Star Trek: Starbase 777 - xarantine-cuisine

Tema entered. It was indeed a stylish area, quite proper by all standards. “Fancy,” she muttered. She looked for a nice table to sit at and wondered what they had on the menu.

[D] Marcus had finished his shift and decided to have some dinner and people watch. Hanna was off on duty and eating alone was not an appetizing prospect. Besides, he may as well score out the rest of the station. He entered the restaurant and found it to be pretty crowded. He sighed, he really didn't want to wait for a table, and then he spied an aenar officer sitting with an extra seat. He walked up but kept a few places back to not cast a giant shadow on her. "Excuse me commander, sorry to interrupt. I find myself with nowhere to sit. If you aren't being anyone would you mind some company?"

Tema looked up at the newcomer. He looked human. “Feel free to sit if you’re not planning on stealing my food.” She pulled down the zipper of her uniform just a little to create a more casual, less formal look. She was out to eat, not to work, after all.

Marcus smiled and went to sit down slowly. He was a big guy and certainly didn't want to just flop down into a chair. "Nah, don't need to steal anything. I can get my own mountain of food. I'm Marcus Corvus, cmo of the Eventide. Are you part of the crew or just passing through?"

Tema regarded the giant cmo. “My name is Tema, you’ll find my name on the crew roster.” She shifted and picked up a menu to look over while she added: “Chief of Operations. Looks like we’ll be working together on the Eventide, Commander Corvus.”

Marcus smiled just a bit wider. "Oh that's great. Nice to meet someone else from the ship. My...uh...friend is the cto on the ship as well." What were him and Hanna? They agreed to try their relationship again but hadn't officially done any dating yet. Friends it was until said otherwise. "I'm looking forward to our first mission. I've never been on an entirely new ship before." He picked up the menu and scanned it. "Have you eaten here before? I've just come back fromml starfleet medical so I haven't really settled in yet."

Tema shook her head. “No, I haven’t. It’s my first day here, I just got done checking out the ship. I guess we’ll just both have to pick something from the menu and risk it being disgusting,” she said with her usual, dry humor. “The ship is quite the beauty and it smells like fresh from the factory. You’ll have to introduce me to your friend, I have some experience in the tactical division and would like to get to know whoever’s to be blamed if something goes wrong.” She added a small smile to signal that this was a joke.

He chuckled. Hanna would probably put the blame on herself if something did go wrong. Both a noble and problematic quality. "I'm sure she'd be happy to meet you. She pretty much only talks about work. You're in luck though, if whatever we eat for lunch is poisonous, I can treat us."

”Good. Nothing to be worried about, then,” said Tema and her smile grew a little. This Corvus seemed to have an agreeable sense of humor — something Tema could work with. Her eyes went back to the menu. “Hm, I believe I’ll pick the Andorian flatroot for a starter. As a medical officer, have you got any recommendations concerning a main course?” Tema was not one to place her own decisions in someone else’s hands, but she also wasn’t one to ignore a recommendation. “Preferably something that won’t result in you having to treat me?” Again, a smirk stretched out on the thin, white lips beneath the metallic VISOR through which she was looking at him.

Marcus skimmed the menu briefly. "I'd suggest staying away from the Klingon section then. If you like human food, fettuccine Alfredo is good and pretty safe. It's long pasta noodles with a cheese and cream sauce. Tasty if you enjoy dairy. I'm going to get the plomeek soup to start and a steak for my main. I have a lot of lost calories to make up for. I pulled a double shift since the starbase cmo hasn't reported in yet. I've had my hands full doing physicals and minor injuries all day."

Tema put down the menu and shook her head amusedly. “Double shift, because someone’s late — don’t you just love your job?”, she asked sarcastically. Again, she tilted her head down to glance at the menu; though, where exactly she was looking was hard to tell, because of the VISOR. “Plomeek soup? I’ve never really tried Vulcan cuisine. Always feared it’d purge me of all my emotions, or something,” she joked. “Are you ready to order?” She didn’t want to have to wave the waiter over twice. Whether she’d follow Corvus’ recommendation or not, she didn’t say.

He nodded, "Vulcan food is ok. Bland honestly, but I need a bit of a pallet cleanser from today. I don't mind work, but after 3 years at Starfleet medical, I need to get my space legs under me again. I get here, barely get myself squared away and then get told I need to work in sickbay on the station. That's no problem, but you'd think they'd at least tell me when the cmo was coming. Then my...friend surprises me here. It's been a bit of a roller coaster honestly. But then again that's starfleet for ya."

Tema squinted her eyes slightly. A part of her — the curious part — longed to read that guy’s thoughts. He really seemed a bit shaken up and Tema had this inkling that there might be a bit more to the story. But it was probably personal. And she might be wrong. “I understand,” she just said. She wasn’t good at this whole empathy and emotional support crap, honestly. Especially not when she wasn’t allowed to use telepathy. “Maybe let’s order. I’ve heard a good meal can save one’s day.” She didn’t really sound like she believed in that, but she tried at least.

Marcus gestured for the waiter to come over. "Yeah definitely. Food always makes me feel better, that and the gym or the beach. Maybe I'll hit up the holideck later on and get a good workout in. Doctor's orders you know." He chuckled again and did the gentlemanly thing and waited for her to order.

“I see.” Tema ordered her Andorian flatrood, served grilled, a burger (as she was inspired by the Doctor’s steak main course) and some Andorian ale. She wasn’t on duty, after all. Then, she waited for Corvus to order before continuing in their conversation.

She entered into the area, skimming over some display on her PADD as she did so, seemingly having just come from a shift where she had been going over the different safety and offense capabilities of the ship she was to oversee. As she entered the area, she put her PADD away, a trait she had started to develop a few deployments ago. No devices or work while she was gaining nutrition. A doctor once told her that having her stress over what she was reading would end up keeping her from eating as she would have to fight the urge to go and deal with the person or situation before she could eat, not that she would remember what she was doing before she was interrupted. Breaks needed to be sequestered as breaks or she would run herself to the ground. So now she found herself in the restaurant area of the base, her eyes catching sight of Marcus sitting with someone she personally wasn't familiar with, but could identify based on the personnel file that she had looked over. Her eyes roaming over to his, a slight tilt to her head as she nonverbally asked if she might join them rather than wait for another table to open up.

Marcus ordered his soup, a steak with potatoes and broccoli and some kind of ipa beer giant men are fond of. He saw Hanna out of the corner of his eye and his expression immediately brightened. "Commander Tema, my friend Hanna is over there. Would you like to meet her?" You didn't need to be in security to not miss the blantant affection he held for the woman.

Tema nodded and looked over to the Commander who had entered the room. “Sure,” she said, “She looks like a decent one.” She nodded slightly into the direction of Hanna Stone to signal that she was okay with her joining the table.

Her gaze relaxed, even as her stance stayed formal as she gave her order to a waitress before gesturing that she was going to be sitting with the other two individuals. She moved towards them as a waiter brought an additional chair to the table. "Marcus. Introduce me to your friend?" Her gaze wandered over the woman as she offered out a hand, "I'm Lieutenant Commander Hanna Stone, CTO of the Eventide."

Tema inspected her and shook her hand briefly. “I’ve heard,” she said. And even though she wasn’t one of the most socially intelligent people aboard, she picked up on the connection that the Doctor and the CTO shared. Is was as though they could silently communicate… as though they too held some kind of telepathic abilities. That was one of the many things that intrigued Tema about humans; sometimes they could really be more similar to oneself than one might think. She offered a tiny smile and raised her hand to tuck a strand of sliver hair — which had fallen in front of her VISOR — behind her ear. “I’m Tema, COO. Good to meet you. We’ll have to make nice, I’m guessing we’ll be working together quite closely.” She looked back and forth between Marcus and Stone and bit back a comment about how ‘making nice’ clearly wouldn’t present a problem for the two of them.

If Tema was particularly observant, and she probably was, she would notice the tiniest of blushes spread to Marcus' darkly tanned cheeks. "Ah...yes, since you already did the introductions without my help, have a seat. We were just discussing the lack of cmo on the station and my need to pull a double today. If I know Hanna I'd say she spent her shift hmmm...reviewing ship specs right?"

Her gaze went to Marcus as she nodded her head, "I did. That alongside of familiarizing myself with the specs of the Station and checking for anything not fully documented. You wouldn't believe how many things people don't put in their reports because they think someone else will put it in theirs." Her gaze looking over Commander Tema, she would offer her a pleasant smile, but more rigid than the one she gave Marcus, clearly different because of her relationship level. "I hope that we can find one another pleasant to be around and thorough in notes."

Tema nodded. “Trust me, I’ve had to deal with too many damned reports from fresh Ensigns in my lifetime to leave out any details in my own logs. And I see you’re devoted to your work, that’s relieving. So far I recon we won’t have any problems. You know, I have a background in the tactical division, so I was especially interested in meeting you after Doctor Corvus here mentioned you being the CTO. Good to see you don’t seem incompetent,” she added with a small smirk. “By the way, Doctor,” she turned her head, “I didn’t want to say, as you already seemed stressed enough, but it’s true that I still need a physical as well. I’m not in a hurry, seeing as the ship is currently docked and I had an examination just a month ago, but I thought I’d let you know. As a warning of sorts. Maybe you can send me to one of your colleagues, as soon as they’ve arrived here.”

"Not a problem, I'm happy to clear you for duty. Can't have you lacking your physical during a firefight, no siree. If you had one a month ago, it should only take a few minutes to complete. Just a quick biobed scan and questions. If you have a background in tactical I have a feeling I'm going to lose my new friend to Hanna for conversation. I don't know anything about the pew pew of the ship, just how to patch people up after getting shot. Even patched Hanna up here a few times right?"

She flushed ever so slightly at his comment, but clearing her throat slightly seemed to force the blush to fade. "I think you've done an amazing job as a respectable CMO. Much better than the quality that I've had in the past." Her words paused as their food had arrived, Hanna having asked for a nice wine and a butternut squash ravioli for her meal. "I hope I can live up to your preferences as a CTO, Commander. If you have any questions or suggestions, I'll gladly accept them. But I hope you understand that I expect respect to go both ways in regards to our roles."

Tema nodded. “Of course, Commander. Respect is earned in my opinion. And of course it is a two-way street. You both seem to me like a… couple of competent chief officers.” She smiled knowingly and took a sip of her Andorian ale. It was of an excellent quality! All of the food smelled really good, actually. When she set her glass back down, she addressed Corvus: “I doubt that I will steal Commander Stone from you, Doctor. You two seem to be close, if you don’t mind me saying.” She didn’t need telepathy to see that. Casually, she asked: “How did you meet?” She really wasn’t one to be noisy or overly curious and her demeanor clearly showed that she would accept it and simply move on from the topic if the other two wished to do so. (edited)

"We were both stationed on the Cleveland a long time ago. Both of us were just young officers back then. We were patrolling through the badlands and were hit with a bad plasma storm. Miss reckless here got injured and I patched up her plasma burns. We became friends after that. And then...well then we became more. Not really good at hiding it are we?" He lowered his gaze to his steak and took a sip of his beer.

She took a sip of her wine before clarifying as well, "We both accepted positions on different ships and although we tried to maintain contact, we knew for the time being at least, that we would have to go our separate ways."

Tema raised her eyebrows slightly. “And yet, you both are here now.” She started cutting her grilled flatroot. “Life’s funny like that, isn’t it?”, she said drily. “Old friends lurk in the strangest of places sometimes.” (edited)

Marcus had been quietly eating his soup while the other two talked. "I went to starfleet medical after my last posting for a bit of a break. When I heard about a new ship attached to a station I figured there wouldn't be much long term deep space missions so there was a bit more stability. I guess Hanna thought the same."

Tema glanced over at him while she also started eating. “You might be right, still, I believe we won’t exactly die of boredom,” she said soberly, “Judging by the description of your day, it didn’t sound all too quiet. We’ll see if this posting can give you the stability you are looking for.” She sipped on her ale. “What did you do before you went to Starfleet medical by the way?” Oh, all these questions… Back on Andoria, accessing information about someone’s life, their memories and opinions, all didn’t take so much time. Human communication was so slow sometimes…

Now it was Hanna’s turn to sit back and listen to her… the cmo discuss his passions. This was something she had loved to do a few years back. Engaged with how his voice rumbled and made his chest nearly pure.

Marcus finished his soup and was busy cutting into his steak. "I served on a long range tactical assault ship, the Valkyrie. We would do missions related to pirate runs and such in the beta and gamma quadrant. There was talk of us heading into the delta quadrant a few times, but we never got clearance and we were told we were needed more in beta and gamma. It was a rough 4 years. Not a lot of time for shore leave or r&r, plus I was more of a work-a-holic back then so I ran myself into the ground. After...well after watching a good friend die, I needed some time back home, so I put in for some leave and then transferred to Starfleet Medical. I needed to recharge my batteries. What about you Tema? This can't be your first posting considering your rank."

Tema listened attentively, watching the tall, broad man through her VISOR as she did. “Pirate runs,” she repeated thoughtfully, “I can imagine that’s no fun. I’ve had the pleasure of going head to head with pirates twice. It was during my first posting after completing my Starfleet training. I served on the U.S.S. Sagittarius, our mission was to escort and protect larger transport vessels,” she thought back to that time with a melancholic smile, “Both confrontations ended in our favor, though we did… take some punches, if you know what I mean. After five successful years on the Sagittarius, I got transferred to a starbase in the Trill sector. It was a considerably calmer job, but not any less demanding than my work on the escort vessel. My training in both, the tactical and engineering division came in rather handy while I was on the starbase.” She turned her class in her hand and watched the artificial light glitter in the blue liquor. “I get along fine on myself, I have no trouble sorting out issues on my own,” she assured them, “However, so far I’ve been lucky enough to work with mostly competent people who I could rely on for most of the time.” She gave them a challenging smile. “You believe I’ll continue being so lucky?”

She smiled warmly after taking a sip of her wine, “I mean you’ve at least got us two, who I’m not ashamed to say are very competent at our jobs. I’ve only heard good things about our captain, so at least for this posting, I’d say your luck is about the same.”

Tema nodded. “Let’s drink to that,” she raided her glass to the others, “May the job not kill us. It’d be a pity.” It may have been a crude joke, but that was her style — besides, she reckoned that these two Commanders, with all that they’d seemingly experienced, could appreciate some dark humor.

Marcus raised his glass with a smirk. "May we all stay alive and out of my sickbay unless entirely necessary." He would take a long drink and sit back in his chair a bit. "So Commander Tema, what do you do for fun when not being a badass COO?"

She smiled at the compliment as she gently clinked her glass against his. “I play games, mostly. Poker, for example. Which, admittedly, is much more of a pain in the ass when you can’t read the other players’ minds.” She smirked. “Still, I’d consider myself quite the good player. I have also discovered a strange fascination for old video games, such as Mario Cart. I’ll kick your butt in a Grand Prix.” She tilted her head. “But what about you two?”

"I've played poker once or twice, not sure if I'd enjoy it more now since I was drunk at the time I was playing. I mostly surf and hike and also work out. Where I'm from on Earth we have beautiful beaches and and a small mountain to hike."

”Hm. When I think of beaches and mountains, I think mostly of snow and ice,” said Tema, “I’m assuming that’s not what you mean. I’ve only seen one of those… sand beaches you have on earth once, on a holodeck. Honestly don’t know if I’d enjoy it.” She shrugged and turned to Stone. “And you, Commander Stone? How do you spend your free time?”

She looked at the other woman before calmly responding, “I work on my techniques and learn some new ones. Clean my weaponry. Then I work on some more peaceful activities or socialize with close friends.”

Tema nodded. Those were reasonable ways to spend one’s free time. She was about to inquire whether they’d met any of the other crew members, when she got the starbase-wide message from the Commodore. After reading it, she muttered, “Well, looks like the quiet we’ve got here is pretty deceiving.” It was true that the dining and restaurant area seemed calm. Everything was nicely lit and decorated, as though the room was only waiting on a young couple to have a romantic dinner here. And yet, Tema new exactly that this quiet atmosphere could so easily be destroyed in a second. All it took was one attack, one anomaly, diplomacy gone wrong… It said in the message that all senior staff assigned to the Eventide should be ready for action. Tema was always ready for action. She could only hope that Corvus and Stone would remain such pleasant company also in a work environment. She sipped on her ale and pondered about what might have happened to the two missing ships. The disappearances hadn’t gone unnoticed by her of course. She’d already thought of all the worst-case scenarios. (edited)

[D]An all too familiar noise came from the starbase wide comms, catching their attention. Treville spoke to them, explained that there’d been attacks and they were all to immediately take their stations and oversee the evacuation of civilians into the Celes sector. All starfleet officers in the dining area started getting up. Tema looked up at her new coworkers. “It seems like I’ll have the pleasure of seeing you two in action in no time,” she muttered a little bitterly, “I should have known I wasn’t going to get a decent amount of time for my dinner.” She threw another glance at the others and said a little louder: “Care to accompany me right away? I’m assuming we’re heading in the same direction.” After all, they all would be overseeing the evacuation. She felt a little bad for the CMO, even though it was not in her nature to pity. From what she’d heard, he’d had a tough day. She banned those thoughts — she had no time for empathy right now, she had a job to do. She stood up.

“The pleasure would be all mine.” She wiped at her mouth as she got up from the table, one hand briefly going to Marcus’s shoulder and giving a light squeeze. “Work awaits. I’ll talk to you when things are calm?”

Marcus nodded at the both of them and stood, walking out with them to the ship.

Wheatley walked in with Hop and looked around, stunned. "Oh, wow...!"

"Let's snag a booth before they're all gone!" She said, rolling forward eagerly and claiming a table by tossing her bag onto it.

Wheatley ran after her and unceremoniously flopped down onto his seat, yelping and holding onto something at the last second.

Lilian entered, looking for a seat. Spotting Wheatley and Hopper she waved to them. She had managed to change out of uniform now that she was off duty, and was wearing a tank top that showed off how much she enjoyed working out and some track pants.

"Lietenant! Over here! We're going to have fried chicken!" Hop called over, stifling a snicker at how Wheatley had almost fallen over into the seat. She lifted her self out of her chair and plopped down across from him.

He quickly sat up and waved at Lilian, smiling and hoping to whatever was out there that she didn't see him flopping over like a sack of potatoes. "Oi oi!"

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Lilian smiled and came over. “I hope you’ll excuse me if I don’t also get fried chicken, but thank you for inviting me over!”

"Oh that's okay! No problem at all." He replied, smiling.

"Hey, it's not everyone's cup of tea, and it looks like you prefer... healthier foods." She chuckled, noting how the Lieutenant dressed to impress.

“Partly, but the main part is I’m pescatarian.” She chuckled a little.

"Oh? Well, that's nice!" Wheatley noted, though he didn't really know what to say.

“Fish huh? Can’t say I’m a big fan, though I like sushi!” She replied, picking up the menu and looking it over for the fried chicken.

"All seafood, I don't know if I could ever give up sushi and sashimi. How have you two been by the way? Glad to see you not bleeding Wheatley." She started scanning the menu.

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Wheatley blushed profusely in embarrassment and looked down at his side, rubbing it a little. "Eheheh, yeah... That's good, ain't it?"

"Medical does good work. Not to mention you engineering folks really got everything back in order fast. Well done." She hovered over tofu udon, thinking.

“We’ve still got a good ways to go, though..” she sighed, “That’s why we’ve decided to run away for a few hours!”

Lilian nods. "Taking breaks is productive, don't worry. I had a very busy day too." (edited)

"Don't even mention it, it's still pretty tense down in Engineering." He noted, leaning back onto his seat.

"Well, if you even need someone to come hold something it could be a good distraction from trying to figure out how to..." She stopped and took a shaky breath. "rebuild the science team on the Eventide."

"Did you lose a lot?" Hop asked, reaching over and placing her hand on the Lieutenant's gently.

Wheatley frowned and placed his large hand on top of both hands, wanting to help Lilian feel better. "Honestly, I... I have no words. Still don't. So... I hope they're okay wherever they are."

"I've been writing a lot of letters today. Most to families. Some leave requests to command." She took a moment to compose herself. "I hope your CO is giving you leave if you need it?"

"Leaving right as I got here would just make my family worry about me more. You can't get rid of me that easy!" She said with a compassionate smile, "Are you going to go take a break?"

Lilian shook her head. “I have a duty to the officers in my division. I’ve made it clear to all of them that I will refer the for some leave and or therapy if they need, and that if they want they can come talk to me about anything. I’ll have time to take a break myself later.”

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"I'm sorry you have to deal with the fallout." Hop apologized, thinking that she'd really rather never get higher than ensign when she graduated.

“It’s part of my job. Besides, it’s cathartic in its own way to know I can help my officers.” She closed the menu and set it down.

"But remember, you gotta take care of yourself too. Alright?" He spoke to Lilian, looking at her before he pulled his hand away.

"Absolutely! You can't take care of anyone else unless you're taken care of!" Hop nodded enthusiastically. Just then the waiter came by to take their orders. "I want the chicken tender basket with onion rings, please!"

"Exactly! And oh, I'd also like the chicken tender basket, with some chips on the side and a large chocolate milkshake, please! Cheers, mate."

"Oooooo! Milkshake! Can I get a banana one?" She added, looking a little sheepish. "With an extra cherry?"

“I’ll have the tofu udon with miso soup. And I’ll have a mint chocolate milkshake for dessert, just one cherry is fine. Water to drink is fine.” She smiled at Hopper’s shyness of asking for another cherry. (edited)

Wheatley hesitated for a bit before calling out to the waiter again, "Oh! And waffles, please! I forgot, sorry about that-"

"Chicken and waffles, eh?" She asked, giving a little grin.

“My mom used to make me udon all the time, she was a great cook.” Lilian reminisced to herself.

"My mom used to make meatballs that could literally kill a Q, they were almost toxic-" He shuddered in disgust. "Still have nightmares about them."

She laughed aloud at the disparity between the two's fond memories, "My mama only made desserts. Her Cherry rum pie would blow your socks off!"

“Perhaps I’ll get the chance to try it some day if I’m lucky. Where do you both come from by the way? I grew up in Portland, on Earth.” She chuckled at Wheatley’s story.

"Born in England, Earth! In the city of Bristol, to be precise." He smirked proudly, pushing up his glasses.

"I'm 'Murican born and bred! From Charleston. We'd love to have you! Pa loves cooking for company."

“My maternal grandma is this terrifying tiny Japanese woman, I think you might get along. She’s the one who taught my mother to cook.” She giggled at the memories. (edited)

"Maybe I could take a lesson sometime! Last time I tried to cook, I set the kitchen on fire." She laughed.

"I can teach you! Cooking is my specialty! Well, along with talking people to death by boredom." He noted, blushing a bit.

Lilian nodded thankfully as the waiter brought her miso. “Did you two play any sports growing up?”

"And I can't wait!" She replied to Wheatley with a smile, Then she floppily kicked her wheelchair in response to the Lieutenant. "I never was much for sports, though I did like climbing when I was littler." (edited)

"Oh, me? Well- My mother was a security officer, and she constantly made me and my siblings be independent early in life. I know the normal things of being a security officer, the things and all. I just don't have the body!" He motioned to himself, waving his lanky arms around.

“You know, speaking of Hopper, I find it admirable on a level that you refused treatment. So many people get it because they think they’re broken, not because they actually want it.” She smiled warmly at the cadet.

"I don't need fixin', just a little spit n' polish." She chuckled, "Just like Wheatley! He might not have the body for security work! But I'll betcha he can wiggle through the tubes like a snake!"

He blushed profusely and chuckled, rubbing his neck, "Well, i suppose i can do that. Being tall and slender like me, it's easy to wriggle into tight spaces!"

“I don’t tell a lot of people this but I have a ton of scars from my time on the fortitude. Never got them whipped, never saw the point. Besides, they’re a good test for if someone loves you for you or not isn’t it?” She sipped her soup.

"Scars are cool!" Hop's exclaimed, difgging into her chicken tenders, "I have a huge one where they removed my spinal.... well.. that's a little weird, so nevermind. The point is, scars are awesome! They make you look edgy! And they also say that you've been through a lot." Her face fell a little, and she put her hand on the Lieutenant's hand again, "I'm sorry you've got scars."

“Don’t be! They’re good reminders, of mistakes, friends who I got transferred away from, and adventures. I wouldn’t get rid of them for anything.” She finished off her miso.

"Scars show a glimpse of your past, being good or not! I have some weird ones, let me-" He turned around and showed a large scar at the back of his neck, brushing his golden hair away from view as well as he could. "I never knew what this scar was, but it was always there."

Lilian shows a long thin scar up the inside of her left arm. "That's from a nasty fall, luckily that was the worst of my injuries but let me tell you it hurt."

“Ooohh! Those are good ones!” She admired each scar in turn, nodding approvingly. Then she pulled the collar of her uniform down to show some small, round scars on her collarbone and shoulder. ”I got these from nails I fell out of a hoverchair onto! I don’t use hover hairs anymore.” She chuckled, “I feel like we’re a bunch of pirates tryin’ to one-up each other’s battle stories.”

"Ouch, that sounds extremely painful for you both- I think this scar is the only one without a story, because i never knew what it was!" He turned around again and leaned onto his seat, looking around before the waiter had finally gotten back with his food. Grinning, Wheatley immediately dug into it like if he was starving.

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Lilian nodded thankfully to the waiter and dug in too.

“Soooo…. What do y’all do for fun?” Hop asked.

"Well- I do.... Er. Not much. It varies, depending on what there is to do! How about you?" He turned to Hop, curious.

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“I love playing video games if I’m honest, I’m pretty good at them too.” She smiled at Wheatley’s awkwardness.

“Video games are so much fun!! I’m not particularly good, but I really like them! We should get together sometime and play Assassin’s Creed! I play it with my roommate back at school on Friday nights. She’s Really good.” Hop replied excitedly, “Wheatley, if you’re ever bored, you can come build robots with me in my worksh- Er… room! There’s snacks and music, and robots!” *She offered with a big smile. “I’m working on the blueprints for next year’s Robotics Club Battlebot. It’s gonna be a monster!”

"Ooh, video games? Those seem neat! My sister has always been obsessed with those—...Wait. Hop, you're inviting me? To build robots?? Of course! I mean- That'd be bloody wonderful, if you ask me! Thank you!" His eyes lit up and he hugged her, taking care not to squish her too much.

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“I’ve never made a robot if I’m honest. I’ve never been a big AC fan though, more into RTS games and some others mixed in there.” She couldn’t help but laugh at Wheatley’s excitement.

1

Wheatley soon pulled away and was visibly bashful, his whole face going almost as red as a cherry and a dorky smile unable to be contained. "That is so brilliant."

1

“I’d love to have you along sometimes!! It’s… a little scary sometimes. With all the robots, I mean… sometimes I think they’re conspiring…” Hop’s tone dropped to a whisper, and she looked up at Wheatley with a thousand-yard stare. Then she suddenly popped back into a cheerful state: “We should have a game night sometime!”

Okay that scared him a bit- "O-oh, well- Yeah-! That'd be... Er, really cool too-"

1

"But really, thank you for inviting me! It doesn't happen often so I'm really glad you actually would want my company-" Gib this boy some social skills, plees-

1

"Wheatley, please, has no one ever asked you to do something together before?" Lilian was barely holding back laughter.

"Well- Not often.... Except for my siblings, and normally they wanted to get into trouble or high cabinets." He blushed profusely, flustered.

2

“You’re adorable, mister Wheat-thins!” Hop reached up and gave him a little pat on the top of his head.

He chuckled and leaned down for her to pat him. "Now I'm adorable? Look at yourself, you're precious! You both are some of my first and only friends in here, and i met Lieutenant Lilian not long ago! Though... Not in the best conditions-"

“If I recall your first impression went a little something like: BLOOD BLOOD BLOOD!!!!” She made a flowing motion from her stomach dramatically.

"Oi! I wasn't bleeding that much, was I?" He laughed, crossing his arms.

Lilian giggled and nodded. "No no, you really were bleeding that much."

".....oh. Guess i must've been delusional during the whole thing."

"Blood loss'll do that to ya!" Hop chuckled, licking the last of the whipped cream from the rim of her milkshake glass, then she popped the cherries in her mouth.

Lilian checked her pad quickly. “Oo, I got some messages from Anna, sorry, do you mind if I respond real quick?” (edited)

19:27

Lilian tugged her collar. “Oh crap, Iiiii forgot to let her know I was okay… uhhh, I really gotta, do you want me to step out real quick or?”

“Unfortunately, we should probably get back to fixing the station anyway. Right Wheatley?” Hop sighed. “It was nice having lunch with y’all! Thanks for joining us, Lieutenant!”

“Yeah, great to meet you too! I should also probably head up to that awards ceremony.” She waved to the other two as the left the restaurant .

"Oh, that's right! That's today!! We should get goin!" Hop slid out of the booth and into her wheelchair. "Thanks for having lunch with me Wheatley! See you around!" She called as she rolled to the exit.

He walked in and ordered up a nice juicy burger and fries. He found himself a seat off to the side a little bit and began enjoying his meal.

[D]After the rescue mission, Ava had taken a long meditation and a good night’s sleep. Then, back on the starbase she’d picked up her usual work routine. Today after her shift, she decided she should treat herself to a good meal. So, she went to the restaurant. Her eyes roamed the room, looking for a place to sit. She went up to a person she didn’t know sitting by himself and enjoying some fries. “Excuse me, is this seat taken?” She smiled friendly. Her silver hair fell onto her shoulders in slight curls. She was still in her uniform, but it was unzipped a couple centimetres, creating a more casual look.

He was surprised by the Lieutenant but he showed a welcoming smile always happy to meet new people. "Nope, it's all yours. I'm Austin by the way."

“Ava. Nice to meet you,” she said with a smile, happy to hear the friendly, casual tone. She took her seat. “I haven’t been to the restaurant yet. Any recommendations?”

"Nice to meet you to. I'm pretty new to the station myself, I figured the Burgers looked appetizing and I can't really complain."

“Huh,” said Ava, “They do look good, yes.” She waved over a waiter and ordered some fries with falafel and a salad. She wasn’t really in the mood for meat. She also ordered ice tea. Then, she returned to the Lieutenant. “So, Austin, you also just got transferred here?”

"Yep pretty much, I saw the Chief of Security job was available and I requested the posting in a heartbeat. I didn't really think I'd get it." He Joked. "How about you, Are you new around here?"

Ava nodded. “Wow, Chief of Security. Congratulations. Yes, I’m new here, too. I was offered this post as chemist and biologist aboard the base and extraneous officer to the Eventide, it sounded like I could pick up a broad variety of experience, so I accepted the transfer. Now, I’m just going around meeting new people in my free time, I knew nobody when I came her.” She corrected herself, “Well, almost nobody.”

"Well I'm certainty glad to make your acquaintence. Sounds like a very wide range of assignments. I'd definitely agree you should be able to pick up a lot of experience from that. Have you enjoyed the base so far?"

Ava nodded. “I’ve enjoyed what I could. With the mercenary attack and then the rescue mission, I haven’t exactly had tons of time, but the labs are nice and so is the environmental ring. I’ve also met a couple of really helpful and nice people, so that is certainly enjoyable! What about you? Are you enjoying the posting?”

"Well to be honest I can't say it's what I expected, there's a lot of action here, seemingly even more then any ship I've been on. It's kept me busy to say the least."

Ava nodded meaningfully. “Yeah, I know what you mean. And it must have been even more stressful for you guys from security. Speaking of, how is going? Is everyone who got injured back on their feet again?” She sounded like she really cared.

He smiled. "Yeah I actually got injured pretty bad myself. I took some shrapnel to the shoulder and got my back terribly mangled but, Security morale is super high right now. How are the people in sciences doing?"

“We were able to determine that the person who mind controlled Commander Dreaxa was the Reman Captain. We were able to pull some data from our recorded scans and find out that he was truly just a regular Reman. The blood samples I got from Lieutenant Voxellus also just show regular Reman DNA. It seems like some Remans are really capable of developing the ability to mind control.” She shivered. “Ugh, I hate the thought. It send shivers down my spine. Anyways, my colleague and roommate, Melaara, she has a theory the Reman might’ve used a device to strengthen his telepathic abilities.” She shrugged. “Laara is working on that theory, but so far without viable results. Other than that, we’re busy with samples and analysis.” Her food arrived and she thanked the waiter. “Well, let’s talk about something other than work.” She smiled. “What do you do in your free time, Austin?”

He perked up, happy to change the subject away from the guy who mind controlled him. He was however happy to see they were making progress "Personally I love a good holodeck program and I'm an avid reader, How about you?"

“I read as well,” she said with a smile. She started eating. In between bites, she spoke. “I enjoy nature, so the environmental ring is great for me! I like swimming. I meditate a lot in my free time,” as should be obvious by her pointy ears and eyebrows. However, her demeanour wasn’t exactly Vulcan, “And do Yoga. What kind of books do you read, Austin?”

"I read all kinds of books. I've just finished up a pretty long book that takes place during earth's second world War called Catch 22. Quite an enjoyable book."

“Never heard of it. I’m more into poetry myself. However, I can’t deny I like a good novel form time to time. Do you watch movies as well?”

"I love a good movie, what kind of movies do you like."

“I’m gonna admit it, I love sappy movies that make me cry. And science fiction! Today’s science fiction is tomorrow’s reality,” she said and took a sip of her drink. “What about you?”

"I've always been a fan of a good comedy but Sci-fi is definitely a close second, we should watch something together some time."

Ava was a little surprised at the invitation, but then she nodded with a smile. “Sure, that’d be fun.” She ate a few fries, then she asked, “So, Austin, how come you’re a security officer here at Starfleet? What made you choose that path?”

"Well my father was a police officer back home on our small island and I always looked up to him. I just loved everything about what he did and eventually decided I could do that but in Starfleet."

“I see,” she nodded, “Well, Starfleet is a tempting career path, isn’t it? And the food is pretty good on these starbases, you gotta give ‘em that!” she joked and ate some more fries.

"It for sure beats the replicated food we had on my last ship. Nothing like some actual food."

Ava nodded enthusiastically. “Truth be told! However, I have to say, the replicators here on the base aren’t all too bad either. Definitely better than on the Tyrga. Speaking of, where were you stationed before coming here?”

"I was stationed on an old Parliment Class. She was a nice ship but I wanted out of all the direct combat. I figured a station would be a lot like my days as a police officer."

“Huh, I guess you didn’t exactly get less action,” she noted, “However, that might change in the future. We’ve only been here for a couple of days, after all. We can hope that the situation will relax.” She gave a gentle smile. “So, you worked as a police officer on earth?”

"I grew up on a small island near Seattle. I only spent 1 year as a proper police officer but I've worked for my dad since I was a child. It was a lot more quiet however. as for getting quiet I hope so the younger security officers need a break."

“I see. Sounds like an interesting job.” Ava agreed with him, “A break would indeed be very appreciated. Well, we’ve got the ball coming up! That should be fun, right?” She looked at him expectantly. Balls weren’t for everyone and she was curious to find out whether or not he was a ‘ball person’.

"Oh for sure that will be a good chance to unwind though I've never been a ball person. They are far too formal for my tastes."

“They can be, but usually as people get more tipsy and the music gets more casual, balls can turn into quite relaxed gatherings,” she took a sip, “At least in my experience. I look forward to it. Hey, by the way, you don’t happen to know a certain Kira Romanova, do you?”

"I cant say I recognize the name, why do you ask?"

Ava waved it off. “Nevermind. No reason.” She changed the topic. “Do you celebrate Christmas, Austin?”

"Oh yeah, my family and I used to always go out together and cut down a big tree in the forest and haul it back home. How about you?." A smile grew on his face thinking back to holiday memories.

Ava leaned back and pondered for a moment. “We celebrated a little. There’d be presents and sometimes a small tree.” She smiled fondly. “It wasn’t that different than other family gatherings. Just mom, Roe, and me, playing games, cooking and eating together. We usually celebrated Bajoran holidays as well, because of Roe. She’s basically like a second mother to me.” She was clearly a bit lost in sentimental memories.

He allowed her to go on for a little while before asking. "What inspired you to join starfleet."

“I grew up in New York,” she started. It was strange to hear someone with a Vulcan appearance say that, she supposed. “And I always loved the ocean. So, I studied marine science at the Newton Science University. However, during my time there, I met a half-Andorian. She was studying for her entrance exam for the Academy and all the things she was learning seemed so interesting to me! I decided to take my shot, try to get accepted. Something inside me was curious as to what other kinds of oceans were out there in space. Well, I failed my first entrance exam,” she chuckled, “But I’m a diehard, so I tried again and finally got in. I’m glad I made that choice. I’m happy here and I have a feeling that I can really live up to my potential in this job.” She looked at him. “I really loved my time at the Academy, too.”

"Well growing up on the islands we had a lot of interesting sea life if your still into the ocean. We used to catch crab out on are own and seeing the orcas was always one of my favorite things."

“Wow! Really?” Ava’s eyes lit up. He had had her curiosity. Now, he had her attention. “Did you know orcas aren’t actually whales? Most people think that because of the name ‘killer whale’ (which, by the way, paints a wrong picture), but orcas are actually dolphins!” She couldn’t stop herself from sharing ocean fun facts. “Oh, what kind of crabs did you catch?” It was almost cute, the way she got so overly excited about everything ocean-related. It truly was her passion.

He smiled always happy to think back to home. "I actually hadn't known that about Orcas even though I grew up surrounded by them. We always used to catch Dungeness crab for the most part allthough once we were able to catch a big king crab."

“Dungeness crabs hug each other close for several days before they mate,” said Ava casually. She was just a walking encyclopaedia like that. “When the eggs are laid, the female carries them around for six months. That’s a lot more care than other species put into the raising of their babies. You might know about turtles, for example. Not exactly the most caring parents.”

He laughed at that final remark. "Awh, that relationship sounds so nice. Every so often we'd pull in one of them carrying eggs I always though It was really cool to see so many eggs on such a small creature. Do you have a favorite ocean creature?"

Ava covered her face in resignation. “Oh, God, don’t make me choose!” She chuckled and then looked back up at him again. “I just love them all. Also, I have so many to choose from, because I’ve seen several alien oceans in my lifetime! In terms of earth ocean animals? I think leaf sheep are pretty cool! Do you know about them?” There was a glitter in her eyes. Clearly, this was a topic she absolutely loved. Her whole body language said excitement. She found she really enjoyed this talk.

"I actually havent." He pulled out his PADD to search it up. "Wow... they look so cool!" He took a keen interest in every word out of her mouth. Though he wasn't a scientist if he was he would most certainly be studying oceans much like her.

“I know, right?! They were the first animals known to be able of photosynthesis,” explained Ava excitedly, “That’s excluding corals of course.” Then, she stopped herself. “Oh, I’m sorry, I’m kind of babbling.” She chuckled and looked away. “Don’t get me started on marine stuff, or that’s what you’ll get.”

"Please do go on, I'm really interested in all that kind of stuff. Growing up so close to the ocean I could never help but wonder about everything that's out there."

“Really?” She leant forward a little, putting her elbows on the table and resting her chin on her hand. There was a smile on her lips. She squinted her eyes in an interested way. “Where did you say you grew up again? Near Seattle? Did you ever see any sharks?”

He stayed perked up with a interested smile on his face. He always loved an interesting conversation especially with someone so nice. "Yep San Juan island. We had some sharks in the puget sound but not any of the big scary ones everyone talks about. It's mostly just the dogfish."

“Aw, those are really cute,” Ava smiled. “You know they’re called dogfish, because they hunt in larger groups, like dog packs? It’s a little non-sensical, because many types of shark do that. But that’s the origin of the name! It’s a real pity they used to be fished a lot around the 21st century…” Her smile fell. “It always makes me so sad. Many species died due to overfishing.” She shook her head. “I will never understand how one could hurt such beautiful creatures. Not to mention the importance of ocean ecosystems for life on earth! But,” she looked back up again while eating another fry, “Let’s return to a more pleasant topic. Do you dive?”

He matched her look of sadness. He himself did often feel for the overfishing having seen the results a couple times on the island. He was however happy to move away from such a dreadful topic. "A couple times only on the occasions where me and my family could go on a vacation to Mexico or Hawaii. I always loved it, the serenity of floating under the waves observing all the beautiful fish and coral. How about you, do you dive?"

Ava nodded enthusiastically. “When I’m home on earth, I surf and dive all the time! Just feeling the ocean so close to me always makes me feel whole and good.” She smiled at him.

"I know right I love it so much. I've never tried surfing before though I should probably try it some day soon. Have you ever skied before?"

Ava shook her head. “No, I haven’t, actually. Am I missing out?” She raised her eyebrows inquisitively as she ate some salad.

Austin grew an inviting smile as he formulated a fun idea. "I could show you... in the holodeck. If you're willing to maybe show me surfing afterwards."

Ava smirked and nodded. “You know, Austin, that sounds like a really good idea! I’m sure we’ll find the time.” She tilted her head. “What’s your full name, by the way?”

He wad excited to go skiing and surfing especially with her but, was unsure why she had asked that question. "Austin Whidbey."

“Ava Lopez,” she replied with a smile, “It’s just, knowing your full name will make it easier to contact you later.” Because Ava definitely wanted to do that. He was nice and seemed genuinely interested in her thoughts. She was also very excited about the idea of going surfing with him and learning how to ski.

He smiled thinking about the idea of their being a later. "Sounds like a plan, I guess we should be on our way to the holodecks." He walked over to the door and held it open for her.

Ava was finished with her food, but she was still a little surprised by the prompt offer. “Oh, you wanna go right now? Well, alright, I see, you’re not wasting any time.” She laughed, left the payment for the food on the table and went to him.

He gave her a smile and a shrug. "I like to be prompt he joked."

“That’s not a bad trait,” she said and went into the corridor. She took note of the gentlemanly way he got the door for her.

He walked through the door shortly after.

"Now, let's see... this way... turn here..." He navigated expertly through the halls, arriving at small steakhouse that seemed to already have a sizeable queue snaking round it. "Here." He gestured to the entrance. "It should be a shortish wait... ten minutes by my estimate?"

She smiled "Any wait is better then New York City"

"Why? Are the queues for delicious food far longer there than here?"

She looked up at him "New York has a population of 8.4 million people. There is a wait even to be arrested."

"It sounds like an experience." He remarked, "On Kaminar things are slightly more... leisurely. I should say."

"It sounds rather nice"

He had settled on the idea of Indian food. He had come pretty early due to the fact he was so excited for the date. He got them a table and began the short wait for Ava with a smile on his face.

Ava was exactly on time. (Something her superior officers had always appreciated.) Her eyes found Austin and a smile spread on her lips as she approached the table. The artificial light shimmered on the silky fabric of her top. Two strands of curly silver hair framed her face while the rest of her hair was pinned up behind her head. She wore a thin silver necklace and a delicate earring, slightly Bajoran in design. The dark blue hues of her clothes brought out her eyes and the cut of her blazer and her pants hugged her figure quite nicely. “Hey,” she said with a grin as she came closer.

Austin was silent for a little bit distracted by her beauty, everything about her looked amazing to him. The way her hair was styled and the way the light shone down on her outfit. It was all simply amazing to Austin. He bit his lip and then smiled excited to be on a second date with her. "Wow, you look great tonight.* He stood up and then pulled back a chair for her to sit in.

Ava chuckled and blushed a little. She let her blazer slid off her bare shoulders and placed it over the backrest of the chair before sitting down. “Thank you,” she said and smiled up at him. He was dressed casually, but with a formal touch. And he smelled really good! Was that a weird thing to think? “So do you,” said Ava truthfully. She was kind of second guessing her dress choice because of all the bare skin; but it was too late to worry now! “I didn’t keep you waiting, did I?”

Austin smiled about at that compliment. He wasn't sure how well the outfit would work out but everything seemed to have gone so well. He chuckled a little. "I just have a habit of showing up early to things." That was partially the truth but not the full truth. He was just really excited for the date.

Ava nodded. “I see.” There was a small pause in which he looked at him, then looked at the table, then back up at him. “Hey, um, Austin…” She’d been thinking about how to say this.

He paused for a second unsure as to what she was about to say. He raised an eyebrow as to emplore her to go on.

Ava took a breath. “You see, I… haven’t done something like this in a really long time.” She fumbled with her hands. “To be honest, I might be a little… rusty. So, I guess what I’m trying to say is, I’d appreciate if we took it slow.” She looked up and made eye contact, awaiting a reaction. Hopefully a positive one.

Austin stayed smiling but internally he was a little bit relieved it had been about 4 years since he had really dated someone and it felt good to have that on the table. "Yeah that's fine for me. It makes sense for us to get to know eachother more."

Ava nodded. “Okay,” she gave a relieved sigh, “Phew, I’m kinda glad that’s cleared.” She laughed a little. “But now, the truly important question. Have you decided on something to eat yet?”

He hadn't even picked up the menu yet but, was really unfamiliar with Indian food as a whole. He opened up the menu and began browsing. "Anything you would recommend? I haven't had Indian food in a long time."

“Oh, definitely take the Naan!” She spoke as she picked up the menu as well. “Curry is always good, of course. Hmmm, spring rolls…” She raised her eyes at him. “What are you in the mood for? Spicy, sweet, meat or vegetarian?”

He thought for a second looking up and the roof and then at Ava. "Probably sweet would be for the best I've never really been great with spicy food."

Ava raised a pointy eyebrow at him. “Oh, really? Wouldn’t expect that from a tough looking guy like you.” Her tone was slightly teasing.

He laughed a little bit and then shifted into a happy smile and shrugged. "We never had very much spicy food on the island so I guess I never really got used to it. You said you grew up in New York city right? You must have had all kinds of unique experiences. "

Ava nodded again. “I have,” she said conversationally as she skimmed the menu, “There were all kinds of people and cultures back home. You’d bump into strange people all the time! Not all of them quite as… exotic as me, of course.” For a second, she got flashbacks to all the times they’d picked on her and all the fights that she’d gotten into as a child. Her smile fell. Quickly, she shrugged it off. “Anyways, yeah… I really liked going to Indian places and Japanese places and Italian places. I was always trying out new food!”

He noticed her smile drop off he wasn't sure if he should address it or not so he did a little bit of both. "Sounds like such an interesting place to grow up, a big city where something is always happening. I've always wondered what it would be like to live in a place like that."

Ava leaned back a little and thought back to the time. “It was quite nice at times. You know, my mother is a preschool teacher. It’s not exactly a job that makes you rich, so we had to make ends meet, but it was always very nice! All the opportunities, all the streets one could explore… I love NYC to this day.” She played with the corner of the menu card, looking absentminded. “To be honest, I was quite the troublemaker as a child. It was hard for me to deal with the heightened emotionality which came with being half-Vulcan and, well, I got into a lot of fights frequently. The other kids would make fun of and provoke me until I lashed out…” She looked away. “For some time, I tried to lock it all out. But then, luckily, Ayala Roe started helping me, teaching me how to deal with it all.” She smiled and her eyes returned to him. “Now, I don’t come home with bruises and bloody knuckles anymore.” She chuckled. “You can’t image my mom’s relief about this. But what about you? What’s it like not growing up in a big city?”

Austin had smiled the entire looking into her eyes. Austin was always a good listener so he took in every detail of what she said. When she turned the question back on him he took a second before describing his childhood. "That sounds so tough. About me... Well I was the son of the local police chief so I didn't have a chance to make any trouble." He chuckled a little bit. "I wasn't the most extroverted as a kid so I didn't have a ton of friends but I was always still happy. It was a quiet town so as I got older I started to yearn to leave but, now I always want to go back. I miss every part of it, the lifestyle of living on the ocean, the food, and especially my family."

Ava nodded in understanding. “I totally get it. Family is where the heart is,” she said softly. For a moment, she looked at Austin with a sort of dreamy smile. Something about the way he talked of his home drew her in. There was something so gentle to him… Ava snapped out of it and cleared her throat. “Anyways, I think we should order. We’ve gotten quite carried away and the waiter is coming over. I’d suggest the mango curry and some Naan. We can share some spring rolls!”

"Sounds perfect to me." He gave her a warm smile and then turned to the waiter with a smile. "let me get the Mango Curry with some Naan please, and then could we get some spring roles to split between us." He paused for a second and pointed at one of the nicer bottles of wine on the menu. "Can I get two glasses of this please."

Ava also ordered a bottle of water and a tofu curry. When the waiter left, she turned back to Austin with a smile. “You know, I’ve been wondering, what kind of music do you like, Austin?”

Weirdly enough one of his favorite songs started playing in his head. "Well I'm a big fan of the classics from earth's 20th century. It's good stuff and really catchy. How about you?"

“I listen to loads of different stuff,” answered Ava, “When I work, it’s ancient classics like Beethoven or Einaudi. And in my free time, it’s all kinds of genres, like old bedroom pop and rock.” She chuckled a little at herself. “Catch me randomly breaking into song. It’s worst with Broadway show tunes!”

He laughed with her. "I love singing along with songs so much. When I'm filling out paper work I'm basically always singing. Have you seen any good movies recently?"

“Ahaha, I wanna see you do that,” she said with a grin. Then, she answered his question. “Actually, I was talking to Styre about Vulcan entertainment, so I looked up some Vulcan movies. Spoiler alert; they’re not exactly touching.”

He Joked with her. "Oh yeah I'm sure the comedy films from vulcan are absolutely hilarious."

“You bet! They’re about as funny as listening to work logs,” she raised a finger, “No, actually, there’s some really funny work logs out there; I don’t want to invalidate those.” She smiled. It was easy joking around with Austin like this. It felt nice.

As the food arrived he kept joking around with her. after he took a bite of out of his Mango Curry He pointed his fork at her in a joking manner. "Wow this is absolutely amazing. Thanks for recommending this."

Ava smiled and started eating as well. “Hm. I’m glad you like it.” She took a bite of a spring roll. “Oh, my Prophets, you have to try the spring rolls, Austin!” She was completely content. The ambiance was nice, food was good, the company was even better and Ava felt almost like she was too content to handle it.

He reached for a spring roll with a wide smile. "don't mind if I do." Upon taking a bite his face lit up even more. "Oh my gosh that's so good. I'm glad we did this together." Austin was beyond happy to spend time with Ava. He smiled absolutely happy to be able to spend a dinner with such a cute woman and especially someone so nice.

Ava grinned. “I’m really glad, too.” Her grin then turned into a soft smile as she looked at him. A gentle shine glossed over her gaze. When she next spoke, her voice was quiet. “Anyone ever told you you have a really breathtaking smile?”

His smile broadened and he showed it off to the world. "Believe it or not no." His voice quieted in the same way hers did before. "I really love how you do your hair it's always so cute."

Ava blushed and laughed. “Oh, please, it’s always messy… But, thanks.” Oh, God, was she really flirting with someone? When has she last seriously flirted with someone? It made her heart race a little.

He grinned back. "You downplay yourself the way your curls frame your face is simply lovely."

22:03

His heart began to accelerate he hadn't expected flirting to develop so fast but... he didn't mind at all.

Ava felt her face heating up even more. “Oh, God, Austin, stop…” She chuckled and looked at him. “I’m not used to being hit on by such an attractive man.”

Austin stopped for a second but his smile remained unwavering, he kept going forward. "Oh please, I'm just glad to be here with you. You're just so beautiful."

Ava raised an eyebrow. “Why, thank you. You don’t look too bad yourself. However,” a cheeky smile came to her lips. It seemed like her confidence was growing now. “I almost liked you even better with you hair all wet. We should continue with the surfing lessons very soon.”

He gave off a wide grin. "I really liked surfing, It was super fun... especially with you. I'm happy to go with you again anytime."

Ava nodded with a smile. “Consider it a date,” she said and started eating again. “By the way, Austin; I don’t mean to be noisy, but how old are you?”

