Star Trek: Starbase 777 - senior-staff-mess-hall

Tulas was indeed seated at a table with his platter of goodies. Two hot dogs and just plain old ketchup on each. The buns seemed to be garlic bread... the Reman certainly had style. He licked his lips and raised the first to his mouth, taking a bite. From the window seat he head, it was a booth seat and seemed to be one of the few seats open.

Ellanor came walking inside. She scoped out the area and saw the only unoccupied seat. She gathered a cup of tea and walked over to the booth with the empty seat. She smiled at the occupant of the booth and smiled at him. "Hello. May I sit? It seems to be the only seat available." (edited)

He looked up at the newcomer mid-bite and furrowed his brow-bones. He dabbed the ketchup off of his upper lip before responding, "Yes, miss. I don't see why you can't sit... feel free." The Reman seemed to be very amicable towards Ellanor, though he went back to another bite after he spoke. A hot dog enthusiast.

Ellanor smiled at him before placing her tea on her side of the table and sitting down. "Thank you. I just didn't want to take it in case it was being saved for someone. My name is Ellanor, by the way. What's yours?" She waited politely for him to finish eating before he responded.

"Tulas. Tulas Harris Ervek, though you can simply call me Tulas or Harris," he replied once he finished his current bite. He sighed and chewed slowly with his next. Garlic crunchy bread. "Nice to meet you, Ellanor. You're here to have a tea, I suppose?"

"It's nice to meet you too, Tulas." She smiled again at him, then took a sip of her tea. "Yes, I figured it would be wise to go out and get to meet some of my coworkers instead of being cooped up in my quarters alone. How long have you been aboard?"

“Two and a half days. I’m fresh out of the academy. How about you, hmm?” He yawned and took another bite, brow cocked slightly. He seemed to be tired from the process of getting set up on the ship and everything.

"To be honest, I just got here. It's my first day as a science Ensign." She took a sip from her tea and set it back down on the table. She kept her hand on it to soak in whatever warmth it had left. (edited)

“That sounds awesome. One’s first day is always tough... my first day at the academy indeed was. What is your specialty?” He rubbed his nose and blinked at her.

"I mostly enjoy plants. I love all sorts of them. I guess I'm considered a plant freak." She laughed at herself and finished her tea and gently set the cup on the table. She looked back up at Tulas and adjusted her glasses.

“A botanist. I was considering that field as well, though biology ultimately took the forefront. A Reman science officer... in biology. Many in the academy found it comical, the bastards,” He replied, giving a bit of an insight into how they poked fun at him in the academy. Not a common sight for sure.

"That's not very nice that they thought it was funny. I think it's really cool! Screw the stereotypes." She laughed. It was her attempt to make him feel better about being a botanist.

He smiled chuckled softly, digging into his second hot dog. He looked at the woman and shrugged. “I did defy them to end up here... if my mother didn’t defect from Remus and come to Earth I wouldn’t exist. Anyway... enough about me. How are you doing on this lovely Sunday?” He grinned slightly, pearly white teeth. Humanlike teeth. It seems that his human quarter won out for that.

"Well I know we just met, but I'm glad you exist." She smiled at him and looked out a window for a moment before looking back to Tulas and smiling. "I'm doing alright. I'm super excited to be here and to meet everyone I can. How are you doing?"

He smiled at her after her first statement, taking another bite out of the hot dog. It was especially tasty. "I'm doing fine myself. Excited... and a bit nervous. I don't really know what to expect... and I do. It's one of those feelings. Will I report to the correct science lab? Will I..." He droned on a bit.

"I understand. But we all learn from our experiences and were bound to make a mistake at some point." She traced the top of her teacup with her finger. "We can't expect to not make a mistake at first. It comes with the job."

"I agree with that. Doesn't quell the nervousness, however. You seem surprisingly held together and I admire you for that. Are you going to eat?" He asked, noticing that she didn't possess any food with her drink. Did she come to simply socialize?

"I may look held together, but I am a little nervous about meeting our commanding officers. Have you had a chance to meet either of them yet?" She looked down at her empty teacup and back at him. "I'm not all that hungry, honestly. I may grab a bite to eat later."

"I didn't get around to meeting our commanding officers. I've only been here getting set up... though I'm scheduled to start tomorrow and get those meetings squared away," he replied with a slight shrug, dabbing his mouth with a napkin. "Did you get their names, per chance?"

Ellanor shook her head. "No, I'm afraid I haven't received their names. I hope your first day goes good, though. All the luck to you, Tulas." She smiled at him and looked out the window for a moment, wondering what her grandparents were up to. Were they worried? Excited? She would have to get into contact with them if she could.

"I wish you luck as well, Ellanor," he replied with a half smile, finishing off his hot dog. "If I may ask... what's on your mind?"

She smiled at him for a moment. "Oh, I'm just thinking about my grandparents. I'm just a worry wart when it comes to them. I'm just wondering if they're worried about me too, is all."

He smiled and chuckled softly, his own grandmother coming to mind. Through his line of mixed species... was a single old human lady adept at baking cookies. He sighed. "They may be worried... but they also must be rather proud of your accomplishment here. It's said that only the best of the best make it up here into Starfleet. Why don't you call them on the console in your quarters, hmm? Every room has one, unlike the Academy."

"You're right! I had completely forgotten about that. Thank you for reminding me." She smiled at her new friend. That would be make her life easier to know there were just a quick call away.

"Indeed. Not everything is as complicated as it seems. I do miss my grandmother... a human woman. She bakes wonderful peanut butter cookies... I could go for some of those right now," he replied with a chortle. He had some human in him, his wild card factor.

"Oh, those sound really good. I bake myself, but I highly doubt my cookies would ever match up to hers. They don't even match up to my grandmas." She laughed. "So do you like sweets in general or just your grandmas cookies?"

"Without sweets I'd certainly lose my mind. Heh. Pastries... but nothing ever beats m'grandma's cooking. Baking... whatnot. What's your favorite kind of sweet?" He picked up a french fry from his plate and chomped it.

"Well I'm not trying to brag or anything, but I make a super good chocolate cheesecake. I just love baking in general, it's an amazing stress relief for me personally." Just to talk about her baking she started to lightly bounce her leg from excitement.

“I’d love to try this chocolate cheesecake. I absolutely love cheesecake. You’re getting me craving some of that tasty goodness,” He grinned and chuckled, a bit of a light pitched one.

Ellanor laughed along with him. "I enjoy sweets a lot, but chocolate cheesecake is what I make the most, which is probably why it's so good."

"I agree... heh. Chocolate cheesecake. Chocolate. Who doesn't love chocolate?" He smiled softly and chuckled after that. "Maybe I can try some sometime?"

"Oh absolutely. I do not mind sharing when it comes to any sweets I make." She smiled at him. "I'm a sucker for anything chocolate."

"Especially the dark chocolate... hmm... I wish to share my baking secrets with you as you... will share them with me?" He was proposing a trade, a trade of baking secrets. He was giddy as ever.

"I don't have a ton of baking secrets but I'll share with you what I do have." She herself was excited. She only really had her grandparents to tall about baking with, so this was new to her.

“I am happy about that. I have a few as well, they’re just fun. I love baking. Huh. You know if these quarters have ovens standard?” A valid question.

Ellanor shrugged her shoulders a little. "I honestly have no clue. I haven't spent much time in there."

“I don’t know either...” He sighed and rubbed his right arm. “Anyway, I should be going, thinking of meeting my commanding officer ahead of time to knock it off of my list. See you around?”

she smiled at him. "Of course. We're in the same department so we will be seeing each other really soon. It was very nice to meet you, Tulas."

"You as well, Ellanor," he replied, bowing slightly to her before rising with his spent plate of goods. He recycled them and vanished off to the gallows.

Ellanor smiled at him and waved. She lingered for a while longer staring out the window. She then decided to stand. She recycled her cup and out she went.

[D] Zeza was here just eating while she looked at a Pad with a frown as he read over her Engineering reports there was still some work that need to be done in the ship before the marauder voyage and she has so many other things to take care of in such little time. She has Engineering teams on every deck working as hard as the could to keep the Station up and Running now they excepted her crews to increase the already stretched work load with out additional staff. It was going to be an interesting time. She continued to eat her soup hoping it would calm her but, instead she bit her tongue. She just cursed under her breath and continued working.

Styre walked in and immediately heard a particular word muttered. He looked over to see a yellow-shirted Lieutenant Commander frowning at a PADD. He shrugged, but the thought persisted that he may be able to help. He turned towards the Lt. Commander and spoke in a low monotonous way. "Commander?" He did not want to seem off-putting or aggressive, so he left his remarks at that. If the person failed to wish to communicate, Styre would be on his way.

She was startled she didn’t even see anyone enter. She rose from her chair. “Sorry Commander, just having a rough day.” Zeza said as she wiped her mouth off with a napkin. “Would you like to sit with me sir?” She asked hopefully show him that she was better than her worst moment stuck in paper work.

Styre saw the startle and nodded. He listened to the Lieutenant Commander as his ears twitched and he moved to the seat across from Zh'ashrellil. "It is alright, Commander." he said, his stoic tone still continuing with no sign of changing. "May I inquire as to what specifically is making your day... rough?" he inquired.

“I just am having trouble managing Engineering teams for both the ship and the Station without any extra support staff. We could use some more Operations officers to handle the extra work.” Zeza said sitting down at the table again. She left the Pad on the table.

Styre nodded once again as he set his PADD on the table, searching through some records before looking up again. "I do see that we lack a Chief Engineer for the Eventide currently, and so the responsibilities do fall to you. Yet, we have capable officers in both Engineering and Operations. The Eventide has Lieutenant Commander Tema as the Operations Chief. I am sure she can help take some of those responsibilities away from you, especially in concern to ship operations."

“Thanks for your help. I know our team is very capable. It just making sure that your ship is ready for it’s maiden voyage.” Zeza said nervous about how busy her officers were we wanted them to have free time and lives.

"I understand that priorities are important. But you must understand that we reside at a Station with very capable officers and we are a crew of equally talented officers. You and I have no reasons to worry about our departure, we will make it and we can give our crews a rest. A much needed rest." Styre said, failing to relate or even acknowledge the sympathy portrayed within the Commanders nervous tone.

"Well, I guess I had better get back to work. I need to make sure we have enough hands working on getting everything around the Station fixed and getting your ship ready sir. Thanks for your words of encouragement. I will do my best to ensure the safety and mental health of my team." Zeza said with a smile as she gathered her things. Putting the uneaten food in the replicator and recycling it. "I wish you good luck on your maiden voyage if I don't see you before then. It was nice talking to your Commander."

After walking right over to the replicator, she got herself a herbal tea and a dish that had a name she was sure she could not pronounce. She had eaten it before, it had been rather too spicy for her preference and yet she found herself ordering it again. A little later she made her way over to one of the tables at the edge of the room, choosing her seat in way that allowed her to watch the room.

