Will   took a deep  drink of  his soda  and  smiled a bit,..sure, when you're  ready  we can  dance  a bit...

 Abby wtched  Shadow  and Ellen.. beth  had   snagged Rolfe  for a Dance.

 Lyri  just   sat by the Cake, wondering if she should have  another piece..it seems like everyone  was  set, and there  was  stil  a lot of sections  left.

………….

 Shade put  two of  his  two fingers up , then closed  the  with his  thumb,  whirling  'Both', to  Orria's question... but went on to say, he would have to  get  at elast   6 inches  taller to see over the   nose of a  fighter.

  he   settled on MAple cake  with think vanilla  topping.

……………………..

 Lucky was  sitting by himself  he had a  slice  of  Occui cake  with  Burian berry toppings.
…………………….

 Jax   and  Sneak  sat down,  both   heaving from  dancing.. Jax   limping a bit.

……………………….

    the Next slow  song  started..Ellen fronw because she hand  to Go..she gave  Shadow a 'thank You  ' hug and hurried  off  to SEC to finish her  shift.

 Shadow  went  over   , grabbed  another Hotdoa and soda  and  sat  by Lyri.

Smiling delightedly as Will agreed to dance with her, Harry would tighten her hold on him just that little bit more and close her eyes, listening to the sound of his heart beating within his chest "you know... Sometimes I'm scared that this is all just a dream and I'll wake up to find that you never existed" Harry whispered before nervously laughing as she realised how silly that must sound to him.

Hearing a slow song beginning to play, Harry would open her eyes and lead her man out onto the dance floor. With his arms holding her close to him and with her head upon his shoulder she would softly sing along with Steven Tyler as they slowly danced to the romantic ballad. When the song came to an end she would lean up to give Will a single, tender kiss before blushing like a school girl. Ok, maybe she'd made the right call after all.

Karl was only expecting just another quick kiss, so he stiffened slightly in surprise when it became apparent this one was going to last a while...but he didn't pull away.  Instead, he raised his right hand, cupping the side of Lizzy's face gently until she decided the kiss was done.

Holding her arm as they started off the field, he felt the sudden shift in balance as her heel caught.  He pulled up on her arm as he spun in to face her, his other arm shooting out around her waist (and actually catching her a bit above that, enough to squash notable portions of her anatomy against him.)  He shifted his grip on her arm a bit, getting a hold with better leverage, and hoisted her to her feet.

"I'm pretty sure they didn't intend it to be literal when they coined the phrase, 'falling for a guy...'" he quipped in a low murmur with a smile, as he settled her to her feet again.  "And, y'know...there's nothing wrong with being short.  Beats twisting your ankle trying to navigate in stilettos..."  While she was apparently back on her feet, he didn't seem to be in any hurry to loosen the arm around her waist.

As Haley ate her cake, mostly wearing it it seemed though, Nikki simply people watched.  noting who interacted with who and what not.
"Hows come you didn't bring your guitar?" Haley asked
"They have a band tonite Punkin'.  Bad form bringin' a guitar" she smiled at her.
"oh"

   The  Music  was   now getting slower.. a few  fast ones   popped in to wake   folsk up. But the clock was ticking on the party.

  Shadow  got talked into   one dance  with Beth..then  Flores   and  Eckles... Frans   grabbed him  for a fast one, right  before he  left.

  He   grabbed a Soda    and  nodded to  Roy.....I think  I'm done.. no jerks around.. people having  fun.... time to hit  the sack and  get ready for us to talk to those  nice Vampic  folks.... he grinned   , starting to   climb the stairs to the Rec Dec lift.


  Shade  and Orria   tried  another  dance, then settled  in  for   a Milkshake  and pizza. He whirled a bit   about the Ball and how they would have to  wear dress  uniforms and such.
..................

 Will   held on to Harry when she  danced  close..he softly chuckled,...well..depends  on how happy the dream was..whether that's good or bad...

..................

 Others  stopped by  or waved to  Lizzy  as they left... late  comers    joined in , getting some of the massive  Cake, and  eats..while   dancing inbetween.

 Simms  came over to   Nikki he looked a bit awkward....hey?..  Miss Nikki?.. Um... I just got here  and all.. was doing my shift on the  patrols... um... would you  dance with me?... I mean.. If you wnat?

 Lizzy felt herself falling she blurted out a yelp but then Karl spun her around and she went into Karl and her chest squished into him. " Thank you, sorry I caught my heel. My knight in shining armor." Lizzy really liked his arm around her and was in no hurry to have him remove it.

 Lizzy was smiling and she got her balance and said," Yeah this field is not the best to walk in on heels.  Well I can do this then." Lizzy will put her hand on his shoulder and skillfully remove her first shoe, and then the second, like she has done this many times before.