"I am 33, how about you?" He returned to eating his food with a smile. The meal was amazing.

“29,” replied Ava casually and continued eating. “Would you like to play a little game, Austin?”

He smiled giving off a little bit of a competitive look to go along with it. "Sure, I love a good game."

“Two truths and a lie. Are you familiar with the concept?” She tilted her head.

"Sure I love that game would you mind if I start?" He grinned coming up with a good one. "I earned my first promotion because of how I performed during a boarding party, my best friend growing up is currently an Admiral, and I play video games as a hobby."

“Oh, no, you’re good at this…” She hummed as she thought about it. “Do you play video games as a hobby? Maybe. You know what, the first one is so specific it can’t be a lie. I’ll say the second one is a lie.”

He chuckled and then began growing a little bit of dramatic tension. "Correct! You're pretty good at this, I guess it's your turn."

“Hah!” Ava was excited that she got it right. “Alright, so… Number one: I’m a dog person. Number two: I once fell asleep on Styre’s should in the lab. He wasn’t amused. Number three: I get drunk off chocolate due to my Vulcan genes.” There was a challenging glint in her eyes.

He laughed at that second one. There was something so cute about her when she was excited and he smiled looking at her. "That second one is so specific and I definitely need more details about that if it's true. Hmm let me go with number 1."

Ava shook her head. “Nope, it’s actually number three. Because I grew up with human food, my digestive system has gotten used to it and chocolate has the same effect on me as it has on humans. While Vulcan food gives me tummy aches.” She smiled. “Oh, and I totally fell asleep on Styre. I was completely overworked, we were analyzing samples and I just kinda fell over to the side as I dozed off.” She laughed at the memory and went on, “Styre, gentlemanly as he is, simply moved a bit to the left, letting me slip down. I nearly fell off my chair.” She shook her head in amusement. “Anyways, your turn!”

Austin burst out laughing. "That is just amazing, styre must be a fun commanding officer then. My turn again? Number 1, When I worked as a cop me and my partner crashed a cop car into the water. Number 2, I once stayed on a ferry for 24 hours and number 3 in high school me and some friends used to race boats around the harbor back home."

Hm. All of those sounded pretty believable to her… Ava squinted her eyes at him and watched him intensely as she thought. Maybe if she kept looking at him long enough, she’d magically see through him.

After keeping eye contact with her for a good 15 seconds he burst out laughing. She looked so cute when she was competing but he wasn't going to let her win based on her looks along. "You're gonna have to try a little bit harder to beat me."

“I’m trying to develop my telepathic abilities,” she joked, mock-serious. “Alright, alright… Well, they all sound believable. I’m gonna say number two, because the other two feel too specific.”

He laughed. "Damn it I thought I really had you on the ropes there. Seems like your telepathy studies are going really well."

“I’m not that easy to lie to.” Ava smiled and leaned back contently. “Maybe you’re right and I am developing telepathic abilities beyond touch telepathy… Well. Looks like it’s my turn again. Number 1: I have discovered over twenty new species of plankton. Number 2: I’m allergic to cats. Number 3: I have a scar behind my ear from when I tried to cut my hair once as a child.”

He chuckled. "Let me think. You are a really good (and not to mention cute) scientist but, I don't know if one person could discover that many species of plankton."

“Wrong again, sorry.” She grinned. “There’s loads of plankton in the sea, especially on an alien planet that nobody’s explored before.” She grabbed another spring roll and said, “You know what? I told you about falling asleep in the lab, I think I have a right to know about how you managed to crash a police car into the water.”

Before he started talking he laughed really hard. "Me and my old partner Dallas were messing around and he bet me I couldn't race across the island faster then him. Well... I took that action and I did beat him but I also kinda over ran the finish line right into the harbor." Wow was it just him or was this date going great. He thought they were hitting it off so well!

Ava laughed. “Oh, God. And I thought I was a bad driver…” She shook her head in amusement and gave him a warm smile. Her dark brown eyes glittered in the light and she radiated happiness. It had been quite a long while since Ava had felt like this with someone. Spending time with Austin felt right in a way that Ava had troubles describing. She just felt that he made her happy. All her worries about the date going bad had long passed away by now. On the contrary, she found that this was quite perfect. This food and his smile and his voice and the way he looked at her… Oh, shit was she staring again?!

Austin found himself staring deeply into those brown eyes of hers. In this lighting she was perhaps the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. Everything felt so right about tonight. "Woah... your eyes... I never noticed how beautiful they are."

Ava blinked. “I… thank you.” Hm, yes. Very sophisticated reply. “I’m… really enjoying tonight. Getting to know you is really nice.” She clearly lacked the right adjectives, but tried to make up for it with a soft smile.

He exhaled from his nose with a little bit of glee. "The pleasure is all mine. You're just so great... I'm so glad I met you."

Ava chuckled and blushed. “You’re enjoying making me flustered, aren’t you?”

He shrugged and gave her a big goofy smile. "Who can blame a guy for telling the truth."

“Speaking of truths,” said Ava, “I believe it’s your turn to pose two truths and a lie.”

He laughed remembering the game he decided to leave his foot on the pedals just a little. "I haven't had a chance to go on a date like this in years, I think you're really cute, and... I've broken my arm 18 times."

Ava looked at him a little wide-eyed. It was obvious which one was the lie here. And it was obvious that they weren’t really playing anymore. “How come a guy like you hasn’t gone on a date in years?” She frowned. “You’ll excuse my confusion, but I really don’t get it. You’re handsome, you’re funny, you’re kind… Don’t you get asked out all the time?”

He looked down for a second unsure if he should tell her the truth. He exhaled from his nose deciding to tell the truth His smile remained but only losely as he decided to talk. "Well... this is a tough memory but a couple years ago when I was serving on a different ship I fell in love... she ended up dieing in my arms on a science mission. I've come to peace with it but I've been really waiting for the right person to start dating like this again."

Ava’s expression turned into a compassionate frown. “Oh, no, Austin… I’m so sorry.” Her voice was really gently. She felt the urge to touch his hand or his shoulder in some comforting way, but she knew it would overwhelm her. So, instead she said, “I can’t imagine what that must feel like. If… If I can do something to make you feel better, don’t hesitate to say it.” A soft, sad smile came to her face.

He took a second to wipe away from that. "I've had counseling for it and... well... I think I've recovered from it." He placed his hand on the table right in the center who was to say he wasn't sending a subtle message. "I really appreciate the offer to talk."

Ava nodded. “I’m here if you ever need someone to talk to or a shoulder to cry on.” She smiled again. She really meant what she was saying and it was clear to see. For a brief moment, Ava touched Austin’s wrist; not his skin, just the fabric of his sweater. Still, it was a comforting, meaningful touch. She gave his wrist a small squeeze and then she softly said, “For now, I think you should eat your food before it gets cold.”

He perked back up. He really appreciated how she touched his wrist it made him feel so much better. "You're so nice Ava..." He shifted back to his meal and quickly finished it up. "This date... it's just so great to be around you."

Ava finished her food as well, using the last of the Naan to wipe the bowl clean. “I can only agree,” she said, “You’re an amazing person, Austin. With everything I learn about you, I just feel like I wish I could learn even more.” There was that honest, warm smile again. “Geez, I don’t think I’ve ever smiled this much in all my time on the base. And I have to admit I was pretty nervous before this date. I thought I might regret saying yes, but I don’t regret it at all — on the contrary, I couldn’t be more glad that you asked me out. And I hope to do this again very soon, if you’d like that as well.”

He was really excited she said that. He could hardly contain himself. He blurted out. "Yes!" He calmed down quickly. "I was super nervous aswell." He chuckled. "I mean I practically spent my whole afternoon preparing for it."

Ava laughed. “God, you should have seen me, I was panicking.” Jokingly, she jabbed a finger at the air in front of him. “I had to meditate four times today because of you!”

He laughed. "Maybe you'll need to teach me to meditate if we are gonna keep dating; Keep my nerves under control."

’keep dating’. Ava’s heart did a little jump as she heard those words. She smiled broadly and joked, “I don’t know if I’d be a good teacher. You can ask Styre, though!” She grins at the mental image. “That would certainly be a sight to behold!”

He jokes. He had been so nervous through the date but being around Ava just made him feel like a better person, like he could conquer the world with her by his side. "The guy who made you fall? I think I'd rather a cute junior commander."

“Junior Commander? Hm, I kinda like the sound of that.” She grinned. Being with him made her lighthearted. “I could give you some meditation lessons sometime, if you’re really interested. If not, that’s fine, too.”

"I would love to. I've never quite been one for meditating but I think that would be interesting." He didn't want to add that he really just wanted to hang out with her and that he really would do anything to hang with her more.

“Okay, let’s do it sometime soon.” She took her wine glass with a smirk. “Let’s drink to that.”

He clinked his glass against hers and then took a sip. Smiling at her it was hard for him to use words to describe how happy he was.

Ava took a sip of wine. It was really good. She didn’t know much about wine, but she could trust her taste buds. “Looks like we already have a little list of things we wanna do together now,” she said with a smile. It made her feel warm on the inside. “Surfing, meditating, watching a movie together.”

He smiled as all the date ideas got listed. Imaging himself doing all of that stuff with ava made him feel fuzzy inside. He laughed. "Sounds like the best checklist I've ever heard."

“It does have a ring to it, yeah,” she agreed. Then, that curious expression returned to her face, the one she always got when she was about to ask a question. People who knew her even just a little bit knew that look, because she asked a lot of questions. “Do you have a bucket list? Like, for life?”

He liked the curious look on her face and smiled up. "Well... I just really love exploring. I mostly just want to check out a bunch of cool places however I've always wanted to do a deep sea dive. I've also been meaning to pick up chess some more."

00:27

"How about you."

Ava listened attentively, then she answered, “That all sounds solid. As for me… I guess I’d like to settle down at some point. Have a family of my own, maybe kids. But that’s something in the far future. More… imminent goals are probably visiting an all-ocean planet and learning another language.” She smiled and took another sip of wine. It made her giddy. This whole date made her giddy.

Austin liked that, the idea of one day settling down. On hard days he was always so jealous of how his parents lived there lives back on the island. He couldn't help but think about an idealized world where they were together though thinking about that made him feel a strange feeling in his chest. "One day I'd like to settle down somewhere aswell. I know we do good every day but sometimes I just like to think about settling down back home."

Ava nodded. The thought of them sharing a dream such as this made her feel fuzzy. “Yes, the idea of one day returning to earth and making a home for oneself… it’s quite beautiful.” She sipped her wine again, watching Austin over the rim of the glass. “Do you have a pet, Austin?” The way she said his name was really gentle.

Austin began sipping on his wine slowly even though it was pricey he found it to be pretty good. "I wish I had a pet we used to have a cat back at home but I just don't think I have the time to give a pet the proper attention with how many away missions I end up on. How about you?"

Ava shook her head with a smile. “Yeah, me neither.” There it was again, as she looked into his eyes, a little flutter in her stomach. Even as they were talking about something so trivial, she felt like every word was somehow special. The way it made her feel to just talk with him sent a pleasant shiver down her spine. She wasn’t sure whether she was supposed to be feeling all of this. For the time being, she decided she didn’t care. All she cared about right now were Austin’s eyes. “I always wanted to get a pet, but we never had one when I was little. And now, I just have too much work.” She chuckled. “I’ll try to keep an indoor plant alive with my roommate, we’ll see how that goes!” (edited)

He chuckled. As he allowed the food to digest he found the feeling in his chest was not going away. He hung onto her words with something beyond care. "I've always wanted to get a little plant for my office. Where were you stationed before the starbase?"

“My fist posting was on a stationary lab, located on an unexplored Class M planet. Plenty of things to discover! Life was quite calm and I did lots of field work.” She smiled as she thought back to it. “It was really nice! Then, I got transferred to the Tyrga, a science vessel. Everything became… messier and quicker. A starship is way busier than a stationary lab,” she laughed a little, “I was petrified when I arrived and there were so many security and tactical officers! I was only used to hanging around scientists and engineers. Still, I somehow settled in, found my place aboard the ship. I stayed two years, the second of which I worked under Commander Styre. The work was a lot more varied than on the laboratory and it really grew on me! When I was offered the transfer to starbase 777, I thought maybe I could have a mixture of both relaxed lab work and some adventure on the Eventide.” She made a funny face. “I certainly got the last part! It’s like they say, be careful what you wish for.”

Austin laughed with her and let out a big dumb smile. There was something about her laugh that always made him smile. He wasn't really sure what it is about it but it was just special to him come to think of it everything about her was special to him. "Well it's certainly a busy station I don't think anyone can disagree with that. I've been on a couple ships but I always preferred the science vessels less busy and I always preferred the mixed company with all the scientists."

“Hm,” made Ava with a smirk, “You’re into scientists, huh?”

He smirked back with a joking attitude. "Don't get me wrong I love my security people but, I've found people from Science to be much better conversation and..." He looked directly into her eyes. "they tend to be a lot cuter."

“Security folks are more fun though,” she replied, mirroring the look in his eyes, “Not as stuck up. And they’re a nice view.” She smirked again. Was she getting better at this whole flirting thing? Maybe. Perhaps she was relaxing now.

"Yeah but, some of the junior lieutentants are just so nice to be around." Austin was really liking the way they were flirting. He was a little bit rusty and thus happy all was going well.

Ava shook her head, willing to go on with this. “Nah, have you met the chief of security? He’s way more charming than the whole of the science division!” She smiled warmly, a glitter in her eyes. Somehow, this kind of flirting was so easy.

Austin laughed a little smiling at the compliment. His heart was beating fast all of this just came so naturally to them. "Oh please, I bet he's nothing compared to this new biologist I've been hearing so much about. Shes smart and pretty not to mention all around nice."

Ava grinned. “Oh, but this security chief is kind, too. And like, really ripped.” She couldn’t hold back a chuckle as she looked to the side. “Not that I’ve been checking him out, or anything.” (edited)

He sat there laughing for a second. He was so happy to be sitting there next to Ava and he was beyond happy that she felt the same way about him. For 20 seconds he would sit there quietly staring deeply into her eyes. He snapped out of it fearing she would think him weird. "So how was your work today?"

Ava enjoyed the comfortable silence for several seconds. Austin had a nice jawline and really incredibly blue eyes. They sort of reminded her of the ocean. When he spoke up, it startled her out of her trance. “It was fine,” she said with a small smile, “Mostly I’ve had to write down some chemical formulas. Not exactly exciting work, however, I was able to experiment a little.” She twirled the half-full wine glass in her hands — a scientist’s hands, soft and delicate with short manicured fingernails. “A science vessel that passed by had picked up some tissue samples from Byria M50, the planet I used to work on. They’re from a species I discovered. Selachimorpha Tema.” A smile came to her face. “They look a little like sharks, except I have this theory that they’re actually telepathic!”

Austin was super interested in her work and... wow a telepathic shark that sounded super cool to him. He perked up really wanting to discuss her work. To him her work was far more interesting them his own. "A telepathic shark! Must be one hell of an apex predator. Discovering new ocean species must be super cool."

“Yeah, however they’re not as big as for example white sharks. I believe they use their telepathic abilities to perfect their hunt in packs.” Ava looked happy to be able to talk about her work. She was so passionate abut it. Her tone was excited. “Oh, wait!” She pulled out her PADD and a stylus, then started sketching something on an empty document.

"Oh wow! The sharks swimming around down there communicating telepathically. I bet that's a hell of sight to see."

Ava nodded enthusiastically. She finished up a quick sketch and showed it to Austin. It was a weird-looking shark that seemed to have long bones coming out of its fins. It had two weird ridges on its head. “That’s what they look like!”

Austin studied the sketch for quite some time. It was very well done and the shark itself looked so cool! A small part of him always wished he had gone into science and seeing that brought that part of him forward. "Wow! That shark looks really cool it must have been so fun studying them and the way you draw is amazing. Studying the oceans seems so cool!"

Ava chuckled and pocketed her PADD again. “Thank you, Austin, it’s so nice to have someone who listens to my scientific ramblings.” She smiled warmly, meeting his eyes. “But… how was your work day?” She was genuinely interested. She didn’t really know what a security officer did all day and she was eager to find out more about Austin.

He smiled at her. His job wasn't nearly as interesting most of the time but, he was happy to share none the less. "Well really my job isn't all that interesting most days. We got a new brig officer so I began introducing her and giving her a few tests. Then I mostly just filled out paperwork for the rest of the day."

“You do a lot of paperwork?” She tilted her head. “I imagine there’s a lot of administrative work when you’ve got a senior position.”

"Its basically all paper work and training the ensigns. It's fun and I really love doing the training but the paperwork can just be so over encumbering."

Ava nodded. “I get it. I have days in which I do nothing but programming and putting information together. It can be exhausting! Still, it’s worth it in the end. I love me job.” She took another sip of wine with a small smile. “And I get to meet such charming people, too.”

Austin looked into her eyes again for a second and then a question bubbled inside of him. It kind of just popped up. "Hey, if you're a vulcan why are you so emotive. I can't say I mind infact I really like it but, I've never actually met a Vulcan quite like you before."

Ava laughed. “You took quite long to ask that question, for most people it’s the first thing they notice,” she explained, “I am half-Vulcan and I grew up with my human mother. I never met my father, he was never around. He went back to Vulcan after hearing of the pregnancy. You see, he had an extramarital affair with my mother and I wasn’t exactly planned, so he went back to his Vulcan wife.” She said this with a sort of easy tone, like she didn’t really care anymore. “I grew up with human ways and never got into Vulcan culture.”

"And thus you never began to follow Surak's teachings. Well you should know I really like your personality the way it is." He chuckled. "You are such a fun person!" He gave her a appreciative smile

Ava smiled. “Thank you. I like me the way I am, too. I have to say, however, I still find it hard sometimes… to accept the Vulcan side of me, that is.” She looked at the table and a million thoughts ran through her head. Thoughts about how her touch telepathy had increased recently, how her meditation practices had changed over time, how she’d let go of her grudge against Vulcans, how she still gave her ears and eyebrows a disregarding look in the mirror from time to time, whenever she remembered the harassment… Ava was very quiet suddenly.

Austin seeing her mood lower a bit gave her a reassuring smile. "That sounds so tough, I can't begin to imagine how hard it must all be. Well... you know if you ever need to talk I'm here for you."

Ava looked up at him. As she saw the honesty in his eyes, her face lit up a little. “Thank you, Austin. It means a lot.” She took a moment to just hold eye contact, taking in the sight of him. His blue eyes seemed gentle to her, somehow inviting, just like the ocean, like they were inviting her to bathe in the color. There was a slight dusting of a stubble around his chin and for a short second, Ava caught herself thinking about what it might fee like if it were scraping against her skin. She took a small breath, snapping out of her thoughts. “You’re really sweet,” she said as her hand went up to tuck a strand of hair behind her pointy ear. Her earring glittered in the artificial light.

"Thank you, I try my best." His attention turned to her ear. "Wow, I love your earing. It's bajoran right?"

“Um, yes,” said Ava softly and instinctively touched the metal. “I got it from Roe.” It was clearly readable in her expression that this piece of jewelry was of sentimental value to her. “In a way, I grew up with Bajoran culture, too. Not just human.”

He smiled. "I really like that earing. Remember how I was saying one of my Ensigns called me Vaklev? She's actually a Bajoran."

Ava nodded. “I figured. Is that Ensign Emin? I talked to her briefly during the rescue mission. She gave me a hair so I could track her DNA on the scans and get a lock on the creepy Reman.”

Austin nodded. "Yep she did pretty well during that mission actually. I'm probably going to keep her on my personal squad."

“Oh, you have a personal squad?” She leaned forwards a little, resting her arm on the table. The light shone softly on her bare shoulders and collarbones. A smile graced her lips. “What does one have to do to get accepted into it?”

"Yeah I kinda keep my personal squadron as a bit of an A-team. It's like the special forces. I pretty much just select the most skilled Ensigns to join; it allows me to mentor them a bit better."

“Hm, that makes sense. So far, it’s only Ensign Emin, or do you have more people in mind?” She looked at him, listening carefully. They’d talked so much about her work, now Ava wanted to get to know his job a little better.

"Yeah I'm still working on filling it out but, that mission on the ship was crazy. I mean I pretty much destroyed my back, I needed to get the deep tissue regenerated."

Ava flinched. “Ouch,” she said, “Are you okay, now?” She sounded instantly worried.

He stretched his back a little before looking at her sorry that he concerned her. "Oh, I'm fine now. It feels a little tight on my back but in general I feel pretty good. No need to worry about me."

“Okay…” Ava still looked a little wary. She was pretty sure it couldn’t hurt to worry about someone who’d been dubbed ‘Blackjack’ because of his habit of taking risks.

He tried to give her a reassuring look with a smile. "I Really appreciate you worrying about me. I shouldn't be dismissive like that. My job is dangerous but I know what I'm doing and I have some great people by my side."

Ava nodded. “Alright. Just don’t go around trying to get yourself killed.” She looked at him very seriously. “Promise?”

He gave her a serious look. "I promise I will try to stay safe." He switched to a grin. "Besides how woild I be able to enjoy your presence."

“True.” Ava nodded once again. “I’ve only just met you, it would be most… inconvenient, if you were to knock yourself out before I get a chance to really know you.” She was clearly teasing in her choice of words, however the underlying message was an honest one. She did want to get to know him better and she did want him to take care. She took another sip of wine. “This wine is very good, by the way. I mean, I don’t know much about wines, but it seems you’ve guessed my taste.” She gave him a lopsided smile and there was a little twinkle in her eyes. “I‘ll have you know I get drunk way quicker than most people.”

He chuckled. "Well they say us security officers do have great intuition." He noticed that twinkle in her eyes again. It looked so lovely every time, he wanted more of it.

“Well, you certainly know a thing or two about class, I’ll give you that.” She set down her wine glass again with a soft clink. “The last time I was on a date with someone, two years ago during a shore leave…” She shook her head at the memory. “That guy knew nothing about how to set up a date. You, however…” She looked at him and lost her train of thoughts for a moment. Her brain kept adding to the list of things she liked about Austin. It was distracting in a very endearing way. Finally, she finished, “Well, let’s just say you’re very different from any other person I’ve met. In a good way.”

He smiled at that. He had been trying his best to leave a great impression and it seems he did. He really liked Ava and was really excited that she was complimenting him. "Well thank you I try my best. I gotta say your also different in a great way. You're just so interesting, I'm really glad we met." He finished off with a smile that screamed I'm really into you.

Ava bit her lower lip. Dammit, she thought, I really like him. “I’m glad we met, too,” she said, feeling her heart beating inside her chest, “Do you dance, Austin?”

Austin laughed in a interested manner. "I have been known to do a little dancing in my time."

“And what kind of dancing does a handsome man such as yourself engage in?” She smiled.

"To be honest mostly just shuffling around my room to some music but, I've been working on my ball room dancing." He began picking up her drift and gave her a big smile. His heart began to speed back up again.

“I see.” Ava sipped on her wine. “Good to know. What’s your favorite song?” She wished she could know about all of his favorite things.

He took a sip from his wine as he took a second to think about it. "Ooo that's a tough one. Probably something like You Can't Hurry Love by Phil Collins. What your favorite song?"

Ava leaned back, her eyes never leaving Austin. “I honestly couldn’t say. It changes with my mood. She Dances by Billie Marten comes to mind right now. And as I look at you right now, I’m thinking Meet Me At Our Spot by THE ANXIETY.” She laughed. “Ask me again in twenty minutes and my answer will be a different one.”

He laughed a little bit. He thought her answers were super cute and he absolutely loved it. "I'm the same way to be honest I just like so many songs. What's your favorite movie?"

“Hm…” Ava thought about it for a second. Then, she listed her favorite rom coms: “I would say it’s either The Holiday or Isn’t It Romantic? Both of them pretty old and sappy. But I could watch them over and over again. What about you?”

Austin thought for a second. "Well around this time every year me and my dad would watch the old die hard movies. I don't know if you've ever seen them but they are great."

“I haven’t seen them, not even heard of them,” said Ava, “Care to tell me about it?” She really just liked listening to him.

Austin really loved to talk about those movies. Watching them he always kind of wanted to be like the protagonist. "Well basically everyone in a building gets taken hostage and one guy ends up having to save everyone from the terrorists. It's really cool. How did you get so into the ocean being from New York."

She smiled and then answered, “We’d often go to Long Beach. That’s where I discovered my passion for the ocean. In the holidays, we’d sometimes also be able to travel someplace where I could surf, like Spain or France.” Then, she moved back to the first topic. “Those movies sound pretty cool. Maybe we should watch one of them together sometime.”

Austin thought about the idea of watching a movie sat next to her. He smiled at that he thought it sounded so great. He invisioned her falling asleep on his shoulder or laughing together at a funny scene. "Sure would you want to watch a movie for our next date?"

Ava blushed. “Yes,” she said softly, “Yes, why not. I’d like that.”

He was giddy with excitement. "That's gonna be so much fun. You like rom-coms? How about you pick one out for us."

“Are you sure you want me to pick the movie?” She raised a brow at him.

He smiled and shook his head. "I've never really watched many rom-coms before and I'm sure you could pick a good one out for us."

“Fine,” said Ava, the smile returning to her face, “How about Pretty Woman? The soundtrack for that one is amazing!” She felt herself growing very excited at the idea of cuddling up with Austin and watching a movie together. Yeah, she’d like that, definitely. (edited)

"Oh yes. I've heard of that movie before but, I've never seen it before though. That sounds excellent to me." He was so excited at the thought of just hanging out next to Ava watching a nice movie. It would set a perfect atmosphere for them to just hang out together.

Ava squinted at him for a moment, remembering something. “Hey, you got your own quarters, right? Because you’re senior staff.”

He smiled excitement clear on his face. "Yeah I've got my own quarters I haven't really gotten a chance to decorate it yet though. Want to watch there?"

Ava nodded with a slight blush. “I think it would make sense. That way I don’t have to bother Laara. Though you should meet her sometime!” She drank some more wine, partially because she was feeling a little nervous. “Having your own quarters sounds pretty cool. I’d love to see how you’re decorating it.”

He was really really excited for their second date. "I've got a couple cool things I'm setting up but, maybe you could help me decorate a little."

Ava felt warm excitement bubbling in her chest. Her hand went to her necklace and she started fumbling with it, slightly nervous. Maybe the feeling of the silver between her fingers somehow grounded her, helped her find the calm inside of the hurricane of emotions that was whirling around her. “Sure,” she said happily. “I love setting up quarters! I just did it with Laara before I came here. I love making the place feel more like home, you know?”

Austin gave her a big wide smile. He had essentially been smiling all night but now even more then ever. "I feel you there for sure. I've got to see your quarters aswell at some point though I'm sure it's super nice."

“It’s still missing some things, but it feels pretty homely, yes.” Ava smiled. “You should drop by sometime. But just a quick heads up; there’s brain diagrams on the walls.” She laughed a little.

He laughed a little with her. "That sounds super cool! Now I really need to see your quarters."

Ava chuckled and looked down, thinking about how lucky she was to have found someone like him. “I think you’re like, one of the very few people who would respond like that in this situation,” she said with a soft grin. Then, she looked back up at him again. “I have to say, the better I get to know you, the better I like you, Austin.”

He looked down aswell blushing quite a bit. "Well I really like you to. You're just so kind and just... all around great. I can't wait for our second date!"

“Me too!” The next moment, a yawn fought its way to her face. She blinked tiredly. “Hm, sorry. It’s really late. I barely noticed the time pass.”

He stretched his back and then yawned aswell. "How about I walk you back to your quarters.*

Ava made a move to stand up and nodded with a tired smile. “Very gentlemanly of you.” Her tone was slightly teasing and at the same time affectionate.

Austin placed more then enough latinum on the table making sure to leave a good tip on the table. He was just so happy to be around her. "We should be on our way then I guess." He moved towards the door.

From her line she noticed Austin sitting at a table outside a restaurant just down the hall. He seemed to be having lunch with one of the science staff and she waited for him to walk in their direction before waving politely

Ava had slipped into her blazer again and was walking next to Austin, when she said, “Hey, look, there’s someone waving at you!” She nudged Austin’s arm gently.

He saw it was one of his ensigns. The newest one he had met earlier. He smiled and gave her a friendly salute. "That's one of my newest Ensigns."

“Huh,” said Ava and gave her a tiny wave as well. “You seem to care for your Ensigns.”

He smiled at Ava. "Training the new ensigns and helping them develop is my favorite part of the job. It's honestly the best part of the job by far."

She smiled at both and decided to let them on their way, they seemed to be heading somewhere and she didn't want to intrude

Ava smiled back. His eyes drew her in. “That’s really sweet,” she found. “I’m sure you’re a good mentor. Though I only know your off-duty persona.” They walked out into the corridor.

She turned to Streelan "Who is that woman with Lieutenant. Whidbey?"

Streelan leaned out and watched the two leave before smiling lightly and drumming his fingers upon the table. "Lieutenant Ava Lopez. A friend of mine. How sweet she looks next to him. Why?"

She nodded "Just wondering... I'm security... I can be a bit nosy at times... it's my weakness"

"Ava will be an excellent other half to him, I promise she shall. She's a lovely girl all around." He remarked wistfully. "Don't be too concerned."

She looks up at him (quite a bit might I add). "Concerned... I wasn't concerned... but now I'm reconsidering... what are you guys cooking up in that science lab?"

"Research. Ava is a biologist so I might venture that she has a related project in the works." He remarked idly. Meanwhile he picked up the menu and flipped through it; as always he found himself spoilt for choice with this restaurant in particular. So many good choices... "As for myself? I'm currently working on studying the properties of a particularly interesting nebula in the Zarrey system."

She smiled and picked up a menu of her own "Well that sounds rather interesting"

"Oh, yes, indeed! It looks relatively pedestrian but its inner workings are a marvel, so to speak!" He glanced up from the menu with a slight grin. "Are you ready to order?"

She looked back to her menu "I think I'll let you choose for me... everything sounds delicious"

Streelan tapped on the ordering PADD and returned it to the waitress that came up to the table afterwards. "They should have it in... twenty minutes." He remarked. "Or thereabouts. Their service is excellent. Have you had ribeye steaks before?"

She chuckled "Of course... I'm American... it's like a staple"

"Then you'll love theirs." He laughed. "I hope you came hungry. The portion is rather large."

"I've been hungry since the trip from Earth"

"Perfect." Now that they were waiting he leaned across the table a little studying her features closely. "Tell me a little more about you?" He asked, "How did a lovely lady like yourself come into Security?"

She blushed slightly and smiled "When I graduated high school my parents wanted me to go into the sciences... but I always wanted to help people more directly. I became a detective for the NYPD. But corruption and judicial injustice drove me away from it. But StarFleet... and the Federation... they stood for more... I majored in Security at the academy and minored in medicine... but law enforcement and protecting the people has always been my home" She looked around her "And here we are"

He listened attentively as she talked. When she'd finished speaking he smiled warmly and said, "Remarkable." Followed by a soft chuckle. "Medicine you say? Why? I'm curious."

She looked at their hands and then back up. “Part of me still wants to prove something to my parents. But again you can’t serve and protect if you can’t fix the aftermath”

"And so you decided to pick up the skills to do just that." He summarized. "Admirable. I like that."

“I guess.” She kept her gaze on her hands and fiddles with her napkin. “A lot of this… being here… sure I did it to make a difference… but a lot of it… I let it be driven by my need to prove myself”

"Which you shall do, in good time!" He promised. "Keep working hard and you shall get there! Trust me."

“I sure hope so”

"No need to hope. It'll happen." He assured her. Their food arrived about then; he accepted both plates from the waitress with a smile. "Here. Eat. You must be hungry."

“Absolutely starving”

He pushed one plate across to her.

She thanked him as she took her plate "Thank you, it looks amazing"

"Dig in. We have all night," He smiled and picked up his fork and knife, possibly waiting for her to start eating first.

She smiled and began to cut her steak, admiring how smoothly the knife cut through the perfectly cooked meat. Taking a bite she looked over at Streelan "This is amazing!"

"I told you it was." The Kelpien dug into his meal smirking to himself. "I come here possibly once a week now, one of the cooks knows me decently well..."

She smiled and ate a little more "It reminds me of a little restaurant in NYC. Long since closed, but as a kid they had the best steak in Manhattan"

"Shame. I'd have loved to try their food. I adore steaks." He quipped.

She smiled and took a drink "I have some of the recipes... but I doubt I could match them"

"My mother taught me to cook - I could try," He offered. "How about it? My quarters or the holodeck, any one day of your picking?" Were there implications to that? Maybe. Who knows?

Finishing another bite of steak she nodded her reply, unable to talk till she was done. She finally replied "That would be rather fun!"

"We could make your recipes together, you and me. It'd be a wonderful collaborative project." He smiled slyly. Devious little twig. "Of sorts, anyway..."

"It would be nice to have something to do and someone to hang out with..." She took another sip of her water and finished the last of her steak, surprisingly fast for such a small person

"I would be honored, milady." Stree had a little more to go; for someone so tall and lanky he ate surprisingly slowly. Odd.

"So why, what brought you to StarFleet"

"Being tired of Kaminar." And having next to nothing left at home, he did not say. "And wanting to find my destiny among the stars, silly as that seems."

"It's not silly..."

"Isn't it? I've always thought it was a rather childish-sounding reason." He quipped.

When I was a kid, I used to watch really really old tv shows from like the ancient 2000's with batman... I aspired to be him... now I live on a space station... never would have thought"

"I've never heard of Batman." He remarked. "Was he... what do humans call it, a superhero?"

She smiled, it didn't surprise her that he didn't know. He wasn't even popular in her time... he was hundreds of years old now. "Well sorta, he was a vigilante... he fought the crime that the corrupt system didn't"

"Humans liked vigilantes as heroes?" He raised an eyebrow. "I'm surprised - though I have admittedly never read any human comics."

"In fiction yes, but in reality no. Being a vigilante is a crime, at least in America. A lot of our mainstream media is the exact opposite of reality" She stopped, there was no need to ramble on about comics "Sorry..."

"No worries." He smiled and waved a hand. "You don't have to be sorry. Do you have any recommendations for comics I could read?'

She smiled and looked back up "Anything Detective Comics really...:

"Send them to my PADD? I'll read them at leisure." He replied.

"I can do that. It will be nice to talk to someone abut."

"I'm sure there are more on station if you look around. I doubt any who do read them will refuse talking to you." Streelan smiled slyly.

She laughed "Streelan, they are 400+ yeas old..."

"You may be surprised." He winked. "Well. Done with dinner?"

She looked down at her plate and then back up "It would appear so... I ate so fast I didn't notice..."

"Have you any other plans for the day?" He asked once their plates had been taken away.

"Not at the moment. Eventually I have to finish with Lieutenant Whidbey.. but that's later"

"Would you like to explore the promenade?" He offered, "Even I haven't seen it all. We might even find some nice things for each of us there."

"That sounds like a good idea." In reality she still didn't know what the promenade was

Standing he offered her his arm, in the same way a gentleman might. Of course she'd likely only be able to grab his lower arm due to her height.

With a polite nod she took his arm "Thank you"

He led her back outside the restaurant to the #deleted-channel with a hum.

The life of a Station XO never seemed to end did it? Logan's head was constantly buried in his PADD, looking at and replying to message after message after message. After a while anyone would need a break! So Logan found himself here, replicating a (sugar free) hot chocolate, switching his PADD to silent and sitting down next to a window, fully intending to get lost in the stars until something absolutely required his attention.

Styre walked into the dining establishment and then walked to the replicator. Fruit salad and water came out from the replicator and he turned. He eyed the only other individual in a Starfleet uniform and walked over towards them. Recognizing them as Captain Clarke he bowed his head. “Is this seat taken, Sir?” he said, pointing to the seat directly across from Clarke.

"Of course not Commader, I'd enjoy the company!" Logan gestured for Styre and took a sip from his (sugar free) hot chocolate. "Haw have you been since, y'know... That?"

Styre gave a quick nod towards the captain and sat his bowl and cup down; then he took the seat. “I have been fine, Captain. Yourself?” he returned the question, as was customary.

"Still up to my neck in reports, which has only increased since the Council chose us to host next year's PACT Conference. So many Ferengi have called us to book the biggest areas already." He took another sip and looked at Styre. "What would you recommend if you were feeling a little bit tired? I got no sleep last night."

“It would only be logical to sleep, no?” He questioned, the only suitable answer to a question Styre never thought he’d receive. “Numerous reports, ah yes I can relate. I’ve been on duty a ton more than before, but I could not imagine having to host the PACT.”

"You're going to have to imagine it, we're going to need all hands on deck to set this up." He looked out at the stars for a few seconds. "Are you going to the ball this weekend? We're hosting for the whole sector and it's so much easier to manage then an International conference."

Styre shook his head. “I do not have any plans on going to the dance, no. Are you going, sir?” he took a sip of his water before eyeing the stars, following Logans lead.

"Yeah, I plan on going. You should totally go too! At least humour the idea for the next few days. You could use it as an opportunity to get more acquainted with your crew." Logan looked back at Styre and smiled.

Styre gave a quick nod. His tone nor his facial expression changed. “I see no point in attending. But if you so desire I will entertain the idea.”

[PADD] @tapiak

Commander, At your earliest discretion, I would like to talk to you about a personal request. Thanks in advance,

-Lt. Georgia Hill, strategist/tactical advisor

Styres PADD got a ding, he dismissed the notification and looked back up towards Captain Clarke.

"Do it for me at least." He (half)joked and took another sip of his (sugar free) hot chocolate. "You know, it's times like this that I actually relax, looking at the stars and being able to name the brightest ones from memory is surprisingly calming."

He nodded and looked out the window again. “Surprisingly so.” he gave another nod before going on. “For you.. sir? Do you desire my presence at the ball?” Styre said, not picking up any of the sarcasm (if there was any)

"It would make it more fun..." Logan thought for a second and then quickly added. "Don't take that as an order though, 'cause it's really not." He grinned a bit and then looked down at his (sugar free) hot chocolate. If someone was at the right angle, they would see that he was blushing just a fraction.

Styres more sensitive eyes made it easier to see the blush. His ears twitched slightly as he continued. “Not an order, sir? Do you wish for me to be there or not?”

Logan looked up, the blush gone. "Probably maybe." He paused for a good 10 seconds. "ʸᵉˢ."

Styre nodded towards the Captain. “Then I will make it a priority, sir.” He said, his tone more “cooler” and softer than normal. “If I may inquire, what department were you in prior to command?”

"I actually started in Command, however I was CTO on the USS Winter during the 2399 officer shortage. Before that I was stationed here would you believe it." Logan visibly relaxed even more and looked at Styre.

Styre gave a nod in return and his ears twitched again. “A tactical officer, interesting! What led you to go through that path?” his eyes met with the captains.

"Well, now that the Zhat Vash had made themselves public and threatened a Federation-protected world; Starfleet wanted to do a soft remilitarisation to protect against future Vash attacks. However, because of the synth ban capable ranking officers were few, so I was reassigned from being in the Command department here to being a CTO on the Winter, because there weren't any eligible officers available. So it was more a marriage of convenience for the fleet. That's not to say I didn't like doing it, but it was a learning experience for sure." He took a long sip, contemplating what he just said.

Styre had taken a few bites from his fruit as he listened to the captain, nodding along to show he was engaged. “So, how was tactical?” he inquired. “and if it’s not what you would have chosen; if you could choose any department what would it be?

"Tactical was... an experience to say the least. I wouldn't choose to do it persay, but I'd prefer it over something like Medical; At least I know something about operating ship weapons." He thought for a second. "I'd most likely go into Operations, they're all rounders and get to know people, which is what I'm aiming to do as XO of the Station."

Styre nodded, slightly curious as to what was wrong with medical. “Operations, a pretty interesting and fulfilling career path. Are you content in your current position, though?”

"Oh absolutely, being in a position like this means you can inspire people, they look up to you and in turn you can learn new things from them! Enough about me, are you content in your position?" He took a sip from his (sugar free) hot chocolate and leaned back a bit.

”I am content in my position. It would be illogical otherwise, no?” he questioned slightly. “if I felt I would not preform ‘up to par’ as you humans say, I would simply have declined the position.”

"Sometimes it's healthy to push yourself outside of your comfort zone. I didn't feel too confident taking the XO position on the Winter, and yet a couple of years later I was on the front lines fighting the Iconians with my own ship. Someone I knew a long time ago said that sometimes life is just one giant leap of faith; you can never be sure where you'll land." Logan smiled. (edited)

Styre nodded along, listening to the captain. “I suppose so, but it’s also illogical to remain in contempt of a position if you have the means of abandoning that position for a position worthy of your time.” his ears twitched again as he took a sip of his water. “If I may inquire, Captain. How long have you served with Starfleet?”

"Oh wow... I've never really stopped to count... I'd say about 30 years exactly, over 4 ships and Starbase 777 that I was posted at between the second and third ships, and again well... Now. What about you?" Had it really been that long? He guessed if you never stopped to look back the years would fly by. Logan took another sip of his (sugar free) hot chocolate™️.

He nodded. “I’ve been enlisted for 30 years exactly, sir.” he replied stoically, grabbing a piece of fruit and eating before talking again. “I’ve been on Starbase 15 abs 3 prior ships, including the Eventide.”

"Impressive résumé. I've never been to Starbase 15, what's it like?" He leaned forward slightly, intrigued.

”The Starbase was where I stayed for nearly half of my career. Their research and science facilities are superb. Among the best that I have ever seen.” he gave a nod before taking the final sip of his water. “The commanding officer was… well they were different. It didn’t interfere with my research, so I did not mind.”

"I always envied the scientists of the fleet. They come up with some brilliant ideas, and I know for a fact there are going to be some big findings shared at PACT next year, there always are." He finished his sugar free hot chocolate, which was free of sugar, and leaned back into his chair.

3

Styre gave a quick nod. “It is what I find myself doing the most; hence why it was a prerequisite that I be able to continue my research whilst in a command position.” Styre took another piece of fruit and put it into his mouth.

He grinned a bit. "Well I have it on authority that the science facilities here are the best in the sector!" Logan looked out the stars for a second. "What are you researching?"

”My research specializes in non-carbon based life. I’m a synthetic biologist by trade.” he paused. “My current research involves synthetic viruses.”

"Oh? Are you trying to make countermeasures and treatments for them? I've heard stories about certain synth viruses that are truly disturbing." Logan shuddered a bit, remembering certain viral attacks carried out by the Iconians.

He shook his head. “I’m not a war or tactical biologist. My research is mainly focused on trying to replace the carbon base with silicon ones; and to see if natural cohabitation can exist between the two.” he gave a nod; his career and research was something he spoke fondly of.

Logan leaned forward onto the table. "Tell me more... I've never heard of this sub field of virology before." (edited)

Styres ears perked forward and his eyes widened. Nobody outside of his very niche field seemed interested in his work. “A majority of life we come into contact with is based off the carbon molecule with carbon-based proteins. My work right now focuses on removing that carbon base from viruses and replacing it with another stable compound: silicon.” he smiled very subtly. “Then we recode the genes and dna structure of the virus within the nucleus itself to produce these new silicon proteins by itself.” he paused. “So far these viruses are very unstable and require a very specific diet, but I’ve been analyzing it and trying to figure out a way to make the silicon more stable in a carbon-dominated environment.”

"So by doing this... It'd be a way to effectively and quickly generate silicon, which would help improve electronics manufacturing." He grinned. "That's actually quite cool."

Styres grin widened slightly as he shook his head. “No no, they don’t generate silicon. We feed it to them, like our cows eat grass, they eat silicon!” he spoke enthusiastically. “My research into these viruses is mainly to see if it is possible. If it is— If I can successfully stabilize these viruses —I’m going to move onto seeing if cohabitation and synthesis is possible between carbon and silicon life forms.”

"OHHHHH, so like how carbon-based lifeforms eat carbon, silicon-based lifeforms eat silicon! I'd say that's actually cooler, you're literally creating a new lifeform." Logan briefly got lost in his grin but recomposed himself quickly.

“Not creating, modifying an organism to fit my needs. Like a GMO.” He nodded, his grin remaining present. He was glad someone was actually engaging with him in regards to his work. “This is not my life’s work, my main research focuses on cohabitation between two different based organisms.”

"Are you planning on scaling this up from just viruses? Eventually cohabiting two different based organisms?" Learning about what other people were up to made Logan's day more interesting, especially when it was a moment of calm in a storm of desk work.

”That is the next logical step once these viruses have been made stable, yes. I plan on inducing bacteria next. Afterwards, larger, multicellular organisms.” He spoke with ease and confidence; something that was rare from Styre.

"Personally, I think that's really cool." Logan leaned back again. "When are you next planning on working on it? If you ever want a lab assistant I'm sure I could find some space in my schedule."

He let out another smile towards the Captain. “I think I’ll have to take you up on your offer, sir. I can forward you a PADD message regarding my work and lab schedule, then we can find a time that will work for the both of us.”

"It's a..." Logan stopped himself before he said 'date' "...An event!" Nice Logan, real nice. An alarm rang on his PADD, signalling that it was time to get back to work. Joy. He sighed and moved to get up. "Duty calls, I'll see you at the fleet ball yeah?"

Styre gave a nod. “I suppose you will, Captain.” He looked out the window towards the stars. He said in a slightly quieter tone. “I’ll see you there…” his voice trailed off.

He nodded and walked away, so unfocused his PADD messages were full of typos.

2

Styre began typing away on his PADD while he sat there, looking through to the stars.

Austin Lead the group to the Japanese restaurant where he got them a table. Austin settled in a seat next to Ava and clyde sat across from the two of them.

Ava ordered some sushi. “What do you guys want?”

Clyde ordered a big meal of Sushi it had been forever since he was able to get non replicated food and he intended to make the most of it.

Austin got himself 2 rolls he was still pretty full from breakfast and didn't need much.

“You seem like you’re enjoying the opportunity of fresh food,” said Ava to Clyde.

He laughed. "Its been a little while since I had a proper shoreleave and I just wanted to make the most of it. Maybe I'll have to get myself assigned to a station aswell one day."

“It is quite luxurious in many ways, yes,” Ava agreed.

He joked. "Maybe one day I'll steal Austin job again and end up here but overall I'm happy with how the parliament class ship has been running. Morale slid a bit after Austin left but I think everything is well under control again."

"Oh, that reminds me. At some point I want you to meet the new ensign I'm mentoring. She's been acting odd lately and I was wondering if you could talk to her for me."

"Sure thing, anything I can do to help out."

Their food arrived and Ava picked up her chopsticks. “So, you guys must have some cool stories from your time together. Security always gets to go on the adventures, after all.” She smiled and skillfully picked up a sushi roll.

He thought for a second as he ate one of his rolls. He wanted to pick a story that made Austin look like a hero. "Oh yeah for sure. I remember this one time our ship got attacked by cardassians while we were patrolling. Both of us aswell as the rest of the squad were pinned down in the ships bar when the big man here jumped up ontop of the bar and took all 3 of them out in the span of a couple seconds. Craziest thing I've ever seen."

Ava turned to Austin in surprise and raised an eyebrow. “You did that?” She kind of only knew the soft side of him.

He gave Ava a little shrug and a small laugh. "Well there is a reason they used to call me blackjack."

[D] they finished off lunch and Austin covered the tab. Afterwards Austin and Clevenger bid adieu to Ava and headed for the security ring.

He entered the restaurant and quickly walked around scanning each restaurant to decide what he wanted. He eventually settled on getting a nice juicy burger and some lemonade. Upon receiving his food he found himself a table in the center of the area. He decided to wait a little bit before eating to allow his burger to cool down.

[D] In through the entrance she went after he did, proceeding to look around the area; she had already left her stuff in her new quarters, throwing them in while figuring she could both tidy her quarters and do her physical later; right now , though, she wanted to see what exactly Starbase 777 had.

He noticed the Ensign who he had never seen before and gave her an inviting wave. He was still pretty new to the station himself but he wanted to make new friends whenever he found the chance.

And he was noticed! Seeing another Ensign, who she also had never seen before, she began walking over, hoping to make a new friend in her first moments on the station, smiling at him in the process.

He gave her a smile as she began walking over. "Hello, I'm Ensign McLellan. I don't believe we've met before."

"We haven't," she replied, continuing to smile. "I'm Ensign Virol."

"It is nice meeting you. Are you new to the station?" He reached out a hand for her to shake.

She nodded her head as she shook his hand.

"I haven't been here for long either. Where are you from?" He sat back down and gestured offering for her to join him.

"Where I'm from...?" she asked; she was admittedly a bit confused if he meant where she transferred from or where she had been raised.

He gave a short laugh still keeping a friendly smile on his face. "where's home for you?"

"Oh, home!" she replied, kind of embarrassed she didn't get what he meant at first. "I'm from Earth, you?" Surprising? Possibly.

"Me to, I'm from New York City." He gestured towards the ridges on her nose. "How long has your family been on Earth for?"

"Uhh... 23 years, ish?" she replied. "I'm the first to be from Earth; my parents moved there just a year before I was born, and they picked the East Coast."

"Very nice. I've always found Bajoran culture to be quite interesting personally. Do you follow the Bajoran religion?"

She shook her head. "Never really been into that sorta thing."

He shrugged. "Personally I've never been a religious type either. However I've always found philosophy to be quite interesting."

"It is?" she asked, finally sitting, and then also asked, "What's it about?"

He grew an excited expression on his face. He rarely found himself a chance to speak about philosophy and was always happy when the chance presented itself. "Well it's kind of like figuring out the meaning of life, why we are here, it's also about stuff like morals. A lot of it is old books but through movies ideas of philosophy can be presented."

"Ohhh," she replied. "I did read a bit about it some time ago."

His excited smile stayed on his face. "there are some really interesting kind of philosophy. There was a old movie I saw a while ago that put forward the idea we all live in a simulation."

"Which one?" She could already guess which one it was, but wanted to see if her guess was correct.

"It was called The Matrix if I remember correctly. I've been meaning to watch it again."

She had guessed correctly! "Oh, I've watched that one! Well, years ago. I wanna watch it again too, now that you mention it."

He perked up a little bit coming up with a fun idea. "We could rewatch it together sometime if you would like."

Her eyes widened at the idea. "I would love that," she replied excitedly.

He was equally as excited. "Sounds great, I'm sure we can figure out a good time." He took a bite out of his burger.

"Umm..." she replied, trying to think of a good time. "Maybe on new year's?"

He placed his burger back down on his plate. "Sounds good to me I don't have any plans for that day. Where should we watch it?"

"One of the holodecks, maybe?" she asked.

"Sounds good. I can write up a good environment in the holodeck for us then."

"That'd be nice," she replied, smiling.

"Do you watch a lot of 20th century films?" He had his interest painted on his face.

"A lot, yeah," she replied, a smile on her face.

"I do aswell, what's your person favorite?"

"Hmmm.... I don't really have a favorite. I like all of them," she replied.

"Personally my favorite was always a series called diehard which was pretty great."

"I have never seen that, can you believe that? Well, outside of some bits," she replied.

"Its a really fun movie but really I love all kinds of those movies. I could probably watch them for days on end." He laughed.

She giggled a bit in response; most of everyone she'd met had little to no interest in 20th century culture, so meeting Jack was surprising - and a breath of fresh air.

He began eating his burger again. He hadn't met anyone on the station who was into movies like he was and figured hanging our with Ota would be really fun.

It was at this point that she realized she hadn't gotten anything to eat, so she went to get a burger and a bottle of coke, returning after a moment to sit and eat with Jack.

By the time she had returned Jack had finished his burger and was occasionally eating a fry. "the burgers here are really great. I hear most of starfleet is stuck with exclusively replicated food."