T'rell entered the mess hall and replicated herself a warm bowl of stew before noticing the Lieutenant Commander and making her way towards her. "Commander, mind if I sit?" She asked, checking to make sure it was alright. No rule against it of course but it was the polite thing to do.

The plate with the food on it had been pushed to the side, while the tea had been placed in front of her next to her PADD. She had just started going over some of her own notes when T'Rell approached. "I do not mind." Evoras gestured vaguely towards the other chairs and then after a few moments of silence she asked: "Has anything of note happened?"

"Not much after the incident at PACT Galactica, a couple newbies like ourselves but nothing of note. Nothing work related anyway. How have you been Commander?" She asked curiously as she took a sip of her stew.

She closed her PADD, pushed it aside and wrapped her hands around her mug of tea. "Adequate, nothing entirely unexpected happened. Well since the incident." Both applied to her work as well as personal life this was 'theoretically' not a lie, if you squinted at least. "I expect, you have not had any major incidents privately either?" That... didn't sound right. She wasn't entirely sure if not asking about how the Lieutenant had been doing privately would have been the more prudent course of action. Either way you could not unspeak words and so she just slipped on her tea.

She took another sip of her stew. "Met with the new Romulan Ambassador actually." She smiled fondly. "It was nice to hear about New Romulus and all the happenings there. And it was interesting to see how our backstories differed too. Since I went to Vulcan when Romulus was destroyed and he hopped around until he settled in with the Republic."

"I see. I must admit that I am not familiar with the happenings on New Romulus. They would be of... personal value to you." She really didn't know much about New Romulus, but then again she wasn't overly familiar with most planets, past the scientific facts that was. For a while she simply focused on the warmth of her mug against her hands. "I assume you came to Vulcan in 2387?" Until two years ago Evoras' longest shore leave on Vulcan had be a little over a week at a time, so when she had suddenly been stuck there on sick leave she had realized that she didn't recognize it anymore. Both she and the planet had changed and being there had somehow felt akin to watching a holomovie.

"Yup, lived in Vulcan more than half my life after that." She shrugged. "It was certainly an interesting experience. You're from Vulcan too right?"

"I am, left for the academy in 2385. I've lived on ships and stations for longer than I have on any planet." She looked past the Lieutenant and scanned the room for nothing in particular.

"I suppose that's the same thing for me as well, as soon as I could leave I did." She mused and took another bite out of her food. "Oh hey, there's a new Ensign researching something about the Vorta and their genetics. Thought I'd tell you so you could check up on him and see what he's doing every now and then."

"Has he given you any reason to be cautious or are you simply informing me due to the field of study? What's the Ensign's name?" She unlocked her PADD, ready to look into said Ensign.

"Just informing, it's some pretty interesting stuff that sounded like it could really improve relations between us and the Dominion. His name is Ratana Nalas I believe." She said thoughtfully. "Yeah, it's Ratana Nalas one of the new ensigns. He's Bajoran.'

She skimmed through the Ensign's file, making a few mental notes. Then after a few minutes she turned off her PADD again. * "I shall look into it." *The topic did seem interesting, even if it would be some time before she would be willing to insert it into her time table.

She nodded and took another bite out of her food. "He has some sound theories for sure. It'll be interesting to see the result of his research."

Evoras nodded and returned her attention to her food. Then the yellow alarm sounded. "It appears we were too hasty talking about the things that happened.". With that she stood up and turned to leave the room.

As soon as he got into the mess hall he walked straight for the replicator just like everyone else was. He made sure to focus on his breathing and blinking, not that anyone was staring at him, but he didn't want to give anyone a reason to stare. He was tall with dyed ash blue hair and pointed ears, it wasn't exactly easy for him to 'blend in'. Once he was to the front of the queue he froze, wondering what to get. Should he get his normal bio-lubricant? Would anyone notice? He blinked a few times and then glanced around the room. Everyone was doing their own thing, perhaps it would be fine. "... Scone with maple syrup, bio lubricant," He spoke quickly when stating the second item, hoping no one would notice. He stood awkwardly at the replicator, waiting for it to make his meal.

Styre just so happened to be standing right behind Alizati. His slightly taller frame arched over the man. Styre first happened to notice the unnatural hair color… perhaps a human and their mysterious ways. But then Styre noticed something more peculiar… pointed ears. Was this a detached Vulcan whom abandoned the ways of Surak? Styres curiosity piqued. Styre waited until they got to the front of the line, not wishing to interrupt over such a trivial matter. But Styre’s ears twitched slightly as his more sensitive ears heard the individual order “bio-lubricant,” an odd choice. But the yellow color indicated either engineering or operations, and lubricant was a necessary addition to their work… but why order it in the mess hall? Styre moved toward towards the replicator, eyeing the new individual slightly as he asked for “Chicken dumplings with soy sauce and water.”

As soon as his food materialised, Alizati grabbed his tray and turned around to grab a table. He noticed the taller man who was standing behind him and they locked eyes for exactly zero point twenty six seconds. Blond hair, tall, pointed ears, red uniform, Vulcan mixed with something else most likely. His pointy ears picked up on the other's order, 'chicken dumplings with soy sauce and water'. An interesting choice, but if he was half that would explain the taste for earth food. He walked slowly to what seemed like the only empty table and sat down to eat. It took him an extra three point six seconds for him to realise he had indeed sat at the only empty spot and if the other Vulcan (half? The blond hair was throwing him off) was planning on eating there he would be sitting beside him. Alizati made sure to move his tray just in case. He picked up his fork and poked the scone a few times, causing the sides to crumble. Honestly, he was not too interested in eating foods, he was just here for the bio lubricant which he drank slowly.

Styres vigilant eyes scanned the room for an empty seat as he moved away from the replicator. His eyes briefly meeting with that of the man lined up before him. After scanning the room, he noticed an empty table… but it seems as if the man was heading towards it. Styre found this the perfect opportunity to engage in conversation with the peculiar man. He grabbed his tray and moved towards the empty seat, setting his tray on the table and sitting on the chair in front of it. Although, Styre wouldn’t be the one to start a conversation, he found that just too… socially unacceptable for him to do.

Just as he predicted, the blond Vulcan man was sitting at his table. It was the only logical place to sit and he was pretty sure the other was also Vulcan. He picked his fork back up and began to slowly eat his scone. The texture was a bit strange and the taste, well it was alright. After only a couple bites he picked up his cup of bio lubricant and drank it slowly. Oh-- Friends. Like a true Vulcan, Alizati was content with eating in silence and not conversing with strangers, however he had decided he would attempt to make friends at this new posting. It was something his superiors had continually mentioned in his performance review. 'Be more sociable and connect with your colleagues', as if that was something easy for a Vulcan. "Hello, I just arrived at this station, I am the new Chief Engineering Officer," He put his cup down and blinked a couple times. He was awful at starting conversations, but at least he made an attempt. At least if he was speaking with another Vulcan, his emotionless tone wouldn't be an issue.

Styre had just picked up a dumpling with his chopsticks as he eyed the man next to him drink a large amount of bio-lubricant. An odd thing to do… something was off about this individual… and it wasn’t just his pointy ears. Styre had finished chewing his dumpling, the chicken flavor saturating his tongue. It wasn’t the flavor he desired, after all, for him it was illogical to judge a food on its taste. It’s nutritional value was far more important to him. It just so happened that chicken dumplings tasted well and had a decent amount of nutrition. Styres ears twitched forward as the man next to him spoke. Oh, he was the stations Engineering Chief. That would explain the lubricant.. but would not explain why the man drank it like it was water. Styre took a small sip of his water before looking over to the man and answered. “Greetings. Commander Floyd Styre of the Eventide.” he said stoically before holding up a Vulcan salute.

He did not stare, but he did take note how the other individual ate. He briefly wondered what replicated dumplings would taste like, although with both of them being Vulcan it was hard to discern what the other's opinion of the food was from his facial expression. "Greetings Commander Styre," Alizati also held up a Vulcan salute. The blond hair was still throwing him off, however he had learned inquiring about others' races could come off as rude. He picked up his cup and took another sip. "How long have you been here?" He put his cup down again and took a deep breath, blinking a few times as well. It was very difficult to focus on those two things when eating, but of course it wasn't like anyone could tell. His facial expression remained neutral, he was the embodiment of calm.

Styres tone remained unchanged, without any form of expression or emotion. Styre had thought about inquiring into why the other person was drinking lubricant, but felt it was the wrong time to bring that up. Perhaps he could get his inquiry out and answered further into the conversation, at a time where it may be a more appropriate question. Styre stopped eating his food and dropped the Vulcan salute and took a glance towards the man. Pointy ears, unnatural hair color. This man must’ve been a Vulcan. “I’ve been here since the Eventide docked aboard. Where are you from?” Styre inquired, figuring that one question could answer multiple.

"I was born on earth, but I split my time between earth and Vulcan," He replied, his tone equally devoid of all emotion. He always disliked the common 'where are you from?' question because it had many layers for him, but he had figured out a way to keep it simple and divulge as little information as he could get away with. "And you?" He raised and eyebrow, wondering if this blond Vulcan had a similar experience. Unless he also was into dying his hair (a rarity amongst a logical species), he was mixed with something. Perhaps they could bond over their shared multicultural experience? Alizati took another deep breath realising he almost forgot to do so.

Styre was hardly focused on the breathing or blinking mechanisms of the (what he believed to be a) Vulcan that sat akin to his position. The answer gave him what he needed. The man was at least partly Vulcan, and seemed to be at least somewhat following of Surak… but that didn’t explain the hair. Styre felt it was not-so-courteous to dive into the personal semantics of a person whom he had just met and is only slightly acquainted with. Despite the amount of questions Styre has, his inquiries would remain simple. “I was born on Earth and lived on Earth my entire life. The only experience outside was a one week excursion to Vulcan where my father was asked to give a lecture at the science academy. But while on earth my father taught me to embrace my Vulcan-ness, and taught me the ways of Surak.”

The other's reaction (or well lack of) was good, it meant his answer was satisfactory. If he was human he would have felt relieved he was doing a good job. The other's answer was a bit more detailed than his own, but he didn't mind. If his father taught him how to embrace his Vulcan side then his father was the Vulcan, fasinating. Just like his own father, although technically speaking, Alizati did not have 'parents' in the normal sense. "Would it be logical to assume that you are half Vulcan then? It is not every day I see Vulcans with blond hair," He inquired, still emotionless as ever. He picked up his cup and took another sip of his bio lubricant, drinking it as if it were coffee.

Styre gave a quick nod as he took a gulp of water. His throat was quite dry, and the water had satiated his wishes. His tone was still stoic and emotionless, with only one tone echoing through his mouth. “Half Vulcan, half Human.” he answered simply. His eyes wandered up to the other Vulcans hair and then back to his pointed ears. Styres own ears twitched slightly before he began to talk. “I have yet to see a Vulcan with the color of hair akin to yours. Are you, too, a hybrid?”

Mixed, just as he suspected. Of course he was right, his analysis on others was usually correct or at least not too far off the mark. He noticed the other's ears twitching before he spoke, was that just a subconscious reflex of some sort? Maybe he should try to integrating such a quirk into his own systems, it could help him seem more organic. "I see," He nodded and looked back down at his food and then at Styre. "No, I am fully Vulcan," He stated plainly. "My hair colour is artificial," And that was all the explanation he was going to give for that. He took another slow breath and looked back down to see he was out of bio lubricant.

Styre nodded and eyed the individual for a second longer before taking a second look at his hair. It was indeed dyed, that indicates a more rebellious, illogical Vulcan. Styre had let out a heavy breath before nodding again. “Fully Vulcan…” he said, allowing his voice to trail off. “Does that bio-lubricant provide nutrients? More so than water will provide?” Styres stoic monotone turned into a more curious tone as he asked.

No doubt that Styre was judging him for his choice in hair colour. when he said 'fully Vulcan'. However the reasoning behind it was much too lengthy for a first meeting conversation. If he was only judged for his dyed hair that would be a blessing in his book given the multitude of things he had been judged for in the past. The other's next question came as a bit of a surprise. How did he know? He must have heard him at the replicator. It took him exactly zero point sixty two seconds to come up with an explanation. "Yes, it does," He answered flatly, blinking a few times before going back to eating what was left of his scone. He was not nervous, that would be illogical, there was nothing to be worried about anyway. His facial expression remained neutral as he ate.

Styre was not one to judge anyone for anything. He had met his fair share of rebellious Vulcans and found them to be tolerable. But for some reason, this one was different. His mannerisms were slightly off and he displayed no specificity towards logic or illogic. It all happened to confuse Styre. What hit Styre the most was the fact that this man had just admitted that he believed bio lubricant to be beneficial than water. This was the point Styre believed he was being messed around with. His ears twitched a little bit more. “Commander, if you believe this conversation to be superfluous, I can head to my quarters and eat there.” he said rather simply, there was no hint of madness, anger, no emotion existed.

Alizati caught the other's twitch of his ears and stared at him, unblinking. Was this a sign that he did something wrong or that his answer was unsatisfactory. If he was human, he would be panicking at this very second, but he was Vulcan and he would handle this situation logically. "I do not think that," He stated, his voice still devoid of all emotion. His eyes shook a little as they scanned over the man's facial expression. Of course he couldn't analyse anything, they were both Vulcan after all. "Was my answer unsatisfactory?" He asked, his voice was robotic as he spoke. He had stopped blinking and breathing and just stared at the other.

Styre was about to nod when his ears twitched again, possibly in lieu of the nod. He noticed the man stop breathing and blinking, and the robotic voice may have been a giveaway if Styre was not so oblivious. “It was only logical to assume that you, as a Vulcan with colored hair, were messing with myself in a manner that is malicious. I felt it more pertinent to find a possible end to the conversation. But if you felt the conversation was beneficial, and you are not a malicious actor, then we may continue.”

That's when it occurred to him; he had forgotten to breathe. He blinked a couple times and took a breath. The Vulcan inside of him was scolding him for acting so illogically. Putting up an act like this was a waste of energy and therefore illogical. Thankfully, his focus never wavered and his outward expression neutral. "I did not colour my hair to be rebellious, perhaps it may seem illogical to alter one's hair colour but this is not for fashion. I, too, follow the ways of Surak," He stated as his mind tried to calculate what sort of conclusions the other had made about him. For anyone to assume that Alizati, a senior officer, would ever be 'messing' with anyone was illogical. However he had no doubts the other was confused by his outward appearance. Perhaps it was better to excuse himself from the conversation before things got too awkward he thought.

Styre looked forward blankly, his mannerisms remaining absent as he thought for a moment. The Chief Engineering officer... a Vulcan who dyed his hair not out of rebelliousness... but then out of what? If it was not for fashion, then there is no logic in dying ones hair, as opposed to chopping it off. If one wished to seem non rebellious yet dye their hair, blonde or brown would've been... more indiscriminate. Anyways, Styre finally took a breath and began to speak. "Commander, if the artificial color of your hair is not for fashion, and is not illogical, then what was the purpose in doing so?" Styre got straight to the point, not wishing to 'dance around the issue,' feeling that was quite an illogical path to take.

"It is to differentiate myself from my father," Alizati stated without a second of hesitation. His eyes shook for a moment as the literal gears in his head began to turn a little faster. He paused for a moment so he could think, choosing to break eye contact for exactly four points three eight seconds. "We look very similar and even share the same name. It was only logical that I change my apperance to avoid mix up," He explained without a shred of emotion in his voice as he spoke. He spoke with the same air of confidence as an organic Vulcan would.

Styre sat back and continued looking at the Vulcan in front of him, despite the mans attempt to break eye contact. He was quick to speech, not wasting a moment to breath or even a moment to think. His rebut was immediate, said instantaneously. "That is illogical." his tone simple and concise... it took a moment for him to elaborate on what he meant. "Vulcans tend to look similar, very similar in some circumstances. It is illogical to wish to dive away from that example. But if you wished to do such a thing, changing the cut of your hair, or dying it a lighter brown or even black would have been a much more logical choice than to go for such an artificial color."

Alizati blinked a few times and breathed slowly, purposefully allowing a small gap of silence. He defintely responded too fast to Styre's earlier question, he needed to allow some 'thinking time'. He kept his eyes on Styre and leaned forward on the table. "You are correct, it would also be logical to change the style or dye my hair a more natural colour-- however I look very similar to my father that even doing those things would not separate me from him, especially seeing as I work around humans who tend to be less sensitive to subtleties than Vulcans," Well this was a sight, two Vulcans 'arguing' but both of them were both emotionless and monotone the whole time. He had never gotten this type of reaction about his hair colour, was it really a bad choice? "I also do not believe exploring one's freedom to chose is illogical, in fact, I would like to have more experiences outside of what I was raised with as a Vulcan amongst other Vulcans," Perhaps this did make him sound rebellious, but he was a man who had been considered 'property' for most of his life. Bodily autonomy was something very important to him.

Styre remained leaned back, in a more 'comfortable' position. Although Styre was not seeking comfort, he felt that the position he was in was the most pertinent, especially considering the circumstances both of them were involved. He did not feel hostility from the Commander, and he did not intend to push any hostilities towards the Commander. His questions were merely that.. just inquiries that he had in order to gauge the Commander. He gave a quick nod before continuing. "I find that answer satisfactory. I still do not know why a logic-following Vulcan would enjoy exploring 'experiencing outside of being a Vulcan' if they are Surak following. But the teachings of Surak are that of following logic to ones extent and to avoid war. It is not my place to impose my view of logic to the onset of another, unless their logic is objectively wrong."

At least his answer was satisfactory. He would rather be judged for his hair colour than being a 'Synth' any day. Alizati straightened his posture and rested his hands on the table. If only Styre knew, but he wasn't going to tell him or anyone for that matter. Not unless the situation demanded it. If anyone was really curious, they could just look at his name on the roster and see 'Android'. "It was not originally my idea, but it is something I have been told to work on. I am sure you have received similar comments in your performance reviews. I have been told many times I am too cold and need to make friends-- it is not easy, but logic dictates if we are to live amongst illogical species it would be wise to try and understand their way of life even."

Styre shook his head. His performance reviews mentioned nothing of the sort. No "get better at socializing", no "make more friends", nothing existed. Only bad remarks were that from the court martial that took place those months ago. That moment is still something that Styre regrets, but he refuses to make mends for he did what he believes was right, and what he believed necessary. He looked at the Commander and blinked before taking a sip from his cup. "I do not find unnecessary interactions necessary or pertinent. As a biologist by trade, it is my duty to understand their physiology and well... their biology. But I am not an anthropologist, nor am I a social worker. My work mustn't extend beyond what I am trained in and have practiced. If I were to seek out and try to 'understand their way of life' would be a disservice to my logic."

So this other Vulcan did not get the same reviews as he did? Maybe he slipped up, Alizati took another deep breath as he realised he spoke way too much without taking one. He looked away from Styre for a moment whilst the other took a sip of his water. "I agree with your logic and personally I would prefer not to engage in unnecessary social interaction, but I do not think it would be a disservice to your logic. I wonder, Commander, what about your human side? Surely it must be difficult being a mix of two vastly different cultures," Finally he was able to deflect the conversation from himself, he was not going to continue to debate his logic any further.

As soon as his humanity and human-nature were brought into the conversation, his ears twitched again. Surely, the Commander would've noted this oddity within a Vulcan. He gave a quick nod... trying to think back to his sisters, seeing them smile and play in their yard, hearing their laughs and their grins on all the gift-giving holidays. Seeing their friends in the kitchen whenever he got hungry... all while he remained in his room studying or learning. It was only logical for him to do... but his human side yearned for interaction and yearned for the happiness that was given to his sisters. Soon though, he outgrew these desires. Long sessions of meditation and Vulcan reading led him to logic. He felt his choice sufficient. "My sisters were both raised by our mother. They embrace their humanity and continue to present as pointy-eared humans. But my human side is long gone. The emotions that were once there, they were pushed far deeper inside, never to escape, never to resurface. That would make me an illogical being. Following emotions instead of logic is dangerous, especially when you've followed it for so long."

As strange as the Commander's words may have seemed to a human, his logic was sound and Alizati could understand it. Whilst not his own memories, the experiences of Dzharok came to mind. He was a Vulcan man who also raised hybrid children, choosing to educate them in the ways of Surak instead of letting him run wild with emotions. "As compelling as the teachings of Surak are, I do not meet many hybrids who have chosen to completely abandon their emotions. You certainly made the most logical choice," He said he had abandoned his emotions, but his ears twitched again? Alizati was still trying to find out what it meant. He took another slow and even breath and looked down at his empty tray. Logic would dictate that their conversation would end here, he was finished eating and had no more reason to stay in the mess hall. He looked back at Styre, his artificial eyes seemed to shine under the lights of the mess hall, another dead give away of his synthetic nature.

Styre too was done with his food. All that remained in front of him was a quarter-full cup of water. He took a deep glance towards Dzharok... were his eyes off? Styre blinked... no they were definitely different than all the other Vulcan eyes he had seen. Perhaps his eyes were just strained and he was off entirely. He for sure was not going to ask about it. "My entire person has been dedicated to logic and following it therein. But I will admit, as is only logical, that my human side slips few every now and again. Especially in the department of Human love. My heart desires nothing other than to hone up to another individual and call them 'mine'. But it is a far-fetched idea, one on which I meditate longingly to get rid of. No matter how hard I try, the human emotion of love surfaces again and again."

"Human love, interesting," The words meant nothing to him and if he was human, he would be filled with self hate because of it. But he was Vulcan and hate was definitely illogical. He blinked and took another breath, focusing his energy on remembering to do those two things. "It is a powerful emotion I hear, but being fully Vulcan I have never thought about it," He stated flatly. Alizati's eyes vibrated subtly, causing him to look away and blink a few times to try and cover it up. Another very distinct android reaction that he could never fully eliminate. "I believe the experiences of hybrids to be fascinating and I do hope we cross paths again, commander," Alizati said as he stood up and grabbed his tray to leave. This certainly was an interesting meeting, he thought. At least he passed for an organic and that was all that mattered.

