Camp, Fire, Tails, Part 2

Posted on Wed Oct 22nd, 2025 @ 4:35pm by Ensign Emmanuelle Larose & Senior Chief Petty Officer C'Hira Summers & Lieutenant Commander David Erickson & Lieutenant Karane Inda & Lieutenant CASTIEL 'Cas' Johnson MD & Lieutenant JG Annika Johnson & Lieutenant JG Renata Novotná & Ensign Siat-or-iian Elkovais & Chief Petty Officer Chloe Delacroix
Edited on on Wed Oct 22nd, 2025 @ 4:37pm

1,881 words; about a 9 minute read

Mission: ARYL 1X04: All the Friends We Can Get
Location: Recreation Lounge 2
Timeline: Before Kannok Arrival

David glanced over at the pool table. "So, I have had far more practice with dom-jot, but if anyone here is handy with a pool cue, I'd love to strike up a game." He looked around the small group.

"I may be able to help you out with that," Torii told David as she flirted her tails while approaching the pool table, placing her glass on the side of the table as she picked out a stick that fitted her stature from the wall and looked it over, "I was learning this game at the Academy and it's pretty straightforward, a simple application of physics."

"Don't let the Navigator hustle you, nya," C'Hira advised Torii. "You'll win the first one, but I have a feline that he'll have you feeling in-furry-er before the end, nya. A clawful way to lose credits, nya."

"I think I can handle him," Torii gave the Caitian a smile and a wink, with the flip of her left ear, a sign of amusement from her, "Besides, what's a few credits when I have so many tails to tell?"

David left Karane's side, brushing his hand against hers, and walked past C'Hira, scratching her gently behind an ear. "Hush, you," he said.

"And, I will have you know," David added, looking at Torii, "that I have absolutely no ability to hustle anyone at pool. So, if I beat you, it will be as much of a surprise to me as to anyone else watching." He grabbed a cue off the rack and looked down the length of it, judging if it were useable. Finding one he liked, he grabbed the triangle hanging nearly and racked up the balls again. "Care to break?" he said to Torii.

He looked back at the room and at the Doc and Engineer. "Doc? Karane? Care for some straight pool, two on two?"

"Pool huh. I'll whoop your ass!" She said flexing her muscles.

Cid came bouncing into the lounge, a clean set of coveralls on and her face unusually scrubbed, having 'cleaned up' for the party. "Hi all!" she said, cheerily. She pulled her liliputian-self onto a chair near the food and popped a morsel into her mouth, chewing happily and looking around.

David nodded to Cid, then fixed Karane with a look. "Do not threaten me with a good time, Lieutenant," he said, smirking. He looked up at Cas. "Doc? You in?"

"Of course." Cas replied with a smile. "Been a while though."

"All right, straight pool, call your shots, first team to 60 wins," David said.

“Looks like it’s boys against girls.” Torii said with evident good cheer, “And don’t even think about saying shirts versus skins, because you aren’t getting us that way.” She took a few steps to stand by Indra, “Still up to us to break?”

"And I was so looking forward to taking my shirt off," David said, giving Torii a smirk.

Karane crossed her eyes. "More like you were looking forward to us girls taking our shirts off instead." She said a slight blush coming to her cheeks.

David strongly resisted the urge to point out they'd both technically seen each other remove a shirt, but he started to blush as well and stamped it down, reminding himself he was in public and to save that barb for later. "Well golly gee," he said, sarcasm subtle but clear in his voice, covering up his nervousness. "You have uncovered my fiendish plan, despite all my careful subterfuge." He sat down to wait for his turn.

"Next you'll be inviting us to the swimming pool on board just to see us in bikinis..." Karane teased. "Although I reckon us girls will show him up."

David stared at Karane and Torii and felt his brain race as his imagination finally slipped away from his grip. He felt his cheeks get red and struggled to get back under control. Flag the bull, he thought. "You are absolutely right, Karane," he said, finally. "Both you and Torii would look far better in a bikini than I would."

He grinned, somewhat bolstered by the chuckles that resulted from those listening and walked over to Karane, leaning down. "But I appreciate the fourth date idea," he whispered in her ear, then went and sat back down. "By all means, Torii, break," he said.

Torii fiddled with her cue for a moment before reaching up and rubbing some chalk on the tip before flicking her ears in amusement, "I've only played this game a couple of times, so please pardon me if I'm not all that great at it." She placed the cue ball in a particular spot and adjusted it before getting behind it and stuck her tongue out very slightly between her teeth as she lined up her shot, then with a firm and smooth shot that impacted the sweet spot between the tip of the triangle and the second ball in, sent the balls scattering across the table, the twelve-ball dropping into a corner, "Looks like we're stripes? Or does it even matter?" She asked David, Karane and Castiel innocently, eyelashes fluttering.

