Star Trek: Starbase 777 - ens-preston﹢s′tera

[D] Upon arriving at Starbase 777 Elwyn had gone straight to their quarters to unpack their belongings. Once that was out of the way they checked to see if the COS was free. She seemed occupied, and so Elwyn decided to go and talk to someone else and make themselves useful, and so they left.

[D]As soon as she had boarded the station, Alanna had tried her best to avoid any contact with anyone. Taking longer routes, hiding in broom closets, and at one point even using a site-to-site transport, which with a tightly packed suitcase was a challenge in of itself. When she finally managed to enter her quarters after spending much of her time dodging and weaving in a station she barely knew, she went through the common room, straight into her personal quarters, locking the door when she did so. Alanna flopped onto her bed, put in her earbuds and began listening to some music in an attempt to drown out the negative feelings she had from being here. (edited)

[PADD] To: Ensign Elwyn Preston From: Lieutenant Commander Alizati Dzharok

Hello Ensign Preston. Have you ever tried Vulcan cuisine? I would like to invite you to join me in #surak-snacks whenever you are next available.

[PADD]

To: Lt. Cdr. Alizati Dzharok From: Ensign Elwyn Preston Hi, Sir! No I haven't, but I'd love to join you and try some! I'm available now if you're free, Sir! - Ensign Elwyn Preston, Starbase 777

[PADD] To: Ensign Elwyn Preston From: Lieutenant Commander Alizati Dzharok

I will meet you in 20 minutes.

[PADD] @Elwyn Preston

Hi there, Elwyn! I was curious if you'd be interested in a quick spar at some point in the future? If so, do PADD me back!

-Samantha Voxellus

[PADD]

Hi, Sam! What kind of spar? - Ensign Elwyn Preston, Starbase 777

[PADD]

Whatever you'd like! I just want to see what you're capable of!

-Samantha

[PADD]

I'm down for that! I'm free now if you'd like to go to the training room! - Elwyn

[PADD]

Sure thing! I'll see you there!

- Samantha

[D]Alanna had spent the past few weeks either in the library, her personal quarters, or in sickbay tending to the background work that people doing physicals couldn't do. All in all she felt she had managed to settle in a routine on the station, and slowly that feeling of new posting anxiety began to subside (even if she had only "spoke" to her commanding officer so far). The ensign had quickly managed to work out the best strategy to get to places, avoiding as many people as she could. Right now she was relaxing on a sofa in the shared section, quietly reading an interesting Trill novel series with each book being about a different host. A very interesting read. (edited)

[D] Despite having been stationed on 777 for a while Elwyn had rarely been in her room. She had never felt the need to return here when there was so much to see and do, and she didn't exactly need sleep either so she had just rarely come back here except to freshen up when she felt the need. The young Ensign hadn't met her roommate yet, and frankly didn't expect to any time soon as she assumed the two had different shift patterns. It was after her latest shift that she decided to return to her quarters and get out of uniform, and so the doors slid open and in bounded the bubbly android (not that you could tell she was an android, mind), only for her to stop dead in her tracks upon seeing someone on the sofa. "Oh, hi!" She greeted cheerily.

Alanna's face paled (not by that much seeing as she was already incredibly pale to begin with, something something Irish genes) and her mind rushed through every possible connection she could have had with the person standing by the door, only coming up with them being a possible roommate about halfway through. After settling on the probability that they did, in fact, share the same quarters, Alanna did the polite thing and smiled, a full thirty to forty-five seconds after Elwyn said hello, trying hard to ignore the part of her that wanted to run to her room and lock the door. With the rush of being jumpscared dying down a bit, Alanna attempted (and failed) to go back to reading her book; she curled up into a ball on the sofa to try and get more comfortable, but the infamous internal monologue had taken hold, and despite her best efforts her mind kept wandering through each possible outcome this interaction could have even though it had literally just started. (edited)

As Elwyn watched the actions of the woman in front of her it was soon quite obvious that she was, in fact, shy. Or unsociable, either works. The Ensign continued to smile, but decided to just leave her be and head off to get changed, which she did. She headed into her room, only to come out a few minutes later in a pair of shorts, a cropped tshirt, and a pair of sneakers, the seam lines for her wrists, ankles, shoulders and neck now entirely visible, which certainly made her stand out as something other than human, although the lime green eyes had already been a somewhat obvious sign. Trying to figure out how to cut the tension, the Ensign decided to head over to her roommate with a smile, although somewhat keeping her distance. "What're you reading?" She asked curiously in a friendly tone.

