Star Trek: Starbase 777

[D] Having located a calm little cafe out of the way where one happened to be able to acquire what was described as 'the good coffee', however that happened to differ from the Normal stuff, Vara'l had headed off to find 'The good Coffee' cafe. Once he located said cafe a short way into the day they'd returned from the away mission, He'd entered it without hesitation. Vara'l had cleaned up since the away mission and happened to have also been told off by Telim, for having smashed some of his old ear bits and ended up with new ear bits cause it was 'only fair cause you tell me off when I smush my tech' he entered the Cafe he'd spotted quietly. His movements slow as he'd proceeded to enter and had then swept his surroundings with his storm grey eyes as he attempted initially to work out where one sat in said cafe and how one happened to go about ordering. Once he'd worked this out, Vara'l had then placed a order for one of these 'good coffees' and a muffin before he'd proceeded to settle into a corner booth out of the way or so he hoped of where most of the people preferred to sit. Once settled in as he waited for his uniform, Vara'l then slipped out a PADD as he had then decided to spend his time waiting for his order on this fine day, one he'd used a day of leave to take time of off work on, working on reports. (edited)

[D] After a short encounter with Maggie that ended well, Vara'l departed in the direction of the Library resolved to find a book he'd once committed to never reading.

[ D ] They were starting to wish they'd just passed off this gift to be delivered. Maggie didn't know where to find the receiver of the brightly wrapped gift in their arms (shiny yellow paper with a pretty orange bow), and refused to just...reach out to them, like a perfectly normal person, they'd run around like a headless chicken on the off chance they ran into them off duty. Ever the one for dramatics, weren't they?..

[D] Lente was sitting outside of a café, looking at a PADD while sipping at a hot chocolate (one that wasn't nearly as good as the one she and Autumn made together, but still pretty good) and frowning ever so slightly before typing new things into the device every so often. She didn't look upset, per se, but she did look like she was desperately in need of a distraction.

Maggie nearly froze in their tracks, exhaling their relief in a sigh as they fixed their suit before tentatively approaching. "Excuse me?" they offered tentatively, hovering by the seat across from Lente, holding the gift behind their back. "Lente Summer, right?"

Lente looked up from her PADD, startled. She clearly hadn't expected someone to come up to her, but when she saw a short, pink-haired magician approaching her, she visibly relaxed. "Sir yes sir," she said, grinning as she put her PADD away without a second thought; even a singular glimpse of it revealed diagrams and complex mathematics. "What can I do for you?"

"Ah, I didn't mean to scare you!" Maggie laughed, sitting down across from Lente, setting the present down in front of them. "Maggie the Magnificent, it's a pleasure to meet you!-- um, actually, I was here for a delivery of sorts. I'm your secret Santa, sooo, I wanted to give you your gift in person!" Jazz hands! "Surprise!"

Lente had kind of sort of forgotten the Secret Santa thing was still going on after sending her own gift off to be delivered. It hadn't occurred to her that she was also receiving a gift still. "Oh, thank you!" she said genuinely, looking at the gift in front of her. Maggie had guessed at her favourite colours very well! It was probably pure coincidence, but she appreciated it nonetheless. "Should I- uhm, open it right now?"

"Well, if you'd like to wait until Christmas, that's just fine by me." Maggie offered a gentle smile in reply. "I wouldn't want to put you under any pressure to give some big emotional reactions or anything. Especially since -- well, forgive my bluntness, we don't know each other at all. So! It's entirely up to you."

That was a very good point, actually. Lente was sure she'd love anything that Maggie gave her, but also, there was absolutely no use in making them feel bad if she didn't. "I'll unwrap it at home," she decided, packing up her things quickly before standing up with the gift in her hands. "It was very nice to meet you, and thank you very much for the gift!" And with those words, she walked off, clearly really excited.

Quinn could have gotten something from home, and he knew that. Honestly, he probably should have done that, in hindsight. And yet, here he was, waiting for a coffee and a grilled sandwich in the pick up queue... what a development. He slipped his EUC-tracker out of his pocket, refreshed it. Yes, there it was, the transaction went through. It wasn't like he was tight on money, and even then it wasn't like he needed money on the station—within Federation jurisdiction.... but then, that was the catch, wasn't it? Life inside the Federation was a hell of a lot different from life in the black, and that was just reality, not a political statement. In some way, he guessed he would always have his mind set on what would happen if there was no Fed, if, for whatever reason, he'd have to fend for himself for however long... he just wanted to be ready. Gods, this sandwich was taking forever.

[D] Thol had recently finished his shift and was in the mood for real food. He was a young Andorian, ensign, and political scientist who had arrived on the station relatively recently. He had spent the past few days meeting new people and trying to get acquainted with some of the different crew members. An old friend had also recommended that Thol made a friend in each division He walked up to Quinn and stood near them, also waiting for his food. Thol decided that this was a good opportunity to meet someone knew and had nothing better to do. They were a superior officer but then they were still a junior officer as well. This was not some department head after all. The two were also both stuck waiting in line for their food so neither of them were going anywhere. The Andorian turned to Quinn and started to talk. "Hey there I don't think we have met before. I am Ensign Thol Ch'eckivil."

Quinn was a bit taken aback by the straightforward ask from this Andorian. He blinked, then regained his bearings. "Lieutenant Quinn Tlaric." He blinked again, a bit confused, and partly wondering why he'd been singled out for conversation in a sea of an entire food court. And sure, they were both off duty, at the moment, but... well, he wasn't as much of a conversationalist when he didn't have to be one for work. "Is there... a problem, ensign?"

Thol shook his head and noticed that Quinn looked somewhat concerned. It was obvious that he was disrupting them. He had just meant to strike up a nice chat but it seemed like that was not going to happen. Some people were simply not that conversational and Thol understood that. Still he figured there was no reason to at least not talk for a little bit. "Oh not at all sir. I am just newer to the station and am trying to meet some of the crew."

Ah. Well, if there wasn't an iasue... Quinn still wasn't certain about this whole thing but frankly that sandwich was taking forever. "Ah... Lot of people to meet, then. Crew complement of nine thousand, after all."

He knew that it was a massive crew and was still somewhat trying to comprehend how one station had so many people on it. That was part of the reason that Thol had requested this placement though. "And that is not even including the fifteen thousand civilians on the station. I can't imagine that anyone has ever met or even seen them all. Still I try to meet those who I can. Never known who you might run into."

"Right. We've come a long way since Constitution Class with its 400 complement," Quinn said, not thinking altogether too much about it. "It's just actual cities out here in the black... It would probably be wise to limit yourself to a closer social circle of a couple hundred for now, though. Brains aren't usually meant for thousands of friends."

Thol was more than familiar with the Constitution Class and knew of a few of the more notable ones. He loved history and had previously been part of a study on the expansion of space faring vehicles across different cultures at the academy. "Oh I have no plan on meeting everyone on the station. My work is already far too time consuming for me to maintain even hundreds of connections. I figure that I may as well spend my time standing around talking to someone else, no?"

Quinn nodded. He wasn't certain if he totally identified with that; it was less the business, more of the mental strain of interaction. "And what is it that keeps you so busy," he asked, figuring it was the least politeness he could offer to attempt to make conversation back.

Thol smiled slightly as he was asked about his work. He could have easily talked about it for hours but knew better. Few wanted to here the details about his niche acedemic research. "Well I am currently working on some research relating to the Klingons and the Khitomer Accords. It gets pretty complicated but I won't force you to listen to the details." He figured that it would only be right to reciprocate the question and therefore asked something similar back. "What do you do on the station?"

"Ah, just minor repairs to systems and machinery," Quinn said. "But the Khitomer Accords... Political sciences, I take it? What would that entail, exactly," he asked, hoping that it might deflect some of the conversation, for Thol to be able to talk about his job.

Thol nodded and continued to smile slightly. He was not exactly sure how to summarize his field but did the best that he could. "I am a political scientist, yes. My job mostly consists of researching, analyzing, and comparing different current and historical governmental policies." He knew that Quinn was wearing yellow and repaired thing but that did not completely reveal their role. Thol decided to ask a question to clarify. "So are you with engineering or ops? To be honest I am not exactly sure where the line between the two are."

"Operations," Quinn answered. "But eventually, I'll be a tactical consultant." Suddenly, Quinn's number was called, and he walked forward to retrieve his order. He walked back towards Thol bearing his food. "But that's a long ways in the future... What is your end goal in political science?"

Thol paused for a moment. He had been asked the question a few times but still did not have a difinitive answer. "No end goal in particular to be honest. Just explore the galaxy, do some research, and maybe teach at the academy some day." He was somewhat confused about how someone who was on the line between OPS and engineering wanted to go tactical. It was quite a jump after all. "So how does being a repair technician lead to tactical consulting?"

"Teaching is a valid aspiration," Quinn said with a nod. Thol's next question wasn't surprising either; a decent number of people on past assignments had asked him the same. It wasn't the most intuitive career path—at least, it wasn't on any duty station except the Norton. "I can do a variety of repairs, but my full specialty is in the maintenance and optimization of phaser arrays. The... discerning use of that sort of weaponry has always been fascinating to me.... Thankfully, Starfleet doesn't ban its officers or enlisted personnel from ever learning anything more than one assigned job, so I'm continuing my education."

He smiled slightly as Quinn approved his goals. Thol was more attracted to proper academia than teaching itself but the two went together. He was very interesting in teaching and the world that surrounded it in the end. "Thanks." Thol had greatly debated between command and sciences himself so he was very familiar with the idea of being in one department but working closely with another. He was somewhat curious about why Quinn was where they were though as it sounded like they truly prefered the other side. "Just curious but if your interest is in phasers why did you choose to go with OPS instead of tactical? It sounds likely you are looking to change departments after all."

Quinn gave a mirthless smile. "I tried. My physical aptitude and marksmanship scores weren't high enough to be allowed into the program for Tactical... I think there's an assumption at the Academy that the only people trying to go into Tactical are security officers and maybe pilots, of which I am neither." He shrugged a bit, and opened his bag to smell his lovely sandwich. "Still, I can work on phaser arrays while I take continuing education classes. Someday I'll change departments, just not until everything is ready."

The smile slightly dissipated from Thol's face as Quinn mentioned failing to get into their desired branch. He had never heard about that happening before and had not even considered that to be a problem. "Yeah I definitely felt like there were certain types of people picking each department. That is part of the reason that I did not go the command route myself." The station always needed more people repairing phaser arrays and it was very likely that Quinn would be in tactical soon enough. Thol hoped that they would soon be able to make that change. "Still it sounds like you are on the path to be in tactical some day sir."

At the remark about the types of people in departments, Quinn was rather intrigued. Command track to diplomatic corps was also quite a jump, after all. Command track was grueling—and just generally much closer to Tactical than other divisions, practically speaking. The diplomatic corps was... well, an odd blend of science and arts, and often seemed the outsider-department on a lot of spacefaring vessels, in Quinn's experience. "Command Track felt like too much? Or just that your fellow Command Track prospects didn't seem to share similar enough values?"

Thol paused for a moment to think about how to answer. There had been many different factors in his decision but in the end it was just admittedly what felt right. While he normally was not a fan of just going with his gut Thol knew what he wanted to do and then did it. "Well I had the perquisites for either the command or science tracks and was debating between the two. Eventually though I decided to go the academic route over the diplomatic one." He felt somewhat awkward sharing that he had been able to make his own choice to Quinn but there was not much else that he could do. It was in no way an attempt to brag but instead just the truth.

Quinn just nodded. A long time ago, he would have wanted to be purely an academic, just study theory and mechanics, but there was just something about it... about the agency that came with applying that theory tactically, that academia didn't bring. In academia, you might hold the secrets to the universe, but if you weren't listened to, if your warnings weren't heeded, it didn't matter very much. Quinn knew all about being voiceless, and he wasn't keen to put himself in that situation more often than he had to. "Well, if there's no scientists, there's no research, and if there's no research, we don't learn much new information... What did you order here; you've been here as long as I have."

Thol was glad to see that Quinn also supported his decision although it did not particularly matter. He had made his choice and had no wish or ability to undo it. It had been a difficult decision then but Thol knew that he could make more of a difference in the world of academia than as a diplomat "Yeah. I know that most people dream of the captain's chair and a red or yellow uniform but it just was not my path. Starfleet's mission is to explore after all." The Andorian had somewhat forgotten about why he was standing around at the cafe in the first place although he tried to hide that. This was the line to get food after all. "I ordered a bacon grilled cheese and a raktijino, there is really no reason that it has taken this long. How about you sir?"

Quinn held up his drink and the bag with the sandwich in it. Thol might have gotten distracted, but Quinn tended to be a bit more driven, especially when it came to obtaining meals (or a warm bed at night). "It was just a coffee and a grilled turkey sandwich—but agreed, I wonder what's taking so long..."

Thol shrugged in response. He was pretty new to the station but had not seen any problems like this before. The only explanation that came to mind was some issue in the kitchen. Perhaps Quinn or one of the crewmen that reported to him would have to fix it. "Who knows. Maybe they are having replicator problems and are struggling to make things. I guess you would be the one who would be tasked with fixing that sir."

"I would... but I don't recall any repair work orders coming here lately..." The barista quickly walked forward, bearing the raktajino and a bag, presumably with the sandwich in it. "Apologies," came the translation out of the UT as they held out the bag. "Our computer system is having trouble putting in orders at the moment. Thank you for your patience!" Quinn gestured slightly at the newly arrived order. Well, at least that little mystery was solved now...

Thol grabbed the sandwich and smiled slightly as he smelled the hot food. He had been hungry and was more than ready to get eating. The sandwich had taken quite a while after all. "Oh no problem at all." He turned to Quinn after the barista left and the two had their food. It appeared that someone from OPS would likely need to fix the computers and replicators of the restaurant after all. "Well I guess that this will be on your work order list soon sir."

"Likely something for tomorrow morning, before I continue working on the... er... hamster damage to the conference room," Quinn said simply as he began walking towards a nearby empty table.

Thol paused for a moment as Quinn mentioned some sort of hamster dammage. Had some sort of science presentation gone wrong or something? It also sounded like Quinn had been working on this before so it was serious damage. "I'm not sure I want to know what that means sir." He was very hungry but had been orginally planning on working while he ate. Thol decided that it was best to still go back to his quarters and eat at his desk. "If you do not mind sir I think I need to eat this back in my quarters while I do some work."

"Ah, yes. Well, you needn't worry about loose hamsters rummaging in your light fixtures while you work. Snuggles was caught and will be reunited with its owner soon.... Have a good day, ensign," Quinn said, and sat down at the table to have his food. (edited)

Cafes. Right. Securing a good place for coffee was always a good start to any assignment. The fact that there was even coffee readily available was already a fantastic start. Dressed in a freshly acquired Starbase 777 branded T-shirt, unzipped navy hoodie, and grey sweatpants, Victoria looked truly off duty. As she awaited her order, she took a seat by an unoccupied table, lazily drumming her fingers against it as she watched the crowds pass by outside.

Vovvi had taken some time with her youngest to explore the food court some more, getting to know the different things to find, to soothe the picky appetite of a five year old girl. Now, though, she was content with a donut and a cup of cocoa. She faltered for a second at a table beside someone, someone she didn't recognize. "Is it alright if we sit over here?" queried Vovvi gently, feeling the girl at her side tense up a little at the stranger and squeezing her hand to soothe her, "It's quite busy today, and there's not many other tables."

Victoria found herself too engrossed, or more accurately, zoned out watching the passers-by to notice her table being approached, and as such didn't react until a second after realising she was being spoken to. Something about how long it had been since she had nothing better to do but to watch people, civilians even, had forcefully drawn her attention. Regardless, she glanced up and straightened her back, the hand propping up chin lowered to the table. "Oh, yeah. I'm not staying long, anyway," she assured, taking a second to note both uncertain and possibly even uncomfortable expressions set before her. She flashed a momentary smile towards the girl. "Hey, kiddo."

