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

[D] At exactly 1730 hours on the dot the day following the PADD call, a internally panicked Romulan proceeded to make his way into the mess hall. A PADD clutched in one metal ribbed hand as he strided out into the room a moment and then slowed as he then started to look around. Looked around as he searched for his CO. Searched and wondered why exactly his boss had called him to 'talk further' like that. Wondered and internally panicked.

[D] He'd been sat in the mess for around half an hour prior to the predetermined meeting time, content to do some work on his PADD and sip some coffee, when he spotted the tall form of the Romulan he'd come to meet with. With a soft grin and a wave, he gestured for Vara'l to come over and take a seat, himself standing on the seat so he could be seen at all. "Lieutenant! Please join!" He said, loud enough for the Romulan to hear him from across the room, his tone much more geneial than it had been during their prior encounter.

The Lieutenant command spotted as he stood up and shouted,Vara'l did his best to not look overly panicked, something he actually succeeded at and started on over to the Lieutenant commander. The Romulan, his posture tight and professional as he moved, holding onto his PADD tightly and in the hopes it'd hide his discomfiture as he approached and once close enough, greeted the other. "Hello lieutenant commander, sir...and thank you." He then moved over and would take a seat as had been indicated as his mind raced and tried to work out what this might be about. Why his boss happened to be being so geneial. Was this some sort of way of putting him at ease before he got reamed out? What was this..about. He continued to worry within the safe confines of his mind as he watched the other with storm grey hues. "I apologise if I look a tad harried sir, I came here from conveying my son to a new event he wanted to attend."

Once Vara’l had been seated, Tevis followed, refilling his own coffee cup with some fresh brew from the french press sitting in the middle of the table, and silently offered the other officer a cup with his brows raised as he listened to him speak. With a soft grin and a wave of his hand, Tevis made it an effort to keep his mental prescence neutral, not wanting to affect the other officer as they spoke. “No need to apologize! I completely understand, and appreciate you wanting to be a good parent!” He said with a smile, his tone laced with only the most positive of sub-vocal growls Tellarites can produce. “How are you are your son doing after that crazy series of events that took place? I can imagine that would be quite the shock for someone so young.” He said with a genuine look of concern and care, his tone firm, but full of meaning and emotion.

Vara'l settled into his seat as he accepted the other officers offer of a cup with a soft. "Thank you sir." As storm grey eyes continued to watch Tevis as they then waved away his apology and proceeded to say they understood. Then smiled at him. Smiled!. What was this, it had started off feeling like it'd be a reaming out but now it felt.. less like that. A feeling only strengthened when they asked him how he and his son were doing. Actually looked like he was concerned, like he cared. Not what he'd at all expected there. Expecially not if this happened to be destined to be a reaming out. Perhaps, he wondered, it wasn't one. Hadn't ever been one. He hoped that was the case, not that he'd ever have verbalized any of those thoughts to anyone. That would have been a sure fire way of getting him into trouble, he reckoned. "Been working through it with Telim sir, it was indeed quite the shock for him given the sheer.. difference of the nature of the incident" He responded at first as his eyes clouded ever so slightly for a moment as he internally sighed. The lad had been through too much for someone at that age. Way too much and that hurt. It hurt that he couldn't have done anything about many things in that past, that all he'd been able to do was work with the others to help them all escape. Help all of them bar he who'd been beyond help. Bar the father Telim had lost without truly ever even having known them. Lost to the Tal Shiar. "He's gotten over shocks like this before with us both working it over.. so I'm hopeful." He then paused as he realized he'd not once talked about himself. "I myself sir, am working this all over...reasonably well, myself." The romulan then proceeded to lift his drink before he then inhaled as he tried to work out what he'd been handed. "It was...quite different to other events I've dealt with in the past sir." (edited)

“I can absolutely understand that, we had some crazy situations happen back on Starstation Earhart similar to it, it can definitely be a lot for a young one.” He said, a sympathetic lilt to his voice, keeping back the usual sass, sarcasm and insults he reserved for non-professional relationships, or those of a similar rank/position. He nodded along as Vara’l spoke, taking a sip of his coffee occasionally as he listened. “I imagine so! It’s one in a blue moon something like that happens, but it is never pleasant. Please let me or Lieutenant O’Rielly know if we can do anything to help, or support you in any way. A big part of my job is making sure that my officers have the latitude to become the best versions of themselves, and I would greatly appreciate the opportunity help you in that way.” He said, a soft grin on his face.

