Just Relax

Posted on Mon Feb 10th, 2020 @ 1:30am by Lieutenant Day Smith

2,068 words; about a 10 minute read

Mission: Aftermath and Downtime
Location: Day Spa, Starbase Promenade
Timeline: MD03, immediately after 'Observations'

This is a continuation of 'Observations'

"Let yourself go Lieutenant. It'll be an experience!" The words spoken by the Valiant's chef still rang in her head as Day stepped into the private room of the spa. She smelled an odd mixture of salts, oils and herbs. Hesitantly she walked into the room and looked around. Arms subconsciously wrapping around herself for comfort.

"Good morning, miss Smith." A tall blond woman came out of an adjacent room, her hair cascading in blond curls over her shoulders like a golden waterfall, "Or should I call you Lieutenant?" She gave a warm smile that crept all the way up to her grey eyes.

"Oh. No." Day shook her head and took a step back, she wasn't sure what to expect from this situation and felt rather uneasy about all of it, "Day." She swallowed, "You may call me Day. That is my name. Day."

"Alright. Day it is." The smile didn't waver, "My name is Yonnia," she put out her hands in an open and non-threatening way, "you're here for a moment to unwind, relax, let things go?"

Slowly Day nodded, "I. I guess so."

"So, do you want a massage through three layers of Starfleet uniform or will you be comfortable taking some of that off?" Another smile, there wasn't any malice in her stature or voice.

"Oh. I. I have never been to a place like this."

"I kind of figured that."

"Can you explain to me what it is that is expected of me?" Day looked at the table in the middle of the room, the faintly shimmering candles on a small cupboard next to it. Thick white towels stacked neatly nearby. In the corner, there was an opaque glass screen separating it from the rest of the room.

"You can go behind there and slip off that stifling uniform, covering yourself with the towel as you make your way over to the bed and lay face down." Yonnia stepped away and started to clean her hands and prepare the massage oils, giving Day some room and privacy to get herself ready for the massage.

Day swallowed a lump in her throat as she stepped behind the screen. She had only been naked in front of the medical professionals back in San Fransisco. She didn't really know why it made her so anxious. She started by taking off the jacket. Feeling her heart race uneasily in her chest. The kicked off her shoes and put the socks inside of it. She took in a deep breath and stripped down to her underwear in quick fashion before wrapping a towel around herself before stepping back into the main area of the room.

"See, that wasn't so hard." Yonnia stood at the table and motioned for her to come closer when she spotted the sports bra underneath the towel, "I'm afraid you're going to have to take that off as well."

Day her mouth opened slightly, she wanted to protest when she remembered the words from the front desk woman. She needed to trust them. She disappeared back behind the screen and removed the last bit of fabric covering her upper body. Her eyes lingered for a moment on the rather big remnants of the implant that fully encapsulated her heart, like a spiders web in the middle of her chest. She quickly wrapped her towel around herself again, her mind immediately racing to all the other implants that this stranger would now be able to see on her. With more hesitation than before she stepped back out.

"It's alright, I won't bite you." She motioned for the bed, "please, lay down. Make yourself comfortable."

There was a moment in which Day thought about stepping back behind the screen and getting dressed all the way back up. This had been a terrible idea. People didn't seem to mind the eye implant too much, but all the other bits and pieces seemed to scare them off. She had seen reactions to her putting out her hand in order to offer a shake, and she always had the feeling that people behind her were peering at the spinal implant that peeked out over her uniform collar.

"I'm a masseuse on a Federation space station, trust me, I've seen it all." Yonnia lied, she had never really seen an ex-borg up close. It didn't matter to her though. This was no different from the weird body mods the Orions seemed to get into, and certainly not more awkward than the numerous Ferengi insisting Oo-mox wasn't something sexual.

Day made her way onto the table, she placed her face in the hole on the table. With the towel still wrapped around her she wondered what the point had been of undressing as the large towel basically covered her full body.

"Shall I start with massaging your shoulders and neck?" Yonnia didn't want to startle Day as she approached and put a hand on her elbow as she stood next to her.

A shudder coursed through Day as the woman touched her. The hand was warm, soft, "Alright."

"I'll roll the towel down a bit, alright?"

"Alright."

Rolling the towel back Yonnia saw that the implant on Day's spine ran in between her shoulder blades and further down still, hiding itself under the rest of the towel.

The hand on her elbow had moved to join the other one around her shoulders, one to each side of her spine. Day tried to focus on her breathing. Tried to calm her nerves. It was hard under these conditions. She wondered why people would ever come here to relax. A couple of breaths in she realised there was a soft melody playing. A nice unobtrusive piano sounded like it was played in the outdoors. The chirping of birds and sound of a small creek in nearby.

Yonnia felt the tense muscles under her hands and continued to softly, but meticulously, knead them into submission. After about a minute or so she felt Day's body relax under her fingers, "This isn't so bad, now is it?"

"It is quite pleasant."