"Thank you." Vovvi nodded politely and took a seat at the empty table, Ivissa in tow. She didn't press her to say hello, she would if she wanted to and she knew how shy she was around people. Ah, well then.. "You're one of the new officers, aren't you?" She tilted her head a little, mentally noting her attire. She didn't even know the station had merchandise. She'd have to look into it as a gift for her oldest. "Vovvi t'Rei'nak. Intelligence. It's a pleasure to meet you. This is my daughter, Ivissa."

She peered out cautiously at the unfamiliar person, almost hiding behind her cocoa as she waved a tentative hello. The smile put her at ease enough to return it. No more than that, though, as Ivissa kept her head down.

She returned the wave casually, steepling her hands and resting her fingers against her chin. A slight exhale, but not entirely a scoff, escaped her at being recognised so quickly. "Oh yeah, definitely Intelligence," Victoria teased flatly, "I hope they're not handing out background checks just yet, I've still a few bodies to bury." A chuckle. "Victoria Bishop, your newest E.D. doc. Am I really that much of a sore thumb?" "She's adorable, just, by the way," she dipped her head in Ivissa's direction.

Vovvi tilted her head a little, though didn't quite laugh. If she'd been accepted onto the station, the background checks, presumably, had already passed through? She glanced over as Ivissa kicked her feet under the table in delight, going to town on her cocoa. "She says thank you. I just have an eye for these things, I suppose -- new faces, that is. Maybe hundreds flood the station every day, but I like to keep an eye out." She would have liked to be familiar with the medical staff as well, that never hurt anything. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

"You know, not the most comforting thought in the galaxy," Victoria pointed out, accentuated with the aid of an index finger. On a better and perhaps less flustered day, she might have had the wherewithal to return the pleasantries. Not today, though. Her eyes wandered to the counter to check on the status of her order, then back to present company. "In that case, maybe ya'd like to tell me about what I'm getting myself into? It's been... awhile for me, since regular public practice. Station's no joke, huh?"

Vovvi straightened her posture with a sigh. "To tell you the truth, I couldn't. I only arrived recently. Transferred from the Republic." And she was already starting to get a little homesick. "I apologize if I'm ... standoffish, I believe is the word I'm looking for. Still getting used to all of this. Nonetheless, I'll be happy to help you settle in any way I'm able." Victoria seemed a little distracted, likely waiting to wash down the stress of the move with a drink. Didn't blame her. "If you have other things to attend to, however, don't let me keep you."

"Standoffish- what? You?" Victoria asked, incredulous, having to lean her body forwards slightly as if to make sure she had heard correctly. She shook her head to deny it, then leaned back in her seat just as quickly. If she felt any standoffishness, she certainly had a strange way of showing it. "'Kay, the only thing I'm attending to right now is morning coffee and a 'croissant', whatever... that is. Transferred from Qo'noS, two years. Makes coming home just a little..." Her gaze danced around the ceiling as she searched for the right word. "...strange." Scary was far more accurate. "Been awhile since I've seen a happy kid, makes me think I made the right choice, so, for the record, I think you both are helpin' me settle in just great," she gently tapped the tabletop with a fist, a grimace and a nod given in thanks.

Vovvi nodded in quiet understanding, and what very well could've been sympathy. Hard to tell, she always kept a straight face. She absentmindedly tapped against the cup of coffee in her hands, carefully turning a response over and over in her head. "That's kind of you to say," she finally answered, nodding in Victoria's direction. "I understand. I only came out of the Republic...days ago, really. Did you change factions, or..?"

Ivissa giggled a little to herself, kicking her feet happily under the table. Maybe it was the sugar, maybe it was the compliment. Probably both.

"Days, huh? Grats on the transfer," Victoria nodded, "I mean, if you gotta put a name to it, I've been Starfleet since the Academy, but I don't like the whole 'factions' deal, anyway. Like, I'm not gonna check for a uniform before helping someone out, you know?" She pondered the thought, rubbing her own cheek tentatively with a finger. The ring of the counter's bell snapped her out of it soon enough, and Victoria rose to retrieve her cup of to-go coffee and her pastry. As she returned, she waved the croissant around in front of Vovvi. "Ever had one of these? Always seen 'em in cafes back on earth but... never really thought to try one."

Vovvi nodded. She shared Victoria's feelings perfectly-- factions were of little importance to her, personally. All those years ago, she'd joined the Navy because she didn't think she had any other choice. The brief moment of her absence, Vovvi checked the time. Ah.. she had a meeting with her counselor soon, and needed time to get Ivissa to the daycare program.. Her brows furrowed just a little at the sight of the odd little pastry. "I can't say I have," she admitted. "There are a lot of things I have yet to try. I will have to do so when I have the time." She inclined her head a little, politely as she could. "As for the moment, I do unfortunately have a meeting to attend to. It was nice to meet you. Thank you for... being kind."

"You have to thank people for being kind now? Pff- that's me doomed," Victoria outstretched her arms a little in exaggerated surprise, then brought them back in so she could have a bite out of her croissant. "Right, well, don't let me keep you. Best I get a move on too, actually. But, if you ever need something for one of those super secret missions, I take same-day appointments," she joked. She bent forward towards Ivissa, providing a friendly grin and a wave in greeting, before slowly backing out of the store. "You both take care, now, hm?"

O-kay, another day, another.... broken replicator. Cool. Easy enough task, Five thought, crossing into the café to take a look. Five spun their spanner in one hand, the other carrying a toolbox. The place was crowded, which made one of the replicators being down all the more urgent. She sighed and moved to tie her hair back, fixing her gloves and going to look for a spot to put her tools. There was an open seat close to the replicator in question -- score !-- but there was someone on the other side who looked to be all on their lonesome. Five looked around again before tentatively approaching. "Excuse me?" she placed an awkward hand on the back of the chair, "Is this seat taken? Would you mind if I sat my tools here for a second? Replicator's down."

One had been aware of the broken replicator, having fetched their own tea from one on the other side of the room. The hardship wasn't such that they'd been worried about it, but they were glad to see that the engineers were very much on top of their work, to have someone over to fix it so rapidly. "Of course, feel free," they told the other, who they now looked up at to see bright orange hair, and Borg parts around her one visible eye. They had yet to really talk to any other XBs on the station, having been withdrawn and standoffish despite their best efforts. "I hope it doesn't give you too much trouble." (edited)

"Thank you," Five answered with a polite smile, putting down their toolbox to get to poking around. "ACSO, right? I've seen you around, but I don't think we've met formally. I'm Five, by the way." She squinted at the guts of the replicator, the lights sputtering a little. Power connectivity issue, or something knocked loose and disconnected... Just a quick job, maybe no more than five or ten minutes. "Though, of course, if you'd rather keep to yourself, I don't mind one bit. I don't mean to butt in. Just talk a lot while I work." Mostly to herself, but it was nice to have someone to talk to. These repair jobs sometimes got a little lonely even when surrounded by the crowds. Sometimes they'd even bring their headphones to help. (edited)

One nodded at Five, recognising her too from simply having seen her around and hearing her name. They weren't great with people, and tended not to strike up a conversation themself, but they didn't mind speaking. "Yes, I am One of One. You're the ACOO, right? Now I recognise you." They put their PADD down, giving their attention to their colleague as opposed to continuing to read the study they'd pulled up to read while they drank their tea. They certainly weren't good enough at multitasking anymore to do both at the same time. "I don't mind the conversation. I've been told it's beneficial for one's health to engage with others socially as opposed to merely professionally. My reading material does not offer similar benefits." A roundabout and strange way to say One would be happy to engage with whatever Five had to say, but then, One wasn't very normal, and they were still getting used to social contact. It didn't matter how many years went by since their liberation, they never fully got the hang of it.

Five quirked a little bit of a smile at that. She felt like she was collecting a deck of cards or something, with a series of numbers and faces.. Ace, wasn't it? "Yes, that's me. As of... not that long ago, actually, now that I think about it," she admitted sheepishly. "I'm still not quite sure if I'm cut out for it, but it seems like we're cruising along just fine." She nodded in idle agreement, muttering some instructions under her breath as she fiddled with wires. She'd been recommended plenty of social interaction. Despised it at the time, but she couldn't deny that it ended up helping her a lot, both personally and professionally. "Anything in particular you like to read about, or just anything that catches your eye?" She glanced over to One briefly, a quiet curiosity present. She didn't want to inquire so soon, but being One of One... That felt wrong, usually there were at least three or four in each individual group of Borg. Maybe she'd ask later, if they ended up getting on well. "I'm partial to botanical studies myself, and the occasional fantasy novel."

One completely understood the sentiment; they hadn't wanted to argue with their CSO, nor had they wanted to cast doubt on their decision making, but they still doubted that they were the best fit for the position. Still, they'd taken the new responsibilities in stride, having done much of the work before to help out at previous assignments. It wasn't a hardship, though the social aspect of having to meet with colleagues still... worried them. "Yes, I sympathise. The work isn't difficult, but one has to wonder if there weren't more qualified people to take on the role. Still, so far I have not experienced many issues." They were glad for the subject change, though. "I read mostly studies I find that relate vaguely to my field. I'm an anthropologist and sociologist by trade, but currently I'm reading a psychology paper on cross-cultural upbringings. I do enjoy historical fiction, though I've never ventured far into the fantasy genre." They usually went full-on in their interests. And their interests were.... singular. They liked reading about people, and how they acted, and didn't tend to seek out subjects outside of that. Perhaps they should.

Five hummed inquisitively, hardly audible over the buzz of the patrons. Anthropology, for when you wanted to better understand people. She understood it completely. Rather than fighting to understand, she had hidden from it, personally -- absorbing little habits and speech patterns from their friends and co-workers like a sponge until she could mask enough to feel a little more comfortable. It was a fascinating concept nonetheless, though. "Anthropology has always been an intriguing subject to me," she mused with a polite nod, "It sounds like a good read. I think I need to expand my horizons, I may take a look into more historical fiction! Do you have anything you'd recommend? Any particular favorites? It's alright if not, merely curious." Five cursed under her breath and drew back from the replicator, before finally getting to tightening what needed to be tightened. She began to run some routine checks, making sure everything else was in proper order.... It'd be bad to leave a repair job after fixing only one part of a completely busted replicator. Next thing you know, there would be those little toy dinosaurs in everyone's coffee or something.... A hypothetical, but still.

"It has historically been the subject I had to make an actual effort for in order to understand. I had little interest in doing mathematics for the rest of my life, when I have a machine in my brain that does most of it for me." One was, perhaps, a little strange in that way. They had the feeling that most people would choose to engage with subjects that came easy to them, but they had trouble discerning the things that interested them from the things they were simply good at, and the overlap there was something they found difficult to navigate, especially as so much of their life already had been decided for them, from their education being decided on entirely by their parents, to the Borg feeding them all information a mind that great could possibly share. Anthropology and sociology and the behaviours of other people had, through that haze, been the only thing that had ever interested them simply because it interested them. "I recently read Crusade in Jeans. It's an ancient children's book, describing time travel from the 21st into the Earth Middle Ages. Its approach to time travel obviously doesn't hold up, as it was written four centuries ago, but it's charming still." One wasn't ashamed to say they read children's books. They found occasionally that books aimed at children were written with more imagination, while keeping the stakes and tension high and yet being able to rely on a happy ending, of a sort at least. One couldn't say any of those things were things they felt they had, but they resonated with the main characters anyway.

Admittedly, the first thing that crossed her mind was 'what the fuck, it does the math for you, that's so cool??' She shook it off quickly. Between all of the knowledge across generations and hundreds of species the Collective possessed, humanity -- kindness, mercy, empathy -- was something it was devoid of. At least in her experience. Five tipped their head a little in genuine curiosity. It sounded like an intriguing read, and she mentally added it to her ever-growing pile, switching it up top to the highest priority. "It's amazing just how much history was able to be preserved even after the war. It always feels silly, looking back and wondering how older generations couldn't have known information we've spent our whole lives developing." Time travel was a fickle thing in old Earth media. Funny little half-assed machines built out of spare parts, or high tech secret spy gadgets.. "It certainly sounds charming. I'm excited to read it." Finishing the repairs, she closed everything back up and packed up her tools, though...hesitated. "Would.. it be alright if I sat with you?"

It wasn't often that One shared much about themselves, and certainly not about the things they did in their spare time. Their field of study was easy to discuss, interest frequently polite and at least somewhat obligatory. There was nothing that stopped Five from cutting them off and displaying her disinterest, but she didn't. It seemed she was genuinely interested in what they had to say. "Yes, there's much we've learned through the years." When Five asked to join them, they motioned at the chair. "By all means. Perhaps you have a fantasy novel you'd recommend to me?"

Five was the first to use the freshly-repaired replicator, taking some lemon tea for herself. She took a seat across from One, tucking her tools safely underneath her. "Hmm... It's more modern fantasy than high fantasy, really, I think it only was released ten or so years ago. It's called Evocation, I think.. Essentially it's...well, I'm not very good at explaining things without spoilers... There's a person that hardly remembers who they are, or where they came from, and they're trying to figure out how that came to be. It's got some religious themes, though I'd argue it's more adjacent to fairies and Eldritch horror in Terran literature than anything else. They run around with what's essentially a magical soul sucker," she laughed, realizing just how ridiculous it sounded, "feeding off of people's happiness while they're trying to uncover bits and pieces of their past... It sounds a bit silly, doesn't it? Probably not for everyone."

"I just recommended you a children's book; I don't believe silliness is of our concern," One attempted to reassure Five, taking a sip of their tea. "It does not sound like any story I can ever remember reading, so perhaps diving in the deep end is just what I need to branch out to a new genre." One too took note of the title, Evocation, and vowed to find or replicate perhaps a physical copy of it, in order to really engage with the experience. "What are you drinking?" They asked, genuinely curious.

"Ah, it's lemon tea. I take a hearty amount of sugar with it as well, it makes it taste like those.. hard lemon candies. My counselor during my initial liberation used to make me some for every session, since it was the only thing that didn't drive my texture sensitivity up the wall." She always loved citrus-y anything, adored a sour taste. Five realized then that she'd neglected to ask the same -- she didn't know much about café etiquette, but it seemed commonplace, didn't it?... Something told her One wouldn't mind. "Yourself?" She inclined her head a little to them.

One nodded, taking in the recipe. They looked down at their own drink, a simple black Ceylon tea, no sugar, and wondered why they drank it. "I'm not sure I would recommend mine. It's a black tea, but I think drinking it is a habit, more than something I do for enrichment." Most food was simply sustenance, and they thought they remembered being offered tea when they were first liberated, too freshly a person still to have an opinion on what they ingested. It had simply been one of the things that stuck. They still didn't care too much, but they were sure that if they went for something that they were supposed to enjoy, they wouldn't pick this. It wasn't offensive, in any way, but its only benefit was that they didn't have to think about it at all. It was merely routine, and even now that they were aware of it, they didn't know how to stray. However, that was not a burden for this newfound acquaintance to carry. "I am glad you have positive memories associated with your drink of choice."