"Indeed sir." He agreed softly as he sipped his drink again and continued to watch them with inscrutable grey eyes. "Though...this is certainly different to any previous shocks he's experienced sir.. so I suspect that's adding to the impact." The Romulan commented before he sipped his drink again as he attempted to cover the fact he wasn't exactly sure how one happened to conduct small talk, if that was the right word, with ones boss. Especially when said boss actually seemed to have not called him in to ream him from anything from being a Tr'Hara to a xB in the fleet. A fact that had rather deprived him of most of his standard lexicon of responses to questions that he mentally maintained for such questions. Not particularly helpful for his anxiety, that. Neither was what he then proceeded to say about support. Something that sounded remarkably like a offer to help, if there happened to be anything they could do to help. His face probably notably impassive as he initially sipped his drink and attempted to conceal his surprise. Seemed, he reckoned silently, that he'd read this officer all.. or well mostly wrong. At least that happened to be a suspicion he now harboured. Not that he allowed himself to show that openly. "Thank you very much sir.. if there is something that comes to mind in regards to that, I'll be sure to reach out sir." He assured as he sipped his drink again and internally appended the comment of 'When I..get fully comfortable, that is'

Tevis could sense that Vara’l was uncomfortable, figuring the man likely hadn’t spent much time with superiors outside of the line of duty, which, Tevis could absolutely understand his reaction. Tevis, while he was known to be a stickler for the rules and demanding of his officers on duty, had always strived to be the opposite off of the clock, preferring to develop working repors for pleasant and productive future interactions, along with the fact he genuinely cared, and would always do everything within his power to ensure that they went on to have successful careers, even after they left his command. As he refilled his coffee, he leveled Vara’l with another soft grin and a half nod. “So, where are you from originally?”

The Romulan sipped his drink a moment as the other grinned at him, half nodded and asked a question he'd sort of half dreaded. Half dreaded it, residing as it had until called up by the questions utterance. The query something in itself sufficient enough that his facial expressions smoothed out into inexpression for the barest hint of a moment before a effort of will sculpted a briefly cleared mask into professional ridgedness and a slight smile at the taste of his drink. "I was born on a colony in the Romulan Star Empire, sir." He informed the other. "Sora II, small place with a name that translated to Grey Ridge sir." Vara'l elaborated. "I.. regard myself as coming from Mol'Rihan though, sir." He paused then. "Home is where it was made. " The Romulan then proceeded to fall silent as his jaw worked with a unanswered question he worked to keep to himself.

Tevis grinned and nodded along as Vara’l spoke. “I couldn’t agree more, and I appreciate that sentiment! I wish more people were like that!” He said, completely unjudgemental of anything he’d been told. “I’ve heard Mol’Rihan is a gorgeous planet, I absolutely plan on visiting some day.” “I myself am from Luna; Earth’s moon, where up until a few weeks ago I was residing while on leave. My family has a dome near New Berlin, which is nice, but nowhere near as lush as New Romulus!” He said with a hearty chuckle, pausing for a moment as he thought of home.