"Yup," she replied, as she began eating, musing afterwards, "Though it is a lot more convenient..."

"Well atleast we still have replicators in the quarters. All my friends from the academy are pretty jealous I got a first assignment like this."

She giggled a bit at that last bit. "I haven't seen my academy friends since I got here; I should get back in touch with them, see where they ended up."

He smiled thinking back at his time at the academy. "I just got out of the academy myself but I should probably check in with the rest of my old friends."

Nodding in agreement, she continued biting into her burger.

He finished off his drink. "Why did you join starfleet?"

"Well..... I got pretty interested in it," she replied with a light shrug.

"That is fair. Personally I just really wanted to fly starships and figured starfleet would be the best place to do it."

She giggled at that comment too, finding it somewhat amusing.

He had noticed that she kept giggling. He thought the way she giggled was pretty cute. It turned out be contagious and he found himself giggling a little bit aswell.

"What? What's funny?" she asked curiously, continuing to giggle and with a smile.

He had a small smirk on his face. "Its just the way you giggle... it's kinda cute."

She couldn't help but blush at that comment. "Thanks," she replied, continuing to giggle.

He gave her a somewhat dreamy look as she continued to giggle. It was really good to meet her.

After a minute more of giggling, she stopped to brush her hair to one side, and, noticing Jack's dreamy look, met him in the eyes with an equally dreamy look.

He gave her stared deeply into her eyes for just a little bit longer before he jumped his gaze away fearing he was starting to seem weird.

She turned away as he did, giggling and smiling to herself, thinking that maybe she was the one being weird.

He noticed in his peripherals that she jumped away at nearly the same time as him and couldn't help but laugh a little. He turned back to her clearly blushing. "I really like how you style your hair."

She blushed at the compliment. "Thanks," she replied. "I don't like having long hair so..."

He couldn't help but laugh a little again. "Sorry for staring for so long before."

"No, it's okay," she replied, trying to reassure him.

"Still... I probably shouldn't have." He was still blushing just a little bit. It was clear to see he had began to be just a little bit nervous in spite of his standard extroversion.

She didn't seem to notice that he had gotten nervous; she just kept blushing, proceeding to look around them.

Jack looked down to his side a little bit. He was embarrassed about how quick he had fallen head over heals just because someone he thought was cute had similar interests to him.

A minute passed as they each did each thing. After that minute, she turned to him, smiling softly and still kind of blushing, and gazed at him. Did she like him? Admittedly, yes.

He caught himself staring at her again for just a few seconds. He did his best to play things as cool as possible. "Are you seeing anyone?"

She just shook her head. She had never been in any sort of romantic relationship before.

It was somewhat hard to see but his grin grew just a little bit as she shook her head. He spoke nervously fearing he may be risking what could be an amazing friendship for something much better. "Would you perhaps want to go on a date sometime?"

Her eyes widened. "I.... I would love that," she replied, blushing and smiling.

He grinned widely now. He felt relief wash through him as he didn't embarrass himself. "Sounds perfect. Anything you want to do together or should I surprise you?"

"Hmmm..... surprise, perhaps?" she replied, smiling.

He allready had ideas spinning around in his head. There were million of opportunities he could test out in the holodeck. A surprise would give him a chance to really hit it out of the park. "Sounds amazing! When are you free?"

"Ummm.... Maybe I can get my shift hours and tell you when I'm free?"

"Sure sounds good. Just PADD me when you have the chance. Most of the time I'm not up to much since I'm a helmsman."

She nodded, smiling gently, and replied, "I'll make sure to do that."

He quickly gave her his PADD contact and stood up about to leave. "It was really nice to meeting you."

"It was nice meeting you too," she replied, taking the PADD contact. (edited)

"See you soon." He gave her one last smile and a nod before moving to leave.

"You too," she replied, giving him one last smile, before getting up, disposing of any trash she had, and exiting.

They entered and she sat down at a table.

He picked up a menu and noticed the pictures. He was cringing a little bit. Klingon food looked pretty gross to him. In spite of that he was still happy to be here with Jes. "Do you eat klingon food a lot?"

"I'd say I get it about a couple of times every two months, it's not something I eat often but definitely not something I barely eat. I usually have a Bajoran Hasperat or something, I think I'll take Pipius Claw, you?'

"I'll probably take the pipius claw aswell. It looks pretty good. I can't say I've been exposed to much food that isn't from earth."

"Well I'd say your missing out then." She ordered when the waiter came and turned back to the Lieutenant. "What have you tried that wasn't from Earth?"

He ordered his food aswell and turned back to Jes. "I've had some bajoran food and that about it."

"Ever had..." She thought for a moment. "Larish pie? Or jumja tea?"

"I haven't had Larish pie before, it sounds wonderful." He had enjoyed Bajoran food when he had it and was interested to test more out.

"What have you had then?" She asked curiously.

"I really enjoyed Jumja when I had it but, I've ate bajoran food pretty regularly when I was there."

"That's good, ever had Alva fruit before? That's pretty much my favorite thing ever." She grinned.

"I believe so. It was quite amazing if I remember correctly. I think I'll have to try it again."

"You should try Alva Ice next time, it's basically the ice cream equivalent of our desert. Well it technically is ice cream but it's made out of Alva."

"Are there any bajoran restaurants here?"

"Here? Nah, I don't think so." She shook her head. "Not that I know of anyway."

He frowned. "That's a shame isn't it. I've been wanting to have actual bajoran food again forever."

"Yeah, there's only so much you can replicate and it's not really real." They received the two Pipius Claw plates and Jes took a sip of her water before starting to eat.

He cringed a kettle bit looking at the food before taking his first bite. He had a small smile as he chewed. It was nearly as bad as he would have though.

She bit down with a crunch. "You know what this reminds me of? Dala leg." She said thoughtfully. "Maybe that's why I like this so much."

He slowly picked at his food. "I don't think I've ever had anything like this before. It is a intriguing taste."

"Really?" She looked thoughtful for a moment. "You know, the closest thing I can think of that tastes like this on earth is lamb."

He lifted his fork thoughtfully. "You're right. That's what this remind me of. I always really loved some good lamb chops."

She nodded. "That or goat I think..." She said thoughtfully. "I mean I don't have it often, so I don't really know."

He raised an eyebrow interested. "I've never had Goat before. Is it good?"

"I suppose so, I don't exactly remember. I usually have Bajoran goats. And from what I remember they taste slightly different."

"That sounds quite good. Maybe one day you'll have to show me bajoran food."

"Maybe I will." She nodded. "Should try the Larish pie my grandma makes, it's absolutely delicious."

"I'd bet. There is nothing like some good home made food."

She nodded. "Do you have a food that just gives you nostalgia?"

He smiled. "back home we used to get crab fresh out of the ocean. I would kill to have some fresh crab again."

05:11

"how about you?"

"Larish Pie definitely." She nodded. "That with a little jumja tea? It's perfect."

He rubbed his chin. "I'd bet it wouldn't be too hard to get the ingredients imported to the station."

"That would be awesome." She nodded before taking another sip of her drink.

"I could help you set up but you'll owe me some pie whenever i come back."

"I would love that." She said enthusiastically. "Maybe one day we could both go to Bajor too, get it from the source, you know?"

He smiled at her. He caught himself staring at her again for a couple seconds. "That would be great. I've been meaning to go back to Bajor forever."

She blushed slightly as she caught him staring and brushed back her hair self-consciously. "Do I have something on my face?"

He joked. "just the ridges on your nose." However he also blushed after being caught staring.

She tilted her head in curiosity. "I thought you've been to Bajor before? I'm sure you've seen plenty of ridges."

He rubbed his neck awkwardly. "I know I was just joking around a little bit." He sighed. "Sorry for staring I just think well... you are kind of... attractive."

"Well thanks I guess." She shrugged and took another bite of her food.

@Ensign Emin Jessil | SEC (@Deleted User) - jump He shrugged clearly she wasn't interested. He finished off his food. "It was very nice meeting you. I ought to be on my way soon."

She nodded. "See ya later then Clevenger." She gave a two fingered wave and turned back to her food.

He left the restaurants.

She stepped off of the main corridor into the dining hall. She looked around for a place to get lunch and stood for a moment trying to decide.

Heinrich stepped in, getting something simple. An old favorite, Sauerkraut. He then took a seat

She glanced over from the menu board to see the newcomer come in and gave him a warm smile before she stepped up to the lady at the counter. She ordered her meal, a Reuben sandwich and a coffee, cream and sugar. She payed for her food and walked over to the unfamiliar gentleman. "Mind if I join you?"

He looked up at her. He nodded, putting his hand out and acknowledging and the chair in front of her

She took a seat across from him and set her food down. She offered her hand. "Ensign. Nova Wynters... Security."

Heinrich shook it "Heinrich, Boheim, Ensign, Tactical."

She smiled. "Boheim... German?"

"Yes." He replied simply.

"That would explain the bowl of sauerkraut." She chuckled. She was American... sauerkraut was a topping not a meal.

"It reminds me of home."

"Well I won't question it. I actually understand it."

"Yes..I've found the new German foods to be rather..unappealing as of late. I've preferred other foods. Such as American food, and or British food. Though now it is all human food."

She looked down at her sandwich and then around at some of the exotic foods around the room. "I... I never looked at it that way..."

Heinrich chuckled "Its alright, not many people do."

"So umm... how is it?" She nodded to the bowl.

"Does not taste like the real thing, but I am still getting used to your replicated food even after all this time."

"Very valid... the coffee I've learned to live with."

"The coffee is much better then what I expected however."

"Very true..."

"I used to not have coffee very often, but now I find it nice to have."

"I see." She finally began to eat her sandwich.

"You?"

"I love coffee."

"I am glad to hear it. Enjoying your time on the station?"

"Well.. I really haven't been around the station." She smiled. "I'm the brig officer... so I kinda spend all my time there... kinda like a warden..."

"Not many people to guard now, are there?"

"No... but I also find the empty solid room with its light echo to be peaceful."

"I suppose that can provide a meditation type of sorts."

"Very much so. Well... until you start talking to yourself."

"Very true."

"How about you? How are you liking our Starbase?"

"Its a humble establishment, though not much action sadly."

"I take it you enjoy the action... more of a fast paced kind of person?"

"I enjoy it when not everything is peaceful, but from my interrogations to my intimidations, you are right. I prefer the action."

"There is nothing wrong with that. I was a detective... I've gotten used to being 'at the end of the action' if you will." She continued to drink her coffee with a smile. It was nice to talk to other people other then just the other security members.

"Detective hm? Most of the detectives I have met in my time could not pin me for anything. I do hope the detectives now do much better, or they will remind me of the old crime dramas I watched as a boy."

She chuckled but looked down for a moment before looking back up. "I hate to say it but its much the same... pin the crime on the easiest victim. It's why I left."

"I see...well I suppose if I went back to the same old, I would still never be caught. Then again, I am rusty. Though I can always sharpen my skills back up to specs. Though I fear starfleet would not want that."

She took a sip of her coffee and watched him over the rim. "No I do fear that would be frowned upon..."

Heinrich raised a brow, from the way she was talking it seemed like she knew him. "You act like you know me Ensign."

"Remember, I was a detective... I've grown to understand the intricacies of simple statements."

"Do not act like you know me Ensign, you do not. I do not know you, you do not know me, at all." He clearly emphasized the last part. He did not know anyone that well anymore. He wasn't trying to really. Though the counselors had said he needed to reach out to people. What he cared about was the mission.

His outburst didn't really seem to phase her. She worked in a city... she had people yell at her day in and out... it came with the territory. She sat back for a moment and waited for his posture to relax before she continued.

This clearly seemed to tick Heinrich off. He was so used to, and vividly remembered when people respected him. Now, it was the opposite. On some occasions that is. He stood. "If you'll excuse me Ensign." He picked up his tray, putting it back in the replicator, and walking out.

She sat for a moment. Was she bothered by his departure... no. Did she feel she was wrong... no. However she did feel rather sorry for the poor soul. She finished her coffee and walked out.

She was sitting at a table nearest the door, eating a meal slowly, looking around occasionally between bites

Streelan stepped through the door to the same small cafe and beelined for the counter, placing his order for what looked like a huge burger and fries and... a milkshake? Yeah, that was definitely a milkshake he carried, chocolate by the color of it. When the order was finished he grabbed the tray and sat down at rhe next table over to her.

"Hello..." She said in a half purring tone as she smiled at him

00:23

"How are you?" She continued in the same half purring tone

"I'm doing wonderful, friend." Streelan smiled a craggy Kelpien smile - nothing usual there. "Yourself?"

"I am doing alright, a little stressed after what happened and having my luggage lost..." She explained with a hint of annoyance moving into her tone "I am R'Niri." She added, extending a five fingered, including her thumb, hand/paw that was covered in a thin layer of dull amber red fur that also covered the rest of her body

"Streelan. Your luggage was lost in the attack?" The paw was firmly shaken. It was soft and warm and fuzzy and like shaking a mitten of some kind.

"Oh, no, not at all." She said calmly "It was lost when they were supposed to load it onto the ship that brought me here." She explained with a soft smile

Streelan snorted his disapproval and shook his head. "Dock workers are supposed to be far more competent!" He reasoned. "This is a blunder even new workers shouldn't be making, isn't it? Have you at least had time to replace your items?"

"I have not, I have been quite busy with the evacuation and the attack." She explained "It is being taken care of though..." She added with a soft, but slightly annoyed smile

"I see." Well, that much was good at least, he reckoned. "Well, I hope to see you around much more! Caitians are a rather rare sight on this station - much less ones as attractive as you are...

She smiled at the comment "I am nothing special... Streelan." She said in a little softer of a purring tone

01:10

"But thank you for the compliment."

"Everyone is something special, milady. Even you. Even me. A human adage." Streelan smiled. "Or I suppose it is universal to all species."

She smiled again "Why do i get the he feeling you have done this before?" She asked with the same soft, half purring voice

"Done what before, exactly?" Streelan blinked and canted his head innocently.

"Flirted..." She said with a smile, she took a bite of her food

"I can always stop if it makes you uncomfortable." He offered.

"I do not mind it, it's nice..." She said, giving him another smile "It's a nice change from the chaos that happens in class." She explained

"Class?" He blinked. "You are a teacher?"

"I am yes, I teach mostly middle grades." She said with a nod

At this he made a low whistle of appreciation and nodded slowly. "You must have an ungodly amount of patience." He said with a low chuckle. "I couldn't handle a class of middle graders even if my life depended on it. For that I respect you."

"Thank you... it is... annoying at times, but rewarding." She nodded "I came here to explore some and maybe help a few Starfleet personnel get some alone time." She added with a awkward smile

"I don't know any children aboard unfortunately." He quipped, "At least none suitably of age to recommend to you. As to exploring I'd be pleased to show you around... and maybe, just maybe, get to know you a little better." So nonchalant, that statement, as he sipped from the weird twisty pink straw he'd been given in his drink. Weirrrrd...

She laughed ruefully "Yeah, I noticed that when I came aboard. But you never know. I can at least provide a distraction for a few." She smiled at him "And... I'd like that, it sounds interesting."

"Well, we have the rest of the evening!" He smiled. "I don't mind taking you around now if you want."

"That sounds nice. I can't do anything until I get my stuff so lead the way when your ready." She said in a kind tone after she finished the last few bites of her food.

Smiling Streelan left to return his tray, and offered her his arm to take upon his return.

She nodded to him and took his arm "Lead the way." She said with the same soft, half purring tone

He nodded and led her outside to the #promenade-walkway.

[D] Austin had arrived to the restaurants area a little bit early. He hadn't done anything over the top for the date besides read up on reports of her work and cleaning himself up. He waited next to the restaurant with an excited smile om his face.*

She entered the area and made her way to the Lieutenant when she spotted him. She smiled. "Hey there, Austin. Funny finding you here, who are you waiting for?" She asked in joking curiosity.

His smile widened as she approached. He rubbed his chin in thought. "Huh, quite the coincidence. I don't think I recall ever seeing you here before. Oh I was just waiting for this really cute girl, she must be running late." He tried to hide a laugh as he checked his watch.

She laughed. "Well that's a shame, I was waiting for someone too but it looks like their a no show. Mind if I join you?" She asked in a teasing tone.

He couldn't stop himself from finally cracking into a laugh as they entered the restaurant. "No not at all, I'm not quite sure the person I was supposed to meet will show up either." As they were seated Austin pulled out her chair for her in a gentlemanly fashion.

"Why thank you." She smiled as she sat down. "So how have things been since I last saw you?" She asked curiously, settling into her seat.

He shrugged. "Its been an odd quiet since a lot of the stations population is gone at the moment. Atleast the cleanup effort is going well on our end. To be honest though I spent most of today excited for out date."

She nodded. "About the same for me, except I've been looking into long term affects of neurological exposure. Your welcome." She grinned.

He raised an eyebrow. "I hope they aren't too grim, I wouldn't want our date to end so soon." Even when it came to a more serious subject he couldn't keep himself from joking... maybe that was a symptom of exposure.

"They aren't." She assured him. "For now anyway, doesn't seem like a big thing at the moment unless you've been feeling symptoms of something? Then I might have an explanation but from what I can tell you haven't.'

He shrugged. "I haven't noticed any abnormalities recently so I'm probably fine." As the waiter walked over Austin ordered a more pricey bottle of actual wine, right from the vineyards or france.

"Well that's good." She said with a sincere smile. "Anyway, what should we order? I have absolutely no idea what's good or not." She said curiously.

He chuckled. "Personally I've always like a good salmon roll but, we could just get a variety of things and split them between us so you can get a taste of everything." He recommended, he had forgotten to eat lunch earlier and was quite hungry.

She nodded. "Sounds great to me. So you usually have the salmon roll?" She asked curiously. "Salmon's from Earth right?"

He nodded. "Yep, I actually used to go fishing for them with my dad. They aren't necessarily the same when they aren't fresh caught but it still remind me a lot of home."

"That sounds nice." She said thoughtfully. "I bet it's very nostalgic isn't it?" She guessed.

He shrugged. "I'd say so, I always loved just laying back and fishing with my dad. We were super close, I even worked for him for a little while before I joined starfleet."

"I can't remember anything especially fun I did with my family except for my uncle. I used to kahl toh with him, he was the only one who didn't scold me when I got too passionate about it." She said with a strange and soft smile.

"I've never played kahl toh, maybe you could show me how to play one day. Your uncle sounds like a great person. I couldn't imagine getting scolded for playing a game though, I always get way too into it." He chuckled, he wasn't necessarily sure if he should be reassuring her about the rest of her family but, he kept a cheery mood.

"He was." She nodded with a strained smile. "Anyway, how about you? Any other good relationships other than your father?" She asked curiously.

He looked at her closely for a moment, he smile almost looked forced. "Oh yes, I'm extremely close with even my extended family. My mother owned a shop on our island and we used to hold a family reunion every summer."

"Let's change the subject, shall we?" She said suddenly after a moment. "What is the absolute most strange away mission you have ever been on?" She asked curiously.

He nodded to her, he could tell the subject was quite uncomfortable for her. He chuckled suddenly before he talked. "Well it was back with my old squad on the old Vancouver. We were supposed to investigate this biological anomaly on a planet, when we arrive nothing looks out of the normal. Then suddenly we get this Comm and find out we were standing right ontop of this massive being. Clevenger started freaking out, it was the funniest thing. How about you? I'm sure you've seen some quite intriguing stuff in your time."

She nodded. "The weirdest away mission for me was probably back when I was a junior lieutenant. We found something almost like a crystaline entity but it was smaller and the strange part was that it stayed that way. We ran tests and scans and everything like that but it didn't seem to be deceased. We went back to the ship since we had taken a shuttle but when we went back to study it again it was gone." She said thoughtfully.

He rubbed his chin thoughtfully as the waiter arrived with the bottle of wine and two glasses, pouring one for each of them. Austin began spinning around the liquid in the glass as he spoke. "What do you think happened to it? How far could it have possibly gone in such a short set of time." He found himself quite intrigued by the anamoly. though he wasn't a scientist he had a pretty good grasp on the concepts.

"I don't know, it's possible it went to subspace I suppose. There's so much we don't know about the creatures it's hard to know for sure." She said curiously before taking a sip of the wine. She nodded her head in thanks toward the waiter. "We scanned the nearby area but didn't find a trace."

He shrugged as he began sipping on wine. "I guess some anomalies we will just never get a chance to figure out. That must've baffled everyone there though. I got to see a couple crystalline entities on the science ships, they were always so beautiful."

She nodded. "Yet dangerous." She said thoughtfully. "Although it's always a wonder how they actually survive in space." She said curiously. "Very different than most aliens in the quadrant."

"Yeah, I hope we can keep seeing all sorts of cool science stuff here. That was always my favorite part of being in starfleet." He smiled thinking back on all the wondrous things he had seen.

She nodded. "I wholeheartedly agree." She said with a smile. "But it's not just the science things, it's the diplomacy, exploration, a lot of things really."

He shrugged. "I mean we get a lot of the diplomacy stuff here aswell. For PACT we were meant to be getting a lot of dignitaries. Though I do also miss the exoloration." As the food came out He commented. "Allthough the great food is definitely a plus."

She chuckled. "That it is, the food here is definitely pretty good. Smells like it at least." *She said looking over the food as it came in *

He smiled. "Nothing like some good Japanese food. This is the best and... only japanese place on the station." He said as he took out his chopsticks.

She nodded and took a bite out of one of the pieces of food on the table. "It tastes pretty good." She smiled.

He nodded to her as he took down an eel roll. "Yeah japanease has always been my favorite kind of food."

She nodded. "For good reason it seems." She said after taking another bite. "It's really good." She said, repeating herself.

As he continued to eat he decided to shift the conversation. "What was the stupidest thing you and your friends ever did at the academy?"

She paused thoughtfully. "Probably...well, okay so we basically pulled an all nighter right? On a school day for this silly holoprogram." She laughed at the memory. "It was a pretty good program I'll give it that but we had a test the day after and I absolutely flunked, you?"

He chuckled. "One of my old friends was a bit of a prankster and he came up with this genius idea on how we could prank one of out professors. One of our friends figured out a way to beam away his desk chair the moment he tried to sit down. So the professor falls down onto the floor, and then he accidently beams the chair ontop of the professor. The funniest thing was that he never even figured out who did it. It was a security course so he basically ended up interrogating us all for the rest of the class."

She snorted. "Oh my gosh, the poor teacher..." She said, holding in a laugh and failing. "I'd absolutely hate to be him although that does sound extremely funny."

He laughed along with her. "I told you before I've changed a lot since my time at the academy but, it's still really funny to think back on."

"It is, makes me wonder what your protege has done recently." She said thoughtfully. "You know her pretty well, what do you think would be the worst prank she would do?"

He shrugged with a little laugh. "Well technically she did stun me with a phaser once but, that wasn't really much of a funny prank. I kind of needed to be stunned though."

Her eyes widened. "What happened?" She asked curiously.

"It was that thing with the telepathic Reman, I'm sure you've read the file. He had me under his control and I probably would have shot her first if she hadn't stunned me." He recounted the abnormal story with an odd kind of casualness as if he had told it several times over.

"So she was that ensign?" She nodded thoughtfully. "Well that makes more sense then. Better that then a mutiny." She pointed out.

He chuckled. "You probably could pull a couple interesting pranks with a very low stun setting that's probably the kind of thing she would pull off or atleast something smart like that."

"Really?" She laughed. "Sounds like a fun person." She commented before pausing. "What would your plan be if you were to become evil?" She asked curiously.

He thought for a moment. "If I was like a comic book villian it would probably be something like destroying the entire sector. You really should meet her some time, she's very fun... atleast when she's in a cheery mood."

"What's she like when she's not in a cheery mood?" She asked in curiosity.

He thought about the right words to describe it. "Well... she becomes overly formal. Refusing to call me by anything other then my rank. I try to tell her that I really don't like it but I don't think she really gets it. If you want to meet her sometime I'm sure she'd love to meet you."

"I would love to meet her too." She agreed with a smile. "She sounds absolutely lovely.'

"I think you two will probably get along quite well. She'll definitely be a great Chief one day, she just needs to mature a lot more before she gets there." He said thinking back on the progress they had made.

"Well that's why people don't automatically get to Chief." She reasoned. "They need the experience and maturity first."

He shrugged. "I guess that's true. That's also why I like to mentor the ensigns. On my last ship I mentored the current chief for several years."

"Sounds like a very helpful thing to do." *She said thoughtfully." "Sounds really nice actually, when you just graduate it can be a little daunting can't it?"

He nodded. "Yeah when I first graduated I was basically lost. My chief was very closed off so I understand the value of a friendly Lieutenant."

"A life changer I'm sure." She said sincerely. "A good Chief or simply just having someone there for you is a big thing I think. Like my Uncle was and your father." She said thoughtfully.

He nodded along. "Quite so, but I think I've violated that kind of trust. How do you think I could possibly make it right to her?"

"Well show her that you made a mistake and that you know you made it. Show her that you've learned from it and will be better in the future." She said thoughtfully. "That is how people learn is it not? Making mistakes? She'll understand I'm sure."

He shook his head up her. "You are right..." He said as he finished off the last piece of Sushi. "I'll probably try and talk to her tommorow, I don't know how I'll possibly phrase the message though."

"I'm sure you'll find something out." She said with a reassuring smile. "Your smart enough and nice enough to figure something out that'll work."

He looked into her eyes, smiling at her. "You think? That all means a lot coming from you."

"I do." She confirmed. "I'm sure everything will be absolutely fine." She assured him again.

He continued smiling at her as the waiter brought over the check. "Tonight has been lovely, you are just such an amazing person to be around."

Her cheeks turned green again. "You are too, honestly I've been having a really great time with you."

He placed his hand lightly ontop of hers between them. "Well thank you. We should definitely go out again, maybe we could do a fun holodeck program or something."

"We most definitely should." She nodded. "This has been really fun, thanks for asking out." She smiled.

He nodded eagerly. "Im really glad I asked you out too. I could rush into battle all day without breaking a sweat but, when it comes to dating I can be a nervous wreck sometimes." He admitted.

"Well it's a different situation." She reasoned. "It's not like people practice this type of thing.." She paused. "Well maybe some people do but it's usually not that way is it?'

He shrugged. "To be honest your only the 4th person I've ever dated so its not like I'm particularly well practiced. Generally I'm pretty inexperienced."

She nodded. "As am I, anyway I've got to head out now. Thanks for the date." She smiled. "I had a great time."

He opened the check and paid for dinner, leaving a more then generous tip for the waiter since he was In a great mood. "I had a great time too, I'll see you soon." He smiled at her as she began leaving.

"See you around." She nodded before leaving.

He lingered at the table as he pulled out his PADD to send a message.

As he holstered the PADD he frowned a bit. He wasn't sure if the message truely got through, he wasn't even sure if it was the right time. All he knew was that he desperately desired to make things right again, the only way he truely would ever be able to would be able to get her to understand.

She entered the room and found the Lieutenant before walking over, her face not it's usual smile but not callous or upset either. She sat down and nodded her head. "Lieutenant."

The bottle of wine remained at the table still half full, he gestured offering her a glass, attempting to stress that the meeting was casual. "Jessil..." His voice was sad, he had no control over it. He was beyond mad at himself.

"It's Emin Lieutenant." She said corrected. "This is like...the fifth time I've corrected you." She pointed out.

He sighed not harshly but solemnly. "Emin, you know your my best officer right?" He asked looking for confirmation.

"Am I?" She asked flatly. "I just started about a few months ago. Are you sure Voxellus or something doesn't get that title? Someone with more experience perhaps?"

He nodded to her. "You truely are or atleast I think you are. Why do you think I keep you by my side during most missions? You are the most determined, strong, intelligent young officer I've ever seen."

"I find that highly unlikely." She responded simply. "I may be those things but I don't have the experience yet." She shrugged.

He quickly began to sound even sadder. "Emin, it's true... yesterday... I was wrong. That woman didn't know what she was doing, I was just being absolutely terrible. I was sad about Pax, he was a really close friend of mine and I took out my stress on you."

She sighed. "It's fine Whids, I know you didn't mean to be so caustic. It was a stressful day, I understand." She nodded.

He looked down at his glass, her understanding didn't get through to him at all. He downed what was left of his wine before he spoke again as a few tears welled up in his eyes. "... the truth is Emin, and I know this might sound weird but I think of you as almost a sister. I don't want to lose that relationship, your easily one of my favorite people to be around."

"It's fine, Lieutenant. Really, and thanks. You also give my brotherly vibes." She said with a stronger smile.

He looked down at the floor, he wasn't sure if he deserved to look her in the eyes. "I don't know if it is truely fine. I just don't want to snap at you like that ever again."

"Then don't." She shrugged. "I mean, I won't blame you if it happens again but you probably shouldn't?" She paused. "But it is fine, everyone makes mistakes. I just hope you understand when I make mine." She said thoughtfully.

He finally looked back up to her. "Ofcourse I'll understand when you make a mistake, it just seemed like I really hurt you the other day." His voice was finally beggining to return to normal.

"I just needed to get started on the report and calm down a bit." She reassured him. "Which I sent in by the way, your welcome."

"Thank you, would you mind if I go back to calling you sparky?" He laughed to himself a little. "Your still practicing with that electric whip right?"

She nodded. "I've got the gist of it. Been practicing when I can."

He shook his head approvingly. "Once you get pretty good with it, I could observe you and sign you off to use it in the field if you would like."

She shook her head. "I think I'll only use it for emergencies, it's great and all but probably not the best for filed missions."

He shrugged. "Your call, you could keep it a secondary if you want aswell." He was easing back to becoming his normal self. "Are you wondering at all why it seems like I've allready eaten a dinner for two here?"

"A little." She admitted. "Why does it seem you've already eaten with someone here?" She asked curiously.

He laughed a little, growing a large grin across his face. "I'm dating again, that's why. She's absolutely lovely."

"Really?" She asked with a bright eager smile. "Who is she? Do I know her?"

He shook his head. "I don't believe you do, or maybe you do, I'm not sure. She's the new Romulan assistant chief of science who transfered in. She's super cute."

"Ah, then I don't know her then. Still, that's great! I take it the date went well?" She asked curiously.

He looked excited to be talking about it. "Yeah it went amazing, we are going to go on anouther date pretty soon. I figure she's everything a guy could want in a woman, she has a wonderful sense of humor and she is super smart."

"That's great, Whids. When are you going to introduce me?" She asked teasingly with a raised brow.

He nodded. "Soon I promise, I actually ended up talking about you a bit, and I'm sure you two would get along really well." He sounded excited at the idea.

"All good things I hope?" She raised a curious brow.

He shook his head affirming her. "Ofcourse, I only ever have good things to say about you. She just gave me some advice on how I could better talk to you and I guess it all worked out."

She nodded thoughtfully. "Sounds like a good person. Well I'm glad you found someone else after Ava left." She said sincerely.

"Me too... did I ever tell you about my girlfriend before Ava?" He said solemnly.

She shook her head. "No you didn't."

He waved his hand in an awkward manner dismissing his last comment. "Uhhhh don't worry about that then." He gave her a forced smile, it clearly showed her something was wrong.

She frowned. "If you say so..." She said as she noted his forced smile.

He shook his head awkwardly continuing to try and dismiss it. "So Sparky, in summation are we good?"

She nodded. "We are good, Whiddy." She got up from the chair after checking the time on her padd. "Is that all? I want to get some practice in with my whip today before I run out of time."

He shook his head. "If you wouldn't mind could I possibly come along? I know this conversation was pretty deep. I just kind of want to hang out off duty as well... you know friends again... If you wouldn't mind."

"Oh." She blinked. "I mean, sure..." She agreed albeit a little hesitant. She had only been planning to do it quickly before curling up in her bed to read a Klingon war poem to keep her Klingon sharp and just for fun. "I mean, I won't be practicing it for long, maybe about thirty minutes." She shrugged.

As he stood up he shrugged. "That's fine, I just kinda want to see the progress you've made. It's quite an interesting weapon so I'd love to see it in action."

She nodded. "Got it, to the holodeck we go then I guess." She left for the holodeck.

Upon walking in he eagerly looked around at the restaurants unsure of what to get he asked Ell. "What do you think we should get?"

Ellanor looked around herself. Everything sounded good. "Well, what all do you like to eat? I'm not picky at all."

He shrugged. "I have a couple go to places but I'm really open to anything aswell. Though if I had to pick Italian food is probably my favorite."

Ellanor smiled and nodded. "I love Italian. Let's do it!"

He excitedly went up the Italian restaurant and got the two of them a table. He eagerly began flipping through the menu trying his best to chose.

She flipped through the menu as well. She scanned all the options. Everything looked good, but she couldn't decide. "Since we're so much alike, I'll have you order my food for me. Mostly cause I can't decide." She laughed and closed her menu.

He shrugged. "How about something pretty basic that we can split." He spent a couple seconds running his finger down the menu when the waiter arrived. "Could we please just get a pepperoni pizza for the two of us, thank you."

Ellanor smiled at him. "Pizza. A man after my own heart." She laughed.

He visibly blushed at the comment but laughed along. "Well I just figured it was the easiest option, nothing beats some good pizza."

Ellanor noticed the blush, which caused her to smile more at him. "I agree. Nothing wrong with a pizza." She sat back in her chair a little. "So, how do you stand on poetry?"

He smiled. "I love poetry! I've tried my hand at writing it but I've never been quite so good at it. Though I do absolutely love reading it."

She leaned a little closer and tapped her index fingernail on his side of the table softly. "That PADD of mine? Has the complete works of Edgar Allen Poe."

He leaned in closer with a look of excitement on his face, he could allready imagine himself leaning back in bed reading his works. "Ooooo I can't wait, at the rate I read I'm sure I'll have all of them read by the end of the night." He joked.

She laughed at his joke, her smile remained on his face. "Oh I wouldn't doubt it. My absolute favorite has to be The Raven or Annabel Lee."

He looked back in his mind for a second to recall the details of The Raven. "Yeah the Raven is such an interesting tale, the way Poe sets the ambience is just something else. I could almost feel like I was there."

"I feel the exact same way! I like to read it in a dark room. To get the full immersion of it." She rests her elbows on the table and her chin on the palm of her hands and looked at him. "I almost want to make a holodeck program of it..almost."

He leaned in looking at her. "If I offered to try out the program together any chance you'd be interested? I've always found the holodecks to be quite the interesting medium for storytelling."

"Oh absolutely I would. If you were there with me, of course." She smiled at him.

He grinned to her. "I suppose we willhave just have to make it so then." He was delighted at the opportunity to hang it with someone so great some more.

She lifted her head off her hands and pat his hand softly with one of hers. "Maybe while it's being constructed we could get together and read some of his poetry together sometime? I'll do my best to sound creepy." She kept her smile on her face. Her hazel and blue eyes looking into his.

He was very excited at the sound of that. "I would love to!" He tried to play things cool but his done of voice betrayed him. He calmed down after a second and rested his face against his hand. He took a second too glance deeply into her eyes. "Your eyes... they are really beautiful."

She smiled at his excitement. She herself was keeping hers calmed down. She blushed at his compliment. "Thank you." She removed her glasses so he could look at her one hazel eye and one blue eye. "I was born with Heterochromia. Mose people don't notice it because of the glasses."

He for a few moments he refused to look away from her eyes. "Heterochromia... I don't think I've ever seen it in person before. I'm sorry if it seems like I'm staring a bit but, I just find it... well kind of breath taking." He wondered to himself, 'Is this what flirting is like' he had never dated a girl before, he just simply hoped he wasn't embarrassing himself.

Was he flirting with her? How should she respond? She mentally cursed her lack of knowledge on this. She never had a boyfriend, so she was a clueless as ever. "No no. It's fine, stare all you like. I just ask that you don't try to ask me how many fingers you're holding up, I have terrible eyesight." She laughed, regrettably breaking their eye contact to place her glasses back on. Once they were on, she returned her gaze back to him. "There, now I can see you."

He chuckled. "Well I think the glasses are pretty cute aswell, they match really well with your hair." Until now he'd been too focused on their wonderful conversation to truely take notice of how cute she really was.

Her cheeks dusted a darker shade of pink and she tucked a piece of it behind her ear. "Thank you. You're quite handsome yourself." She'd been studying his features while they sat here, and he was not bad looking in the slightest.

Like a wave Nately's traditional nervousness came back to him. No one had ever really called him handsome before not even his adopted mother. "Well thanks..." His eyes shifted off off her for a moment in nervousness.

Ellanor was a little confused at his response. Was what she said wrong? "I'm sorry, did I upset you?"

He jumped up a little bit shocked, he didn't want to mess things up. "No... No not at all. I..." He stuttered for a moment. "I just get a little nervous sometimes that's all." He rubbed the back of his neck, a little embarrassed to admit he was getting nervous over her.

Ellanor took a mental sigh of relief and smiled at him. "Oh, I thought I said something wrong. I'm sorry, I've never done anything like this before." She laughed nervously, fidgeting with the hem of her uniform sleeve.

He admitted to her. "Me neither, back home I was always very quiet so I just never really had the opportunity." He silently prayed that letting things out would help him overcome his nervousness and... it did if only just a little.

"Me too! I never really had friends either, I was too busy with my studies or my nose in a book, to be honest." She blushed at that little embarrassing detail about herself.

He had continued to blush hard, his light green cheeks moving away from their normal color. "Yeah me too... but atleast we are here now, and... we have eachother now." He added hesitantly at the end. In his mind it was partially a question to see if she felt the same way he felt.

She smiled and admired his features once more. "You're exactly right. We do have each other now."

He nervously began playing with his hair, she was just so wonderful. "Yep, and I'm really glad we met today. Now I have a whole new collection off books to read and someone to read them with." He teased.

"I'm glad we met today, too. I would love to read with you. We could take turns reading a book to each other, if you'd like." She watched him play with her hair, and she ended up doing the same with hers.

He watcher her match the gesture of playing around with his hair, all he could do was laugh a bit in his head about how they were allready matching eachothers expressions. "Yeah, that would be really sweet. I could do like little voices for all the characters." He joked. "Science has been really going well but i figure branching out into acting couldn't hurt."

"I could to it, as well. Nothing wrong with being silly with someone." She smiled at him. "I could see you as the lead role in a Shakespeare play."

He chuckled. "Do I seem like more of a Macbeth or a Hamlet to you?" He joked, though he didn't expect to be doing any king murdering any time soon.

"Too much murder, perhaps in Romeo and Juliet, but I wouldn't cast you as a dying role, I would feel too bad." She laughed and grazed his hand with hers.

He chuckled, he internally braced himself as he made anouther attempt at flirting. "Yes but wouldn't the stories Juliet need a romantic interest?"

"Yes, you're absolutely right." She thought for a moment, the shrugged. "I can only think of myself. If you would be comfortable kissing me, that is.." She blushed at the last part.

He blushed harder then he ever had before but retorted. "Perhaps that is the holodeck program we should do together then because I definitely wouldn't mind." His heart excellerated at the thought, he had to pinch himself to make sure he wasn't dreaming.

She mentally squealed, but blushed more on the outside. "It's almost as if you read my mind. I was thinking the same thing." This time she mustered the courage up to grab his hand and held it.

He felt her pick up his hand but didn't immediately react at all. He looked down but he didn't resist at all, it just felt right to him to hold her hand. Upon looking back up he gave her a wholesome smile. "Yeah... it would just be so amazing. Imagine us meeting at the ball of the Caplets and sharing a dance together."

She smiled at him and looked deep into his eyes. "I would love nothing more. I do have a program that you may be interested in, if you'd like to accompany me, that is."

He matched the look into her eyes, looking longingly into her mixed eyes. "I couldn't imagine anything better." He was excited, he had always loved the play but now he'd get to actually live Romeo and Juliet.

"The program is a costume ball. No surprises, no phantom interruptions, just a costume ball where we could go dance and be in another time. If you'd like it, anyway."

He nodded to her, he wouldn't get to play Romeo and Juliet just yet but simply being with her would be amazing. "Absolutely it sounds really fun. Fair warning though I'm not a very great dancer."

She smiled and squeezed his hand, mentally tracing his jawline. "Neither am I, but that's half the fun, isn't it?"

He nodded along taking note of how her hair ran along the side of her glasses. "Well I my professors always said I was a fast learner." He slowly stood up from his seat, continuing to clutch her hand.

"Would you like to do that tonight if you're free? I don't have plans."

"Yeah I would love nothing more, I don't really have any plans either."

"Let's do it." She smiled and, as much as she wanted to just hold onto it forever, she let his hand go.

He was sad to see her let go but he understood it needed to happen eventually. "Should we go now?"

She looked deep into his eyes once again, as if she hadn't explored them before. Each time was a new adventure. "I would love to."

He paused in his tracks taking his time to look into her eyes. He ended up spending a moment memorizing each, their colors were both equally unique and memorizing even through the lenses of her glasses. He stayed silent simply taking in the moment.

She continued to study him. To admire the green man sitting before her. She took in every detail. His eyes, the shape of his eyebrows. The way his skin was a certain shade of green, how his jaw looked as though it was carved by Michelangelo himself.

He smiled at her silently hoping he wasn't making things weird at all. He continued to take a mental picture of her face, he understood that their date couldn't last forever but he wanted to be able to remember every detail.

She studied him for a few moments before she spoke softly. "Ready to go?" She kept her eyes on him, not ready to break it just yet.

"I sure am." He said said excitedly. As they began to walk he offered her his hand. Though he had never dated anyone before he had read plenty his share of romance novels. He couldn't help but view their budding relationship as straight out of one.

She smiled and took his hand silently, lacing their fingers together. "I'll be honest, I've never talked to an Orion before. You're the first."

He couldn't help but giggle. "Well I certainly hope I'm leaving a good impression for my species though to be honest it's not like I've talk to many orions either."

"Oh, I'd definitely say you are. I hope I'm making a good impression, too. Not for humans, just in general." She smiled at him.

He nodded to her eagerly "You've been making and amazing first impression." He gave her hand a playful squeeze as they exited the restaurants into the corridor.

She blushed slightly as his compliment. "Thank you, I appreciate that." Her face darkened at his squeeze, and she squeezed in return, then followed him out.

Jes entered the restaurant in a cheery matter, her mood being extremely good from after her recent promotion and sat down in one of the booths to the side. She ordered a bowl of tomato soup and a smoked salmon sandwich as she was in the mood for something human instead of her usual Bajoran food.

Kassell's shift ended minutes ago, and a meal was in order after a long day. He was originally heading for Rana's but noticed a familiar face in another restaurant. He debated in his mind for a moment before changing course and walking into the establishment. After a few glances around at the many people eating, talking, laughing, perhaps some crying here and there, he approached Jessil's table. "Mind if I join you Ensi--" he noticed her pips. "Lieutenant?"

"Of course not." She smiled friendly and gestured towards the empty chair in front of her. She grinned when he said 'lieutenant.' "Is this your first time in this restaurant?" She asked curiously. "I've been here...once before." She said after a moment. "Generally I go to Rana's or just the messhall in general but I was in the mood for something different today." She shrugged.

The Glen nodded and sat down, sighing in relief knowing he could relax and unwind. He looked at the waitress who approached the table. "Apple juice, zabo steak, and bread sticks. And yamok sauce too, please." he ordered, returning his gaze at Emin. "I've only been to Rana's once. But I couldn't finish my meal because of the explosion. From what I was able to eat, their food is excellent." he stated. "I'm sure I know why you're in a good mood. You got a promotion, evident by your pips."

"Yup." She nodded with a bright smile. "My first mission probably put me on the list and then continued competence helped push me into an actual promotion." She explained before having her food be passed to her. She took a sip of her drink before turning her attention back to the Cardassian. "So how was your day?" She asked curiously before taking a bite out of her sandwich.

"Office work, mostly. With Lieutenant Ughaz'udan relieved from duty I'm the one to keep the seat warm until he's healed." he said, giving a kind smile and nod to the waitress once she brought him his food and beverage. "Thank you." with a knife, he started to cut the meat and then pierce it with his fork, taking a bite. "In other words, my day was a bit slow."

"Mine was too other than the promotion." She nodded understandably. "Mostly just reports and then looking through a few cases. Oh and give my regards to the Lieutenant, can't imagine how he's feeling right now. The last time he was hurt he broke his leg and couldn't do much for awhile, he was absolutely miserable." She said sadly. "Anyway, let's not think of depressing things." She said after a quiet moment. "So, um where are you from?" She asked curiously.

Kassell sipped his drink after biting a yamok-covered piece of bread off. "I will." he said, continuing to dive into his food. "His kind are proud people. Being vulnerable like that is certainly never welcomed." he added on. Arrek felt bad for him too. He couldn't even start to guess the damage his pride took after being beaten by two drunk officers. However, depressing things were not appropriate at a dining table. "I was born and raised on Avenal Seven. More specifically, at Tharakian City. My parents owned a food business there and were highly regarded by our neighbors."

"Tharakian City? That's pretty cool, I'm from the city of Hathon although I did travel to the Kendra Province alot to visit family. My parents as well as the rest of my family are involved in the Bajoran Militia. Although my grandparents have already retired of course, their pretty much the ones who raised me while my parents were off on their job." She took another sip of her drink. "Food business? What do they sell?" She asked curiously.

"I see. Interesting." he said, taking a sip of his drink. "What made you join Starfleet and not the Militia?" he asked. What did his parents sell? Oh, there was a lot. "My father liked to call it 'variegated nutriment business'. We sold what we could grow. Wheat, fruit, vegetables. It was a large business so my parents owned a lot of land outside the city for employed farmers to work on. I remember hating how he would make me go work on the fields when I was fourteen. Not realizing he wanted me to get a taste of what working every day is like for an adult." he said, looking at his food with a nostalgic half-smile.

She smiled fondly thinking back to her own grandparents. "My grandparents did something similar although it was moreso to teach us patience and logical thinking, everyday my brother and I had to practice shooting this one target from a pretty long distance. I learned phaser safety and how to handle one since I was about 10 years old when I could understand and everything without going trigger happy." She chuckled. "My brother was fourteen at the time but the first thing they did was teach us how to shoot right? Well that one target that was at the considerable distance was the end all be all so we kind of had to build our way up to it. And it was hard, like it moved in different places and at times felt like trying to shoot a lighting bolt. Even after I thought I was ready they wouldn't let me attempt it for years. Even after I hit every small practice target they insisted I keep going. It got... frustrating after a while." She laughed nostalgically. "It wasn't until I was fifteen when they let me attempt it. I was...so confident and yet I couldn't even hit it once. I was too overconfident and the nerves hit me as soon as that little target darted to the side. Doubt, is what I felt. And I had practiced for 5 years so I felt even more like a failure than before. I thought I could just go ahead and hit it first try. That's when my grandpa took me to the side and told me to try again. It took me about a day to hit it right smack in the middle every single time. He told me that if I hadn't practiced for five years before hand it would have been even more impossible." She smiled. "And that I should never give up when I don't succeed at first." She took another sip of her drink. "Man, that was a long story. Sorry for rambling."

Kassell wasn't expecting a really long story and just listened, eating away at his food. "It's fine. My parents would take my siblings and I up onto a tall hill to have dinner every weekend. On Avenal there is night and day so we would always watch the sunset together. Nothing but beautiful that even if I visited Risa I wouldn't be able to say a sight there is better. I hope that when I get married, have kids, and retire later on in my life, I can take them there and let them experience that same beauty." he said, sipping his juice.

"That does sound amazing." She nodded trying to imagine the scene. "Can't say I've ever stopped and watched the sun set before, a mistake on my part. It just always felt like I was too busy or too distracted with one thing or another." She said thoughtfully. "I never took the time to just stop and watch it rise or fall..." She took another bite out of her sandwich. "I'll have to remember to do that eventually, if not my planet somewhere else." She laughed. "You're making me feel guilty about something I've never even thought about until now."

"Never too late to do it when you go on leave. I've always remembered what it was like. That warm breeze caressing at your skin, the leaves lightly rustling, and the heat of the sun kissing at your face." he said. Although, he was describing something a Cardassian would enjoy. "That would probably be difficult for you to enjoy since we Cardassians love the heat." he said. "But I'm sure an equivalent of that exists on Bajor." Kassell sipped his juice, taking another bite out of his steak.

"I like warmth." She said thoughtfully. "But I prefer it when the weather is just the right amount of cool and the air becomes crisp and sharp. Being warm makes me feel so cozy but...complacent. It makes me feel safe yet lazy in a way. And I mean warm for my standards, not blazing hot." She corrected. "When it's crisp and cool it makes me feel alive and motivated, you know? Like I can do anything I want if I put my mind to it." She took another bite of her sandwich, finishing it up and moving to her soup. "And this excludes freezing weather of course."

Kassell couldn't agree with Emin on her perfect weather. Given both of their species' physiology, their ideal weather would probably never come to terms. "Unfortunately, I can't relate. A cool breeze for me is a shiver sent down my spine. And my people don't like to shiver." he stated. "On an unrelated subject, and if you'd prefer not to talk about I understand, but how is Lieutenant Whidbey doing? He was rather stressed in the brig."

"Well that's understandable given the differences in our biology. Warm for you might be way too hot for me." She said thoughtfully. "But yeah, Whidbey is doing pretty good. Everything has been straightened out I think and he even recommended me for a promotion which...well you can see how that turned out." She gestured to her pip glibly. "Which I thought would never happen after I shot him with my phaser on my first mission." She shrugged. "I had a good enough reason but I guess I thought he would develop a grudge or something at first."

Kassell was happy to hear things were straightened out. Perhaps that meant something major wouldn't happen to him, regarding what he did. "Congratulations on that, by the way. Forgot to say that earlier. As for Whidbey, I'm thinking on inviting him to dinner. I felt that our first interaction could've been under better circumstances than over the Chief bleeding on the ground. Plus, something tells me he has an... acute impression of me because of my actions on the runabout. I've already got a mess of a tactical team to deal with, I'd hate the chief of security to have a sour opinion about me." he said, eating some more of his bread stick.

"I think he would appreciate that." She nodded before taking a spoonful of soup to the face. "I'm pretty sure his opinion on Tactical is low enough as it is, inviting him to dinner would definitely raise his opinion on you guys. He... doesn't like how Lieutenant Ughaz'udan runs things because his method for running his department is so different." She confessed. "And the incident with the two tactical officers definitely didn't help. But hey, I'm sure the dinner will help." She said with a reassuring smile.

"I do hope so." he said, taking a break from his food and resting his elbows on the table. "By the way, Lieutenant. I'm still reading on protocols and jurisdiction. Is security handling Buhner and McChad regarding punishment?" he asked.

"Regarding punishment? I believe that's up to their Commanding Officer and the Commodore." She said thoughtfully. "I'm pretty sure security just holds them since they aren't civilians or an enemy or something." She recalled. "The Ferengi and his guards are ours though, along with the higher ups like the Commodore of course."

Kassell's teeth slightly gritted out of disappointment, knowing he wouldn't be able to give a punishment. He had something in mind, but it seemed he had to throw it in the trash bin. "Ah. Looks like it's out of my hands, then. I was hoping that one of the first steps to correcting the tactical team was make their punishment a little... generous." however, it was a relief to know that he didn't need to penalize them. That job was for those of a higher rank. Upon glancing down at his food, there wasn't much left. And he was full too. His eyes started to become heavy. "Well, I think I'm finished. It was good eating dinner with you, Lieutenant. Until next time." he said, standing up after finishing his apple juice and walking out.

"It was nice having dinner with you too, we should do this again sometime!" She called as he left. She then returned her attention back to her food and spend the next 15 minutes finishing up her food before heading out as well.

She entered and got a steak and a glass of water before moving to a free table and beginning to eat her meal, using it to contain all of her focus and not her annoyance at the charter company show or remain in her at the moment

They didn’t know why they chose to eat here instead of in their quarters. It was loud and overwhelming, and everything was busy. But they realized why when they spotted a flash of fur. “R’Niri!”

