The Unveiling

Posted on Mon Jun 22nd, 2020 @ 11:35pm by Tisar Zemel & Raven Mattel
Edited on on Fri Jul 10th, 2020 @ 5:15pm

Mission: Divided We Fall
Location: Crew Quarters

A Mission Post by Tisar Zemel & Raven Mattel
Mission: Divided We Fall
Location: Crew Quarters
Timeline:
Wed Oct 3rd, 2018 @ 9:10am

ON:

Tablecloths. For some reason his afternoon had been consumed with tablecloths. The Cardassian had no idea that there were so many selections to choose from. He had to admit that as excited as he was about the talent show, he was also very apprehensive and worried about messing everything up. He had never planned a party. His parents were not the party hosting type of people and he had never really experienced any time away from them that wasn't in service of the military, until now. He did consider himself an artist in many ways. Of course he could match colors and he knew when a floral print was too big, but other than curtains, furniture and clothing he had not given fashion much thought. He'd always considered his tastes to be functional.

Ms. Raven, however, was much different, at least in Tisar's eyes. She seemed very fashion forward and also seemed to have lists of things that they would need for the show. Many of those things Tisar would have never considered. He sincerely felt that if he had been left to his own devices, without Ms. Raven's help, it would have probably been a very tidy, but boring talent show. He was very grateful for any advice that she had to give him. He was currently on his way to a planning meeting with Ms. Raven, someone he was beginning to think of as a friend.

Raven’s hair was large, blonde, and a tangled mess. Mattel was brushing it with fierce determination, knowing it had to be perfect for the talent show. With gritted teeth the brush was pushed through the hair with so much force that the wig slipped off the mannequin and onto the floor. “Damn.” Came a deep sigh as Mattel leaned over to pick it up. “Stay on there!”

Dressed in simple sweatpants and a grey tee, Robert was enjoying a rare moment of peace. With the missing crew now returned and the ship back to travelling through the Expanse, the performer finally had a moment to relax and work on their craft - while spending the day out of drag. Boy Mattel was a lot simpler in appearance than the Raven persona; less pink plastic pumps and more comfy slippers. Still, Robert was not wasting any time in getting ready for the show.

Tisar stopped in front of Ms. Raven's door and took a deep breath. He wasn't really nervous so much as Ms. Raven always seemed to have that effect on him. He freely admitted to himself that she was beautiful in his eyes, but he wasn't really ready to admit that he was also attracted to her. He'd never really been attracted to a human, or considered one as a potential mate. Not that he'd spent a whole lot of time with humans. It simply didn't cross his mind that the reason she could so easily pull a flush to his cheeks might be that he thought of her as a little more than just simply beautiful.

The Cardassian tapped the buzzer at the door and waited. He had a pile of things in his arms, from cloth samples to several PaDDs that covered all of the selection of items that he had been charged with. He was looking forward to going over them with Ms. Raven as well as getting to spend some time with her.

Robert popped the wig back onto its mannequin then shuffled over to the doorway. It wasn’t far from the bedroom area to the door, given service staff quarters were no bigger than a junior crewman’s in size. Having made the three and a half strides across the room, he pressed the release button with typical enthusiasm and smiled at Tisar standing on the other side. “Why hello there, Mr. Cardassian.”

Tisar smiled. He was a tiny bit disappointed, but he didn't let it show. He had not been aware that Ms. Raven had a boyfriend. "Hello there, is Ms. Raven in? I had a meeting with her today and brought all of the samples for the talent show..." He looked briefly into the room beyond, expecting Raven to appear. "I hope this isn't a bad time. I admit, I'm a little early..." The word "early" had just barely passed his lips when he looked at the man in front of him again. Had he really called him "Mr. Cardassian"? Only Ms. Raven called him that. Perhaps she had shared this name with this gentleman.

Mattel’s brow furrowed as he stepped aside to allow Tisar inside. “No, I’ve been expecting you, of course. I can’t wait to plan this Talent Show with you.” Robert swished over to the couch and picked up the collection of dresses that were strewn across it. He sat down on the couch and patted the cushion next to him.

Tisar stood there, just inside the doorway, staring at Robert. His head slowly tipping to one side as he watched the man walk away from him. "I'm very confused," he finally managed. He made his way to the sofa and put down everything that he was carrying on a low table. "Ms. Raven didn't mention a partner..." he said softly, as he sat down next to Robert. He was still staring at Robert, his brow ridges furrowed. Robert looked so familiar. Maybe, he was Ms. Raven's brother.