Five hummed in quiet curiosity, a bird-like little tilt to her head. A familiar feeling, deja vu, buzzed in the back of it. Something far away but never quite gone, though it felt.... severed, almost, a handful of sparking wires, something just out of reach. She wanted to ask about it. She didn't want to intrude. "Why is that, do you think? If you don't mind my asking, that is." She crossed her arms on the table, leaning forward just a little. It took her a long time to figure out the sorts of things she could handle, purely because her senses were a lot more sensitive post-liberation (from the bits and pieces she could remember), a big reason why she used to wear her mask everywhere. She didn't have the confidence to get rid of her gloves quite yet, but she figured it was safer with them anyway. "It's difficult for me, changing to try something new after so long of putting up with the same thing," her fingers drummed against the metallic arm under her sleeve almost indicatively, "so of course I don't blame you if you're the same way. Is there anything you've always wanted to try, maybe?" (edited)

"I think I simply never thought about it before. I drank tea when I was liberated, so I drink it now. I don't think I have strong enough feelings towards most things to really be able to want them." It was almost a sad thought, if One had strong enough feelings towards that in the first place. "It's quite bitter, black tea." It was a useless statement. It didn't reveal anything about One, or their thoughts or feelings on it, and in fact it didn't say much at all, except point out the obvious fact that black tea is bitter. "When I watch other people, it always seems like they have preferences and likes and dislikes. They take pleasure in the food they eat, and gravitate towards certain restaurants. It seems... far removed, from myself. Like I am watching mice pathfind towards cheese; recognisable intellectually, but there is nothing I relate to personally." Not that "personally" had much meaning to them at all. Their personhood didn't frequently seem to extend beyond their work to them, as if they left their identity by the door when stepping into their quarters, sinking instead into a relative non-existence in which they simply were, without being anyone in particular. Their therapist had recommended reading new things on subjects they didn't yet know intimately to try to bring the personhood into the rest of their life, but they struggled. In some ways, they were still as Borg as the day they were taken from their home planet to be liberated.

Oh, she knew the feeling all too well. A sailboat on the verge of being swallowed whole by the gaping maw of the abyss, nudged forward by a current, a lone shuttle drifting aimlessly among the stars -- communications dead, simply existing in those last few moments before everything fell to void. Letting yourself be moved along, existing outside of a body, a force, just.... being. How could you think of yourself when such a thing didn't, couldn't, possibly exist? Five pressed her lips together in quiet contemplation, listening intently to the sound of One's voice, ringing clear as a bell, resonating through her ribs to the very tips of her fingers. "I'm not... sure what to say, to tell the truth. It's an experience I'm familiar with. Outside looking in. Something existing beyond the self." She took a tentative little sip of her tea, pausing carefully to think over her words. "If that's something you find some sort of peace in. It's not my place to say. I'm not a therapist, or an expert, or anything of the sort. Or... Hm." Five picked herself up to replicate a second cup of tea -- not as sweet, just in case -- identical to her own otherwise. "If you'd like to try. If not, I'll just put it back, it's no worries. It's not as sweet as I like it, but it has to be a step up from being bitter." She smiled, lopsided but polite as she could manage, offering it to them. If they hated it, even that would be a step in the right direction. (edited)

One gave Five the same attention as she had given them, both their organic eye and ocular implant following her movements. They nodded as she spoke, and watched intently as she left the table briefly, only to return with a second cup of tea. They were about to ask about it, when she explained that it was for them to try. It seemed so simple, to just try something new, but there was a hurdle there that they couldn't explain. Paralysed by the abundance of choice, and the uncertainty of not knowing what they would enjoy, if they would enjoy anything to begin with. Yet Five had removed the hurdle without even asking, and all they had to do was pick up the cup and take a sip. So they did. "Thank you," they told Five, not able to put more complicated feelings into words, and hoping that the simple words of gratitude would suffice, at least until they could think of better words to say. The tea was sour, and a bit sweet, and One... didn't mind the taste. They were unsure if they liked it, as they were with most things, but they thought they preferred it to the black tea. The taste wasn't so strong that they were overwhelmed by it, but it was stronger and more interesting than the black tea, which only carried its usual bitterness. "It's interesting. I may choose to drink it again, in the future. Thank you," they repeated.

Five absolutely lit up, her small, polite smile widening to a grin. There wasn't much of a response on One's end, but they seemed content. That was good enough. More than, actually. "That's good to hear. I'm very happy you don't mind it." It was always a warm, fuzzy feeling when someone liked something she recommended, or even tolerated it in this case, and it jumped about tenfold now, given that One didn't have strong feelings on...anything, as they said. Hmm, she wondered what else they might find at least a little appealing...? She blinked and realized she'd gotten lost in thought, lost in the whole of the conversation really, and was technically supposed to be on duty at the moment. Even if it was minor repairs. Oops. Well, she was allowed a break every now and then, so it was fine, but nonetheless, it would be unbecoming of her as the ACOO to slack off! Even if she really wanted to stay and talk some more... "Ah! I'm so sorry, I completely lost track of time.. I got so caught up in conversation I nearly forgot I'm supposed to be on call." Her face coloring a little in embarrassment, Five picked up her teacup to recycle back into the replicator, lifting up her tools as well. "But! I enjoyed this a lot. Talking to you, I mean, you're very nice to talk to. We could make plans to do so again in the future so it isn't so rushed, if that's something you would be amenable to...? I'm terribly sorry again, I wish I had more time, and it's certainly no fault of yours." She hoped they would want to meet again— One was curious, and again, pleasant to speak to. She was already getting a bit ahead of herself, thinking of all the different things they could maybe try together, or perhaps find somewhere quieter to sit and talk about their readings. Five made a mental note to check the library for 'Crusade in Jeans', and to message One later with her thoughts.

Xuan was standing in the queue at the cafe and trying to decide what they wanted. Thankfully there were a couple people in front of them so they had time to think, but there were just so many options. They weren't entirely sure what any of the things on the menu were, they knew what coffee was, but the fancy names meant nothing to them. They were happy that most if not all the menus and signage was available in multiple languages, either written on the signs themselves or easily translatable via PADD camera. Xuan would have been incredibly lost otherwise. They kept telling themself they would study Standard more on their exchange, but with the UT there was less of a need to learn another language. It was a day off for Xuan and that's why they were exploring. They wore a bright orange hoodie with silly cartoon drawings of ears of different species. It was a gift from their father upon announcing they were going to be going into otorhinolaryngology. There were pointed Vulcanoid ears, floppy Reman ears, round human ears, Andorian ears, so many! And for bottoms they just wore leggings as trousers because why not-- and very peculiar looking shoes that had 5 toes because they were comfortable and very good for one's feet! They were ugly, but Xuan prioritised health over fashion. All fashion would go out of style eventually, healthy feet did not. As Xuan approached the front of the queue they ordered themself a vanilla latte and a little cake in the shape of a mushroom they had seen in the display case! How cute! Now it was the hard part, trying to find a spot to sit.

Vialara had been a couple of people ahead of Xuan in line, and as such had already ordered and collected her cup of Coffee, it wasn't often that she strayed outwith Gliqqigug's for her coffee needs, but this little cafe was one of her exceptions, they always had a nice selection of little sweet treats that Vialara often enjoyed with her drink. She had found her way over to one of the free tables and was currently sitting quietly reading from her PADD. In contrast to Xuan's rather brightly coloured warm outfit, she was wearing a surprisingly summery outfit, deciding on a white summer dress with orange flowers decorating it, with the station coming into it's spring season, it was now a little warmer on the environmental deck for lighter outfits with less need for warm leggings or knitted sweaters. Not quite as warm as she would typically like it to be, but for somewhere indoors like a cafe, it was certainly warm enough. Also most notable (if Xuan had seen Vialara in person prior to this) the front of her hair was now streaked with a light medical blue as opposed to it's usual blonde.

Xuan looked around trying to find a spot to sit and their eyes quickly honed in on the CMO! They had only seen her in passing at work and of course on the crew roster. It was strange to see her in a difference environment, but they were glad to see a familiar face. Xuan walked carefully towards the table where the woman was sitting, their equally pitch black eyes staring straight at Vialara. Xuan considere themself way more outgoing than a typical Romulan, but they were still Romulan. "May I sit here?" Xuan asked, taking note of the pure white dress the woman was wearing and the pretty blue streak in her hair. Within the Republic, whilst dying one's hair wasn't against the rules, many of their colleagues chose to stay natural with their appearance. Mostly due to maintenance, it was hard to maintain funky hair when you were literally fighting the Tal Shiar. Maybe this was a sign to Xuan they should experiment with hair colours while on this exchange.

Having glanced up from her PADD at the sound of somebody approaching and joining her over at this end of the Café, the CMO looked up with a smile at the exchange officer who was standing above her wearing... A rather creative outfit choice. "Ah, Hello! Fancy meeting you here, Doctor. It's good to actually meet you properly face to face! I've heard many great things about you from your transfer report and former colleagues." She motioned out with her hand to a chair opposite her as she realised she never actually mentioned they could sit down yet. "Oh! Sorry, yes please do join me. I'd love to have a proper chat with you, sorry I haven't done an official introduction with you yet, I'm busy doing the handover between my former ACMO and my soon-to-be new one." She smiled and slid her PADD over to the side so as to focus on the conversation. "What did you order? I love to see what people get from these cafés."

"O-oh, you have?" Xuan's eyes widened for a moment of brief shock. There were how many people in medical, quite a lot, right? Xuan was surprised to hear the CMO recognised them, but then again there were significantly fewer exchange officers and how many exchange officers literally had a deactivated Tal Shiar symbiont living in their gut? At all their previous postings they didn't stick out from their peers except for the spots, but then again a lot of Romulans sported face tattoos or scars so spots were surprisingly not that strange. "Thank you," Xuan bowed their head, a little too fast, almost planting their face right into their little mushroom cake. They say down, rattling the latte cup as the warm liquid sloshed around nearly spilling over, but not quite. "That is understandable and I know there are a lot of us in the medical division," Xuan typically was very good at keeping their nervousness to themself, but meeting their CMO was pretty exciting. Vialara wasn't just CMO, but a Starfleet CMO so it was super important to make a good impression. "...Oh! I got a vanilla latte and a cake. I liked the mushroom shape so I had to get it," Xuan chuckled and pointed to the cake and then the latte. "And you? What did you get?"

"Of course I have! I do try and make it a priority to hear as many good things about my transfer officers as possible, or well, all my officers generally. I love to read through all your files too and see the wonderful things you've all done." She said with a gentle smile, looking over at the other officer as they sat down. Vialara was incredibly proud of everyone in her department, she never planned on having any kids of her own, but she felt like every single officer under her care was part of her own family. If they went on to do great things after having been a part of her team, she felt an incredible sense of happiness. "As for me? I decided to go for something a little sweeter than my usual order, I've got a caramel mocha with cream. And a little strawberry cake I saw that took my fancy, got to treat yourself every now and then!" She said with a gentle chuckle. "You'll get to know me better soon, but it's important to note you'll rarely see me without a cup of coffee with me. If you're also into your coffee I wholeheartedly recommend Gliqqigug's just down the promenade a little further from here. That's where I get my usual morning coffee to wake me up."

Xuan was not the type to get easily flustered, especially as a doctor, it was important one keep their cool, but the CMO's comment made them blush. They were honoured someone as accomplished as Vialara would take the time to read their file. Sure, it was her job to know about her officers, but still, it warmed Xuan's gray heart to hear. It felt like she was looking out for everyone in their division as a guardian or parental figure. "That is true, many people overlook the importance of self care," Xuan responded with the best smile they could manage, but they weren't really a smiley type of person. They nodded as Vialara stated what she got, they had never had caramel before nor strawberry. It wasn't like they didn't have those flavours in the Republic replicators, Xuan just never tried it. "I do enjoy coffee and I will give Gli... G.." Xuan paused, attempting to repeat the name of the coffee shop. "Glitchy glug's some time," They assumed they were probably close enough. Linguistics was clearly not Xuan's strong suit. "What do you usually get from there? So I know what to try first."

Vialara's life had been nothing but self care, in the many years that followed her unruly younger years, everything she had done was making her feel better about herself and feel like she was genuinely worthy of being happy. She had been through her redemption arc and came out on top! Going from a worthless teenager who had done nothing productive in years to being the Chief Medical Officer of an entire Starbase with a crew and team she loved more than her own family... Nothing was more rewarding and reassuring than that. "Oh, well my order is less overly delicious and exciting and more... Practical and Nostalgic. There's this special blend they grew on Betazed that I was readily available in the hospital I was in. I swear used to drink like... 12 cups a day of the stuff during my residency." She said with a hearty chuckle as she she put on a fake grimace at just how bad her addiction was. "But hey, clearly it worked because I made it through it. If you want to give it a try, just ask the owner to make you a cup of the CMO's blend, they get it special ordered in from Betazed, and they'll definitely know what you're on about, we're uh, more than well acquainted with eachother." And by aquainted, she meant that she was there almost every day of the week since she learned this place existed.

Xuan was unsurprised that the CMO was such a regular at the cafe that the owner and her were close. Xuan was certainly the same way with the cafe near the hospital on Mol'Rihan. "I will make sure to ask for that. I will admit I don't know much about Betazoid foods but we had some on Trill. I can't say I remember much of those considering I was very young," Xuan often forgot they had spent their early childhood on Trill. They wished they remembered more, but aside from the language and some family members, there wasn't much of note to remember. Xuan picked up their tiny fork and gently scooped up some of the mushroom cake. They were surprised to see the inside was chocolate, they swear they thought it was vanilla, but maybe they were mistaken by the frosting. "I take it you spent your whole life in the Federation? I am curious what training was like in Starfleet. I assume it's not too different from the Republic, but your patient population is much more diverse," Xuan spoke before eating the cake and chewing slowly. The taste wasn't bad, but Xuan's opinion on chocolate remained the same. It tasted like sweet dirt. Not awful, but they much preferred the Romulan version with their cocoa beans.

Vialara smiled as Xuan continued talking, waiting for them to finish before she chirped in. "Betazoid foods are great, I love whenever I can get some actual authentic stuff shipped to the station. The replicator is super close, but it doesn't compare to the actual thing. I'll need to take a trip to Betazed again at some point." She stated as she waited for Xuan to have a little bite of their cake, not wanting to talk when they couldn't reply back to her easily, using the time to have a sip of coffee and a little bite of her own cake. As they finished, she continued. "Well the federation facilities all over are generally the nicest places I've ever been in. Although, some places are generally rather barebones. I initially trained and did the majority of my medical training on Betazed as a civilian doctor, I didn't actually attend Starfleet academy until my Core Surgical Training at 26! Quite a bit older than most of the other cadets there, I can tell you that for a fact." She said with a bit of a chuckle. "Thankfully, it was only two short years of basic training at the academy because you get to skip all the medical stuff. But yeah, the species diversity is much higher so you do find yourself needing to remember a lot more basic information, but thankfully you get super detailed documents on hand at all times to refer to, especially if you're not treating just another human."

Xuan chewed and swallowed their bit of cake, still pondering the chocolatey taste. They were curious why the flavour was so popular on earth, but maybe that's what federation people thought when they tasted Romulan flavours. "I have heard that before-- about the replicators not giving the most true to experience," Xuan thought it was a Romulan thing at first before they tried out some of the Federation replicators. Whilst the outputs were never bad per say, they did lack the imperfection that came with homemade foods. "Oh, intersting. I am sure Betazed has quite the medical programme," Xuan didn't do anything in side the skull, but they had worked with telepathic species before and it was something to see those brain scans. "I was a civilian doctor for a couple years, actually it was just before I came aboard this station for officer exchange. I wanted to do more research and teaching," Xuan explained, smiling as they spoke. Serving on Mol'Rihan was very fun, even if it did mean working with a lot of children. "A human patient sounds very exciting to me, but then again in the Republic the most alien species we really work with are Vulcans or Vulcan-Romulan hybrids," Xuan laughed softly as they attempted to scoop up the frosting with their fork. It wasn't that they disliked the chocolate, but the frosting was much tastier than the actual cake portion. "What made you want to join Starfleet then? It sounds like you had a good career on Betazed?"

Vialara finished another sip of her coffee followed by another bite of her delicious strawberry flavoured cake, as Xuan talked, listening keeping a brief tally of all their questions as they asked away, before replying. "Well, Betazed was lovely. It was where I grew up, where I had loved for all of my life. And it was the easiest place available when I decided to pursue medicine, but it was very limited in what it was I wanted to do. Despite it being a federation planet, as you can expect a vast majority of the population are Betazoids, so there's not a huge diversity in patient care, and I wanted to start going into surgical specialty so I needed to do my core surgical training!" She smiled and remembered back to the reason why she had joined Starfleet over all the other options presented to her. "Well, I actually had a super positive experience with two Starfleet Medical officers when I was in my early twenties, so they had left a very solid impression on me. And whilst doing my research on places I could go to study my core surgical training, the Starfleet Medical Programme actually came up, you could join and graduate as a full fledged officer with only two years of basic training at the Academy, and I had no trouble getting in because I had already completed my five years of medical school."

"That seems logical. I remember when I lived in Trill the population was also very much Trill dominated. I was the only Romulan in my class, but I suppose that isn't really a surprise," Post-Hobus too, it was especially odd to see a Romulan outside of their space. Xuan wished they remembered more of their time on their homeworld, but then again who really remembered much about their life before they were 10? As Vialara explaine why she joined Starfleet, Xuan continued picking off the frosting with their fork and eating it. The chocolate bits were pushed off to the side of their plate and soon they had eaten literally everything but the fluffy chocolate cake. "That does sound convenient indeed, it is a good thing you joined, Starfleet is lucky to have an accomplished surgeon like you. I completed my entire medical training within the Republic, well, it wasn't called that at the time," Xuan said as they pushed their plate aside so they could hold their mug with both hands to warm their palms. "Emergency medicine, if I recall, right? What made you chose that and not a more specialised field? In the Republic I feel like people are beginning to go into more sub-specialties. We needed a lot of generalists before we were legitimised, so I guess it makes sense many people want to focus on one thing now that things have settled down."

"Yeah, it was emergency medicine! Well, Emergency Surgery mainly. I see you've also been reading up on me too then, have you?" She said with a gentle smile, as she finished up the last of her strawberry cake. "It's always been something I thought appealed to me the most, helping the people who desperately need help the most, I suppose. Going down the surgical route definitely was something that I was focused a lot on too." The CMO glanced around the Cafe, watching all the various customers and kids that were going around. "I've always been really good at keeping calm under pressure, and certainly good at leading people during a crisis, so emergency medicine seemed like a perfect fit. But I think I do definitely prefer the calm between the storms." She smiled and looked up at Xuan. "Oh- Actually! Whilst I have you here, would you mind taking a photo of me with my new hair? I want to send a picture to a friend of mine off-station."

"I always read up on senior staff and-- well the exchange officer orientation successfully struck fear into our hearts when they told us we would be representing the Republic," Xuan chuckled softly, shaking their head. They weren't sure if they were the best representation of the Republic, they were only half Romulan after all and it wasn't like they were from any sort of great house. They were just a dude. "It's good that you can enjoy the calm between the storms. I have honestly never been a fan of emergencies. They are exciting, but I'm glad otolaryngology doesn't see much of those. We do help with head trauma like facial plastics or damages to the airways, but it's nothing like emergency surgery," Xuan explained as they lifted their cup to take small sips of their latte. By this time their drink was already cold so there was no risk of burning. The vanilla was soothing with a creamy texture. It wasn't bad, but they still preferred Romulan vanilla. Xuan was honestly a little disappointed in their food choices, maybe they should have just stuck to Romulan foods. "Of course, I can take a photo for you," Xuan put their mug down and pushed it aside. "I can take the photo on your PADD or on mine? I'm not sure if the quality of photos differs between PADDs," Xuan grabbed their PADD from their pocket to show Vialara. It was a typical Romulan-style PADD with the random pointy bit at the top with the Republic emblem on the back. It had a triple camera set up too, very good for capturing high resolution photos!

Vialara gave Xuan a large smile, it was nice that her officers also cared enough to learn some stuff about her too rather than it always being vice-versa. She was always impressed by Khitomer Alliance exchange officers too, so she had high praise (and equally high hopes) for any officers sent across to her department. "Well, from what I've heard you've done a wonderful job of integrating into the department too. I'm kind of glad I bumped into you actually, it'll save me one more introductory meeting off my to-do list too." She unlocked and slid her PADD across the table to Xuan, as she smiled and picked up her coffee with both hands and sat with a gentle pose. "Take one on both, we can compare Romulan and Starfleet tech. See who has a better camera on their standard PADD. Although I don't know if the fact I'm senior staff means they've given me a slightly better version or not. It's not really my area of expertise." She said, with a gentle chuckle, as she smiled across at Xuan so they could take her photo.

"Oh, thank you so much, I am honoured," Xuan had interacted with their colleagues decently well in their mind, but it was good to hear confirmation that they were doing well from their boss. Xuan secretly feared that being half Trill, there would be more pressure on them to integrate well with their fellow officers, but it seemed like everyone was pretty understanding of their distinctly Romulan oddities like staring or serious looks. "Alright, we'll see," Xuan grabbed the CMO's PADD first and aimed the device at Vialara. It seemed as if they were about to snap a photo but Xuan quickly got confused by the interface. Xuan had no idea why they were surprised, obviously Vialara wouldn't be using her PADD in Rihannsu. Xuan quickly looked down at their own PADD and clicked a few buttons to change the language to Standard. They had memorised where all the buttons were on the Romulan interface, so by changing it to Standard, they could just compare the words. Little did Xuan know one could simply just click the camera button to pull up the camera but alas, they were on this journey! Xuan soon found the appropriate button and snapped a photo of Vialara holding her coffee and then did the same with their Romulan PADD. Both photos looked the same, maybe the Romulan one had a slight greenish tint, which usually made Vulcanoids look more full of life, but for species with other coloured blood it just made them look odd. Well, Xuan slid both PADDs over to Vialara so she could compare. "Here are the two photos, what do you think?"

The CMO posed nicely with her coffee, as Xuan took both of the photos on their respective PADDs, she felt really confident with her new outfit and her new hair, it wasn't entirely often that Vialara felt this level of happiness but sitting at the window of this nice little coffee shop, artificial sunlight streaming in through the window from the promenade outside, she felt genuinely happy and relaxed. Although, it was rare that coffee didn't improve the CMO's mood, considering her rather significant dependency on the substance. As Xuan slid the PADD's across the table, she smiled and put a hand up to her face to hide her little giggle. "Oh, wow... Not to hype myself up too much, but I look amazing. These PADD cameras really are something else. Yours is a little... Green. Is that a filter for vulcanoid skin tones? I do suppose it would be quite flattering with the green blooded species, but I don't think it quite fits my complexion." The CMO tapped away at her own PADD, saving the photograph to her album with a smile. "Thanks however, Xuan. This one will do nicely." She tucked her PADD away into her bag with a smile towards the doctor opposite her. "Whilst I have you here, is there any issues or concerns you wanted to bring up with me about the station or the department?"

Xuan was happy to see the CMO seemed to enjoy their little photoshoot. They were no professional photographer, but they felt like they knew how to capture a person's energy with a photo. It also helped that they looked at faces all the time at work and typically could find a person's good angles. Had they not chosen throats or ears, maybe they would have gone for facial plastics. They smiled as they listened to Vialara's verdict on the pics. "Oh, yeah, we find green tints to make an image look a little softer. At least, that's what I think," Xuan had never really thought about the filters that Romulan PADDs often put on photos. Considering they usually took selfies or pictures of other Vulcanoids, it was easy to miss. "I'll keep the filters in mind when I am taking photos of non-Vulcanoids," Xuan took their PADD back and then sipped their latte. "hmm, nothing in particular. I really like everything so far. I suppose the replicators could have more Romulan foods, but I guess I'm too used to the foods on Mol'Rihan," Xuan was definitely a creature of habit and although they had no problem sampling foods from off world, their preference was romulan foods. Even on trill, their mother was the better cook. "That's it. I suppose anything you're curious about me? I don't have much, aside from I just returned from working as a civilian," Xuan asked before finishing up their latte and then checking to make sure they ate all the non chocolate bits of their cake.

The CMO gave the fellow doctor a gentle smile as they finished up talking, finishing up the last of her coffee as she sat the empty mug down on the table. It was nice of Xuan to sit with her whilst she had her coffee and cake, it wasn't often she found herself with company, typically she sat by herself reading from her PADD so it was actually a little refreshing to have somebody to have chatted to during her coffee. "Nothing that I'm sure we wont get to know from eachother during our shifts together. The medical department is super close and we often get to chat quite frequently, we'll get to know each other super well yet, Doctor." With that, the CMO glanced across the Café at the chronometer, checking out the time... It wasn't too late. Still maybe a little time to- Oh! "Oh goodness! I forgot I promised Niwa I would watch Keazayi for her! I gotta run, Xuan! It was really nice meeting you!" She said with a gentle chuckle as she stood up and slung her bag over her shoulder. "I guess I'll catch you on duty. If you have any questions, feel free to pop into my office anytime! Thanks for sitting with me, It was a pleasure." She said, before she quickly gathered the last of her things, and rushed out of the cafe.

Nireem was here with the nebula variant of the elachi skitterer hidden under his shirt that read 'Universe's okayest dad'. It was a shirt he reserved specifically for when he met Xuan. Standing at 6'7, Nireem was the taller parent, Xuan's mother just barely stood over 5'10. Nireem wore jeans and a pair of green crocs, he looked ready to do nothing but eat. He was already in the queue to order, waiting for Xuan.

Xuan soon walked into the cafe and saw their dad looking... pregnant, or something. It was bizarre. Well, it would hardly be the weirdest look they had seen his dad in. They were dressed in their uniform as they were coming straight from work. It was times like this that Xuan wished their father would give them a warning before just showing up or at the very least tell them if it was urgent or not. Xuan had a routine and needed more advanced notice, but clearly this was very important. "Jolan tru, di'ranov," Xuan greeted, bowing their head and waving.

"Xuan Nhat, good you're here. You should buy us some cake," Nireem said, pointing to a little mushroom cake that was on the menu. Coincidentally it was the same mushroom cake that Xuan had got not too long ago. "And wow, that's the Republic uniform? The mustard yellow was a choice."

"That cake has chocolate, if that's okay? I'll get something else," Xuan said as they dug through their pocket to pull out some money for the food. They glanced at their father for a second and in an instant knew that they would be paying for both of them. They also caught the glimpse of.. lights under Nireem's shirt? Odd, but they were gonna ask once they say down. Xuan ordered two coffees, the mushroom cake for their dad and they decided to go with a plain scone with some butter. Once they got their food they headed over to an empty table and set the tray down. "Oh and yes the only reason I am wearing it is because my father told me I should reenlist," Xuan replied back to their father about the uniform, giving him a head tilt and a little click of their tongue.

"Chocolate?" Nireem said in Standard. "Hell yeah-- oops I mean Erebus yeah? Ganmadan Yeah? Thirty years with Romulans and I still mess up the language," Nireem said as he followed Xuan to the table and waited until Xuan sat down to reveal the surprise! "Hey, if I recall, exchange officers are allowed to wear the other faction's uniform, anyway, surprise time!" And with that, Nireem lifted his shirt in the middle of the cafe and an elachi skitterer plopped onto the table right on top of Xuan's scone and butter! A few people turned their heads to see what was happening but their stares thankfully didn't linger.

Xuan already was making a lot of changes to their personal plan by seeing their dad, but now their poor scone was ruined -- but moreso there was an elachi skitterer on the table! Xuan's first instinct was to hold both of their hands over where Sul'hoth was; right below their ribcage. The skitterer proceeded to stick its multiple legs in the scone and then Xuan's coffee! "DI'RANOV!" Xuan jumped from their seat and attempted to push the creature away from them.

"Hey hey, it's friendly! Look, Sul'hoth, look at your elachi bretheren!!" Nireem picked up the skitterer and held it in front of Xuan's hands. "I showed it to your mother and she freaked out," Nireem was all smiles in stark contrast to the horrified look on his child's face.

Xuan shook their head and sat back down, not wanting to cause any more of a scene than they already had. They took the creature from their dad and held it on their lap. Unlike a sehlat or other animal, the skitterer had small metal legs that dug into their trousers. "It's.. yeah, ri'ranov doesn't like pets," Now Xuan was thinking about how the hell they were gonna bring this creature home when they knew their mum didn't like any sort of pet, mechanical or otherwise.

"I know you need to keep routine so like, I thought an organic pet would bother you with its bodily needs. However a mechanical one! No sleeping, no eating, obeys commands, and I think you can train it as a service pet if you ask an engineer!" Nireem grabbed the mushroom cake and started eating it like a gremlin. Just stabbing it with his fork and munching. Xuan pretended not to see and just lifted the critter onto the table so they could eat their sad and broken scone. "You can name it too! Okay, I got a cool Standard word that would make a great name! Lymph Node," Nireem stopped eating for a moment so he could tell his child his amazing suggestion.

Xuan did appreciate their father being considerate of their preferences when gifting them the pet but at the same time they still would have preferred more of a warning before Nireem visited the station. ".... Not Lymph Node, that's a body part," Xuan waved a hand and shook their head.

"Okay okay! You know Calvin Les has a sehlat named Spock's Brain! Maybe you can name him like, Spock's Kidney!" Nireem gave another suggestion, sounding just as confident as he did when he gave the first one.

"Di'ranov, all those name are terrible," Xuan didn't know much Standard but they did know the Standard words for body parts. They had made sure to study those because they never knew when they'd need to know them. "I do kinda like the idea of naming it after a body part. Since I'm an otorhinolaryngologist... Maybe Thyroid or Larynx?"

"Oh my wiggly worm, you gotta go with thyroid! I love that!" Nireem exclaimed with a mouthful of cake. For a man who came up with 'Xuan Nhat', his naming sense seemed to be a one hit wonder sorta deal. "Hi Thyroid, you are so cute! Take care of Xuan Nhat and Sul'hoth okay? Protect them from the Riahs Lat," Nireem said with a loud laugh before chugging his drink like it was beer, but it was hot coffee. Somehow, he didn't seem uncomfortable but the boiling hot liquid.

Xuan had to laugh with their father at the sheer excitement on his face. They offered the skitterer some of their scone to which the creature happily ate. It didn't need food, but could 'eat'. "Yes, Thyroid."

"OH! Before I forget! I have a rash on my ass and I want to know if it's ben again," Nireem suddenly changed the subject, grabbing a napkin and wiping his face.

If Xuan wasn't busy feeding Thyroid they would have face palmed. They knew their dad was not very good at Rihannsu, but he could at least get the general meaning of words. Xuan looked very confused at Nireem. "I told you, di'ranov, I'm an otorhinolaryngologist so.. ears, nose, throats. No other body parts. And who is Ben?"

"I don't know, you tell me who is Ben," Nireem shrugged and looked around. The little skitterer's 'face' lit up and it made some mechanical noises. "But you're a doctor, you should know if it's Ben again," Nireem whipped out his PADD and showed Xuan the alleged rash.

The last thing Xuan wanted to look at was some rash on their dad's ass, but whatever. "Yeah I don't know, just go to the dermatologist. They exist on Mol'Rihan," Xuan pushed the PADD away so they could sip their coffee. "But who the elements is Ben? Did he give you this rash? He should get checked too!"

"Xuan Nhat, my child in S'Task, who is Ben? I don't know a Ben. I am not gonna go to the doctor if the rash is Ben Again," Nireem waved his hands in the air to wiggle. Not unusual for him honestly.