She looked up and noticed the Caitian Lieutenant and waved at him "Hi Hsarr!" She called in a friendly tone

“Thank goodness you’re here,” *They said, sliding in next to her. “Is it always this loud?“

"I believe so." She said with a chuckle and a bite of her food "How are you doing?" She asked casually

“Pretty good!” They nodded, smiling. “People here are so much better about physicals than on Trailblazer,”

"I am sure they are... it is a station and not one of those ships, so it would be much more common here." She said with a shrug

Walking in, he walked around for a bit before he saw the two, an idea popping into his mind. He then walked over and gave them his signature grin, dorky but cheerful either way. "Oh! 'Ello there, you two! Mind if I sit down next to you?"

They looked up, somewhat startled, but recovered. “Uh- sure!” They nodded, but then looked at R’Niri.

"Feel free to Lieutenant." She said with a smile, her tone casual and still half purring as most female Caitians were "I'm R'Niri."

"Thank you." He smiled and sat down next to them, scratching his head. "I hope I'm not interrupting anythin'!"

“Um- Hsarr,” They added. “You’re fine! We were just…chatting? Is that the right word?”

"I believe so..." She said with a shrug as she ate another bite of her steak

“I still haven’t ordered,” Hsarr laughed. “I should probably do that.”

"By the way, I'm Wheatley. And oh? Well- I'm glad I didn't interrupt!" He replied, lightly adjusting his glasses. "And ooh, might as well do it too. I'm starving!"

“Hmm…I’m not sure I want to eat,” They shrugged. “Do either of you have any recommendations?”

"Go ahead, I plan to take my time to eat..." She said with a chuckle "I just recomend meats, mashed potatoes are fine, but remember, most fruits and vegetables are usually poisonous to us Hsarr..." She said in a reminding tone

“You don’t have to remind me! I’m a doctor,” They chuckled, but embarrassingly remembered a time they’d been so tired during finals week that they ate a whole bag of cucumber slices and threw up.

"Just making sure doctor Hsarr..." She said with a chuckle, putting emphasis on the doctor part

He watched the conversation unfold silently.

They nodded. “I think I’m going to get some salmon. Return to my roots!” They said jokingly.

She chuckled at that "Sounds good, what do you plan to get Wheatley?" She asked with interest

"I don't know, but i was aiming for something filling. Maybe.... Steak? It's been eons since I've had it!" He noted.

They stood up. “Want to come with me?” They asked Wheatley.

"Steaks always a good choice." She confirmed and took a bite of her own steak

They made their way over to the replicator and placed their order. It appeared a moment later, and they sat back down next to R’Niri,

"Wait, me?" He pointed at himself, frozen in place because no one even asks him to come along. And when he realized, they were back already-

"I believe he was yeah..." She said with a nod

“Oh, yeah, you, sorry!” They said, feeling guilty now.

"O-oh- It's okay, don't worry! It's... It's okay-" It was normal, but he couldn't help but to... feel. Just feel.

She continued to eat and watch with some visible interest

“I forgot to get a drink, I’ll get one with you!” They offered, wrapping their tail around the front of their leg.

"Well! Off we go then-" He got up, being almost a whole foot taller than Hsarr.

Hsarr looked up, surprised by the height difference. They followed after the engineer.

He went to the replicator and sighed a little before ordering a steak, hoping it would be as good as a real one.

They ordered a water, taking the glass, almost dropping it. “Woah! Okay, this was not designed for paws,”

She remained sitting at the table, eating slowly

“These glasses are not paw-friendly,” Hsarr noted, sitting back down by R’Niri.

"I guess it takes getting used to... I lived on earth all of my life so I got used to it." She said with a soft chuckle

He got his plate and went back to the table, sitting down. "If it makes you feel better, I'm not good with cups either!"

“I lived there starting at fourteen, but my godfather was pretty accommodating. I’ve hardly used replicators before,” They explained, then giggled at Wheatley’s comment.

She nodded "Cups are... difficult..." She agreed after a second "Alright... so Hsarr is medical, what do you do Wheatley?" She asked after s bite of food

"I'm an engineer!" He grinned proudly.

"Well then, what kind of engineering are you trained in?" She asked with a friendly smile

"I specialize in warp theory, but I'm kind of like a fix-it-all guy." He replied, smiling back.

"Gah, really? I almost failed the academy because I tried to take a warp theory class on the side," Hsarr asked, impressed.

"Is warp theory really that hard?" She asked between bites of her steak "I mean, it can't be as annoying as teaching a class of middle grade students history..." She paused "Right?" She added in a slightly awkward and embarrassed tone

"I don't know, I think Wheatley would agree with you...but I'd take medicine over either option," They chuckled.

"Oh, it really is annoying to the bloody hell and back." He took a large bite of his steak, humming softly.

She chuckled at his response "Is it really that bad?"

Hsarr bust out laughing. "You sound like my 5th grade teacher!" They told Wheatley.

She squinted at Hsarr for a second before laughing as well softly for a few seconds

"He was this big, beefy guy with the weirdest accent, I never could figure out where it was from," They elaborated.

He blushed a little and chuckled loudly. "Well, might as well be the opposite of him! Have you seen how lanky i am? One of you could punch me and I'd fly across the table!"

"I don't know about that..." She said, laughing as well

"My friend Logan is exactly the same way! He looks like a tree with legs and arms!" Hsarr nodded enthusiastically. Finally, more friends!

She continued to chuckled for a few seconds before taking another bite of her steak

He took another large bite of his steak, his eyes closing as he leaned back a little. "Mmmm..."

They then realized they hadn't even touched their food. They took a bite of the salmon, pleasantly surprised by the taste. "This is pretty good!"

"I would think so, the replicators are really good at making convincing food usually." She said with a nod, it had been a while since she had home cooked food so she had gotten used to replicator food

"This kinda reminds me of my dad's cooking," They said with a hint of sadness.

Wheatley swallowed and replied, "I miss my dad's cooking too." He frowned a little.

"Ayyy!" Hsarr brightened, holding out a paw for a fist bump.

"Yeah... to be honest this is the first time in a long while I've not been with my parents…" She added in a slightly sad tone

"I'm used to it, though. I've been on my own since I was fourteen." They shrugged.

"Ah... what happened, if you don't mind me asking."

"It's...kinda depressing. Wouldn't want to kill the mood." They frowned.

"I understand completely." She said, giving them a soft smile

"At least Mom's still around...I think..." They mumbled.

She nodded grimly before taking a bite of her steak, remaining silent

"Well! Uh, how's your steak, R'Niri?" They asked, suddenly cheerful again.

"It's quite good, your food?" She asked both of them casually

"This is possibly the best salmon I've ever had," They declared.

"How is your food Wheatley?"

"It's... Actually quite good!" He replied, coughing awkwardly after staying silent for so long.

They smiled. This was…nice. They’d never experienced something like this, just…sitting, existing, with people who enjoyed their company. They pondered this, silent for a moment or two.

"I'm glad to hear it..." She said with a smile before taking a bite of her steak

Crap, he kept getting distracted and forgetting to eat. They took another bite. “Um…so, have either of you met the Commodore?”

"I've seen her once, but she was really injured and i was bleeding out at the time."

She shook her head and looked at Wheatley "When was this?" She asked with confusion in her tone

Their eyes widened, and they listened to Wheatley’s response.

"It was actually quite a while ago, when they invaded the station. I was caught in the crossfire and got a nasty wound on my side." He replied, taking off his glasses to clean them. "I was makin' my way to the sickbay when i saw the commodore, who was still really hurt and recovering."

"I see..." She said after a second with a somewhat grim tone

“Wow…” They had only been vaguely aware that the station had been invaded.

"I actually did manage to stop the bomb from explodin' the station into pieces! With some help, of course." *He grinned proudly."

Their eyes went wide. “Woah! You’re telling me I’m talking to a hero?”

She gave him a smile before eating another bite of steak "Well done!"

"Hero not really, but... I only did my duty as the only non injured engineer." He bashfully rubbed his head, putting his glasses back on. "But thank you."

"But thats what hero's always say..." She said after a second "At least the good ones..."

“I say you’re a hero,” They decided.

He blushed deeply and his eyes lit up, a smile growing on his face.

She chuckled softly at his change in face

They blinked slowly, content and feeling rather safe. “You should definitely have a higher position,”

"Lieutenant junior grade is already somethin' for me!" He ate the rest of his steak, brushing some of his hair away from his eyes.

“Yeah…good for you!” They smiled, patting him on the back.

She finished the last bite of her steak and picked up her glass of water with the ease of someone who had used them all their life. She took a sip before setting it down and nodding "So you are happy where you are?"

"Honestly, I'm just happy to be alive and here with you two." He noted, gently patting Hsarr's back.

They smiled, feeling warm. “Well- I have to agree,” They nodded.

"I am glad to have met you as well." She said, giving them a soft smile

They finished their food, looking at their two companions. They were glad to have accepted this post.

She gave them another smile "This was really nice, but I am going to head out, I need to go get some sleep..." She said casually with the same half purring tone as she stood

They looked at the time. “I probably should sleep as well…” They realized.

"Now that you mention it, it's indeed late..." He yawned a little, taking off his glasses and rubbing his eyes.

“I’ll walk back with you!” *Hsarr offered, smiling,”

"Really? That's greatly appreciated of you, thanks mate!" Wheatley beamed.

"Well then, I will see you two later." She said in a kind tone before taking her tray and cup and recycling it and then leaving

They stood and waited for Wheatley.

He got up, not longer curling up but actually standing proud and up to his full height of 6'6. "So! Let's go?"

“Holy shit you’re tall.” Hsarr gulped, looking up at the engineer.

Wheatley blushed a little and turned to look down at Hsarr, smiling awkwardly. "I-i think i am a little taller than most, yes-"

“How tall are you? 7 feet tall?” They asked, looking almost directly upward.

"6'6, actually!" He noted, leaning down a little to ease on poor Hsarr's neck.

When the taller man leaned down, Hsarr let out a laugh. “You look very awkward next to me,” They noted.

"I think I'm used to being very awkward." He chuckled along, rubbing his neck.

“Oh. My. Gosh.” Hsarr’s eyes widened. “Where have you been all my life?” All they knew was being awkward!

Wheatley's blush only deepened further, going all the way to his ears. My man's looking like a jalapeno pepper now!

“Are…you okay?” Hsarr asked, noticing Wheatley’s face.

"YES I AM-" And he immediately hid his face.

They immediately felt for this man. “Let’s get to our quarters,” They suggested. “What ring are you on?”

"Middle habitat..." Wheatley mumbled, and noticed the tape holding his glasses together was sticking out. He immediately adjusted it, not wanting his glasses to fall apart again.

’Why has he not fixed his glasses?’ Hsarr wondered. He shrugged and began walking out.

He walked right behind them, lowering his head to not hit it anywhere.

"I'm in the mood for anything, really. I could even go for pizza," He grinned, elbowing Jack.

He smiled. "I've heard there is a wonderful Italian place here if that works out for you?"

"Sounds good," Sauk agreed, scanning the room for a table. He found one by a window, a view of the stars next to them. "Go ahead and get me whatever," He instructed.

Jack placed his head upon his hands. He became quickly distracted by the stats out the window. He spoke a bit off-handedly. "Why don't you chose..."

"Uh...I don't like very vibrant flavors...just plain pasta would be fine," He said, a bit awkwardly. He had often been teased for his odd diet.

He turned to look back at Sauk. "As long as you are happy with the food I'll be happy, just a plain pasta for the table works for me." He shortly turned back to the window still distracted by his own thought from earlier.

"Okay! I'll go get our food," He nodded, standing up and going to order. A couple minutes later he came back with two bowls of pasta.

He continued to stare off through the window, blatantly deep in thought. "Oh, thank you." The tone of his voice was light as if he wasn't thinking about what he was saying.

"Penny for your toughts?" Sauk smiled, sitting down and taking a bite.

Jack jumped back to reality as Sauk addressed his thoughts, he hoped Sauk didn't realize he was thinking about him. "Oh, it's just the stars, I've never really had a good chance to look at them." He lied.

"Yeah...really helps you remember what we're doing this for," Sauk agreed, looking out at the constellations.

He turned back to look at Sauk thoughtfully. He had never really thought about who to and why he really felt attraction before. "Yeah, I bet somewhere far off we can see Earth, Vulcan, and Bajor."

"They're out there...somewhere." He grinned, then suddenly had a rather startling thought. "It's crazy to think that if we had been born in any other time period, we might have never met,"

He rested his face against his hand dreamily still looking at Sauk closely. "Yeah... and all the things that lead to us both being together is this station. Like you could have ended up anywhere for your Cadet tour but you chose here."

"Woah, yeah," Sauk blinked. "And I almost didn't; I was gonna go on the U.S.S. Trailblazer, but the quarters were full," He said, suddenly glad that whatever force had guided them together did what it did.

He chuckled. "It took me weeks to settle between helming the Hudson or the Eventide. I had even written out the forms for the Hudson before settling on here. I'm glad though, if I hadn't picked here I would have never met you or my other friends."

"I really hope they post me here," Sauk sighs, taking another bite of his food. It would really suck if they didn't.

"Well how long do you have until you graduate." Jack questioned. "I know they can definitely always use more Ops people here."

"Um...a semester, and then my senior year," He answered, counting on his fingers out of habit.

He shook his head. "Well no matter what I'm sure we will always be able to find time to write eachother and meet up. Though I'm sure you could ask one of the senior officers to give you a recommendation for this post."

"True!" Sauk brightened, realizing it wasn't completely random. He could ask his department head, Dagis...or something...who knew what he would do?

He nodded. "And I'm sure once they get to know you they'll Lo-Like you just as much as I do." He gave a big gain hoping Sauk wouldn't notice his slipup.

"Aww, thanks," He said, smiling sweetly at Jack. "You're a great friend, you know?"

He thought for a moment... still unsure about how he was feeling... maybe his thoughts were stupid. Sauk probably didn't think like that either anyways. "Yeah... really great friends!"

He sighed contentedly, closing his eyes for a moment. For the first time in his life, he felt like he belonged.

Jack just sat their smiling at Sauk, observing him. Half of him couldn't help but think about how cute he was while the other half tried to bury that aspect of himself.

He opened his eyes again and took a bite, then noticed Jack's eyes on him. "Everything all right? Is there something on my face?" He asked.

He shook his head, entirely unwilling to admit how he was feeling. "Oh its nothing... I'm just thinking about how the next holodeck program will go." Jack wasn't a great lier but atleast it was plausible.

"Oh, yeah, that should be fun! Remind me to get a costume," He nodded, finishing his food and taking a sip of water. "I have a feeling that De Surban will make a reappearance,

"Probably, hes probably going to be a recurring villian. Maybe I could help you pick out an outfit? I bet we can find something pretty good." Jack said excitedly.

"Sure! My sense of fashion is terrible," He chuckled, running his hands through his messy, raven black hair.

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"Mine is aswell if I'm being honest but, it's still pretty fun to go around shopping." He smiled at Sauk.

"Sounds good! Maybe tomorrow when we get off shift?" He suggested.

He nodded. "Sounds good to me." He was glad to have more time to figure things out... this sudden line of thinking made him almost doubt his own sanity.

"Cool!" He checked his watch. 10:37. "Oh, wow, I should probably head back if I want to finish my paper on ancient Klingon...wanna walk back with me?"

He nodded happily. "Sure, hopefully our quarters aren't too far from eachother. Ancient klingon sounds like quite the tough topic though."

"It's...interesting," He agreed. "But if you ever need anyone threatened in ancient Klingon, I'm your guy!" He joked.

He slowly stood up from his seat and placed a hand against Sauk's shoulder. "How about that walk now?"

"Alright!" He agreed, picking up their bowls to put on the counter as they left. His thoughts were getting...weird. He was struggling to not speak in his Vulcan-Bajoran hybrid language, which hardly ever happened anymore. Huh.

"So what's that ancient Klingon report all about. I mean personally I've always found Klingon history to be quite intriguing." He said as he walked out the dining area, unable to take the massive smile off his face.

"I have to translate an old war song," Sauk shrugged. "Not to bad, I just got assigned the longest song," He laughed.

KK's. 1900. Eshen was there on the dot, dressed fancy, leaning on the wall outside the restaurant. Same outfit as before: Black slacks, wingtips, jade jewels, and the vital peacock shirt. His hair was mostly down, but some of it was done in celtic braids. He looked like he should be wielding a bow, but he was only wearing a watch, which he checked every so often.

Cecil was actually on time for once and he saw Eshen standing outside the restaurant. He took a few seconds to breathe and straight out his shirt. He had run out of his room so fast he completely forgot to style his hair. Well, maybe Eshen would forgive him this time. "Hey, it's nice to see you," Cecil walked up to Eshen and waved. "You look great tonight, really handsome."

Eshen smiled knowingly. "Thanks. You too, like a rugged little messenger boy. Had to rush, did you?"

Cecil laughed nervously and looked away out of embarrassment for a moment. "I.. Just got done with my shift and.. The turbolift jammed on my way, that's all," Cecil said, playing it off casually. Smoooth.

"It's fine. I made reservations." Eshen offered his arm. "Here. We can combine our power."

Cecil took Eshen's arm and smiled. "Oh, thank you so much," Wow reservations? Eshen really did pull out all the tricks.

Eshen walked in, talked to a man with a list of names, and led them both to a booth. It was kind of nice for a date to be this simple, instead of a whole holoprogram. He can't help it! He's a 24th century renaissance man! "Er... Please keep an open mind," He said as he sat. "Klingon cuisine is nicer than it looks. Though this place makes it look downright fancy. It's bougie, you know, Klingon culture made palatable for the masses." Which is impossible. Klingon culture cannot be made palatable. But there is no way upon Kah'less's meaty thighs he'd bring Cecil to a real Klingon place. (edited)

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Cecil let Eshen talk to the man and followed him to their table. This place was definitely bougie. Even though he did have some experience at fancy restaurants (especially on earth, his mother LOVED bougie earth shit), this was a completely different experience. It was Klingon food, something which Cecil did not have that much experience with. "Of course, my mind is always open to new things," Cecil said as he took his seat. "Is there anything you recommend?"

"Most people who like coffee like Raktajinos, so that's a good place to start. I'll be getting a Bloodwine." Eshen laid the menu flat and began to point at things. "I don't know why they've changed all the names to French... Anyway, Gladst is a rare vegetarian oddity, but if you have the ridges for it, you could go for the full Heart of Targ. The hearts here are kind of itty-bitty, though. A good middle ground is the O'mat Gri T'M pffiots - sort an assortment of things."

Cecil looked at the menu and had no idea what anything was. "I think I'll have a Raktajino and... I want to try this Heart of Targ," Cecil had some weird tastes and it was clear he was not afraid of being adventurous. After all, on Cardassia he ate so many taspar eggs and those were still alive. "Oh... how about I just get what you're getting?" Cecil looked over the menu one more before setting it down. He didn't really care what they ate, everyone knew the point of eating together was to debate passionately and disagree, right? That's how dates went?

Eshen smiles. "I'm impressed! I was thinking Heart of Targ, too, actually. They're weird here, small and juicy and they taste like it, too - sort of tart and coppery, like if a fruit was meat. Specifically, a pomegranate."

"Well then I look forward to trying it. It sounds interesting. We have some pretty weird foods on Cardassia Prime so I think I can handle any Klingon cuisine," Cecil chuckled. He was pretty excited for this heart of targ. "So, Eshen, I take it I'm not the first person you've brought here? Don't worry, I'm not going to judge you at all, dating around has its benefits," And those benefits are gathering as much intel as possible-- So he could get to know people of course. It was his job to get acquainted with his new colleagues after all.

"I've brought a few. This is a more interesting conversation starter than most restaurants. And yes, I do date around, so," Eshen tossed his long hair like a dramatic princess, "If you're to compete with my many suitors, you'd best show you've got guts."

Oh was this a challenge? Cecil wasn't quite sure how fit Eshen was with debate, but he would be willing to give him a chance. "I see, it is a pretty interesting setting," Cecil looked around again at all the Klingon decor. "I think I can show you a good time," Cecil took a deep breath. "We're between Klingon and Romulan space, but there's no Romulan restaurant. Why do you think that could be?"

"Well, Romulan resources have been scarce since their planet, um, blew up. Plus, Klingons and Romulans don't get along. It's entirely possible the existence of this place deters any Romulan equivalents. And..." Eshen looks around to see if there are any Romulans about. "No offense to my uncle species, but their food is just... Bland. I heard they don't spice things because they don't want to disguise the taste of poison, but in Klingon culture, if poison kills you, it's your fault for not simply refusing to die." (edited)

Ohh? Is that so?" *What an interesting bit of trivia. No spices so you can't hide poison? Maybe that's why the food in his house was so bland. Well, they did have Yamok sauce, but that was it. "So if you prefer Klingon food, what do you enjoy about Vulcans? I would be interested in trying Vulcan food as well."

Eshen leant forward, chin resting on clasped hands. "Well, you'd think Vulcans would have bland food too, wouldn't you? But if you think about it, a recipe is just a list of instructions, and Vulcans love following instructions. I wouldn't give them points for originality, but a Vulcan chef can reliably make any dish taste good by getting the portions and timing just right. What about Cardassia? Is the food good there?"

"I would looove to see a Vulcan replicate some Cardassian foods,"Cecil said, now very curious what a Vulcan-made Larish Pie would taste like." "Compared to most other cultures our food is.. interesting. It moves," *Cecil remembered when he first moved, he was not fond of all the live meat in the Cardassian diet. "Our food isn't very pretty, it looks like slime to others. Ahh, but maybe if you're interested, maybe next date I can ask my father to send some recipes that i can throw into the replicator."

Eshen reached forward and grasped Cecil's wrist as though to stop him from making some terrible mistake. "No, no, that won't do at all, my dear. Send me the recipes and I'll make the food myself, in return for the plushie. 'Twas I that was the Vulcan chef all along! And Klingon. And Earth. I'm a charcuterie board of cultures."

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Cecil laughed when Eshen reached out and felt his face flush a bit. The skin contact was unexpected but not unwanted, "Alright alright, I'll send you the recipes. I am counting on you to make the best Larish Pie of my life," He joked. He would have eaten anything Eshen made, he wasn't picky with other people's cooking but it sounded like Eshen had a lot of confidence. "Wow you are really Mr. Intergalactic," Cecil admired Eshen for having so much cultural experience. "If only others were as multicultural as you were, maybe we'd have less wars."

"Maybe we would! But that's the point of the Federation, isn't it? To unite cultures far and wide without, you know, conquering them or assimilating them?" As he talked, Eshen didn't move his hand. "I embody them, and I wouldn't exist as I am today without them. My father would have had trouble getting citizenship on Earth if Vulcans weren't in the Federation. Bit more difficult for my mother, but she managed."

[Cecil] "That is true, I am very glad all our races are friends now," Cecil said with a smile. Eshen was so proud of being from three cultures, sometimes Cecil really envied him. He wished he could have had such a varied childhood although Cecil didn't think there was anything wrong with how he turned out, "Your parents sound like they had to do quite a bit to get their union to work, a Klingon and a Vulcan, sounds like polar opposites, huh?" (edited)

Eshen: "They did, yes. From what I know, my father was a lot like me when I was little: insatiably extroverted. Bizarre, really, for a Vulcan. And unlike me, he was a real rebel. I think my mother was impressed by that. She was the calm to his storm." It was the kind of forbidden romance he'd write operas about. Pity they changed completely once they had him. Eshen waved a waiter down and ordered their food, then continued, "What about yours? Were they star-crossed lovers too?"

[Cecil] "Oh my parents?" Cecil hadn't thought about his parents be star crossed lovers like Eshen's. Their union was frowned upon but not unusual especially not in post-war Cardassia. "A little you could say. My grandparents on both sides disapproved, but that didn't stop them. Thankfully Cardassian society is pretty accepting nowadays," Cecil said proudly. "Your parents raised you on earth? Where did you live?"

Eshen: "Ha! That's funny, both my sets of grandparents weren't too pleased either." That was the truth, but it was a little too close to personal, so Eshen only used it to relate to Cecil's experiences and would elaborate no further. Then he told Cecil he grew up in the English countryside - no point naming the place. Not like Cecil would know it. "It was so remote they didn't have transporters or replicators, things like that. Being on this ship feels almost futuristic sometimes. And you? Somehow you don't seem like a city boy to me."

[Cecil] Oh the English countryside. Cecil knew a little about it and by a little he meant he knew where England was on a map. It sounded a lot like his home on Cardassia, although they did have technology even if it took a bit longer to work. "Sounds just like where I grew up on Cardassia. I'm from Culat," Cecil was amazed by Eshen's keen perception . So they were both country boys? Interesting. "I grew up in the middle of nowhere, the province has cities though," He explained. He wondered if Eshen knew Culat. It was pretty low key until just a few years ago when the True Way launched a surprise bombing. Thankfully Cecil's family lived far from the city. "Have you ever been back since you joined Starfleet?"

Eshen: "I haven't." He escaped and he won't look back. "But I do miss the countryside. Perhaps I'll return one day." He won't. "I don't know Culat. But I'd like to! Maybe you can show me where it is on a map. But what are the Cardassian sticks like? For me, it was all fields and forests, but Cardassia's climate is very different, I hear."

[Cecil] It sounded like Eshen didn't have any desire to return home. Cecil could understand that, there was nothing in the country. "It's pretty nice, sadly we have a lot of True Way activity but out in the country there's none of that," Cecil was against the True Way and their whole attempt to 'Make Cardassia Great Again™️' but honestly?? He could see why people followed them. Like his father's family. "Yep, it's hot and humid pretty much everywhere. I don't think it looked much different than England." Cecil wondered what his family would think if he brought home someone like Eshen. His grandparents would probably have a heart attack. "I think I also heard you're quite a master at languages? One of the benefits of growing up with three cultures."

Eshen: "I'm not that good. I only know ten, and not all at the same level of proficiency." What is this? A rare display of humility? "It's just something I care about. Growing up knowing three languages did help a lot. Oh, also, England isn't really what I would call hot and humid - I found it a bit chilly, actually - so it can't have been too similar to Culat, surely?"

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[Cecil] Cecil listened intently to what Eshen was saying. Only ten languages? And here Cecil could barely speak two. He didn't count Standard, it was barely passable especially since leaving the academy. "Ten languages? By the will of the Prophets that's insane!" Probably because he had been reading so much Bajoran literature the first exclamatory to come to mind was Bajoran. "Similar in everything but climate," Cecil nodded. "Are there a lot of non-humans in England? Earth is pretty diverse, Cardassia is too."

Eshen: By the will of the prophets... Eshen didn't comment on that, but stored it away in his mental folder of 'Cecil Clues'. "There are a lot compared to most planets - thank you to the Federation - but certainly not in hicksville! I was quite the exotic item growing up. I've always imagined Cardassia might be more diverse than suspected. " You know, because of all the war children. A waiter turned up and slid two plates onto their table with small hearts, surrounded by diced mushrooms and slathered with a red sauce that smelled like a sweet curry, along with a two-pronged skewer. "You can eat with your hands, if you like. That's socially acceptable on Qo'nos. I won't be, though." He'd get his gloves dirty. (edited)

[Cecil] "I guess you and me have that in common," Cecil said, referring to also being quite an oddity in his small town. There were some mixed children in his school and with his Cardassian name it wasn't hard to pass off as mixed. “I was the only one in my school without a tail, pretty funny actually," Cecil said as he looked down at the heart on his plate. It didn't look so bad, in fact it was actually kinda cute. Cecil decided to follow Eshen and use a fork an knife like a civilised person. "Mmm... It's not bad, very chewy," Cecil never realised how empty food tasted without Yamok sauce. It was good, but it definitely needed Yamok sauce. "Did you eat a lot of Klingon food growing up? or was it a mix of earth, vulcan, and klingon? (edited)

Eshen: "I ate Klingon and Vulcan at home, and Earth stuff when I was out." His parents didn't like when he ordered Earth food. Especially pizza. They hated pizza. Truly the worst of their crimes. Eshen skewered a heart, chewed it minimally, and swallowed it whole. In doing so, Cecil might have noticed that his canines and molars were sharper than a Vulcan's. "I can't remember if I've asked this before - are you at all a 'hybrid', like me?" (edited)

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"Hmm, I see，” Cecil observed Eshen eating for a moment to see how he ate the heart. Sharp teeth, sexy, he thought. It was no wonder Eshen never settled down with anyone despite his charms and good looks. He was too beautiful to be stuck with only one person, a smart man. "Hybrid? No, under a microscope I only have Bajoran DNA. I do admire those who grew up with multiple cultures though, it's impressive especially when both cultures seem polar opposite." He was talking about Eshen, but in many ways his words could also be applied to his own situation.

Eshen: Eshen swallowed another heart with gusto, as though it could fill the hole where his should be. "Ah. So... Adopted, then?" C'mon. He needs more Cecil Clues.

[Cecil] "Adopted? No," Cecil blinked, a bit confused at the question. "I mean, I guess you could say that, my father and I are not related by blood," Cecil explained, not willing to mention his Bajoran mother. He wasn't ashamed of her, but he could tell Eshen was prying for more information. Cecil came to this date ready to argue and shout, but instead it just turned into who can get the most information out of the other. Not bad, but Cecil wasn't going to lose.

Eshen: Alright. Eshen won't pry, if only to try a more subtle approach later on. It seemed Cecil was an acolyte of Rule 2: Make them think they know you. He skewered some diced mushrooms. "...I never liked the word 'hybrid'. Makes it sound like I was grown in a lab... Anyway, you know, Vulcan and Klingon people aren't as different as you might think." (edited)

[Cecil] "Oh what do you prefer? Mixed? Or just Vulcan-Klingon?" Cecil asked as he picked up the cup of Raktajino and took a sip. It tasted better than on Deep Space Nine. He honestly had no idea why everyone on that station drank Raktajino. "Oh, how are they similar? It sounds like your parents were pretty open minded."

That's hilarious. "Oh, they are." Were. "Vulcans and Klingons both have in common that they both have strong emotions. It's their... Coping mechanisms, shall we say, that make them appear so different. The Vulcans turn their attention inward, to the mind, dampening and regulating their emotions usually by way of meditation, whereas the Klingons turn their attention outward, to the body, expressing their emotions physically, usually through combat. And as a child of the two, I study mind and body both. So, you see, this principle of combining philosophies to make something greater than the sum of their parts is why I say I embody Federation values, not just follow them." Eshen cleared his throat and drank his blood wine. That literally sounded like the answer to an essay question. What a nerd. "Oh, and to answer your question, Vulcan-Klingon Earthling is the long version, but just the hyphenated part is fine."

He nodded, taking in the information. Interesting. He hoped to learn more about Eshen's parent's specifically but this would do. "You really do embody the Federation values, your parents must be proud of you," Cecil said as if to try and get more out of Eshen. "Vulcan-Klingon Earthling.. Alright, maybe just Eshen is the best option then."

Eshen skewered his last heart. "That's what names are for. So what's the Cardassian philosophy, then?"

Cecil took another sip of his Raktajino before answering. "Mmmm, well on Cardassia family is everything. It isn't uncommon to see multiple generations in the same house. Our loyalty is to our family and our state is everything," Cecil gave the same type of answer as Eshen did, not giving away too much information. "We are very honourable people and take pride in our attention to detail and uniformity. Some may say we are a bit strict, but there is something to be said for living on a planet where everyone speaks one language. Oh and the news, we love the news, freedom of press is everything as well."

"That makes sense. You know, I've never seen a Cardassian out of uniform -" He paused. "Well, yes, I have, but I've never seen one in casual clothes. But here you are in your fashionable outfit, albeit partially curated by someone who clearly had excellent taste in clothes and men. Would they let you wear that kind of thing on Cardassia?" (edited)

Oh, this boy was good. Cecil couldn't help but blush at the compliment. Even if Eshen had picked it out, he liked being told he had taste. "Yes, even school children have to wear a uniform. It was quite ugly," Cecil laughed, remembering how awkward it was to have to sew up the tail hole on all his uniforms. The older uniforms hid the tail, but since the new Cardassia people have been more open about the fact they had tails. "Hmmm on Cardassia, yes I think it would be fine," Cecil had to think for a moment. "In the city. Maybe in my hometown it would be a bit weird.What about you? You have quite a high sense of fashion, I am sure you turned heads in the English countryside."

"To an extent. I was homeschooled, so in my youth I didn't have as many opportunities to turn heads, but when I was older and we took trips to the city, I would go out -" (sneak out) "- And meet all sorts of new, attractive, talented, unique people. I got a taste for it, then, and I've been ravenous ever since." Eshen sipped his bloodwine, then asked a waiter for a refill. His lips were a little more red, if you looked closely. "But it sounds like you went to regular Cardassian school, am I correct? Did you turn any heads? Have any young loves?"

Oh so he was homeschooled? That sounded nice, actually. Although, Cecil was thankful he wasn't homeschooled. Maybe it would have worked out on Bajor, but on Cardassia he felt like he was always under house arrest. "Ravenous? I like you a lot, that sounds thrilling, I like someone who is always eager for adventure," Cecil was clearly undressing Eshen with his eyes at this point. The Vulcan-Klingon was getting more attractive the more he spoke. "Yep, regular school. And... I had to wear the uniform so no time to be fashionable," Cecil said as he ate one of the mushrooms from his plate. "Mmm, no young loves. I was kinda a weird kid. On Cardassia parents take their children to work a lot so I guess you could say I spent half my school life in Cardassian school and half with my father at work," Memorising and decoding Bajoran runes. Stupid exercises, but it strengthened his mind. "I never asked, what did your parents do on earth?"

"My mother is a doctor. She does a lot of work on Qo'nos, trying to improve healthcare standards. My father has a company that deals in replicator parts. Sometimes Ferengi would come over and talk with him in hushed voices about stockings and bondage or whatever it is. What about yours?" What Eshen doesn't mention is he's always had a hunch his father was involved in organised crime.

"That sounds pretty noble," Cecil was impressed, it seems like Eshen came from a pretty nice family. Also... His father seemed to be good at collecting information, must be where Eshen gets it from. "My father part of Cardassian Intelligence. Before that, he was part of the Obsidian Order, which ended up becoming the Intelligence Bureau," Cecil answered. So both of their father's dealt with information, this was very fascinating. "Oh, and as for my mother. She helped my father," A half lie. His father did try and get his mother to work alongside him in the Intelligence Bureau, but she resisted and was confined to their home. It was her own fault though, she chose not to adapt. "I can see why you have such a charming personality now, you're a master at gathering intel."

"Flattery will get you everywhere, Cecil. Maybe even into my quarters." Eshen winked. "But yes, I'm quite good at finding out and remembering things about people, if that's what you mean. I'm told I buy good birthday gifts. How did your mother help your father?"

"Oh, well I'll try and play my cards right," Cecil took another sip of Raktajino. Eshen was extremely good. He was handsome, mysterious, and??? he offered to cook Cardassian food for him. "It was mostly desk work, nothing very interesting," Cecil went along with his half lie again. Desk work was correct though. The one time she went to work she sat at a desk to translate. Not that she ever ended up doing it, but she totally sat at a desk. "What sort of cool intel did your father get from the Ferengi? I am sure you have a lot of fun stories."

Eshen only had stories of suspiciously clean paper trails, earnings from companies that didn't exist, and trades involving items of ambiguous legality. Even if he knew enough about what was going on to elaborate, he wouldn't, because it was all illegal and boring. "Oh, I don't know. I wasn't that involved with his work, and evidently I didn't follow in his footsteps... Nor did you, unless your mother was ever any kind of scientist."

"Oh, that is a shame. It sounds like it would be quite an adventure to see your father work," It was a bit strange to Cecil that Eshen never shadowed his father's work. That was pretty important in Cardassian culture, how else were you supposed to learn skills? Or well, it seemed like Eshen didn't need much tutelage to become the man he is now. "No, I guess I was a bit of an oddity, no one in my family was into the sciences like me," Cecil admitted. "I understand both Klingons and Vulcans have coming of age rituals, did you do either or them? or both?"

His skin burned and his scars ached and the Heart of the Targ beat fast within his hollow chest. He put down his skewer; he'd lost his appetite. "Yes. The Kahs-wan when I was fifteen, and the Klingon Rites of Ascension when I was ten and twenty. They were both quite the challenge, but I never turn those down. What of Cardassian rituals, then?"

Oh? Did he strike a nerve? Cecil observed Eshen closely as he spoke. "Sounds very cool, although I could only imagine the stress of having to do two rituals," Cecil said calmly as he sipped his Raktajino. "Cardassians don't have rituals. Not like those," Cecil started. "Although children do have to go through a sort of... Special training when they are younger," Perhaps if he gave Eshen some information, he would calm down. "Mental training. In fact, we are even able to resist Vulcan mind melds and telepathy."

Eshen remembered the teachings of Surak and willed his heart to slow. The skewer remained on the table. "Oh, yes, Vulcans do that too as we learn to follow Surak, but it's quite the accomplishment for non-telepaths."

"You can calm down, Eshen, I'm not here to judge you," Cecil said in a soft tone. Yep, Eshen really was half Klingon. "Vulcan philosophy is quite interesting. Actually I've been reading a lot about alien beliefs lately I would love any recommendations. Klingon or vulcan, or earthling is fine."

Eshen tilted his head. "I am calm. And I'm afraid I can't quite give you a list off the top of my head, but I have a bookshelf in my quarters if you'd like to see after this." He wasn't tensing or giving off any tells. He'd already calmed his heart. Unless Cecil had such good hearing he could sense Eshen's pulse from there, which Bajorans weren't known for, he should have been fine. (edited)

"Oh?" Was this an invitation? "Yes, I would love to see. In exchange I can give you some recommendations too. Cardassia has a lot of famous literary works," Alright, they were famous but boring. The Neverending Sacrifice was dull, the Enigma Tales were engaging but only to a Cardassian, Cecil thought. “Oh and there is just one thing I wanted to know. Your opinion on..." Cecil leaned closer to Eshen and whispered. ”Tribbles."

Eshen wrinkled his nose, but at the same time, smiled in amusement. "Oh, come now, Cecil - such dirty play, using a Klingon's weakness against him like that! I revoke your access to my quarters unless you take a vow of silence on tribbles."

Cecil could only laugh, Eshen's expression was priceless. The other was overflowing with charisma and Cecil couldn't stand it. "Alright alright, I won't mention them," But they are very cute. Even if they are the galaxy's mortal enemy. "Oh and the heart of targ was amazing, so was the Raktajino," Cecil said as he ate the last piece of mushroom from his plate. ”Have you been on any other interesting dates? Besides me of course."

"I wrote a Klingon Opera for a woman just recently." Eshen finished his bloodwine and asked the waiter for water to clear his mouth. "Actually, my most interesting dates usually involve Klingons in some way. They're passionate and competitive, and as students of the body, they're good at what they do - and most of the dates are also fights. Two for one. Whereas Vulcans... Well, most of them are already married, which makes things hard. Most of the time." (edited)

1

"Oh a whole Klingon opera?" He really wrote a Klingon opera for someone? Cecil was beginning to think he was missing out. The restaurant was nice, but maybe he could talk Eshen into taking him to see this Klingon Opera sometime. "That is true, Klingons are very passionate," Cecil blushed a bit before he said the next sentence. "And very romantic. You're amazing, Eshen," He wasn't sure if what he was feeling was love, but he was happy being with Eshen. "I am aware that Vulcans do arranged marriages. It sounds rather boring, dating is half the fun after all. Actually, Eshen.... Can I tell you a secret?"

"I love secrets. Please, I'm all pointy ears." Eshen leaned forward so Cecil could whisper his secret if he wanted to. (edited)

"This is the first date I've ever been on," Cecil whispered, his face turning bright red. Despite his appearance, Cecil was never good with romance or dating. For one, he wasn't allowed to date on Cardassia, or really have friends outside of school for that matter, And second, no one in the academy wanted to hang out with him, he was just the eccentric boy who made plushies. "I wasn't really allowed to date growing up so... This is a new experience for me."

"We can take it slow, then..." Considering how close they got to whisper, it was easy for Eshen to turn his head and give Cecil a chaste peck on the cheek. "...Unless you don't want to," Eshen whispered. Then he leaned back his chair and waved down the waiter for the bill as though nothing ever happened.

Cecil did not expect the sudden kiss! He looked at Eshen with wide eyes and then leaned back to pretend nothing happened. Inside he was screaming!!! Eshen kissed him!!! Even if it was just on the cheek Cecil was trying his hardest not to get too flustered. "By the Prophets.." Cecil muttered under his breath in Bajoran, hoping he was speaking too softly for the translator to pick up. He put both his hands on his cheeks to try and calm himself down. "I-I will follow you, Eshen. You're really handsome... And nice..." This was going a lot better than Cecil imagined his first date to go.

Eshen glanced at Cecil from the corner of his eye as he finished up paying the waiter. His face was adorable. Afterwards, he leaned on his hand, idly observing Cecil. "Speak up, my dear. Follow me where? To my quarters? To the ends of the Earth? Like a prophet?"

Cecil was having a mental malfunction. All those years of mind training but no one taught him how to steel his mind against the greatest threat to all humanoids. Affection. "I-I... Umm.. I don't know where, I..." Cecil stuttered as he tried to find the words, but his mind was just mush which was even worse than his normal smooth brain. "Not the wormhole aliens, but I will follow you to your quarters," Cecil was trying to save himself, but he really couldn't think straight at all.

Eshen stood from the table and held out a hand. "Follow, then. We can look at my bookshelf, or we can sing and play violin like we promised, and see where it goes from there."

Cecil stood up and took Eshen's hand as he continued to try and calm his mind. "T-Thank you so much... For dinner and.. Everything," Cecil said softly, as he tried to hide his face with his other hand.

"How cruel you are, to hide your face and deprive me of the view," Eshen quipped as he led Cecil out of Klingon Kuisine. Before they could go and read of his idols comely Kah'less and saucy Surak, he stopped just outside the restaurant asked, "Can I kiss you?"

Cecil was speechless, Eshen was way too kind. He had never gotten this type of affection from anyone. Of course he had read many romance novels and poems in his life, but it was nothing like being face to face with THE Eshen K'Tann. "ja'ital, sil ([Bajoran] the light of my life, yes)" Was all Cecil could manage to say as a million different feelings rushed through his body.

Eshen checked if there were any Vulcans around - luckily, the area seemed fairly empty, and those that were about seemed wrapped up in their own worlds - then put one gloved hand on Cecil's shoulder, another on his cheek, leaned forward, and kissed him gently.

Kissing was... Strange. Cecil stood there and let Eshen kiss him, clearly unsure what to do aside from just let Eshen do his thing. It was a soft kiss, very loving and tender. It took him 24 years, but he finally had a first kiss. "... Thank you, Eshen," He said once their lips parted. Cecil had stars in his eyes with a happy smile. What a lovely first date.

They left for Eshen's quarters, where Eshen assigned Cecil Kah'less and himself Surak and they debated between the two philosophies for the rest of the night.

1

Time for a late night snack. It was alreadt 2500 hours-- Well, wait it was 0100 hours. The space lag was still strong. It didn't help that he kept getting assigned night shifts the past few days. Well, either way, it was time to see how the bubble tea on Starbase Chee Chee Chee compared to Deep Space Nine.

Ching-ling was working the night shift, and had the opportunity for a small break, not like she was doing much at her station anyways. She wanted a snack, something significantly filling enough that would keep her up for a bit. There were a plurality of options and things she could get, but something portable in case she had to return and finish it on the go would be good. It was late, and she did feel like a desert or at least something sweet, so she looked towards a stand selling boba tea, it had been awhile since she had that, and milk tea would be nice.

It didn't take long for Cecil's boba senses to immediately find the shop. Conveniently located right near the Klingon restaurant him and Eshen went to the previous night. He noticed another girl was eyeing the same place and was determined to get there before she did so he could order first! "Tiger milk tea, extra boba, no ice, less sugar!" He said enthusiastically.

There was a brief moment where her VISOR picked up the sudden blur of heat as a person jumped to the queue for the shop's line. She thought nothing of it and just queued up after the eager science officer. And oh! He was a science officer, who also seemed to like milk tea, judging by his order. Maybe a conversation would be nice, Ching-ling could always use some new friends on the station. Once his order was placed, she approached and spoke to the clerk. "Earl grey milk tea, regular boba, no ice, normal sugar, please."

Oh, this girl had tastebuds, good good. "You like milk tea too? I thought I was the only one,"He said as he watched her order. She was also in the science department, but Cecil had never seen her. Maybe they had different shifts? Or Cecil was so engrossed in his work that he didn't notice anyone but his supervisor. Although, he was sure if he saw someone with a VISOR he would have remembered them.

"Huh?" Ching-ling said while turning towards the Bajoran who asked her the question, she supposed that he would be the one starting the conversation, nothing wrong with that for her. After turning to him, she had a smile while her VISOR analyzed all of the different aspects of his face before speaking. "I do in fact, granted I like tea in general, milk tea is just something that my dad introduced me when I was young, before I moved out to go to Starfleet. I'm Ma Ching-ling, it's nice to meet you."

A bubble tea lover from birth, perfect. "Your father sounds like a man of taste," Cecil chuckled. He wished he could say the same, but his father hated earth food. "I'm Cecil, umm.. Ratana. Just call me Cecil," He introduced himself and waved. He wasn't sure how exactly the VISOR worked but it meant she could see his face and his movements, right? He didn't want to be rude and ask too many questions about it. "We're both in the Science Department, what do you specialise in? I'm always in the bio lab, looking at plants and bacteria," Despite how much fun his job was, it was never very impressive when he said it out loud. Other officers got cool away team missions or studied warp drives. Cecil looked at amoebas under a microscope.

Cecil grabbed his bubble tea from the staff when it was done and joyfully began drinking it. It was very sugary and the tapioka was much better fresh and not replicated.

Haydon was in the corner of the seating area, he was just sipping a raktajino. Looking at a PADD.

Cecil looked around for a place to sit when he realised all the seats were taken. Well, except one. "Hey, can I sit here?" Cecil approached the boy sitting alone. Spots, a trill? Cecil had never seen him before, but he was also new to the station himself so maybe they just hadn't crossed paths. They were in different departments after all.

Haydon looked up at the Bajorian. He then looked at the seat in front of him. Holding his hand out, it was a signal for her that the seat was free. Or at least, he hoped that was what he was trying to say to her with the non-verbal command.

14:24

He went back to looking at his PADD.

Cecil nodded and sat down in the chair and sipped his bubble tea before looking at the trill again. "So, I haven't seen you before. Are you new?" Perhaps he should try and be friendly especially since this person was so kind to let him sit there.

"Yeah, I'm new." Haydon didn't take it his eyes off his PADD. He was clearly working on something.

Oh maybe he was busy, maybe he wanted to sit in silence. Cecil debated whether to keep talking but it pained him to sit at a table and not talk. That was the Cardassian way after all. "What's your name? I'm Cecil, I just transferred from Deep Space Nine."

Haydon looked up at her. "Haydon AV." Haydon looked down at his PADD, then turned it over, clicked something and then set it down. Looking at her with a smile.

Oh great he was going to chat, but Haydon was clearly not a very talkative person to begin with, Cecil thought. "Soooo, where are you from?"

"Earth, technically speaking. From my outside appearance I seem trill to most though."

Trill! He knew it! "Oh, a Trill who was raised on earth," Earth was so diverse, where were all these cool people when he was at the academy? "I lived on earth for a bit when I was at the academy. Where did you live? I was in San Francisco."

"San Francisco, and yeah I'm half trill, half human. It doesn't show. So it's a common mistake. My parents are academy instructors so San Francisco seemed like the wisest choice."

"Oh, half trill half human," Another hybrid, like Eshen. But humans and Trills get along unlike Vulcans and Klingons. His parents were also in Starfleet, interesting. "What were you working on before I got here? Security things or something personal?"

"Security concerns."

"I seeeee," Cecil sipped his bubble tea again, looking at the Trill hybrid and debating what to say next. If there was one thing he would never get used to in Starfleet is the quietness. If he was back on Cardassia this room would have been filled with shouting and debate. Ahh yes, the peace of being in chaos. "How has work been lately? It's been pretty quiet."

"Busy, whoever your last data analysis guy was, he was slow and probably stupid."

"Ohh I have no idea who that was," Cecil said honestly. "Data analysis? So that means you must be in... Intelligence? Investigations?" Cecil felt pretty confident his power of deduction was sharp.

"The one and only intelligence agent."

"Is that why you don't talk much? You got secrets?" Cecil was joking, but he hoped teasing this guy a little would get him to talk. Cecil may have been a science officer but he was the son of a Cardassian spy and he never passed up a chance to gather intel. On anyone. Anywhere. Anytime.

"Thats classified."

23:58

Haydon smirked, as he jokingly talked.

"As it should be," Cecil laughed. "I've dabbled in intelligence as well, my father was a former Obsidian Order member, well, now it's called the Intelligence Bureau. Tons of secrets. What drew you to Intelligence?"

"My mother."

"Following your mother's path, a noble way to go," Sometimes Cecil really wished he did follow his father's path and went into intelligence. "Do Trill-- Or humans really not like to speak much? I'm sorry if I'm bothering you, Cardassians always chat at the table."

"Nope! We do talk a lot, somethings just on my mind and I don't know how to handle it."

"Something on your mind? What is it? Maybe I can be a neutral 3rd party and help."

"My sister is coming to the station apparently..."

"Oh? Are you not happy about that? Is she coming to visit or will she be stationed here permanently?"

"To visit...but she's annoying. Sorta."

"How is she annoying? I take it you will probably be sharing quarters?"

"Oh helllllll no I'm not sharing my room with her! She's gonna stay somewhere else."

Cecil could only laugh at the Trill hybrid's reaction. "Does she feel the same way? Maybe she'll stay out of your hair, well, unless she is attached to you?"

"She's my sister...I got a PADD from my father saying to take care of her." Haydon groaned leaning back fully in his seat.

"Ahh, well then you'll have to see her. Is she younger or older? Wait I don't even know how old you are," Cecil paused for a moment. "You look around my age, can I say..... Maybe you were born in the 80's as well, 238... 8? 9? I was born in 88."

"I'm 24 and she's 26, so she's the older one but she always is the bully to me. Annoying me in front of friends, doing stupid shit...she's got dad's blood in her."

"Wow then we are the same age!" Cecil took a few more sips of bubble tea, chewing the tapioka thoughtfully. "Older siblings always picking on the younger ones," Cecil was glad he never had siblings. Well, he almost had one but... He doesn't talk about that. "Wait, why does the younger sibling have to take care of the older one? Shouldn't it be the other way around?"

"We don't take care of each other, we are our own separate people."

"Well, you will have to spend time with her. Maybe she won't give you much trouble this time. How long is she gonna be here for? You have your job so maybe that will help create distance between you two."

"Couple of days..."

"I am sure it won't be as bad at you think," Cecil finished his bubble tea, but he was still hungry. Maybe he could replicate snacks in his room or something. "Oh and if you ever want to message me uhh I'm Ensign Ratana on the roster. I work night shift, but if you ever need me to bail you out of seeing her I am great at getting people out of situations."

"Thanks for the offer."

"Yea so, I guess I'll see you around Haydon. Sorry for chatting so much. Anyway, see yaaa," Cecil waved before heading off!