The Ensign in question's first thought as Elwyn walked out was 'Oh no, they're hot.' The second was the fact that they were an Android, but that wasn't important right now. Already regretting her first impression, Alanna turned the book so that Elwyn could see the cover: 'A symbiont's journey, Book 3: Tobias.' It was a YA book series, but Alanna had grown up reading them and now they had become one of her comfort mediums. She sat up from her foetal position and made a bit of space for Elwyn to sit down, only realising after that fact that the Android was probably dressed to head out again, and they probably didn't have too much time to talk.

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"Oh that's cool!" Elwyn said, before immediately going and sitting down next to her roomie when space was provided, still sounding very cheerful and friendly, her smile still on her face. As she sat down she blew a bit of hair out of her face, before turning to face the person she hoped to be a new friend. "I'm Elwyn!" She said in an upbeat tone.

Alanna had not given her name out to anyone over the tenure of her recovery, keeping yourself anonymous is a surefire way to be a forgettable face. And being forgettable was exactly what she wanted, she didn't want to go through the pain of losing someone again, and what better way to do that then by being forgettable? Nonetheless, Elwyn was presumably going to be stationed here for a while, like her. She reached over to a PADD and typed her name in, giving it to her roommate. She really didn't want to, but doing this would mean less awkward interactions if they crossed paths again. 'No one else', Alanna told herself. She was doing this because it was logical for roommates to know each other's names, and nothing more.

Elwyn took the PADD gently and read their roomie's name. It was certainly a different way to communicate, but at no point did a single ounce of judgement come into their head, feeling quite happy with this method. Considering their options for a moment the young Ensign then decided to type something back on the PADD, before handing it back to Alanna. 'I like your name :)' it read. 'Oh, and if you're mute I know SSL!' was written just below. As they passed the PADD back to their roomie their smile remained. (edited)

Oh shit Elwyn knew sign? Alanna had started learning, but it had mostly been looking through tutorials on the subspace net. Maybe she could ask for some lessons- no, that would be too awkward. At least for now, maybe she could ask another time? Alanna smiled back and began moving her hands in a way that vaguely resembled sign. The majority of the movements meant absolutely nothing, and Alanna knew she was doing a terrible job at it. 'I learn' was the only really intelligible thing to come out of it.

Ever the optimist Elwyn watched as the woman signed with a smile, internally processing what was being said. Despite her best efforts, she could only pick out two works, but that was enough. She responded with a simple 'Good', smiling at who she deemed to already be a new friend.

Alanna looked away and smiled to herself. Even if it was a subconscious decision, she felt like she could trust Elwyn. To her, they weren't friends yet, her friends pre-prisoner of war had raised that bar so, so very high. But the Android sitting across from her was technically the first person (outside of her commanding officer or family) she had interacted with in months. Her PADD made her aware that Alanna's shift was soon, meaning she had to get changed into her uniform. She typed something out on the PADD and handed it to Elwyn. 'My shift starts soon, I have some music on this if you want to listen to it?'

Elwyn took the PADD and read the message, before looking back at Alanna with a grin and nodding in agreement. Music was cool! The young Ensign still couldn't get her head around why Alanna wasn't talking, but she honestly didn't mind. It just meant communicating was a fun challenge!

By 'music,' Alanna didn't mean her preferences, instead saved on the PADD was music that she had made herself. Short songs based off of her time in recovery. She walked into her private quarters to get changed into a work uniform (and also to simp over Elwyn in private).

Once Alanna had left to go get ready for work Elwyn started listening to the music. It was only a matter of seconds before she was vibing along with a smile on her face, her eyes closed and her head moving in time with the music. She didn't even realised Alanna had made any of the music, but she was enjoying it immensely.

After a while Alanna returned, wearing a neatly pressed medical uniform and her hair tied back into a short ponytail. She smiled shyly at Elwyn and typed onto the PADD that the Android was holding. 'It was nice meeting you.' She hung around awkwardly for a couple of seconds before remembering she had a shift, and not remembering it was actually shore leave. She gave one more quick goodbye wave and left.

Elwyn smiled at Alanna when she came out of her quarters, and smiled even more when her new roomie said it was nice meeting her. The awkwardness was not lost on the young Ensign, but she didn't think any of it, and when the other Ensign left for work she gave a little wave, before going back to vibing to the music. New friend acquired!

