A Few Laps

Posted on Wed Jun 24th, 2020 @ 3:29am by Lieutenant Alexandra Alves MD & Ensign Emmanuelle Larose
Edited on on Fri Jul 10th, 2020 @ 5:54pm

Mission: Death in Paradise
Location: Deck 5 - Lap pool
Timeline: Immediately after “A Little Exercise Can’t Hurt”; before “Normal Again”

Emmanuelle was right, Alexandra thought with a happy grin, as she walked into the pool area, and looked around. The place was completely empty. Noone was around this time of the day. It was perfect for a little swim. She had an urge to jump right into the cold water, and do some rounds around the pool, but decided to wait for her new-found exercising partner to arrive. She walked around, trying to get used to her brand new two-piece athletic swimsuit she just replicated. The swimsuit was fine, but trying to tuck her large super-curly hair under a swimming cap was quite the challenge.

Emmanuelle arrived a moment later in a black one-piece bathing suit that made her pale skin and bright hair stand out very sharply. Her hair was done up in a loose bun to keep it under control during a swim. She carried a towel, which she put down on a chair, and a pair of goggles, which she carried with her toward Alexandra. "It's nice here, non?" she asked.

Alex noticed the other woman arriving, dressed for the 'occasion', just like her. "Hello." she waved to Emmanuelle, as she watched her settling down. "Sim, concordo. I agree." she said, as she slowly dipped her right leg in the water.

Smiling as she saw her friend rest the water cautiously, Emmanuelle put her goggles on and dived right into the deep end. She swam a ways into the pool before surfacing. “Temperature is perfect!” she called out, though she was grinning like a madwoman as she did so. The water was quite cold and it was a shock when she jumped in. She knew Alex had a sense of this, but hoped she would doubt what her leg told her and just jumped in too.

Alex watched as Emmanuelle quickly jumped into the cold water, not bothering to get used to it, rather diving right in. She waved to her when her friend emerged from below, apparently in a weird mixture of enjoying herself and trying to get through the sudden cold shock. She shook her head with a wise doctor-ish smile. "Jumping suddenly into the cold water can cause cardiovascular damage, and other problems." she said, as she took a few steps into the pool. "It's not a wise thing to do." she shrugged. "But... who cares?" With that, she quickly jumped into the pool, and dived her head down.

Emmanuelle laughed as her friend went under. When she came back up, she said “I didn’t know that about jumping in cold water. I always have! Isn’t it the best way to get comfortable quickly?”

Getting through the sudden cold shock, Alex elevated her head above water, and took a few deep breaths, feeling her heart pumping faster. "No, it's not." she said between two breaths. "You should listen to your doctor's advice." she grinned.

"I guess I should!" Emmanuelle said, returning the grin. "Shall we do some lengths then?"

"Good. A willing patient is the best patient." Alexandra joked. "Sure! Let's do it!"

Emmanuelle put her head under and, finding her lane, began swimming. The workout was incredible. Muscles all over her body started to burn as she exerted herself just the right amount. She turned at the end and kicked off to do another length. At the end of that one, she stopped and held the side a moment to catch her breath.

Alex followed her friend. Exercising was really fun. She didn't have a chance for a good swim since who knows when, and now it completely struck her as the most awesome activity ever. She tried to keep the tempo with Emmanuelle, but the Ensign was faster. "You won!" she laughed, trying to catch her breath, when they stopped.

"This is the way to stay fit!" Emmanuelle exclaimed. "Cool water, the right amount of resistance, friends nearby. The promise of a hot tub or sauna afterward."

"Now, we're talking!" Alex laughed joyfully when Emmanuelle mentioned hot tubs and saunas. "Have you ever been to Rio?" she asked curiously. "They have awesome beaches. I learned to swim there, in the sea, when I was a child."

“Non,” Emmanuelle replied, shaking her head. “I’ve heard only good things though. I learned at the lake where my parents had a cottage. We’d spend weeks at a time swimming, canoeing, and kayaking through the summer.” She gestured to the pool. “Come on, let’s do a few more.”

"Sounds cool." the doctor nodded. "I've never done kayaking. Maybe I should try." she then followed Emmanuelle, agreeing with her suggestion to do a few more rounds. "Sure!"

Emmanuelle pushed off the edge and resumed swimming. Having caught her breath on the edge, she was ready to continue the workout. There and back, there and back again. Her arms and legs felt heavier as she pushed herself. She would be a bit sore in the morning but would be stronger for it.

Alexandra tried to keep up with Emmanuelle's pace, but she quickly realized it's impossible. "You never get tired?" she asked with sarcasm in her voice, trying to catch her breath. Neverthless, tiring as it is, swimming felt awesome.