"Di'ranov, I can't tell you anything about this rash. I went to medical school, but that doesn't mean I'm qualified to work on any part of the body. Just go to the dermatologist, you can even go here on the station if you want a Fed doctor, what the earth and fire is Ben again?" Xuan mimicked their father's motion, the two of them now with their arms up wiggling. "Use a synonym."

"When something won't kill you!"

"Not fatal?"

"Different word!"

"Harmless?"

"No, the fancy word."

"Mild?"

"A different fancy word! The medical word."

"Elements guide me, BENIGN!" Xuan put their arms down and double face palmed.

"YES! Oh the worms, my child doesn't even know Rihannsu," He said with a loud laugh. Nireem and Xuan continued their meal with no further silly misunderstandings. Also Nireem did end up visiting the station dermatologist to get some lotion for the rash.

Rilek was at the cafes that day to eat some croissants. After seeing Rai break down in tears upon seeing the French pastry, she began to wonder what all the fuss was about. Rilek paid at the counter to enter the buffet and grabbed herself a plate. Thankfully they had some lightweight plastic plates that were easy to hold in the hands, great for Rilek who used her five-fingered hand to use the tongs to grab treats, whilst holding the plate with her prosthetic fingered hand. Not every finger was prosthetic, only the middle and ring fingers, but it was still hard to grip things properly. Today Rilek was wearing a casual outfit, a yellow t-shirt tucked into a long dark green skirt with ruffles and some socks and sandals. A great combination. Rilek was not a croc gal, or well, not in public. She was the Khellian matriarch and had an image to uphold.

Maran had stopped pretending that he didn't in fact have a giant sweet tooth after putting the fourth tiny cake on his plate. When he first heard of the dessert buffet this café offered he just had to check it out - which first involved giving his colleagues the slip at the end of his shift. A big, scary Jem'hadar with a sweet tooth? No way! He had an image to maintain! That notion melted away seeing the tiny bowls of peach jelly on offer, though, and now his plate was crowded with a clusterfuck of tiny desserts! Awww. He seemed to be exerting every bit of effort not to drop the massive plate as he sat (coincidentally just a few tables from Rillek) and dug in with a fork. He definitely made a valiant attempt not to show that he was really, really enjoying some of the little treats, but the look in his eyes gave him away. Awww!

If there was one person Rilek did not expect to see at the buffet it was the Jem'hadar tactical officer, Maran'agar. She was briefly acquainted with him from the pizza party, but the two did not have too much in way of conversation. They had become curious about the officer's background so of course the first thing they did after the party was look up Maran'agar's file. Rilek was about to sit down when she noticed the other officer had been sat by himself. She was still quite curious about him so Rilek decided to make their way over to the Jem'hadar's table. "Jolan tru, may I sit here? It seems you have more.. Insight into what sort of food is good and I have never had many of the sweets here."

Maran nearly choked hearing that. Well, thank god he didn't, because the peach jelly he had in his mouth was to die for. It would've been a tragedy, really. A quick glance to the side told him who it was speaking to him, and he swiftly regained his composure. "You may." He stated, in Romulan. "We didn't talk much at the party - I can't even remember if I learned your name..."

"Rilek. Fleet Liaison to the Romulan Republic. And you are Maran'agar?" Rilek took a seat across from the Jem'hadar and put her plate on the table. In stark contrast to the tactical officer, Rilek's plate had just two plain croissants on it. She was a bit overwhelmed by the choices at the buffet. There were things she had never heard of or that looked odd to her. She wasn't as bad as her brother but she was not very adventurous with food. "I was curious about your background so I had looked up your file. It's not every day you see a Jem'hadar in Starfleet," She said with a little wink and a smile. The gesture seemed flirty, but that wasn't Rilek's intention. She was just trying to be friendly. "What are you eating? I would have never guessed a Jem'hadar was into.. desserts."

"...this one is." Maran felt his cheeks warm. A weird feeling. God, she was going to spread this around, wasn't she. Soon the starbase was going to know that the big, bad Jem'hadar in Tactical was a fan of sweets - mostly peach-flavored or peach-containing (and by extension, pink.) "I have decided to try a little bit of everything. I hear the spread here is unrivalled. And delicious. Thus far I have not been disappointed." He admitted, somewhat sheepishly. He glanced down at her contrastingly sparse plate. "I recommend the chocolate scones. Those are quite good - though I do not know what the effects of chocolate on Romulan physiology are..."

Rilek looked at the foods that Maran had collected for himself, noticing that they were mostly pink in colour. They weren't sure what the pink ingredient was but it was clearly something good if he had a whole plate full of it. They lifted their gaze to look at the officer as he spoke. Whilst staring was not welcome to most Starfleet officers, she was unsure if Jem'hadar were offended by it. Probably not, so Rilek didn't bother to hide her Romulan habit of staring at the person she was talking to. "Romulans are unaffected by chocolate, but Vulcans are. I am only an eighth Vulcan, but unfortunately I cannot have chocolate," Rilek told Maran, glancing down at her scones. "So, what's the pink? Is it a fruit or something? you see to have a lot of it," Rilek extended a finger to point at the treats on Maran's plate.

"Peach. The Terran peach." Maran admitted sheepishly, after possibly a solid whole second of silence. "And possibly strawberry. I didn't look too carefully when choosing. Everything looked good." Maran seemed a little bit embarrassed now, to have admitted that to... well, Rillek wasn't quite a stranger, but still. "...would you like to try one? I do not mind." Maran offered. It was the nice thing to do, right? Might as well start opening connections that way.

"Terran peach? I do know strawberries, actually," Rilek told him, only knowing strawberries because someone had once compared her hair colour to one. She looked slightly surprised when Maran offered to let her try one, but that surprise quickly turned into a smile. "Oh if you don't mind," Rilek grabbed her fork with her right hand. It was quite a pain being right handed and have just three fingers on her right hand. The prosthetics helped but they weren't perfect. "Which one should I try first? I am not a fan of overly sweet things..."

"Choose any at random. I would recommend these." Maran pushed what looked like a round cream puff with pink icing on top towards her with his fork. "I believe it is some sort of cream pastry with peach cream and peach chunks in the center. They tend to be quite popular..."

Rilek used her fork to stab at the cream puff and held it up to her mouth. She underestimated the creaminess of the dessert and her lips quickly became covered in the pink fluff. Trying to keep up her prestine image, Rilek covered her mouth with her other hand as she ate, taking small bites and trying not to get anymore cream on her face. With the cream puff eaten, she gently dabbed away and remaining cream with her napkin and pondered the taste for a few seconds. "Still a little sweet but not bad. I.. Really do taste the peach? I have never had anything like it, we don't have things like this in Romulan space, not as sweet at least," Rilek told him with a smile. "What got you so enamoured with sweets? Don't tell me Ketrecel White is actually just a liquid sugar."

"No. It is not. I have never tasted ketracel white and I pray that I never do." Maran seemed satisfied enough with her reply; he hummed and took a bite out of what looked like an entirely pink eclair. Peach-infused top with peach cream in the middle? Who knows? "As to why I like sweets. Why do people have preferences? I suppose the answer to that is the answer. I've never figured out exactly what it is."

Rilek laughed a little at her own mistake. Of course Jem'hadar weren't eating the drug, but the officer's response was amusing none the less. "I suppose you're right," Rilek gave their response to Maran not knowing why he liked sweets. She watched him take a bite out of the long bread (she wasn't sure what it was called, but it was also pink!). "Lots of pink, hm, I was concerned about the sweets having chocolate in them I just got plain croissants," Rilek said as she lifted one of her croissants and took a slow bite. "Hmm... What other foods do you like to eat?"

"Many things. I would say a rather wide range." Maran replied. "Though I suppose that's mostly because I've only tried most things once. Peach flavored things are... a preference." He admitted sheepishly. Big, strong guy like him, unintimidating, cute preference. Weird, right? Rillek didn't seem to think so at any rate, which was good. "From several cultures. I do quite like Japanese food from Earth - which is where plenty of fruit-flavored confections come from, as I have found. How about you?"

Rilek was Romulan so odd preferences didn't faze them. Romulans looked intimidating too and often had odd tastes. Rilek listened to Maran's answer and continued to nibble on their croissants. They took careful and slow bites, making sure to savour the taste. It was plain, but good. They were confused why it scared Rai so much, there was nothing too foreign in it. Just butter and some bread dough. "Vulcan food, mostly because that is what I ate growing up," They responded, looking at the colourful pink foods the Jem'hadar had again. "I cannot say I know much about Japanese food. They must enjoy colourful pastries. How did you discover such cuisine? Did you visit earth before?"

"No. My colleagues on the Khitomer introduced me to them. I can describe some of the failed attempts if you would like. There are many." Maran deadpanned. God, memories of Shasta replicating cake after cake after bun to help him figure out what he liked. Now that was amusing - though he wished the Ferengi had been somewhat less pushy. "I think once they had me sample at least twenty different dishes over one potluck dinner... is that what humans call it, potluck dinner? It was in the mess hall. Captain Kagran organized it. I nearly went home with a stomachache. And my people aren't supposed to get stomachaches..."

Khitomer? Oh, that ship, Rilek had to think for a moment to remember it. "Failed attempts? At finding cuisine you like?" Rilek could not relate since she had pretty much ate the same things her whole life. There was little need to expand, not that they had a variety of cuisine on Rator III anyway. "Oh I see.. Potluck, the act of.. many people bringing food to an event where guests can sample each other's dishes?" Such a practice did not exist in Romulan culture, at least not in Rilek's circle. Trying food from another was especially dangerous, it was a great way to assassinate an enemy though. "Oh, did you eat too much? And I can only imagine your body being shocked by the new foods. That is my fear and one of the reasons I do not try many new foods. In addition, I suffer terrible migraines," Rilek would typically reserve such intel only for close family, but Maran was a Jem'hadar so there was little he could do with the knowledge that a Romulan matriarch had part Vulcan and had migraines. Who would he tell?

"Yet you don't know what gives you migraines until you try it and see. I haven't gotten over the taste of Ferengi tube grubs." Maran made a disgusted gagging noise. Yes, the big, tough-looking scaly dude, scared of a few slimy insects. How cute. "I will never eat those again. The Klingons found them pleasant, strangely. And the Bolian chiffon cakes tasted like battery acid. The Andorians liked them. I find it easier not to think too hard and simply go along for the ride, as the humans say." "Romulans do not have such practices. That much I do understand. Though I admittedly understand not quite enough about your people - least of all how your Houses work..."

"I am content eating the same foods every day and my migraines can be very debilitating," Rilek responded, wondering if the Jem'hadar had even had a migraine or even just a normal headache. She flicked some loose hairs away from her face and chuckled at the other's distaste for Ferengi cuisine. "I agree, I'm not sure how I feel about eating bugs," Rilek thought it was amusing that Maran was not here for the insects when it seemed like a very Jem'hadar thing to eat. "I suppose the universe has become so interconnected, many people enjoy cuisines from other cultures. If I did not have such a sensitive stomach perhaps I would try more," Rilek wasn't as bad as Rai, although it was hard to be as picky and sensitive as the CO. "That's completely understandable, I thought our politics would become easier to navigate once Mol'Rihan was founded but honestly, I still feel confused. I don't suppose Jem'hadar or the Dominion has any such structure post-ketrecel white?" Rilek knew the Dominion had a clear structure before the alliance, but was curious about their structure post-alliance and if it had remained the same.

"It has more than you may think. At the time of my leaving the Founder Odo was commander of the Fleet. Any developments since then, I am not entirely aware of. I have not heard of any mass rebellions or revolutions taking place, so I presume somehow or other my millions of brothers kept their heads cool." Maran deadpanned. "Or perhaps they were... silenced. I suppose I may never find out." When he'd swallowed his next bite of cake (a chocolate one this time, covered in light pink dust) he mused, "Hrm. I think they would think I'm crazy. Or soft. Or both at once. I wonder how the Dominion ultimately solved our newfound need to eat."

Rilek was surprised to hear that the Dominion's political state had more or less stayed the same. The only difference was the drug. Then again, both the Jem'hadar and Vorta had been genetically programmed to worship the Founders, if she recalled her galactic history. "That makes sense. I suppose even if people did want to rebel, you have kept the same structure for so long, there doesn't really seem to be a reason to change it?" As far as Rilek knew, the Jem'hadar and Vorta were content doing whatever they were doing. "Crazy? Soft? Why? Because you enjoy foods? I am sure many others have the same experience as you," Rilek watched as Maran took a bite of the chocolate cake. She was not a chocolate gal, and even if she were, she had a Vulcan brain that did not respond well to the dessert. "How is the ... Chocolate? Is it also mixed with peach?"

"Strawberry." Maran deduced after a second of chewing on the soft, sweet treat. "I don't mind it at all. As to... the other thing. No, not particularly because I like food. One of my 'brothers' loves spicy food. I heard that is because he is convinced that it is only appropriate for us. Our species. To maintain our reputation, whatever that is. We met at a diplomatic conference once." A tiny smirk spread its way across Maran's lips. "I saw his bloodshot eyes when he ate a tiny knob of wasabi..."

“Intersting how there are so many ways to pair flavours," Rilek was done with their croissants so they were just watching Maran eat. He seemed to be enjoying the chocolate strawberry dessert, something that Rilek was uninterested in trying. She already got chocolate drunk once and was not looking to repeat the experience. "I do not know what wasabi is but I can only assume it is a 'spicy food'," Rilek's eyes widened for a moment, confused by the food name. "I understand differnt cultures having their own cuisines, but I do not understand how foods are 'appropriate' or 'not appropriate' for certain species. Surely anyone can eat spicy food, well, excluding biological limitations," Rilek stated, not quite sure what spicy food had to do with being a Jem'hadar. Were there other species and food associations outside of the typical planet-specific cuisines?

Maran shrugged and spread his hands. "Purely a matter of perception, that is." He guessed. "For example, a Jem'hadar is supposed to be strong and durable and fierce and therefore should have spicy food as his favorite dishes. Bolians are capable of eating extremely sour foods, even ones that other species cannot safely consume, and therefore should have sour food as their favorite dish. Klingons eat even foods like gagh that are still alive and wriggling and should therefore like similar food items. I learned that these notions exist - but also that no one really cares." Maran hummed. "I do not know where or why he picked up the idea, but I suppose if he wishes to make it his then so be it. I will let the Klingon crew that he was seconded to deal with that." Maran seemed mildly amused at the idea; he even let out a short bark of laughter. "Pah. Imagine a Klingon galley chef preparing gagh covered in curry sauce..."

Rilek listened silently as Maran explained how certain foods could be associated with various species. It was... Extremely odd to her. It was just as odd as when she heard that humans once separated genders into jobs and valued certain individuals more than others because of very arbitrary features such as skin colour or hair type. Rilek already thought valuing someone based on what house they were born into was silly, she could not imagine associating food with others based on some shared attributes. "I am going to be direct with you, Maran'agar, that sounds utterly proposterious. It is not more illogical than thinking that my favourite food should be strawberries because my hair is red," Rilek shook her head quickly, truly surprised by it all. "I can understand species enjoying their own cuisine. Romulans famously love ale, we like to show off how strong we are being able to tolerate something with such high alcohol content," Rilek explained. "So with thar logic... would people say you should like the terran fruit durian because your head looks like a durian?" Was that a burn or an observation? It was unclear, but Rilek had no ill intentions behind it.

"I have tasted durian once. I actually do like it when I've gotten past the smell of it. Though it will always fall at most fourth to peaches." Maran deadpanned with an eyebrow raised. He'd gagged when first smelling the fruit, and had to pin his nose closed with a clothespin before trying the sweet, custardy flesh inside. "But that being said, no, of course not. I've found that those assumptions usually hold no water - except to some. There will always be some who think they define the person they're looking at. My 'brother' does. Perhaps the Klingons will sort him out, do you think. Possibly in a rather painful way." "No one liked him. He was the shortest of us all with an attitude several times the size of his body. Hopefully he finds his place." Maran mused aloud with a hint of amusement.