[D]The Andorian was sitting at a table eating a bowl of (sadly) replicated red bat soup and some Hari bread. She had her PADD in her right hand as it ran a simulation, her left hand brought a piece of Hari bread to her mouth as she took a bite of it

[D] Haydon walked in right off his shift, this time he was in his uniform, with the yellow stripe down his shirt. He hated this uniform, made him look like security. Oh no, he was much better then security, half the people in security didn't have the brains he had. Brawn? Sure. Brains? Zilch, nada, none. He replicated some coffee. Looking for a place to sit, then suddenly, a recognized face. Avryshial. He smiled as he made his way over. Looking down at her sitting. "Mind if I join in on the simulation party?"

She looked up and set down her PADD and the slice of Hari bread that was in her hand with a small, friendly smile. She shrugged and motioned for him to take a seat "Sure. Please do." She said in a friendly tone, her antenna moving forward with interest. So he was Starfleet...

"Thanks." Haydon smiled as he sat, taking a sip of coffee. "So what's new with you blue eyes?"

She recoiled very slightly at being called 'blue eyes' but quickly recovered, she lost that small smile though "There isn't really anything new. Still just running simulations. I did meet the Investigations officer on board." She said in a friendly and casual tone. "What about you dots...?" She asked in an attempt to mimic the, what she assumed was meant to be friendly, nickname. She was referring to the Trill dots that he had

Haydon smirked. "Nothing much, just sifting through data like always. Kind of boring after a few hours, but ya know, sometimes its new stuff, sometimes old, but rarely classified."

"I can understand the boring part. Thats the worst part about waiting for he simulations I do... they take so long to compile..." She said with a slight groan. She brought up the slice of Hari bread and took a bite of it and chewed for a few seconds before swallowing and giving him a small grin

"Well I mean, most of the stuff I get is reports, stuff for the commodore to see with his eyes only on occasion. Rarely ever something that is interesting."

"That just sounds boring..." She agreed with a small nod, her antenna were still forward with interest aimed at the Trill

"It sometimes is, but ya know. Sometimes it is fun."

"I bet, especially when you get some big information break." She agreed with another small nod, she ate a spoonful of her soup

"Exactly! Besides, I got other problems then intel. My sister's coming to the 777..."

"Oh, you have a sister?" She said with an interested tone and slightly questioning tone. "Does she have the spots as well or not?" She asked, he had said he was half human so his sister was most likely as well... right?

"Nah...she's got my mothers physical traits, I got my dads. Then again, we swapped on other things. But yes, I have an annoying, older sister."

"Ooh. That's interesting... I would think you would both have them or both not have them. But I'm not a scientist so I wouldn't know..." She said with the same interested tone, she had a small but friendly grin on her face as she studied the half Trill.

"Nah....I think my parents wanted it that way. One with and one without, make us more like them. But who knows."

"I am ninety percent sure that would have to be done by a geneticist if they did it one purpose. But your right, who knows."

"Genetic altercations is illegal, everyone knows that. My parents are law biding citizens."

"I know that. What I am saying is that your parents got lucky if they wanted to have you with dots and your sister without." She explained in a self conscious tone

15:29

"Sorry, they're called spots, sorry about that Dots..." She said with a very small smirk

"Its fine, it's just another nickname in the books blue eyes."

She chuckled softy "Ok... why 'blue eyes'? Where did that one come from?" She asked with the same small smirk and a friendly tone "My eyes are most definitely brown..." She added on before eating a spoonful of soup

"Would you prefer if I called you blue face?"

"Not really, I just want to know where you got it from. Most people just call me Shial if they do not want to say Avryshial." She said with a small chuckle

"I don't know....I guess your blue face reminded me of calling someone blue eyes so I called you blue eyes."

"Is it some sort human joke or insult? What does it mean?" She asked him with an interested tone

"Well..I mean...I guess it means you got blue eyes..I don't know.."

She chuckled "I will assume it is meant in a friendly way rather than insult." She said with smile that was slightly larger than usual (edited)

"I would hope so." Haydon laughed

She chuckled again "What are you drinking?" She asked with a friendly tone, her antenna were still locked onto him with interest

"Coffee, would you like some?"

"No thank you, I could never understand why most species drink it..." She said with a somewhat awkward tone "Thank you for offering though. I much prefer earth whiskey to it..."

"Whiskey is always good option, both keep me up for a matter of hours, though one has the side affects of getting me...drunk."

"I have that fate as well..." She said with a small smile "I never could gain a taste for coffee, even katheka" She continued

"Katheka? Never had it."

"Its the Andorian equivalent to your coffee." She explained "I could never keep it down."

"Ah...gotcha gotcha. Well if I can keep coffee down, perhaps I can keep katheka down!" He chuckled.

"Maybe you can. Maybe you can't... who knows?" She asked, mimicking his tone when he had said 'who knows' about how he and his sister were opposite in how they looked

Haydon raised a brow, and then laughed. "Okay miss mimicker."

She gave him a small, self conscious smile and a small chuckle "What?" She asked as if she had done nothing

"You mimicked my tone from earlier when I was saying 'who knows'. " Haydon laughed "You think I wouldn't notice? You gotta remember, I got a keen eye for detail."

She chuckled again and smirked some. "You got me Dots..." She said casually but with an edge of giving up, he had caught onto that one, might as well let him win it.

"We at intel see the smallest details, its a common thing." He laughed.

"Oh well. I guess if your parents ever threw you a surprise party you always figured it out before hand?"

"My parents are good at keeping secrets and plus...I didn't get any surprise parties. My sister and I mostly spent our birthdays with each other, since our parents were kind of busy."

"Ah. Then how come she is so annoying?" She asked casually "Is it because you are around each other so much, or were?"

"She used to play practical jokes on me, you know..things sister do to annoy their brothers."

She shook her head "I don't really know, sorry, I was the only child my parents were able to have." She explained as she finished off her hari bread

"You were saved the pain of a sibling then.."

"You can look at it like that yes. Sometimes it would be very lonely, just me and my training." She said casually

"Oh I had the training, but I guess she was always there to muck it up somehow."

"Maybe you should talk to her when she gets here." She suggested

"It's hard to deal with someone like that."

"Is she in Starfleet?" She asked as she ate a spoonful of her soup

"Yeah, she's a helmsman aboard the 4th fleet flagship.

"Oh nice, well, have you seen her since she joined? She could have changed."

"We...sent PADDs to each other somewhat, but I haven't seen her physically."

"She could have changed. PADD messages don't convey how a person has changed mentally as much as actually meeting them." She said with a firm nod and a reassuring tone "Who knows-" She said, mimicking him again "She may be bearable when you meet her..."

"I'll be optimistic, but only cause you gave a good reason to."

"Good. You should be, you made it this far..." She said with a nod, she had a small grin on her face

"What's the grin for?" He replied with a smirk and a raised eyebrow.

"I managed to make the intel guy think differently..." She said with the grin turning into her own smirk

"A lapse in judgement on my part.." As he said this, his PADD started to beep. Taking it out of his pocket, it was his smaller PADD that he carried around. He looked at it. He sighed slightly. "Andd....speak of the devil she's here."

"Do you want to go meet her?" She asked before finishing her soup "I can go with you if you want."

"Please..that would make it a lot more relaxing.."

"Sure... I'm finished eating if you want to go now." She said with a friendly tone

He typed something quickly on his PADD as he stood, fitting it back into his pant pocket. "Alright, let's go then."

She nodded and stood, shoving her own PADD under her arm before disposing of her garbage and rejoining him "Alright, lead the way."

Haydon scratched the back of his head as he headed for the promenade.

She followed

Dressed in casually nice clothing, Kassell entered the restaurant and glanced around. It was evening on the station so many tables were occupied. Talking, chatting, and laughing vibrated throughout the area. Thankfully, there was a spot that had two free chairs. Perfect. Kassell walked on over to it and grabbed a seat. Although, he wasn't fully relaxed. He was slightly pensive since his hands were clasped and resting on the table. His reason for this dinner wasn't to just have a good time. Once a waitress approached the table, he waved his hand lazily while only ordering a drink. "Apple juice. I'm waiting for someone." he said. She nodded and walked away to retrieve his order. He glanced at the entrance every now and then, but mostly remained idle.

Whidbey was showed up to dinner wearing a slick quarter zip along with a yellow polo shirt (he liked to still he wearing yellow) he slowly eased his way over to the table. He was most of the time entirely uncomfortable with tacticals leadership. From his perspective the leadership was 1. Lead by foreign powers. 2. Often showing a lack of concern for the lives of their crew. 3. Was often overstepping it's control over their staff. He walked over to the table and sat down, he had a bit of an uncomfortable look on his face and every so often took a look at his watch. He wasn't necessarily in the mood for this though he figured he might aswell take an edge off he turned to the waitress. "1 bottle of my imported French wine please oh, and 2 glasses please." He had imported a case of wine recently and had given some to the restaurants for him. He offered a wide toothy smile to the waitress as she brought out and opened the wine.

Kassell remained in his seat as he gave a nod to Whidbey once he joined. "Glad you could join, Austin. If I may call you that?" he said. He already ordered a drink but since Whidbey asked for two glasses, he believed it would be best if he indulged in another human drink. Therefore, he didn't say anything and smiled to the waitress as she poured. "Ah, wine made from... grapes if I'm not mistaken?" he asked Whidbey. "Grapes from a vine." Once his glass was full, Kassell brought the cup close to his nose. It smelled good, but his taste buds would be the judge of its enjoyability. The rim touched his lips as he tilted his head back a bit. He swallowed the liquid while keeping a neutral expression. "Mmm. Not bad." he said. When the waitress passed by, he tapped her arm. "My apologies, but I think I'll be drinking this instead." thus, she took the juice and walked away.

He swirled the wine around in his glass, allowing it to be properly aired out. He kept a more diplomatic and friendly expression across his face as he did in spite of deeper thoughts under the surface. "Yep its made of grapes and this is about the best wine out there." He raised his glass to eyelevel and gave the glass a contemplating look for a few moments. He was entirely unsure still as to exactly approach this meeting, he had decided on the diplomatic route given but would continue to feel out the Cardassians thought on tactical until he could figure out the man's intent. Finally he took the glass to his lips and took a slow long sip before speaking. "I am quite glad you called for this meeting... it's quite important to have a fuller understanding of the happenings within the station especially given the complexities of keeping such a large base secure, I'm sure you understand."

Ah, he was correct. Grapes from a vine turned into wine. It also had the title of being the best; the finest wine from Earth. Kassell wondered if there was wine from other parts of the human home world. The drink was very good, but since he's never had other wine beverages, agreeing with Whidbey would be premature. After another sip, his eyes drew back up to the Lieutenant's. As much as he understood, he was hoping to improve Austin's opinion on tactical. Or at least set him on the right direction. Quite the Cardassian thing to do. After all, Cardassians loved to talk. "Of course. I was the Second Tactical Officer on Entok Nor for five years. Keeping a vast star base secure and protected is complex." he said. After another sip, an audible growl from Arrek's stomach erupted. He placed his hand over his belly before waving over the waitress. While she made her way to the table, he looked at Whidbey with an unsure gaze. "If you don't mind, Austin?" since he got no reply to him calling the man by his first name, he assumed Whidbey didn't mind.

"Ofcourse..." He nodded and then waved over a waiter with a simple 2 figured gesture. He had practically memorized the menu here by now. He still spent a couple seconds running his finger down the menu out of habit. "Let me get the Clams in red sauce please..." He gestured simply to Arrek for him to go next. Austin quietly observed the man, in his mind continuing to build a portfolio based on the man's actions. In some ways a man could tell a lot about someone simply by the way they acted at a restaurant so he stayed ever observent.

For the brief few seconds Kassell had, he debated between his usual or something different. If he remained silent, then it would get awkward. He opened his mouth to speak. "Zabo steak, yamok sauce, and bread sticks." he ordered. The waitress nodded to both of them before departing from their table. Kassell kept a relaxed and calm demeanor by keeping his back planted on the backrest and speaking with a soft tone. There was no sign of that stoicism he portrayed when working. This wasn't a formal meetup nor were they in uniform. Just two fellow officers eating dinner off duty. However, if one observed closely, there was a hidden front of confidence behind that serene act. One facial change Kassell expressed was a raised eyebrow. Unless clams in red sauce was a large meal, it sounded a bit small. "Clams in red sauce? There's nothing else you're getting? I don't mean to assume, but that doesn't sound like a fulfilling meal." he asked and stated. Although, perhaps it could be argued that what he ordered wasn't big as well. This wasn't a feast after a great victory or accomplishment. But the question was already out there. All he could do was await an answer.

Austin mulled over the question for a little bit. He had the clams many times before, they always acted as a bit of a taste of home to him. He remembered the days where he would dig up clams with friends and his father would cook them for the group. One day soon he'd need to return there but for now the restaurant had the best clams he could get his hands on. He relented for a simple and basic response. "Oh, I had quite a big lunch earlier." Even if that wasn't necessarily true. He did have a lunch though it wasn't too big. "Also the clams here are quite great, they are one of the chefs specialties as I would dub it."

Kassell nodded to Austin's response. Nothing like a big lunch on a good day to make it even better. "I see. Perhaps I will try clams some day. I am working on a Federation station now. Might as well indulge more in Federation dishes than just simply drinking apple juice." he said, sipping his drink. "Starting with wine." he added. "So, how is security doing, by the way? Have any criminals been caught as of late?" he asked, taking another sip. By the time he finished the sentence, the waitress arrived with their food and carefully placed the plates on the table. Kassell nodded with a smile to her. "Thank you." he then dipped a breadstick into the yamok sauce and took a bite.

"You may have some of mine if you would like, they act much more of a reminder of home to me then anything. I'm sure you must have some cardassian dishes that give you a similar experience." He used his fork to take the meat out of a clam and careful ran it through some of the sauce before taking a bite. He paused entirely for a moment to savor the bite, something he always liked to do with the first bite of food. "Security had bring fine. On a station this large though arrests are never avoidable. My main priority has been keeping my crew ever ready to take on any threats." He took a second to begin running a clam through sauce again. "I'm sure you know how it is, one can never be too ready when it comes to challengers like the borg."

He pondered if he wanted to try a clam or not. Perhaps in exchange Whidbey would want to try some of his food. "Why not? If you want, you can try some of my steak or a breadstick dipped in yamok sauce." he said. He then reached over and stuck his fork into a small bit of clam meat. After dipping it into the sauce, he took a bite. The Glen chewed, his eyes slightly squinting as his tongue judged whether it was good or bad. He looked at Whidbey after swallowing. "It's not bad. But at the same time... I don't think it'd be my first choice at a restaurant." he stated. "The same goes for tactical. We make sure to be ready for any threats as well." he said. "Yeah, the Borg. It's rather frightful when they're around. I've mostly dealt with the Breen when I was on Entok Nor. The station was close to the border between the Union and the Confederacy. And at the time, Cardassian and Breen relations weren't the best." he said. Kassell started to cut into the steak and pierce the piece with his fork. Once he took a bite, he sipped his wine.

He shrugged. "No steak for me, I've never quite been the best with red meat." He rolled around a clam on his fork. "One can not be frightened when the borg are around if you want to defend yourself. As far as I'm concerned the borg represent the biggest threat to the galaxy." He paused for a moment to pick up his glass of wine and take a long refreshing sip. "Fighting the Breen must have been interesting though." Whidbey was still yet to be able to move the topic to much past what he somewhat viewed as formalities. Sure the cardassian was acting nice enough over dinner but what was much more important to him was how tactical was lead. Without good leadership the support behind security could falter leaving everyone exposed. Though atleast combat stories were a start.

Kassell nodded when Austin said no. The subject of the Borg continued on a little bit longer, with Austin making a good point. "True. Very true." he said. The Glen grabbed another breadstick and dipped the end in yamok sauce. After taking a bite, he washed it down with another sip of his wine. The pleasantries had go on far enough. It was time for him to enact his real reason for inviting Whidbey to dinner. Of course, he wasn't going to be blunt about it. That would be a buzzkill. Smooth talking was the best approach. To start off, something that displayed his leadership with virtue. "I wouldn't necessarily say we fought the Breen. But there were a few border skirmishes occasionally. However, thanks to diplomatic consultations it didn't break into war." he said, taking another bite of his steak. "One group that I've had a more bloody run-in with is the True Way. This was back when I was a weapons officer aboard the Larden, a Hideki class ship. The captain... well, he was overconfident. He thought that him and his ship alone could take on a Keldon class operated by the True Way. The first officer strongly objected but he was ignored. The fight was very brief and ended with us crashing onto an uninhabited planet. Only a dozen of us survived, with me being the only bridge officer left." he took a sip before resuming. "We salvaged a distress beacon but it was damaged, and the engineer in the group said it'd take three days. That also meant three days of the enemy hunting us down. I was the highest ranking officer, so I had to make sure we would survive." he said, taking a couple more bites of his steak. He wanted to balance the talking and eating, and not let his food get cold. This wasn't the end of the story yet.

He swirled around his wine as he listened to the story, intermittently taking a long smooth sip from his glass. He was quick to finish off his food aswell in the time that. "Well that certainly sounds like a hell of a fight, I'm glad you were able to make it out alive."

Kassell nodded, taking another sip before continuing the story. "We found a good place to rest and settle down in. To our convenience, it was also on the left side of a valley. A very advantageous valley. I decided that we were going to ambush our pursuers right here. However, someone pointed out that they wouldn't walk right into a valley without caution. So, we needed bait. This is when..." he stopped for a moment, halting his fork from touching the meat. He relived the moment in his mind. Arrek still admired this officer's loyalty and dedication to serving the Union. "... When a wounded officer suggested we use his body. Everyone, including me, was bewildered." he said, taking a sip. "It was only a matter of time until he died from his wound. I argued that I wouldn't dishonor his name by even considering his suggestion. He looked at me straight in the eyes with a couple tears streaming from his own and said, 'On the contrary, sir. You would be doing me a great honor by allowing me to serve Cardassia one final time. To sacrifice myself so that you all can live on and continue. I can die content, knowing that I served my people even in death.' I had no response to that. No one did. Once he passed, we placed his body at the bottom of the valley. We were positioned on both sides and waited for the enemy. And they fell for it." he said. "We laid down fire and killed all of them. They fought back and unfortunately killed two of us. No more True Way hunting parties showed up afterwards. Why? My best guess was that the ship left orbit. We buried our own with full honors and waited out the remaining days until the beacon was fixed. We were rescued, and I was promoted. However, watching the bodies of loyal and faithful Cardassians being buried was... painful to me. They were under my command, and died under my command." he took a bite out of a breadstick before drinking more wine. -

03:18

"I promised myself I would get everyone out of alive. And because of that, I don't know what's worse. Breaking a promise to someone, or yourself." Kassell realized that he might've went too deep into the story and ruined the mood. His eyes tracked back up to Austin's before he spoke. "I'm sorry, Austin. I don't mean to be a..." he pondered for a moment, trying to think of the word. "Buzzkill. I don't mean to be a buzzkill. although, the emotional and personal flavor to the story possibly helped him sway Whidbey a bit.

Kassell and Whidbey further talked as they ate their food and drank their wine. They had some interesting conversations and stories to tell, perhaps a joke or two here and there. Overall, it was a nice dinner. Once their bellies were full and plates were clean, they called it a night and left the restaurant. Kassell hoped he may have raised Austin's opinion about Tactical, but he started to think that the only way to do that was to have the department do better.

The Andorian entered the restaurant with her blond hair up in a pony tail once more to keep it out of the way, she was wearing her usual tactical uniform and also like usual she had a PADD under her arm running a simulation. She had just gotten off duty but had already been annoyed off enough by some strands of loose hair that she had recently redone her pony tail so no hair was free at the moment. She ordered a bowl of Redbat soup and a side of Hari bread before sitting at a free table and beginning to eat.

[D] Renakir had been off duty for a while now, but had spent most of his free time exploring Vulcan meditation. It was much different than how Romulans meditated, in fact, he found himself constantly struggling trying to remember which rituals belonged to which. Well, it was time for a break so he headed to the dining area on the promenade. A good meal would help clear his mind, he thought. Renakir was dressed in civilian clothes this time. Some loose fitting long trousers and long sleeve v-neck shirt paired with a knit cardigan on top. Also, a baret, because apparently that is the only French piece of clothing in existance. He ordered himself a bottle of French wine and began to scan the tables for an open seat. Of course on the one day he decides to dine in public there are no open seats-- Well there was one. Next to an Andorian. Not the first species he would choose to sit with, but he made his way over to the table anyway. "Excuse me, madame, may I sit here?"

She looked up at the Romulan? there was some differences but she shrugged and motioned to the seat. "Please, feel free to." She said with a small nod, she had a small, friendly smile one her face as she spoke. She took the time to flip her PADD over, not to hide the contents but to just make it where she couldn't see the screen and could pay attention the man. "I don't have anyone coming to join me later." She added on so that he knew he wasn't stealing a taken seat.

Renakir gave the other a polite nod as he sat down and placed his bottle and glass on the table. What was that she was eating? He was a little embarrassed that he wasn't well versed in foods outside of his own cuisine or what he encountered in France. Perhaps it was because he rarely ate in public, he did want to try more foods though. "What are you having? It looks good," Renakir said as he picked up his glass and began to gently swirl the wine. He was a connessieur of fine wines, he knew how it was done.

"Redbat soup and Hari bread, they're both Andorian meals." She explained with a small and casual nod. "What are you drinking?" She asked, giving him a similar question to respond to as she brought a spoonful of soup up to her mouth and ate it.

Of course, Andorian food. Renakir made note of the consistancy and texture, for later reference. Perhaps he would try it when he got back to his quarters. Honestly, he was pretty hungry, but he wasn't about to eat in public. Wine would have to do. "French wine, I am tired of drinking the replicated stuff, I wanted the real thing," He explained. He waited for her to take another sip of her soup before turning his head and covering his mouth to drink his wine. Sitting with someone during meals was not idea, but Renakir really wanted his wine.

"I can understand that, the Replicator never does make it taste the same. Have you ever had any of the Picard wine? I recently had some with my boyfriend and it was really good, probably the best Earth wine I have had." She said, trying to have a conversation with him about something he seemed to like.

Oh so she had a boyfriend? Renakir was not one to care about the personal relations of others on the station, in fact he felt lucky to have never been in any possibly romantic situation. Well, except Eshen... "Picard wine? A little embarrassing as a self proclaimed wine connessieur but I don't believe I have had that," Renakir put the empty glass on the table and poured some more wine from the bottle. "Is your boyfriend from earth?"

"Yeah, he is." She said with a small nod. "I really think you should try the Picard wine, it is very good." She said with a friendly tone. She studied the man with a casual glance at him before tearing a piece of Hari bread off and eating it.

Renakir caught site of the andorian looking at him and waited for her to eat her bread so he could turn and drink his wine. Why was dining so difficult in front of others? Renakir was hurridly trying to drink his wine before the Andorian looked up again he didn't even notice his teeth were scratching up the glass until he put it back down on the table. This was embarrassing, so embarrassing. But he kept a neutral expression and calm tone. "I will make sure to try it next time I get the chance. I assume you've been to earth? Where did you attend the academy?"

"Yes, I went to the academy on Earth, the San Francisco campus." She said with a small nod, she noticed how he didn't like her looking at him so she stopped, more just looking past him but still looking in his general direction. "Then I was sent to the Johnston and then to here."

Renakir was glad when he noticed the Andorian's gaze shift away from him. He poured himself another glass of wine. Not to drink, just to try and cover up the scratch marks along the side of the glass. "Ahh, I went to the Marseilles campus," Renakir nodded. So she went to that place with the hot sun, interesting. "Is the Andorian climate similar to earth? I chose Marseilles because I can't stand the heat, the mild weather of France was great."

"No, Andoris is a frozen moon." She said with a small chuckle at the idea of them being similar. "Maybe to Earths north pole or somewhere similar but Andoria is much colder than anywhere on Earth. In the Northern wastes it is not uncommon to be -28 degrees during mid-summer."

Oh so she was from a cold planet too? The tips of Renakir's ears changed to a light shade of green. As much as he tried to keep his emotions off his face, it was never hard to tell what he was tihnking based on how much he blushed. Vulcan meditation didn't seem to help either. "Frozen moon. Remus is the same, in fact, I prefer the same temperature myself. Cold and dark," Renakir said with his excitement clearly showing in his tone. He had yet to meet someone with the same temperature preference as him.

"I mean, I don't really care the temperature as long as it's not so hot I feel like I am going to melt but it is nice to have some cold air." She said with an agreeing nod. "Though, I do need to be careful, don't want to put my boyfriend into shock from the cold." She said with a small smile and chuckle.

"Your boyfriend likes warm weather I assume?" Maybe they had more in common than he initially thought-- well not the boyfriend part... Maybe the boyfriend part. For some reason the whole time the Andorian (who he still didn't know the name of ) mentioned her boyfriend, Renakir couldn't help but think about his conflicts with his roommate. Who was not his boyfriend. Not at all. He hated that guy, with every fiber of his being.

"He's human, well, half human and half trill, but those two species just aren't meant to be in the cold, especially without the right kind of clothing." She explained with a casual shrug, "It's not smart to drop someone in a temperature they aren't meant to be in."

01:49

'Especially without warning."

Renakir swirled his glass of wine as he listened to the Andorian speak about her partner. Her last sentence made him raise an eyebrow, hmm dropped? "I take it you two have had more than your fair share of temperature disagreements?" Maybe he was wrong, but he wanted to know more about this arrangement. A cold weather species with a warm weather species. Not that he was planning on dating any warm weather species, but he was curious as to what their dynamic actually was.

"No, not really, I don't mind warmer temperatures so it's not really a problem." She said with a shrug. "I have just learned to accept it."

"You don't get uncomfortable overheating all the time?" Renakir asked, clearly impressed at how easy the Andorian seemed to adapt. In his ten years of living and working on Federation ships and bases, he never got used to the bright lights and heat of the standard M-class environment.

"It's not always enjoyable but I don't really overheat that easily, I could live on a planet like Vulcan for weeks comfortably, but I would lose a lot of body mass." She informed him with a casual shrug and tone before taking a bite of Hari bread.

For some reason when she mentioned Vulcan Renakir's whole face turned green and he quickly turned away from her. Vulcan-- why was that making him so bashful all of a sudden? He grabbed his glass of wine and quickly drank it, not caring if the Andorian saw him this time. His teeth made a very audible scraping noise when they scratched up the glass. "That sounds very intersting-- I am impressed with how adaptive your species is," Renakir said in a hurried voice, he had to get out of here before he said or thought anythig stupid.

"Just lucky evolution." She said with a casual tone. "In some ways more so than others... are you alright?" She asked, noting the change.

"I'm fine," It took all of Renakir's mental control to keep up his neutral tone, but gahh his mind was full of thoughts about his stupid roommate. Remun was always changing the temperature and giving him judgemental looks from across the room. Renakir grabbed his bottle of wine and empty glass and stood up. "I think I should head back to my quarters now. Thank you for chatting with me, Ensign," Renakir gave the nice Andorian a polite nod before zooming away.

She nodded with a slightly confused nod before continuing to eat.

To everyone's surprise, Aella actually had a full day of work. She spent the morning watching a bunch of earth movies and studying earth conflicts to better get along with the others on the station. Her Zhimata Eshen had been very kind to recommend some movies where she could learn how to interact with others in a non-offensive way. As a break, Aella wondered to the restaurants and dining to try out some of the latest earth foods that were trending. There was an item called "cotton candy"? Interesting.

Kosmo had done his usual rounds in engineering. Of course it didn't entail much apart from the designing a ship and scheduling maintenance. Trotting through the restaurants and dining area he sees some fluffy pink thing. Walking over he trips and falls onto a girl. "Ow." He grumbles unemotionally.

Usually it's Aella who is tripping, but this time-- someone trips over her! The poor Vorta, only standing above five feet, went tumbling to the ground. Her glasses flew off as well, leaving her blind and quickly trying to scramble to her feet. "A-AH!!! HELP!!" Aella shouted as she was left crawling around on the floor trying to find her glasses. She had no idea who bumped into her, but she was really hoping they were still within ear shot.

He looks at the girl with a hint of amusement, grabbing her glasses off of the floor he shoves them into her hands. "Please, just stop making a fuss." He utters with a sigh as he pulls the tiny girl off of the ground. 'God humans are small.' He thinks to himself.

Aella took the glasses from the strange man, briefly brushing fingers with him. She hurridly put them on her face before the man pulled her to her feet. Now this man looked different, she never saw him before. Aella brushed the dust off her skirt and took a few steps closer to this new strange. "You know, it's polite to apologise after bumping into someone-- and you didn't even ask if I'm okay!" Aella said, putting her hands on her hips, she was gonna school this solid some etiquette!

“I am... Sorry?” He asks, he’s never had to use the word before. He looks around with a small smile. “I’ve never been here before.” He mumbles loudly. “Where am I?”

"Yea, sorry is right!" Aella huffed as she readjusted her glasses and shook her head. Pfftt, solids. "Are you okay? Hey, dude. You're on Federation Starbase 777, this is the restaurants area. Uhhh, do you need sick bay?" When the other questioned where he was Aella knew there was something wrong with him. Wasn't he in Starfleet too?

He looks at the girl with a puzzling look. “I know that I’m not stupid. I meant where am I on the Starbase.” He utters annoyed. ‘Stupid girl.’ He thinks to himself.

"Restaurants and dining," Aella said flatly as she took a few steps closer to Kosmo,very intrigued by him." *Hey, you don't look like a normal humanoid-- What are you?" *If Kosmo was going to be rude, then Aella would be rude right back! Take that, stupid boy!

“Restaurants and dining, didn’t know they had that here. And to answer your question I am borg.” He says nonchalantly as he gets three cotton candies on a stick. “Do you, want one?” He asks eating some of the pink sugar.

"Borg?! Oh yea," This guy was weird. First he bumps into her, is super rude, now he is offering her candies? Well, Vorta are immune to most poisons, why not? "Sure," Aella said as she grabbed a stick from him and stared at the swirling fluffy candy. She touched it with her hand only for the fluff to shrink and turn a shade darker. "Oh my Founders! What is this? Are you sure this is edible? I will have you know I am not scared of poison but if this is some sort of trick I will call security!"

He rolls his eyes. “You must be from a liquid based species. When it comes in contact with liquid it shrivels up.” He states with his mouth half full of cotton candy.

"Excuse me? Liquid based species? I am a Vorta but the Dominion is run by a liquid based species and they are our gods, they are better than solids in every way!" Aella scowled at Kosmo as she ripped off a piece of cotton candy and gave it a lick. The fluffy ball turned into goo really fast, covering her fingers. Thankfully she could taste it, but it was.... terrible. "Ackk!! In the name of the Founders, this stuff is bloody awful," She said as she looked at her gooey hand.

He chuckles as he watches the angry woman. ‘God her species are dumb.’ He thought to himself as he eats his cotton candy. ‘Like, gods aren’t real.’ “The goo reminds me of your founders.” He utters under his breath.

2

1

"Umm, excuse me?" Aella said as she took another step closer to Kosmo. She was thankful the Founders blessed the Vorta with higher than average hearing. It made it easy to pick up snide remarks. "My gods are not 'goo', didn't your Federation teach you about respecting the religion of other species?"

"Yes, but they also taught me I have a "freedom of speech" or whatever." He tells her as he finishes his first stick of cotton candy. "So, what's your name?" He asks, changing the topic. 'If you eat- well drink a founder, would they be able to become a kidney or replicate a stomach?' He wonders.

1

Aella made a pouty face at Kosmo as she attempted once more to grab a piece of cotton candy and eat it. The sweet and fluffy texture quickly turned to goo in her mouth, it was not a pleasant experience. That's it, none of this stuff. "My name is Aella 5. Vara'toran, Dominion Liaison and official speaker for the Founders,“ Aella said proudly and confidently. "And what about you, Mr. know-it-all?"

'They would make a great recyclable dil-' He interrupts his thoughts. 'Bad Kosmo.' "My names Kosmo, I work in engineering. That's it." He states as he finishes his second stick of cotton candy. "Can I have your cotton candy?" He asks acting polite for once. (edited)

Aella gave the other a suspicious look, clearly not trusting a word he was saying. "Hello Kosmo," Aella said in a very not-so-polite tone. She handed her cotton candy to the man and frowned when she noticed her hand was still covered in goo. "You know, that stuff is awful. It makes me regret being able to taste food. Maybe the Founders were right when they decided not to give my species taste..."

1

[D] After his first shift he had come to the restaurants to have some of the french wine he had imported and some food. After eating the food he decided it was mediocre, which gave him reason to chase it with a lot of wine. He had allready drunk a bottle by the time he got talking with the chef at the restaurant. The two of them split a bottle and then somehow Avignon talked his way into the back of the kitchen. The drunken man took a filet of duck and drunkenly commented to the chef. "This is gonna be the best god damn duck breast you've ever had."

A few minutes after all of that Weber appeared and walked towards the counter. He had been relatively busy recently and decided to try out something that wasn't just a replicated meal. He leaned against the counter and waited for someone to take his order.

When Avignon saw the man in his peripherals he yelled over. "qu'est-ce que je peux t'offrir mon ami." He laughed a little. "Sorry, I forget not everyone speaks French up here. What can I get you my friend." He was still in uniform as he smiled at Weber.

"Ah, Je... sais un peu..." He said with a little bit of hesitation and some struggle before looking to the menu briefly. "If you have it I'd like to try the Steak frites. It has been a while so I don't even know if thats how you say it." He said with a more casual but rough and quiet voice with the small air of laughter at the end but without any actual laughter, just the feel of it.

"Oui, Oui monsieur. It will be my treat, would you like a glass of wine with that. I imported them straight from south France." He started the pan and poured a small amount of wine on along with the steak for a bit of flavor.

"Ah, no thank you. I must admit I prefer Schnapps to wine." He said with a small chuckle. "How much do I owe you?" *He asked casually.^

He smiled. "It is on me, mon ami. I've practically begging to be back in the kitchen since I came up here." He laughed a little bit as he basted the steak infront of him. "Oh I almost forgot to ask, how do you like your steak cooked?"

"Medium if you don't mind. To be honest I am just used to eating it how it comes." He said with a shrug. "And thank you for the meal then." He added with a small nod to the man.

He laughed. "That's not normally the French way to do things but I'll do it special just for you." He joked as he threw anouther steak on for himself, this one would be rare. "Would you mind if I join you after I finish up cooking?"

"Not at all. I need to talk to people more if I don't want my counselor to get annoyed." He said with a casual shrug.

He continued to smile while he finished up the two steaks. 'Damn the counselors around here must be quite busy' He thought to himself. "Well I'm always happy to talk."

"Alright then." He said with a small nod before he moved off to the side some so others could get to the counter and order.

He played up the delicious, juicy steaks in a formal manner and then brought them out. He slid Weber his plate and then sat down. "Those steaks are quite magnifique aren't they? I hope you enjoy."

"they look good yes." He said with a small nod as he sat down as well. "I an ensign Weber by the way." He added in simple greeting.

A tall Romulan strolled in shortly after the two took their seats, though it seemed rather busy. Too many people... though a table of two caught his eye. He thought to ask if he could join, going over. “Greetings. Mind if I join?”

"I uh... don't mind Lieutenant." He said with a respectful tone as he remained sitting, he was off duty and mid meal so he didn't feel it would be the reasonable thing to do.

He stood up from his seat and offered it to the Romulan. "Please, if you want you may have some wine and if you would like some steak aswell I could have that right out. I wouldn't mind getting back in the kitchen some more."

“How generous. I would love to try some of your steak, I would be honored,” he said, trying to be polite as humanly possible in the moment. He took the seat and looked at the wine, deciding to abstain from partaking in it. He hated alcohol. He looked at the other person and nodded with a smile, waiting for both to return fully before introductions.

He continued to sit there but shifted into a more formal position that his casual one from before. "How are you doing Lieutenant?" He asked casually, not touching his own meal yet.

Avignon picked up the glass of wine and took it back to the kitchen with him. "Please have this one, I haven't had the chance to touch it yet. I'll go cook up a new one for myself. I have good ears so I'll probably stay in the conversation." He laughed and then began preping for his next steak

He looked at the plate and nodded slowly, looking back up at the Frenchman as he went to prep for his next steak. Satok looked at Oskar, waiting for the other man to return before he would eat. "I'm doing well, Ensign. How about you?" He asked in a typical romulan accent.

"Pretty well sir. Just moving through the day." He said casually as he leaned back some in his chair but still kept a formal position.

A loud and hot sizzling sound could be heard from the kitchen.

He leaned over slightly as his lips took an O shape, looking towards the kitchen. Now his taste buds certainly were watering. Yummy food... "Freshly cooked food sure beats the replicated stuffs..."

"Agreed sir. I decided to give myself a treat today and not get replicated stuff." He explained with a casual tone.

After a short time longer Avignon came out of the kitchen, he didn't need long because he decided to cook his steak Bleu as a test of his own skills. "Allright gentlemen, thanks for waiting for me. I hope you all enjoy your food.*

"It smells good." He said with a small nod to the cook.

He took a rather large bite of it, chewing it dramatically before swallowing it. He nodded shortly afterwards with a grin, the aroma of the dish and the taste making him blush a light green. "Good food, very good food. I love it," he said, taking another bite, then another in quick succession.

He took a sip from his wine and then took a bite of his own. For the first bite of the steak he closed his eyes as to fully take in the flavor. Quite good, maybe a tad too much pepper. "They didn't call me one of the best chefs in Paris for nothing!" He said excitedly, glad even here he was able to have people enjoying his food.

He took his own bite of his food, not nearly as large but quicker than the Lieutenant's. Eat fast was a habit that he hadn't lost in the last five years and wasn't likely to lose any time soon. "It is good. I appreciate it." He said with a small nod.

He nodded and continued to eat the meal in silence. He mumbled something in Rihannsu between bites, it the kind of unintelligible mouthful talk that only those that knew him could make sense of.

He paused for a moment to look between the two men. They seemed to be enjoying it but they were also quick eaters. He however continued to savor his food along with the wine. "Are you all sure you don't want some wine, I promise it pairs quite well."

"I am quite alright for now, I never really gained a taste for wine." He said casually between bites, he was still eating fast but he had managed to slow down some.

"I don't do alcohol, doesn't... react well with me for some reason," he replied.

He shrugged. "Suit yourself." He said just before having anouther sip from his glass. He was about to say something else when he realized. "Oh, I almost forgot. My name is Doctor Avignon. I don't think I had said that before."

"Ah. A pleasure to meet you doctor." He said with a casual tone. Most of the times doctors graduated the medical school at Lieutenant Junior grade, only nurses and techs were ensigns but it was Starfleet... "Ensign Weber."

"Lieutenant Aylek, a pleasure to meet you both," he said, the only non-human name of the group. He indulged in the steak more. "How long have you been in Starfleet?" A small talk question geared at the duo.

"Not long, I'm fresh out of Starfleet medical in spite of my age. I joined up a little late after spending a few years in Paris as a chef." He chuckled. "Well I actually just finished my first shift, which is why I've been celebrating with wine and good food."

"I just got out of the academy a few months ago myself. I went to the academy I was thirty." He explained briefly before taking another bite of his food.

"I graduated eight years ago, going on nine. I'm thirty myself at the moment- thirty human years old," he added, taking another bite. "How'd the first shift go, Doc?"

He shrugged. "It wasn't much of anything special. I got to meet my boss and do a simple checkup, however I am still quite proud to have made it to this point." He finished with a smile on his face.

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Since he wasn't being talked to he stayed silent and continued to eat.

“First shift is always the most difficult one- I’m happy that you made it through well. What drew you to joining Starfleet over being a chef?” He asked, taking one of the last bites of his meal.

He chuckled, but relented to simply giving a more cliche answer. "I suppose I just wanted to save lives you know? It feels very good to know my daily work has an impact on people."

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“Saving lives, a noble sentiment. It’s good to impact people in a positive way, that much is certainly true,” the Romulan replied, taking the final bite of the steak. “Hmm, it was so good I wolfed it down...”

He was still eating slowly and silently. This was his favorite kind of conversation... the kind where he had to say nothing at all.

He nodded. "It is good to be appreciated once again for my food. If you ever find yourself craving some more then just PADD me. I'm practically always free when I'm not working. What had you joining operations?"

He finished his own steak and gave the man a small nod. "It was very good. Thank you." He said with a thankful and casual but still rough tone.

"My mom, mostly. I was raised by humans and they... were a good bunch. My mom was an operations officer and my father was a Starfleet captain. I figured I'd be an ops officer and transfer to command at some point- ah. I'll be sure to send you a message, though I'd love to share my baking skills as well," he said, a smile. Satok was always incredibly calm and respectful to others.

He chuckled. "Im still perfecting the art of baking myself, I can make a couple french dishes well but, I may just need to take you up on that sometime." He placed his head onto his hands as he attentively listened to the romulan

He gave both of the men a nod before standing. "Apologies to run on you all but I should probably get back to my quarters, I have a project I need to get to work on." He said politely with another small nod to both men.

"Alright, Jolan'tru, Ensign. Have a good night," he said, waving Weber off. He looked back at the Frenchman. "Certainly. My mother... she is an excellent baker. Human woman... and apple pie southern style. Mmm... you like apple pie?"

He nodded and quickly disappeared. While he like being left alone to just listen it was as if he wasn't even there for the conversation so he felt he might as well have left.

He quickly addressed Weber. "Bon nuit, mon ami." He then turned back to his interesting conversation with the Romulan. "I sure do..." He trailed off as he thought of an idea.

"Awesome! Apple pie... is especially tasty." He said with a chuckle. "Sugar substitutes work very well, I've found... though I love sugar nevertheless!" He said, shrugging. "What do you usually bake?"

"Chocalate moose, though I'd reckon that would get you drunk wouldn't it?." He chuckled. "Though hey if you have the time I could cook you up some and maybe you could show me that apple pie of yours? That sounds like something I absolutely must try."

"Chocolate..." He grinned heavily, evilly perhaps at the idea, nodding shortly afterwards. "I'd love to do that- I've got all the free time in the world outside of my eight hour shifts," he said.

He laughed. "I'll probably bring a good bottle of wine for myself aswell." He grinned widely. "I certainly wouldn't want you to be having all the fun. We probably work around the same times so I doubt it would be hard to find a good time soon."

“Sure, though... yeah, I think it’ll be fun. Human food is much tastier than Rihannsu food...” He commented.

He smiled. "Very good then, I suppose we'll have to figure out a time and date then." He finished off his glass of wine and went for the bottle only to see it's empty. "Damn I ran through my bottle allready."

“Indeed, my PaDD inbox is always open. Send me a ding and I’m likely to respond. Jolan’tru?” He said in a questioning tone, rising to leave.

He nodded, recognizing the Romulan word. "Jolan'tru mon ami." He smiled. "I hope you have a good night." He too stood up and left.

Aella gave the other a suspicious look, clearly not trusting a word he was saying. "Hello Kosmo," Aella said in a very not-so-polite tone. She handed her cotton candy to the man and frowned when she noticed her hand was still covered in goo. "You know, that stuff is awful. It makes me regret being able to taste food. Maybe the Founders were right when they decided not to give my species taste..."

@Aella 5 | CIV (@Ranka 💥) - jump ’They should have not given them a mouth.’ He thought to himself. “Are you done whining?” He asks with a slightly bored tone. He finishes the cotton candy, he goes for a fourth stick. “So, where ya from?”

Aella was still pretty annoyed at this solid's attitude, but she was not gonna run away. No, she was a strong Vorta and a cranky man was not going to scare her away. Besides, it sounded like he was trying to be nice. "Umm.. I'm Dominion so the Gamma Quadrant-- or I guess Kurill Prime, the Vorta homeworld," Aella said thoughtfully as she watched the ensign go for a fourth stick. On the Founders, this guy sure loved that goo. Maybe in that way they did have something in common. "And what about you?"

He nods, ‘The gamma quadrant?’ He questioned himself. “I’m from Betazed.” He simply states as he eats more cotton candy. He goes up for another but is declined. He looks at the watch on his arm. “I should be going.” He mumbles.

"Oh! Betazed, interesting," Aella nodded. "Well then I guess I'll see you around Mr. Kosmo," She gave him a friendly smile (even though he didn't deserve it) before scurrying off towards the promenade. An interesting character, she was definitely going to have an interesting report for the Founders.!

He nods, Kosmo doesn’t return the smile. “Bye.” He leaves quickly.

Tour de Dining It was another day on station 777 within the vastness of space and time. Just as usual the dinning area on was bustling with those taking a break from their station work,most here to grab a nice thing to eat while others were here to congregate with fellow members of this station. Amongst the various others in dinning, there was an odd black charcoal furred feline walking away from one of the replicators with tray of olive wagyu and a side of water. She found a nice empty table and claimed it as her own, placing her tray with the ice cold water. Out of everything she could have ordered, the feline order this. It was something she liked to have often as most of the other things she could order didn't taste the same like how her father would have made them. She had in her younger years grown accustom to klingon food yet after seeing her mother she had to endure this change which she did quite well.. though she did prefer to eat things not replicated. C'Mera sat alone, she had recently finished her own mini tour of the station since from what she had heard, the eventide would be working very closely with the station a lot more. So she killed two birds with one stone upon her transfer over, mentally mapping everything and everyone she had come into contact with. Unlike her time aboard the U.S.S proeliator she was alone, generally she had kar to talk to thanks to his connection to her mother yet.. this time around it wasn't like that. She didn't have too much time to goof around or enjoy moments of company and laze under the watchful eyes of others. Instead she was to be the one watching over an entire division aboard eventide!.. It was a very tight ship compared to most.. and most difficult of all she still had yet to get to know the crew. C'Mera let out a small sigh to herself,poking the slices of meat with her fork. She pondered to herself while her free hand kept her head above her chest. Playing with her food, she stabbed one of the pieces

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of meat while flipping it on its small cooked outer side. "Oh Csoren why don't you go to the eventide and get yourself situated?" She gave the slice of meat a rather deep voice so she could talk to it. "That's because ima devour you, get in my belle!" She lifted the sliced meat to her mouth. " Ahhhhhh nooo! it's Ferstzilla" she spoke quickly in that alternative voice before shoving the piece of meat in her mouth, taking a nice big bite out of it. "Mwuahaha,your bitter as hell!" The feline said with her mouth full. This might have been one of the strangest sights.. in the dinning hall so far.

[D]Avryshial entered the restaurant with a casual glance around. She was wearing her normal attire, a standard issue Tactical uniform and like most times she had a PADD, this time it had a simulation running that was basically the same as last time but with two major changes. She replicated herself a bowl of Redbat soup and a plate of Hari bread to go along with a glass of ice water before looking for an open seat, which, as luck would have it, the only one available was with a Caitian in either a Medical or Science Uniform. She walked over with a small friendly smile on her face, which was partly framed by a few loose strands of very, very light blonde hair that was mostly tied up in a pony tail behind her head. "Excuse me ma'am, but do you mind if I sit here?" She asked in a friendly tone.

The Fersan was in the middle of chewing, almost completely obvious to the world around her.. until a voice of an angel spoke aloud asking in a polite manner to sit at her table. The feline's gaze shifted from the meat to the blue skinned Andorian, almost immediately the cat had a little flash back to her time serving with another andorian named Kar. C'Mera covered her mouth and quickly downed the slice of meat that was already within her mouth's possession. When she was done she revealed her mouth with a small awkward smile, her saber teeth poking out of her mouth. "Of course!" Her ears folded back against her head while her tail flicked like a whip. Seemingly her body was sending different signals out which was thanks to many different things.. it wasn't just the andorian infront of her yet.. a mixture of anxiety and her effort to repress the urge to poke and prod the antennas like she did to the last andorian she had came into contact with.. which was kar from the U.S.S Proeliator. The feline had the standard issue medical uniform, yet she didn't have anything on her person. C'Mera had initially left her things aboard the eventide on accident, so she was going in blind almost when it came to exploring the station. Thankfully she had mapped it mentally.. so she thinks.

"Thank you... this was the only seat I could find." She said with a small, awkward chuckle as she set down the Hari bread, Water, and Redbat soup on the table before pulling her PADD out from under her arm and setting it on the table screen down so that it wouldn't distract her during their conversation. After that she sat herself and brushed the loose strands of hair out from her face and behind her ear before giving the feline Lieutenant Commander a small, friendly smile. It was a good thing that the doctor didn't actually poke and prod Avryshials antenna because they are very, very sensitive and most Andorians would kill someone for touching them without even thinking about it. Right now Avryshial's antenna were just moving around, studying the temperature and air pressure of the room.

"Oh it's no problem, I'm just shocked at the amount of people in here at a time. It's quite astonishing." The feline spoke in response to the Andorian, commenting on the bustling environments of the star base. Sure she has been in a few busy rooms this..but was a pretty big dining area. The feline took another bite of her lightly cooked slices of meat,it was one of the only things she could handle without getting too sick. "So,what's life on the station like?" C'Mera tried to start up a conversation and maybe get of a feel of the type of people she might be encountering. Everyone was different in their own way even though some personalities can be a bit straight forward or job orientated with little expression besides the occasional off hours. The feline wanted to know for the sake of learning exactly how to talk to that specific person, sure it was a lot of effort but this was what she needed to do in order to properly understand them and their motives. The feline knew that andorians were very sensitive with their antennas..but no one andorian was truly safe from the feline's poking and prodding. It was only a matter of time until something revolving around her field of work would happen which would lead her to touching those damn appealing antennas! As malicious as it would sound.. it all derives from hands on curiosity.

"Its pretty slow on most days. And it honestly does get kind of boring." She said with a small shrug in response to the felines question. It really did get boring quickly sitting in one place for months at a time, even more so when it could be years before something happens. "It's pretty... average I guess you can say. A mix of everything." She added in a thoughtful and friendly tone. She quickly ate a spoonful of her Redbat soup before looking up at the feline and waiting for a response. She had a casual and friendly yet confident posture at the moment that matched her friendly smile. "Is this your first time on a Starbase?" She asked after a second, it would give the feline a easy sentence to respond to in her mind so she went ahead and asked. She looked down long enough to rip off a piece of Hari bread and took a bite of it quickly. At the moment her antenna had moved forward some with interest, she was watching the Feline at the moment, trying to get some feel for what they were like.

"Really? That must be underwhelming,but i guess with a lot of civilians aboard we can't except too much action." C'Mera said with a light chuckle, her tail began to calm from her flicks and her ears returned back to their pointy position. The feline took another light bite of her own food, this was something she enjoyed quite deeply. Talking to someone while eating... plus they were andorian! So in the felines mind it did make it ten times better in a way. "oh no, this isn't my first station i stepped on.. rather this is the first i have explored." The feline took a second to ponder the question about the first star base she had physical gone into. "My first starbase i have actually been to Starbase gamma-one after that we weren't really in any federation space for a while." The feline's eyes for a moment lifted off of the wonderful blue face to her antenna when they showed distinct interest in her general direction." You have some pretty spectacular appendages miss..-" Right.. she forgot to ask her name! or even introduce herself. Oh How embarrassing that was.. "i apologize.. i didn't seem to catch your name, Im C'Mera!" The Feline extended their hand across the table to shake the andorian's hand. Sure she didn't need to go out of her way to introduce herself with a handshake.. however she did see a few humans in the past to act professionally.

She gave the feline a small smile and took her hand with a polite and firm hand shake. "Ensign Avryshial Sh'vaqon." She said with a small nod, her tone remained friendly and casual. "Its a pleasure to meet you, and... thank you. Most people just ignore the antenna after they get used to them." She added with some small awkwardness, so far the only person who had even bothered talking about them, to her recollection, was Dots, her boyfriend. She wasn't really used to talking about her antenna, much less being complimented on them. She released C'Mera's hand and picked up her spoon to eat another quick spoonful of her soup, she was here to eat first, converse second.