 She then smiled and walked and it was a lot easier without her heels on. Then she said," Now I have to find a place to put them." Then her tummy will rumble really loud and Lizzy stops and says,"Oh my excuse me I think we should go get some food Karl is that okay."

 Lizzy will look into his eyes and say," I really enjoyed that kiss, can't wait for more."

 Lizzy will wave and say good bye to the ones leaving and hello to the ones arriving.

After that Lizzy will let Karl lead them to the food table while she carried her high heel shoes.
This message was last edited by the player at 03:27, Wed 21 Aug 2019.

"Sure" she smiled a bit "Haley, if you want to run around a bit it's fine." she said rising up  "Work off that sugar rush I know is coming"
Haley nodded and indeed did have the sugar rush going.  She began zipping about a bit like she was pretending she was a jet fighter, making zoom, and whooshing noises, in no particular order ...or even on a straight line.
Once on the field she began dancing with Simms.  She was not a great dancer but she wasn't a bad one either.  Maris obviously missed out on that.

Karl looked down into Lizzy's eyes.  "We'll play that by ear, I guess.  For now, food is a good idea.  You can only dance so long on cake...even a cake as spectacular as that one."

With his left arm over one of her shoulders and reaching down to her left hip, he steered them at a leisurely amble to the food tables.  "You should probably grab something with protein in it," he said softly, with a quiet chuckle.  "Gotta counterbalance all that sugar..."  He had eyes for a platter full of ribs...

    People started  to file out  Bit   by bit. , there were still alot of the crew and some Civies  who were taking advantage  of the Music..but the thoughts of  the next days activities  started to make themselves known .

   Simms    stayed  one  more  fast dance  with    Nikki , thanking her  for the  dance, and escorted  her back to the tables, before moving off to get a burger.

   One of the Chefs  approached   Lizzy and asked  if she would Like some cake sent  down to the  Engine Room, foundry and Med Tech. there  was still going to be  a lot  let, for  folks to take a slice   or two home as well..a  good third  of the CAke was  still left..Mostly  the  'inner   cake"..with no icing..but? that  is what the  toppings  were for!

 Lizzy smiled as they headed over to the food tables, Lizzy smiled when Karl said they would play that by ear. Oh yes Lizzy wanted to play with his ear and a lot more. She really liked the way Karl held her,She would respond," Yes that is a good idea ,thank you."

 Lizzy looked at was left of her amazing cake, when the Chef asked her Lizzy would reply, " Yes of course send cake everywhere, everyone should have some." Lizzy was still amazed by the cake Captain Si had made for her. Lizzy grabbed a burger and a soda, and took a seat at an empty table and waited for Karl to join her. She put her shoes on the floor and smiled.

 Lizzy looked around the party was dying down but of course the birthday girl would stay till the end. Lizzy then remembered she had to find a container and a candle. " Karl I need to find a suitable container and a candle, I talked to Captain Si,she said I can light it in my quarters. I light a candle every year on my Birthday for my Mother. She died during childbirth due to injuries she sustained on her Destroyer from a Demon and Vampic attack. I wish I knew her more, I have always hoped I was more like her than my Father."

 Lizzy smiled and reached into her garter belt and pulled out her Mom's picture. She handed it to Karl, her Mother and her looked identical, the hair, eyes, face everything they could be twins. The woman in the picture was a little older maybe 30 tops. " That was my Mom, I wish I just had the chance to know her. Sorry my birthday is also a day of remembrance for me, to remember the sacrifice my Mom made for me. They could have saved her, but they would have lost me. If they saved me there was a good chance my Mom would die, you can figure out what choice she made." Lizzy would hold one of Karl's hands halfway through that as there where a few tears running down her cheek as she talked about her Mom and her sacrifice.
This message was last edited by the player at 19:14, Wed 21 Aug 2019.

Leaning up to give Will another of soft, tender kisses Harry would offer him a coy smile that was completely out of character to her normal tough girl routine "it's a good thing...in fact this is probably the happiest I've been in a very long time" Harry quietly whispered as George Michael, ironically sang of how he was never going dance again.

They would continue to slow dance for another song or two, leaving when one of the faster songs began to play "I should probably have a quick chat with the birthday girl before calling it a night" Harry said with a smile before heading over to where Lizzy was standing with Karl by the buffet tables "Hey Lizzy love, happy birthday" Harry would say with a smile as she gave the girl in question a hug and a quick peck on the cheek "Will and I are going to head back in a bit, I've had a wonderful time and that cake is to die for!" she said with a laugh as the chefs started portioning sections off and putting them into boxes to be taken elsewhere "I don't know whats planned for Bura but we'll have to see if we can't carve a little time out to head out with the girls...if you're up for that of course?"