Styre nodded at the thought and grabbed his tray, but did not stand up. He looked up towards the Commander as he took a long sip of his water. "I do wish we come across each other again, and I do hope that your endeavors are sounds. Farewell, Commander."

He gave the other Vulcan man a polite nod before heading back to the replicator to return his tray and exiting the room. He was satisfied with their interaction and already had a list of mannerisms and other small things to add to his programme to use in his next encounter.

A small metallic 'thunk' sound could be heard repeatedly. It was coming from within the walls...

After his Kal-toh session and a mini update, Alizati headed to the mess hall to begin his shift. He got a call from an ops officer about some issue with the replicators. It appeared the voice input was faulty and needed to be replaced. Being the expert on artificial intelliegence, Alizati believed the problem was most likely the sensor needed to be updated. You know, the classic install the latest update, turn it off and turn it back on again, usually did the trick. He was in full uniform, hair neatly combed and standing at the replicator that was completely open, exposing all the wiring inside.

The Andorian sat there, staring at nothing else but her food, not even recognizing the Commander, or even noticing him. She held her own uniform in a similar fashion to Alizati, impeccably clean. The food tasted better than what she was used to in “Kirk’s Time” as everyone said, and were lightyears better than the rations she had to eat, stuck inside that dreaded wormhole. It had been work, work, work for almost the entire time she was here, perhaps a fear of being left vulnerable again, the fear of losing. She hated that feeling.

Alizati was just chilling, fixing the replicator, when he spotted a familiar face at a table. There was hardly anyone there that day, it helped being an off time, but also there was usually not many people in the upper habitat ring. "Jolan tru, Commander," He approached the Andorian, expressionless as always with the same flat tone. "How is your meal?" The meaning was friendly, but the delivery was anything but. He spoke more like he was giving an order or some demand than a casual question.

“Greetings.”, She stated, her tone being just as plain as Alizati’s. “It is above average quality.” Such a Vulcan way of speaking, if her younger self were to see her speak like this, she would be furious. However, even if they were the same Andorian, their lives could not be more different. “Do you intend to eat, Commander?” Was perhaps the first inviting thing she said in 3 days, which isn’t a lot, but still odd. Her face subtly twitched, her eyes would be unfocused for just a second, signs her current behavior could ripped apart in the slightest moment.

Alizati gave the Andorian a polite bow of his head and stood straight with his hands clasped behind his back. "I am fixing the replicator, which is why I asked," He explained, not showing it on his face, but he was actually enjoying this more calm interaction. He always liked it when he met another person who was as calm as he was; hard to come by in his department. Not to roast engineering, but whilst they were all incredibly talented at their craft, their personalities were as disordered as the Romulan senate post Shinzon. Alizati was Romulan, he could roast his own people for their political shortcomings. "I do not require bio matter consumption at this time. Have you noticed anything strange about the food in the past 24 hours?" He asked, looking at the Andorian and then at her food. It was a very normal action, but internally his eyes were scanning the food on her plate for irregularities.

“No irregularities. Though I did have negative experiences with more severe irregularities in the past.” She switched her gaze from the food and the Commander, she hadn’t expected to talk with someone, and it somewhat was apparent she didn’t prepare for socializing. She hardly had met the senior staff, nor much of the Tactical division itself. Maybe that’s why they sent her here. She could tolerate paperwork due to the isolation, speaking of which, “Do you require any reports from the Tactical division?”

"Have you? Hm," Alizati pondered over her reply as his gaze moved to the replicator behind them where he was working. The room felt oddly empty, especially when compared to mess halls in other levels. Perhaps it was the Romulan paranoia finally getting to him, but it made him uneasy. However despite this, having a familiar face to speak with took off some of the uneasiness. "I read your reports daily. Is there anything you wish to tell me? Engineering and tactical do not have much overlap, save for the issues with environmental controls in your office," Hello environmental controls my old friend. Actually, they were always acting up because of course they were. Alizati was already in talks with some other engineers about upgrading the whole base's environmental grid.

“There is nothing further I am require to inform you, when it comes to the reports, I was simply inquiring if there was anything else I could give in addition.” She paused, listening the the Vulcan as he spoke of environmental controls. She didn’t notice anything odd, but maybe that’s because she liked the cold. “The environmental controls in my quarters and office are satisfactory enough, if temperamental.”

"There is nothing," He replied plainly and simply before he realised he had not taken a breath once during their conversation. Was it odd? The Commander clearly didn't notice or if she did, she was not mentioning it. There was something awfully Vulcan about her demeanour, not that Alizati minded. He walked back to the replicator that was located directly behind Madelii and resumed his work. "I assume you keep the temperature cool? There are a number of officers who also enjoy a cooler climate, may I ask what temperature is comfortable for you?" Alizati wanted to make note of it in case whatever work they were doing on the controls malfunctioned and he had to reset everything.

“Andoria’s regular temperature, that or Northern Canada’s environment.” She didn’t pay much attention to the mannerism of the man, only what he was saying, and how he was saying it. All that mattered was that.

"Alright, I will make note of that," Alizati said as he continued to tinker with the various wires of the replicator. He installed a new voice chip, not all that was left was the update. Another benefit of being a machine was that he could store file and programmes internally. His creator was not a fan of having ports or wires sticking out of him, but she did give him the ability to transfer data via his fingers. So that is exactly what Alizati did; stuck his fingers in the replicator and waited. "If you would, I would like to you test out my upgrades once I have completely my repairs. what would you like me to replicate for you?"

She thought for a moment. It was likely he would leave after completing this task. So, after a brief hesitation, she knew her answer. “Irish Gin.”

Irish Gin, an interesting choice for an Andorian, but he did remembered her file mentioned earth. The android gave her a nod and continued his work on the replicator, pulling and clicking wires. It only took a few minutes and he had the front panel back on the machine ready to use again. "Irish Gin," He stood back, speaking to the replicator as it began to materialise the drink. Even though the replicators only my synthol, Alizati never had a desire to try an alcoholic beverage. Perhaps it was Dzharok's dislike for ale or his Romulan father's strict prohibition on any mind altering substances. Apparently it was very dangerous for his line of work. "Here, please tell me your thought," Alizati placed the cup in front of Madelii, for a split second he felt like Men serving customers at Surak Snacks.

"I have nothing in my thoughts." A lie, and she knew it. Her tone reflected her uncertainty, also hinting the fact the gin was an emotional choice. It reminded the Andorian of her- No. she shook her head briefly, quickly correcting herself. She looked back at the Vulcan man, her face devoid of expression. "Did you assume I did?"

Alizati looked at the Andorian with the most unamused expression before giving her the Vulcan eyebrow raise of judgment. "I mean about the gin, because the replicator should be working fine now," He clarified, his eyes focused on Madelii even with his eyes shaking as he stared. Despite the obvious judgment he was giving her, his posture was relaxed and his voice calm.

Oh for fuck's sake. Of course. She took a slight sip of the gin, as in her mind, she remembered her life before. She remembered her. Her eyes blinked, taken aback. "It is... nostalgic."

Alizati was still giving her the look of judgment, it was his unwavering stare complete with a lack of blinking and breathing. There was a gap of silence as the android was trying not to judge the Andorian too hard. "I am asking about the quality. There are no strange tastes or irregularities? What about the structural integrity of the glass? "He realised he would have to be more specific with his questions to get the answers he wanted. He was not here for small talk, he was terrible at that, obviously.

"If I have not said any faults then there is none." She was getting a bit irritated at the questioning, but did her best not to show it. "I assume that is all? Or are there factors still needed to be verified?"

"That will be all, thank you, Commander," Alizati gave her a nod and walked back to the replicator to do some final checks. Everything seemed to be in order, it seemed the update was the key. "Kreyla," Alizati ordered from the replicator. The machine hummed and a fluffy piece of the Vulcan bread popped out. He took the bread and put it in his mouth like he was late for anime school-- actually he just wanted to try out the replicator for himself. Once he was done nibbling the bread he left to go continue his duties for the day.

[D] And look who's back, Mr. Alizati Dzharok who has a million other names, but for the sake of simplicity just Alizati. He was dressed in full uniform as he entered the mess hall and lined up for the replicator. He didn't often come to the mess hall as he would usually eat at Surak Snacks if he chose to eat, but he had to go to work later and needed all the bio lubricant he could get. "Bio lubricant, warm, kreyla bread," The bread was optional, he didn't need it, but it helped make the bio lubricant taste less muddy.

[D] The tall lady had been walking around the Upper Habitat Ring, after her settling in her quarters. She's already focused on trying to meet as much of the fellow staff as possible before she began her job. Zizi stretched out her wings before heading on over to a replicator. "Pack of sardines. With bone. Blueberry smoothie." A small bowl of the fish would appear under the replicator, Zizi happily taking it with a hand, and took the cup in her other hand when it appeared. She slowly turned her head around, examining the room. Zizi had spotted Alizati, walking towards him. She spoke with a southerner accent. "Hey? I just had arrived, would you mind me sitting next to you?"

Alizati was just minding his business sipping his warm bio lubricant and nibbling his Kreyla bread when-- an Aurelian? Alizati had never seen one before and he was certainly intrigued. To outsiders, Alizati seemed like the typical Vulcan. Pointed ears and slanted eyebrows. The cobalt blue hair was definitely not natural and the forehead ridges pointed to his Romulan heritage. "You may," Alizati replied with a nod as he put his cup of bio lubricant down and looked at the officer. "I am Lieutenant Commander Alizati Dzharok, and you?" He asked out of politeness. Alizati's voice was as one may expect from a Vulcan, very flat and monotone, almost robotic in nature. If one was perceptive they would have also noticed Alizati was really out here not breathing or blinking, nope, just eating his food and staring straight at the Aurelian.

"Engineering? Pleased to meet you Lieutenant Commander Alizati Dzharok. I am Commander Zellina, though I preferred being called Zizi." Her eyes focused on the bio lubricant momentarily, before she sipped her smoothie from a straw. "I've been walking around the base for a bit trying to meet more of the staff." Had this been Voris or Grivix, they would have been immediately put at unease from the staring. However Zizi was not fazed even in the slightest.

"Zizi, understood," Alizati nodded, calling the Commander by the name she had given. The android also picked up on her unique accent, easily identifying it as southern-- from the United States on earth? Honestly, terran culture in the west was a mystery to him. Even thought he was 'born' on earth, he did not really travel outside of the small islands of Okinawa or really the Daystrom Institute. "That is logical. This is a good place to meet people," Alizati state, referring to the mess hall. Dark eyes stared straight at Zizi, unblinking, but shaking ever so slightly. "You are Aurelian. I have yet to meet a member from your species. Is the station properly accessible to your physiological needs?" He inquired, such a thing was important!

