Finding a true friend

Posted on Fri Jun 2nd, 2017 @ 7:50am by Lieutenant Beowulf "Wulf" Byrnes

Mission: Down on the Upside
Location: quarters
Timeline: current

ON:

Byrnes and Sirico came around a corner from seeing to the fusion reactor. "...so you see? The EPS manifold that fed power directly to the system was faulty. Give it a few hours and all will be fine."

Sirico nodded to all that he had said. "Don't you check the work?"

"When I need to, yeah." Said Byrnes.

"You don't feel you need to on this project," asked Sirico.

Wulf stopped and turned to face her as she stopped. "No, I don't. This is the Delta Quadrant, and Starfleet would only send those they felt could handle the isolation. If they can handle that, they can handle a manifold without me looking over their shoulder every five minutes. I trust my people."

Sirico gave a single nod of understanding. "Fair enough. So, now what?"

"I'm gonna go play some tunes for relaxation, shower, then dive into the scratcher," explained Byrnes.

"Mind if I tag along?"

Byrnes got them walking again, his voice accented by chuckles. "I play my shit loud when in the moment, hope you can handle it."

Sirico gave a derisive sigh. "Wulf, my family is from Sicily, I'm from New York City." She dropped the covering of her NYC accent. "I can handle anything you throw at me. Ballads, metal, dubstep...bring it, boyo."

Byrnes gave a laugh as they made it to his door. "Sneaky bitch, arntcha? Alright, you've been warned. There's a 50 yr old bottle of Pendleton whiskey in the cupboard near to the dining table." They walked into his quarters, him giving an off-hand pointing to the libations before peeling off his vest and over-shirt, tossing them in a chair. His black tank top accented his body, built like a brick shit-house, and obviously a strength trainer atop an athletic frame. He took sat behind the piano and looked at her as she found the booze and two glasses. "Anything you wanna hear that I might know?"

Sirico went and sat next to him on the bench, setting the tumblers on the piano top and pouring them both full. "Surprise me." She put the cork back in the bottle and set it aside, taking up a glass for herself and handing him one. "I can deal with a variety of music, as long as it is good and gets my tush moving." She giggled.

Wulf sipped some whiskey, then set the tumbler over on an end table near him. "Okay. When I play, the entire band is included. I set it so that whatever I am playing is out of the track. Hence, the piano, and I will do vocals. You asked for it. This one is all piano and vocals, so I hope you enjoy." Setting himself and tuning for a few minutes, Wulf started the song he had in mind.

***

"Scars" (piano version)

{OA: Black Label Society/Zakk Wylde}

Say your peace, for I'll be on my way
One last look, nothing left to say
As I turn my back, to walk away
I shall forgive, but I won't forget that day

For every sky that shines
Shall meet the pouring rain
For my will shall never break though it may bend
Like the scars that heal yet never mend

When lies become the truth
Well, you've got your beliefs
No burdens on your mind
They're buried beneath your feet

As I turn my back, to walk away
I shall forgive, but I won't forget that day

For every sky that shines
Shall meet the pouring rain
For my will shall never break though it may bend
Like the scars that heal yet never mend

As I turn my back, to walk away
I shall forgive, but I won't forget that day

For every sky that shines
Shall meet the pouring rain
For my will shall never break though it may bend
Like the scars that heal yet never mend

For every sky that shines
Shall meet the pouring rain
For my will shall never break though it may bend
Like the scars that heal yet never mend

***

"Oh my God," said Sirico. "That was beautiful. You sang that from the well of your spirit. Bad break-up?"

"You could say that," admitted Byrnes. "Long time ago. I still feel her now and again."

"Really?" Cristina was kind of surprised by that, seeing this man as strong and independent. For someone to leave that kind of impression, and he still felt her, then that had been a deep intimacy. "Is she still around? I mean, alive?"

Wulf gave a grin and looked over while sipping some whiskey. "Yep. She's a Vulcan. Well, half Vulcan, half Romulan. It is believed that if you go deep into intimacy with a Vulcanoid they can develop a telepathic link with you. This one did. She's in the Alpha Quadrant, so any feeling I have from her is pretty dead this far out in the galaxy, since we're no longer together. She upheld her family obligations and married the man her family had arranged for her when she was just a girl."

"Arranged marriage?" Sirico shook her head. "Pfft. What the hell is this, the middle ages?"

"Vulcan tradition, and I respected that." Byrnes sighed. "Let's change the subject." He swallowed down his drink, handing the tumbler over. "Ice please. I like to let the ice melt a bit, brings out the aromas and flavors in the whiskey."

Sirico got up and did as he asked, bringing the glass back and plopping her tush on the bench. "There, massa. Is there anything else Miss Cristina can get for you? Slippers, perhaps?"

"I can, and will, kick you out," responded Byrnes, a grin on his face, the threat an empty one.

"Sorry," said Sirico. "Just trying to make you laugh. Your eyes died for a moment."

Byrnes leaned over and kissed her cheek. "Thanks for hanging with me tonight. Means a lot. You wanna know what I am searching for, then listen up." He switched to his guitar, standing right in front of her after she spun to sit on the bench and observe.

***

"Heart Of Gold"

{OA: Neil Young. Cover by Black label Society}

I want to live,
I want to give
I've been a miner for a heart of gold.
It's these reflections
I never give
That keep me searching for a heart of gold.

And I'm getting old.
Keep me searching for a heart of gold
And I'm getting old.

I've been to Hollywood
I've been to Redwood
I crossed the ocean for a heart of gold.
I've been in my mind,
It's such a fine line
That keeps me searching for a heart of gold.

And I'm getting old.
Keeps me searching for a heart of gold
And I'm getting old.

Keep me searching for a heart of gold.
You keep me searching and I'm growing old.
Keep me searching for a heart of gold
I've been a miner for a heart of gold.

***

Finishing, Wulf set the guitar in its stand and then sat down in his easy chair, facing his guest. "This isn't becoming a thing, is it?"

Sirico was surprised by the bluntness of the question. "Uhhmm..no. Pretend I'm a baseball player."

Wulf gave a laugh. "What? What does that even mean?" He giggled some more.

"Okay, here it is." Said Cristina. "You use your bat, I prefer the catchers mitt." She raised her eyebrows in that look of 'get it?'.

"Ahh, message received," said Byrnes. "That's cool. So, we gonna hang out more often? Friends are hard to come by out here in the big D."

Sirico smiled. "Of course, you ninny. I don't know many here, and you are cool as shit. Casual. I dig that."

"It's a slow, southern Irish thing, not done on purpose," he said, grinning at the self-diagnosis. "My branch of the family went north, but the ancestry, beyond the island, came from down south. Mainly the Gulf states."

"Hence, your love of the sea." Sirico finished her drink and stood, setting the glass on the piano. "But, work comes early and my boss can be a stickler. If you got nothing going on any given night, give me a buzz."

"Thanks, Sicily, I will." Byrnes downed the secon tumbler of whiskey, which was half of the first with the ice. He stood to escort her out. "Have a good night, sister."

Cristina gave him a peck on the lips. "Always. Get some sleep, I'll see you tomorrow." She walked out.

The door slid shut leaving Wulf standing there alone. His chin dropped, fingers tapping the doorjamb as memories ran through his mind. Lifting his head he spun and went back into his main room, proper. After almost dying to get here it was comforting to find a friend, a confidante he could trust with his feelings, his fears, and his inadequacies. It was a rare thing to find people who were real, who were who they were no matter what, and with Sirico he had found that. She didn't judge and she listened. All he could ask for. Stripping down Wulf headed to the shower, hoping to wash away grime and memories that still haunted him.

OFF: