Dare: A M/M Sci-Fi Romance (Mindset Duet Book 1)

7. Chapter 7

It took a brisk walk, several elevators, and many hatchways before Dare and Riis reached the colony deck. As they entered, a young man nodded to Riis, then looked at Dare with frank curiosity.

”Riis, it”s good to see you again. I thought the captain kept you locked up in your office.”

The admin assistant grinned, shaking his head. ”Larue, how many times do I have to tell you I work for the captain, just like you work with the Administrator. He”s not locking me up like I”m some kind of ”bot. Anyway, I”m here to see Vida and whoever she”s brought with her. This is Dare Munro, the much-awaited Mindset. Dare, this is Larue Porchet, currently watching the door, but otherwise a mechanic.”

Dare smiled at Larue”s frank stare. ”It”s good to meet you, Larue. Riis is taking me all over today in the vain hope that I”ll be able to find my way back here. Thank Gaia for maps.”

Larue chuckled as he gave the empath a good look. ”Welcome, Mindset Dare. We all needed a map when we first arrived. You”ve probably guessed that we have little crossover with the Gambit”s crew, except for Riis here. I think you”d call him our liaison between the two.” He turned back to Riis.

”Vida is set up in the main hall. I know you know the way, Riis, but I”ll walk you there, anyway. I need to stretch my legs a bit. It”s not like we get a lot of visitors.” He pulled a comm unit from his belt, letting another colonist know he was leaving the area.

Both men nodded as Larue turned, beckoning them to follow. Riis and their guide were sharing information about people Dare didn”t know. He took that time to look around at the colony deck, impressed by what he saw.

It was obvious that this deck had seen more than the current batch of colonists. There were what appeared to be permanent structures lining the ”main” corridor, with smaller ”streets” branching off from that. Glancing in one open window, Dare saw several chairs and a bed, then nodded to himself. It made sense that there would be rooms for privacy since that would be difficult to find amongst two hundred people. He sniffed, smelling food, then looked down one of the wider branches off the corridor. It was a communal kitchen, with a lot of seating area.

The empath smiled. That made sense. He”d bet there were bath houses, too. Privacy and community in equal measure. That was good planning so long as everyone got along, and he bet that most did since they”d been chosen for this trip. He liked that there was color here, too. Yellows, blues, greens, even some red brightened the outside of the rooms. There were even some murals, mostly of animals, which made him smile. So different from the muted colors elsewhere on the ship.

Riis nudged him gently, drawing him back from his musings. Larue opened the door on a much larger room, allowing them to enter first. Closing the door behind him, he led the way up to the front where there were eight people sitting and standing around a long table. It was a long room, the width the same as the length. Dare estimated it was about forty feet square, then focused on the people they were meeting.

Larue waved to the table, then called out. ”Here they are, Vida. You know Riis. He”s brought the Mindset, Dare Munro. Riis, you know everyone. Dare, this is Vida Bridger. She”s our Administrator. Vida, you alright with introducing the rest? I”ve got to get back to the entry to finish my shift.”

The Administrator was a woman of medium height, with short blond hair and dark brown eyes. She was dressed in a long, loosely fitting dress with a colorful kimono-like wrap over it. The colors were deep blue and green, faded only through much wear. Dare”s glance took in her appearance, just as she leaned on the table, giving all of them a smile.

”Welcome, Mindset Munro. It”s good to see you again, Riis. Still keeping the captain organized? Larue, I”m fine with introductions. Get yourself back on sentry duty. I know how much you love it.”

Larue rolled his eyes, giving her a nod, then murmured a goodbye to Dare and Riis, before hurrying away.

Vida indicated the chairs at the table. ”Please, have a seat, Mindset. Riis, do you want to stay? We can escort the Mindset back to his deck, or you can go visit the market and come back in an hour.”

Riis gave Dare a questioning glance. ”You okay with me checking out the markets, then coming back for you? They have amazing stuff the ship doesn”t.”

Dare reached out, allowing a little of his empathy to wash over those he didn”t know. He felt no threat. Giving Riis a nod, he smiled at the look of anticipation on the assistant”s face.