"I had thought it would be an appropriate place to meet fellow senior staff." Zizi would take a few bites of the sardines, tilting her head slightly. "Yes, the station fits adequately to my needs, thank you for asking." She noted she hadn't seen the Lieutenant Commander blink, not even once. The Aurelian had met a number of Vulcans before but sworn they all did blink. Possible outlier? "Interesting... what about you? I can tell you're Vulcan, possibly with Romulan..." She didn't want to seem rude.

"Senior staff, I am the chief engineer," He stated, realising he did not reply earlier when the other asked his department, too much information happening in his mind. Alizati sipped his bio lubricant slowly as he listened to the Aurelian speak. The taste of the liquid was terrible so chasing it with the Kreyla bread as a good idea although he wished he had ordered another drink. "I am glad to hear that," He said in regards to the Aurelian being able to get around the station. He was not familiar with Aurelian physiology, but he imagined their needs were different from their humanoid peers. The fact that it seemed the station was adequately equipped for them to move around smoothly was good and he did hope he would be seeing more non-humanoid species. "Yes, half Vulcan, half Romulan, by appearance," He stated, putting his cup down with his gaze meeting Zizi's. "However I am an android," He wondered if the other had noticed his lack of organic functions. Perhaps? Alizati had already disabled his blinking and breathing as they took up quite a bit of RAM. "And what is your position on this station, Zizi?" He assumed she was senior staff since she was in this mess hall and her rank was Commander.

"Interesting. I don't think I've actually met an android before!" She said with some excitement. "I look forward working with you. I'm in the command division, First Officer." Zizi had a cheery attitude, and happy to meet someone who was unique. Her feathers fluffed up a bit before she spoke again. "I have heard about androids before, but yet to actually meet one until today." Zizi then stated in a more calmer tone.

Alizati, in contrast, did not make any move to smile or express himself even half as much as Zizi. The android was as stoic as a flesh and blood Vulcan. Each move was carefully calculated, from the way his fingers gently ripped the Kreyla bread to eat it to the way he set down his cup of bio lubricant. He was graceful and cautious with each movement. "Androids have only been legal for around thirteen years now, perhaps you will see more in the future," Alizati stated. The synth ban had significantly reduced the number of androids and those that did make it well... They had to be hidden. Or locked in a drawer disassembled. "I was created in the Daystrom Institute on earth, but I spent most of my time on the Vulcanis Lunar Colony on my family's farm. Where are you from, Zizi?" He asked, not knowing where Aurelians call home and-- species did not always correlate to homeworld.

"I really do hope to meet more androids, it's super interesting to see one already. Plus I feel more confident with one in the senior officers staff." Zizi stated in a friendly manner. "A farm too? I grew up on Aurelia on a family farm as well. It started off as a small company but eventually grew big enough. It was then I travelled a bit and eventually went to the academy." She ate the last few sardines she had on her tray.

"I appreciate the compliment," Alizati responded, actually accepting the compliment instead of trying to dodge it with some weird Vulcan logic. He pulled apart more pieces of Kreyla and decided to be bold and dip it in the bio lubricant. The gooey liquid had the colour of coffee so the scene wouldn't look too off to someone watching, but the taste was anything like coffee and biscuits. Alizati had to stop himself from making a disgusted face as he ate the Kreyla bread covered in bio lubricant. "That sounds enjoyable. What are Aurelian farms like? Vulcan farms are much like their terran counterparts. I milked the Vulcan cows and sheered the Vulcan sheep," He explained, his eyes looking at Zizi with curiosity. Finally Old McDzharok was real.

"A lot of work! I didn't work with the animals though, I mostly moved the heavy objects around because I was the strongest one in my family." And the largest. She was adopted into the family as an egg, so she was evidently different then the chicken looking Aurelians. "Plus when I did try to work with the critters, they end up running away from me." Zizi shrugged.

"Moving heavy objects, I can relate to that as well," Alizati said as he recalled his time on the Vulcanis Lunar Colony. It was such a mixed bag of memories. The life style was definitely his taste; slow moving, structured routine, and fresh farm produce. Not that Alizati could ever enjoy it, he wasn't allowed to eat. "I am sure you did a fine job on the farm. My family..." Alizati paused as he considered how to phrase his next sentence. "They are Vulcan and by their logic I was no more than a tractor or robotic farming device that could talk and they treated me as such. The life style was enjoyable though, I have always preferred a slower pace," Which was another reason him and Men got along well. Men was also not one to rush and Alizati always felt comfortable taking his time. Whether it be Kal-toh or cooking, they complimented each other perfectly. "What sort of critters do Aurelian farms have?"

"Well we had some close to... bugs? They're relatively large though. Some folks might be squeamish about that." She gave a small chuckle before sipping on her smoothie. "Though the critters were definitely squeamish of my sheer size." The woman stood at 6'7, no wonder. Though she could stand taller if she wanted to.

"Bugs do not bother me," Alizati replied as he sipped his bio lubricant, trying not to think of the terrible taste. He really had to have Men try and make him better tasting stuff. Men had mentioned trying to modify it to make it taste better. "I would be interested in seeing some pictures of these bugs. Perhaps you could send me some spacepedia articles about them?" Alizati said as he finished the last of his bread. "I am interested in agriculture on different planets," He grabbed the sides of his tray, preparing to leave. "I must be getting to work. If you ever want to explore the utility ring, I recommend visiting the restaurant Surak Snacks," Of course he had to promote his boyfriend's restaurant!

She took out her PADD. "Of course! I can send you all the articles I have on them. My father wrote them!" After a few tapping, she would have sent the articles for Alizati. "You can read them on your own time. I wouldn't want to keep you from you job." She got up from her seat, holding the smoothie in her free hand.

"Really? That is impressive," Not only was Zizi knowledgeable about farming, but her father wrote articles about Aurelian bugs? He stood up and gave the Aurelian a polite bow of his head. "That would be great, I will read the articles once I have time. Enjoy your meal and.. Smoothie? There must be some sort of smoothie boom, I find many officers have been enjoying that cool drink," Strange, but such a treat was a popular item on some planets.

"Yes I always have a smoothie with my lunch, fruit and meat for the diet!" She said with a gleeful tone. "Tasty and healthy! Not surprised that it's becoming popular." Zizi stretched her wings again before closing them back up. "Well, I'm going to walk around the station to exercise my legs. It was enjoyable talking with you."

"Yes, you too, jolan tru," Alizati said before heading back to the replicator to recycle his tray. He then headed out the door, ready for his day at work. He was curious if Allan would know anything about the smoothie hype. Perhaps this was some weird Spacetuber trend? SpaceTok trend?,

[D] Lilian stretched as she entered the mess. She was never and early riser, even in space, but was making a solid push to wake up a bit early. Still though, she was tired. "Hot tea please. And waffles with strawberries." She picked up her plate and made her way to a window seat.

She had entered shortly after Lilian, picking up some oatmeal and coffee before looking around for a good place to sit. Seeing as some of the tables were already busy, she made her way towards the windows, wanting to see the view as she ate. She would walk up near the Lieutenant before asking her, "You mind if I sit next to you, Lieutenant?"

"Not at all! I probably should get to know my coworkers better, been a bit absorbed in work." She takes a sip of her tea. "But I'm sure you've been dealing with a lot of work too."

Sitting across from her as she gave a smile, nodding her head, "You would not believe the amount of paperwork that ensigns and cadets can get their senior officers. You're from the science department, correct? Are you the assistant or the chief?"

"Yeah, but it's what we signed up for and I don't regret it. I'm just the assistant though, so I can only assume you have even more paperwork?" She took a bite of her food. God she missed real, fresh strawberries.

She chuckled as she shook her head quickly, "Oh I'm in the same ranking as you. I've only managed to take on an assistant position for the tactical department." Mixing her oatmeal slightly as she looked at Lilian, "Did you help out on the last mission?"

Lilian shakes her head, swallowing before she answered again. "No, I didn't. I was going over the most amazing readings for this super earth! Oh sorry, you probably don't care to hear about that. I can get very nerdy about my work."

Her eyes actually brightened as she heard the interest and excitement in Lilian's voice, "No no. Do tell me all about it. I love hearing about people's passions and projects their working on."

"Oh! Well, super earths are slightly larger planets than earth itself, hence the name, and for the longest time scientists theorized they might be even more suited to human life than earth itself was, given the right environmental conditions." She takes another sip of her tea. "Well, sciences has since confirmed that and, assuming a habitable ecosystem and atmosphere, it's actually comparatively rare to not find a super earth with sapient or pre-sapient life." She pauses for a moment to make sure Hanna is following.

Her oatmeal was all but forgotten as she was completely enraptured by what she was being told, occasionally nodding her head and blinking. "So what you're saying is that there's potential that we could be meeting a species that is established enough to not only comprehend Starfleet but might be interested in joining?"

"Exactly! Some of the emissions we picked up match those that could be signifiers of early rocketry tests. Scans also revealed debris in orbit that, as far as we know, are not naturally occurring." Lilian sips her tea gain, not wanting it to get cold. "The one problem we are having is the planet has very lush canopy across most of the surface, so confirming this without actually landing a team might be... tricky."

Her head nodding as she got a pensive look, running through a few options in her mind before discarding them as something probably already thought of. "Well, if you ever get an idea for a team together if you need, I'd be happy to volunteer as a tactical spot."

"Well, I just got through the reports last night so still putting together that report, but it might end up with us making a landing. I can keep you posted if you'd like?"

She smiled before remembering she had oatmeal and taking a bite from it. Swallowing before responding, "I would be honoured to stay in the loop. Although you should also reach out to my Chief as they might want to go instead of having me attend."

"Well, I guess I'd better get that report written up then! Anything fun going on in tactical right now?"

Thinking for a second before shaking her head, "Just some simple drills for the ensigns and lieutenants. They were given a bit of a break after the last mission." She gave a soft smile, "I don't deal a lot with them these days as our chief oversees the department now."

"Well, I'm sure the drills are at least something to do?" She didn't sounds one hundred percent sure about that.

She nodded her head as she smiled, "I tend to just ensure things are functional and everyone's properly trained to the specifications of the Chief. I don't run the ship, just make sure everyone's ready and willing for orders." Chuckling to herself before shaking her head, "Anything to fill the time until my impending separation." Shrugging softly as she reached for a coffee, her hands ringless.

Lilian choses not to comment too much on that. "Well, we all need things to fill our time. Any particular hobbies you want to chat about?"

Thinking a bit before she answered the lieutenant, "Mostly learning about how to train my puppy. That and working out. What about you?"

"Oooo puppy! As for me, I love watching esports and doing some gardening. Those are the big two for me." She finished her tea, setting the cup aside.

Hanna likewise had finished her oatmeal, now working on her coffee that she sipped from between conversations, “Do you have any gardening space on the base? If you don’t mind, I would love to see it.”

