“A good point,” Mei-Lin said. “I guess I don’t really know what his response could potentially be, I know he’s quite a bit older than Cormus. I wonder if it’s almost like living with an uncle. Although Ragnar seems to be normal enough, I haven’t heard anything weird about him. I am glad he' s around in case there’s a fight tho. I bet he’s taken out his fair share of opponents.”

T’Vara grinned “I bet he has. And while rugged, he’s much closer to my age than Avery is…”

Lindsy gave the Romulan a playful shove “T’Vara! You never said anything before!”
“You never asked. And I never said I would consider a relationship with him…” She polished off her wine and climbed up out the side of the pool before going over and filling it back up. “I’m going to hop over into the other pool for a few minutes, I will return.” She made her way off about twenty five feet away and dipped into the smaller pool.

Lindsy replied “Enjoy it, you can see even more stars over there.”

Mei-Lin was just as surprised “I guess Romulan hormones are quite something else. I would have never guessed to be honest. Not with their usual demeanor.”

“Oh no, Romulans are delightful, really.” Tiraa finished what was left in her wine glass and let herself sink down a bit more into the water. “They are very much the same as Vulcans, except they don’t repress all that energy and emotion. They are a very sensual species, and while they aren’t usually as pointed as T’Vara is with their lust, they desire deeply.” She smiled slightly. “It is another covert challenge for them, in a way, to communicate what they want without being crass.”

Mei-Lin didn’t have any point of reference, she wasn’t sure about Lindsy. “Repressing emotions to that extent, no thank you. I tried to date a Vulcan during my time at the academy but it didn’t pan out, obviously. Too much meditation needed. As far as Romulans, well T’Vara is the first one I’ve ever met. I do enjoy her as a roommate. And I appreciate her straightforwardness when I ask her for advice.”

“They can certainly be very passionate people, if not, I don’t think the war with them would have lasted as long as it did.” Thinking about concerns and politics back home did make her wonder how her family was doing. But she knew she’d rather be out here on the frontier. She got bored with predictability.

“No… and without them the Dominion War would have been lost and who knows what would have become of us. They are a misunderstood people, really, but I suppose I can relate.” Tiraa shrugged and reached for the bottle of wine to refill her glass and anyone else who needed it. “So, Mei-Lin… you and Cormus?”

She smiled at the mention of him “Yes, we have only shared dinner once so far, but he’s perceptive, for being young as he is. We’ve both spent more than a few sessions together in the bay fixing shuttles though, so I think that has helped. It’s been a lot of fun sharing that time with him and I feel like there’s some real potential, and something with him is much more attainable. But we’ll see. I think friendships are an important base to any relationship.”

Lindsy took note of Tiraa’s offer and reached over with her glass to allow the other woman to refill it. “Thank you.”

Tiraa nodded acknowledgement to Lindsy, but kept her focus on Mei-Lin. “Relationships take many forms through many different means, but I do agree that is the best way when it is available. Have you decided when your next date is going to be?”

“Not yet” Mei-Linn said, taking another sip of wine. “I am looking to see what he comes up with, and considering all the work he and I have had to do and what is upcoming, it may be hard to find time right away for anything. But I am excited to see what he comes up with next.”

Lindsy smiled and chimed in “You could almost count the times in the shuttle bay as dates. You both enjoy working on things together, so one could say there were a couple of unofficial ones prior to the dinner.”

“That is true.” Tiraa nodded. “As long as everything is getting done, I don’t see a reason you two shouldn’t enjoy yourselves while you work.”

The young woman agreed “Of course. I think he enjoys fixing stuff too much as it is to stop working on things just because I am there. It’s a good shared interest.” She finished off her wine and looked back over her shoulder when she heard a very drunk T’Vara making her way back to the group. “Thiss iss a very beautiful program, Lindsy.” She wasn’t quite stumbling but certainly had her fill of wine.

Lindsy stepped out of the water and grabbed a towel to wrap around herself and then T’Vara. Mei-Lin also climbed out and grabbed a towel to dry off before starting to put her clothes on. “I should take her back so she can sleep this off.” It was abrupt, but the two women had become fairly close in such a short time and looked after each other/ T’Vara got dressed after drying off some with Lindsy’s help and also kept the towel, giving a drunken not to Tiraa “Itss been a pleassure, Tiraaa.”

Lindsy smiled in half embarrassment for the other woman as they watched them leave. “Looks like it’s just us now.”

Tiraa had given a polite if not amused nod of farewell to the women, watching them go then returning her black gaze to Lindsy. “I’m surprised. She really didn’t have that much to drink; the Romulans I have met weren’t such light weights.”