”That”s fine with me as long as you bring me back something colorful for my office. Have a good time.”

Riis grinned, giving him a faux salute. ”I”m on it, Your Mindfulness. See you in an hour.”

The young man said his goodbye to the Administrator, nodded to the rest, then all but ran out the door.

Dare watched him go, then turned back to Vida as he pulled out his pad. ”I hope you don”t mind me taking notes. I”ve been immersed in so much new information that I don”t trust my memory right now.” He paused, looking around the table. ”Please, call me Dare. Mindset is too formal for me and is more about what I can do rather than who I am. I would appreciate knowing how you all would like to be addressed as well.”

Vida took her place across from him. ”I think that will be fine, Dare. Please call me Vida, and I”ll introduce you to the rest here today. The four on my left are supervisors who each oversee fifty of the colonists. They deal with day-to-day problems and resolutions. Starting next to me is Leah Ragsdale, then Paul Delmont, Sarah Purcell, and, at the end, Rebecca Carter.” She stared down the table. ”You alright with first names?” The first three nodded, then Rebecca waved from the end.

”Please call me Becca, Dare.” Dare bowed his head slightly before speaking.

”I am pleased to meet you.”

Vida smiled again, then indicated the people to her right. ”These are our non-gifted therapists. All of them are trained and licensed, of course. Closest to me is Wilma Harcourt. Next is David Ashcroft, and at the end, Henry Drummond.”

Before Vida could ask, Wilma spoke up. ”Please call me Willie, Dare.” She nudged David. ”David for you, right?” He nodded quickly, then Willie leaned forward to look at Henry. ”You want to be called Hank, right?” A deep voice confirmed that choice.

Dare again inclined his head, giving all three a smile. ”I am pleased to meet other therapists. I am sure we will work together well, provided you need me here.”

Vida shifted in her chair, calling his attention back to her. Dare focused on her, keeping his expression open after quickly jotting down the names of everyone on his pad.

”Will you need me to set up any sessions here, Vida? I know the crew of the Gambit wants me, but since you already have three therapists…”

Vida glanced down the table on each side, then met Dare”s eyes. ”I don”t think we do at this time, Dare. It”s early days in the voyage, and everyone is still settling in. Although we number two hundred, one hundred volunteered for cryo sleep. That reduced the number that might need therapy, not to mention resources. Can we leave you on-call as it were? I know your skills include reading others, and that this is included in your therapy.” She glanced over at the therapists. ”Do you have any clients for Dare to see right now?”

Willie and David shook their heads, while Hank shrugged, then looked at Dare. ”Most of those I”m seeing are anxious, which is understandable given we”re on a ship heading to a planet we”ve never seen. Nothing out of the ordinary or verging on pathology. If that changes, I can call you.”

Dare nodded, his expression intent. ”I”m glad to hear that everyone is doing as well as they can right now. Riis offered to do my scheduling for me, so call him if you need me to come here. If that happens, can I borrow an office for a session? I guess I’d need to know how you keep notes, too.”

Vida smiled, then sat forward in her chair. “That’s the last thing we have to show you today, Dare. We’ve set aside a room for you to see clients in and to stay in if you wish to visit here. We’ve got a few minutes before Riis reappears, so allow me to show it to you. Do the rest of you want to come along, or..?”

The supervisors declined, murmuring polite refusals and goodbyes before leaving. The therapists came along, following behind Vida and Dare as they left the meeting space. Taking a left out of the room, they walked for several minutes. Dare looking for landmarks so he could find it again.

He was still orienting himself when Vida stopped at a dark blue room. ”We”ve set this up for you, but please don”t hesitate to let us know if you need to change it.” She opened the unlocked door, revealing a ten-by-ten room, painted a cream color. A long couch sat against the wall opposite the door, with an armchair directly across from the couch. A folding table was currently up against the wall, with an actual desk chair underneath. There was another door at the end of the couch that opened into a bath with a toilet and sink only.