“I have a little patch up in the community garden. I could absolutely show you some time! Maybe in exchange you could introduce me to your puppy?” Lilian smiles as she finishes her waffle.

She smiled as she nodded her head firmly, “I think that sounds like a deal. Would it be okay to bring him to the community garden, he’s fairly well behaved and doesn’t tend to get into anything much?”

"That sounds wonderful, I look forward to it." Lilian picked up her plate and got ready to get back to work. "It was really nice to meet you, I look forward to chatting again!"

She opted to linger a little longer as she waved to the lieutenant, “It was a pleasure to meet you. I’ll try to drop by on one of my breaks with Lewis.”

They entered the mess hall and walked straight to the replicator, still wearing their slightly rumpled uniform from their ride over (Why did everything they own get wrinkled so quickly? Did their clothing not get the message that they were supposed to be a serious starfleet officer?). They did not much care that they might not have fit in, that they were someone new. What mattered was the replicator line, which they joined without a second thought. "Plomeek Broth, medium hot, Saffir, and Iced Spice Tea with Milk," Ych'a spoke quietly, head bowed ever so slightly as they waited for their food to materialise. With that completed, they took their tray with them and found an empty place to sit, ready to eat something familiar.

Evoras had decided it would be rather logical to take a break, especially considering she was currently off duty and technically had been for three hours. She was once again reminded why she was not… fond of paperwork after yesterday’s events. Additionally the one PADD she had repurposed as a distraction had naturally been the one with a report that she had conveniently not yet saved externally on it. In other words: She was most definitely not having fun and had decided that a spice tea would at the very least prevent her from writing sarcastic reports. Once she had hot spice tea and a lentil soup for good measure, she scanned the room for an agreeable place to sit when she spotted something or rather someone else. She walked closer until she could clearly see the rank on the uniform and once she could she decided that it made no difference if she greeted them at that point. “Commander?”

The Commander had not been expecting someone else to sit with them as they ate, but it was a welcome occurrence in their mind. They needed to gain a good rapport with the crew after all, and that started with getting to know them. They took a sip of their spice tea before they responded, looking over at the person who approached them in order to gain any knowledge as to who they were talking to – Lieutenant Commander, Blue Uniform (were they science? If so, Ych'a wondered what branch, perhaps they would have something to talk about). "Lieutenant Commander, a pleasure to meet you," The Commander said with. Simple nod, preferring not to do a full greeting in the interest of time. "If I may know your name? I am new to the station – as one could most definitely guess. I am Commander Ych'a." They introduced themself in a formal tone, remaining as professional and proper as they possibly could. It was only logical to want to make a good impression after all.

Evoras’ uniform was flawless as always, if anything it was even more so than usual, since, other than this one, her usual uniform, while it was well cared for did show some marks of wear and tear. She had opted out of wearing that one in favor of a nearly unused one today, because she hadn’t been particularly thrilled to wear the uniform that’d been full of blood yesterday, even if it had been thoroughly cleaned in the meantime "Lieutenant Commander Evoras Lhai’Ivek, chief science officer, the pleasure is mine.” She returned the nod. “I assume you are the new deputy station Commander?” If they were, they had most definitely chosen the ‘best’ possible time to join the station's staff. She was most definitely not envious of whatever workload would welcome them. Not that she wasn’t familiar with starting your posting on 777 when there was… stuff going on to put it lightly, but a straight up bombing seemed a lot less overwhelming than the mess that was yesterday. After a short silence she nodded at the chair across from the Commander. “May I?”

It seemed that their assesment was right, they were speaking with the chief science officer. That was something good at the least, they might have something that they could talk about together. It might make things slightly less awkward -- not that they cared if things were awkward sometimes, that would be illogical. It was simply logical that they wished to have something in common with the person that they were speaking to. "What is your speciality? In terms of scientific endeavors I mean. And of course you can sit, I would appreciate the company." They finished with a small motion to the chair across from them. In terms of their workload? Well they would take that in stride, at least, they had to in order to be effective at their job, something that they told themself that they would be.

Evoras placed the tea and the soup on the table, before carefully sitting down and wrapping her hand around the warm cup. “Astronomy and to a certain degree Cartography, I currently work on a project related to a large group of spatial anomalies located in a nebula.” It was surprisingly odd talking about her work. The last person she’d told about it was currently in confinement for choking one of her scientists. She pulled her braid over her shoulder, something she probably should stop doing, considering it would give away that she was uncomfortable to people that knew her well enough. Uncertain what to do or say she eventually just started eating her soup. Her bangs were so long she could probably put them in her braid, she should try later. “What is yours?” Perhaps she should have warned them that she wasn’t the best company.

Ych'a was listening with rapt attention, nodding slightly and committing this new knowledge to memory. It did sound fascinating after all, and they would love to learn more about it -- most likely after they read up on the topic so they knew where to start. Sadly, their knowledge of Astronomy was not as strong as their knowledge in other sciences. "I was an anthropologist. I was often called to study and report on civilisations before first contact was made. Though... that was before I joined the Command Division." Perhaps, to those who knew them well, there was the edge of sadness in their words. They missed it after all, being in the labs and making their observations. They found that they did not mind the company of the person across from them in the slightest. In a way, interacting with another Vulcan was refreshing, it reminded them of their days on the S'orensu. "How are you, if I may ask. If I am correct, there was recently quite the event on this starbase. Are you faring well?"

Evoras nodded. This in turn was a field she was not particularly knowledgeable in, although she definitely considered it interesting, then again she considered most topics at least moderately interesting. “Is that a recent development then?” She couldn’t imagine changing divisions herself. “May I inquire as to why?” Only after speaking she realized that the reasoning may well be highly personal, so she quickly added: “If you do not mind talking about it.” “Quite the event is certainly one way to describe it. I was not notably injured and am adequate.” Physically she was perfectly fine, her leg hurt, but she hadn’t expected anything else, it would likely have returned to normal in a few days. Psychically she would be fine too, it would take her a few days, but she had her ways of dealing with emotions. She was far more concerned for some of the other people involved in everything that was going on, perhaps she should attempt to talk to some of them. “Do you have any inquiries about what happened?”

"I do not mind in the slightest. I changed divisions because it was the most logical course of action -- given the situation I was put in. I found that I was rather suited to the position, and that had influenced me to change department." It was a very straightforward answer, though one that hid a lot of emotions behind it. Part of them could not stand to be in another science position, though they did not necessarily know why, perhaps it would be something to work through, perhaps it would be something to suppress completely. "I have no inquiries, I am sure I will learn about what happened through the paperwork submitted." They preferred it thatway, there were less emotions in paper, it was clean, sanitized, and entirely simplistic. It was a chain of events, and that was what they knew how to handle and handle well. They struggled being in the middle of things, though they were getting much, much better. "Is there anything that you wished to ask me or talk about?" They offered before they took another sip of their Iced tea.

She wasn’t certain why she had expected a more detailed reason, perhaps she had grown unaccustomed to her own people’s tendency to avoid actually giving an answer by just stating something was logical without explaining why that was the case. That said the Commander's answer wasn’t entirely that. Evoras could relate to discovering you were good at something, by being put in a situation that required a certain skill. She nodded and took a sip from her tea. “It was quite the event.” There was a short pause, before she added: “If you want to know or discuss more about antichroniton and chroniton particles after reading the reports, those are precisely what I work with, amongst other things.” “Not in particular, although I would be willing to exchange information about my person for some about you.” This was definitely not the way you normally said that, but she couldn’t be bothered to care right now.

"I will do just that. It is an interesting subject after all, and I have a distinct... feeling..." The word felt wrong in their mouth, but they continued anyways, "That learning more about these particles would be useful. I do like to keep a general knowledge of the projects that everyone is undertaking. I have found that knowledge invaluable in previous positions." Ych'a used to be able to speak at legnth of the projects most of the Khonsu's crew had undertaken -- but that was a smaller crew (a much smaller crew). They did wish to know more about this officer, however, and thus, they found her terms to be rather amenable. Information for information. That was just the way that the world worked. "Your terms are acceptable. I will speak some about myself and my previous experience if you wish to know it." They did not wait for much of an answer before they started to speak again. "My last position was on the USS Khonsu. I was appointed as the Assistant Chief Science Officer, Promoted to Chief Science Officer... and due to circumstances beyond our control, further appointed as acting first officer. Before that I served on three Starfleet vessels, though once as an exchange officer from the Vulcan Expeditionary Group."

Evoras gave them a short nod, wondering how enthusiastic they would be to talk about chronitons after actually reading the reports. Either way she wouldn’t mind, they truly were interesting, an admittedly tragic… accident? incident? event? did not change that. (She wasn’t entirely certain what would be the appropriate way to describe what had happened to the ‘ghost’.) When it came to her scientists’ projects, she knew who was working on what, what they were about and she tried to read all the reports. She couldn’t quite claim that she was intimately familiar with all of them though, especially not the ones that were further away thematically from her personal expertise. Should she be? If she had been on her own, she might have shaken her head to rid herself of those thoughts. They were entirely irrational, she was not skipping on any of her duties. Except apparently keeping her head clear. She certainly knew what she would be doing later. Occasionally sipping on her tea, she listened to what the Commander said. She’d never considered joining the Vulcan Science Academy herself, partially because she likely would have been rejected anyways and partially because she had been dead set on Starfleet since the age of seven. “My last position previous to this one was aboard the USS Providence. I worked there for ten years, eight of which as Assistant Chief Science Officer. Before that I was appointed to one other ship and one other station. And before that I attended the Academy in San Francisco.”

"That is certainly quite the career. How long have you been working with Starfleet? And... how was the academy in San Francisco? I have heard stories, though I do not know what is truth and what is exaggeration." That was one thing that they could never quite understand about some of their colleagues -- the need to embellish stories that were most likely perfectly interesting on their own. Personally, they preferred their own education, it made sense, and it was important to them, it had meaning, they would not have been the person that they were without it -- but, they also supposed, that many people would say the same about their own experiences. "Do you enjoy your position here? Do you find you position to be fruitful? Perhaps I am overstepping, but if there is anything I may be able to do to help, I would be honored to do so."

“I was assigned to the USS Diana 24 years ago, so about 22 years I would say?” Over the years she had occasionally visited Vulcan for one reason or another, not that those visits had ever been particularly long; the largest contributor to her time away from work had definitely been the sick leave between her previous assignment and this one. “My time at the academy was largely uneventful, I was however tangentially aware of the things other people were involved in. Some of the stories you hear are certainly exaggerated, the unsettling part is that it usually isn’t the ones you think it is.” Evoras certainly had some ‘interesting’ stories she could tell (if she wanted to), but they were not from her academy days. If anyone that had worked with her in the early 90ies ever came to this station she might have to consider requesting a reassignment, but that was something to tackle if those unfortunate circumstances ever arose. “What was the Vulcan Science Academy like? I cannot claim to be familiar with it beyond what is covered in the media. What notable differences would you say there are in what is being taught and how it is taught? Beyond the most obvious ones that is.” She looked down only to find that she had already drunk all of her tea. Turning the empty cup around in her hands, she thought about how she’d never actually seen the VSA in person. It was odd really, to remember how much of Vulcan was completely foreign to her, especially since she’d lost count of how many planets she’d been on a long time ago. .

