After Party

[Roona Osmari]

Roona’s eyes closed again and she rested her palm overtop to shield them from the day. Silently, she willed the room to stop spinning. But the sound of Valkren’s chuckle made the corner of her mouth slide up into a soft smirk. Going out drinking wasn’t unusual for her; she was normally pulled along with the Raiders when they went out. However, letting herself deep into drunkenness was not quite so normal. The display she had put on for the Colonel last night was a right down rarity.

She was a woman that didn’t like to feel vulnerable. Now, in the light of what she guessed was early afternoon, Roona sat bare beneath the sheets with a man. It wasn’t that he’d seen her in the nude, that actually wasn’t a huge deal… but rather the fact that he’d seen a very different side to her. Beneath the cold, there was a woman that had fire and passion. Roona only hoped that this would not affect the way he thought of her in a negative way. And then there was the fact that she was starting to feel something of an attachment form. At the moment, it was a thin thread – but it was strong.

Perhaps it was too soon to feel this way.

Still, she couldn’t deny that she liked Valkren. She wouldn’t have allowed last night to happen if she hadn’t. Roona turned her head as she felt Valkren lean away, and she opened her eyes to see that he was checking the time. As he leaned back towards her, the back of his head against her legs, Roona perked a brow.

“We’re that late?” She asked in a tired voice. “Maybe someone should cut us some slack.”

Sitting up slightly, she looked down at Valkren. Her hand slid to his shoulder and massaged for a moment before she let her index finger trace some of the lines of his tattoos.

“We can’t be the only ones waking up like this.” Giving a thought to their present situation, she offered a sheepish smile. “Well… maybe not like this, but you get what I’m saying.”

Work had been a large part of her life recently, she woke early and she arrived on time. This was the first time she would ever be tardy. Today was different; she wanted nothing more than to remain here. But Roona knew that all things had to come to an end eventually.

“What do we do now?” She asked, her tone softer than before. “Surely we can’t let any of the others find out about this…” Of course, she wasn’t quite sure the scope of this secret – were they hiding a one-night fling or something more?

[member="Valkren Calderon"]

 

[Valkren Calderon]

He closed his eyes for a moment, enjoying the slight massage and the sensation he received as she traced the ink along his body. Eventually, a sigh was released.

"I mean..There's not a whole lot they can do to us, I am an officer after all." Valkren said this hopefully, opening his eyes to glance back up at Roona.

"I'm certainly sure that we're not the only ones missing this morning's formation. I know for a fact that Konrad is still out cold somewhere either in the main hall or back at his bunk." The young special forces officer exclaimed with a smile, knowing that his team's XO was looking quite intoxicated when they saw him out on the dance floor at the past night's festivities.

The next question was one that he was avoiding all together on his own, but he figured that he'd have sooner or later. Valk' lifted his head from her legs, placing his back against the backboard once again directly next to Roona. He was silent for a moment, biting into his lip as he thought.

"Honestly? Let them talk? If anything, we ease into it. We don't let them know about the times we go out, and when we're with our team at the pub, we're just some close friends." Usually in this case, he'd catch himself. However, with the distraction of Roo present, he was blinded and already talking about asking her on another date. He honestly believed that eventually, his team would find out about their fling someway or another..But what if it wasn't a fling? Would the team understand?

Or would he have to separate one of themselves from the Raiders?

"Think we got time for breakfast?" Valkren smiled, looking back over to her and dismissing the previous thought from his mind.

[member="Roona Osmari"]

 

[Roona Osmari]

Roona smirked as Valkren mentioned their comrade. She’d only seen him briefly the night before, but Konrad looked like he’d been having a very good time. Just as Valkren had mentioned, he probably was still passed out somewhere. She would look forward to hearing all about it later…

But for the moment, she focused on the Colonel as he sat up against the headboard once more.

Shifting slightly, she turned to face him, and re-adjusted the sheets as she did so. The silence that had followed her question made her heart beat just a little faster. However, she found a smile forming on her face as Valkren spoke up. He spoke casually about future dates and outings with their group, words that made the sergeant’s cheeks flush.

Her green eyes met his, fixed and focused. Roona took a deep breath, knowing full well that this moment could change everything. Her career with the Rangers was important, was she willing to risk her position on the Raiders for Valkren? Was she ready to face the consequences if they were found out? The fluttering feeling in her chest seemed to confirm that she was ready and willing. Of course, she did not wish to sully the Colonel’s reputation or record… but it seemed that he was prepared to take the leap as well.

These thoughts slid to the side as he mentioned breakfast.

Running a hand through her sandy hair, she nodded. “Yeah, let’s go. I’m pretty hungry.” Choosing to bask in the bed for a moment longer, she leaned closer and then placed a soft kiss on the Colonel’s lips. Roona lingered close for a second or two before pulling away and rising out of the bed, pulling a sheet out with her. She tip-toed around the bed and gathered up her clothing. “I think there’s a little diner close by.” She glanced over at Valkren.

“Oh.” She paused, remembering the moment when she’d kicked her shoes off in the bar. “My shoes--” But then she spotted them sitting by the door and covered her face with the palm of her free hand.

[member="Valkren Calderon"]