"well it's a pleasure to meet you.. ensign." The feline smiled while shaking her hand. C'Mera mentally tried to pronounce her name on her own yet struggled lightly, so for the sake of not embarrassing herself she decided to the classic call her by her rank for now. The andorian had a nice firm grip which was something to be excepted. The feline once returned with her hand by her tray, she used the other to pick up the fork,delivering another piece of that sliced meat to her mouth. "Most would.. even though it's an essentially part of being you. That and your personality." The feline tried to be light hearted with it, she didn't want people to feel uncomfortable when talking about topics of appearance. She didn't think others would be so keen on it, thus leading her to only compliment such natural beauties in a one on one scenario.

She gave the feline another small, friendly smile. "Thank you, and most people just shorten my name to "Shial" if that is easier for you to pronounce." She said as if she had read the felines thoughts it was quite common for the long Andorian names to trip up people so she just added it on. "So far the only person who actually has said anything about besides you is my boyfriend." She added with an explaining tone to why she was semi awkward about talking her antenna.

"Oh alright, shial.. shhhiiiaal" The feline said aloud, that time it was a bit better to pronounce but that didn't mean the kitty wouldn't come up with her own nickname to give her.. that is if they were to meet again. "Really? He must be a lucky guy." C'Mera chuckled lightly, stuffing another piece of meat into her mouth and with little patience she downed it nearly whole. "So how long have you been with him?" C'Mera decided to ask since they were sorta on the topic, it was nice to get to know people and their relationships.

"I personally believe I am the lucky one." She said with a small, awkward chuckle accompanying her small smile. She looked down at the table some and quickly tore a piece of bread off of the main hunk and then at it before she responded. "We have been together a few months, they've been a few good months." She said with another small smile, she had enjoyed her time with Dots a whole lot, especially now that they seemed to be making some positive movement forward in their relationship. What she didn't like was that her Shreya hated that she was dating an outsider.

The Andorian and the feline continued to talk for a while longer before Avryshial finished her meal and left.

"Oh, Satok. It's beautiful, you are always such a wonderful cook. It would be illogical for me to decline your... spaghetti and meatballs," the woman said, taking a forkful while looking at the male romulan. "Big strong man like you can make spicy dishes... too spicy..."

He smirked and leaned over slightly on the table. "Well, you do like beef meatballs. Sure beats those romulan molluscs, those suck. Seafood sucks in general..." The duo looked like they were indeed getting along very well, their comments and body posture indicating that they were indeed mates to a degree.

[D] After Eshen had run out on her, she was looking to do something else to clear her mind. Perhaps some snacks? She still had that list of things that Nalas had told her to try. With her PADD in hand she walked through the restaurants and dining area when she smelled something quite odd. Earth... Food? She noticed a familiar face, it was that Romulan who was eating the sandwich! And some girl? They had some interesting food, perhaps they would tell her where they got it. "It's you again! The Romulan, hello, I wanted to know where you got that food, I want to try it," She walked right up to Satok, completely ignoring the fact that he was totally in the middle of a nice date or soemthing.

"Sorry, Love," he said to T'Lak once he heard Aella, looking at her with a slight brow furrow. He sighed softly and looked at his dish, then back at her. "So, ask the replicator for spaghetti and meatballs. I'm with my wife right now..." He said, tone of his voice indicating that Aella was interrupting and was unwelcome.

"Ohhh your wife," Aella looked at the Vulcan-Romulan lady and then at Satok. Well, solids got married, but it was interesting to see them out on a date like this. Wasn't that taboo amongst Vulcanoids? She wasn't quite sure but of course she had to know more. "I didn't know you were married-- Oh hi, i'm Aella 5, Dominion Liaison and official speaker for the Founders," Aella turned to the woman and gave her a friendly wave. Aella was not here to bully anyone, she was just here to be friendly.

After a bit of back and forth with the Klingon owner, Adill got a table for A’Ruk and himself.

As they sat down and ordered, A’Ruk wondered whether this was some sort of date. The private setting made it easy enough to believe so, but at the same time, it wasn’t like they’d specified anything. It would be very like Adill, though. Dating, as in taking one out for dinner, wasn’t exactly a Klingon custom, but A’Ruk trusted Adill to pick up such customs from his Federation friends. He ordered a selection of food from the menu and then his eyes returned to Adill.

Adill ordered a grand portion of gladst with sauce. He caught A’Ruk’s eyes — of a lighter brown than his own, funnily enough. Adill had always admired the easy confidence A’Ruk carried in his eyes. It was also what had first made him appear so annoying to Adill. Which was all for the better. If he hadn’t found A’Ruk so irritating, they never would have fought in the street and they never would have befriended each other.

“You seem lost in thought,” noted A’Ruk. “Anything particular on your mind?” He wanted to give him a chance to talk about whatever he wanted to talk about.

Adill exhaled and shook his head slightly, as if to shake himself back into reality. “Ah, I was just thinking about our first meeting. Reminiscing.”

A small smile passed over A’Ruk’s lips. “You nearly slit my throat.”

“You nearly broke my neck,” argued Adill, shaking his head again. “We were terribly young, weren’t we?”

“Hmmm.” He hummed his agreement and observed the way the light caught on Adill’s braided black hair. He had always admired Adill for some reason. Now, he was slowly beginning to find out that reason. And it wasn’t just Adill’s stubborn kindness or his determination. It was something else, something that made A’Ruk’s heart ache with longing. “Do you ever miss it?”

“Youth?” Adill raised an eyebrow, considering it. “I suppose so. I have this picture of everything having been… simpler back then. However, I am not unsatisfied in my position now.” He gazed at A’Ruk. His eyes got caught on the small spot of freshly regenerated skin on his lower lip. It looked awfully soft.

1

Was A’Ruk imagining this, or was Adill staring at his lips? He swallowed and his throat felt dry. He wondered when the waiter would come with their food and blood wine. “I am glad to hear that, Adill,” he said. It wasn’t like him to speak so sentimentally, but he noted, “This station suits you.”

“I suppose it does.” Adill managed to stop staring. The waiter arrived then, bringing them bloodwine and food. Adill started eating.

A’Ruk mirrored him, taking mouthfuls of gagh. “Not bad,” he commented between two bites. “However, it doesn’t come close to the food on Qo’nos. You really must visit again soon, Adill.” He knew it was a sensitive topic, but he needed to say it.

Adill strained a bit, but covered it up by taking a swig of his wine. “I am tied up here on the station at the moment. Perhaps I’ll find time in the future.” He made eye contact. “But I won’t come if you’re not there. Mother would smother me.”

“Hm, she would indeed,” hummed A’Ruk. He was half-satisfied with Adill’s response.

Adill sighed a little and drank more wine. The alcohol helped him relax slightly. “A’Ruk… I regret that I did not contact you earlier.” He wanted to say more, but the words got stuck in his throat. After their disagreement during the war, their friendship had lain in shards. It was a wonder they could even sit here now without arguing. As Adill thought of it, he still felt a little angry.

A’Ruk felt that it wasn’t just an apology, it was also an accusation. In Adill’s eyes, he saw the inevitable question why neither of them had contacted the other earlier. It was foolish and cowardly. “Let’s not dwell on the past,” said A’Ruk, trying to change the topic. “I’m here now.” He reached for his bloodwine as well. “And I’m glad we finally had that fight.”

Adill nodded over his food. “Indeed. You’ll have something to tell your Bekks about at least. Speaking of, how are they coping under your supervision?” It was less trouble to simply steer the conversation away from the heavier feelings. At least for now.

“I am training five different Bekks at the time,” told him A’Ruk conversationally. “One of them definitely has the potential to become a HoD and the others are rather promising as well. Only Wom worried me. He is younger than the others. Intelligent boy, but terribly rash, no respect…”

“I’m sure you’ll teach him as much.”

“Of course I will. Only sometimes…” He trailed off.

“What?”

“Ack! It’s sentimental.” He waved him off, chewing on his food. “But sometimes he reminds me of you. He hasn’t got that same will to help, but sometimes I believe he’d be better off in StarFleet.”

Adill’s gaze softened. The thought of A’Ruk being reminded of him during the time when they hadn’t spoken… It was touching somehow. “Have you suggested it to Wom?”

“Not yet.” He met Adill’s eyes. “Perhaps I might. Especially now… How is your work here going?”

Adill told him about the amount of people passing out on a daily, the away missions, the silly little wounds he had to patch up and the occasional bigger medical emergency. Overall, work had been really good. It was pleasant to talk to A’Ruk, as long as they were tiptoeing around some specific topics, like the war and their dispute. They laughed and joked and drank their wine. Adill enjoyed his non-replicated food for a change. Time passed and Adill found his own brain going more and more hazy with the alcohol. He felt warm. When A’Ruk made a stupid joke, his laughter was way too loud. “This,” he said vaguely, the wine making him poetic, but less articulate, “is excellent, maqoch! I have missed this.”

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A’Ruk chuckled. “I would be most offended if that weren’t the case.”

The sound of A’Ruk’s chuckle was music to Adill’s ears. He shrugged. “It’s too bad — I enjoy offending you!”

“Oh, really?” He dragged out the word. He wasn’t as drunk as Adill, but he was definitely tipsy! “Why?”

“Because I get to win against you in a fight of course! Oh!” Adill perked up suddenly, as his brain provided him with random drunk information. He snapped his fingers. “Remember that thing!”

A’Ruk frowned deeply. “A thing? What thing?”

“The thing! You know the, the… Oh, I’ve forgotten.” His excitement fell away and he stared at the table begrudgingly.

“Don’t be sad!” He leant over instinctively and touched Adill’s shoulder. “They say what you forget is not important. What you know counts.”

Adill slowly raised his head to look at the man. Then, he tilted it slightly, his eyes studying A’Ruk. “You know what I know?”

“Some things, yeah. You got a big brain!” He tapped one of Adill’s forehead ridges.

Adill waved him off. “No, I mean. I know that there’s a bottle of Andorian ale in my room,” as he said it, a sly smile slipped onto his face, “And I saved it for special occasions.”

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“Get yourself a man who calls you a special occasion, everyone!” A’Ruk stood up enthusiastically. It was maybe not a good idea, because he nearly stumbled, but he managed to hold himself upright in the end. “Come along!”

4

Adill nearly snorted. “You don’t even know the way, A’Ruk!” He staggered after him out of the restaurant. They’d already paid at least, so he didn’t have to worry about that in his drunken state. Good for him. He wasn’t all too good with numbers when he was wasted.

“Oh,” said a A’Ruk and noticed the way Adill was swaying on his feet. Without further ado, he put his arm around Adill’s shoulder to steady him.

4

Stepping into what the roleplayer assumes is essentially a food court with the rest of Team Booty Shorts, Risren looked around. There were plenty of places to eat here. “Oh, you don’t have to cook for me, but if you did I would be fine with Earth food. There weren’t many places with Orion ingredients back home,” He said, shrugging.

"I don't have to, but I like to, especially with new friends. Come, this way." Eshen walked into #surak-snacks.

Comet walked confidently over to a cookie-cutter stand and got in line. The owner wasn't very creative when it came to names or decoration, but culinary creativity more than made up for that.

Zi stood in line patiently next to Comet, with Ash next to them, a smile on their face. "So is it like warm or cold or hot?" They asked, presumably referring to the sweet treat they were about to have.

"Neither, really," Comet replied. "It's sort of a dried sap, but it's very sweet," They explained. "I'd call it room temperature? It's kinda like a giant lollipop, I guess," By this point, the line had moved forward. Comet ordered two jumja sticks, paid, and led Zi over to a small table they could sit at.

Zi smiled as she sat down, putting the bag of dog food down next to her and taking her bag off to hang on the back of her chair. "So then-" She said with a smile, looking at the treat with curious eyes.

Comet had already popped it in their mouth, taking a very chewy bite off the stick. They would never not be craving a jumja stick, especially from here. They made a note to themself to tip the owner later, swallowing the bite. "Hmm?"

Having watched Comet for a moment to try and figure out how to eat it, Zi finally decided to have a go. Their initial reaction to the taste on their face was that of deep thought, before chewing some more. After a short moment a big grin spread across their face. "Oh my stars this is good!" They exclaimed happily.

"I know," Comet said, very glad Zi was enjoying. "It is a crime that other planets don't have jumja trees- no one should have to live without this masterpiece of a candy," They said, taking another bite. They wholeheartedly believed this- one of the most fond memories from their childhood came from making jumja sticks with their day-care class.

"I think we have one in the botanical gardens." They said, before taking another bite of the sticky food. Ash laid down at this point, feeling quite content with whatever was going on.

"Really? I'd love to see it...I'm not much of a chef, but I can make some okay-ish jumja sticks," Comet said. Of course there was a sap-gathering technique that wouldn't harm the tree, as well.

"I can take you to see it some time!" Zi said with a smile as they continued to eat (obviously not speaking while eating, that's rude). "I never really thought about the fact other species would have sweet treats, to be perfectly honest with you. Silly, I know. I guess I've just led a rather sheltered life."

"Really? Wow," Comet said, pondering that. How sheltered would one have to be to be blind to thousands of cultures? No judgement of course, but that was just sad. "My mother was stationed on Deep Space Nine, so I was kinda always aware,"

"Oh that's cool! None of my family really ever left our colony for any work, let alone what I'm doing." They said, before taking yet another bite of food. "Like I knew about species and stuff, but not really about their cultures. I still don't. I really need to catch up."

Comet, who had nearly demolished their jumja stick at this point, looked up. "Well, you could always ask. The best knowledge comes from people with first hand experience, in my opinion. This station is diverse enough, I'm sure you could find almost any culture you can think of on board. You could make it a project! Snapshots of life aboard 777. Stories, pictures...you could set up some kind of website," They suggested. "That could end up being really popular and educational,"

"Pfft, I don't think I'd be nearly qualified enough to do anything like that. I'd probably end up offending everyone." They said with a laugh, having now consumed exactly half of their jumja stick.

"Then maybe I'll do it instead," Comet challenged playfully. "Sounds fun, if I'm being honest. Or maybe I'll suggest it to that Crespo guy, the reporter," They mused. Probably best to leave it to the professionals.

"Never heard of 'em." Zi responded to the comment about Crespo, before taking another bite of their sweet treat. "I'd love to help you with it if you did that, though!"

"I'll let you know if I do. And I haven't heard of Crespo, necessarily, but he has an office on this ring. Literally just 'Crespo News'." Comet replied, taking the final bite. "From what I've heard, he's very efficient."

"Well I suppose it's a good thing to have independent journalists and stuff." Zi said with a smile, before consuming yet more jumja.

"From what I heard, he's interviewing every department. He's done medical already," Comet informed them. "It was this whole thing- him poking around and stuff,"

"Oh. Well, I'm not really a big fan of intrusive reporters. People like that usually try and twist stuff to benefit themselves." Zi commented as they took another bite of their jumja. Only a little bit left to go.

"I get the feeling he's one of those," Comet said with a frown. "From what I heard, at least. I wasn't here when it happened," They shrugged. "But no one believes those types of people anyway,"

"Yeah. I only follow one news source and they always back what they say up with facts." They said with a smile, before finally finishing their jumja. "That was really good!" Zi said with a grin.

"I'm glad you liked it! Maybe I'll try experimenting with the recipe to see if I can make it dog safe, so Ash can join in too!" They smiled. "Maybe something with less sugar. Something protien-y,"

"Ooooh, I think he'd like that!" They said, looking down at Ash as they did, of whom wagged his tail in response. "I think he says yes to that idea!"

"Cooking at my place at some point, got it. I haven't met my roommate yet, but she should be fine with it. Who wouldn't, with two cute faces?" Comet said. They flirted with their friends sometimes, it was a habit.

“Yeah, Ash really does have a cute f-“ They quickly stopped talking and looked up at Comet with a blush, having how realised who one of the aforementioned cute faces was meant to be. “You- You think I have a cute face?” They asked sheepishly.

Comet shrugged. "Maybe I do, maybe I don't," They said evasively, hoping this wasn't making Zi uncomfortable. "Do you...often blush that much? I think I've seen you blush more than I've ever seen anyone in my entire life," They pondered over that, wondering what that could mean.

This question, ultimately, made Zi blush more, but it also made her start subconsciously playing with the hem of her jacket. "I, well... I don't know. I don't usually receive compliments from people I'm not working with or not related to..." She said quietly and sheepishly.

“Oh! Do you want me to stop? I don’t wanna make you uncomfortable,” Comet told Zi, tilting their head. They were accommodating and understanding, if you weren’t comfortable, neither were they.

"I-I don't know." Zi answered honestly. "I just... I'm not used to it. I think I need to get used to it, but I guess that takes time." They said equally as quietly as before. After a brief moment of silence they spoke again. "I like you Comet, and I appreciate the compliments. Really, I do. I just, I guess I need to be more confident, like you said."

“I’ll tell you a ‘secret’,” They laughed softly. “When I first left the academy, and met my friends on the Ohio, I was probably the quietest one in the group, besides Ekra. But then I got adopted into the group by Luxeyo and Uyon, two extroverted people. You just need someone to help you come out of your shell,” Comet told Zi, smiling some at the memory. They wouldn’t have been here at all without Lux and Uyon. (edited)

Zi nodded a little in response, thinking everything that was said over. "Honestly, I think I'm just a bit overwhelmed, you know? Like... This place is bigger than my entire colony, there are far more people, and cultures, and just everything." They admitted quietly.

“It can be a bit overwhelming. You get used to it, after a while. You’ve only been here for a couple months, right? Give it some time,” Comet suggested sympathetically.

"Yeah, you're right... Thank you." Zi said with a slight smile. "Do you... Do you think you could help me come out of my shell?" They asked sheepishly.

“Absolutely! You aren’t getting rid of me now, Mx. Shy Plant Person,” Comet grinned, green eyes shining. “You’re stuck with me,” Another thing about Comet: they were loyal to the end.

Zi smiled in response to what Comet said, seemingly cheering up somewhat as well. "Thank you- Also, I don't think Ash would have it any other way. He really likes you." They said with a smile.

“So I’m only around because your dog likes me?” Comet said, pretending to be offended. “I thought we were friends,” They said dramatically, using what their theatre kid roots gave them.

Zi briefly internally panicked, before realising just what Comet was doing. Time to play along! "Didn't you know? Ash here decides who I'm friends with! If he doesn't like you, I don't either!" They said in a snooty voice.

“I see, so that means I must’ve survived the trial when I gave him a treat,” Comet said, glancing down at the pup. “I guess that’s a good thing,” They said dogs had good judgement of a person’s character. That was a saying, they were pretty sure.

"That you did! Upon giving Ash his sweet fruit treat you passed his trials and officially got approved for friendship!" They said with a grin, glancing down at Ash as they spoke, who frankly had no idea what was going on but wagged his tail quite happily anyway.

“I thank you, almighty Ash,” Comet said with a bow towards the dog, very exaggerated, with a flourish. “Your approval is appreciated,”

Okay, Zi couldn't keep this up any longer. They burst into laughter when Comet bowed, seemingly having a great time despite their lack of general confidence. Once finished they smiled at Comet warmly. "I'm really glad I met you, Comet. Wait, did I say that already? I don't care, I'm saying it again."

“You did, and I said it back, so I’m saying it again. I’m glad I met you. Thank the Prophet I was looking at that random shiny thing- I’d never have met you otherwise,” They smiled, thinking for a second. What had that shiny thing been? Never mind, that wasn’t important.

"What was that shiny thing, anyway? We might be able to go and find it if you like. Wait, who am I kidding, the entire station is shiny as far as I'm concerned." They said with a chuckle, looking around briefly as they did. (edited)

“I think it was a piece of foil. I’m not sure. I get distracted easily,” Comet shrugged, standing up. “I really hate to abandon you like this, but I’ve gotta get to the shuttlebay. I’ll see you around?”

"Oh, oh of course!" Zi said as they themselves stood up, prompting Ash to do the same. "We can arrange to hang out later at some point! Work is always important." They said with a warm smile, having now also picked up the bag from the pet food stall.

“I’ll PADD you when I get off duty. See you around, Zi Copperfield,” Comet said, giving them a two-fingered wave and a wink before walking out.

And there came the blush one final time when Comet winked. Why was Zi like this? We'll have to wait and see, not that it wasn't obvious all ready to everyone reading this. They waved Comet off, before heading out with Ash to go and do gardener and dog-based activities.

3

Jazz was in the air as Maggie entered the room in a shiny golden dress, her best one! She was here on a date, with someone she met on the ships comms network. So she took a seat at a table and waited. And waited. And waited. And waited. “Fucking hell.” She said as she took a swig of her fourth iced tea.

6

[D] Nalas was done with work and looking forward to eating some good ass good. Dressed in his uniform with his front jacket open, he marched into the restaurant and took the first open seat he found, ignoring that there was already someone sitting there.

Maggie looked towards the ensign across from her, letting out a low growl as she nearly shattered the glass with her bear hands (a small crack formed on the glass). “First my date strands me up, now you.” She said with a sigh. “Hello Nalas.”

Nalas, who was blissfully unaware what he was doing looked at the person across from him only to realise-- It was the wormhole lady, Maggie! HoleLover69 in the chatroom, the one who also tried to bait him into being spacist. He simply smiled at her, taking no mind to her grip on the glass. "Oh you got stood up? Sucks to suck," He shrugged and called over a waiter to order some jumja juice. He clearly did not care about her situation, he was just here to get something to eat. "You look nice though. Pretty dress, where did you get it?"

7

Maggie crossed her arms as she looked towards the man sitting across from her. “Well I’m glad you think I look I nice, probably better then whatever hoe just stood me up.” She said as she took a long drink of her tea. “Honestly! This always happens! I’ve never been able to hold down a relationship, and I should be able to. I mean, I think I’m conventionally attractive! Men and women should be drooling at my feet! Plus I’m smart! What gives.”

When she said 'conventionally attractive' and 'smart' Nalas couldn't help but laugh at her. Genuine laughter, making the little ridges on his nose wrinkle up, mouth wide open. Oh she really thought she was all that and a bag of crisps? Nalas shook his head and leaned his arms on the table. "Looks aren't everything, HoleLover69. You got the personality of a Cardassian Vole," He said through his laughter.

7

Maggie looked at the man in front of her with clear fire in her. “Okay Nalas, you know what? Fuck you! You have the personality of an actual turd you stupid idiot! You look at your notes! Put your stupid butt in my face in the tubes and just be an asshole? What’s next for you? Attacking a baby with a sledgehammer?”

2

He looked at Maggie, eyes wide as she spoke, clearly in shock. He started laughing again, this lady was nuts, but this was fun. "Nah, I'll spread pro-Cardassia propeganda before I do that," He leaned back, not realising he kneed the table when he did so. "I'm just kidding, maaaannnn you're really dumb, is this why you got stood up?"

3

Maggie glared as she looked at him. “Oh I’m dumb? Really? Bitch please I could open a wormhole in your mothers ass!” She yelled out as she raised a bunch of middle fingers towards him, letting out nerdy pew pew noises.

4

"Is that really the best you can do? Your mum jokes? What is this, 2022?" Nalas crossed his arms and shook his head at her. "I don't even know why Aella likes you, maybe she just pities you?" Nalas narrowed his eyes and smirked.

3

Maggie actually was taken aback by that. “You leave Aella out of this you son of a bitch. She’s done nothing wrong here, and unlike you she’s a good person!” She said with spite in her voice. “And I pity your stupid ass! Why are you such a fucking dick?”

3

"Because you were mean to me first!" Nalas slammed his hand on the table. Now people were staring at them, they were definitely making quite the scene. "You came up behind me in the tubes, yelled at me in the labs, if there is anyone who's mean it's you!" Nalas knocked the table once more with his knees, actually on accident. He was way too tall for the table and he had a lot of feelings.

2

“The tubes don’t count! We were both mean to each other in the tubes! And we had a crazy Russian trying to save us! It was very stressful!” She said with a yell. “And I was only mean because you looked at my notes you stupid dummy! In fact, your a dumbo! With big stupid ears!”

1

"What?! You're calling my ears big? You could have literally made fun of anything else-- You human and your-- lack of nose ridges!" Nalas shot back, slamming his hand on the table again and causing the glass Maggie had to shake. "Yeah, I'm claustrophobic, I'm scared of turbolifts too, what did you expect me to do?"

She glared at him with a anger in her voice. “At least I don’t yell at people after they get stood up by their hot date! That, honestly seemed too good to be true! I’m fairly sure her nose was CGI!” She said with anger in her voice. “And I’m sorry you were scared, I’ll stop blaming you for that!”

"Hot date? Were they really that hot? I'm hotter, definitely," Nalas put his hands bahind his head and leaned back, cool guy pose now. "Not that I'd be on a date with you, I'm gay. Like, very gay," He said before realising everyone in the restaurant was staring at them now. Like everyone.

2

Maggie glared towards him. “Good! I don’t even wanna think about being close to you! I wouldn’t even wear this dress! I would wear a t-shirt and booty shorts with so many stains! Because you are a stain of a person!”

2

"Same to you too, you fucking chee bai," Nalas wasn't screaming anymore but he his voice was still angry. Throwing out the singlish swear words now, Aella was rubbing off on him. "Enjoy your lonely date, ya fucking Vole," He said before marching right out of there. Oh he didn't care if ppl talked, he was done with this piece of shit.

4

Maggie looked towards him with anger before standing up and raising her middle fingers over and over again. “Fuck you! Fuck your mother! Fuck your father! Fuck your friends! And fuck your mother again! And fuckkkkkk all of you people!” She said before storming out.

5

The Hybrid walked into the restaurant, she sat at an empty table and looked at her menu. She called the Chief Science Officer for some help with a project she wanted to do. She fidgets in her seat, and tugged on her uniform collar nervously. She was about to meet a full blooded Vulcan for the first time in years, she couldn't do this, she can't!

She was very much out of place. When T'Zan had suggested this location the only reason she hadn't outright refused was because 'I don't go there.' was not a sufficient excuse. Feeling extremely uncomfortable and just about managing not to look it as well, Evoras scanned the room with her eyes until she found her. "Lieutenant Junior Grade." Evoras gave her a short nod, before sitting down across the table from her. "What is the nature of the project you intend on conducting?"

T'Zan smiled nervously. "Why don't we order first then we can talk about science?" The Hybrid tapped on the menu in front of Evoras

She raised her eyebrow slightly, but picked up the menu and looked it over. Without particularly much thought behind it she chose one of the meals and put it back down. A small part of her hoped the food would at least be good, but she ignored it. "If you are ready to order we can."

T'Zan called out to a waiter and started to say her order. "I'll have a Chicken sandwich with waffle fries, with a glass of Coca-Cola." T'Zan handed the menu to the waiter. "It's an earth dish, my favorite is the Coca-Cola." She smiled slightly.

"The tomato risotto and if it is possible a sparkling water with a bit of lemon juice." She waited for the waiter to finish taking the order, before giving them a nod. As if she'd almost forgotten about it she added a: "Thank you." *Then she turned towards T'Zan. "I am aware what Coca-Cola is, I do however personally not particularly enjoy the taste."

"I think it tastes amazing! I think more planets should invent more of their own sodas, I would definitely like that." T'Zan then pulls out her PADD "As we wait for our food, why don't I show you the project I'm creating?"

She raised her eyebrow, but decided not to say anything, after all the dietary preferences of others were not hers to regulate or comment on. Instead she returned her thoughts to the matter at hand. "You may. What are you planning?"

"It sounds kind of stupid and hard to make, but I was thinking of temporal ships and I wondered how they are made. It's something I've been thinking about a lot. My research often involved a lot of temporal anomalies and time travel, so I wanted to explore more." T'Zan gave Evoras her PADD to show her the research she did.

She scrolled carefully through the PADD that had been handed to her. The topic was tangentially familiar to her due to the connections between space and time. She could see that T'Zan most likely had put in quite some effort into this project as it seemed well researched. After a while of sitting there completely still aside from the occasional scrolling, she put the PADD down in front of her. "What exactly is the part you ask for assistance with and what would you have me do?"

"Since you're the Chief Science Officer, I wanted to have some of your advice about the project. I want to stabilize time travel, so we can go back without actively changing anything. I want you to help me build a temporal ship, one that won't draw attention to people in the past." *The Hybrid explained, just as she finished taking, the waiter arrived with their food."

The arriving food was a welcome distraction. She tilted her head slightly towards the waiter in what looked more like acknowledgement than gratitude due to her entirely straight face. Picking up a fork, she inspected the food while thinking about T'Zan's project. "I am willing to give you assistance where you find it necessary and I can give it, however any experimentation you do will have to be limited to micro timejumps that will not have significant impacts should something go wrong... for now at least." She really did not care for something like them having to fix the timeline, because a duplicate person had caused a short circuit in someone's ~~her~~ side project causing the station to explode.

"Thank you." The Hybrid smiled at her and she started to eat her food. She took back her PADD from Evoras. "So..." T'Zan scratched the back of her neck nervously. "Tell me about yourself...if that's ok..."

Stopping her fork halfway to her mouth, Evoras looked up and raised one of her eyebrows. For a few moments she just blankly looked at T'Zan. *"I fail to see the relevance of your inquiry." *With that she returned her eyes to the food in front of her. "What exactly is it that you would have me tell you about?"

She sighed mentally, it seems like the Vulcan can't do regular small talk without it being about science. The Hybrid took a sip of her drink and spoke. "Like, hobbies, favorite places to go in the universe, and why you joined Starfleet. Stuff like that, if it makes you feel better, I can tell you some things about me."

1

She walked into the restaurant and sat down at a table. When the waitress came over, she ordered pancakes and a glass of water.

Styre looked around and noticed the rather occupied restaurant. One seat was open adjacent to an Ensign. He moved in and looked towards the ensign, initiating an inquiry. "Is that seat occupied?"

“No, it is not. You may sit if you wish.” She replied.

Styre nodded and pulled out the seat and ordered a small tea with no food. "I appreciate the gesture."

“It is, as they say, nothing. So, who are you?” She asked, meaning no disrespect in her question.

Styre moved to the seat in his blue uniform with the three pips. “I am Commander Styre.”

“Oh- uh, hello.. Sir? I am Lorin Redwood, I came here three days ago.” She said.

Styre unconsciously nodded. His pointed ears indicated that he was a Vulcan but the curly blonde hair indicated otherwise. “Greetings.”

“You are Vulcan?” She asked, rather uneasy around someone so high in rank compared to her.

"I am Vulcan, yes." He said simply. Tone nonexistent as the words echoed out of his mouth.

She didn’t know what to say. Even Alizati was easier to talk to. She looked away, a bit intimidated by his rank.

Styre nodded, his curls bouncing onto his forehead. "You said you are three days new. What brought you aboard the station?"

“My old posting… it did not end well. I needed to find a new place to work.” She replied, looking back at him. A poorly masked thousand yard stare on her face.

Styre remained stoic, but forced himself to continue. "What is your assignment aboard?"

“Exobiologist, sir.”

Styre's ears twitched slightly as a very faint, but very quick smile formed. It quickly dissipated before he began to talk. "I too used to be a scientist."

“Used to?” She asked, puzzled.

"I am now in Command. I serve as the Executive Officer of the Eventide."

“Seems like an upgrade, for sure. This starbase is much better than my old place. A lot more room.” She said, looking around the restaurant.

At the sound of 'upgrade' Styre shook his head. A small frown appeared... and it stated for a few moments before Styre returned to his neutral expression. "I would hardly call my promotion an 'upgrade'. I felt much more content within my posting as a Biologist."

“I get it. I don’t think I’d be happy in a command position myself.” She said.

"But it was a logical advancement of my career, thus it was logical to follow." He nodded, trying to explain and justify the decision... mainly to himself.

“It does seem like the logical choice.” She replied.

"Are you a follower of logic?" He inquired genuinely.

“Sometimes. It depends on what I’m doing.” She said. The waiter walked over to them, bringing her water and his tea.

Styre gave a courteous nod to the waiter and acknowledged him but continued the conversation. "I adhere to the strictness of logic as laid out by Surak." he uttered. "or, at least I try."

“I gave up on that a long time ago. I couldn’t follow it, not as other thought I should.” She admitted, taking a sip of her water.

"How did one come to such a conclusion?" He asked, genuinely curious.

“I just.. couldn’t quite fit in. Half human, and it really was to my detriment when I still lived on Vulcan. I was the most unpopular, the easiest target to pick on. Then I just stopped caring. My classmates wouldn’t like me no matter how logical I was, and I couldn’t keep it up any longer. Ironic, because in the Academy, I was still too logical to fit in. But it wasn’t as bad then.” She said. She always hated how ironic it was. If it wasn’t for Halcyon, the Academy would’ve been Vulcan Childhood 2.0

Despite their apparent similarities, the two Hybrids could not have been any different. "I find it quite... ironic to expose our similarities without exposing the opposing truths. I was born and raised on Earth, with a Vulcan dad and a Human mother. You on Vulcan to mixed parents as well, or as much as I can conclude. Yet, you abandoned logic and I have held on." he continued. "You look more similar to a typical Vulcan, yet I look akin to a Hybrid."

“Accurate. My father is human. Though, we share an interest in science, which is a similarity. Academics was how I related to most of my peers in the Academy. Though, most of them just wanted my notes because they were too lazy to do it themselves.” She was a detailed note-taker, with neat handwriting and an uncanny skill of writing almost at the same pace some of her instructors spoke at. The only one she would send notes to, however, was Halcyon.

"I found myself quite alone within the Academy. My prowess made me a target for jokes and humiliation. I found a sort of remiss from my time in the laboratories. I much prefer conducting research than to lead and command."

“I enjoyed using the laboratories as well. It was nice not being relegated to the oldest and worst things, as was common before my time in the Academy. The freedom to work was an added bonus. I miss not being interrupted unless it was a younger guy stressing out because his equipment was doing something weird.” She said. She thought of the perpetually-frazzled redheaded human whose things kept breaking accidentally.

"I prefer no interruptions as well. Allow myself to conduct research in a quiet lab and I am content." he offered forth. "What does your research focus on?"

“I have no current projects at the moment. My previous research was ended rather abruptly when I had to leave my old posting. I am sure I will find something else to focus on in time.” She said, the same thousand-yard stare coming back. The waiter came over with her pancakes, and she thanked him.

He nodded solemnly. "What did your research focus on with your prior posting?"

“It focused on an ancient civilization on Thealin III. It was quite fascinating, and I was content to analyze and note things down. I loved it. Even though Thealin III was a frozen wasteland and the outpost we were in was cramped and uncomfortable. I sometimes wish I was still there, but that is not possible, sadly.” She said, taking a bite of her pancakes.

Styre nodded, listening to the young scientist explain her endeavors made him fond of his own memories. "You said you were a biologist, yet you studied an ancient civilization. Do you have a background in xenoantrhopology?"

“It was more like the original goal for everyone at the outpost was to study the civilization, and I was there to help out with analyzing data, taking samples, and that sort of thing. It was my first assignment, I doubt they would’ve trusted me with anything major. But it was always a good day when we were looking for something else and then found an artifact or a skeleton.” She said. She had fond memories of frost-bitten researchers bringing in skeletons and other things. Being in the cold wasn’t so great, but the research was worth it. “Some people branches out from there. Me and some others focused on the biology of the organisms currently living on the planet, and of what remains we could find of the Thealinians. The organisms there now are all non-sapient. We had a theory that they were once domesticated by the Thealinians, but have since reverted to their wild characteristics. Others focused on the culture.”

Styre listened attentively to the ensign sat in front of him, nodding along as she spoke. "Sounds like an interesting endeavor. Were there any notable discoveries made upon the planet, by yourself or any other researchers stationed there?" He inquired curiously. "My research aboard the Station 15 was all biological in nature." he said abruptly, severely missing the research aspect of being a scientist.

“There aren’t a whole lot of things that would be of much interest to anyone who isn’t extremely interested in Thealin III. Unless you count extremely dangerous viruses to be notable. But, we didn’t so much research that. Rather, most of the base died from it and we had to evacuate. I’m not qualified to work with anything like that, so I don’t really know what became of all the contaminated things back down there. But the research was great up until then.” She said, doing remarkably well to keep her composure. “What was your research about, if I may ask?”

"I believe the correct terran term would be... an ironic situation to say the least." He said as his ears twitched lightly. "I am a synthetic biologist, with a specialization in synthetic viruses. I have several very highly dangerous in viles." He commented quickly. "So indeed, extremely dangerous viruses are definitely notable to me."

“That’s textbook irony. Besides myself, it was humans who got infected. We tracked down the source to a Thealinian corpse that was preserved in ice, and it spread very rapidly from there. Thealinians and humans are similar enough for the virus to cross over. I have a theory that I only survived because I’m not fully human.“ If only he was there instead of me, she thought.

"That theory may be valid, but our anatomies may be similar enough that it could have crossed over, yet you were taking precautions that ultimately saved your life." he paused for a moment, calculating what he would say next. His voice still cold and stoic, though his facial expressions indicated some sort of interest in the conversation. "Do you know the name or designation of the virus? I would thoroughly feel interest in reading and studying up upon it."

“The name we gave it when we were still at the outpost was “Thealin hemorrhagic fever”, but it may have been changed since. We didn’t have time for formalities like that when we were dying, and I do not have much memory of the time after evacuating. We just named it after the planet. I suppose it would be comparable to the human Ebola or Marburg viruses. I did a lot of frantic research on similar viruses back then.” She said. She doubted his theory, precautions took second place to finding a cure at the time.

"Shall I pull up some research conducted, I will forward the most notable and interesting towards your PADD, shall you wish." He nodded. Styre's ears have stopped twitching at this point as he continued. "Ebola or Marburg, long eradicated. Or so we have thought." he nodded. "Most of my viruses are titled things like Acceculus ProtoB, or Cature Rounded Culture Speciman A12. Otherwise they are given number designations."

“And I’m glad they are eradicated. I’ve seen enough blood to last a thousand lifetimes, all of it in the span of maybe three weeks. Before that, I used to have some semblance of emotional control. Not anymore, thanks to whatever damage it caused while it was wrecking me. I wish we could have had enough time to give it a proper designation, but we didn’t. But, sure, forward me whatever you find.” She couldn’t help but think about the unfortunate humans who suffered those horrible diseases.

"I also send forward my most immense sorrows for the emotional damage incurred whilst you were doing something you enjoyed. I hold the belief that it is not an enjoyable experience." he gave a slight nod. "I am sure your names will be mentioned within papers I find, if any. Otherwise, I will request a correction to their content."

“I didn’t so much research it as almost died from it. The other scientists did most of the work, before they started getting sick. Everything I tried to use their work for was a total failure, and then I fell ill too. And yeah, losing blood through anywhere the blood can escape is not a great time.” She said. Nor was the pain, or the fatigue, or any of the other symptoms.

"I assure you, contributions are honorable, no matter how small or insignificant they may seem." he nodded. "That is coming from a scientist with decades of experience, not from a Commander of some starship."

“Eh, there’s a reason I’m still an ensign. Hoping to do something notable here. And it’s always good to talk to a scientist with so much experience.” She said.

"I always find it a feeble pursuit to compare your rank with your knowledge and skill, Ensign." he paused and sipped some water. "Your knowledge is invaluable, your contributions are always appreciated. I assure you, you fit amongst the greatest minds to exist. You are a notable individual."

“Thank you. I’m just trying to find my way through all of this. I’ll be happy the day my memory comes back, though I don’t know if that’ll happen. It’s weird knowing that weeks of your life are just… gone.” She replied.

"A lack of memory does not equate to a lack of existence." he paused. "I often forget about my siblings friends, yet they continue to exist. Somewhere out there, there is a record of that memory." he offered.

“I’m aware of the fact that those weeks happened. I just want to know exactly what I did during those weeks, and I don’t think I’m going to get a concise and truthful answer from anyone. I don’t have any siblings, though. I was enough to deal with for my parents.” She said. She had put her mother through social exile, more than she dealt with for marrying her father.

"My apologies if I am continuing to cause hurt and pain, Ensign. I assure you that it is not my intention." he gave a slight nod. "My failure to be entirely Vulcan or entirely Human in my thoughts and mannerisms often causes conflicts."

“Relatable. On Vulcan, I wasn’t Vulcan enough for anyone to talk to, on Earth I was just weird. We’re in this in-between where people want us to be one or the other, but it’s just not possible.” She replied.

He gave a nod. "As is the problem with being a hybrid. Your 'uniqueness' is what makes you weird or different. You are different to those you wish to be close to." he consoled.

“Exactly. And I think you’re a pretty good guy to talk with, whoever’s saying you cause conflicts is more illogical than I am.” She said, finishing the rest of her pancakes.

"I have indeed caused conflicts. My internal wish to maintain logic and follow Surak's teaching is conflicted with my Human desires to express and feel my emotions openly."

“Ohhh… yeah that makes sense.” She replied.

He gave a nod. "Do you often strugle with conflict as well?"

“Yeah, but it was mostly an issue when I was a kid. Now I only have that problem occasionally. I still have a logical side that conflicts with the emotional side, but the emotions won and I’m not going to waste energy on fixing that when I could use that energy to make a notable contribution to scientific knowledge. It’s worked so far. Humans like me. I can hold a conversation. I’m going to leave well enough alone.” She said, giving a nonchalant shrug.

"Do you believe it to be incorrect of me to have chosen the Logical side over the emotional one?"

“Nope, not at all. Whatever works for you. No one choice is correct. I’d work to fix my lack of emotional control, but I have enough going on that if I worry about everything all at once, I will not be able to complete my work.” She replied.

"What is your current work, Ensign?"

“I still don’t quite know. I haven’t found anything that truly piques my interest, and I haven’t been assigned anything. Right now, I’m trying not to get lost.” She said. The starbase was huge, very confusing after the cramped outpost.

"Starbases can be rather large and confusing, but the Computer and installed terminals will do their best to help you around."

“Thanks for the tip.” She said.

Styre gave a nod, downing the rest of his water before standing up. "I believe it is my time to leave. I look forward to future encounters."

“I do, too.” She said, standing up and walking out of the restaurant.

1

She walked into an ice cream shop and went up to the counter.

Lorin followed Halcyon into the shop.

"What'll you both have?" She asked. "I'm thinking peanut butter ribbon with marshmallows..."

“Mint chocolate chip. Definitely.” She said.

04:18

She ordered and paid for her ice cream, waiting for it to be made.

She ordered a strawberry ice cream and waited for it to be made.

"Well then." She stood waiting next to them while her order was prepared. "You know, we could totally hang out, just the three of us, sometime..."

“Yeah, sounds great.”

“I wouldn’t mind.” Hm. Her ex and best friend, and her new friend, all in the same place. This couldn’t go wrong, right?

"Like we're now doing. Ooh, thank you!" She smiled at the ice cream shop owner, who handed them each their orders. "What do you both like to do?"

“I enjoy keeping up with scientific developments across the Federation, and perfecting my drawing skills.” She replied.

“She also likes creative writing. I know, because I hated it and she did all of it for me whenever I was assigned a writing project in the Academy. I like digital art more than physical. Oh, and I like parkour, but that’s not really feasible on a starbase.” She added.

“I’m not proud of it, but she moved heavy lab equipment for me in return.” She said, demonstrating her lack of arm strength.

"Aww. That's adorable." She giggled. "Parkour, you say. Why not try the holodeck?"

“Oh, I will.” She smirked.

"Maybe you could bring me along with you." She suggested with a grin. "I could use the adrenaline rush..."

“Sure thing.” She grinned.

"How about tomorrow?" She glanced sideways at Lorin and raised an eyebrow. "Maybe Lorin can come if she wants...:

“No thanks. This is one of Halcyon’s things that I will never get into. Right up there with snowboarding.” She replied.

"Halcyon? Tomorrow at 1900 hours?" She raised an eyebrow playfully. "Or if you'd like - the night's pretty young."

She took a good, long look at her. “It’s a date. Well, I’m joking… unless..”

"Unless?" The Cardassian grinned, gormless and coy, and leaned towards the purple-haired woman.

“You’re a pretty woman.. I’m a pretty woman. Fate says we should jump off of stupidly tall objects together.” She grinned again.

Niatha closed the distance between them - being mindful that Lorin was nearby and could likely hear and see everything they were doing and saying. "Will you catch me if I fall?" She purred, batting her eyelashes at the human and leaning in close. "I'm not as fit as you, y'know. And I'm a beginner to parkour... but I'm sure I'll have a wonderful teacher to help guide me, won't I?"

Lorin:

‍♀️

3

4

She puts on headphones and eats her ice cream. This has happened so many times before.

3

“Can’t let a pretty thing like you end up stuck in Sickbay, can I? Though, maybe I’d be the one to see you.” She said.

"Oh, I would love for you to treat me, lovely." She said. "And I'd equally love to jump off something tall at your side..." Niatha stepped closer and reached out to wrap an arm lightly around her shoulders.

You know it’s bad when Lorin is resorting to Surak Brand Logic to keep from displaying any response to this mess in front of her. This is her last resort.

“I’ll show you how to do it.” She said, her voice turning into a sort-of purr. She wrapped her own arm over her shoulder.

"Wonderful..." Niatha smirked and daringly leaned in, nuzzling the soft, warm skin of her neck. "I can't wait. You'll find that I make a very, very eager student when something interests me..."

“Oh, I think you will be. So forward. I love it.” She said.

"Can't help it. Not when I have such a charming teacher." She flirted.

“And you’re a very endearing student.” She flirted back.

She continued eating ice cream and logic-ing her way into remaining Calm And Emotionless.

"Awww. You flatter me." She cooed, squeezing her new friend and lightly nuzzling her neck before turning to Lorin and letting go. "Um. Sorry for making you drop off... are you alright?"

“Huh? Oh yeah, I’m fine.” She replied.

"You sure? Even with me hitting on Halcyon right in front of you?"

“I’m used to it. I’m not much interested in romance anyhow. I tried it in the Academy, didn’t like it much. Science is my true love now.” She said.

"That's a good philosophy," She reckoned with a soft laugh. "I think it just shows hiw dedicated you are to your job - what do you think, Halcyon?"

“If there was someone who loved science more than me, it’s her.” She replied.

"Makes perfect sense to me." She reckoned, finishing off her ice cream and throwing the paper cup away. "I can definitely tell."

She finished her ice cream, grabbing Lorin’s empty cup and throwing both away. “Science and cute girls, what more do you need in life?”

"Not much." Niatha grinned and leaned towards her yet again, lightly running a finger up and down her arm. "I, of course, have both. Does that make me doubly fulfill those life needs?"

“Oh, I’m not cute. More like ruggedly handsome.” She flexed her arm.

"Ruggedly handsome it is!" Niatha giggled and lightly rubbed her arm. "But either way - I am so excited to jump off tall things with you tomorrow..."

“Me too. But I have to go home and feed my cat now. It’s been fun.” She said.

“I have to feed my dog.” She added.

"It's been fun." She echoed with a wide grin. "I'll see you tomorrow, Halcyon, for those lessons... and you, Lorin in the lab. Assuming I come over. Mmm?"

“Yep.” She replied, walking out of the shop.

“See you tomorrow.” She purred, happy to have landed a date.

"See you, Halcyon lovely - I promise I'll make your time worthwhile." Feeling mischievous she wrapped her arms round her waist, pressed her lips lightly to her cheek and pulled away. "There..."

“Oh, a mischievous woman you are. Goodnight.” She said, walking out the door.

1

Lorin sat down at the restaurant. She was wearing a nice pair of black shorts and a semi-formal blue floral-patterned shirt.

[D] After dropping Jamie off at Sickbay, Alizati had a thankfully uneventful rest of his shift. He repaired the turbolift sensors and dropped them off to OPS so they could be reinstalled. He strolled into the restaurants and dining area, dressed in full uniform as he just came from work, somehow despite being an engineer his clothes were always looking clean and ironed. It helped that he never sweat. Anyway, Alizati found a quiet restaurant and ordered a glass of warm Travit Milk (Dzharok's favourite, oddly enough) and was about to sit at a random table when he noticed a familiar face. He headed over to Lorin holding his warm mug of milk. "Jolan tru, ensign. May I sit with you?" He asked, taking note of her choice of casual outfit, shorts, floral shirt -- reminded him of all his Hawaiin shirts he wore off duty.

“Oh, hello sir. Sure, you can sit with me.” She ordered a glass of water. She was surprised to see Alizati, though she wasn’t sure as to why. She had thought he would have gotten tired of her, but that seemed to have not been the case. She was happy about that.

Alizati nodded and sat down and placed his mug on the table. He sat with his perfect posture as always, eyes down at his mug before he lifted it to take a sip. The milk tasted much better than the bio lubricant, but he would have to consume the unpleasant liquid later once again. Best not to think about it. Alizati was not breathing or blinking, as was becoming the norm for him without his organic functions active. "How have you been, ensign?" Alizati asked, speaking slowly and calmly as was his normal tone.

“I’ve been alright. The mission was a bit stressful, but I finally have a research project again! I’m studying some insects from a planet called Rylan II. They’re really quite interesting, though their bites are very painful.” She showed off a bright green welt on her left forearm, just above her glove. She was glad she wore gloves, since that bite would’ve been actual hell had it been on her hand. When the waitress came around, she ordered some pasta and breadsticks. Pasta was one of her favorite Terran foods, and she was always ready to consume bread.

1

The mention of the away mission again, the away mission that Alizati still did not know much about. He did not pay it much thought and instead turned his focus when Lorin showed him the bite on her hand. His only reaction was a slight eyebrow raise, curious as to the scientist's project studying bugs that left such nasty bites. He recalled Dzharok had more than his share of bug bites as an environmental scientist, but Lorin's bite seemed pretty bad. "I assume these insects are non-poisonous and you are not in any discomfort currently?" A simple bug bite was hardly a reason to rush to sickbay, but who knew what alien bugs could carry in terms of viruses or even just adverse effects for Vulcanoids. He sipped his warm milk, not reacting to the other's order of pasta and bread. He was happy with his simple mug of Romulan milk, it tasted like.. Home.

“They’re not deadly, if that’s what you meant. Painful, but not deadly. I’ll be fine, the swelling will go down in a few days.” She didn’t want to run to Sickbay over every little thing. This was about as deadly as a Terran bee sting, though a hell of a lot more painful. But she’d be fine. She had survived a hell of a lot worse.

"As long as it does not cause you much discomfort," Alizati could feel physical pain, but most of his pain was... Internal. But that was all behind him now that he was living as Alizati Dzharok. He turned his head to look at the others in the restaurant, a little distracted by all the noise. He was starting to miss Surak Snacks where he always had a private booth free of the majority of outside noise. Now at a normal restaurant he was surrounded by constant chatter that was honestly not very pleasant. "How is your project going? What in particular are you studying? I... Know of an environmental scientist who observed how the insect population on Vulcan predicted incoming weather patterns. Fascinating," Alizati was careful how he mentioned his 'past life' as he liked to call it. Only a handful of people knew the man sitting there in the booth with Lorin had actually lived for over sixty years as an organic Romulan-Vulcan scientist.

“I am studying how they adapt to the extreme heat and cold of their home planet. It is going well so far. I hypothesize they go into a state of reduced activity when temperatures become too extreme and resume normal activities once temperatures go back to normal.” She was always happy to gush about her science projects. The noise of this restaurant was also hard on her, both in terms of Vulcan Hearing™️ and the sensory overload. But still, breadsticks.

"Extremophiles? Similar to the terran water bear, which actually is not a bear at all," Alizati said plainly, no emotion or really anything in his voice. A model Vulcan if ever one did exist, well, a Vulcan with a bumpy forehead. His attention was pulled to the other people in the room again, why did he suddenly feel uncomfortable? He was surrounded by people every day in engineering, but that was work, it was different. He always had a task or specific goal in mind, but in this restaurant it was... Louder than what he preferred. He was attempting to keep his mind focused on Lorin, but he really missed Surak Snacks. "Do you have a colony of them or only a couple?"

