Challenge #160 - Remainder (Around the Clock) - Babylon 5
Author: lil_utterance
Prompt: #160 - Remainder (Around the Clock)
Fandom: Babylon 5
Pairing: Susan/Talia
Rating: PG
Word Count: 180 + 175 + 250 + 188 + 240 + 211 = 1,244
A/N: Hopefully this is a valid challenge for the remainder period - I never got around to posting my entries earlier!
00:00 /beginning (180)
“What is it like when telepaths make love?” Susan asks softly, and Talia cannot quite contain her surprise.
“Why do you ask?”
Her voice is sharper than she means it to be, and not for the first time she wishes that she had as much control over her speaking voice as she does over her mental forms of communication. Though its not a fair comparison - training her to speak had been the throwaway task.
But Susan surprises her again, offering a smile; reaching out a hand to trace her mouth. “Don’t worry, I’m not afraid you’ll read my mind or anything. I’m just curious. I’d like...I’d like to know.”
Talia feels she shouldn’t let this chance to tell Susan something beautiful - something intimate - about the talent slip away. She feels that if she could find the right description, the woman entwined with her might truly understand.
She wonders if she even has the words. To think. To speak.
But more than that she wonders if she can control her voice.
This question could have been their beginning.
01:00 / prehistoric (175)
It’s her companion, this ancient fear. It speaks in the much-loved voice so often, she thinks it must be the last remnant of her mother’s consciousness still-living inside her head.
Innate as a mother’s love, this fear.
But Susan believes in discipline, and throughout her career in Earthforce she has managed to curb most of the more insane impulses that result from the adrenaline rush she gets every time she interacts with members of the Corps. Not all - though she really had known about the pool below that window.
Still, now she has to deal with another one of them. A predator has boarded her station, and she cannot remove it.
So she absences herself from the conversation. Leaves Garibaldi so quickly that he would make fun of her if he wasn’t so distracted at the sight of Ms. Winters walking in their direction.
Susan knows its fight or flight, and she’s choosing the correct option. But somehow she still can’t resist a single challenging glance over her shoulder as she walks away.
07:00 / awakened (250)
Generally Talia hates eating meals alone.
Not that she really has much of a choice here. She’s a teep with a shiny badge that reflects the fear of others. After all, it’s not enough that she simply feels their paranoia. No, she must also feel the physical weight of their emotions on her chest.
The only exception to her dispreference for isolated dining is breakfast.
She finds breakfasting alone fine for three reasons. The first two seem straightforward: she likes time to enjoy her coffee (or at least the reasonable facsimile that’s served) and to peruse her clients’ files one final time before the day’s meetings.
But the third and final reason is rapidly giving her more pleasure than the first two combined. And in fact-
She turns her chair a bit to get a better view.
Yes. There. Right on time.
Watching Susan Ivanova in the morning is quite the treat. It isn’t that she emerges from her quarters all neat and trim and well rested. Quite the opposite. Susan does not like mornings - and does absolutely nothing to hide it. That alone is enough to make seeing her worthwhile; Susan voluntarily reveals something.
Plus, there exists undeniable entertainment value.
Anger, bitchiness, incredulity...all of the commander’s reactions seem amplified the earlier the hour.
Talia thinks that possibly the only thing better than watching Susan right after she wakes up would be to be the one actually doing the waking.
That level of irritation could be channeled so productively.
12:00 / lunchtime (188)
“Ivonova, you have a minute?”
“Not unless it’s dire, Garibaldi. I’m busy.”
She can feel him staring at her bent head, but refuses to look at him. Instead, she takes another sip of her coffee.
“Well, see, that’s the problem. You’ve apparently been too busy to answer your link.”
“I’m off duty. So if there’s no emergency...”
“Alright, alright. I just wanted to say that...well, you know Ms. Winters has had a very difficult day. She’s sitting in the bar alone and-” Michael shrugs.
Their fingers brush as she hands Talia the glass of water. Susan's fingers twitch slightly despite the sympathy she feels - though she doesn’t examine the motivation for the tremors too carefully. Most of her energy is focused on suppressing her disgust at having to once again watch the violation of another’s mind.
Susan doesn’t even spare him a glance as she opens another personnel file. “If Ms. Winters won’t talk to you, I’m hardly the appropriate confidant. I’m sorry, Garibaldi. I can’t help you.”
She can’t tell if he’s disappointed or relieved as he exits her quarters. She’s not sure which she feels either.