"I do not like smelly foods myself, it is, I suppose, in Standard terms, a red flag," If there was anything that Rilek could not adjust to within Starfleet, it was that green meant safe and red meant danger, whereas it was the opposite in the Navy. She gave Maran an amused smile when she saw his reaction to ehr comment, how interesting. "Perhaps. Or maybe he will have an enjoyable time serving the KDF, I hear they are surprisingly welcoming," Rilek tilted their head to the side and crossed their arms. "Short? Interesting. How does one determine height? I have always been confused about the cloning process. One would assume that every Jem'hadar would look the same, but you all have different faces and voices. It reminds me of," Rilek paused for a moment to think, clicking her finger guards together. "Ah, that one terran Emperor who had an army of terracotta warriors. They all have different faces, it's interesting."

"That answer lies with the Founders. I don't know why we even possess any form of genetic variation. If we were meant to be the perfect soldiers, why not make all of us identical?" Maran shrugged. "I suppose we might never know. I suppose in the eyes of the Founders there is no reason for us to know - or care. We exist to fight and that is all, until recent years that is." Maran called over a waiter and ordered a glass of peach soda. "Perhaps even the original Founder who conceived of us, or at least the idea of us, had some sliver in their body that wanted to pay attention to detail..."

"Exactly what would seem logical. Considering all Jem'hadar have specific features that unifies the whole species, why not make all of them look the same? Or for a more strategic approach, variation would be good but more like variation in starships? It is something I am not sure even a Founder would know," Rilek theorised, thinking critically about the topic so much so that she showed immense concentration in her expression. "Well, perhaps that is something for Dominion scientists to look into. I am aware many Vorta were scientists and I have no doubt Jem'hadar will continue to branch out into other fields," Rilek wanted to see the Dominion species become as common as Romulans were within Starfleet's ranks. "Anyway," Rilek looked down at her empty plate and then at Maran. "I am done, it was nice chatting with you and have more insight into your experiences than just some database profile," And with that Rilek stood up and took her plate back to the return window and headed off to go about her day.

He regretted not sorting out a more specific time than generally after 1900 to meet with Tewari. How was he to attain the satisfaction of being precisely on-the-dot punctual? Not that he would've been on time. It was five minutes after 1900 that he managed to get out of work because of some off-screen plot involving hijinks, and then a further five minutes to get from where he was to Bean Me Up (he appreciated the pun). The station had many turbolifts, but man, it was still big, and now his knees felt rusty. It was 1910 (the time, not the year) when he arrived at BMU. The place smelled of coffee beans, a smell which always put him at ease. He took a deep breath, then looked around to see if Tewari was already here, not getting any drinks just yet. He hoped he hadn't made a bad impression; most of his first officers had been friendly acquaintances so far, so he quietly hoped this one might be a proper friend. If he did spot Tewari, either already here or just coming in, he'd approach her and say, "Hey - thanks for coming. Smells nice here, dunnit?"

Talos hadn’t minded the general time of ‘after 1900.’ She had arrived only a couple of minutes before the station commander, having given herself time to find her way there. In any outdoor location she had a knack for navigating where she needed to go without directions, but being aboard 777 had reminded her that the skill didn’t translate to indoor spaces at all. This was like being back in Starfleet Academy’s main building, or aboard a new ship for the first time – but it was even bigger. A starbase was practically a city in space; all the larger to navigate. At least she had made it here without incident. She had been perusing the menu when Mo arrived, stood back from the queue so as to not get in their way as she tried to decide what to get from a rather long list of available drinks. Out of uniform, she was dressed in black slim-cut jeans, a burgundy jumper, and a pair of Chelsea boots. It was a very business casual look; not too relaxed but not too formal, hopefully conveying a decent enough impression to the person who was now her boss. Mo’s approach was caught out of the corner of her eye and she looked away from the boards above the counter that listed the menu, turning to him instead. Her interactions with the Station Commander had been multiple now, but all rather brief and entirely work-related. Talos had always been the sort to get to know people outside of work. She wondered how Mephis would act when not in station commander mode. “You don’t need to thank me, Captain Mo; I'm glad for the chance to meet you off duty. You're right, it does smell nice. Have you been here before? Anything you recommend?" She had always been more of a tea person. She'd settle for coffee, but all of the different options sounded complicated.

He was in his usual uninventive black turtleneck and trousers. Hey, they were comfortable and he liked being covered. He had some cool-looking heeled boots on, though, the kinds that were tied with shoelaces and looked as if, even though they were heeled, they could be used for hiking in a pinch. Also, they gave him a little extra height. The black matched his ear piercings, but not his scarlet hair. "I 'aven't, but there's been a few new coffee shops poppin' up recently and I wanted to try 'em. My favourite is actually Gliqqigug's. For coffee I'd recommend, though, it's hard to do that not knowin' what your tastes are. If you happen to prefer less bitter drinks, the chai latte ain't bad, but I often get a black coffee." He wasn't all that different. Maybe a little less stiff and, obviously, less focused when there wasn't a problem to be focusing on.

"I’ve heard good things about Gliqqigug’s,” Talos mused in return, carefully copying Mo’s pronunciation of the Saurian name. She was no master at languages, and Saurian was one of the tricker ones to get your head around. Meanwhile, Mo’s choice of attire was taken note of: all practical and comfortable, even the more interesting boots with the heels. It appeared that the station commander had a preference for all-black, and it contrasted differently with his hair and skin compared to the white shoulders of the uniform that they normally saw one another wearing. “That’s probably why it’s always so busy. Every time I’ve walked past the place seems to be near-packed.” She looked back to the menu board again, scrutinising the list of both hot and iced beverages. Normally she settled for something like a mocha or went with the recommendation of whoever she was with. “I’ll admit that I’m not the biggest coffee fan. It’s definitely too bitter for me… But on the other hand, things like a caramel macchiato can be too sweet. I’ll try this chai latte – let’s see how it compares to actual masala chai,” she added with a joking smile.

To be honest, his pronunciation probably wasn't perfect. Acceptable, but not perfect, especially considering Saurian wasn't close to any of the languages he already knew. "It's pretty sweet, honestly, so I only have it occasionally, if I'm really feelin' somethin' like that. Otherwise, I have more of a bitter tooth." Instead of sweet tooth. Wait, would that translate well in the UT? "Gliqqigug's bein' packed is another reason I didn't wanna go there, admittedly. It'd be hard to make a good first non-work impression on my first officer if we're yellin' over the crowd. All the new places popped up will probably reduce the traffic quite a bit, though. Back where I'm from, that would be seen as a bad thing because of reduced profits, but then again, if people are put off by the crowds, you're not gonna profit from them either, so there's a certain equilibrium to be maintained when it comes to how much business you want for your coffee establishment." Wait, why was he rambling about this? What was he, a business major? Well, maybe. Anyone even a little Ferengi was also a little bit of a business manager. It was practically an obligation - nay, a religion. "Anyway, you wanna go up and order together, or stay here and hold the seat?" It wasn't too busy so it wasn't too likely they'd lose their place, but it was still a risk. (edited)

There was a chuckle at the mention of ‘bitter tooth’. If a sweet tooth was a thing then why wouldn’t a bitter tooth be? Even if this latte was quite sweet she’d still give it a try. The fact that chai was involved was a good start, at least. As Mo spoke of profits and equilibrium and business she nodded along. It was the same nod that she would give science and engineering officers; one that said ‘I don’t have a clue what you’re saying, but I appreciate it regardless.’ Her grand total of zero business experience meant that she didn’t have a dash of knowledge when it came to making profits, but she got the gist of what the captain here was saying. “Hopefully the new shops opening will be good for all of the businesses involved – plus for people who don’t want to brave the crowds or the queues. I’ll go up. It’ll give me some practice in getting to know the menu here.” Talos left Mo to find a table, and it wasn’t after too long a wait that she returned with their drinks carefully balanced upon a tray. Her line of sight never deviated from the top of the two drinks, as though staring them down would stop them from spilling. “Here we go-“ she stated as she came to a halt beside the table and very gently set the tray down upon the table. Not a drop spilled. Perfect. “-Their service is good here, there was barely even a wait. Maybe it’s that business equilibrium that you mentioned.” Hands now free, she slid back one of the chairs and took a seat. “Speaking of all of that business information – I’ll admit that I’m… Curious about your history, Captain Mo, if you don’t mind me asking about it. I won’t deny that I did a bit of poking around in your file; not to be nosy, just so I knew who I’d be working with. It’s not every day that you come across someone with a history like yours.”

She was very serious about not spilling those drinks. Dedication, he supposed. "It probably is. After all, if your place is crowded, even if you get loads of profit from lots of customers, the customer experience isn't likely to compel many of them to become repeat customers, which is vital for the longevity of any business." There he went with those business major vibes again. "If you're curious, feel free to ask questions. I don't mind answerin'." There was a time he was shy about it, but not so much these days. "I say questions 'cause I don't exactly have my whole backstory ready in my head to rattle off. 'Course, I'll ask you those same questions right back. It's not like you ain't got interesting history yourself." And then off Onion went to read Tewari's backstory.

”Ah, that’s a shame,” Rhea replied and feigned disappointment. “I was expecting a complete verbal essay on your history, right here and now.” It was the sort of joke that she wasn’t sure she should be making. Herself and Captain Mo here had a strange dynamic – same rank, but she was working under him – and they hadn’t interacted much outside of work. Rhea hadn’t quite determined if they were on the same wavelength yet. She hoped that they would be: there was nothing worse than not getting along with fellow senior staff, never mind with your own boss. “Joking, of course. And sure; a question for you, then a question for me. That makes it fair, right?” She paused to take a sip of her latte. The first impression was that it wasn’t that bad. “The reason I was thinking about it was because of you knowing so much about business. Your file mentioned that you have a history with being aboard a Ferengi vessel? If you don’t mind me asking, what prompted you to make the jump to Starfleet? That’s a big difference in culture.”

He chuckled, low and a little raspy, at Tewari's comment about expecting an essay, and then agreed that a question for a question was fair. Then he listened to her question and replied, "The reasons were complicated. It might seem like a culture shock, and it was, but... I guess it's hard to explain what it was like livin' there. I wouldn't change anything that already happened to me, but it's, uh... undoubtable that I didn't start off in a great position in life, in many ways but particularly financially, and if you know anything about Ferenginar, you know that'll pretty much define the rest of your life in a bad way. In short, I guess you could say I thought my quality of life would be better over here. Even physically, I improved a lot once I was able to access the healthcare and resources available to me 'cause of the Federation. If I wasn't already technically a Federation citizen, maybe I woulda tried to get in anyway." He paused, sipping his coffee, wondering whether he should mention the next bit. It was a bit more of a sensitive subject, the whole 'subject to Ferengi spacism' thing. He could handle it, though. "Not to mention... well, I was human among Ferengi. A fish outta water. Felt like I had to get back in the water at some point." There was also the sexism he'd faced as someone assigned a different gender at birth than the one he was now, but... he didn't quite feel like outing himself to Tewari. That information was between him, his doctors and his close friends. He furrowed his brow, thinking of how to direct the same question toward Tewari. The context was different, of course; Tewari was from the Federation, so hadn't had to undergo a huge cultural shift in order to join Starfleet, but he supposed he could still ask: "Why did you choose to join Starfleet, then? Could've done somethin' else."

In response to Mo talking of a difficult past, her expression dropped appropriately. For someone who had been born and raised in the Federation – not that it was perfect, but it certainly tried to be – it was tricky to imagine how life would be somewhere so different. She had seen it of course, witnessed different cultures and economies and dozens of different political structures during her time in the fleet. It was different to think of another human being raised in that sort of structure, though. “I’m glad you managed to find your way ‘back to the water,’ then. I won’t comment on the politics of other planets – their choices are their own – but it doesn’t feel right that things like healthcare is still based around money. I don’t understand how that’s fair.” At least society on Ferenginar had started to progress: there were more labour laws, unions, and less sexism. One of the other things that had stood out on Mo’s file was the fact that he was from the past. He probably would have witnessed a Ferenginar before everything started to change, influenced by Grand Nagus Rom. Maybe things wouldn’t be so bad if he went back there now. Society was certainly taking steps forward, at least. Another sip of her latte was taken – during which she almost choked on it with an inhaled laugh at Mo’s question. “My Starfleet story is one of those boring ones. I didn’t like school, wanted out – and then the Attack on Mars happened. I was just short of sixteen that year so I had to wait until the next, but there were a lot of people who joined up because of the synth attack, and I ended up being one of them. I had never been sure what I wanted to do with myself, and helping to make up for what the Federation had lost felt right." She feigned a grimace then. "How patriotic."

"It ain't fair. That's the long 'n short of it." He wasn't even sure it was very good for business. The fact of the matter was, employees were worse at their jobs and had to call off work more often if they were consistently avoiding doctors. He was pretty sure the Ferengi economy hadn't been doing too well before the new Nagus, either - there's only so long the ouroboros of capitalism can eat itself. Some of the improvements were likely because of the Nagus' wife, too, who he'd heard was ten times as shrewd at economics than Rom was, and perhaps the real power behind the throne. Also, they were both related to Quark, which was kind of interesting considering he may or may not have met the guy. What was that phrase? Two degrees of separation? "Patriotism? Interesting. Truth be told, I ain't never understood the concept. I mean, I know what it is, in theory, but as someone who moved from one society to another, I can't imagine havin' that kind of attachment to it. That's not to say I feel no connection to Ferenginar or the Federation, but I don't serve my nation if it don't serve me, and if it don't serve me I ain't stayin'. Guess you could say that's another reason I left - I got no sense of patriotism holdin' me back from switchin' factions if I think the one I'm in ain't doin' me and its people right." He wasn't sure why, but his cockney accent suddenly got stronger saying all that. Maybe because he was a bit more impassioned.

"I wouldn't say I'm properly patriotic," she replied, now genuinely considering it. The comment had just been a joke, but did she have any sense of national pride? She liked her homeland, and she didn't have anything particularly bad to say about Earth -- but she didn't feel more strongly for the planet than she did for anywhere else. Any form of patriotism she held would be towards the Federation as a whole. "It's just that looking back, my reason for joining Starfleet sounds patriotic. I completely agree though, and I'd like to think that anyone with a brain would too. If the Federation suddenly turned around and started doing something awful then I'd like to think we'd have the sense to go to the people doing things right instead of being blindly loyal." There was a moment's pause while she took another sip of her drink. In between the conversation she seemed to take note of what was going on around them: the movements of people weaving in and out of tables, who was sat where, who was saying what. The desire to know what was going on had likely been formed on the bridge where she always knew what officers were working on. "So: next question if that's alright, and I'm going to be broad with this one, so sorry if it's annoying. You're... Not from this time period. Well, you're not from any drastically different point in time - but I know there was something about missing years in your file. How did all of that go down - if you don't mind me asking, that is?"