 Lizzy wiped her eyes real quick while Karl was holding the picture of her Mom.
Lizzy smiled and said," Thank you Harry, thanks for singing with me, you are the best friend ever." Lizzy of course hugs back and kisses Harry's cheek as well.

 Lizzy smiles more and says," Okay Harry, glad you had a good time, YES I loved the cake Captain Si went all out, that really touched me."

 Lizzy will actually perk up and says," Oh Hell Yes I am up for that, just let me know where and when I will be there all dressed up. Oh Comm me tomorrow I will do your makeup for the Ball okay. "

There would be a momentary flash of concern when she saw her friend wiping her eyes but it was soon forgotten as Lizzy returned her hug and kissed her cheek with her then talking excitably about the cake and them singing together. She was also more than happy about the idea of joining her and the girls when they hit Bura "yeah we'll have to see what Bura has to offer, we had a spa day when we was on Fuji, though we've also gone shopping and had a night out whilst at other stations" she said thinking that it would be nice to do a little shopping, though with her new found sobriety she would probably wind up being the designated driver. It was then that Lizzy would offer to do her makeup for the ball tomorrow "Sure ok, Captain Si usually has a few tables set up in her quarters for that sort of thing, I'll probably need help finding something to wear too" she said with an embarrassed flush briefly appearing on her cheeks.

Nikki thanked Simms for the dance then wandered to go collect Haley...who..well still had some stored up energy.  She decided that also saying niters to the birthday girl would be polite, even if her dad was a pile retentive butthole.  As she was moving up she overheard Harry and Her talking about a girls night.  "I could go for that", she then leaned and gave Lizzy a kiss on the cheek "Fab Party...atleast we don't have to be up a the crack of dark to go run" and glad that part was over for now.
For some reason only a hyper sugared 5 year old would know, Haley was playing a version of 'duck, duck, goose' with one of the tables.  Oh yeah, kid has a real bright future.  Nikki could only laugh.

  people  peeled off  more  and More.. Beth stopped to   say  HAppy B-day  one more  Time.. Lyri  waved  as she was going up the stairs..

  Frans   smiled  and said,we'll see you at the CAptain's  Quarters tomorrow... get to pick some Angel silk...

 Will stood  behind   Harry   as they  said  Good  night,,, he gave KArl an easy  salute as he waited for harry to leave.

 hemsl;y and Brooks took  the Vid Machine down, and hauled it back towards the Rec Dec  as they promised they would

 Chief POst came  over  and Nodded to  Lizzy,..hope you liked  the show?... CAptain Si pull alot of folks  into rigging that  fight cake to 'fly' he  gives her  and KArl a salute,..gotta get some sleep....

 Shade started to put some  of the things  in refuse  container.. he   whilred and Bleeped  about  Going   home... and wanted to know  if Orria  was staying..or if she  needed to go home.

In reply to Melia Kristensen (msg # 939):

Zob chuckled a bit, "I honestly tend to stay away from really sweet things if at all possible making a few exceptions here and there" he said referencing the birthday cake they just ate, "You probably shouldn't drink that" he said as he watched her take a sip and cough willing to discard it for her if she didn't want it.

Kira felt pretty good but she was starting to get a bit tired, "Lets call it a night shall we?" she said to Morgan with a ever so small smirk on her face.

  Morgan   fixes  another    hamber  and    wraps it in  a folded paper plate....this  will be  my snack before bed... what are    you gonna  do tomorrow?... Only Non-coms going to that The Big Dance  will be Lyri  and the SM.. the rest of us..get to  run around Bura!

Karl looked perplexed when Lizzy asked about a container and a candle.  "The container's the easy part...any metal canister should be stable enough and flame resistant enough for the job, as long as you don't get something used for fuel or explosives...that could get a little exciting."  There were a few spent shell casings from the howitzer on his plane that had deformed enough after discharge that they couldn't be reloaded again...only thing they were good for was sending back to the foundry, but they usually collected at least a dozen or so before they sent them down.  He could get one of his crew techs to cut the base off one, so it was a couple of inches deep.  It would contain a burning candle easy enough...and anything flammable on the metal had already cooked off when the round was fired...

"There might be a shop or two in the Civie Section that carries candles...the Quartermaster might have some as part of a survival kit, but they aren't likely to part with one for unofficial reasons.  But the civilians practice all kinds of crafts like that...staying in practice for when they decide they want to settle on a colony.  That's probably your best bet."  He forced himself to look preoccupied with the problem so as to mask the fact that his gaze lingered a little when she was pulling the picture out of her garter belt.

He looked at the picture, listening to Lizzy talk about the woman in the image.  "Well, I'd say it's pretty clear you take after her much more than your dad...I mean, you're not a pretentious ass, so there's plenty of differences there and with as much as you resemble her, I wouldn't be surprised if you ended up very similar to her in personality."  He found himself struggling a bit for something to say...his mother had passed away comparatively recently, from age-related complications of a disease that had since been eradicated by medical advancements, but that didn't leave him feeling prepared to offer anything constructive to someone who lost their parent in a choice to sacrifice for the sake of the child.

