“So are you going to the Halloween party tonight?”
Ro Laren looked into the chubby, round face of Ensign Aryen Pettigrew and resisted the urge to plant her fist in the middle of it. Instead, she smiled noncommittally and quickly left the security office.
Honestly, if one more person asks me that question, I am not going!
She had too much pent up energy, so she took a walk around the Promenade. After a few months on the station, she was learning where every shop was, who owned it, who worked in it, and whether or not she needed to keep more than just a casual eye on it.
New shops had sprung up just in the short time she’d been aboard: a new Andorian restaurant, a holo-gaming arcade, a cleaners, and a flower shop.
She stopped at Vita’s, the new clothing shop that had opened up in Garak’s absence. The woman was from Risa and was reported to have the best collection of lingerie in the Alpha or Beta quadrant.
A buzzer or chime must have gone off as soon as Ro walked in because Vita appeared seconds after she walked in. “Ah, Lieutenant Ro, are you here to pick up your costume?”
“Yes, I hope it’s ready.” She looked at her watch. I might have time for a shower before I have to be ready.
“It’s in the back,” Vita said, steering her toward the dressing rooms in the rear of the shop. “And I’ve added a few extra touches I think you’re going to love.”
Ro looked doubtful but followed her anyway.
- - - - - - - - - - - -
“You’re early!” Ezri called out from the bathroom as she heard the door to her quarters open.
“Only five minutes,” Ro called back. “I thought you’d be ready and waiting.”
“My costume isn’t as easy to get into as I thought it would be,” Ezri answered. “I can’t wait to see how Quark’s is decorated. Trier saw a box of decorations that was sitting in the storage room, and she made it sound out of this world! This is my first Halloween party in… well, I’ve never been to one, and Dax hasn’t been to one in ages.”
Ro knew she meant that literally not figuratively. She wanted to sit down, but was afraid she’d mess her up her costume. Vita had assured her she could do anything in the costume she normally did, but normally her undercover jobs didn’t require the wearing of a tail.
“Are you almost ready?”
“Impatient tonight?” Ezri teased.
“The sooner we get there, the sooner we can leave,” Ro answered honestly.
“Almost ready, almost ready!” There were sounds of the sink running and then Ezri said, “Okay, who’s going to go first?”
“Just get out here!” Ro grimaced. Sometimes Ezri’s enthusiasm grated on her nerves.
The door to the bathroom slid open and Ezri poked her head out the opening. “Oh my!” Her eyes got wide as saucers and she slowly walked out, taking in every inch of Ro’s costume.
The Chief of Security of DS9 had certainly picked an apt costume. She was dressed in a body-hugging red leather – or maybe it was some sort of vinyl – catsuit. The plunging neckline almost came to the waist. “Turn around,” Ezri ordered, her voice laced with fascination and awe.
With a smug smile Ro pirouetted slowly. The horns on the top of her head blended into her hair and anyone other than a doctor would swear they were real. The tail was made of the same material and was shorter than those seen in some of the pictures Ro had consulted.
“How did you get into that? I don’t see a zipper or buttons or any kind of fastening. Hell, I don’t even see any seams!”
Ro laughed. “It’s one of Vita’s trade secrets and I’m not about to give it away.” She bowed. “And your use of the word ‘hell’ is very appropriate since I’m the devil in Terran ideology. At least costumed as one,” she added.
Ezri tore her eyes from the abundant cleavage Ro had on display to mutter, “I almost would rather stay here and keep you for myself.”
Ro laughed again. “Now what about you?” She gestured to Ezri’s bra made of leaves and bikini panties of leaves and… fruit. “What are you supposed to be?”
“I’m Eve, the first woman.”
Ro gave her a blank stare.
“In Terran Christian beliefs, Eve was the first woman on Earth. She was originally nude, but there was a scandal and she had to wear fig leaves.” She fingered a leaf on her bra. “These aren’t genuine fig leaves, but they’re pretty close. Bajoran olva leaves.”
“Okay, but that doesn’t explain the fruit covering your…” She almost blushed. Almost.
“It’s an apple. The story goes that a snake came and offered her a bite of apple. She wasn’t supposed to eat it, but she did anyway. Got into trouble for it.”
“Ah, nice touch.”
“I have an ulterior motive,” Ezri said, walking until she stood barely an inch away from the other woman. She ran a hand down the expanse of skin exposed by the gap in Ro’s catsuit.
“What’s that?” Ro asked in a breathy voice, ready to ditch the party and tear the leaves off Ezri, regardless of how many people were expecting them there and how long it’d taken to get into the skin-hugging outfit.
“Tell me,” Ezri started, running a fingertip along Ro’s bottom lip, “have you ever heard of a game they play at Halloween parties? It’s called ‘bobbing for apples’.”