1

“I have twenty-five of them. You could visit them in the bioscience lab if you liked, though I know it is outside of your field of expertise.” The waitress came back with her pasta, and she started eating. She was pretty hungry, having spent the previous day and night working and reading. She took a sip of water and looked around the room. It was absolutely loud, she regretted coming. “It is very loud in here. Are you as uncomfortable in here as I am?” She commented. She considered leaving, but she didn’t want to stop talking to her friend.

Twenty five, twenty five, the words echoed in his mind as he was trying to tune out everyone else in the room. This was very stange, he was an android, an android engineer, why would noise distract him. 'Visit them'... 'Lab'.. Were his auditory processors malfunctioning? He was only getting about half of what Lorin was saying, there was surely some sort of error going on. "I am interested in..." Alizati began to say before he covered his ears for a few seconds. He watched the waitress come with the pasta and watched as Lorin began to eat. When she began to speak, he took his hands away so he could finish his sentence and respond to her next question. "I am interested in the natural sciences. I am an engineer but I have downloaded a number of papers about environmental science," Despite the clear distress that was shown with his body language, his voice was unchanged. "I prefer the quiet of Surak Snacks," Alizati responded, eyes shifting around the room once again.

2

“I do too. Do you want to just go? I could pay and just take this with me. It’s absolutely too loud in here for me.” She said. There was only a little pasta left, anyway. She hadn’t ordered much to begin with. Plus, it was obvious that both of them were extremely uncomfortable.

"No, you may finish your food, the discomfort is tolerable," Alizati replied with a small shake of his head. He looked down at his sad cup of milk before just chugging the hot liquid as if that would help down the noise around him. It burned, but thankfully he had no soft tissues or organs to worry about. He may have looked organic on the outside, but under the skin was wires and various circuitry. "I did not expect th regular restaurants to be so noisy. My auditory processors are very sensitive, which is useful as an engineer where we must be aware of subtle changes with equipment, but inconvenience in social settings." And up until now Alizati rarely found himself in social settings outside of work. "What about your breadsticks?"

“No, it’s fine. I can barely tolerate it as well. Literally the only thing keeping me from just paying and leaving is the fact I like talking to you.” Remembering her breadsticks, she took a bite of one of them. They didn’t taste as good now. The vibes had been ruined by the noise and now all she wanted was to visit her insects again. She finished her pasta and thought about what to do now. She could just wrap up the breadsticks and take them to her quarters to eat later, or just throw them away. She didn’t have as much of an appetite now.

Alizati watched as Lorin inhaled the rest of her pasta and took a bite of her breadsticks. He had never tried pasta, well, not terran pasta, but it seemed pretty good. Alizati was more of a rice type of guy anyway, Romulan mollusks over rice were delicious even if the dish technically contained meat, but anyway. He tapped his fingers on the table softly and let his gaze focus downwards towards the table. Perhaps Surak could help him tune out the noise, it wasn't any louder than engineering was on a busy day. He definitely dealt with worse. "Where you like to go? I am aware of a quiet spot on the Promenade beside Surak Snacks. It is outside the restaurant, but there are tables and noise tends to be pretty low there as Men purposefully chose a spot away from the crowd," Surak Snacks was far from the loud hustle and bustle of the utility ring, yes going there would be ideal but it seemed full at the moment.

“Then let’s go there. Did you pay for your thing already? Because if you didn’t, I will.” She said. She put her breadsticks back in the container they had came in, and prepared to take them with her once she paid. Anywhere would probably be better than here right now.

"I did," Alizati stated, looking down at his empty mug and then back up at Lorin. The noise was not getting louder, thankfully, but the android's discomfort was certainly getting worse. He stood up and quickly mapped out the quickest path to get them both out of the aera. It was the noise, the bustling of the people walking in and out of the restaurant, even the small gusts of air that followed the doors opening were bothering him and he couldn't have been happier they were leaving. "Follow me," He said to Lorin as he kept his eyes forward dead set on the exit. He was going to lead Lorin to #corridor-10 which had a nice sitting area a few doors down from Snacks and was actually right beside Waffle House. Depsite the old terran stereotypes, there were no fights behind the restaurant, at least not since its opening on 777.

Quickly, she stood up and went over to pay for her food. She went back over to Alizati, ready to follow him out of this damn restaurant, breadsticks in hand.

[D] Deciding to take a break from unpacking, Jijix had left his and Renakir's quarters and had reluctantly ventured to the food court. He doubted many restaurants would have many Romulan food--maybe wherever Tiravurik worked? But Jijix wasn't ready to meet him without Renakir with him. He wore a dark swear and pants, making his pale skin seem even paler. He kept running one hand through his curly hair, eyes darting around. His heart beat rapidly at the presence of so many unfamiliar people.

Lorin walked into the restaurant. She was here for her preferred comfort food, pasta. Specifically spaghetti and meatballs, along with breadsticks. She was wearing a red flannel shirt and white t-shirt, and leggings.

[D] After the events from the previous day, Nalas was at the restaurants area to eat his sorrows away. He didn't really care what food he ate as long as it was filling, anything to distract him from whatever was going on in his mind. Nalas was dressed in a long white cardigan with cuffed jeans and a loose fitting t shirt. His appearance was surprisingly plain, no fancy dressed, cute shoes, none of that, he just looked like any other Bajoran boy walking the promenade. As soon as he entered the restaurant he saw a familiar face and waved, recognising his fellow scientist. "Hey Lorin," He said to her, bowing his head. He looked uncharacteristically calm, no silly smiles, not even a small giggle. His downturned eyes were heavy as if he hadn't slept in days, the dark circles under his eyes fully visible without any concealer to mask them. His fluffy black hair was the only part of him that looked put together, even the chain on his Bajoran earring was a bit twisted.

What a coincidence! Lorin also had bags under her eyes and looked like she had NOT slept in years. She was not having a good time. She was pale, but she was always pale. She was shaken from what had happened… it was all so sudden. “Hi Nalas. I take it you’re also not having a great time?” She said as she sat down at a table.

"What? No, it's fine I'm just hungry," Nalas gave her a poor attempt at a lie. He was typically a good liar, he had to be as the son of the Gul Za'ari, but he was clearly not feeling himself today. From the looks of it, Lorin was also in the same boat as he. The Vulcan-human hybrid looked paler than usual, but that was about the only thing Nalas had energy to notice. He joined Lorin at the table and looked down a the menu that was presented to them. The menu was multilingual as most were, but for some reason Nalas' brain was not processing the words in Standard. "Qu’est-ce que vous recommandez? (Anything you recommend?)" Nalas asked Lorin in the laziest French accent. Typically he spoke Cardassian through his translator, but something just told him to speak French, anyway Lorin's UT would translate it for her. He rested one arm on the table with the other supporting his chin.

“Same here. Nothing beats pasta in my opinion. It’s nice to meet outside of work, also.” She already knew what she wanted. She always ordered the same thing. She was a woman of routine and god help you if you messed that up for her. “I always order spaghetti and meatballs so I have no clue about anything here besides that. Sorry.”

"Uh, d'ac- uhh sure," Nalas said as he waved his hand and sighed. He wasn't picky and he had little energy to actually read the menu. There were a few pictures of the food, but nothing that particularly appealed to him. Nalas rubbed his eyes, a rare sight as he usually wore make up, but not today. "And.. Yeah it's nice to meet outside of work, that reminds me we should congratulate Paco on winning the fair. I take it you got time off too?" A waiter soon arrived to take their orders. Nalas ordered the spaghetti and meatballs just as Lorin had suggested.

“Yeah, we should congratulate him. I’m happy for him.” The waiter came over and took their drink and food orders once Nalas was ready. “So, how are your projects going along?”

"Yeah, maybe when we can get back to work," Nalas said as he now looked at the empty space in front of him where the menu had been. He wasn't sure what it was, but it felt as if he were floating. As if life was just happening around him and he was just a passenger on the train one called life. He heard Lorin speaking to him, but it took nearly a minute for him to process it. "Oh! Wood!" Nalas blurted out the first thought that came to mind which just happened to be a single word. He was naturally a scatterbrained person and typically didn't have a hard time conjuring up at least a semi-coherent thought on the spot but this time he could barely dig up any thoughts at all. Nalas' shoulders sank and he tucked his hands under his legs. "I mean.. It's okay. I'm done with the wood project, the Vorta one is... In progress," Nalas said, no silly puns or loud giggles as usual, just a blank stare aimed at the table, his gaze never once meeting Lorin's. "And yours?"

“Mine’s going okay. As you probably saw at the science fair, I’m working on something new. I’ve been sent details from a project my former colleague from my old posting was working on. He died in a shuttlecraft accident and I’m one of the only other people who’s got any experience with the animals he was working with. So, I was sent the marmots he was researching from our old outpost. Basically trying to find out why one species almost wiped the other off their planet.” And they didn’t bite the hell out of her. Maybe a nibble if they were really stressed, but nothing awful. And the poor babies were stressed right now because of the events at the fair.

"Yeah I did! I saw like.. critters?" Nalas said, trying to remember Lorin's project. He lifted his head a little as he listened, not meeting Lorin's gaze, but he was no longer looking down. There was something relaxing about just letting another person speak to him. Nalas was so used to being the one with all the words, but right now he wanted to do more listening. He nodded along as Lorin told him the story. Her colleagued died in a shuttlecraft accident? His expression changed into a grimace when he heard that, feeling bad for hi friend. "Ohh, I am sorry to hear that about your colleague," Nalas said with another sigh, pulling his long fringe back. "Who is caring for them now? I guess all our projects will have to be on hold," Nalas nearly choked up when he said that, a rush of tears threatening to fall, but he took a deep breath and gave a hard blink in an attempt to keep his emotions in check.

“Yeah.. it could’ve been worse considering how most humans at my old outpost ended up dying much more horribly. At least his was quick. Not everyone’s that lucky. But as for your question, I popped on over to feed them. Just because I’m not working today doesn’t mean it’s okay for me to not take care of living creatures. And damn it if our projects are on hold, I’m going mad from not being able to work. If we’re not back by tomorrow I’ll get in and work somehow. Not that I condone sneaking in via the Jeffries tubes..” But it was implied that if she was kept from her project any longer, she’d be going into the tubes. She REALLY wanted to work.

"Oh," Was Nalas' reaction to Lorin telling him about all the humans are her old posting dying horrible. He wasn't sure why she specified humans, but he wasn't going to ask. To be honest he didn't really want to hear about people dying at a time like this, but again, he said nothing of it. "I am glad you are caring for them, I am sure some of the other scientists or OPS officers can handle it," Nalas said as he thought about his little plants that were sitting on his desk. He rested his arms on the table and laid his head down. "... We do not have to work," Nalas suddenly sat up and stared at Lorin when she expressed frustration over not being able to continue her project. "We were granted time off and therapy, I think that is the most important thing right now, don't you think so?" Nalas for once was the voice of reason, the Cardassian boy looked at his human-Vulcan friend with bewilderment. He may have been equally reckless, but this was a sensitive time, he wasn't just going to beg to get back to work. Just as he said that the waiter came by with their food, which forced Nalas to take his hands off the table and rest them on his lap.

“I already go to therapy. Sure I’m shaken up a bit from yesterday, but in the grand scheme of things there are more traumatic things in the history of my life that I need to focus on. And I’m bored as all hell right now anyways. Just maybe I’ll steer clear of any more science fairs.” In all truth, Lorin wasn’t that traumatized from yesterday. Compared to her childhood on Vulcan or the events of Thealin III, yesterday was a breeze. She wasn’t even the one being stabbed, and she had seen more gory things happen to people she was closer to than Mo, no offense.

Nalas frowned and looked at his sad plate of meatballs, wondering if he should really eat. In the beginning he was just wanting to eat his sorrows away, but now he had virtually no appetite anymore. At the very least he could take home whatever he didn't finish. Jade coloured eyes shited to the rest of the people in the restaurant and then back to his food as his mind tried to conjure up a reply. "I.... I guess you have a point. It's just.. Saren was my desk neighbour," Nalas squeaked as he rubbed his eyes and took a slow and deep breath. He wondered how the other scientists felt about the previous day's events. Was he really the only one feeling like this? Lorin seemed to have gotten over it so fast, so much so that she was eager to get back to work. Nalas was a workaholic himself, but even he knew it was not wise to rush into work after such an event. Maybe it was because he knew Saren. To a stranger maybe it was just 'another day' at Starfleet. ".... When did you plan to request to go back to work?"

Lorin found herself without much of an appetite either. Thinking she could stand to not eat much today, she wondered if she should just leave. Nobody seemed to want to talk or anything. But Lorin had not been too shaken. She didn’t know Saren and barely knew Mo. So it was as bad for her as witnessing some gore, and she had seen nastier. “Tomorrow, hopefully they let me.”

"Tomorrow?" Nalas raised an eyebrow to that, it was so soon. Not even three days after the event. The typically silly Bajoran boy let out another heavy sigh as he gently pushed the plate of pasta away from him so he could rest his arms on the table. Eyes darted from the table to the wall, any blank spot would do. He thought about what to say next, but for some reason his mind was drawing a blank. ".. Nothing.. Really affected you?" Was the only question he could think to ask at a time like this. An admiral and their station commander nearly lost their lives in front of them not even a day ago and Lorin seemed so... Chill, about it. Like it was just another bad day. He couldn't believe it. "I mean.. I suppose I have had worse days... But.. That doesn't diminish the horrors of death. We.. All could have met the same fate as the Admiral and Captain that day."

“It’s.. worse for me if I’m alone with my thoughts and nothing to do. Working is my best bet to keep functioning, I don’t have many hobbies or anything. I hate talking about my problems and stuff like that.” Lorin had certainly had worse days. She had spent a week almost dead. There wasn’t much worse than living for days while wishing you were dead, in her opinion. So she was chill, in comparison. She was good at hiding what bothered her. It was basically the only way that she survived as a child on Vulcan, and she had since never unlearned the habit.

"Oh... I mean, I guess," Nalas took another deep breath and tilted his head back, as if that would stop the tears that threatened to fall. It was times like these that he really missed his boyfriend. Eshen would hold him, pet his head, maybe let him cling to him whilst they climbed a tree together. "I think we need to be open about our problems, this is Starfleet," Nalas returned to a forward facing position, this time with his arms resting on the table. He wasn't putting his head down this time, but the desire was certainly there. "What do you do in therapy? I also go to therapy for my claustrophobia, it's mostly talking actually," Nalas was curious what Lorin actually did in therapy if it wasn't talking about her problems. He was also slightly concerned for her, not just because she didn't have much to say about what happened but because.. Maybe he just expected more sympathy from his friend, but also maybe Lorin just couldn't tell how shaken up he was?

1

“Think I misspoke. I don’t like talking about my problems with people besides my therapist. Feels like I’m ruining a conversation if I do.” *Especially if she was talking to a Vulcan, considering most of her issues stemmed from being treated unfairly by the culture she grew up in. She didn’t want anyone to be personally offended. Alizati was different, he had his own issues and she’d support him if he needed anything. But he seemed fine.” “What do I do? Well.. mostly dealing with nightmares and shit, I get the real nasty ones. Plus a shit childhood to boot. Claustrophobia sucks man, hope you’re doing okay.”

“Oh.. I suppose that makes sense," Nalas responded as he glanced over at his still uneaten plate of pasta. He supposed it would be rude to the chef if he didn't at least try and eat a little. He grabbed the plate and picked up his fork so he could mix the sauce in with the noodles and the meatballs. Luckily for him, he didn't have any problems eating meat, real or replicated. "Yeah, it's alright lately," Nalas shrugged his shoulders and stared down at his mushed up meatballs he had crushed when mixing his pasta. "I'm worried for our Captain and the Admiral... Also Saren. I heard he transferred to his own quarters," Nalas had heard the gossip in the corridors, he knew what people were saying and he hated himself for not having enough energy to speak up. "I don't know when I wanna go back to work, I feel like it won't be for another week. I hope the OPS officers don't mind taking care of my plants. I think they can take care of your animals too if you do feel the need to take more days off. Don't you have other scientists helping with your critters though?"

“I’m worried for them too. I hope they have a speedy recovery. And Saren too.” Just because she wasn’t traumatized from this didn’t mean she didn’t care. Mo was still the captain and Saren was still a fellow scientist, of course she cared about them. She just.. wanted to work. She wanted to take her mind off things and focus on her projects. “Going back to work’s up to you. Take as much time as you need. Oh, and I’m working alone on this.”

"I kinda wanna visit Saren, but... I... Yeah, I don't know if he wants to see me," Nalas said with a deep frown and another sniffle. He wanted to make sure his desk neighbour was alright, he didn't know how he was going to continue his work with the space beside him not occupied by the enigmatic Romulan who a foundness for cute critters. Nalas poked around at his pasta a little more before looking up at Lorin. "Completely alone? Who takes care of the creatures when you're not around?" Nalas had his plants, although he was hardly the only one working with the Rippleberries or even the Rubberwood. Although-- he was the only one working with the Bajoran Hawaiin pizzas, you know, taste testing them for science.

“I don’t know what he’d want. Is he the type of person who would want to be with someone right now?” Lorin certainly wasn’t. She’d want to be alone. Maybe Saren would too, but she had to admit it wasn’t good to beat yourself up over this. She understood, but still. “I work every day and I can do everything for them on my shift. I decided I dislike working with people enough that I wasn’t going to do it this time.”

"Umm... Probably not," Nalas liked to believe that him and Saren were friends, but after what went down he wasn't sure if he was close enough to be one of the few Saren was willing to see. Actually, he wasn't sure if anyone was close enough. He took a small bite of his pasta, a bit of meat and a broken noodle with some sauce. It was good, but he still wasn't in the mood to eat. "Oh... I mean, science involves a lot of group projects. I don't remember the last time I headed a project completely alone. Well, I suppose the Vorta project, but technically Aella is helping me with that," Nalas said with a shrug, a little surprised to hear that Lorin disliked group projects yet chose to go into science which was like... The field with the most group projects. "You didn't enjoy the... Beetle project?"

Lorin nodded. She didn’t know what else to say. She knew she came off as uncaring but didn’t know how to change it. She cared about people so much, she just had problems showing it. “I’m just having a lot of mental problems right now and being with others for so long tends to make them worse in my experience. So I’ll work on this alone until I get better and maybe bring others in after that if they want. I loved working on the beetle project, but my partners for that have gone on to other demanding projects. I’m proud of them, considering they’re all new still.”

"Mhmm," Nalas nodded and pushed the pasta aside so he could rest his arms on the table again. His shoulders slumped and it felt like all of the energy was drained from his his body. He wondered if this is how Saren felt, actually, that seemed to be one of the only thoughts on his mind. Saren, the Captain, the Admiral, anyone the ghost possessed. That's right, the kind turbolift officer was affected too, the one who was only centimetres away from making him another casualty. "I hope your project goes well," Nalas looked up at Lorin briefly before his gaze turned downwards again. "I am done with my wood project and... My Vorta project is a bit of a long term thing that probably will be a lifelong study," Nalas said, thinking about the progress Aella had made in terms of taste and the various treatments he had tried. He would probably need to coordinate with many other scientists to get any significant data, but until that day came he had to lay the foundations. "I think I'll see about going back to work next week, but I don't know. Umm... I guess if I don't, could you water my rippleberry plants?" Nalas asked her as he began to pull some latinum out of his pocket and lay it on the table. Maybe he would feel better after a nap, he thought.

“Thanks. I hope it goes well too and that I can help out an endangered species.” After all, extinct species were a tragedy. To just have something… gone. She didn’t like that, not when she could do something about it. “Of course I’ll water your plants. And don’t bother with money, I’ll pay. I won some latinum in a bet a week ago and I don’t spend much.” She said, pulling out enough latinum to cover both of them.

"That is a good cause to work for. That's a little like my wood, I was helping an endangered species, well, a species of tree, but it's important to the Bajoran people in their uhh rituals, "Nalas said, perking up ever so slightly when he spoke about his wood. Even in the darkest of times, he still found some passion to talk about science. Sadly, as quick as the energy game, it was gone and Nalas sighed once more. "Thank you and... Oh are you sure? I have the money, I am the son of a Cardassian Gul, I have leks for days," Nalas looked a bit shocked when Lorin pulled out the money. He appreciated the gesture, but unlike a lot of other Starfleet officers, he came from a world that very much embraced currency. They were slowly moving away from it (especially after the war), but the Za'ari family had quite a bit of wealth still.

“Yeah, it’s fine. If you want to pay I won’t stop you, but I’m at least paying for mine.” She kept out the latinum she put on the table, waiting for Nalas to either pay or not. If he did, she took back the latinum that she had for his.

"Oh okay, uhh, yeah I can," Nalas had the means to pay so of course he was going to! Especially since Lorin was from a world that didn't use money. Despite his difficulties with his father, Giyon was still sending Nalas money. His mother often sent him letters or small trinkets from her travels on Cardassia. Anyway, he put his money on the table and stood up. "Thanks for hanging out, Lorin. I guess I'll see you when I get back to work? I will let you know if it'll be longer than a week."

“See you then, Nalas. I’ll let you know if anything happens around the lab while you’re gone. She said. She got up from the table. She gave Nalas a wave and went out on her way back to her room.

1

It was after what felt like a long day at work that Niwa had ended up here: a coffee shop owned by the parents of one of Keazayi’s friends. A quick stopping by the nursery at the end of the day had turned into a bit of an outing upon speaking with Kea’s friend and her own family, and so instead of returning to their quarters – as had been the intention – they had ended up here. Sat at the back of the establishment, Niwa was idly skimming through the news on PADD while Kea and her friend Hasso also sat around the table, drawing with crayons and proper paper that had been replicated for them. Apparently today had been spent learning about animals – it looked like epohhs that the two were drawing, but it was hard to tell given the artistic talent of two four-year-olds wasn’t exactly fantastic. “Remember to practice colouring inside of the lines,” she cautioned at one point as Kea managed to drag her crayon directly off the paper and halfway across the table. “We don’t want Hasso’s parents to be sad if the table gets dirty.” x_divider

14:40

There was some sort of reply from Hasso that ‘they have to clean all the tables anyway!’ but at least it had severed as enough of a hint that the two were a little more cautious. It was actually quite pleasant to watch over the two even if they were making a mess and a bit of a racket – thankfully the shop was quiet at this time, so it wasn’t as if they were disturbing anyone. Niwa had been worried about how Keazayi would settle in here after being moved from where they were last stationed, but it seemed like she was already making friends and doing completely fine. She watched the two children collaborate on colouring in a rainbow epohh before her PADD beeped and she looked back to it, finding a message from Lieutenant Commander Dreaxa. Curious – they had just been on the same shift, but apparently something had come up and she was asking to meet now. Niwa sent back a quick reply explaining that she was looking after the children but they could meet here if possible – and then she went back to admiring the artwork, although now slightly distracted as she waited for Doctor Dreaxa’s arrival.

2

After maybe ten or so minutes after they had conversed previously, Vialara had left the confines of the medical bay and headed down to commercial decks, after a brief bit of looking around the woman eventually found the place she was looking for. Via had a usual coffee shop she was used to visiting, and as such she hadn't had the pleasure of visiting this place before. With the coffee shop located, Vialara eventually emerged through the doors and glanced around the shop's interior until she spotted Niwayiva sitting at a nearby table with two small kids next to her, she quickly headed over in their direction with a gentle smile as she arrived tableside, standing off to the side as she looked down at the three of them sitting around the table. "Hey guys, how are we?" She said looking over everyone as she did so, taking in what the kids were doing. "Ooh, colouring in? I used to love colouring when I was your age, it was soooo fun."

It was a nervous ten minutes of course – not that you would know given the chatter coming from this table. While Niwa was quiet, Keazayi and her friend made up for it by continuing to be significantly loud despite a reminder that 1. Indoor voices existed and 2. They were sat next to each other, so they didn’t have to shout. There was no bargaining with two energetic children (who were both probably having some sort of sugar rush from their hot chocolate, too,) and so when Doctor Dreaxa arrived it was a little bit chaotic. When she spoke she was immediately presented with a flurry of noise in return: “we’re drawing epohhs!” “Would you like one!” “This one is rAINboW!” – Plus the pictures being held up so Vialara could see. Knowing that it would be difficult to have a conversation and not get interrupted, Niwa pushed back her chair and stood so she could speak with Doctor Dreaxa and actually hear her. “I’m sorry about the noise,” she said and gave an apologetic smile as they stepped aside, but still facing back to the other table so she could keep an eye on the two children. “They’re very energetic today – they’ve been learning about a different animal of the week, and apparently epohhs are now all the craze or… Whatever that saying is supposed to be. Although, I know you’re not here to talk about drawings, so-“ her smile turned sheepish then, -“what can I help you with, Doctor?”

2

3

2

She gave a gentle chuckle towards the kids, listening intently (or as much as her eardrums could make out) to their loud shouting about colouring, She looked down and gave both kids an impressed look at their colouring skills, and did her best proud mother impression as she replied back to the children. "Wow, I really am impressed, kids. The rainbow one is reaaaaally cool! Look at how many colours you have. Do Epohh's really come in such vibrant colours?" She smiled and turned back to Niwa as she stood to talk with her, giving the woman a reassuring smile. "Thanks for meeting with me in such short notice, I didn't want to bring you into the office to talk, I feel like that's too akin to being disciplined or told off by your superior than a more casual conversation. I wanted to discuss some work talk, but... outside of work, if that makes sense?" She glanced around and motioned to one of the two-person tables across from the table the kids were sitting at. "Let me go grab a coffee and we can sit and discuss. Don't worry, it's good news." She said, rushing off to order herself a coffee.

Niwayiva was pretty sure that in their learning about epohhs they had not, in fact, been taught about any that were rainbow coloured or luminous pink or green, but she wasn’t about to take that away from them. There was probably some biologist out there working on that, or there were always people who dyed their animal’s fur for fun, so going for rainbow epohhs wasn’t a complete stretch. As she listened to Doctor Dreaxa’s explanation it was clear that her attention was divided between both her and the two children, constantly watching them to make sure that they weren’t getting into any trouble. Mutli-tasking like this was something that she had gotten used to over the years. “Don’t worry,” she reassured, “I know what you mean. Talking about work but outside of work because it’s more casual. Good news is good, though! I was worried.” When Vialara went off to get her coffee, Niwa remained and contemplated what this was about. Taking a second to prevent Hasso from consuming a red crayon, she then took a seat at the indicated table as she pondered over what this could be about. If it was good news, then maybe it was about the outcome of a surgery from earlier? Bolians were tricky when it came to surgery, what with their bodily fluids being corrosive and all. It had been a little touch-and-go for the moment but they had thankfully been stable at the end of the shift. Maybe they were getting some sort of refit, or an influx of new staff – it would be semester two at Starfleet Academy now, so people would be going out on practical placements. Maybe they would be assigned some Medical cadets! It would be an honour to take them under her wing.

After a few minutes, Vialara headed back across the shop with a cup of coffee in her hands, sitting down with a gentle smile opposite the woman, as she looked across the table with a smile. "Right, sorry. Let's get started. Can I just start by saying how impressed I've been with your performance since you've started? I mean, I expected this from somebody who's as experienced as you are in the medical field, but you've already done an incredible job at meshing so well with the rest of the team." She said, giving the woman across from her a genuine beaming smile. "And most recently everything that happened with the Admiral and the Captain, you lead Team Two perfectly, I was really impressed to see your leadership skills and how well you took over the whole situation when that entity started to attack us. And well, you performed brilliantly during surgery too if I do say so myself. I've not had the pleasure of working with another surgeon onboard yet. It was nice to have another pair of hands with me in there."

The brief wait for Doctor Dreaxa to return was spent once again tending to the two kids. They seemed to get themselves into a bit of a circle for a minute: Hasso would try to take a bite out of another crayon, Niwa would confiscate it, Kea would give Hasso her own crayon in return, Hasso would try to eat that… It went on like a circle and she was pretty sure that they were just doing it to wind her up, the two of them laughing away every time. As much as it did wind her up (next time she was just going to replicate crayons that were edible), it was nice to see the two of them having a good time. It was also amusing how they immediately settled down when Doctor Dreaxa returned – either they were fine with behaving for someone else, or she gave off vibes of being Someone In Charge. When Doctor Dreaxa took her seat Niwa settled as well; just resisting a thankful sigh as Hasso stopped trying to eat the crayons and instead went back to using them for actual colouring. x_divider

18:33

Needless to say, none of what Doctor Dreaxa said was what she had been expecting at all. Taking compliments had never been her strong suit and there was no hiding the purply-russet blush that flushed over pale blue skin. “Oh, I, well, thank you,” she stammered, but did genuinely sound flattered at the end. “I’m glad that I’ve been able to fit in well. I won’t lie, I’m one of these sorts of people who find new postings and having to get to know people all over again to be very nerve-wracking – but so far, I haven’t had an issue at all. There’s also no better opportunity for getting to be part of the team than there is when you’re saving both the station commander and a flag officer.” A nervous laugh turned into a grimace at the end. She had treated officers of all sorts of ranks before, but if they had lost Captain Mo for one and an admiral for second, it would have devastated her. “Team work is just integral in those sorts of situations. And – even with the circumstances, it was a pleasure to work with you, too. I’m glad I wasn’t sent to the middle of nowhere with no one more experienced to look to for guidance.”

"Well, I for one am glad to see that everything is going good with your introduction to our team, things have been... challenging over the past year or so, we've had great losses, lots of issues and it's taken time to rebuild everything up to what we have now, to have this comprehensive team, and I frankly am quite happy and pleased with how things have gone thus far." She smiled and looked up at Niwa, the emotions given off by the Betazoid were that of pride, you could see in her face that she was genuinely happy with how her team was and how well the medical department had turned itself around since she had first arrived on board. "Which brings me to our first issue, I'm unsure if you ever had the chance to meet my ACMO? There's been some unfortunate developments over these past few months and they've had to step down within their role as my second in command. So I'm currently finding myself without the guidance or support of another pair of hands who know their way around the ins-and-outs and running a medical department. There's a lot of paperwork, managing duty rosters and scheduling, assigning crew who work well together and managing the day-to-day running of the department. I need somebody I know I can rely on. Somebody who I can trust to help me with the quite monumental task of running the entire stations only place of medical care." She smiled as she looked over at Niwa with a gentle smile. "And, Lieutenant... I was wondering if you would do me the honour of being that second pair of hands."

3

She couldn’t help but frown at the talk of how things had been difficult for the department. Thinking back to her preliminary reading about Starbase 777, she was aware that there had been at least one incident where a number of the crew had been… Killed? Kidnapped? It was something like that, and she reckoned that couldn’t have been easy on anyone aboard, regardless of division or position within it. Then there had been Starfleet undertaking the fleet restructure and moving countless people about, plus officers coming and going as normal. Getting a group of officers to a stage where they were all comfortable with one another and could work as a well-gelled team and then having that disrupted certainly would have been a hassle – plus there was the unfortunate business of the ACMO stepping down, too. She would never have thought that the solution to the latter problem would be her, though. “I, uhm, I- You’d like me to be your ACMO?” Her tone was somewhere between incredulous and honoured, as if flattered but still downright confused at the prospect. It was evident in the way that her frown vanished, brow raised instead and eyes wide – not that Doctor Dreaxa needed to scrutinise facial expressions, what with being an empath and all. Career progression was something that Niwa had considered before but had set aside: there had been no opportunity for it on dedicated medical postings where you had to have previous experience first. “I’m honoured, ma’am, truly – and I’d be lying if I said it’s something that I hadn’t considered before. But – are you sure I’m the right person for the job? I don’t have experience with management or rosters or -- any of that. And- I don’t know how suitable I would be in terms of flexibility.” They had discussed working hours and being on call and the likes before, and all of that still stood. A glance sideways to Keazayi said it all: family would always come first.

5

She gave a gentle chuckle and a nod to the woman opposite to her, despite all of the issues that may arise there's was nothing that a major deal-breaker. "Yes, I'm certain Lieutenant. From everything you've shown thusfar I would have no issue training you up alongside me to be my ACMO. And that's all it would take, just training. There's nothing about the job that can't be trained, rosters are simple once you get the hang of it, you've already show you can manage staff in emergency situations... How could it be any more difficult outside of an emergency?" She glanced over to Keazayi as well, giving her a knowing nod. "And don't worry about your time management either, I would always find a way to accommodate all your needs to best fit your schedule and so you can still perform your job despite the flexibility issues." She smiled and looked back to her. "Of course, there's no immediate need to make the decision. I can give you as much time to think about it, we can have a more formal meeting to discuss options and if it's something you'd be happy with?"

1

’How could it be any more difficult outside of an emergency?’ Well, that said it all, didn’t it? How difficult could it be, especially if she was only assisting Doctor Dreaxa with the management of the department. It wasn’t as if she was going to have to do everything herself or just magically know how to do everything immediately… And work flexibility wasn’t too much of an issue; they had discussed it before, and it wasn’t as if Niwa hadn’t (to a slightly paranoid extent) worked out every aspect of childcare already. It might be nice to get involved in something different, and the line management aspect was something that appealed to her. She had always been the sort of person to check in with colleagues after a difficult case, and why not make that in an official capacity? On the other hand – was it wise to make quick decisions like this? What if it was too much of a workload, or what if it did get in the way of her looking after Keazayi? Of course it wasn’t as though she was going to be forced to stay in the role forever, but the thought of stepping down so quickly was equally unpleasant. She had time to think about it… But then, what if her not saying yes or no took too long and it was offered to someone else? Just do it, she told herself; be spontaneous. There was no guarantee that an opportunity like this was ever going to come up again. “No, no, it’s okay,” she said, having caught up with everything that Doctor Dreaxa had said while also frantically processing her own thoughts on the matter. “No formal meeting required, Doctor. It…” Last chance, bail out now or forever hold your peace or… However that went. Had she combined multiple sayings there? Probably. Forcing down the nervousness, she gave Doctor Dreaxa a resolute smile. “It would be an honour to serve as your ACMO.”

3

She gave the woman a large smile in return, immediately giving her a nod, as she replied. "That's amazing, I'm glad you're jumping into it head first. Don't worry, it's really not as scary as it sounds. We'll go over some stuff tomorrow to ease you into it, thankfully we won't have to deal with rosters or shift management for a little while... A very generous patient of ours helped out in that regard." She said with a gentle chuckle. "But, I'll still go over the rosters with you to talk about the usual shift patterns and how you go about making any changes if necessary." "I think we'll make a good pair the two of us, you seem to have a good grasp of the inner workings of the medical bay, I'm sure you'll manage just perfectly in an official capacity." The woman smiled and slid a PADD across the table. "If you've got nowhere else to be, how about I show you a few things here or there? Give you an idea for what you've gotten yourself in for?"

The term ‘jumping in head first’ actually made it sound more scary, but Doctor Dreaxa’s reassurance was appreciated at least. And it was a nice additional phrase to remember considering how it made more sense than the one about throwing someone in at the deep end! Maybe it really wasn’t as scary as it sounded – and when she thought about it, there were definitely aspects of the role that she could look forward to. Conducting 1:1s and reviews, generally getting to help the others in the department more… And then if they ever had junior doctors coming to the end of foundation year two then she would get to write the recommendation for the field of medicine that they should go into! That wasn’t scary – that sounded exciting… And maybe this was a step forward: a good decision amidst many that she had come to question and wish she had reconsidered over the years. When the PADD was offered across to her she rotated it around and peered at the screen, taking a look at the rota. A lot of this was done automatically anyway, right? Things like preferences or changes of working hours or annual leave requests needed inputted, and then it got signed off at the end? No – this wouldn’t be as bad as she thought. It would be fine. Again – a step forward, not a step back. “We’re staying here until the café closes – I offered to keep Hasso occupied so her parents could do a deep clean.” And of course after hearing that, cue Hasso’s crayon slipping and drawing a nice red line off the paper and across the table. Niwa shook her head, but the smile she gave was fond. “If I have to go anywhere it’ll probably just be to replicate more crayons – so if you’re not too bothered by the noise, Doctor, then I’ll gladly stay and go over things with you.” [D] And so that was what they did for the remainder of their time here – and when the café closed and everyone finally left for the day, everyone left with a handful of personalised epohh drawings, too.

1

6

{D] Sometime after their visit to the Waffle house, the duo found their way to the food court again. Another day having arrived when both members of the Tr'Hara duo had agreed that they needed a change again from home made and replicated foodstuffs. Needed to go out for food for a change. The duo heading down to the food court before they'd then searched the area for something interesting to eat. Their search being something that turned up rather quickly a restaurant that met both of their likings, one they entered together. Once directed to a table, Telim getting off of Vara'ls shoulders where he'd been sat yet again as he'd hugged and talked to his adoptive dad, the duo settled into seats at the table and proceeded to look over the menus they'd been provided.

The two continued to converse as they did so, the smaller Romulan of the duo leading the conversation as he pointed out some options and asked his dad to explain them. Both of them, as they talked and worked their way toward a decision on what they were going to be eating.

[D] The Neely family was out for dinner at Zoe's behest. She'd insisted that Atlas going to get breakfast without her was "basically the biggest betrayal [she had] ever experienced", and so, a few days later, the duo were now out at a restaurant of her choosing. What neither of them had realized, though, was that they would be seated with another family upon arrival. Atlas sat down at the table, looking confused. The hostess insisted that this was just how things ran around here, and he was too new to really try and argue. With some trepidation, he glanced over to the apparent father and son with whom he was now sharing a meal. "Uh, hi..?"

Zoe looked over at the other kid curiously, sizing him up. He seemed pretty young, and therefore not all that cool, but he was also the first young person she'd seen in a long time. She supposed she'd give him a chance. "Hey."

Vara'l watched the duo approach as the hostess guided them over and tapped his sons shoulder as he alerted them to the approach. The Liberated Borg, as he watched them with silver hued eyes, struck a potentially interesting figure with his metal ear implants and the vestiges of his other visible Borg augmentations. His face impassive as he analyzed the approaching duo in the moment before they settled down and the adult greeted them. "Jolan'tru Lieutenant, it'd appear we'll be sharing a table then aye?" He began before he introduced himself. "I'm Vara'l Tr'Hara, hello." The Liberated Borg Romulan glanced to his son then as he listened to him and the other kid as they talked for a moment. Silver hued eyes impassive as he glanced that way then turned his focus back to the adult. (edited)

The kid watched the older kid approach and anaylized them as, it looked like, they were sizing them up. The young Romulan, as he finished his analysis, smiled politely in greeting. "Hello." He responded. "Need a menu?" Telim asked. "They gave me two." (edited)

Currently off-duty, Atlas likely also made for an interesting figure, although in a different manner than Vara'l. Out of uniform, he tended to dress closer to his personal tastes, which leaned more into the punk scene. He was currently in a dark shirt and pants, lace-up boots, and a faded denim jacket covered in patches. He'd also let his hair down and put his piercings back in, with several in each ear as well as one on his right brow. If one were to look very closely, they'd be able to note small scars from even more piercings dotted across his face, which had been allowed to close up and heal at some point in time. "It appears that way, yes," he responded, eyeing the man curiously. "I'm Atlas Neely, and this is my kid, Zoe." He gestured to his daughter, who was dressed in a similar fashion to him, but by no means matching.

Zoe nodded her head to the man, then turned back to the kid across from her. "Sure, thanks." She reached across to take the extra menu from him and then leaned against the table. "What's your name?"

Grey hued eyes watched the other and observed all that could be observed about the man. The Liberated Borg, as he saw all that could be seen of them, smiled a tad. "Its a pleasure to meet you both." He responded before he then added. "You stumbled across this place too or do you come here more regularly, if you don't mind my asking?" A question that once asked was quickly followed by another. "Reasonably recently transferred to the station and found this place after a spot of exploring with my kid." Vara'l glanced at Telim and Zoe for a moment as they talked before he returned his focus to the Menu he held once he was satisfied that all was well.

Unlike Vara'l who preferred more utilitarian clothes of dark colours avoided looking overly expensive while not being so cheap as to somehow summon the Matriarch of the Tr'Hara to yell at someone, Telim preferred simplicity. A black undershirt with a red overshirt and dark trousers. Smart, perhaps not always fashionable depending on what planet they resided on, but firmly what he liked. The Menu handed over to the other before he responded. "My names Telim Tr'Hara, it's nice to meet you." His eyes flicked up to look at Zoe before he looked at his menu and resumed his consideration of his options.

Upon entering the area, Essen was greeted by a few new restaurants that she was unfamiliar with. Fried foods almost like at a state fair, and even a candy store. Feeling a little hungry after having an emotional conniption, she needed to refuel. Thankfully she wasn't on duty, so she didn't even bother to change her outfit or put shoes on. She was just keeping comfortable and wanting to grab a quick bite, maybe see a bit more of the unfamiliar areas of the ship.

Sorn walked into the food court area unsure of what to get. He had spent time on Earth and was familiar with some of the cuisines, but none were particularly appealing. Eventually he would walk up to a random stall and gotten what they claimed to be “sector’s best.” He still wore his yellow operations uniform with a lieutenant’s rank insignia after finishing his shift, and looked around the room. Sorn would then walk up to a table with an unfamiliar Vulcan. “May I join you?”

Essen would see Sorn approach her table, not expecting anyone to really want to spend time with her especially looking like this. She hadn't even gotten any food yet - and someone still wanted to sit with her! Essen found herself tightening up slightly when she saw that Sorn was a lieutenant. "U-uh, absolutely, lieutenant! Please, make yourself comfortable." Essen wasn't usually this polished around higher-ups - but she couldn't risk making another mistake.

Sorn nodded and then sat down across from the other Vulcan, unsure of exactly who they were. No uniform so it was difficult to tell if they were Starfleet or a civilian. It appeared that introductions would have to be in order. “Lieutenant Sorn, operations.” Sorn would look at the other Vulcan, trying to see who they were. They appeared to be in the early twenties and had a very large marking on their face. If Sorn had seen them before he probably would have remembered them. “And you would be?”

Essen, having been emotionally going through a ton before coming here, was a bit out of it, and had to snap back to reality once she was asked who she was. Thankfully she picked up Sorn's name this time! Regardless, she took a moment to clear her throat before replying. "Essen. Ensign Essen, Tactical. Nice to meet you, Lieutenant, thanks for spending time with me. It got kinda lonely over here." She was curious how Sorn would react to her not using flowery language or complex vocabulary like traditional Vulcans did.

It was good to see other Vulcans on the station, after all one could generally guarantee that they were level headed and solved problems logically. “It is a pleasure to meet you ensign.” Sorn paused for a moment, confused. This Ensign Essen was not acting like a Vulcan for some reason. Perhaps they had done a few extra years on Earth? He decided not to comment on that for now though. This also as a junior officer though, meaning that they had very little experience in the field. It was ver possible that they had none at all. “Is this your first placement?”

Essen let out a sigh of relief when she realized she made it past arguably the biggest hurdle in social interaction with anyone, let alone a fellow Vulcan. "No, sir," she answered his question. "This is my second Starfleet post, I was on the Carlton first before coming here. Just didn't have enough uumph there. Here had more uumph and I wanted to level up. It helped that I was offered the job here though. Kinda all fell into place."

Sorn stopped himself from making any responses to the phrase uumph. What Vulcan regularly used the phrase uumph? This ensign was definitely unique for the better or the worse. Perhaps they had given up on controlling their emotions? “I see. This placement is an opportunity for all, especially for someone with your specialization.” Sorn assumed that the tacticians were constantly making new plans every potential. That was their role after all.

Essen smiled at Sorn - she felt like she had definitely jumped another major hurdle. "Thank you, sir! That means a lot." She had to take another breath before speaking again. "You know, I honestly didn't think I'd make it to this point. If you noticed the big red line on my face, let's just say--" She had to stop and control herself before continuing. She would be on her absolute best behavior for Sorin. "Let's just say I almost died when I was a kid and no one made it in time to help me. I had to save myself. Ever since, I've wanted to help others in ways that people in my past didn't help me."

Sorn nodded, somewhat understanding but somewhat confused. The story itself made sense and there was a clear reason behind it. This ensign had allowed their emotions to control them greatly though. Their past seemed more like that if a human’s. Sorn knew that though, and decided it was best to continue this conversation as if he was speaking with a more emotional species. That appeared to be the best course of action. “I am sorry that this happened to you, but it appears that you got past it which is good. A few years ago both of my legs were heaving wounded in battle. Took months to return to my normal abilities.” Sorn thought that trying to relate made sense in this context, time would tell if it actually worked.

Essen's eyes widened at that - she had no idea that Sorn had gone through something so similar to her. And yet, he remained just as composed as any traditional Vulcan - quite respectable, really. "I am also really sorry you went through that," Essen said. "I can't imagine what it was like or how it felt. I'm glad you're back to full strength." Essen was in fact truly inspired by Sorn - everything he said, that was what she needed to get her discipline back to where it needed to be. "You're a kickass lieutenant, Sorn. Even though we've just met I know that about you. I have a feeling we'll have many missions where we'll be serving together."

Yet again this ensign was using very human phrases. Sorn decided to ignore it all, it was not worth spending his focus on. His efforts would be best spent focusing on the actual topic of conversation. That itself would be interesting. "Thank you ensign." When it came to collaboration though, that was simply illogical. Due to the context of their roles, it would be rare. Perhaps Sorn would occasionally assist the tactician, but no more so than any other officer. He was not a security officer after all. "Although I doubt that my duties as a quartermaster and your duties as a tactician will bring us together often."

Essen immediately knew she messed up - although not as bad as in the past. "Oh... my bad. Didn't know that... but the hunch is still there. I dunno how else to describe it." Essen found herself interested, however. "Quartermaster, huh? How'd you get into that stuff? Sounds kinda cool."

Sorn thought about how to summarize how he made his decision, not exactly sure of the reasoning himself. Perhaps it was not a completely logical choice at the time, but that was only a posibility. "I was interested in operations as it has allowed me to use my different skillsets in the single role. I chose to become a quartermaster due to, well, a need for order would be the best way to put it."

Essen snickered. "Heh... I may have been wrong before. I'm someone who likes DISorder. Still. From one Vulcan to another!" She emphasized the dis- in disorder. Welp. That didn't last long - back to her usual chaotic self. Not as much as normal but still prevalent.

Liked disorder? Sorn appeared confused for a moment before returning to his normal monotone look. This Vulcan was very much unique, and it appeared that this was not a good. Where they raised by humans? “Chaos is an opportunity to restore order, if that is what you intend to mean. A unique challenge that can allow one to truly improve themself.”

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Essen let out almost a mischievous laugh at Sorn's response. "You can call it that. I like chaos. Not so much bad chaos - that's where we come in and restore order. But good chaos? Like messing around and having fun when not working? That's what I live for. My bad - I should have clarified." Essen's clarification would hopefully give Sorn a better sense of what she was thinking and how she operated - maybe this would put her in the clear. (edited)

Sorn listened the ensign yet again somewhat understanding what they were saying. It was all very much a human way of thinking. Sorn believed that there was no way for chaos to generally be good. “I sense that you are not a follower of Surak’s beliefs. Also I am not sure that simple recreation counts as chaos. That seems … extreme.” The quartermaster decided that he would have to read this tacticians report later. They clearly had a unique upbringing and had never learned any sort of traditional lessons of logic and philosophy.

"Oh, that guy?" Essen said, in response to Surak. "Nah, he just didn't jive with me. Not that I don't respect 'im, I do, all that just isn't my thing. Personally I've found it actually unhealthy for me to be full-on Vulcan in terms of lifestyle and all that. I've still been able to get work done for Starfleet and do it well, though. Just ask my previous captain. But yeah, I'm not what you might consider a traditional Vulcan. Should have mentioned that part before - also my bad." She then went back to the chaos bit. "And I do agree that normal stuff counting as chaos is extreme. That is, for other people. Chaos when I do stuff? That's just a normal day. But hey! Like I said, I take responsibility for my job and I do good with it! Doesn't give me an excuse to be lazy or careless."

Sorn nodded along, disappointed but not surprised by what he was hearing. This Vulcan seemed to be far more like a relaxed human than a Vulcans. Still, even most humans and more professional and logical outlooks on life. This ensign just seems to … what was the human phrase … go with the flow. They seemed to think that a logical lifestyle was somewhat unhealthy. Sorn thought that the billions of standard Vulcans was proof against that, but then it was not worth focusing on. Sorn decided that it would be best to completely change the topic. The current topic was clearly just cresting some form of tension. It was just sad to see a Vulcan such as this. “I see. And what exactly is your job?” He knew that they were a tactician, but then that didn’t mean much. There was an entire tactics division with different roles after all.

Essen considered the question - although not having really discussed it in depth with anyone. But, since a higher ranking officer such as Sorn was asking her, she might as well oblige and let him in on it. "Well, the job title says 'Space Tactician,'", Essen began. "More specifically, I focus in space combat tactics. Most of my time on the Carlson was at a tactical station on the bridge, doing the actual firing of the phasers and stuff. Even one time I had to stand in for the Senior Tactical Officer on the Carlson when they got injured and were unfit for duty. So, I stepped in at the last second, and in ten seconds or less? Bam! Enemy neutralized. The captain? They were speechless as to how I did it so well. So I thought I'd keep up that streak!" Then she got a little more serious. "I have admired past legendary captains for their tactical strategies. The famous Captain Kirk? Back in the day, he'd not only be a combat master, but he used mind games to fool the opponent at hand. That's what I really find interesting and what I want to keep doing." But then she leaned forward slightly. "But this is where not relying 100% on logic has helped me out a ton. I have the intelligence of a normal Vulcan, yes. But seeing what's around me, and seeing how I can get real creative with things, thinking outside the box - that's what has helped me to save lives."

Sorn knew what a space tactician was, but decided not to interrupt the younger officer. They were clearly proud of their work, and that was all that really mattered. The quartermaster believed that the title was self explanatory, but then many others would not be able to make such conclusions. It was of little consequence though. Instead, Sorn focused on the statement about Kirk. While Sorn focused on the teachings of Surak, it appeared that Essen focused on the teaching of Kirk. Kirk's methods as a leader were admittedly effective, but also highly risky. They revolved around one "using their gut" and generally allowing emotions to guide them. This sort of thinking was highly dangerous in Sorn's opinion, but then the majority of the Starfleet disagreed. Most species did not see the need to follow logic. Sorn is curious about the concept of mind games though. Abusing others lack of logic by manipulating their emotions. Perhaps he would have to look into it further. "Perhaps this sort of thinking has been effective so far, but I cannot recommend it. There is a reason our people have turned to the pursuit of logic." Sorn wondered if it made sense to question how Essen was the way that they were, but then it was always risky to ask about one's past. Many joined the fleet to escape their past lives after all. Therefore it was logic to simply gauge Essen's response to his statement and then make other decisions from there.

Essen laughed at Sorn's response. "Trust me, you're not the first to say that to me. Well - you're the first Vulcan. But not the first person ever." She sat back in her chair before stretching out her arms. "Yeah, I'm what you call a rebel. But hey, I want the same thing you want by being in Starfleet. There's an entire universe out there waiting to be explored! I may not be the best bulb in the box but--" Essen took a moment. "But I'm not in this journey for myself as much as I am for others. I know it might sound like it, but it's just how I operate. Saving others is something that I have sworn myself to do since I got this scar..."

Sorn shaked his head slightly. This Vulcan had betrayed their people's traditional ways and then decided to join a military service. It was simply not logical, at least in his mind. Why would one so opposed to order join a service that revolved around it. Still, at least the ensign's intentions were all good. They also all closely aligned with the core values are Starfleet, which was crucial. If one would not act as the protocols said, they needed to at least act as the Federation would wish. If one could not act ethically then they could at least act morally. "That is respectable ensign, and I am sure that you are doing more than well in these goals." (edited)

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Essen's internal sigh of relief was more than audible to her, but not audible to anyone else, including Sorn. "Thank you, Lieutenant," Essen said, cracking a smile. "I like to think Starfleet is a way for me to channel my unhinged self into a more productive outlet. Making the natural tendencies pay, so to speak."