He was, thankfully, rescued from likely saying something profoundly stupid by Harry coming over, and he sat back while the pair talked about a girls' night.  He grinned and returned Will's and Chief Post's salutes, and nodded to others who paused as they were passing by on their way out.  The night was winding down, though he felt no particular rush to call it an evening...it would be smart to not stay out too late, as there was no knowing if a battle alert would sound in the wee hours, but there wasn't really much planned until docking tomorrow...and then until the ball.  There was still time to enjoy...

 Lizzy will listen as Karl talks about getting a canister, that was good , but then they would have to find a candle. Then Lizzy thought the candle on her cake, maybe she could take that.

 When Karl says she takes more after her Mom she smiles and then says," Thank you Karl, yeah it is not hard to tell she was my Mom that is for sure."

 Lizzy smiled and said, " Good night Harry see you tomorrow I will help you pick out a dress as well." Then Lizzy turned to Nikki," Thank you Nikki it was fun and no run in the morning just getting ready for the Ball."

 Then more people came over to say good night and a final Happy Birthday. She waved at Frans and smiled, Lizzy would smile and wave at Will, when Chief Post comes over she says," Thank you Chief it was amazing seeing it come down like that, Oh Chief could I have the Candle if that is okay?"

 Once she got the candle and everyone had said their good nights, Lizzy would smile and say to Karl," Thank you it has been an amazing evening, just need a container now, but first a proper thank you." Lizzy would hold Karl tight and kiss him with feeling, passion and desire. Lizzy will keep kissing him for a good bit and then add," Shall we find a container and would you like to light the candle with me either in mine or your Quarters?" Lizzy smiled a very seductive smile as she asked Karl the last bit, she really liked him a lot and Lizzy was ready to move to the fun stage with him.

 Lizzy then would take her Mom's picture and place it back in her garter, Karl would see her knife there as we this time. Lizzy will show Karl a good view of her thigh and what he could see more of later and smile at him.
This message was last edited by the player at 15:01, Thu 22 Aug 2019.

With Nikki saying that she would also be up for a girls night out, Harry would flash the pair of them a smile "ok cool, I'll see if Gai and Abby would like to join us, maybe even Teela depending on whether she's feeling well enough to do so" she said grimacing slightly as she recalled the injuries her friend had sustained on the planets surface. It would be nice to spend a little time with Teela as she was beginning to miss her, but she would fully understand if she wasn't well enough to join them.

With the birthday girl turning her attention to the other guests, Harry would take Wills hand to show that she was ready to make a move, with the pair of them crossing the field at a leisurely pace, calling to Abby as they passed her "see you tomorrow Little Fish, try not misbehave too much!" before carrying on their way to their quarters.

---> Officers Quarters

In reply to kira (msg # 961):

Kira tired to think about it but her mind was a blank, "Not honestly sure what I'll be doing on Bura I kinda just play things by ear like I do most shore leave, unless you had something in mind?"

  Morgan shrugged   as the  moved on,..I was  at  some of those Villages?... The treat ESN  folks  really well... but you have to   watch them. they are like Gypsies, they are your friends..but  don't  cross them..and  don't   trust loose  Creds  around them!... Never  been to  one of thier Cities... they Blended thier   cities into the  forests  and such.. so , while it might  seem Like Fuji?.. It will seem like Fuji in the  jungle!.

 ..The people , from what i have been reading up on,  all have thier own society ...  peopel who live near bodies of  water...people  who are herders.. people who live in the forest... Caravans of Movign groups  whop travel all over thier  world...and all that is mixed  with teh tech the Green Angels ..and Now  the ESN/APF  has dropped on them...which..i guess is why they want in the war now... they know they can fight back, beyond thier Home world.

"Okay niters then to all.  I better get Haley to bed before she winds up being hooked up to batteries to drain the energy off her" the little girl still running about.  When they got back to their quarters Nikki would know how to take out the little real energy she'd have left.  "Okay kiddo, we gotta go." she clapped her hands a bit.
Haley skipped over towards her falling over her own feet at one point.  out of breath she caught up with Nikki, a big smile on her face, and a touch of chocolate frosting on her cheek.
Taking her by the hand they walked to the lifts catching it just in time to go up with Harry.


===> officers country

In reply to Kira (msg # 966):

"It sounds like most of the outlining villages are nomadic in nature which is not necessarily a bad thing... as for the cities I've never been to it either so it will be a experence for both is us" Kira was very curious to see the sights but wasent to certain of her game plan.

When they reached the lift they moved off to the non com quarters.

-----> To Non Coms