"Yeah." It seemed they agreed on that. Although... would he really do that, if push came to shove? Leave the Federation? He liked to think he would. But he was not immune to propaganda, and if the Federation did something awful... well, he didn't think he was stupid, but he wasn't conceited enough to think he would never fall for misinformation. Everyone did sometimes. Not to mention, making the move from Ferengi society to the Federation had been an easy choice, in a way. Not easy in some ways, since it had been a lot to adjust to, but in that the Federation had a lot of things that were obviously good for him, like free healthcare. If he had to leave the Federation one day, where would he go? Somewhere that didn't have those amenities? What if one day there were no people 'doing things right' to go to? A train of thought he decided he should probably journal about later. Not really the time for it right now. "How did it all go down? I mean, the explanation ain't all that more complicated than you read on my file. Got stuck somewhere, had to get frozen for a while, woke up and my whole world had changed... though for many parts of the transition, it weren't so much a big realisation as it was was like fallin' asleep in the ship of Theseus. Doesn't look all that different at first, 'til you start spotting all the little changes, and you realise it ain't really the same ship any more." He talked about it surprisingly casually, but he'd been over all this in therapy already, so talking about it wasn't as bad any more. He took a sip of his coffee, then continued, "Or is it? Do you think a ship that has all its parts replaced over time is the same ship as when it started?" (edited)

03:55

It was an interesting question that people had been studying for centuries, and Tewari might have an interesting answer for him. He also thought about his ex, and how they'd changed little by little while he was gone, while he'd stayed the same, and how, despite their best attempts to make it work, he was no longer compatible with the person they'd become - one of the numerous reasons they fell out of love. Or, perhaps, less that they fell, and more that love was abruptly snatched from them by circumstance, and there was little either of them could do about it but move on without it. The biggest change, though, not as subtle as something slowly changing over time but something that had been a massive shock to his system, was missing basically the entire life of his child. However, even with years of therapy, that was still too much to talk to Tewari about right now. He'd barely even talked to Allan about it. (edited)

It wasn’t the same – and Rhea wouldn’t claim that it was – but the way that the captain described the little differences reminded her of how things were post-liberation from the Collective. Three years was barely any length of time compared to others (and barely any length of time compared to the time-jump that Mo went through). There had still been changes though just due to things advancing, politics changing; and then there was her perspective that had changed due to the Borg. “I’m afraid I’m not a philosopher,” she mused in response to Mo’s question, hoping that whatever answer she provided would be acceptable (and sound at least somewhat intelligent.) Guess who had never taken a single philosophy module at the Academy: her, obviously. “I suppose it depends on what you’re looking at. In my opinion, a physical ship would still be the same if each component was replaced. There’s more to a vessel than its circuitry and mechanics: its about history, the lineage of the name it bears, and so on. I suppose the same applies to anything: something might change with time, but its history will always be there." She shrugged and sipped at her drink again. Philosophy wasn’t her strong point. “I think that what matters is that things don’t change too drastically. Convert a ship into an entirely different class by retrofitting it entirely would be different. If the Federation suddenly changed its views and swung to another end of the political spectrum then it would be different. …Oh, I don't know. I'm pretty sure I'm just saying words that don't make sense now. Like I say, I’m no philosopher. Never studied it at SFA aside from the very required minimum. I think my head would have exploded if I had tried to take in information about Earth’s ancient philosophers, never mind those of other planets.”

He would say it was the same, or at least very similar. He'd met Borg before, and he knew that some had no memories of their time in their collective, and so when they were freed, it was pretty much like time had skipped forward for them. Some of them had total amnesia and couldn't remember a damn thing. Even if they did remember things, like him, they went back to their friends and family changed in ways they didn't recognise, and not all of them successfully reconciled with their loved ones. For many, it was a whole new start in life, but not necessarily in a good way. It was up to them to rebuild themselves from the ground up. Perhaps they could have a more serious conversation about the whole comparison another time, when they weren't acquaintances. He could never decide if he was into philosophy or not. He didn't think he was, but then he did like to ramble on sometimes. "Well, we'll just have to hope the Federation doesn't Theseus itself into somethin' unrecognisable." That would be some seriously ominous foreshadowing if this was a show. "You say you ain't a philosopher, and me neither - don't know any of the famous ones either, 'cept for that guy Plate - but I do like your take there. The history of the machine. Personality, I would call it. That's why I have an affection for retired ships, and I think it's neat when something's done with 'em other than them being junked." He was pretty sure some of them were museums. The conversation about ships led to conversations about stations, then work, then off work as Meph remembered they weren't supposed to be doing their jobs right now, and then all sorts of things, as the two Captains acclimatised themselves to one another over drinks, until they parted knowing a little more about one another than they did before.

Just on time, Haru arrived at the cafe! He had his PADD in his hand and was still dressed in his uniform. He was so excited about seeing Teno, he didn't even to back to his quarters to change, he just wanted to see his friend! Haru used his PADD to scan the menu to see what he wanted. He liked anything sweet, but he didn't recognise a lot of the drinks on the menu. He knew what an Americano was though and was considering asking for whipped cream. The only downside is Haru knew he would get his hands in the whipped cream so maybe just the drink. He ordered his drink and stood to the side to wait for it to be made. He hoped Teno would show up and perhaps find them a place to sit because well, Haru obviously could not identify any open tables.

Teno arrived shortly after Haru had ordered. He walked happily and quickly into the cafe, dressed in some comfortable looking pants and a sweater. They were earth toned like many Bajoran clothes, with cool patterns crocheted on the chest and embroidery on the hem of his pants. He smiled happily and walked toward Haru. “Haru, I’m here! I can find a table and you can get comfortable and then I’ll bring our drinks, yeah?” He said, scanning the room for an empty table. There was a booth off to the corner that looked private enough and it had what looked like cushioned seats and a sleek table. “Mm, there’s a table over here if you’d like to hold my arm to follow?” He asked, gently offering his arm in such a way that the taller man would be able to feel his extended elbow.

Haru turned as soon as he heard Teno's voice. He smiled brightly at the sound of his friend's voice! It felt like it had been forever since they last hung out! "Teno!!!" Haru put his PADD away and stepped closer to the Bajoran. It took him a couple seconds to grab Teno's arm, but he managed to do so and he was ready to follow Teno to the booth! "Thanks so much! I'm not very good at carrying drinks and like.. walking places," Haru said with a loud laugh. He was not good at walking places in general, well, crowded places. He typically relied on his PADD or infrared vision to help him avoid obstacles. "Ohh your sweater feels so soft!!" Haru said, rubbing his hands against the fabric. "Lead the waaayyy!!"

“Aw, yeah thank you! This is a sweater made from the fur of a Krelo bear. You can spin it to make wool and then do a type of crafting that is much like Terran crocheting to make it. My dad made it for me! I’m glad you like it!” He exclaimed happily. And then with the direction to lead the way, Teno squeezed Haru’s hand with his arm and made his way over to the table, making sure he steered Haru clear of any objects in the way. Thankfully the cafe had wide enough walkways and it was pretty easy to navigate across the room! “Okay, now,” he said, “I’m going to let go of your arm for a moment and pull out this chair.” Teno’s strong arm covered in the soft fabric of the sweater left Haru’s grasp for just a moment and there was the sound of the chair being pulled out from under the table. “Okay yeah, here is the chair,” he said, then reached out and gently guided Haru’s hand to the top of the chair so he could feel where he was going to sit. As he was doing this he heard the barista call Haru’s name for his drink, and once Haru was comfortably in the chair, he would leave to get Haru’s drink and order his own. “I will be back shortly!”

"Ohh, that's nice! I love handmade clothing!" Haru exclaimed as he took careful steps, making sure he didn't deviate from their path as they walked. He assumed the aisles between the tables would be clear of obsticles, but there were many times in the past where he had accidentally kicked or hit someone's chair with his foot. Once they arrived at the table, he let go of Teno's arm and let the other guide his hand to the top of the chair. He sat down and pulled the chair closer to the table! "Thanks Teno! I'll wait here!" Haru looked towards where he assumed Teno was. Haru's eyes focusd on Teno's for a split second before both wandered in two different directions. He was fine with eye contact for short periods of time, but it was hard to control his eyes. He rested both hands on the table, eager to get his sugary and ice cool drink!

Teno scurried off to grab Haru's drink, and ordered for himself a hot drip coffee with a splash of cream and one sugar. He quickly reappeared at the table and took a seat across from Haru. "Okay, I have returned! Here is your drink," Teno said, and slid it across the table to Haru where it was directly in front of him but not close enough to the edge to fall off. The cold cup felt nice on his warm hand. "It's right in the center of the table, just directly in front of you. It already has a straw in it." He said happily. Once Haru had his drink Teno smiled excitedly at his friend and took a sip of his coffee before speaking. "So! How have you been? It feels like it's been ages since we were able to hang out."

Haru thought the chairs would be high enough that he could swing his legs, but they were not. Haru always forgot that for most humanoids, he was actually tall! During his Academy years, he was one of the shorter people so chairs were usually taller. "Thanks Teno!" Haru said when he heard his friend's voice again. He moved his hand forward until he felt the cool cup and pulled it close to sip! Haru appreciated the directions, even if he could actually see where the cup was since his infrared implants highlighted cold things with purple and hot things with green. The Americano was good! It could be sweeter, but it wasn't bad! "Mm!! Yeah! I've been okay! People are really nice to me at work and help me find things," Haru said, recalling the times his colleagues had literally guided him in the right direction. "And you? How are you Teno? Oh I have been caring for Mr. planty, he's good!"

It was unfortunate that the chairs were not taller! Teno also loved wiggling his legs, and as a proud bisexual man he chose to sit on one crossed leg, even in hard space-themed chairs like in this cafe. So he had settled into his angular, spacey chair with one leg tucked comfortably under his butt and leaned in to listen to Haru with rapt attention. "Oh lovely, how is working in Tactical? You know, I've not met many tac officers besides you! What do you do on your shifts?" He asked excitedly, "or is that classified?" He raised a curious eyebrow. "You know, since you work with munitions and stuff." He laughed a little and took a swig of his drink, savoring the flavors and the warmth. When it was his turn to speak he took a big breath and let it out in a calming exhale. "Oh, things are okay mostly! I've just been working, going to my shifts, drawing, fiddling about with the plants in mine and my roommate's quarters. I'm kind of between projects which can be really hard to navigate sometimes, you know task shifting and stuff. It's a bit boring to talk about now that I hear myself," he said with an embarrassed chuckle. "I'm so glad to hear Mr. Planty is doing well! Do you use the replicator code for his special plant food? Is he getting more textured?" Teno asked, so so happy to be chatting with his friend.

Instead of wiggling his legs, Haru just settled for rolling his ankles and swaying slowly. "Ohh really?! Uhh, it's not really classified. Well... what is classified is like exactly what chemicals we have -- for explosives," Haru specified, not entirely sure how much Teno knew about tactical. Not much, given the man's initial question. "Since I'm an explosives expert I help manage the chemicals needed for explosives. Not just you know, weapons, but explosives can also help with things like carving out caves or in rescuing missions that may need us to blast away stuff. tech is good so we can make explosives big or small or react with only certain elements," Haru explained with much enthusiasm, his eyes widening and crossing as he spoke. Haru nodded as Teno explained his current work situation. He knew scientists usually had projects that lasted a fixed amount of time of time. They had projects in tactical too, but usually those were in addition to maintaining whatever system they specialised in. "That's good you finished your last project! So you'll start a new one soon? Also yes! I've been feeding him the special food! He's happy I think! I think T'Sareth gave him more rocks for his soil," Haru gave his update on the plant child him and T'Sareth had. He felt slightly sad he hadn't been spending a lot of time with the tiny plant due to him spending most of his free time sulking in his room or out and about.

Teno wriggled a little bit in his spot, feeling the cool metal of the chair on his back through his thin linen shirt. It was a pleasant sensory experience, and he was a sensory seeker! "Mm oh okay that makes sense," he said, not the slightest bit aware of what Haru did beyond whatever basic training cadets got at the Academy. Though, he was interested in what his friend did and what he was saying. "So...I take it you had to learn a lot of chemistry at the academy then." His voice was soft and slightly amused. "Prophets know I had to study very hard for those exams." He chuckled a little and took a sip from his warm mug. "So what types of explosions or...chemicals or... materials? Do you like to use most frequently? I mean, obviously don't tell me the formulas! But! Are there any that are used quite often?" Teno was fascinated by this topic and very happy to listen to his friend discuss it. "Yes, there's a new one on the horizon I think. Something about the most efficient and nutritional substrates for a new plant that was found on Mol'Rihan, you know since it's the closest world to the Starbase. I think there may even be some opportunities to visit and collect samples. I almost wish I'd seen more of the natural environment when I'd gone on shore leave..." Teno trailed off for a moment, idling on the images of Haru in his swimsuit and the new friends he'd made on the beach. It was a sweet memory. "Oh good, I'm so glad to hear it. And yes, keeping rocks in the soil helps with hydration and supplementation of the plant's diet. Oh it sounds like Mr. Planty is very happy to be with you both." Teno paused for a second. T'Sareth. He'd seen what Haru's husband had said in the chatroom about an apology. Haru didn't seem to show much emotion when he mentioned his husband, and they hadn't really talked about deep things before but maybe now was the time to try? "How is T'Sareth?" He asked, voice gentle and neutral and calm.

Haru used his straw to stir the drink. Not only was it to mix the parts together, but Haru was able to tell the density and fill level of the glass just from hearing how the ice sloshed around. In a lot of cases, Haru could even tell the temperature of a drink just by the way it sounded. "Yeah! Umm.. Well for most explosions we need a catalyst, this is typically a highly reactive chemical. We need to make sure the chemical is stable enough so that it won't react too early or too late. Some explosions we do need something that will react later or that can be detonated at a specific time, such as dynamite," Haru explained a little about the inner workings of explosions. "The real magic is in the composition of the explosive, like we can make explosions big or small, yeah," He explained with much enthusiasm. "For specific chemicals, I think you may be familiar with antimater, often used in warp cores. Those are explosions, technically! And then thalmerite is a popular one, which can destroy starships which is why it's favoured in weapons or against space phenomenon like to close up wormholes," Haru hoped his explanation was thorough enough so that Teno would understand. It was hard to explain something as complex as explosives to someone outside of tactical since it did use a lot of chemistry, but chemistry that was war more specialised compared to that of what a chemist in the science division would study. "Ohh new Romulan plants!" Haru wiggled his whole body at the thought of working with new life on the planet. He really liked Mol'Rihan and thuoght it was cool that ther was a whole new planet with new life no one had ever seen before. "Maybe you can visit again for an away mission? We have transports going to the planet like.. all the time," Haru said, remembering seeing the shuttle schedule and how so many ships from both Qo'noS and Mol'Rihan came and went every day. divider

05:36

"Mr. Planty is living the best plant life with us," Haru smiled before hearing the question about T'Sareth. "Oh uh... he's okay," Haru obviously couldn't see or make eye contact with Teno, but he did turn his head slightly away. "I am kinda mad at him right now.... He knows I blocked him, but.... Ah, well I found out he's been lying to me about a bunch of stuff even before we got married so I feel really hurt. I don't think he understands. Not to be like.. Romulan about it, but he's Vulcan and I don't think he really understands how serious that is."

Teno listened intently as Haru explained the science, breaking it down so he could understand. He did have a good understanding of cell biology and plant biology, and the chemistry needed to create substrates for different plants especially to emulate their home planets. He understood on a basic level that chemical reactions could produce outcomes like explosions! But some of it was just beyond his training for sure and he was very excited to get his gears going while listening to Haru explain the math. He asked a few clarifying questions but mostly nodded with a few interspersed "hm!"s and other mutterings. "I am hoping to be able to catch an away mission sometime in the next few months or so! It's such a beautiful planet and I cannot wait to learn more." He sighed happily and smiled. "Yes, it will be good to get my hands in some dirt on an actual planet again soon. Sometimes being a botanist in space is...trying. Though, I am not complaining. We certainly have more plants on this Starbase than any other posting in space I've had!" He laughed for a moment, then listened attentively as Haru spoke again. Teno frowned a bit, his eyebrows knitting together worriedly as Haru turned away. It was apparent that he was hurt, and then he confirmed as much aloud. "Oh," Teno said, taken aback. He'd been under the wrong impression that Vulcans don't lie. He briefly considered why he had that bias, and brushed it away to assess later. "Oh Haru, I'm sorry that sounds very upsetting." Teno made a sad humming noise in his throat. Teno had been taught earlier in his life that many Romulans subscribe to the idea of candor, though he didn't know to what extent. He could only imagine being in a relationship with someone for many years and then learning they were lying. It would be devastating. divider

04:18

"Wow, like I said I'm sorry. I'm really taken aback so I can only imagine how upsetting that is for you." Teno was at this point unsure what to say. He had not expected something so serious. "What... what do you need right now? Would you like to talk about it?" He asked, hoping Haru would be willing to open up. Teno wondered briefly whether Haru had anyone close to him on the Starbase that he could talk to that wasn't T'Sareth. And if Haru had blocked him... He sighed softly and waited for Haru's response.