“I do,” she admitted as she stopped, “but I try to push through it and lengthen how long I have until the tiredness kicks in. In security, if I lose concentration at my post, or fail to run down a suspect, people might get hurt. So I’m always trying to improve.” She swam over to the ladder. “But I think it’s time for that hot tub.” She climbed out and offered a hand to Alexandra.

"Well, you're surely fit." Alex smiled, listening through her friend explaining her exercising philosophy and the reasons behind it. She took Emmanuelle's hand, and slowly began climbing out of the pool. "Now that sounds awesome." she grinned. "Returning to the subject of kayaking... we can try that too sometime."

“Bien sur!” Emmanuelle said with a smile. “Let’s find some holodeck time later this week. I know this great river that balances quiet, relaxing kayaking with bursts of fast, excited, kayaking!” She led her doctor friend to the hot tub. The pool area still remained empty save the two of them. She walked down the steps into the tub, the heat soothing her legs, abdomen, chest, and arms as she sank into the water. She sighed deeply as she found a seat with a jet against her back.

"Sweet." the doctor grinned. "I already like it." she said, referring to the great river Emmanuelle mentioned. "You should try a Cardassian sauna sometime." she suggested as she walked into the hot tub, and felt the relaxing water embodying her. "It's a bit hotter than what most humans are used to, but it can do miracles once you get used to it."

“If the holodeck can make one, it sounds like a good activity after kayaking,” Emmanuelle said. She closed her eyes as she let the water warm her and the jets apply just the right pressure. If she were by herself, she’d probably strip and enjoy the hot tub without a swimsuit, but she was sure her friend wouldn’t be comfortable with that, so she decided not to suggest it. “Papa had one of these in the family backyard. I was in here most nights as a teen.”

"Nice program for a cold night." Alex smiled. "We had the beach really close to our home, both in Rio and in Florida. As a teen, I spend many afternoons or evening there." she said. "Well, when I was not practising football, that is."

"We really should start some sports leagues," Emmanuelle suggested as she continued to melt into the tub. "With 400 people on board, surely you can get eleven people for a soccer team, or twenty for a hockey team. We can play on the holodeck, or against other ships we rendezvous with."

"Well, that's an absolutely great idea." the doctor reacted to Emmanuelle's suggestion. "It's been a while since I've played in a team, and honestly, I'm past my prime." she said. This was true. She was closer to 40 than to 30, as she often sadly realized. "But I've been quite a player back in my high school and Academy days."

"We don't need to be at our prime," Emmanuelle reminded her. "We'd be playing for fun and fitness. And it's not like we're going to play on the holodeck against Liverpool or Brazil. We find our skill level, play someone who is a slight challenge, and work our way up."

"That's true." Alex agreed. "So, if you need a talented striker, who can also patch up the playes' injuries, here I am." she grinned.

"Smart, talented, and skilled," Emmanuelle said with a bit of a laugh. "A perfect addition to our team!" She took another deep breath and sank even further into the water, letting the jet on her back find a new spot. The water went up to the top of her neck; she craned her head to keep her chin out of the water. "I'm seriously considering asking Mindo to install something like this in my cabin. It's too nice. I could do this every day."

"Easy, easy! I'm not sure I can stand so many compliments all at once." Alex grinned playfully. She followed her friend into the water, keeping her head out of it. "Knowing Mr. Mindo, I'm sure he'd be up to the task."

Emmanuelle snorted. “Knowing Mindo, he’d have no problem agreeing to it if it meant sharing a hot tub with us.”

"You can bet on that!" Alexandra rolled her eyes. "It took me a whole evening to make him realize I like him, but I draw the line at a certain point."

“Same. He is handsome, but I refuse to be a notch on his belt.” Emmanuelle sighed. “If I don’t get out now, I may never be able to.” She slowly stood and moved toward the steps out of the hot tub.

"Right. Right." Alex nodded in understanding. "True. Right after you." she replied, standing up and following Emmanuelle out of the tub. She felt her entire body swamped in water, making her wet swimsuit glued to her body. She also felt quite cold as she left the hot water, and grabbed a warm towel to wrap it around herself.

Emmanuelle found her own towel and dried off as best as possible. Part of her was tempted to dive into the water again, that icy feeling would wake her completely. But she remembered her doctor's advice and silenced that impulse. As the towel soaked the warm water from her skin and swimsuit, Emmanuelle gave her new friend a smile. "Thank you for joining me today, Alexandra. This was fun!"

"You're welcome." Alexandra smiled back at her new friend. "Thank you for joining me. And I wholeheartedly agree!" She started walking out of the pool area, back into the dressing room. "Sooo... We'll talk about that kayaking. And about that aerobics class as well."

“We shall. Bonne nuit, Alexandra.” Emmanuelle wrapped the towel around herself and left the pool area, to return to her quarters, shower, and rest for the night.