Do spiders smile? [Closed]

[illhaveyourmind]

Characters: Ariane Emory and Deanna Troi
Content:  A continuation of their adventures after leaving Shasta, in which Deanna discusses the price of her assistance, and Ari linefaces.
Setting:  Deanna's quarters on the Amestris
Time: Immediately after this thread
Warnings: Mindgames, telepathy, general sadism and enjoyment of making people

Comments

[myworknotme]

As soon as Deanna reached into her pocket to fish out the key, Ari moved both of her own hands calmly to the pockets in her skirt. It was a relief to get out of reach, if only for a moment, and Ari looked through the door with interest as it opened, and she entered before her crewmate.

"Lovely quarters," Ari commented mildly as she looked about. They reminded her of her own, to some extent, though Troi's tastes were somewhat different from her own. Feeling a vague wish that she had her azi with her, Ari sat down in the nearest available chair.

[illhaveyourmind]

Deanna smiled at the compliment, pausing to cast her own eyes around her quarters. Everything was clean lines and cool colors, giving off a feeling of serenity that one who knew her probably would not expect. But then most people who knew her would never, ever want to be in her quarters. Nor were many people invited here. This was her private sanctuary, and where she went to retreat from the constant buzzing of the emotions of everyone around her. She centered herself here, and so she'd made it as soothing as possible. "Thank you. Not quite what I'm used to, of course, but it serves my purposes well enough."

She did not sit, instead moving very close to Ari, but not actually touching her again. She walked past her, striding over to a small cabinet. "Vodka and orange, isn't it?" she asked, not bothering to question if Ari wanted the drink or not.

[myworknotme]

Ari, in turn, didn't even question how in the hell Deanna knew her preferences when it came to alcoholic beverages. Of course she knew. Ari had the feeling that the woman had been studying her as intensely as she could, ever since that time that she'd been at Reseune. But at least the drink would be good, given the supplies that Deanna likely had access to.

"It is," Ari replied, closely watching as Troi poured it to make certain that the only ingredients were vodka and orange, and accepted it when the drink was at last handed to her. "What are you used to, then?"

/got new icons. Have a matching one. =p

[illhaveyourmind]

Her fingers trailed over Ari's as she handed her the drink, meeting her eyes with an amused smile before sitting. The chair was a respectable enough distance from the one her companion was in, but easily within arm's reach should Deanna to reach across the small table separating them.

"When on assignment? It varies, of course." She'd made herself the same drink, sipping the orange concoction leisurely. "When not? ...Well, that kind of information is probably classified." She smirked playfully. Ari, being the only person on the ship who'd previously known Deanna in any kind of professional sense, was the only one she'd be this frank with.

[myworknotme]

The distance was enough for now, though Ari still didn't like having her that damned close. Hell, even being on the other side of the ship felt too close some days. Ari took solace in her drink, though, and enjoyed the familiar flavors as Deanna spoke, noticing with some dismay that the woman had made herself the same thing, though whether from preference or just to be annoying, Ari couldn't tell.

Ari allowed herself a small laugh at the last comment. "That's a damned familiar feeling," she agreed, and sipped at her drink some more. It didn't surprise Ari so much as she would have liked that they had similar tastes in some things, or that their experiences would be as similar as they were, at least with regards to being under close surveillance at all times. "I wonder sometimes if there's anything that's not classified left."

[illhaveyourmind]

Curling her legs beneath her in the chair, Deanna smirked again. She sipped her drink a little coquettishly. "Only if you don't know how to look."

Her eyes danced with amusement, and she extended her very first brush again Ari's mind. She made sure that it wasn't enough to be perceived, really, but just close enough to hear any surface thoughts Ari was currently thinking of. She was more curious than anything else. "And I'm sure that you do."

[myworknotme]

The similarities were, Ari reminded herself as she took another slight sip of her drink, also the thing that put her off of the woman. She knew how dangerous she herself was, and that was without all of the...things that Deanna could likely do. Ari knew of the telepathy, but only time would tell whether there was anything else.

"I'm fortunate, then, in both knowing how to look, or having people to look for me," she replied without pretense. "But that's beside the point, isn't it?"

[illhaveyourmind]

"It is," she answered, almost sweetly.