20:20

“I am content with my current position at this point in time.” She couldn’t claim that if she were entirely honest with herself she’d have to admit that she preferred ships over starbases. There was nothing quite as thrilling as standing somewhere no one had stood before or marking something on a map that'd likely never been on a map before. That said, would she trade what she currently had for a similar position on a ship? Perhaps, but there was a good chance she’d stay. “There are pros and cons to everything, but as far as I am concerned the pros outweigh the cons by quite a bit. There is no need for you to do anything. I do however appreciate the sentiment. In case you find yourself discontent with any aspect of your position, I would like to return the offer.”

"We appear to have similar amounts of experience. I joined the Expeditionary group approximately 20 years ago, if my math is correct." They were, admittedly rather impressed, after all, they always were upon hearing how far people had come in such amounts of time, how much they had learned, how much they had grown. It was inspiring, and in a way, it was humbling. Every person had a different experience, Ych'a always kept that it mind. It was how they themself had functioned so well in their previous posts. "I will keep that in mind when I listen to the stories I am told. Perhaps I will learn what is exaggerated and what is not," they gave a soft, humorless chuckle (that was what normal people did after all, right? They laughed?), and they stopped for a moment to ponder their answer about the vulcan science academy. They were quiet as they reflected on their own experiences slightly. "I would say that things are rather... black and white, something is either correct or it is wrong, but in a way, there is a lot of room for exploration. Many things were left as excersizes for us to prove ourselves. There were so many proofs and a lot of theory." An expressionless face, even as they talked about one of the places where they felt most at home. "Thank you for your offer. I will be sure to come to you if ever the need arises." A nod accompanied their words.

Evoras nodded. The Commander’s experience seemed reasonable considering their rank. 20 years, that would make them roughly 42, unless of course they’d taken breaks at any point. Estimating other people’s ages had never been a strength of hers. It was far easier to just look them up, which was what she would likely do later. When Ych’a chuckled it caught her a little off guard. She knew how to act around people that laughed, at least theoretically. Sadly this didn’t mean that her brain could currently compute that information, so she just stared at the table for a few seconds. Uncertain how to respond, she eventually just nodded and waited for them to answer her question. And when they did she listened attentively. “That sounds intriguing. I should check if any of their teaching material is available to the public.” This would be interesting if only from a pedagogical point of view. She could practically hear her mother giving a presentation on what one might look out for when evaluating different teaching styles. “Just contact me whenever, I usually have time, unless I am working of course.” An expression that could almost be classified as a smile flashed over her face. “If you are ever interested in drinking better spice tea than this…” She looked into her own empty cup before glancing over to Ych’a’s drink. “I would advise paying a visit to the food court, there’s a restaurant there that makes both good tea as well as Vulcan dishes, amongst other things.” With that she grabbed her cup and the plate and got up. “I need to check the results of a simulation that should be done by now. We will most definitely see each other around and welcome to the station.”

The commander thought back for a moment about something that they had been told recently, and as much as it might have been considered rude, they decided to delay the CSO for just a few short minutes longer. "There is one matter that I may need your assistance to attend to. Would you mind accompanying me to my office? I give you my word that it will not last that long. I just do not wish to fall privy to some prying eyes." They offered a simple nod to indicate that they have finished speaking, before they answered some of the other questions given to them. "Some of my teachers posted their curriculums. I can provide those for you if you so wish." It may have been slightly out of order, but there were times that Ych'a was just as messy and disorganised as their outward appearance might suggest.

She’d started turning to leave, but stopped to listen to Ych’a’s request. This probably would not take too long, plus her simulation results weren’t time sensitive anyway, so even if this would take a while, it would not matter. “Not at all, Commander. And thank you, it would be very much appreciated. If it is no additional effort, I’d prefer scientific subjects, if only so I can follow the subject and grasp their teaching methods better.” She didn’t want to bother the Commander with unnecessary stuff, especially not considering they had just arrived, but Evoras couldn’t help being interested. If she found anything of interest, she might forward it to her mother. Speaking of her mother, she should probably message her. Glancing down at the dishes in her hands she added. “I will be right back.” A little while later she returned and nodded towards the exit. “Shall we?”

Ych'a nodded and turned to return the dishes that they themself had been bringing around. After all, dishes like this were not necessarily needed for what they needed to speak with the Science officer about. After a moment of waiting -- during which time the dishes were returned -- they straightened their uniform and turned towards the exit, heading towards the corridors.

[D] Alizati was still very much a novice when it came to baking. He had observed Men do it on many occassions and even watched videos on it, but for some reason he found his food often lacked 'life'. But then again, so did he. Perhaps it was less about Alizati's actual skill and more of the mental roadblocks he put up for himself. He had always compared himself to his peers, but not in the way others did. He wasn't envious of the success of others, but instead in awe of the flaws they had. So many recipes called for 'a pinch of salt' and then 'mix until thorough', which was all fine and good, but Alizati executed the movements identically each time, creating the same result. He felt as if his cooking ability could never go beyond a cake-making robot or any other automated cooking machine. Food wasn't like engineering, performing the same task consistently every time was not what made food good. But this was Alizati's third attempt at a travit milk and carrot cake. It was a recipe that Dzharok was proficient at. The reason Alizati chose it was because it was something Dzharok had yet to master and thus, Alizati was expecting there to be some flaws in it. The station's favourite Vulcan-Romulan android engineer walked into the mess hall in full uniform and made his way to the table in the middle of the mess hall. He placed the cake down and a little sign that said, "Take Free - From Alizati". The cake was a lovely marbelling of white and orange with black icing that read, 'Happy First Contact Day' paired with a near perfect rendition of the Vulcan IDIC logo. With all that set into place, Alizati just stood there, hoping someone would come who was interested in his cake.

Aoife was just about to have a shift on the command deck, she had decided on her way to grab something to eat before heading to the command deck. Aoife was about to walk to the replicator when she spotted Alizati and his cake! Cake was good! Free cake was even better, especially on her birthday! Aoife strode over to Alizati. "Hello, do you mind if I take some of your cake?"

Alizati waited patiently, perhaps it was because it was him that no one was approaching? He was not exactly the friendliest face of the senior staff. Alizati was just about to turn away when someone approached him. The stranger was-- Lieutenant O'Rielly. He recognised her from the roster, although he did not recall them ever crossing paths. Alizati did not smile, but nodded and turned to grab one of the plates and carefully slice a piece of cake to hand to her. It did not click that she was also 'Twirlingphaser' in the chatroom. "Happy First Contact Day, Lieutenant," Alizati said as he handed her the slice. As he did so he noticed the piece was perfectly cut, maybe he should have jigglged the knife? For some reason he was feeling more self conscious about being too 'perfect' in everything he did. Maybe it was because today was also a big of a strange day for him. "Do you have any plans today?"

Aoife took the cake and took a bite. She thought it was pretty good though, who doesn't like cake. "Happy first contact day to you too commander." Aoife gave a small shrug. When Alizati asked if she had plans, suddenly she felt she should have plans since it was her birthday but aside from a message from her grandmother every year not much ever happened on her birthday. "Eh no, I don't really have any plans today even though it's my birthday I never end up doing much. What about you?" Aoife asked, wondering what Ailzati got up to in their free time.

Alizati studied the tactical officer's face as she took a bite of the cake. Although he was sure the cake would taste 'good' if one enjoyed creamy carrot cake, but he knew food perfectly measured did not create a very 'organic' experience. As he listened to her talk about her plans today he tilted his head when she mentioned her birthday. "Happy Birthday.... Today is also my... Hm, I suppose it would be activation day," Alizati said, not feeling like it was appropriate to call it a birthday as he was technically never born. Dzharok had a birthday, but Alizati was not his predecessor even if he did have the man's memories. "I am Vulcan so we do not typically celebrate birthdays. I am aware that humans typically celebrate?" Alizati asked, curious as to other cultures' customs. He had never celebrated his birthday before, this was his first time. He wondered if Men would say anything? Maybe, but he hadn't mentioned it to his fiance yet. It still didn't click that he had spoken to Aoife in the chatroom a few days prior to this encounter.

Aoife took another bite of the cake. As she mulled over Alizati's question. Most people tended to celebrate, but she never really did. It felt wrong somehow since her birthday was also the day her father died. "Most people tend to do something to mark the day, but I never really liked making a big occasion of my birthday. It always felt kind of wrong." Aoife shrugged as she spoke.

Alizati could understand people not wanting to have a big celebration. Being Vulcan, and even with Dzharok's memories of struggling with his Romulan identity, he was never one to enjoy large gatherings of people. Alizati tried not to stare at the CTO as she ate and instead just ended up staring at the cake. What did get his attention, and subsequently his eyes focused on Aoife again was the feeling of... Was it guilt? "Wrong? In what way? I do not believe it is against the rules to celebrate one's birth?" Alizati asked with a Vulcan raised eyebrow of curiosity and intrigue at the statement. (edited)

"Well, I was born on the USS Dauntless during the attack on Utopia Planitia in 2385 my father was killed during the battle." Aoife didn't seem sad, she never knew her father so there wasn't anything for her to mourn. Her mother however eww another story. "My mother was never really able to be around me on my birthday, I think I reminded her of dad. Cause of that I never really did birthday parties or that kind of thing, so having a party just felt weird." Aoife's mother often managed to be caught up in some inspection or offworld conference when her birthday rolled around.

The mention of the attack on Utopia Planitia was surprising and actually earned a visible reaction from the android engineer. Alizati frowned and looked downward, in understanding but also in guilt himself. "That is correct, being born on First Contact Day is quite a strange feeling. I certainly understand your apprehension about celebrating this day," Alizati nodded and then looked toward the cake to see if anyone else was going to take any. it seemed it was just him and Aoife which was fine, a lot of the senior staff was busy at that time. "I am an android and Romulan and I can recall the event quite vividly. I was visiting Vulcan at the time and following the ban I was forced to go into hiding," Alizati said, acting surprisingly calm as he spoke about something that seemed so traumatising. "But I think we can still celebrate this day. Happy Birthday, Lieutenant. If you want some more cake you are welcome to take some back to your quarters, I have a feeling I will have quite a bit left over."

Aoife suddenly felt like she shouldn't have brought it up at all seeing Alizati's reaction. "It was a dark time, I'm sorry you had to endure hiding for so long that must have been awful." Aoife felt really bad that she made Alizati react in the way they did. She knew that there probably weren't words to describe what they went through during the ban, much like there were no words to describe what she went through during the Klingon war. "Thank you, and happy activation day to you." Aoife said after a brief pause of self reflection. She also took up Alizati's offer of more cake, taking another slice. Aoife knew she would have to pay for it in the gym later but she felt her birthday was a good excuse for a cheat day.