Without being able to see Teno's face, Haru was unable to tell if his rambling about explosives was interesting or not. Hearing the small little aidzuchi's (an untranslatable Japanese term) here and there was enough to signal to him that Teno was actively listening. When he was done with his little explanation he wrapped one hand around the base of his drink with the other holding the straw so he could properly judge the distance as he leaned into sip. He nodded when Teno explained about the struggles of trying to do science in space. At least they were on a station with a lot of plants! With transports going to and from Mol'Rihan, surely Teno wouldn't have to go through too much trouble to get samples. "I hope you can get an away mission and dig in some real planet dirt," Haru said with a giggle. He also liked dirt! He loved sandboxes when he was younger. Due to his low vision, his auntie didn't like him playing on playgrounds without close supervision. He could only play outside when the sun went down or else he'd have to layer in lots of UV protective clothing and sun lotion. "It's... yeah," Haru sighed as he thought about T'Sareth and how lonely the man was in their quarters alone. "I can tell you," Haru leaned forward, still holding his glass. "Well... For so long I assumed he was born on Vulcan and lived there his whole life, but he was actually born within Romulan space. He was cared for by a Republic officer who made sure he got back to Vulcan safely. His family hid that from him for a long time, I guess because they're really strict so like... I get being in the dark about it," Haru tilted his head and shrugged his shoulders. "He found out the truth soon after we met and I guess..... never told me? About the nightmares and counselling he had to go through and.. reconnecting with that Republic officer," Haru didn't seem mad, but more just upset. divider

08:39

"You know, when Vulcans get married, they mind meld with their partner. T'Sareth and I have done so a couple times in the past and I really felt like we were connecting. I guess.... we really weren't if he was blocking all those memories from me," Haru explained slowly, stirring his drink with the straw. "Romulan marriages are all about truth and seeing a person from within, that's why we share true names -- like... a special name only for our conspirators. It's more than just exchanging a name, it's exchanging truths and he.. I guess he never wanted to share his truth with me after all," Haru pushed his drink to the side and laid his head down on top of his arms, looking very exhausted and upset just thinking about the whole ordeal.

Oh no, Teno could tell Haru was really quite upset. It was all over his face and in his voice and it really tugged on Teno's heart to see Haru like this. From what he understood, hiding something so important during a mindmeld, especially when the goal was to share everything about yourself to join as one in marriage... well, it seemed like a huge, painful choice. And now Haru was here, leaning on the table and sighing. It was very sad. "Oh, Haru," Teno said softly and reached a hand to gently squeeze Haru's arm. The more Haru explained how bad it was, the worse Teno's stomach began to hurt for them. He wondered how T'Sareth could even make up for something like that? What would it take to repair Haru's trust in him? It wasn't really his business but he was just very worried for Haru, because the Romulan was very devoted to his husband, and Teno could tell just by the way they interacted at Hard Rock that T'Sareth also cared for him. What a mess. "Well, I don't know. I think everything you're feeling makes sense, you know? If your values are that you share all of yourself in marriage and then someone hides something from you, that's not fair and it's dishonest and it's hurtful." Teno wasn't really sure what Haru needed, and he hoped affirming his feelings helped. But also, he decided he would ask. They'd been friends for a few months but Teno had never seen Haru upset before so he didn't know what was best for the young Romulan in moments like this. "What do you need to feel supported right now, Haru? I want to be there for you as a friend who cares about you." His brows furrowed and he squeezed Haru's arm again, trying to affirm for the younger man that he cared deeply about him and just wanted him to be okay, even if it took time.

Haru was happy for the little bit of physical contact. He pressed his smooth forehead against the back of Teno's hand and just listened to the other man talk. In a way, Teno speaking, not the words he was saying, but just hearing another person speak was comforting. Haru didn't have a lot of outlets to let out his feelings. There was counselling, but a counsellor was someone who was outside of his friend circle and who couldn't give the same comforts as a family member or friend. "Yeah... I understand that he... Needed time before opening up about those things but he could've told me he's struggling but not ready to talk about it. I would have respected that. I'm Romulan, we're fantastic at secrets and privacy, I wouldn't have forced the subject, but for five years," Haru lifted his head to speak and looked towards Teno. His eyes did not meet the other's, but he was looking in the right direction. "I never expected T'Sareth to fully adapt to Romulan culture just like he never expected me to be Vulcan, but at least show respect for my values. I understand species never mattered to T'Sareth, I could be a Horta and he'd probably still fall in love with me," Haru said, chuckling a little at the image of him being a pepperoni pizza rock creature. "But my species is a big part of my identity. Sometimes I feel like T'Sareth forgets he's in an interspecies marriage," Haru said, not entirely sure how to convey his feelings of exhaustion when it came to the topic of reunification. He had always been fiercely against the idea, which may have seemed odd because of his relationship. divider

03:21

"As for what I need.. well... I think I just wanna spend time with my friends, away from T'Sareth for now. I know T'Sareth wants to talk to me again, but I don't know if I can believe him. Not to sound Romulan -- again, but how can I be sure he's fully honest with me now and this isn't just another diversion from something else?" Haru wasn't crying, but it sure sounded like he was going to cry. He took a few sips of his drink to distract himself so he wouldn't cry.

Teno felt Haru bump his head against his hand, and kept his hand in that spot so Haru could keep nuzzling. “You’re right,” he said, voice soft and affirming. Teno didn’t want to make things worse but he wanted his friend to know he understood where Haru was coming from and that he was listening. And! That what T’Sareth had done was wrong! “He chose to keep secrets from you, and that is not fair to you.” Teno got quiet again and listened when Haru kept speaking. Yes it was evident that T’Sareth really cared for Haru but he had made a very big mistake. Or a series of mistakes. Teno really hoped that whatever happened was best for Haru, that Haru could come to a decision that would make him better in the long run. “Hmm, yes that makes sense. My culture is very important to me too, and if my theoretical spouse had chosen to lie to me or essentially to do something so specifically against my beliefs I think I would feel just as upset. Which is really just to say I hear you and that sounds very frustrating.” Teno made a humming noise as he considered all the feelings Haru was sharing. “Well, we can spend as much or as little time together as you want. We can share meals and walk around and I can cook you something or…” Teno nudged Haru just a little on accident as he started to get animated thinking of all the fun things they could do to distract Haru. “I don’t really know,” he said, his voice a little somber. “I’m not sure how he can make up for this, but in the mean time maybe you can talk to friends and try to have a little fun while you figure out what you need? It might be hard but I’m here for you!” (edited)

Haru was glad that it seemed like Teno understood. Reunification was a topic that he had always had in the forefront of his mind during his upbringing. His auntie and cousin were Vulcans who spoke Rihannsu and who were also very anti-reunification just like he was. They were the ones that had convinced Haru to go along with applying to a Romulan private school and reassured him that he didn't have to assimilate into Vulcan society to be a member of it. IDIC after all, Vulcan society was not a monolith. "Yeah, it hurts because I love T'Sareth a lot. I still want to be conspirators," Haru wanted to add that he didn't wish to separate from T'Sareth. Despite how wronged he felt, he knew T'Sareth loved him. "I want to spend a lot of time with you, Teno, you're someone important to me," Haru lifted his head and leaned forward to smile at his Bajoran friend. Haru's eyes focused on Teno's for a few seconds before crossing. For that short moment, he was able to see Teno's face. Not the details, but he clearly saw the peach coloured circle that he knew was Teno's face. "Maybe I should think about taking a second conspirator... I can't really get uh.. dates by spectating on Rumblr," He chuckled, remember the couple of fights he did spectate. Thankfully someone was there to give him a play by play commentary on what was going on, but he was hardly the only one in the crowd at those events. "Teno... Can we.... will you hold my hands?" A salacious request! Haru just wanted comfort and he hadn't held hands with anyone in ages. He did consider it an intimate act and Teno was a trusted friend so it was fine, even in public. Haru couldn't see anyone else so the fear of scandalising other Vulcanoids in the area was absent from his mind.

Teno kind of understood. He wasn’t very well versed in Vulcan and Romulan traditions and culture, but he could understand that the two were not the same and that people had to be aware of and respectful of the differences! As a Bajoran he thought a lot about forced assimilation and could at least empathize with Haru’s perspective, even if he didn’t have a lot of personal experience. Yet! He would be making an effort to learn more, and would be doing some research after their friend-time today. "Mm, that makes sense. I'm glad that you know you want to remain conspirators with him. And I hope that you two can mend the trust between you." When Haru spoke how he felt about their friendship, Teno beamed. He was so happy Haru considered him a close friend, because he felt the same about Haru. "Oh, prophets, your friendship means so much to me too, Haru. I am happy to hear that." Teno could see Haru's eyes focus on his face for just a moment and his smile was still there, big and happy. "Aw you're making me blush," he said with a chuckle. "Hmm? Oh, yes, of course!" Teno hummed happily and found Haru's hands with his own, cradling the other's as comfortably as possible. "Yeah," Teno said, thinking as he was holding Haru's hands, "dating can be fun, though I'm not always sure where to start either. I'm not much of one for fights, even friendly ones..." And then he remembered that Haru had asked if they could go on a date on the chatroom. "Well, if you want, we did talk about going on a date a while back...?" His voice sounded playful. "Maybe we could schedule something soon?"

"Of course, I love T'Sareth. I don't think I could hate him even if I tried," Haru said with a light chuckle. He was pretty sensitive but one thing that would never change was his love for his husband. The only thing that would maybe make him reconsider their relationship would be if T'Sareth committed a horrible crime or act like... toss rubbish on the streets or mistreated a service worker. "I wanna make things right with T'Sareth, but... I'm still not ready to talk to him," Haru sighed. "I hope T'Sareth is occupying himself. I know he has work and stuff but I just get worried he doesn't have many friends here," Haru knew T'Sareth had one friend -- a fellow Vulcan named Vanik, but that was about it. He also had a few colleagues at work but he wasn't sure if they were friends or just business associates. "It's true! I do value our friendship a lot! I love you!" Haru exclaimed, shaking his and Teno's joined hands. His eyes widened for a couple seconds before wandering in two different directions. "Yes! I still wanna go on a date! Any time!" He added, excited at the idea of going on a date with Teno. "Where would you wanna go? Mmm, i like environmental ring stuff! It smells so good there," He said, referring to the community garden and the other garden areas. It reminded him a lot of home. He let go of Teno's hands so he could place his two hands on his drink again. One on the cup and the other on the straw so he could judge the distance. He sipped slowly and hummed.

It was very apparent to Teno how much Haru loved his husband. He was happy for him in general - that was a really wonderful thing in his eyes. To love someone so deeply. He was a bit envious, if he really thought about it, but he believed one day he would find a partner to share his life with (or partners, who knows what the future holds!). He also knew it came with the consequence of being vulnerable, and sometimes partners can do things that hurt. And he just really hoped and was praying internally for his friends. “That’s understandable. I hope he’s taking care too. Maybe he will reach out to his friend?” “Oh! I love you too, Haru, you’re so sweet.” Teno didn’t hesitate to say I love you to his friends! He was happy to hear what Haru had said about their friendship, happy to be making close friends again in this new place. Sometimes it was hard moving around the universe in Starfleet, but knowing he could make friends whenever he went was a plus. And Haru was a wonderful friend. Teno watched Haru’s expression change and smiled and laughed happily at his response. “Wonderful. I would love to go somewhere in the environmental ring with you! Maybe we could go to one of the gardens and smell the flowers? We could each bring a snack we’d want the other to try! And a blanket. And we could sit on the blanket in the grass or find a nice table and bench somewhere if you’d rather!” He made a thinking noise, and tapped his fingers on his warm coffee mug, considering what else he could bring to the date.

"I hope he does and.. He has a new Romulan mother so maybe she will talk to him," Now that Haru mentioned it, he never did respond to T'Sareth about having dinner with him and Riov Raha. Maybe next time, it wasn't like Raha was going to be too far as she was a Republic officer -- a captain no less. So if she really wanted to see them again, she could probably just stop by. Now that Haru thought about it, T'Sareth had been surrounded by Romulans and Remans his entire adult life, yet he still didn't seem to grasp the importance of truth in their culture. "Wooo!!" Haru was happy to hear that Teno loved him. Being from an open and loving family, Haru was always forward with his emotions. This was also another way he and T'Sareth differed. Whilst Haru would always express his worries or discomforts, T'Sareth rarely complained. "Snacks and gardens sound good! Also..." Haru began to shake his feet a little, making little stomping noises. "I'd like to hold hands," He said in a low whisper, a light green blush crossing his cheeks as he said it. Although Haru couldn't see Teno, he could feel the man's calming aura and it definitely made him feel better about the whole T'Sareth thing. He was still upset with his husband, but hopefully spending some time with Teno and his other friends would help clear his mind and feel more relaxed so that he wouldn't get so emotional when he spoke to T'Sareth. "I have so many blankets because I always get cold, when do you wanna go? I'm free all week!" He said excitedly, his voice going up about two octaves from his own enthusiasm.

"A new Romulan mother?" Teno's expression changed to slight confusion. He wasn't sure he was following or if he should ask more questions. "Is that... one of the things you found out that he had been keeping from you? If you want to talk more about it I'm listening but I don't want to pry of course!" He cocked his head slightly, wondering about T'Sareth's past for a moment before Haru continued speaking. He realized he didn't know much about Haru's husband and he'd like to get to learn more about him. "Yes, of course, we can hold hands as much or as little as you like, Haru." The Bajoran said happily. He was smiling and knew Haru couldn't see but hoped he could hear the affirmation in his voice. "So, we go to one of the gardens, I'll bring one of my blankets. I got it from Bajor and it has a really neat texture because it was woven by my mother when she was a teenager actually. I've had it my whole life. And um, yeah you replicate something you want to share with me and I'll replicate something I want to share with you and we can hold hands and do whatever feels nice!"

"Yeah... Umm... Apparently T'Sareth had a caretaker when he was a child and that woman has offered to adopt him. I don't think I mentioned that T'Sareth's Vulcan family disowned him when we got married," Haru explained, realising that he hadn't told Teno a lot of things about his and T'Sareth's relationship. He had no resertvations telling him, Teno was a trusted friend. "I will tell you more on our date-- yeah," Haru tried his best to look at Teno, but the image in front of him was very blurry and wobbly. It made him a little dizzy actually. "I would love that! Holding hands and eating snacks. I love nice textured blankets," Haru said with an excited tone, speaking a little faster than usual if that was even possible. Haru naturally spoke fast, which probably made the UT cry because he spoke fast and often mixed Rihannsu and Vulcan in the same sentence. "I think I'm ready to head out!" Haru picked up his glass and ate the remaining ice cubes, chilled and delicious! He waited for Teno to give the word he was done too so that they could head out of the cafe together (also so Teno could make sure he didn't crash into anything.