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Having finished her shift for the day, Alanna found herself once again buried deep in a book™️, and this time sitting not on the sofa, but using it as a backrest while she sat on the floor. A strange way to pass the time, but the Ensign was comfortable in this position. Besides, she was preoccupied with the feeling of being lost in a fantasy world, to such an extent that she wasn't really paying attention to the world around her. (edited)

Elwyn had finished her shift a while ago, but had decided to take the very long route back to her quarters so she could people watch. It was upon returning and the doors opening that she immediately spotted the head of her roomie. Smiling, she gave a small wave before heading into her room to get out of her uniform. After a minute or so she returned to the main room wearing light grey shorts, a cropped purple and pink tshirt, and some white trainer socks. She headed on over to her roomie with a friendly smile and sat down next to her on the floor.

Alanna barely even registered the fact the door opened or the fact someone walked in. In fact, it took upwards of a minute for Alanna to finally look up, in order to relax her eyeballs. When she finally noticed Elwyn she jumped, hitting her head against the armrest. When did they get here? How long had they been watching her. So many internal questions in so little time meant that all Alanna could really manage was a small smile in Elwyn's direction.

Elwyn practically jumped at the same time as Alanna, before wincing when she saw (and heard) her roomie hit her head on the arm of the sofa. “Oh my gosh I’m so sorry!” She said apologetically, a look of sympathy on her face as she turned to better face her roomie. “Are you okay? I shouldn’t have snuck up on you like that, I’m really sorry!”

She nodded and smiled again, rubbing her temple. Congratulations, you made a fool of yourself. And in front of your crush as well. Alanna picked up the book again, but this time leaned it towards Elwyn slightly, so they could read along with her.

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Elwyn was flooded with reassurance when Alanna nodded to say she was fine, although part of them decided to keep an eye on her in case. Once the book was turned to face them more they smiled appreciatively, before turning to sit with their back against the couch again and read it with their roomie. Fun book hangout time!

The book was an old classic, about a young Betazoid trying to stay positive while sensing the anxieties of the people around him. Not a particularly joyful book, but it carried some meaning to Alanna, in some way or another. She wasn't really sure how either. The pair sat next to each other for the next 15 minutes or so, finishing the book in one sitting. An impressive feat, even if Alanna was nearing the end when Elwyn came in.

Once the book was finished Elwyn spoke again, looking at Alanna with a smile. “I really enjoyed that! It can be hard to be empathetic, never mind an actual empath, so the way they tried to stay positive through that stuff was inspiring! Did you enjoy it?”

Alanna nodded. “Yeah, I did.” Simple and to the point, no need to really elaborate further. Alanna actually had a heavy Irish accent, which seemed to be both slightly brash and melodic at the same time. (edited)

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Elwyn's eyes widened when she heard her roomie speak for the first time, a grin spreading across her face. "I'm glad! We should read another book together at some point! I like books!"

Alanna looked at Elwyn. "I'd like that. You look nice by the way." She quickly added.

Elwyn practically beamed when she was complimented. "Aww, thank you! You look nice too!" She honestly didn't expect Alanna to be this chatty, but who cares!

"So uhhh... How was your shift?" Moving up to sit on the sofa, Alanna motioned for Elwyn to do the same, a small grin on her face. She had barely interacted with anyone for so long, apparently she was rusty. (edited)

"It wad good!" Elwyn said as she got up and went to sit on the couch next to Alanna, a smile still on her face. "Not a lot happened, but that's a good thing! If I have to do something it means either people are in danger or someone's broken the rules, and I don't want either of those to happen!"

“Oh definitely a good thing. When people do crimes it often means people end up in Sickbay, and we’re already pretty stretched as it is.” Alanna changed her position to be sitting cross-legged, her head rested in between her hands. It seemed like she was slowly slipping back into her old, social self. And about damn time too.

“Yeah. I hope Medical get more people soon, because you’re one of the worst divisions to be under-staffed!” Elwyn said, feeling bad for them being so stretched. “How was your shift?” She was really liking chatty Alanna!

”Nothing too exciting, I usually avoid doing the physicals so I spend most of my time in the back rooms, doing inventory and stuff.” Alanna smiled. “It’s a boring job but someone’s gotta do it!”

“It can be fun if you make it! You could turn it into a game by trying to guess how many of each item there are!” Elwyn suggested enthusiastically. “Physicals can be fun! At least in my opinion, anyway. Not that I’ve never given one. I’ve had many!”

“I thought you were an Android? Actually I think you are still entitled to a medical examination.” Alanna looked at Elwyn. “From what I’ve heard most medical officers do nearly 10 on every shift. I couldn’t deal with speaking to that many people on a daily.”

“I am! I got my latest physical from Commander Dzharok!” Elwyn explained happily. “It makes sense. He’s an engineer, I’m an android. He’d understand my body better than anyone in Medical! No offence, of course! Both Medical and Engineering checked me over at the Academy.” She explained with a smile.