Vida allowed Dare to take all of it in for a moment. ”Will this do? It”s the same as the other rooms we use. The couch folds out into a bed, and there”s storage underneath it. Please accept this as your workplace and a home away from the Gambit, should you feel the need for that. As for notes, our charting is less formal, and mostly for our own recall of events. If you see clients here, we”ll go over that with you and get you a comp of your own to use.”

Dare sighed, giving Vida and the therapists a big smile. ”This is perfect. Thank you for taking care to set this up for me. I appreciate that I have another place I can go if I need to get away, as it were, from the ship for a time. You”ve all been very thoughtful.”

Willie and Hank gave him pleased smiles as David cleared his throat.

”We”re all aware that you are a Mindset, Dare. In our field, that”s a special designation and, frankly, sought after. We want you to feel at home here, whether we need your services or not. It”s difficult being a therapist, and I imagine it”s even harder for you.”

Dare looked down, swallowing, as his empathy flared for a moment, allowing him to feel the truthfulness of what was said. He bowed his head respectfully, then met their eyes, one by one. ”Thank you again. Not everyone realizes that, and I”m happy that you do.” He looked up, distracted. ”I think Riis is looking for me—I felt him for a moment.”

The Administrator nodded briskly. ”We”d better go meet him before he runs off.” She turned to the empath. ”I”m glad you like it here. Feel free to come by anytime if you need or want to. You will be welcomed without question.”

Dare murmured a heartfelt thank you as she led the way out, turning right to go back to the meeting area. They came upon Riis, his arms full, just before the meeting room.

”There you are! Hello, everyone–everything alright, Dare?”

The empath grinned at him. ”I am better than alright. Give me some of that stuff and I”ll carry it. Did you buy out the market?”

”No, I wanted to, but I didn”t. Say your goodbyes, and I”ll happily shift some of this to you.”

Vida and the therapists stopped at the meeting room, grinning at Riis”s armload. Vida formally bowed her head.

”Farewell, Dare, and remember you”re welcome here, whether you”re working or not.”

The young man bowed his head in return, then gave her and the others a luminous glance. ”Thank you for your warm welcome. Farewell until I see you all again.”

He turned back to Riis, hearing the murmured farewells as he walked towards the exit. The assistant looked over at him, noting how relaxed his new friend seemed.

”Went well, didn”t it? These are good people, and I”m glad you like them. They obviously like you. Take the top two bundles because my arms are about to fall off.”

Dare complied, lifting the bulky items into his own arms. ”Looks like you had a good time, too. What did you purchase?”

Riis sighed with relief as the load diminished. ”Don”t worry. I traded for a great wall hanging for you–it”s more barter and trade here than giving credits over.”

Dare looked surprised. ”What did you trade? Or did you barter? Should I be worried?”

Riis shook his head. ”I traded some of my comp skills and set up a short class in composition. Not everyone speaks the same language, and they need that practice. No worries since it”s all on me. I didn”t bring you into the trade/barter at all. I wouldn”t do that without your consent.”

The empath glanced at him, nonplussed. ”That”s good, I guess, since I have no idea what I would trade or barter. I really have nothing anyone would want.”

Riis shot him a critical look. ”You”re wrong about that, but never mind. We can talk about that when I”m not exhausted from walking all over the ship. Let”s go put this into your berth and get some dinner. I”m starving again, and I bet you are, too.”

Dare gave him a questioning glance, then shrugged. ”That”s cryptic. Of course I can eat. I think we”ve proved that.”

Riis shifted the load in his arms. ”Then move along, Mindset, before I perish from hunger and fatigue.” He glanced over at his friend. ”I had a great time at the markets, though.”

”I know you did.”

Riis narrowed his eyes. ”What do you mean, you know?”

”I don”t have to be an empath to pick up on how happy you are, Riis. Give me a break.” He took another bundle from Riis, adding it to his burden.

”Oh. That”s good. For the record, you can read me anytime you want. I mean, how could you resist?”

Dare shook his head. ”Professional ethics?”

Riis huffed. ”Be that way.”