected on her words. “Startin’ tah have tha feel of family, if yah ask me. Sistah Lyen’s taken up as mah assistant...don’t think Ah’ve laughed so much as tha other night when we visited the Cabaret,” he smiled as the memory crossed. ‘And Serena,” Dorian continued. “Ah’ve taken tah callin her ‘mei-mei.’ There’s a sweetness in that child’s nature...Ah don’t know, Riley. Do yah evah get that feelin’...as if yah comin’ in from tha cold?”

“Everytime I talk to the ship’s doctor.” She replied. ‘Even the times when you go out of your way to push buttons. I’m happy to hear you think of it as home too. I can’t picture the El-Vee without you, Adler, you are the calm in every storm.”

He leaned in for a kiss. “Ah’ll try tah push all tha right ones,” Dorian caressed Riley’s cheek as their lips met.

Of course, timing being what it was, the world chose then and there to intrude. The coach rattled to a halt before Paulet’s. “Here we are, miss? Sir?” the driver fastidiously avoided turning his head.

“Thank yah,” Dorian replied to the greeting. “Drivah, Ah made arrangements fah yah tah have suppah here. Yah can pull around back. There’s food fah yah horse as well.”

“Thank you kindly, mister,” the man tipped his hat, leaving Riley and Dorian on the curb as he rolled to the corner.

“Shall we?” Adler offered his arm.

Riley bit back a smile as she took his arm in both hands, leaning her head to his shoulder. “The carriage ride was absolutely perfect. Much like the person who arranged it.”

“Remind me tah show yah mah ‘feet of clay,” he grinned as they stepped into the restaurant.

Paulet’s lived up to its’ reputation as an intimate restaurant that served the most impeccable menu in town. The wine list also served to loosen the mild set of nerves that had sunk into the couple as they realized something too important...a pair of spacers such as themselves would just as soon enjoy peanut butter sandwiches and bourbon together aboard the boat. They laughed over this lesson as the carriage took them to their next stop, the Solstice Fair.

As events of this type proved universally similar, Riley and Dorian made fairly quick work of the vendors’ booths, the artists’ garrets, and the games for a host of exuberant children. Upon finding a suitable gift for Serena, Adler pronounced his own personal fair experience complete...a fact of which Riley seemed only too willing to agree.

“Well,” Dorian observed as the carriage took them away from the fairground, “Ah believe that a fair is a fair is a fair.” He lifted the earrings...costume jewelry which glowed iridescent blue. “Given mah current neckware, Ah believe our young Miss Edwards should find these suitable. What say?”

“I think she’ll think they are perfect, and she’ll tell you why in no less than 800 words.” Riley said with a smile. “Please don’t let me present when you give her them. Three hundred words is my Edward’s threshold.”

Though the night itself was chilly, the combination of wine and company was keeping the lieutenant warm during the fair, warm enough that heaters on the carriage weren’t really needed. She was content by that point to sit closely to Adler, drawing from his heat as well. “I can’t remember having had a better time in a long time.” She confessed. “And I can’t think of anyone I’d rather share this with.”

Hearing those things said by someone like her still seemed a bit surreal to him. “Ah nevah thought,” Dorian admitted quietly, “that Ah’d evah hear things like that...but from someone like you…” he marveled, “it just makes mah heart…..” he stammered, apparently out of words. “Soar.”

“Excuse me, folks,” the driver interrupted. “Should we go back to your ship, or would ye conjure a stop at the Overlook first?”

“I heard…” Riley replied, losing herself in Adler’s gaze. “That someone on the ship is keeping a bottle of 12 year old bourbon. Maybe if we skip the Overlook, we can get back while the majority are still at the celebrations, not have to share it.”

“Ye….yes,” he snapped out of the moment. “Bourbon….there should be a drop or two left. Kindly take us back tah tha boat, suh.”

“You’re the doctor,” the driver responded as he whistled to his horse.

They rode back to the boat, sheltered in each other’s arms. “It is a lovely sight,” Dorian said of the light show in the heavens above. “Nevah saw tha like on Hera...but we were alot warmer,” he smiled.

“How’d you used to celebrate?” Riley asked, leaning her head to his chest. “On Hera, I mean.”

“A much vaunted ritual,” Adler laughed softly, “among tha children of our valley. We called it “swimmin’ nekkid in tha pond. Happened evah year….Ah think our parents expected it, cause we always got caught. Half tha fun, Ah suppose.”

“Why am I not surprised to hear you were trouble, even back then?” She teased.

Dorian’s eye travelled off to that far off place and time. “Makin’ up fah lost time, Ah suppose.. Ah was tha runt….tiny, sickly, spent mah first six years bein’ measured fah coffins. Mah father...he got me through it, much tah his chagrin, Ah suspect,” he chuckled. “Ah was a wiry little dickens aftah that. Annoyed all hell outta mah sistahs.”

“I can’t imagine that at all.” Riley quipped. “I bet they loved you for it though.” Her fingers laced with his, knowing how the story ended, and how he could likely use a little support and comfort.

“Ah surely loved them...love...them,” he nodded, before fixing her once again in his gaze. “An’ that’s tha uncanny thing...Ah haven’t had feelin’s like that since those days...until now. Lyen and Serena...they feel like family….but you...Riley, Ah….”

The carriage ground to a halt at Lunar Veil’s outstretched cargo bay ramp. “Thank ye fer yer business!” the driver nodded as Dorian handed off his coin. With a gentle hand, he helped Riley step down from the coach, before taking a moment to scratch the big chestnut geklding’s ears. After the horse had been given an apple, he returned to escort her up the cargo bay ramp. Hand in hand, they entered their home.

“This was the perfect evening,” she said just as they boarded. “I don’t think I’m quite ready to let it go. Any chance I can convince you to bring that Bourbon for a drink in my quarters? You bring the bottle, I’ll grab a glass.”

“Ah’ll race yah.” Taking her by the hand, Dorian led the way across the cargo bay toward the after catwalk stairs, and the infirmary beyond. Once they’d stopped to go off on their separate missions, he winked, “Ah’ll be just a minute,” before dashing through the aft hatchway.

Riley grabbed two glasses from the kitchen before heading back to her quarters, while it was still her quarters. Like she predicted, the majority of the ship was empty for the festivities, but her time with Adler had put other activities on her mind. She waited almost impatiently for him to return.

Without knocking, Dorian burst into his room. Serena flinched; she’d taken to his chair to keep a protective watch over the sleeping Gill. Her eyes lit up at the sight of the electric tie around his neck. “It worked,” Adler cast a grin her way as he reached for the bottle. “And thank yah fah watchin’ ovah him,” he added, before the door shut behind him.

A moment later, he tapped on the hatch to Riley’s quarters.

“Thought you changed your mind,” she replied, standing at the base of the hatch.

“Had tah make a house call.” Dorian paused to lock the hatch before joining Riley on the deck of her quarters. She’d removed her heavy coat. The burgundy dress she wore, combined with the cascade of strawberry blonde curls onto her exposed shoulder all set a stirring within him. For a moment, he stood, transfixed with an aching for her. Care fah a drink,” he finally worked up the composure to ask, “or may Ah have this dance?”

“You may,.... But I have something else in mind,” she replied, stepping in close to him to place a soft kiss on his lips.