Officer Entanglement (TPF)

Days become a blur at time, important meetings and the need to stay in the same mindset forces Lieutenant Commander Samuel Wójick, formerly known as Samuel-B256, to forget some special days. Ever since leaving the field, taking a commission and working for the Office of Naval Intelligence, he has found himself in the same loop of intensity that he had while deploying as a Headhunter.

May 17th came far faster than he is willing to admit. The thought that he was growing older made Samuel think twice about everything he ever went through, from the time his parents died to leaving the field of combat. Each decision he made out there has led him to live in Quest Castle Hill, Sydney, Australia. Alongside him, his longtime companion, Lieutenant Commander Mathilda Rolland. She still follows him around after all the years they spent together, she must be getting tired of him.

As Samuel prepared to leave HIGHCOM Facility Bravo-6 for the day, Mathilda stopped him at his office’s door with an envelope. Looking down at her hands, he wonders what she did wrong that requires him to open an envelope. Slowly reaching out to take the envelope, he watches Mathilda keep a focus on him he has not seen in quite some time.

“You ok up there?” He glances up at her, seeing a quick blink and fast nod of approval from her.

Something is up now; he knows her well enough that if she is not talking, something terrible is about to happen.

“Wait.” Her hands go on top of his, she stops him for the time then takes her hands back. “Sorry, go ahead.” Samuel only looks more confused, seeing how she is acting.

Slowly but surely, Samuel pulls the paper apart to see what she has given him. Mathilda continues to gnaw on her lower lip and fidget with her hands as he takes his time. Time has become her enemy; the slow movements from him only drive her more insane within the walls of her minds.

Once opening the envelope, Samuel fishes the card out. A Happy Birthday card, the first one he has gotten since living on New Harmony in 2536. He tries to hide a smile, but Mathilda can see his lips tug and cheeks pull back as he smiles hard.

“Open it.” He looks up at her, seeing her focus come right back and his smile vanishes.

Mathilda curses to herself, seeing his smile go away. Whatever is scrambled inside of his mind, he must think she did something wrong.

Upon opening the card, he reads the left-hand side first. A dry sense of humor joke does not faze Samuel, and he moves to the right side of the card. There he sees a handwritten note from Mathilda, expressing her gratitude and willing to accept her as his friend throughout the many years they have served together.

His eyes darted down to the lower half, a dinner reservation at a high-class restaurant. Upon looking up, he sees Mathilda look at him with a flustered look. A birthday card and a dinner together, Samuel grows more concerned for Mathilda’s well-being. He has known her since she was six and she has never done anything like this before.

“Thank you for the card; it means a lot to me. But dinner?” He cocks his head and raises an eyebrow at her. “Are you ok, Mathilda?” The calm and collected Mathilda was anything but those two things.

“Well, Winnifred...kinda suggested that I take you there for your birthday. For a date.” She blushes hard as she said the word date. She still can’t shake the feeling of nervousness, she has known him for her entire life, why is she so nervous?

“A date?” Samuel looks back down at the card then back at her. “A date?!” Mathilda hushes him; he nearly screamed those two words.

“Yes, a date.” She gains her confidence, slowly but surely, the anxiety still makes her extraordinarily nervous and shaken.

“Like a boyfriend-girlfriend date?”

“Yes. That’s what dating is.”

“What?!” Mathilda hushes him again; it’s his turn to grow flustered. “A-a date?! You and I, we’re going on a date?! Like, a date date?!” She sees him completely bewildered from the offer.

“I can tolerate you the most. So yes, it’s a date. Take it or leave it.” She looks at him as his mind locks up. He can only stare at her. “Samuel?” She crosses her arms then waves her hand in front of his eyes. “Sam?” He blinks and comes back to reality; surely he is alive and well.

“I thought you shot another Sangheili or bounced someone off a desk. But this is, this is real right?” He flips the card over to the back to see nothing then looks back at the writing.

“Yes, this is real Samuel.” Mathilda looks at him, no longer with that stare as she meets his eyes.

“Why are we going to dinner?” He looks back down at the card to see the reservation. “Where is this even?” He looks at the address then up at her.

“Around the block. I thought it was a good idea.”

“Oh.”

“So, is that a yes?”

Samuel doesn’t know what to say, all the sudden, English and Polish exit his mind. “Uh-huh.” He nods his head up and down to give Mathilda a response.

“Good, let’s get home to go out tonight.” She makes sure he leaves his office and the two walk out of the office to go home.

As Samuel reaches the elevator, all he can think about how this is the best birthday he has ever had. First a birthday card and now a date with the one person he cares about the most, things seem to be going great. Among the days he forgets, Samuel is bound to remember this one for quite some time.