Robert sighed loudly, clearly confused as to why the Cardassian kept referring to him in the third person, and why he was acting so strangely. “I’m sorry, did you want to plan this on your own?” he asked, annoyed, thinking Tisar was rejecting the idea of collaborating. “That’s fine by me honey, I have a show to prepare for, but I thought you needed my help.”

"Wait! No! I..." Tisar sighed. "I just thought that Ms. Raven would be joining us today. I'm so sorry. I meant no offense. I'm more than happy to work with anyone that she suggests I work with. I can't even seem to settle on a tablecloth. Please, I desperately need your help." He was sincere, bordering on begging. "I'm so sorry. I'm Tisar, by the way. Are... are you Ms. Raven's brother? Boyfriend? Husband?" he asked.

The other stiletto dropped.

“Ooooohhh.” Mattel breathed out, his face cracking it a wide smile. “Ooooooohh hooooney!” He leaned back into the couch and raised up his hands, letting out a loud and sharp laugh. Robert looked to Tisar for a moment, just to check if the Cardassian was being serious, and then burst into laughter once again, clapping his hands together excitedly.

Tisar's eyes widened in surprise at the laughter. It was not the reaction he had expected. He was now even more confused than before. Apparently, something was hilarious, but the Cardassian wasn't sure quite what it was. He watched Robert laugh with his concern growing. He was silently hoping that he hadn't made some sort of human custom error. "I'm very confused..." he admitted again.

Robert leaned back in closer to Tisar and stared directly into his eyes. “Honey, look at me. I am Raven. This is just me out of drag, honey.”

Tisar stared back. It took a moment for the words to sink in. He blinked slowly, once, and then his eyes widened more. "You... but.. Ms. Raven?" His eyes wandered up and down Robert's body. "You...your..." he stammered, almost as if he didn't understand that he was making noise. It was the most amazing thing he'd ever experienced. This man was Ms. Raven, but why? Cardassians had nothing in their culture that even resembled drag performance. He had no idea, of course he understood deception, but this sort of deception seemingly had never occurred to him.

Mattel curled his lip in a smirk, “Don’t tell me you didn’t know! Have you never met a Queen before?”

Tisar shook his head. "I... did not know. Nor did I suspect. You are also royalty?" He had just gotten over staring and now he was staring again. "You... you're amazing!"

Another laugh escaped from Robert. “We’re called drag queens. Human culture has used cross dressing and gender impersonation for centuries. Sometimes for entertainment, or even espionage and military activities. Me, though? I’m just a performer. A show girl with an occasional five o’clock shadow.”

"You're astounding! What talent you have! I had no idea. I would have continued to completely think that you were completely female. So this practice is called drag queen? I have only heard of such a thing, but I have never seen it in practice. I have, of course, heard of women dressed as men to fight in battle. My culture treats women the same as it treats their men, but I know humans have been classically different." He was looking at Raven with a new appreciation.

Robert couldn't help but blush at the Cardassian's praise, and he demurely placed a hand to his mouth in thanks. "You are far too kind, Tisar. I'm just surprised you couldn't tell. Heck knows I've got a baritone laugh!" And to demonstrate, Mattel laughed loudly. "Drag culture has gone through many different iterations and levels of acceptability in human culture. You're right, though, sometimes women would dress as men in order to fight wars when women were seen as weaker warriors. And in turn, men who dressed like women for entertainment or personal preference, were often mocked, judged, and violently attacked by small-brained individuals. It took a lot of work for drag to become acceptable and even revered in our society. I just hope to do my sisters proud."

"I've never had experience with this sort of thing and I am far from way too kind. Many women have deeper voices, especially as they get older. Not that you're older..." He blushed a little, the color almost a lavender against his greyish skin tone. "I'm digging a bigger hole... I just. You're very talented. I am a fan. Do you... date men as Ms. Raven?" The question didn't seem to be indicating any sort of issue, just the same curiosity he had displayed previously. "Same sex relationships I definitely understand." He smiled a little, looking at Raven.