"Thank you." Yonnia started to move the massage further down, pushing the towel down only as she needed to. The scarring around the implants made it a bit difficult for her to manoeuvre, she didn't want to make Day uncomfortable again so had decided to avoid touching the implants or the surrounding scar tissue, "What do you normally do to relax?"

"I rest in my quarters, as normal. Sometimes I read logistics reports. Or follow an online seminar on energy distribution. Lately I have been reading up on the Defiant class prototype and subsequent alterations in newer refits of the design."

"Married to the job then. Any other hobbies? Interests? Things you're passionate about?"

It was weird to have this conversation with someone that was sliding her hands all over her body and not being able to see her, "I play the violin. Climb rocks from time to time."

Yonnia knew this would be a challenging client but she hadn't really thought it would be this difficult. Even talking about her so-called passions was cold and distant. Calculated answers that almost seemed rehearsed, "Which of these really give you joy. When do you truly lose track of time?"

Day felt a tingle rush down her spine and she jerked her foot when Yonnia put some pressure on her lower back. She had hardly noticed how far down the masseuse had wandered. She felt a rush of heat flush her face and was afraid to lift her head and make eye contact, "Fruits."

"Fruits?"

"When I eat fruits, I sometimes get caught up in all the different flavours and textures."

There was a spark of personality there, Yonnia was glad to have found it and she wasn't about to let it go so easily, "Any fruits in particular, or just whatever you can get your hands onto?"

"I like variety," Day allowed her mind to wander across all the different sorts of fruits she had eaten since being severed from the collective, "The first thing I ate in rehabilitation was an apple. It was so firm but once you start chewing it becomes so sweet and soft. Spreading through your mouth, the taste lingering for minutes after."

"You're making my mouth water," And all that just talking about a simple apple, surely the Starfleet uniforms of fruits.

"And there are so many different ones. Some more sour, some sweeter. Some suitable for pies, others more suitable for stews."

Moving to the right leg Yonnia wanted to avoid the left one, for now, seeing it had been affected a lot more with visible remnants of implants, "do you cook and bake yourself?"

"Not really. I can bake some pies and cakes, but I am not really good at cooking," Day sighed a bit, maybe she should try and bake more, it was always a nice feeling if she finished a pie or cake and could share it with someone, "Baking is easier, much more like reading a cargo manifest."

"Cooking is an art, baking is a science, that's what my nan always told me. Made the best chocolate brownies in the galaxy."

"That seems unlikely"

"Someone has to be the best," Yonnia put some pressure on Day's calf.

"I guess you are right, though it still seems unlikely that the best brownies were made by someone you just happened to be related to," Day did have chocolate but couldn't quite get used to the bitterness of it, "do you still have the recipe?"

"Are you asking if I'll make them for you?"

"Oh. No. I was not." Day was suddenly flustered again, not sure why the woman had interpreted it in that fashion.

"It's alright, I wouldn't be allowed to date you anyway."

"Date? No. There was no intention of." Day was completely lost now.

"I'm kidding, Day. Just pulling your leg." Yonnia grabbed her ankle and gave it a playful tug before stepping around the table and starting on her left leg, elegantly dancing her fingers around the implants and scarring.

"Oh. I get it. Very clever." Day sighed in relief, no other emotions really audible in her voice.

Yonnia rolled her eyes a bit at herself, had Day been tenser she'd probably just be curled up in a corner somewhere, unable to move, "So from that, I take it there's nobody special in your life."

"Someone special?" Day didn't quite grasp the intended meaning of the question.

"Someone that makes you feel like apples made you feel."

"I have not had a relationship, if that is what you are asking." Day responded.

"That was exactly what I was asking." Yonnia finished up her massage and stepped back from the table.

"Why did you stop?" Day lifted herself up from the table, looking over her shoulder at the woman, wondering if she had said something wrong.

"I'm finished." Yonnia wiped her hands clean on the towel that hung off the table and smiled at Day. It was good to see her enjoy it enough that she didn't want it to stop, "Next stop, the steam room. Wrap yourself up, I'll take you there."

Day sat up straight on the table, towel tightly wrapped around her body once more, "What about my clothes?"

"Well, you could put them on in the steam room, but you wouldn't be very comfortable. Plus, Ainsley would probably laugh at you. Wouldn't want that, I don't think."

Angling her head a bit Day tried to think of an appropriate response, "I am sure Chef Shaw would not mock me." She slid herself off the massage table and stepped in the direction Yonnia had indicated, "The steam room is through here?"

"Right down the hall, second door to your right, can't miss it."

"Thank you for your time, miss Yonnia." Day put out her hand.

Yonnia took the hand and wrapped her other around it, "Just Yonnia will be fine, Day. Don't hesitate to come back sometime, you hear?" She released the hand and pushed the door open, "Now on you go! Steam room awaits." She clapped her hands to spur Day along down the corridor.

[OFF]

Lieutenant Day Smith
Chief Operations Officer
USS Valiant

&

Yonnia (NPC)
Masseuse
Starbase 80

 

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