08:00 / heyday (240)
“So, did you enjoy yourself?”
Drink firmly in hand, Susan turned away from the bar at the sound of that amused voice.
“Ms. Winters, I have no idea as to what you are referring.”
“Why, to your diplomatic coup, Commander. I should congratulate you.”
“How could you possibly...?” Susan knew she was not being scanned, but couldn’t suppress a quick jolt of alarm.
“I heard Dr. Franklin and the captain talking. You and the captain must have had one very interesting conversation.”
“Not really.” And definitely not compared to the one they would have later. The one that occurred before she reset his shower preferences. He’d be in hot water. Literally.
Really, outside the fine art of diplomacy, subtlety was overrated.
She must not have been looking dangerous enough, because her companion offered her another slow smile.
“From what little I heard, dancing is a more integral part of human mating rituals than I had previously realized.”
Susan couldn’t quite suppress an embarrassed laugh. “Honestly? I’m still rather surprised he bought it.” She finished off her drink in one gulp and shook her head. “And I really hadn’t thought I’d ever enjoy dancing that much again.”
“See, Commander, this is why you need to keep an open mind.”
The silence stretched between the two of them.
Susan stared into her glass a moment before placing it gently on the bar. “Never going to happen,” she said, standing. “Goodnight, Ms. Winters.”
16:00 / evolution (211)
Susan wondered if it all boiled down to genetics.
Her mother’s condemnation resulted from a single gene. And despite her own best efforts, her life seemingly revolved around that one inherited trait. So much to hide for so little to see.
Evolution dictated that she was too good for Earthforce. The ‘enhanced abilities’ she possessed disqualified her for service by over-qualifying her. Or at least that’s what they would tell her if they ever found out.
But frankly, evolution also determined that she wasn’t good enough to truly interact with most other telepaths. Not that she wasn’t relieved that she was a poor candidate for a genetic pairing.
But as someone who by modern standards was overqualified to fit in with mundanes and underqualifed to belong to the new telepathic order, hiding her talent would always seem the best option for survival - regardless of the presence of the Corps.
Whatever step she represented in human evolution, it obviously would end in the extinction of her person. Too many negatives, not enough positives.
In every way, the cold hard facts of evolution meant she should not interact, confide in, or even think about Talia Winters.
And electing to sleep with her would be to select herself right out of the population.
Prompt: #160 - Remainder (Around the Clock)
Fandom: Babylon 5
Pairing: Susan/Talia
Rating: PG
Word Count: 180 + 175 + 250 + 188 + 240 + 211 = 1,244
A/N: Hopefully this is a valid challenge for the remainder period - I never got around to posting my entries earlier!
00:00 /beginning (180)
“What is it like when telepaths make love?” Susan asks softly, and Talia cannot quite contain her surprise.
“Why do you ask?”
Her voice is sharper than she means it to be, and not for the first time she wishes that she had as much control over her speaking voice as she does over her mental forms of communication. Though its not a fair comparison - training her to speak had been the throwaway task.
But Susan surprises her again, offering a smile; reaching out a hand to trace her mouth. “Don’t worry, I’m not afraid you’ll read my mind or anything. I’m just curious. I’d like...I’d like to know.”
Talia feels she shouldn’t let this chance to tell Susan something beautiful - something intimate - about the talent slip away. She feels that if she could find the right description, the woman entwined with her might truly understand.
She wonders if she even has the words. To think. To speak.
But more than that she wonders if she can control her voice.
This question could have been their beginning.
01:00 / prehistoric (175)
It’s her companion, this ancient fear. It speaks in the much-loved voice so often, she thinks it must be the last remnant of her mother’s consciousness still-living inside her head.
Innate as a mother’s love, this fear.
But Susan believes in discipline, and throughout her career in Earthforce she has managed to curb most of the more insane impulses that result from the adrenaline rush she gets every time she interacts with members of the Corps. Not all - though she really had known about the pool below that window.
Still, now she has to deal with another one of them. A predator has boarded her station, and she cannot remove it.
So she absences herself from the conversation. Leaves Garibaldi so quickly that he would make fun of her if he wasn’t so distracted at the sight of Ms. Winters walking in their direction.
Susan knows its fight or flight, and she’s choosing the correct option. But somehow she still can’t resist a single challenging glance over her shoulder as she walks away.
07:00 / awakened (250)
Generally Talia hates eating meals alone.
Not that she really has much of a choice here. She’s a teep with a shiny badge that reflects the fear of others. After all, it’s not enough that she simply feels their paranoia. No, she must also feel the physical weight of their emotions on her chest.