Ari's thoughts were incredibly amusing, if guarded. Those same similarities between them, Deanna considered, were one of the things that drew her to this woman. She rarely met anyone whose familiarity with manipulating the mind came close to her own- and had never met anyone able to toy with people as well as Ari could who was not another telepath.

She found herself incredibly amused that though Ari had seemed inclined to directness earlier, she had yet to breach the topic of why she was here yet. Perhaps she truly just enjoyed Deanna's company that much. The thought brought a wicked smile to her lips. "Though not as fortunate here, perhaps."

[myworknotme]

"No, perhaps not," Ari said, her face taking on a more serious, and perhaps resigned, cast. She knew damned well that Deanna didn't have to help with anything, and that she owed her something for her assistance. Ari hated owing anyone anything, especially someone who was going to use that debt for all that it was worth.

She managed a half smile, and set her drink down on the table. "I made a deal, though, and I intend to uphold my half."

[illhaveyourmind]

Setting her own drink down, Deanna began the process of centering herself, releasing the emotions of everyone else on the ship (and they were running high at the moment) to focus solely on Ari's.

Her eyes fluttered closed, both to savor the feeling of control she was having over her companion as well as to help focus her own abilities. "And that is very, very much appreciated, dear Ariane. You of all people should know that I do not work cheaply."

Leaning forward a bit, her eyes opened again, and focused solely on Ari's. She very, very leisurely extended her hand from the glass on the table towards Ari's, wondering what her reaction would be. "Nor will payment be a completely entertaining experience for you... though I'll try my best."

[myworknotme]

"It had damned well better be appreciated," Ari muttered as she watched Deanna's preparations. She had to admit that she was more than a little curious about the process that she would be going through to prepare herself for taking her payment. It looked to be a form of meditation--not entirely surprising, but still a good thing to know. Ari found that if she focused on understanding the process, it helped deaden the annoyance and, beneath that, the fear of letting someone else into her mind this way.

Ari's own hand stayed where it was, not tensing or moving away, as Deanna approached. "I have no expectations of it being pleasant, though the effort is appreciated."

[illhaveyourmind]

She took Ari's hand in her own, caressing the back of it lightly with her own thumb. "Because we'll be partners in this little venture, I'll be very nice indeed," she said almost sweetly. "I'll even let you decide how pleasant it will be."

With her free hand, Deanna opened a drawer in the table between them, withdrawing a small device shaped like a parabola with a sword through it. "I suppose," she said innocently, her motions slow and deliberate to make damned well sure Ari saw what was in her hand, "that you watched my sessions with your staff at Reseune enough to guess what this lovely little toy does?"

She placed the Agonizer just over the back of Ari's hand, raising an eyebrow almost in challenge.

[myworknotme]

Ari knew almost as soon as Deanna opened the drawer what was likely to come out of it. She recognized the shape of the Agonizer in Deanna's hand, and cast her eyes away from watching the other woman's expression to look down at it. The thing looked almost like a piece of costume jewelry from a play, but Ari knew how dangerous it was.

"I have," she said, nodding slowly, "and I do." If she let her thoughts go back to that time, she could still hear the screams resounding off of the walls of the interrogation chamber. "What's my other option?"

[illhaveyourmind]

With a little smile as Ari realized the game she was getting herself into, Deanna took the Agonizer away from her hand, placing it harmlessly on the table. She caressed the back of her hand with her fingertips again, running them up to the wrist.

Her eyes found Ari's again, and a very, very suggestive light lay behind them. "Something infinitely more pleasant and therefore far less painful, though it does require a certain amount of... bodily contact."

[myworknotme]

The touch, taken by itself, didn't feel unpleasant. When she thought more than a little about who that touch was coming from, however, the discomfort set in. It was better, though, than the pain that the Agonizer could cause, and she knew it.

Ari's expression remained calm and serious in the face of Deanna's rather obvious innuendo, and while she didn't move away, she didn't move any closer, either. "How much contact?"

[illhaveyourmind]

Her eyes glittered with amusement and still more inneundo, and her satisfied little smile spoke words. As much as I can get away with.

Aloud, she laughed a little, rising from her chair and moving closer still to her current 'partner.' "That rather depends on you, my dear. The more you open yourself up, the less we'll need. What I do to you will be a rather... intimate procedure. Quite possibly more intimate than anything you've experienced. Matching physical intimacy does make it a little easier. For you."