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"Dzharok sounds like a nice person!" Alanna's face fell slightly and she sighed. "I still need to get out and meet some more people. You know I've been here for almost three months and I've only 'talked' to you and Commander Dreaxa. And even then it was barely an interaction."

"He is! But I'd be happy to support you and help you make friends if you want!" Elwyn said enthusiastically, a smile on her face. "I don't mind tagging along for emotional support if you want it! If you don't I obviously wouldn't mind, I just wanna put the offer out there!"

"You would do that? We only just know each other!" Alanna beamed, it was nice to finally be out of her shell especially after going so long without any interactions, outside her mam of course. It was surreal, as if her worries about socialising had just melted away.

“I’d do that for anyone!” Elwyn said with a grin. She wasn’t boasting, she was telling the truth. “Everyone deserves to be able to make friends, so if you having someone to support you is what you need to make some I’d be thrilled to help!” Why was Alanna so chatty all of a sudden? It’s amazing!

"...Would you consider us friends? Considering how I practically ghosted you when we first met." Alanna chuckled. "Seriously, I've spent half my time buried in a kids book and half my time avoiding people like the plague on my way to my shift. You know I could shave around 10 minutes off of my route if I just took the direct way there?"

"Yeah, we're friends!" Elwyn responded cheerfully, a large smile on her face. "I think you might need to maybe get used to being around and talking to people, though, at least for the sake of making your life easier! And hey, if you get comfortable around other people you won't need to worry being around them as much! It would reduce stress!"

"You think so?" Alanna sat in thought for a second. "Alright let's do it! Let me get changed out of my uniform real quick." She got up and walked into her private quarters, emerging a few minutes later wearing a shirt and waistcoat combo. "Man, I haven't worn this in years! Honestly I'm glad it still fits."

Elwyn nodded with a smile as Alanna headed off, taking the opportunity to go and get her sneakers on. Once the other Ensign came out of her room the young Ensign was already back in the living room, and a grin immediately crossed her face. "You look so fancy!"

"Thanks!" Alanna opened the door and motioned for Elwyn to go. "Shall we?"

"Sure!" Elwyn said with a grin, before walking out of the quarters, making sure Alanna followed her. Friend making time!

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Elwyn entered her quarters after Alizati walked her to them, and immediately took her uniform boots off. She then proceeded to her room to change into comfier clothes, before plopping down onto her bed with a sigh and laying down. She then picked up her PADD and decided to read a book for a while as she processed the day's events, all while trying to keep her mentor's words of positivity in her head instead of the mean man's mean words.

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Dear Ensign Elwyn Preston, Starfleet Intelligence requests your presence on a classified mission. You are to be allocated to @deleted-role. A full briefing as to the nature of the mission will take place once the ship has departed. Eventide is to depart on stardate 89728.71 – the 23rd of September 2412 at 1700 hours. Please be aboard the vessel for this time. It is predicted that this mission shall last approximately three days including the time taken for travel. A full communications blackout will be in place during this time: there will be no communication with Starbase 777 or any other outside sources. Please do not inform anyone else as to the details of this journey. We hope you understand, and we thank you for your compliance. Yours, Starfleet Intelligence.

[D] Since the incident with the mean man with mean words Elwyn had carried on like normal. She had gone on duty when she was meant to, and spent time off when she was meant to, either people watching or watching a movie in her quarters or on the holodeck, as well as video calling with her Pa. Overall since that day things had been perfectly fine and good, and she had been focusing on positive thoughts and vibes. When she was contacted by Intelligence she felt a buzz of excitement and anticipation for the mission ahead, and had begun planning ever since... Not that she knew anything about the mission, of course. Naturally she told her Pa she was going to be doing fun Starfleet-y things for a few days so wouldn't be in contact until next week just so he didn't worry, but as per the instructions didn't give him any details or when the Starfleet-y things would be happening. When the day of the mission came Elwyn had laid everything she wanted to bring with her out on her bed: PADD, Type-2 phaser (she was on duty so already had it), commbadge (duh), home-made energy bars for her colleagues, a flask of water, and a teeny tiny good luck charm in the form of a necklace her Pa got her as a child. She put the PADD in her jacket pocket, along with the energy bars and flask of water. None of them took that much space up so she evenly distributed them across her torso. Lastly she put her necklace in a fasten-able inside pocket so she didn't lose it, and her phaser on her belt holster. "Let's do this!" She said with a grin, before heading out of her room and out of her quarters entirely.

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