"No solids or stripes, just one point per ball," David said. "So plan your strategy accordingly."

"Wait, aren't we supposed to choose one? Isn't that the point?" Karane protested.

“Different styles of gameplay, nya,” C’Hira said from the sidelines. “Like different rule sets in poker, nya. Though someone should have specified the rules before anymeowne broke.”

"Sorry, that's on me," David said, sheepishly. "Basically, any ball is fair game. If 14 balls are sunk, we will rerack them, leaving the last one where it was, and then we can continue from there until the team hits 60 points."

"I think we can handle that." Torii took a look at the array of balls on the table and walked around to lean over again, ears flickering slightly as she did so, dropping the 7-ball into the opposite corner, starting her way around again, always watching the table, "Just gives us more targets." Another setup, another twitching of ears and the 2-ball joined it's fellows, "Anyone have any requests?"

"Yes, miss a few," David said, grinning cheekily.

Torii gave a slight look of disappointment as she observed the balls on the table and how they were arrayed. There wasn’t another easy shot, she’d have to bank the cue ball off a bumper just to get the angle she wanted, so she let her ears go flat, “This is probably just beginner’s luck,” she paused, “But I feel good! Wanna bet some credits on the game? Just a friendly wager of course?” She looked up at David alone, one ear twitching as if it were nervous.

David raised an eyebrow. He stood again and walked over to Torii and regarded her, then leaned down and whispered in her ear almost too quietly to hear. "When someone says 'beginner's luck', then follows up with requesting to bet, that means one thing." He gave her a knowing look, then grinned. "All right," he said at normal volume, turning and thinking. "Whoever forces a rerack earns 100 credits. Sound good?" He looked between her and Karane.

“But only if it’s for each rerack, that way we have a fair chance to earn back any losses.” Torii added to the conditions, getting a nod from David at the suggestion, “Then I’ll accept! I’m all about fair play and second chances.”

Karana nodded. "I could agree to that."

"Well then," Torii's ears flipped back up in excitement, "Let's get this game going again!" She picked her shot and with another twitch-wiggle of a fluffy ear banked her shot off of two of the three bumpers and all the way back across the table to drop the 1-ball into a pocket. A few minutes later, with a couple circuits of the table and she drained the 8-ball into a side pocket, leaving the white cue ball and only the 10-ball remaining, "Looks like the first re-rack goes to me, doesn't it?" She grinned.

David watched her twirl, flit and twitch-wiggle her way around the table and while part of him felt validated in his assessment, the rest of him was pissed he was about to lose a few hundred credits. "It does indeed," he said with an overly-cheery voice, sticking his tongue out as grabbed the rack and began pulling balls from the pockets.

Torii helped roll the balls from the pockets over to him even before she picked up the cue ball again and took it over to to far side of the table, settling it in a different spot than the first time as before as she watched David carefully settle the new rack of balls in place on the table. She licked her lips and leaned over the table once more, ears flickering slightly, almost quivering, drew back and SMACK, the balls scattering across the table once more, two balls dropping into different holes before the cue ball came to rest with several shots available, and the Feixian went back to work.

David tried to stay classy about things after the second rerack. After the third, his good-natured cheer was fading as he eyed the security hustler warily. He'd sat down next to Karane as they watched the non-game happen and as Toriii racked the balls for the fifth time, David had counted a straight 56-ball run for the Feixian, and he had little reason to thing she wouldn't sink four more balls by the time--and there it was.

"And that's sixty points," he said. "Five hundred credits to you. I'll have them transferred by tomorrow." He gave Torii a polite smile, but his eyes said 'I shall have my revenge.'

Torii's ears perked in excitement and then flicked around in general amusement, "I appreciate the business, not that I'll be able to get away with that again." She winked at David as she took the cue and settled it back on the wall, "You don't play handball, do you?"

"Play? Yes. Gamble at it? Not with you," David said, smirking.

"You know, credits aren't everything." Karana said as she began to rub chalk on the end of a cue. "You want to make this really interesting. Then how about this, for each ball you sink into the hole. Your opponent removes an item of clothing."

David and Torii looked at each other. David wasn't overly modest but he also didn't have 'strip down in front of his shipmates' on his bingo card for that day. He sized Karane up--not a lengthy endeavor--and shrugged amiably. "When you have your mind set on something, who am I to try and dissuade you?" he said, grinning at her. He grabbed his pool cue and stood up by the table. "But who breaks first?" He looked at Torii. "Not you."

“Oh poo, and here is hoped you’d forgotten.” Torii giggled as she retrieved her cue again, signifying she was in, “Besides, seeing you in the buff does sound like a good deal, sugar.”

"Stand aside girls. I've got this one." She said puffing out her chest and smirking very smugly. "I'll allow you to break."


To Be Concluded…

 

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