"Truthfully I have also been lying about my age but shhh!" Robert held a finger up to his lips. "Nobody needs to know that." He gave a laugh before sauntering over to the kitchenette, which was typically just a replicator and a few cupboards. Tisar's question caused him to shrug. "Sometimes. Some men like the gurl, but not the boy. Some men just can't handle Raven." He smirked to himself as he stared at the Replicator. "Actually most men can't handle Raven. Drink?"

"I'd love one. Surprise me. I hate Kanar... Do you have a preference? I mean... men or women?" he asked. He didn't seem in any way upset about what had transpired. "Do you ever date... outside your species?" He was casually laying out his tablecloth selections on the table in the living room. "You know if they can't handle you... no matter what you're wearing then perhaps you didn't need them anyway. You deserve someone who can handle you. All of you."

"I believe in fluids and fluidity," Mattel replied, turning back around with two drinks in hand. "This is a fruity concoction I like to make. I call it a Mattel Martini. Not very strong in terms of alcohol, but it's got a lot of taste." Robert sat back down on the couch as he handed Tisar his drink. "Truthfully, I've been so career focused lately, I haven't had much time to date. What about you, Mr. Cardassian? You seem to be full of surprises yourself there."

Tisar snorted in humor and took the drink gratefully. "Thank you. Me? Dating?" He shook his head. "No... no dating. I've spent a lot of time focused on my shop and then there was the hostage thing and the escaping and the shop here... not much time for dating either." He chuckled. "Things are starting to be much less... encroaching on my personal time though." He sipped at the very edge of the glass and pulled his face back from the drink quickly in surprise. "Oh! It's..." He took another sip, larger this time, taking a moment to savor the taste. "It's rather delicious!"

"Of course it is honey," Robert added, slipping into that Raven tone all too easily. He took a drink of his own and nodded. "I admit, I have asked about you. I was surprised to find a Cardassian on a Starfleet vessel. Let alone a civilian who owns a music shop. I was told you were abducted by the Ravagers?"

One hand nervously rubbed at the back of his scaled neck and he nodded. "It was a rather trying ordeal... lots of sleep deprivation. I survived, of course. Cardassian... that's what we do," he chuckled warmly. "Funny how I can fight in wars... see the carnage of battle. Watch my people and my culture melt away in the chaos and yet I have nightmares about a fat man who controlled his people through fear of death... and lots of yelling." He shrugged and shook his head as if trying to clear the memories with the motion.

"Sounds horrifying." Robert replied with a sympathetic stare. "It's amazing that you're able to be so sunny and polite after all that. I get one rude customer at the bar and I'm in a bad mood for the rest of the night. But you? You look like you've just made a home here."

"It was the captain, to be honest." Tisar smiled at her. "It is not often that you find someone that you can believe in, in a leadership position. After having been in war you find that it's so rare that you sort of develop an eye for it. If that makes any sense. You get a feeling from that person that regardless of your position or rank when it comes to the thick of things your back is covered. It takes a special kind of man to truly inspire those feelings in their soldiers. Captain Temple is one of those men." He shrugged. "He made me feel like I could be here and be safe." Tisar explained all of this with a passion suggesting his belief in it. "I learned that there is no point in being miserable or dwelling on things that are over. The only person you really affect with that is you. I don't want to spend all my time making myself miserable. It seems like a terrible waste of time." He smiled at her.

"Wow." Robert breathed, looking to her friend with quiet awe. "You should, like, write a book or something. Or... OH! A song? I bet you'd write something beautiful."

"I'd rather write one about you..." Tisar said softly, in a sort of offhand way. "But that's a really good idea. A unique piece of music for this ship and her crew. Perhaps for the talent show!" He smiled warmly. "How do you come up with so many good ideas and not be just exhausted all the time?"

"Oh honey, but your story is so much more interesting. I'm just a tired arse show girl." Robert laughed, "Do you think you'll have time to write something? We've still got to plan the damned thing and we haven't even talked about tablecloths yet. But you'd get my vote for the Talent Show if you wrote a song."

"Of course I have time. For you, my lady, anything is possible." He grinned and chuckled. "I hope you'll think it's as good as all of that when I'm done and playing it. I never said I was a great composer," he joked.

"You have the soul of one, that's all that matters," Mattel said instinctively. "We're going to make this a bloody good show for the crew."

"You flatter me, madam," Tisar said very shyly. "Now... about these tablecloths."

Mattel gave a coy laugh before leaning in to view the samples Tisar had carefully brought with him.

:OFF