Sorn nodded, Vulcans were very emotional by nature. That was why most spent years training themselves to have emotional control. When one did not do that, it made sense for them to need to channel all of their emotions in a positive direction. Most Vulcans did not wish to use their emotions in the same ways as the Klingons after all. "Starfleet is definitely a positive outlet, yes." There was one thing that confused Sorn though, and that was the ensign's profession. Most who wanted to go and help others went into a medical profession, yet they had become a tactician. That was not logical. "If I may, how did these beliefs result in you becoming a tactician?"

Essen herself had to take a minute to consider this question - at least, how she worded it. "I guess I was just wanting to get my hands dirty," Essen said. "When I said I wanted to be a hero, I wasn't kidding. I want to save others and protect lives, how no one protected my life when I was growing up. No one could get me out of danger - if they really wanted to, anyway, which a lot of others didn't really like me growing up. I almost died at ten years old, with no one able to help in time. It was embarrassing... humiliating. So now? I don't want anyone to have to worry about their lives being in danger when I have the chance to save them. I've promised myself that I will contribute everything I can through Starfleet to saving lives in every way possible. As long as I live I am devoting my Starfleet career to others."

Sorn watched as the ensign took their time to try and respond. They appeared to not have been prepared for the question even though it was one that they must have thought of before. As far as Sorn was concerned the answer was also very similar to what Essen had said before. It appeared that they always just went back to their one main motivator. "Get your hands dirty? I see." He decided to stop asking questions and instead let Essen guide where the conversation went. Sorn had meant to have a social chat, and this had turned out to be more like an interrogation. It was possible that the ensign liked talking about themselves, but either way it felt improper to keep asking questions.

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*Sorn watched as the ensign took their time to try and respond. They appeared to not have been prepared for the question even th...

@Lieutenant Sorn | OPS (@Yoro ⚖) - jump Essen nodded. She was thankful that Sorn was receptive to this, and was willing to listen as much as he was. "Thank you, Lieutenant," Essen said. "I should be getting going - I have some personal matters to attend to. But it was wonderful meeting you and talking to you! I am looking forward to seeing you around the starbase, even if it's just on missions. From one Vulcan to another, ya know?" Essen held up her hand in the live long and prosper hand gesture before getting up and heading off elsewhere.

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[D]Lokath had spent his first few hours aboard the station exploring each floors and sections he had access to, leisurely mapping the layout of the corridors and the locations of the turbolifts so that he could find the most efficient path to his future destinations. Life was too busy to waste time walking around after all. Finally, the Klingon made his way to the food court, only then realising he hadn't eaten all day. He found a nice, quiet cafe that wasn't too busy, and sat down after ordering a bagel and a coffee. He looked around for a bit as he ate, then pulled out his PADD, and started to read the most recent papers he had been sent to peer review.

[D] Yovim had spent a few hours walking around the station exploring the different areas and familiarizing himself with the layout. While he wanted it to have been a casual walk, he still instinctively had been constantly scanning for threats and tracking all potential exits. So far he had found the station to be relatively impressive and very luxurious. This placement would clearly be quite different from one with the Cardassian Defense Force. He walked by the rows or restaurants and spotted a Klingon scientist having lunch. Yovim thought that their rank insignia was that of a junior commander, but he was not completely sure on that. Yovim decided that it would be best to meet some of the station's more senior staff. Yovim went up to the table and stood with his hands clasped behind his back. "May I join you?"

Lokath was obviously very focused on his PADD, as he did not hear the footsteps approaching his table. Only when the voice of the approaching Cardassian was heard did he raise his gaze, noticing the man standing in front of him. The klingon studied the Cardassian for less than a second before smiling and nodding. "Of course, you may." He said, indicating the chair on the opposite side of the table. He set down his PADD, locking the screen as he sat a bit more properly on his chair. "I am Lokath, the station's new geophysicist. Nice to meet you, Mister..?"

Yovim sat down in the chair across from the Klingon, turning towards the scientist. They appeared to have been reading some sort of report, but then in his new role that was not Yovim’s job. He could ignore the PADD and whatever was on it. It was nice to just be able to socialize for once. “Maret. Yovim Maret.” He paused for half a second debating how to introduce his rank and position. It was somewhat more complicated now. “I am the station’s new detective, although I still hold the rank of Cardassian Glen.”

The Klingon nodded, still smiling. Now that they were free of the PADD, both of his hands joined on the table as he leaned forward a little bit. "It is a pleasure to meet you. You'll have to forgive me, my grasp on the Cardassian language is close to nil.. But if I remember correctly, that would be the Starfleet equivalent of a Lieutenant, correct?" Lokath chuckled. "Well I certainly hope I'm not in trouble already, I've only been on the station a few hours."

Yovim smiled a bit, understanding that ranks could be confusing. The Khitomer Accords did not standardize anything after all, so things did not always work out perfectly. The Federation and Cardassia very similarly however. “They are equivalent yes. If it’s easier to think of me as or call me a lieutenant, please do so.” Yovim shrugged. “And from the sounds of it you have been on this station for longer than I have.”

Lokath smiled and sat back a bit more comfortably in his chair, before taking a quick bite of his bagel. "Well, I take it I'm not in trouble then. So you're new around here too, hmm? I hope you've found the experience as pleasant as I have so far." He took a sip of his coffee before putting his mug back down on the table between them. "Oh, where are my manners, would you like something to eat or drink maybe? The food's pretty good here."

Yovim sat back in his chairs and rested his hands on the table, interlocking his fingers. He was clearly very comfortable. "You are not in any trouble, no. At least not as far as I am aware of." When it came to the amenities Yovim found this station to be extremely comfortable. It was far more luxirious than the average Cardassian placement. He was not hungry yet though, and was not familiar with the foods offered at the establishment. "And no, thank you. I will probably wait to eat until after my first shift."

The klingon nodded, and took another sip of his coffee before putting the mug back down next to his PADD. "Well I am glad to hear that, although I doubt I would ever do anything that might raise concern. Not a lot of crime in the studies of rocks." Lokath chuckled, despite the obvious seriousness of the fellow sitting across from him. "So tell me, detective. What brings you to this remote corner of Federation space? We're quite a bit away from Cardassia."

Yovim chuckled as the klingon made their comment, but his immediate thought was about the fact that geologists had access to expensive equipment and minerals. There was always a chance of crime. When it came to his placement, there was not too much for Yovim to say. "I applied to serve with Starfleet, this placement was largely up to them. They asked about my preferences of course, but in the end someone at a desk picked this for me." He decided to ask the same question back, if not worded slightly differently. "Not to be presumptuous, but I have to ask how a klingon such as yourself got into geology. We do not learn about klingon scientists on Cardassia."

Lokath quietly listened to the Cardassian, nodding empathically. He remembered his first postings, he never really had much of a choice in them either, until he had reached his current rank and had a bit more pull when applying for postings. It was not always easy getting yanked out of familiar surroundings. "Well, at least you'll get to encounter a lot of cultures you would never have met on your side of the quadrant. It should prove interesting!" Lokath shrugged. "You'd be surprised. Klingons did not become a space-faring species by sheer luck, they definitely do have scientists. Although in my case, I've only been part of the Klingon culture for about 13 years.. I was mostly raised as a Federation citizen after that, so I was always exposed to a more... Calm type of science, if you know what I mean. I simply followed in my mentor's footsteps."

Yovim agreed with the fact that he was going to meet a lot of different people. So far he had run into officers from all backgrounds and species as well as a few different civilians. Starfleet was far more diverse than the Cardassian Defense Force, and there were also many other Khitomer exchange officers on the station. This would be an interesting placement. "I am sure that I shall, this station is quite a bit different than anything within the Union. I am looking forward to that." Thinking about the Klingon, it made sense that they were Federation raised. They appeared to be a proper Starfleet officer instead of an exchange officer sent from Qon'oS after all. It also explained how they had selected a profession that likely would have been seen as lacking honor. "How fascinating. To be honest I guess I have not too much about klingons who do not follow, well, the stereotypes. Appologies for that. If I may, who was this mentor that you mentioned?"

Lokath smiled pleasantly and shook his head. It wasn't his first time hearing about Klingon stereotypes, and to be fair, those had been well earned, and still were. But Starfleet was full of people who defied stereotypes. "Please, you have nothing to apologise for. Our species has a well earned reputation, and they do everything they can to maintain it too. And since our region of spaces are so distant, it's no wonder you've only heard of our mean reputation after all, it's perectly natural." The klingon took yet another quick sip of his coffee. "His name is Rilok. He was the first officer of the ship that rescued me as a child. At first we did not really see eye to eye, but he made sure I was properly cared for during my entire stay within his ship, and I owe him my life twice over."

Yovim paused for a second as he realized that he was somewhat going back to his CBI training. He was just asking questions and saying little instead of having a proper conversation. He had to be careful to not default to old habits that did little but harm. "That is very fair. I know that we cardassians have quite a reputation on our own, although things are slowly changing. Many have little wish for change though, which is an unfortunate truth. Still, it is best not to dwell on such topics. They are out of our control after all, at least out here." The detective sat up in his chair slightly, still maintaining his relaxed composure. "He sounds like a parent, or at least something very close to that. It is important to have someone like that in a child's life, although I am sorry to hear that there was some tension at first. At least you got over that."

Lokath nodded, sharing his approval about the stereotypes surrounding their species being out of their individual controls. "Indeed. The best thing we can do is to be the change we want to see in our people. Break those stereotypes down little by little, and show that not every members of our species are as ruthless as they're made out to be, although in very different ways." He chuckled, finishing his coffee with a sigh, before nodding yet again. "Indeed, he took me in like a father. But tension was to be expected, between a Klingon and a Vulcan. I had spent 13 years being raised as yet another warrior then, so I'm quite thankful for that Vulcan patience and pragmatism they're so known for. Others would have quickly given up on me. How about you? How did you become a detective?"

Yovim nodded and listened, trying to imagine a vulcan raising a klingon. It seemed like the plot of a holoprogram. Still, it was also clear that this was the klingon's life. They had been raised in many ways and had a unique upbringing. "I can imagine that patience would be very useful, but then it is in any parent. Still, it is good to see that everything worked out in the end." The detective paused for a half second when asked about his own past. If the commander was observant then they likely would have noticed something in Yovim's eyes. He could not exactly share his true story after all. "I mostly became a detective due to one of my professors back at the military academy. I was unsure of what I wanted to do with my life, so I had a long discussion with them. Luckily for me I walked out of that room with a direction in life. He was quite an influence on me, although nowhere near to the extend that Rilok was to you."

The Klingon chuckled and shook his head. "Let me tell you one thing. Klingon parents? Not patient at all. I certainly hope the Cardassian upbringing is a nicer one." While observant, Lokath was certainly no detective, and while he could tell that the backstory was not fully complete, no one ever told their entire stories to a strangers on the first time they met, so he did not try to push any further. "Well, security is a noble profession, it's always a good thing to have someone guide you, even though they don't have to be a parental figure, as in your situation. You've been on the force for a while before transferring over to Starfleet? I'm sure you had quite the adventures to make it to Glen."

Yovim shrugged after the commander mentioned an upbringing. "I guess that depends on how you define a nice upbrining. I enjoyed mine, but then I think that most humans would be confused by how my parents treated me. All depends on perspective." It appeared that Yovim would have to dance around the question of his past yet again now. He could not mention his years with intelligence after all, and therefore would just need to go with his usual vague line. It was a tiring lie but a necessary one. "Adventure is not the word that I would use honestly. I was asigned to many ships and a few other random placements to do my job. Just kept order within the military and did patrols. Can't say that I have done anyting all that exciting yet. Maybe that will chance with this new placement right on the border. I guess time will tell."

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Still dressed in his CDF uniform, Sakchai made his way to--- a Klingon barbeque place! He was always in the mood for meat and if there was any species that knew how to do good meat it was the Klingons. Sakchai had secretly hoped for a Cardassian restaurant, but considering how far they were from Cardassian space, it was unsurprising there was not really a dedicated restaurant. Maybe another business venture for his brother S'Tven to embark on? Sakchai got himself a table and sat down by himself. There were so many options it was honestly a little overwhelming. Sakchai blended in with the Klingon and other large carnivorous species at the restaurant. He just looked like a Cardassian guy who visited a Vulcan barber, nothing too strange. It was also nice to not be the tallest person in the room for once. Sakchai flipped through the PADD that was on the table that had the menu. Despite being a Klingon restaurant, there was also food from some other places too. Sakchai hummed softly as his two-fingered hand scrolled through all of the various meat options.

After a long shift in sickbay, Teekah found himself very ready for a meal, however, knowing that the replicator in his quarters was still very much on the fritz, had decided on trying the new Klingon barbeque restaurant, figuring it was likely to have more options for carnivores such as himself. Still clad in his medical uniform, he entered, making sure to duck as he walked through the doorway as to not get decked in the snout like he had many times in the past. As he looked around for empty seats, it was very quickly apparent that there were no open tables, and in fact, only one open seat, at a table where what appeared to be a Cardassian was sitting. He approached, clearing his throat with a deep growl to announce his prescence, not wanting to scare the CDF officer. With a wide, fanged grin and a wave, he spoke in his hissy, lightly-accented version of standard. "Hi there! Would you be amenable to me taking the open seat? It seems as though there aren't any others free!" He said with a chuckle, sounding like glass windchimes being blown around in a breeze, a sharp contrast to his rather intimidating initial appearance.

Sakchai was lost in the pages upon pages of meat before his eyes that he nearly missed that someone was talking to him. He lifted his head and smiled to see a very friendly looking Gorn medical office. He was unfamiliar with the stranger before him, but he was being so polite so how could Sakchai say no? "Sure," He said, gesturing to the open seat across from him. Sakchai pushed the PADD towards the Gorn so he could browse the menu. He assumed his seatmate was equally interested in Klingon cuisine, or at least meat. "I was looking at the Zabo steak, it's the only Cardassian thing I could find on the menu," There was a slight tone of disappointment in his voice when he said it. "But I am willing to try the other things too. The Krada legs for example seem pretty appetising. Of course I am also gonna be getting a raktajino, reminds me deesnuts nine," Sakchai had a habit of slurring his words in Cardassian, including when he struggled to say things in Standard, which the term 'Deep Space Nine' was. Little did he know what he actually said...

1

Teekah happily took the seat across from the stranger, making sure not to break anything with his bulk, before listening along as he too looked through the menu, his attention still very much on the Cardassian in front of him. Teekah bit the inside of his cheek to keep himself from laughing at Sakchai's mispronounciation, not wanting to say anything as to not embarass him. "Interesting! I think I'll try the zabo steak as well! I just have to make sure they don't cook it...I don't know if I'm quite in the mood for dealing with a stomach ache tonight!" He said with a chuckle, before his eyes went wide and he gestured towards himself. "Oh! By the way, I'm Teekah! I'm one of the nursing staff aboard!"

Sakchai was blissfully unaware of his slip of tongue. Had he known, maybe he'd laugh too, but he was just a Cardassian dude hungry for meat. "They serve the meat raw, yeah. There's a grill," with his two-fingered hand he pointed to the metal grill plate in the middle of the table. "But of course we don't need to put it on the grill. I, personally, enjoyed some grilled meat, but I have no problem if you want to have it raw," There were a lot of foods that Cardassians ate raw so he was unsurprised. He didn't know much about Gorn physiology, but they had similar dietary preferences. Sakchai's pretty light blue eyes looked up at the nurse when he introduced himself. Teekah's smile was infectious and Sakchai was soon grinning from pointy ear to pointy ear right back at him. He didn't have nearly the same sharp teeth as his seatmate though. "A Gorn nurse? I love that, you know," Sakchai always loved seeing species filling roles that weren't 'stereotypical' of them. "I'm Sakchai, Space Traffic Controller. I'd say I'm in an equally unlikely position for a Cardassian, but my job is literally telling people what to do all day, I would say that's pretty Cardassian of me," He said with a laugh. "So, the steak, let's try the Krada legs, oh it's a Klingon restaurant, how do you feel about gagh? We have a similar food on Cardassia so I'm down for it if you are."

“Grilled food is interesting! I’ve recently tried grilled beef steaks, and they were surprisingly good! I’m not normally one for cooked foods, but it can be really tasty if done right!” He said, now quite curious about Cardassian cuisine, having heard about it, but never really tried it. He knew intellectually that they had similar dietary requirements, if not more omnivorous than his own people’s quite limited purely carnivorous nature. He took a few moments to study Sakchai, noting now that he looked…different, realizing that he likely had atleast some Vulcanoid ancestry, something he was quite interested in, being full-blooded Gorn himself, but knowing lots of individuals that were of multiple species. “Space Traffic Controller? Interesting! I can imagine with a station as busy as this one, you have quite the workload!” He said, before tilting his head to the side curiously. “Do you also enjoy breaking the mould as it were? I find it quite satisfying to know that I am helping, in whatever small way I am to give others an example of how one’s profession doesn’t define them.” He said, before nodding along as Sakchai, happy to hear that gagh was on the menu. “Yes! I love gagh! Especially when it’s fresh!”

"That is true. I don't really know much about Gorn cuisine, but raw meat isn't bad," Sakchai typically did not eat raw meat growing up, actually he did not eat much meat to begin with. One thing about having Vulcan parents was meat was not really part of his daily diet. His parents wouldn't say no if he asked, but with such great Vulcan cuisine staples like plomeek soup or jumbo mollusk, he didn't mind abstaining. He tapped his fingers on the table as he thought about what they were going to order. "Yeah, I deal with both faction and civilian ships. It's quite interesting and I had to learn the layout of the docking ports, to be honest I'm still learning," Sakchai had never been on a Federation space station before. Well, Deep Space Nine was technically Federation, but it was originally a Cardassian station so the docking pylons were very similar to Inok Nor, one of his previous postings. "Eyy, yeah I like doing something out of the ordinary. Anything that isn't being a spy, I think that's what Romulans and Cardassians are most known for," as well as other things, but considering the Teekah was also of a former Federation enemy species he probably understood what Sakchai was getting at. "Okay we'll order zabo steak, four of them? And a jumbo plate of fresh gagh, and the legs! I just realised I don't know how to order, I don't know much about Klingons, do I just shout at the waiter? Do I challenge him? What is the situation?"

“It’s primarily raw meat, with the occasional other raw element of an animal, like the organs or bones! We’re obligate carnivores, and have a hard time digesting or in some cases cannot digest at all food that isn’t raw meat. I do occasionally like to try other things, but I just do knowing I will end up with gastric distress…it is worth it for the occasional ‘pb&j’!” He said with a chuckle, momentarily wincing internally, knowing that his people’s diet could be distressing for some people. “Interesting! I’d love to observe your work at some point if you are amenable! It’s quite different from my own, but it sounds fascinating!” He said, thinking that space traffic control and trauma nursing may be some of the most opposite jobs aboard the station, but two very important ones nevertheless. “I believe you shout at them and then threaten them occasionally until they bring the food? That’s what I believe is the custom!”

"Oh, it must be difficult having such a limited diet, I am glad Cardassian physiology allows for more variety. If it wasn't my Cardassian side, I am also have Romulan and we can essentilly eat anything, even poison if one trains hard enough," Sakchai said with a chuckle. There was no discomfort in hearing about Teekah's diet. Eating meat was fine to him, especially when there were so many ethical ways to consume it. Plus... Carnivores existed in real life. Aside from Vulcans, there were few species he knew that were completely vegetarian. He wondered how species with more limitations such as Gorn navigated dinner events and parties. Considering that most parties had a variety of food (so he was told) maybe it wasn't so bad. Similar to how Sakchai saw some of the Bajoran foods and felt no desire to taste them. Bajoran cuisine was on the spicier side and whilst Sakchai didn't mind heat to his food, he simply could not stomach hasperat. "I don't think you'd be allowed in the command deck, but all our communications are free to listen to on the Federation Database. It's important for STC to be completely transparent, especially in the case of an accident," Sakchai and Teekah's jobs were indeed different, but both very essential on the base. "Shout at them... Okay, I'll try," Sakchai raised his hand and grunted very loudly because he did not know Klingon and just assumed that would be fine. The waiter did come over and Sakchai, the big and strong looking Cardassian, politely told him what he wanted. It was hard for Sakchai to be rude to a non-Cardassian stranger! If this were a Cardassian establishment he would have said a few comments but no, he just ordered their food. "Ugh, I wish I studied more Klingon. Gorn are part of the Empire, aren't you guys?"

2

"Poison?! Wow! Well, speaking as a medical professional, I would recommend that regardless of whether one has the capability to ingest it, they would restrain themselves from doing so!" He said with a chuckle, also mildly mortified that someone had gone through the process of eating poison to find out they could. He knew that Romulans and Cardassians had some...interesting practices, but had no idea of this particular one...he surely had some research to do now. "Ah, well, I think I might do just that at some point! I oftentimes eat non-replicated food that my Mother sends to me, which involves a significant amount of prep in order to consume, and find myself need something to occupy my mind as I do, and this sounds quite the way to do that!" He said, understanding the need to have the command deck secured, especially in the case of traffic control, as it is such a delicate and vital job. "My people are part of the Empire, yes, but I personally am from Earth, so I am not too well versed in the culture and language of it sadly. My Mother is a Starfleet nurse serving at a clinc near my childhood home in London, and my Father owns and operates a live-soil shipping company. We follow pretty closely to the Gorn culture of my parent's homeworld though!"

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1

"Agreed, it's definitely not a widespread thing, but my father was one of those types. But then again he was also very weird so who knows," Sakchai didn't know his father, but he heard stories from his Romulan family who had been happy to hear Sakchai was not like his father at all. Maybe it was a good thing Sakchai never knew his father. "It's usually pretty boring but you get some fun stuff. I try and be sassy when I can," The Cardassians were surprisingly very open about STC sass. The most humorous conversations Sakchai heard were almost always in Cardassian space. "Oh wow London. I don't know much about earth, eh, I'm not a Fed citizen so I don't have much reason to go," Sakchai chuckled and shook his head. "It's good you still had your culture growing up! I was raised by a Vulcan couple -- on Cardassia IV," Sakchai explained, leaning forward on the table. "So a Gorn family living on earth. What made you guys choose that planet?"

Allan was walking along the promenade, this... Klingon BBQ place sounding very interesting to him after he had already been to the Human BBQ place, and so he looked at it, standing still for a few moments before he heard an order being called out for ... Gertrude. There were still people named Gertrude in the 25th century? Huh. He was starting to walk past the restaurant when he heard another name: Sakchai. Where did that... that sounded so familiar... When it struck him, though, he remembered: Rilek had told him so much, after all, and so Allan went up to the counter, smiled and took the order. And it was... wow, a lot. Four zabo steaks, to start, and a jumbo plate of fresh gagh, and Krada legs. Damn. He was about to be awfully impressed with Sakchai if this was all for him. Rilek had already made him sound great, but if he could eat all this? Somehow that made him gain about 100% more hotness level to Allan. So he looked around for the first Cardassian he'd see - because he didn't actually know what Sakchai looked like - and, to his great luck, there was only one Cardassian here. And he was sitting with... A Gorn man who was at least 8 feet tall. At -least-. Still balancing the plates in his hands (he was just okay with it, helping serve family dinners for a huge family since he was a kid helped), he looked from who he could only assume was Sakchai to the Gorn, who... oh, fuck, this was that Gorn nurse he'd met very briefly in the August medical simulation when he said that being penetrated by shrapnel near a major artery wasn't so bad because of 'risky homosexual behavior' or something like that. "H-hey! Sakchai, right!? And-" he placed the plates down on the table, smiling at the Gorn with a small tilt of his head. "I remember you, but ah - I don't think I got your name...?"

2

2

Teekah was just about to respond to Sakchai when he heard a somewhat familiar voice, pulling him out of his thoughts. When he caught sight of who the voice belonged to, a wide, fangy smile graced his snout, seeing that it was the Lieutenant he’d helped during the simulation that he in retrospect realized he might have been flirting with (something he’d been mortified about at the time, but now found it incredibly funny), named Allan if he recalled correctly. He chuckled softly, the sound coming out like hissy windchimes in a breeze as he looked up at the Human, gesturing for him to take one of the two free seats at their table, glad to have run into the man again, as he’d meant to reach out anyway at some point. “Ensign Teekah S’taass! But please just call me Teekah! And you are Lieutenant Allan Allen if I remember right? It’s great to run into you again! Please join us!” He said, glancing over to Sakchai for a moment to double check it was alright with him as well.

2

Sakchai's eyes widened at the arrival of... Some human? Was he a waiter there? How else would he have known Sakchai's name? The name 'Sakchai' wasn't exactly a generic Cardassian name, it was Thai and Sakchai was clearly not Thai. He wasn't even from earth. "Uh, yeah, that's me," He said right before Teekah invited the guy to join them. So... He wasn't a waiter? Something was fishy and it wasn't the gagh. "Oh I had no idea you two knew each other," What a coincidence, he thought. Sakchai quickly ran through the order of events that had just transpired. He went into KBBQ, sat down, was joined by a friendly Gorn nurse, chatted a little, then the nurse's human friend, who somehow knew his name came in and brought them their food. Sakchai believed in coincidences but of course he never trusted them. "Yeah sure, come sit," Sakchai scooted over so Allan could sit beside him, assuming that Teekah would wanna chat with his friend face to face. Sakchai was confident his hybrid physiology would protect him if anyone tried anything. He had a Cardassian appearance, but his insides were clearly Romulan and he doubted Allan knew that. "Thanks for bringing our food, how.. How did you know me? I literally just got to this station a couple weeks ago," Sakchai was not going to dance around the topic, he wanted to know if this guy was here to take him out-- not the sexy kind either.

2

"Sweet! Awesome, perfect," Allan said with a grin when Sakchai confirmed his own name, the way ... Teekah, that was his name, then, chuckled sending some sort of feeling down his spine. It was a unique sound, one that he didn't hear often (there were some videos here and there, but ultimately, not often), and he was even more glad when Teekah remembered his name - his full name, nonetheless. "Yeah! And you can just call me Allan," he smiled, sitting down next to Sakchai after he'd scooted over. "Sorry to interrupt you guys, I just, like - so I heard your name on the order, but I know you from, uh," he said, turning to face Sakchai, "I've been like, meaning to talk to you, right? 'Cause like, the whole Valleka bullshit and all, you know, but um- probably not a public - well, I don't know how well you and Teekah know eachother." He looked back at Teekah, tuning back in to the handsome Gorn for a moment, looking at those pretty eyes of his... and a little further down to those sharp teeth, "'cause I mean, I - this is the first time I'm having like, a real conversation with either of you, you know." And as he listened to them both, he took a handful of gagh and swallowed it. He'd pay for it if they made him. He could even offer more than just latinum!

2

Teekah watched with open curiosity and a tilted head as Allan talked to Sakchai like he knew a lot more about him than Sakchai knew about Allan, something he hadn’t expected, but he did suppose it was a relatively small station all in all. “This is actually our first time meeting! Sakchai here was kind enough to offer me a seat! He’s a lovely guy I can tell you that already!” He said to Allan, his tone as light and happy as ever. “I’m glad you happened upon us! I was actually meaning to get in touch after the simulation, but you know how things go around here! Ghosts, and all other manner of crazy things! It’s fun to be able to interact with people in a casual capacity especially!” He said, as a light blue flush tinted his facial scales at the feeling of Allan’s gaze on him, his own directed to the way the Human swallowed down the gagh like he’d been eating it all his life. Watching Allan eat reminded him of his own hunger, and was quick to delicately take one of the zabo steaks and gobble it down, politely wiping the blood off of his snout after.

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3

Sakchai's eyes widened for a moment and then he face palmed. Well, he didn't have much of a palm on his left hand, but it didn't matter. How did this human find out about Valleka? He then realised that his name had been over the news-- Valdore head of house, murderer? Was the headline. He pinched the bridge of his nose with his two fingers and tried not to feel immense shame about whatever Allan probably heard about him. He was momentarily distracted by the smell of the food and Teekah calling him a lovely guy. That did make him smile, he did not get genuine compliments very much, but he was a Cardassian raised by Vulcans on Cardassia IV. His brother complimented him once, maybe. * "Ah, yeah thanks and Teekah is wonderful," *He chuckled as he watched his new friend go to town on the steaks. Sakchai placed a pair of krada legs on the grill in the middle of the table to cook them. Raw food was fine, although Cardassians (and Romulans) were able to eat cooked meat and that was Sakchai's preference too. As he thought back about Valleka and how Allan knew about that he was relieved this human wasn't planning to unsexily take him out, but he wasn't sure if this was much better than that. "Uh yeah, okay, uh," Sakchai clicked the metal tongs that he so expertly wielded with his left hand. Despite only having seven fingers, Sakchai seemed to use both hands with the same level of dexterity. "Yeah yeah, I was just asking Teekah what life was like on Earth for a Gorn. I've never been to earth. I don't wanna assume because you're human, so have you been there?" (edited)

2

"Ohhh, okay! Yeah, haha, don't worry, I.." he smiled, trying to reassure the facepalming Cardassian for a moment as he quickly dropped the whole Valleka subject, after all, he didn't want what was clearly a brand new friend of Sakchai's to think that he was a murderer or anything, because he was absolutely not! "I'm glad I'm seeing you guys too! Yeah, things are definitely fucking whack out there, God, especially," his eyes rolled up to the ceiling for a brief second and then when he looked back at Teekah he had a little bit of a smirk, "especially the ghosts, fuck. Just ask me and Renakir all about that one," he said as he ate some more gagh - of course he just swallowed it down casually. He had a boyfriend who quite liked it, and he had a great throat. A perfect recipe for also liking gagh. He did, however, notice the way the Gorn's scales seemed to change color across his face - which was also interesting. It was a shame and a blessing that Gorn were such a rare species to come by, because it left Allan wondering... a lot of things right now, but before he could think too much he took his eyes away from Teekah to look back at Sakchai as he spoke. Of course, that was when Teekah decided to just fucking down a whole steak, with - blood and all. Fuck, well... yeah, he was sort of glad this was a booth table now, and that he was sitting opposite of Teekah and not right next to him. Back to Sakchai. Quickly. "Earth!!! Yeah, Earth, oh my God, yeah, oh man, have I been there, oh fuck yeah, I sure have been there!" He tried to keep a totally normal smile on his face and not look like anything else but very enthusiastic about Earth. "Yeah, grew up in Puerto Rico, was in Boston a lot too, have a lot of family there, been all over though! Like, all over! Even in the Federation New York City prison! For some reason they didn't want me in the Boston one. Dunno why. I was real upset about that."

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2

Sakchai's eyes widened at the mention of ghosts? What was this guy doing with the ghosts? To no surprise, Sakchai the Cardassian was not superstitious in the slightest and did not hold any beliefs about the afterlife. He was aware that Vulcans and Romulans had some flavour of belief in the otherworldly, but that was just not Sakchai. "Okay, you will need to tell me about the ghosts," Not that he believed there were any ghosts to tell him about, but maybe there was context he was missing here. Sakchai smiled at the change of Teekah's scales and grabbed the cooked Krada legs from the grill and put them on his plate. He covered them with a generous amount of sauce, he wasn't sure what sauce it was, but it was black and it had a great aroma. "Sure have been there?" He laughed at the human's reaction when he mentioned earth. He wondered if this was how people saw his reaction when they asked him about Cardassia. "Uh-huh, prison? What really? What were you in for? Too bad we couldn't have hung out together, I make a pretty good prison burrito," Sakchai laughed, assuming that if Allan did know about the Valleka stuff, it was probably not a surprise that he had been to prison. Technically he was in prison three times, but the first time it was less 'prison' for wrongdoings and more like inprisoned by an evil organisation for not cooperating with their evil plans. The last two times were prison for wrongdoings, not wrongdoings that he did. "Hey, Teekah, did you want the other steak? I wanna cook it," Sakchai looked across the table at his Gorn acquaintance and pointed to the other steak.

2

He'd been happily listening along, eyeing the cooked food as he weighed in his mind if it was worth the gastric distress later on to try it, but figured, given his early shift tomorrow, he'd probably just stick to what he knew would be fine. He took several of the uncooked krada legs and piled them onto his plate, before answering Sakchai with a 'go ahead gesture'. "Absolutely! It's quite good! I love how bloody it is, must be fresh!" He said, before going to town on the krada legs, swallowing them whole as he made sure to politely listen as the two spoke, desperately trying to avoid outright staring at the attractive Human, and how hot he was when he ate.

1

"Oh yeah, the ghosts were like... so technically, they were uhhh, ancestors of a house, the uhh Rllaillieu house, pretty sure... we met Delon, Soha, and R'Morex... pretty neat stuff!" He said with a grin, clearly recalling the quite positive experience he had chatting with those ghosts. "Yup! Absolutely been to Earth. 'Cause uh, like I said, was born and raised there. Got myself into prison because I hacked Starfleet back in '04, but damn, yeah, prison burrito sounds good right about now - actually, wait, is a prison burrito different outside of Earth? I would assume it is, but... I actually don't know." He looked back at Teekah, which was probably a mistake for the human. It totally made sense that the Gorn was swallowing the krada legs whole, after all, both his mouth and throat were certainly large enough to do that, so it tracked, but... that also made Allan start thinking about how his mouth and throat were exceptionally large and then he started wondering exactly how something would work, because he wasn't so sure, the sharp teeth were really hot but.. "You love how bloody it is..?" Was for some reason the question that came out of his mouth. "Um- like, obviously, but I - what - what's the taste like? I mean, you know, I've had... bloodwine and stuff, but this is different, or...?"

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A part of Sakchai's brain told him not to ask more questions to avoid getting even more confused. He did not know who the Rllaillieu house was, he had no idea who those people were. Allan seemed like a very friendly person though so the chances of him doing something whack like accusing Sakchai of murder was very low. "Oh yeah, well I was in prison with Romulans so we had our own take on prison food. Man, we should talk prison hustles some time, I was the store man by the way," Sakchai said proudly with a smile. "I'll show you later," He said, making eye contact with Allan and nodding as a sign that he was doing to keep his word. Sakchai reached into his pocket and pulled out a packet of sauce to put on the krada legs on his plate. It was Cardassian yamok sauce, an unmistakable spicy scent, similar to terran szechuan sauce. "Any of you guys want yamok sauce? Uh, I imported a ton from Cardassia because I wasn't sure if they had any on the station, we definitely don't have it on Mol'Rihan," Valleka absolutely hated the stuff, the Rylov fridge was full of it too. Maybe that was another reason she had to take out her sister. It made Sakchai said because he went through all the trouble of stuffing his luggage with the stuff. "It's got a strong taste but I hear it's similar to some earth chili sauces."

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Teekah looked away from his food and back down at the Human who had a look of puzzlement clear on his face, his own still unfortunately covered in blood, but with his distraction, he hadn’t even noticed, as he openly checked Allan out, and listened to their conversation. He’d gotten the chance to swallow down a couple of the krada legs before Allan spoke to him, and surprisingly, he’d been able to actually think enough in that moment to come up with some semblance of a coherent reply. “I love the blood! Not only is it quite nutritiously dense, but it is also delicious!” He said with a wide, toothy grin, forked tounge momentarily blepping out to scent the air as he collected his thoughts. “My people have a much more sensitive palate than Humans, but I suppose the best way to answer is that it is…complex, and that each different type of blood is highly unique! This one is…hmmm…earthy? Spicy? Quite nice I can tell you that!” He said, hoping he made even just the barest glimmer of sense, especially as he hadn’t wanted to embarrass himself in front of his new friends. “I have not tried yamok sauce…what is it made out of? I am considering if I should take the risk of gastric issues to try it!” He said with another tinkly, hissy chuckle as he leaned forward onto his forearms to make himself a more active participant in the conversation (and the fact he flexed his biceps while doing so was totally not him showing off for the pretty Human).

2

"Ohhh, dude, we have gotta share prison food recipes! There's this Earth prison drink called a Cadillac, oh God, it's fucking heaven-" he grinned, "the store man too? Damnnn, you absolutely do need to show me," he watched as Sakchai then proceeded to pull out some yamok sauce and ask if they wanted some. "Oh, is that even a question? Fuck yeah, I'd love some yamok sauce," putting it on krada legs was honestly something he had never considered, "yeah, it's pretty similar, definitely different, but wait.. not on Mol'Rihan? Damn, I'm gonna have to ask Brokuk who his supplier is.." Brokuk always had that yamok sauce in his bag. Along with like, 10 other condiments and sauces. The way that Teekah left the blood on his face was... fascinating to the human. Meanwhile, Allan's own blood was flowing to a whole variety of places and none were where he wanted it to be. Especially when that forked tongue came out of the Gorn's mouth. What the fuck. Who gave them the right to have that? Wild. "Spicy, yeah? Could I uh... try it?" he asked, holding out his plate, fully intending to try some of it and then if he liked it, pour some yamok sauce over it. Double spicy. "I'm not actually sure what it's made of.. do you know?" He turned to Sakchai and tilted his head. That also helped him take his eyes off the flexing going on in front of them. For now.

"Blood does have it's health benefits. I feel like a lot of Cardassians look down at a lot of raw foods unless they're served on a tiny plate in the tiniest portions. They thing it's poor people food, but I personally think it's good. Also, being poor gave me a cast iron stomach," Sakchai had two Vulcan parents who were firmly in the mindset of living purely off of the basic necessities, not that they had much money to live beyond those means. Even if they did somehow have the Leks to spend, there wasn't much to buy in post-dominion war Cardassia. "Yamok sauce is made out of uh, yamoks! It's a vegetable that is ground into a paste to create the sauce. Of course there are other additives, but it's yamoks! I think it should be ok for Gorn. It is made from a vegetable so it's pretty basic in construction," Sakchai explained to Teekah and Allan. He was unaware of Gorn's dietary needs, but he assumed it was okay? It wasn't the most popular condiment outside of Cardassia, but most people could eat it. “And yeah Allan, we'll definitely have to share recipes, I'd love to try Ca.. I'm not even going to try and repeat that now," Sakchai said with a laugh, fully aware his language abilities were extremely poor. He had only learned Rihannsu out of necessity, but aside from that he did not do well with foreign words. "Well anyone could import it. I will say when I was on Mol'Rihan I mainly stayed at my wife's estate and around the Ekhaem district. I wanted to travel, but uh you know, prison and all," Sakchai shrugged, not too upset about his lack of travelling. He knew not all Romulans were Valleka, but he was pretty exhausted with family drama nonetheless.

Teekah gave Sakchai a nod of understanding when he heard that the sauce was made of plants, and gave a small, polite shake of his head. "Ah, well I appreciate the offer, but as its plant matter, I will politely decline, as my people cannot ingest anything that isn't animal based without gastric distress...thus is the life of an obligate carnivore..." He said with a slight flush of embarassment, before looking back down at his food and taking several more bites. At Allan's request, Teekah happily scooped some of the congealed blood over onto the Human's plate and eyed him with open curiosity, interested to have met a Human that was so eager to try something that carnivores primarily ate, rather than omnivores like Allan's people. With a curious tilt of his head, he took a moment to think about the Human, and just how complex he seemed, something that captured his attention quickly and very nearly fully.

"Poor people food? Wild. Sometimes on Earth, it's like - actually a really fancy delicacy, I dunno how that works, but - I dunno, maybe it's something about the way it's prepared? Or caught? Or something?" he was equally as surprised to learn that apparently, yamok sauce was made from a vegetable also called yamoks. Who would've guessed? Probably him, actually. If you asked him what he thought it was made of he definitely could've just said 'yamok sauce', which would be correct, he supposed. "Cadillac! It's usually replicator coffee, and like, depending on what prison you're in, means something different - sometimes it's half coffee, hot chocolate, sometimes it's coffee with a Milky Way candy bar and cream and sugar and shit, sometimes it's just normal creamed and sweetened coffee. Depends who you ask," he said with a shrug, frowning when Teekah mentioned he couldn't have the yamok sauce. Truly a shame, and now he really was stuck wondering about the other things the Gorn could and couldn't have. "Thanks," he looked at the blood on the plate, and back up at Teekah, and then quickly avoided looking at Teekah while Teekah was looking at him but then decided to keep the eye contact when he tried the blood. "Oh, that's actually-" he licked a little bit of the blood off of his lips, "that's really good, actually, you're right, it's a little spicy! So of course I'm going to-" he took one of the krada legs and put both the blood and the yamok sauce on it. Absolutely fucking delightful flavors, really. This is what the ancient scholar Guy Fieri meant by Flavortown.

"Alright, no problem," Sakchai was surprised that any sort of plant based item was a no-go for Teekah so he just offered to Allan. He frowned right alongside Allan at the thought of no yamok sauce! It really must have been hard with such a limited diet, it made Sakchai thankful that both Cardassians and Romulans had the right stuff in their evolution to allow them to eat plants. Romulans preferred meat, but he wondered if that was really true or if they just ate meat to show they weren't Vulcan anymore. Sakchai was impressed with how much Allan was willing to try, humans really were the friendliest species in the galaxy. "I am not sure what half of those are but I am willing to try," He responded to Allan's replicator recommendation. Sakchai then took a big bite of the krada legs and chewed slowly. He usually ate fast, but he wanted to savour his food here. "I'm glad you like it! Yep, straight from Cardassia! My dads like it too, surprisingly. They're like, Vulcan-- Vulcan Vulcans, never met Vulcans that Vulcan'd more than them," Sakchai thought back to all the times him and his brother S'Tven tried to convince their dads to let them have Cardassian fast food only to be told 'we have Zabo burgers at home', but the 'burgers' at home were just replicated burgers. Not that replicated meat wasn't good, but it wasn't real Zabo! "Yeah raw food uh, I know you guys have sushi? I only had it once, I cried. To be fair, Valleka offered it to me because she thought I was uncultured," Sakchai stuck his tongue out and shook his head at the thought of his ex-sister in law. "Do any of you guys want the last krada legs? They're not cooked, but I can certainly cook them if you want."

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He grinned down at Allan, nodding happily when the Human seemed to enjoy the food. "I'm so glad you like it!" He turned his attention back to Sakchai to shake his head, and pat his stomach. "They're all yours! I'm full!" He said, just as his PADD started to beep incessantly. He threw the two an embarrased grimace before checking it, only to see that he'd completely forgotten he was scheduled to have a video call with his parents, and that he was horribly late for it. He quickly sent his contact information over to Sakchai and Allan, before standing and leaving a few strips of latinum on the table, enough to pay for the meal. "I'm so sorry, but I need to run! I loved chatting though!" He said happily, before turning to Sakchai for a moment. "It was a pleasure meeting you Sakchai! I hope we meet again sometime!" He said with a nod, before turning his attention back to Allan, with a light blue flush on his facial scales. "Allan! It was lovely meeting again! I hope we can do so again, perhaps I can cook some traditional Gorn cuisine and I can crack a vintage bloodwine!" He practically babbled out, making it very clear he was asking the Human out on a date, but also being an adorable, nervous mess that he was with romance. With a wave, he ran out at top speed, wanting to make it to the videocall, not wanting to incur his Mother's ire.

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This meeting was a long time coming, but simultaneously, it was the first time Vovvi had met someone in her family in more than a few decades. She waited at a table for two, fidgeting with the sleeves of her sweater. She really wanted this to go well.. for her sake and Veldan's.

To his own immense surprise, Rilek had taken extremely good care of Veldan while he was here - she enrolled him in local education (Veldan had no idea how, since he had no ties to anything Federation at all), replicated him new clothes and he was looking much less malnourished than when he arrived; the green was certainly returning to his cheeks. He had even learnt some basic phrases in standard, slowly breaking the language barrier like he had with K'Koshi. Looking around for Vovvi (based on a picture Rilek had given him), Veldan's heart began beating faster. Rilek had reassured him that she also had no ties to Solon or the rest of the family anymore - but Veldan couldn't help but be apprehensive. He wasn't dressed too fancy, he was only in a green shirt and plain white t-shirt with this trousers that Rilek called 'jeans'. Spotting Vovvi at the table, Veldan walked over to his aunt and awkwardly cleared his throat. He hadn't been given a UT yet, because he was scared of injections - so he spoke in high Romulan, the only language he was fluent in and one that he knew Vovvi would know. "Vovvi?"

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Ah, already? Perfectly on time....? Vovvi raised her head as she was called, eyes landing on someone who very well could've been her older brother frozen in time. Fifty years ago. When she first ran away from home. She blinked away the initial shock and took her hands from her sleeves, offering an easy smile instead. "Hi, Veldan," she greeted politely, inclining her head a little and gesturing for him to have a seat across from her. There was already a menu waiting. "It's good to finally meet you. How are you? Hungry?" Veldan looked about as nervous as Vovvi felt. She didn't blame him — reconnecting with the family she ran away from, however distant, would've scared her too. Hell, it did even now. "I heard you don't have a UT yet, so if you have your PADD with you, you should be able to scan the menu into a translator. If not, I'm happy to translate for you." She spoke carefully as ever, choosing every word so as not to make things worse.

Veldan returned the smile and gingerly sat down opposite Vovvi. The truth is he was very hungry - the poor child had just forgotten to eat. "You can translate, if you would like." Looking at the menu, Veldan went through each item - basing it off the pictures first, he pointed at some waffles. "That one looks nice, what's it called?" In his mind (and mostly subconsciously), he wanted this to go well... And in the event that it didn't, Starfleet Security was only a yell away... No, Veldan pushed that thought out of his head. This was going to go well... It had to, for his own healing. Maybe it was a selfish reason (and one that gave Veldan a twang of guilt), but it was better than nothing - ten times over.

Vovvi leant over a little to properly see, fingertips drumming against her arms. "Oh, waffles. They're like.. pancakes, if you've ever had them, they're just differently shaped. I like them better like this, personally," she said, tapping against the picture of a waffle on her own menu, "We have a waffle maker at home that burns fun shapes into them, my daughter loves them. My oldest hates anything shaped differently than they think it should be." She cracked a warm, fond smile at that. It took ages just to coax Povala into trying differently shaped noodles, they would HATE pancakes with squares. "You can have whatever you'd like. No budget, my treat, of course." As was expected of her, being the adult of the situation.

Veldan Nodded. "I'd like that, especially since I don't have any money on me right now." In all honesty, he had run out of cash long before coming to 777 - long before coming to the Federation in general, and even then he only had a few Klingon coins at the time. Listening to what his aunt was saying, Veldan mind suddenly latched to something Vovvi had said. "Wait, I have cousins?" More than one as well - considering the words Vovvi used. Veldan wondered if they were his own age - it would be a first for him, having relatives somewhat in his own age group or younger, the (severely limited) perks of being the youngest of 12 siblings.

Vovvi blinked, then offered a tentative little smile. "Yes, I have two children. Povala is my oldest, they're only a few years older than you, actually, born not long after the Great Loss. They're in university for art. My youngest, Ivissa, is only five -- I adopted her while I was on duty on my last post. She wasn't doing well in such a climate, and I was offered a place in the Federation, so I'm happy to be here instead.... Do you have anyone on the station to talk to besides Rilek? Any friends you've made?" Povala would get along with Veldan, she thought. Maybe she'd have to ask them to visit soon.

"If I'm gonna be honest... No, I haven't. In fact I haven't really spoken to anyone else yet." He was doing well academically, but in all of the several months he had spent here Veldan had largely kept to himself. He couldn't exactly help it either - it was just one of those things he was used to doing. "Can I be open with you?" Words he never thought he'd be saying (both as a romulan and as talking to technically-a-stranger-right-now).

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When she was Veldan's age, she'd already been living on Praetor III for quite some time. Vovvi knew the struggle of not having anyone her age to talk to, and it'd hindered her social skills for nearly fifty years.. Vovvi frowned a little, soft with concern. "Of course, Veldan. I would like to, with time, become someone you're free to talk to whenever you need it."

That was a relief to hear, since as of now Veldan was only talking to Rilek and his teachers (who did try to make an effort to reach out to him). "I'm finding it hard to talk to other people. Up until deciding to stay here, I was the only person near my own age range that I knew." Veldan was silent for a small second, trying to find the words. "-when you started staying in one place, how did you find out what your place was?" Veldan sunk back slightly, realising he had just asked a very personal question in the middle of a very public place.

She considered the question for a long pause, glancing up with a polite thanks as their plates were delivered, but made no move to grab for her silverware. "To tell the truth... As unhelpful as it may be, I still don't know. I was a little bit younger than you are when I ran away from home, and I haven't seen my parents or my brother since. I was sixteen, so... ah, fifty years, maybe?" She exhaled a soft sigh, tension in her shoulders unwinding itself in one small movement as if a weight had been lifted. "It's okay-- I don't mind you asking these things. It's good that you do... hm. I think it starts with you learning how to trust the people and the environment you're in. It's a long process, but worth it in the end." Even after fifty years, she'd never really felt like she belonged anywhere. "Truthfully, I think it's less where you think you belong and where you feel safest. Where you feel...happiest. I'm sure there are plenty of youth programs around the Starbase-- I know of a group that meets up to play different TTRPGs, a band, an art group.. I'm sure there are more, if any of those would be interesting to you?"

That sealed it, Veldan knew he could trust Vovvi - there was just something in the way she responded that indicated that she had lived through similar events. And to be honest? Veldan hadn't had a happy place in a very, very long time. Was he really going to overturn his heart to his aunt who he had just met? Yes, yes he was. "There is a place, actually. Far away from here - outside Federation space, but I know I can't go back. Solon has probably put someone scouting it in case I go back." And while Veldan desperately wanted to, his brain had to throttle his heart's desire. Veldan was silent for a while, suddenly hyper-aware of the feeling of K'Koshi's pendant around his neck. "Are there any Science-like programs?"

"The estate," Vovvi said quietly, understanding. Tucked away in Romulan space, their own little corner of the galaxy. Blocked off from the rest of the world. Her expression twitched, lips pressing together in a thin line. "Right. I see. In that case... If you have something you left behind, or something you want to say to Solon, I can go with you. But I don't think it's safe to go back there for good. You're just about old enough to be on your own now, so there's nothing he can do about it that won't break the law... I'm sorry." She softened. "Yes, I believe so. I'll look into it and we can find something you'll like."

There were so many things that he was unsure about, especially given the very existence of Vovvi proved that the main Rei'Nak family were yes, really that bad. There was one thing he wanted to do for sure though - he wanted to go to Mol'Rihan on his birthday and confront Solon, to tell his father that he didn't need him - and basically never had, for a long, long time. "There's a family house on Mol'Rihan now, I want to go there when I come of age to tell whoever is there that I don't have to stay under their shadow. Oh, and claim something from the Rei'Nak collective inventory." A legal right for all Romulans as they turn 18 - yay for the Romulan legal system.

There it was again. The house on Mol'Rihan. The reminder that she and Povala had been a breath away from the jaws of the beast. Vovvi made a little motion to shake it from her system, letting out a soft sigh. "I see. When is... When is your birthday?" She wanted to know. She'd already missed out on so much of his life. Could she have been there for him before everything hit the wall..? At least now she had a chance to fix that. "If you don't mind, I recommend going after. So you have a chance to celebrate, and so it has a happy memory attached to it instead of something bittersweet." She smiled.

Swiftly followed by a more pleasant conversation, the rest of the meal was..not without awkward pauses- meeting family you didn't know existed for 18 years was bound to be- but overall, Vovvi thought it went well. She emphasized that her door was open if Veldan ever needed it, and took mental note to go shopping to get the boy a proper gift for his birthday before they parted ways. (edited)

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