“We cannot change what as been done but I do hope something like that never happens again," Alizati stated, his face returning to the comfortable neutral it was before. In the past he would have dwelled longer on his brief show of emotions, but he was different now and was more comfortable with expressing emotions. He still didn't do it often, but he did not pass judgment over himself for having them. "I am glad you enjoy the cake. I am still very much a novice at baking, but I would like to improve," Alizati said, bowing his head against to Aoife. Not smiling, but there was happiness under his stoic expression to know that he could 'celebrate' his birthday with yet another person.

Evoras was sitting at her usual table with her usual food and drink of choice. While she was cradling her second cup of spice tea in her hands, her eyes were fixed on her PADD. The stew she’s replicated herself was half eaten and most definitely cold by now. She had every intention of eating it, after she was finished reading and replying to messages. The one she was writing currently wasn’t even tangentially related to work, it was in fact a digital happy birthday card she was attempting to make. She mostly did this not because she cared much for anyone’s birthday, but because she knew the person receiving it would be thrilled to get one. As she went to take another sip from the tea, she noticed that it was almost gone, so she got herself another cup and promptly returned to what she was doing before.

Tulavix, dressed in his Engineering uniform with his light-blocking sunglasses, came in holding a bag from Dich’s Bakery, that contained a raspberry-frosted stuffed with raspberry jam (raspberries were his favorite Terran fruit, after all). The bakery was too crowded, the noise wasn’t great for his Vulcanoid ears, and there weren’t even any free seats over there. So, he decided to come to the mess hall, replicate an iced coffee to go with his donut, and hopefully interact with more of his fellow Senior Staff. Spotting a free spot over by Evoras, he waved, giving a pointy-toothed Reman smile. “Hi, is this spot taken by anyone?”

One eyebrow raised, Evoreas lifted one of her hands and waved back. Then she let her eyes wander to the place across from her, before looking back up. “It appears to be vacant. You may occupy it.” Cradling her cup in her hands in an attempt to soak in all of the warmth through her palms, she glanced over the rim down at her PADD. She didn’t like how the card looked yet, but she couldn’t quite put a finger on what about it she didn’t like. Then instead of continuing to stare at it she turned her PADD off and focused her attention on the Assistant Chief Engineering Officer. “Is there a specific reason you chose to sit here?”

After getting the confirmation that the seat was in fact available, Tulavix sat down, putting his coffee and donut aside. He was a little taken aback at being asked WHY he was sitting here. The seat was empty and he wanted to actually interact with his fellow senior staff, especially the ones he wouldn’t see too often in his day to day work. There wasn’t much reason for him to go to the science area after all, unless something needed to be fixed. “Uh.. no reason, I guess. I’m trying to meet all of the senior staff informally, being the newest one here after all. Sure, formal meetings are nice, but I am not used to them at all. They’re stressful if I’m being honest.”

That was a reason, not that he needed to have one. She didn’t mind company, if she did she would have said so. “In that case it is nice to meet you. From experience, formal meetings tend to become less stressful once they become routine. Being familiar with the people you are meeting also tends to lessen uneasiness. Your current endeavor should help with that.” Knowing people made them more predictable and lowered uncertainties when interacting with them, which was useful especially when you were attempting to act professional. “If you don’t mind me asking, what did you get?” She nodded towards the bag. The bakery was familiar, she’d seen the bags around. Now and then she’d even walked past it, but never entered, so she was curious what they sold.

“That’s reassuring. This is my first posting as ACEO, I’ve only been here a few weeks. Still learning the ropes I suppose.” He just liked being laid-back and actually socializing. He never felt comfortable doing that in a formal setting. It always felt too stiff. That’s why he never liked meetings, even as just a regular ol’ infrastructure engineer. He took his donut out of the bag, it was frosted a darker looking pink and oozing jam. He was definitely looking forward to eating it. “I got a donut, raspberry frosted with raspberry jam. It looked pretty good, so I got it. I got recommendations for a lot of restaurants, so now I’m just working my way through them.”

Evoras lifted her tea cup up to her mouth and took a sip. It was over eleven years ago when she’d been promoted to ACSO of the USS Providence. Of course she had applied for the position, still she recalled being somewhat surprised when she had actually gotten it. How had it been having to learn all the things she now knew by heart? It was not quite the same though, was it? She had been on the Providence for over two years before then and had whether she wanted to or not known a lot of the crew at least tangentially by then. “I assume you will grow accustomed to it over time. It is quite a drastic change, but I am certain you are capable of handling it. Otherwise you likely would not have been assigned this position. Should you need assistance nonetheless, Lieutenant Commander Alizati should be able to provide it. He is not prone to become irritated and is competent.” She had to admit that she was uncertain what surname he used or rather would prefer her to use.. so she simply didn’t. Head tilted ever so slightly she inspected the doughnut. “I personally prefer the taste of strawberries. However I hope your choice tastes pleasant to you. The establishments the station has are indeed - as far as I can tell - quite adequate for the most part.” Not that she could tell for most of them, seeing as she’s only been in a few. “You can get far better spice tea in the food court than from the replicators.” She lifted her cup to demonstrate and took another sip as if to judge the taste. “I’m afraid I have grown accustomed to the taste of this.” Raising an eyebrow at the tea, she swirled the tea around.

“You’re right, I can handle it. Otherwise, I’d not be here. The responsibilities are alright with me, I’ve just never been good with formal things. My preferred method of meeting someone is just running into them off duty. Like right now.” Tulavix took a bite of his donut. It was delicious, he was definitely happy with his choice. He could devour the whole thing at once, but he didn’t want to seem uncultured in front of Evoras, so he put it down and took a sip of coffee. “Oh, strawberries are good too. Raspberries are my favorites, though. More tart fruits in general are easier for me to bake with, it balances the sweetness. And thanks for the tea recommendation. I’ve got the same opinion about replicated spice tea. I either have to make it myself or get it at an actual shop.”

Tilting her head from one side to the other she eyed her stew while considering what Tulavix had said. “I personally don’t believe I have a preference as to what circumstances I prefer to meet a person in.” With some people you almost needed to meet them twice, because they behaved and acted drastically differently depending on the setting they were in. Evoras didn’t think her own behaviour changed too much between her shifts and time off, but she had certainly met people that were an entirely different person at work. “I must admit that I have not considered how the qualities of different fruits might influence how you cook or bake with them.” Cooking was not something she did often. If she really wanted good food she just went and ate at a restaurant, not that that happened all that often to begin with. Should she ever get stranded in a place that miraculously had ingredients and a kitchen but no replicator, she knew how to create something that would keep her alive. Anything beyond that she really didn’t see the need to learn. “I drink replicated tea mostly for the warmth. It is comfortable, even if the taste is inferior.” It was less time consuming to replicate tea than to make it herself. Speaking of less time consuming, she should definitely eat her food.

“Well, to each their own I suppose. I’ve still got to formally meet Alizati, even though we’ve talked informally before. He was actually the first person I ran into when I first got here!” He smiled a little, then took a bite of his donut. Tulavix only got a little more formal while on duty. He was still a funny guy on duty- he didn’t see the point in being serious if the job got done just as well. If the function was the same, why change? “Well, I suppose some fruits do better with high heat than others. They’re all different after all. As for tea, I’ll drink all kinds of it, but I drink it for the taste. I’ve got a nice spacious quarters, so there’s plenty of room for an electric kettle and a few mugs. So why not, I thought.”

While listening, she looked back and forth between her plate and the person across from her until she eventually started eating the stew, which despite having cooled down to a temperature barely above that of the room was perfectly edible. After Tulavix had stopped talking she continued to eat in silence for a while until eventually deciding on what to say next. "That does seem to be a perfectly logical conclusion, especially if you have no problem taking the time to make your own tea.” It wasn’t that she didn’t have the time, she’d just never really considered making herself tea to be a worthwhile usage of it. There were a million other things she could do that couldn’t be done by replicators in a much shorter amount of time. “Is your preferred type of tea available to be bought on the station? It might be considering its size, but I am aware that not having access to products one is familiar with can be distressing. Have you worked on a station before? How would you say 777 is holding up in comparison so far?”

“Yeah, I mean, I do a lot of things that some people might call a ‘waste of time’ because of replicators. Crochet, sewing, knitting. I mean, why spend days making a scarf when you can replicate one to your exact specifications in two minutes. I do it because it’s relaxing. And I won’t lie, trying to keep the station intact and functional is stressful.” He sipped his coffee, wanting to finish it before the ice melted. It was pretty good. He always replicated his coffee though, or went to a cafe. “Yes, they are able to be bought here. I don’t exactly have infinite money to buy tea every day though, especially because I like to buy other handmade stuff that costs a lot. If I want cute handmade jewelry I have to save for it. But I’ve never worked on a station before, no. 777 is a good station- got nothing to compare it to, but it’s a nice place.”

“If making tea helps you function and keeps your stress levels low it would be rather senseless to call it a waste of time, since it quite clearly serves a reasonable purpose.” Evoras tilted her head. She was generally convinced that there was always a purpose or at the very least a reason why people did the things they did. Although in the end she really didn’t care too much what people did as long as they weren’t messing themselves (or others) up too badly. “It’s quite large and there are many people. Comparing it to some other stations is somewhat like comparing a village to a city in many ways. You don’t know everyone that crosses paths with you in the hallways among other things. It’s a matter of personal preference and previous experience how comfortable people are with that. For the most part I agree with your assessment.” Sitting up a little straighter than she already was (which was barely possible), she took a quick look around the room. “I believe I should be on my way in approximately 12.4 minutes. May I ask what you plan to do next?”

“You’re right. It’s not a waste of time if it serves you a purpose. But anyhow. I like this place a lot, it’s a good place to work I think. I’m very much an extrovert so I’m happy to meet new people. Especially the engineers, it’s always great to see them. I love my department, they’re all good people.” Tulavix finished his coffee, his donut was also gone by that point. He’d probably leave somewhat soon. Maybe even head back to Engineering. “I’m finished here so I’ll probably head back down to Engineering. If everything’s good there I’ll probably be at the environmental ring.”

“I do believe most people would consider me an introvert, but meeting people can certainly be interesting.” After a short pause she added: “It is indeed generally preferable to work a job that you have positive associations towards and to be surrounded by people you can bear to be around for extended periods of time.” Her face was completely straight and there was no indication that the previous sentence wasn’t just a statement, but internally she was smiling. Then she carefully rearranged her dishes (that were also empty by now) in front of her in a way that would allow her to pick them up faster. “I hope you have a pleasant time in Engineering and potentially the environmental ring and it was nice to meet you.” Nodding towards Tulavix, she stood up and grabbed her dishes. “We should statistically see each other around within the week, so until then.”

“There’s nothing wrong with being an introvert. There’s a fair few in my department, I’m happy to let them do their thing and work alone if they can. I suppose you’re the same way about the Science division as I am about the Engineering division.” He gathered his garbage together to recycle, which he got up to do. “Nice to meet you, see you within the week I suppose.”