Even Companions Fall In Love

It isn't sneaking. They've made no secret of their relationship. Still, perhaps Christian looks a touch guilty when he walks out of the quarters that had been set aside for Harry, and runs straight into Nika. "... ow." He says as he stumbles back, rubbing his nose.

The soft 'oof!' that comes from Nika is quickly stifled so as not to wake anyone else in the corridor, and the blonde peers at Christian momentarily. She herself is out in the corridor in the wee hours for lots of reasons, none of which she elaborates on at this moment. But her long hair is unbraided, hanging loose to her waist, and tousled. She is either on her way back from a shift in the hospital wing, or possibly on her way back from catching a few non-winks with the doctor on his break from the hospital wing. Their relationship hasn't seemed to suffer much in the way of strain once Nika finally relented and let Christian and Arden bully her to get at least 4 hours of sleep once a night. "You okay?" she asks in a near-whisper.

Christian rubs his nose. "I am." He says, smiling despite himself. He's dressed in a pair of running shorts and one of the shirts Harry scrounged for herself. "Coming back from the hospital? Or just couldn't sleep?"

With a faint shrug, Nika offers, "Hospital. Want some coffee?" She usually can't sleep when she comes back from there anyway, though in the weeks since the group arrived back her emotional state has settled significantly. She's conscious every moment of Brian's physical state, still spends long periods of time with the man, but she puts in equal amounts of time everywhere else she's supposed to be too -- a balance of sorts. "If you're heading back to bed, though, might not be so wise," she says with a glance over his shoulder toward the door he just left. "It's only 4:07. You've got time before you need to be up."

"I couldn't sleep." Christian says with a faint shrug. "I'm still getting used to actually staying in bed with someone past the end of the appointment." Not that he and Harry have anything resembling a Companion/Client relationship. "Coffee would be good. I'll start it." With that, he's off to the galley to brew a fresh pot.

Nika actually heads to her room to get out of the khaki trousers and tanktop she's been wearing since she got to work yesterday morning. When she joins Christian in the kitchen, her hair is still loose but she's wearing a pair of shorts and a long, comfortable T-shirt. Looks like she may be heading for a quick catnap before getting out there to handle morning chores. She moves to sit in a chair to start pulling her crazy mop of hair back into its accustomed braid. "So.... dare I be nosy and ask if you're serious or just having fun?" she teases gently.

"After all the trouble I've given you, I think you have a right to inquire." Christian says as he measures the grinds into the Blue Sun Brewmaster 3000. "I don't have casual sex. It isn't something I'm capable of."

There's a brief roll of her eyes and Nika pauses in the sectioning out of her hair to put her elbows on the table. "In spite of the amount of time I've known you, I have to tell you -- //that// statement just sort of blows my mind. What do you call sex with someone who pays you if not 'casual'?" she asks, truly interested in the answer to this question. Because she still flat can't wrap her head around a Companion's mindset. "It's not emotionally involved sex. You don't //really// know that person any better than I might know one of the guys I've occasionally had flings with."

Christian takes his time setting up the coffee maker. It gives him a moment to sort through the possible responses in his head. "Let's pretend Arden is a doctor in a hospital, not aboard our ship. He's scheduled to perform surgery. He's met the person briefly before the operation. He'll meet the person briefly after. There isn't enough time to get emotionally involved. Does that make it casual surgery?"

Nika scrunches up her nose, clearly thinking. "That's.... I don't know the right answer to that question," she finally laughs softly. "So I guess I should just say 'no' and leave it at that." She goes back to plaiting her sun-streaked mass into a french braid. "I'm glad that you and Harry are finding a friendship in one another," is all she says to him. "She's a very private person, so I won't bother you more about it."

Now that the coffee has begun to brew, Christian can walk over and do what he's been itching to do since Nika starting braiding. He lightly bats her hands away and takes over. "I should trim off the split ends later. When we get to civilization, everyone goes to the salon. Including Arden and Rick."

She chuckles at him and murmurs, "You could just cut it off now for me." She's not exactly serious. She started growing her hair out when she was barely 12 -- to cut it off at this point would be a culture shock of massive proportions. "It's not very practical and I'm hot //all// the time." Usually it's not that big a problem; she doesn't spend that much time on-planet in the seasons.

"Trim." Christian insists. "So it continues to grow healthy. You have the best hair on the ship, next to mine. I want to keep it that way." He braids in silence for a few moments. "How... serious has Harry been with people in the past?" Christian never assumes anyone's sexual orientation.

Beneath his hands, Nika goes still. "I haven't ever seen her be serious in the way that I think you mean." She smiles faintly. Perhaps Nika herself learned at Harry's feet when it comes to men. "She's never really spoken of anyone special. Not to me, anyway."

Christian nods, though mostly to himself since Nika can't see him. He reaches the end of the braid. "Band, please." Once he has that in hand, he ties it off. "I think I'm glad we'll be parting ways, eventually. She would understand my occuptation but I imagine it would still cause strain..."

Once his hands aren't pinning her in place by her hair, Nika looks up at him. The nearly white-blonde streaks through her hair and the tan she sports these days, courtesy of many hours lately in the sun, make a somewhat dramatic effect against the crystal blue eyes she turns his way. "I think of all the people you could have found to spend quality time with, Harry was a perfect fit for you," she says quietly. "She has a high opinion of Companions, and she doesn't expect people to be anything but what they are. She's got an uncanny knack for knowing exactly what to say when you need to hear it, or just keeping her mouth shut when you don't." She smiles a bit. "A lot like you, actually. It's kinda annoying sometimes."

"I know." Christian admits. He moves back into the galley. The coffee maker's beeping. The brew has finished. "Honestly, it is a bit unnerving. In almost every way, she's as well trained as most Companions. Better, in some cases. If it wasn't for her lack of education in..." he pauses, then shakes his head. "Anyway, it is very humbling to be reminded that people can be as good as you are without your training."

Nika tilts her head, watching Christian thoughtfully. "Does it bug you that she's got that knack she's got?" It's saved Nika's life a few times, honestly, so she's never really thought much about it. It's just a part of Yu-shin Harrington. Mournfully she looks at the coffee and sighs a bit. She'd love a huge amount of sugar and cream to chuck into the stuff. But well... such things don't really last ten years on a black rock too well.

"My professional pride is wounded. She's better at it than I am." Christian says, sheepishly. He pours himself a cup, then Nika a second. "In some ways, she reminds me of my mother. Intelligent, beautiful, thoughtful, impossible to lie to, and able to fit into any situation with frightening ease."

There's an expression of 'oh!' on Nika's face. His reply surprises her and then she chuckles just a little. "Yeah... that about describes her." She moves to stand up and fetch her own cup from him because it's not his job to serve her. With a grin at him, she comments cheekily, "As Mike once said... perhaps you should look at it as an opportunity."

Christian laughs, lightly. He doesn't want to wake anyone up, after all. "Even Companions can fall in love, Nika." He walks over and kisses her cheek. "I'm going to go shower so I'm ready to face the day. See you at breakfast."

Nika blinks and looks up at him. "Oh dear...." It's 4:41am and he just dropped a bombshell on her. She doesn't even know what to say. "Uhm.... I'm going to catch some shut-eye. If you wouldn't mind leaving me something to eat on the run, I'd be grateful," she says softly after he kisses her cheek.

"It'll be in the fridge with your name on it." Christian promises, even as he's walking down the hall. Shower. Cooking. Then the rest of the day. The nervous breakdown from too much work can wait until they're in space.