The only exception to her dispreference for isolated dining is breakfast.
She finds breakfasting alone fine for three reasons. The first two seem straightforward: she likes time to enjoy her coffee (or at least the reasonable facsimile that’s served) and to peruse her clients’ files one final time before the day’s meetings.
But the third and final reason is rapidly giving her more pleasure than the first two combined. And in fact-
She turns her chair a bit to get a better view.
Yes. There. Right on time.
Watching Susan Ivanova in the morning is quite the treat. It isn’t that she emerges from her quarters all neat and trim and well rested. Quite the opposite. Susan does not like mornings - and does absolutely nothing to hide it. That alone is enough to make seeing her worthwhile; Susan voluntarily reveals something.
Plus, there exists undeniable entertainment value.
Anger, bitchiness, incredulity...all of the commander’s reactions seem amplified the earlier the hour.
Talia thinks that possibly the only thing better than watching Susan right after she wakes up would be to be the one actually doing the waking.
That level of irritation could be channeled so productively.
12:00 / lunchtime (188)
“Ivonova, you have a minute?”
“Not unless it’s dire, Garibaldi. I’m busy.”
She can feel him staring at her bent head, but refuses to look at him. Instead, she takes another sip of her coffee.
“Well, see, that’s the problem. You’ve apparently been too busy to answer your link.”
“I’m off duty. So if there’s no emergency...”
“Alright, alright. I just wanted to say that...well, you know Ms. Winters has had a very difficult day. She’s sitting in the bar alone and-” Michael shrugs.
Their fingers brush as she hands Talia the glass of water. Susan's fingers twitch slightly despite the sympathy she feels - though she doesn’t examine the motivation for the tremors too carefully. Most of her energy is focused on suppressing her disgust at having to once again watch the violation of another’s mind.
Susan doesn’t even spare him a glance as she opens another personnel file. “If Ms. Winters won’t talk to you, I’m hardly the appropriate confidant. I’m sorry, Garibaldi. I can’t help you.”
She can’t tell if he’s disappointed or relieved as he exits her quarters. She’s not sure which she feels either.
08:00 / heyday (240)
“So, did you enjoy yourself?”
Drink firmly in hand, Susan turned away from the bar at the sound of that amused voice.
“Ms. Winters, I have no idea as to what you are referring.”
“Why, to your diplomatic coup, Commander. I should congratulate you.”
“How could you possibly...?” Susan knew she was not being scanned, but couldn’t suppress a quick jolt of alarm.
“I heard Dr. Franklin and the captain talking. You and the captain must have had one very interesting conversation.”
“Not really.” And definitely not compared to the one they would have later. The one that occurred before she reset his shower preferences. He’d be in hot water. Literally.
Really, outside the fine art of diplomacy, subtlety was overrated.
She must not have been looking dangerous enough, because her companion offered her another slow smile.
“From what little I heard, dancing is a more integral part of human mating rituals than I had previously realized.”
Susan couldn’t quite suppress an embarrassed laugh. “Honestly? I’m still rather surprised he bought it.” She finished off her drink in one gulp and shook her head. “And I really hadn’t thought I’d ever enjoy dancing that much again.”
“See, Commander, this is why you need to keep an open mind.”
The silence stretched between the two of them.
Susan stared into her glass a moment before placing it gently on the bar. “Never going to happen,” she said, standing. “Goodnight, Ms. Winters.”
16:00 / evolution (211)
Susan wondered if it all boiled down to genetics.
Her mother’s condemnation resulted from a single gene. And despite her own best efforts, her life seemingly revolved around that one inherited trait. So much to hide for so little to see.
Evolution dictated that she was too good for Earthforce. The ‘enhanced abilities’ she possessed disqualified her for service by over-qualifying her. Or at least that’s what they would tell her if they ever found out.
But frankly, evolution also determined that she wasn’t good enough to truly interact with most other telepaths. Not that she wasn’t relieved that she was a poor candidate for a genetic pairing.
But as someone who by modern standards was overqualified to fit in with mundanes and underqualifed to belong to the new telepathic order, hiding her talent would always seem the best option for survival - regardless of the presence of the Corps.
Whatever step she represented in human evolution, it obviously would end in the extinction of her person. Too many negatives, not enough positives.
In every way, the cold hard facts of evolution meant she should not interact, confide in, or even think about Talia Winters.
And electing to sleep with her would be to select herself right out of the population.