Vara'l allowed himself a smile then as the other responded as they did, his drink sipped at as he listened to the other. Listened to them for a moment before he chipped in. "Its a utterly beautiful plant aye, sir." He responded initially before he sipped his drink again, idly noted the fact that he was rapidly running out of drink to hide his expression with. Something he noted in the moment before the other launched into briefly talking about Luna. Their words sufficient enough that he happened to smile. "From I experienced of Luna, they're both quite beautiful worlds even if their beauty is born of different things, i've always regretted the fact sir that I wasn't able to stay there for longer." He then paused. "Though unless Telim decides he wants to visit Luna at some point I believe most of my shore leave will be spent on Mol'Rihan." Vara'l then placed his drink down on the table as he allowed memory to take him a moment, looking distant as he did so. Distant and then wistful before he blinked and focused back on them. "...Apologies sir, got a bit lost there.. couldn't help but compare Mol'Rihan to Sora and.. ended up reminiscing."

“No need to apologize! The memory of home can be a very powerful thing. I am glad you have good memories of your home, as I know of some that do not. Life in Starfleet can sometimes lead to homesickness, and I always feel that if you aren’t able to visit, thinking about one’s one is a fairly adequate substitute.” He said with a nod and soft grin. Taking note that both of their cups were starting to go empty, he was quick to refill them with more of the steaming hot coffee, the smell of it something that he treasured. “My Mother too compared her homeworld of Betazed and Luna frequently, as did my Father with Tellar and Earth. Understand and accept your history, rather than hiding from it is something that I am always sure to live by.”

"I try...while Mol'Rihan shall always be my true home sir, to remember the good things about where I was Born sir, as..I've good memories...but also bad ones. " He paused then before he elaborated. "Though... never really experienced the homesickness in the same way sir, spent most of my life in one navy or another" The Romulan decided to not elaborate on that as he instead, as the CTO refilled the coffee mugs, smiled a tad before he thanked them with a quiet "Thank you sir." When the other then said what they said about the history of ones people, Vara'ls gaze briefly became a tad shadowed. "Been doing my best to teach Telim something similar sir.. explaining to him about the history of the Romulan empire.. and the Tr'Hara and Tr'Cora within that." He then took a long draught of his refilled mug then.

Sensing that the topic of home and his time spent in navies was one that was a bit difficult for him, Tevis simply nodded, placing the coffee pot back on the table, and listening as he spoke about his son. “I’m glad you are doing so! Knowing about one’s culture and history is important! I am grateful that my parents and brother did so for me. I am sure that Telim will appreciate it very much in the future.” He said, glad that Vara’l’s son has such a caring parental figure in his life.

While he probably emitted feelings that suggested that, some of his emotions that might be detected as he considered that...might suggest a certain underlying pride about something. A pride wrapped up with guilt, survivors guilt. A guilt that was kept from his face with a carefully considered brutal control formed of trained technique and trauma gained knowledge of how to hide pain. "Thank you sir." He initially responded then. "I...hope he will." He then sipped his drink again before he then added. "...Though more recently he's wanted to know about the recent history of the Tr'Cora and Tr'Hara.. and about his Bio father. " The Romulan sighed slightly before he then explained. "He.. became aware a little bit ago that I and his father served together on the Arrenhe and now believes he's old enough...to hear more about that and about the history of the Tr'Hara and Tr'Cora during the end of the empire and the like." "So I imagine I'll be...having to work out how to navigate all that, sir."

"I can imagine that is quite alot you are going through at the moment, and I wish you the best of luck in all of that." He said with a soft, kindly grin, before his PADD started to chirp incessantly. He picked up the PADD, reading over the message, his brow furrowing with concentration. When he finally looked up at Vara'l, his expression had shifted to a much more professional one. "If you will excuse me Lieutenant, I have a matter that demands my attention." He said with a nod, moving to exit the booth. "I very much appreciate the conversation and hope to meet again. Thank you." He said, before walking off, heading toward his office.

"It's going to be quite the conversation sir, whenever it does happen... and thank you sir." He responded when the other said what they said before the PADD started its chirp. "Understood sir.. and you're welcome sir." Came the replied that followed as Vara'l stood and watched the other leave. Watched the man he now considered less of a fear causing figure of authority than he'd initially supposed depart. Watched him for a few moments before, as they disappeared out of view, the Lieutenant then downed his drink in one and then after he'd returned it to the replicator, departed himself.