Star Trek: Starbase 777

The bar table was made of a rich, dark oak and while an assortment of drinks was served, the highlights were eggnog and mulled wine. There were also free shot glasses made of opal with '777 Winter Ball' written on the side to commemorate the event, as well as an assortment of small ice sculptures.

C’Sara was dressed in a sleeveless dress, with a knee-length skirt. The dress was red with white accents. They went up to the bar, wanting a drink before going to dance.

Alan requested a whiskey. He stood there, rocking his feet back and fourth as he waited. When it was ready, he took it to a table.

The nurse cut an imposing figure as they walked towards the bar, presumably due to their traditional dress. They ordered a glass of mulled wine, and walked towards the bar seating itself once they had received it.

C’Sara ordered a Shirley Temple. When they got their drink, they headed over to the lounge.

Walking up to the bar, he looked at all there was on offer and decided on something called a 'bloody mary', he wondered what kind of blood it was, but took a sip of the drink, enjoying it nonetheless, espeically the green stalk in it.

Walking up to the bar, he tapped on the bartop twice indicating he'd like a fresh pechuga on the rocks, before crossing his arms and leaning on the bar as he waited for his drink.

Renakir was here at the ball, dressed in a swooping red cloak with an open gap to show off his toned stomach. He had tight black trousers on and tall black boots with gold hardware on the heels and the tops. Around his trousers was a belt with the Romulan Republic insignia on it. He looked more ready to star in a spy action movie than attend a ball, but whatever. His hair was neatly combed with fluffy layers and an undercut, showing off his floppy ears and-- he was wearing his contacts today which allowed his beautiful light silver eyes to show. Without his sunglasses it was easy to see the resemblance he shared with his brother, same coloured eyes and eye shape. That was about the only thing he and his Romulan brother had in common though because Renakir was Reman. Grey skin, naturally black fingernails, sharp teeth, very handsome when paired with his Romulan forehead ridges and full head of hair. He approached the bar and immediately ordered some seltzer. Just kidding, this gangly bitch ordered himself a tall glass of Romulan ale with lime-- on the rocks. He was so intent on getting his ale he did not even reaiise he was reaching over some thiccc Orion at the bar.

Taking note of the ridiculously hot Vulcanoid as he walked in, he took a good look at the man's outfit, a blush rose to his face and his mouth went agape slightly...this man was unreal! What was is with him encountering so many hot Vulcanoids lately?! His face was so bright with a blush it might as well be melting. As he reached over him to grab his drink, Nokkul straightened his posture, rising to his full height of 7'5", towering over almost everyone in the bar with the exception of a massive Gorn who seemed to be enamored with his drink. Nokkul, in an attempt to collect himself, grabbed his drink, taking a long pull enjoying the soft burn of the pechuga as it went down, before he felt his eyes drawn to the man, and the little strip of skin exposed by his outfit. He looked oddly familiar? Maybe it was just a coincidence. "Hello there!" He said in his usual deep, but chipper tone, looking at the man with an intensity he reserved for one on one interactions.

Renakir nearly jumped out of his skin when he heard a voice greet him and he turned his head to see-- oh shit he was getting in the way of someone. He felt bad for letting his desire for ale cause him to forget to be courteous to others. Renakir grabbed his glass of ale and turned to the stranger who seemed to not have minded him just barging in there to order ale. "Jolan tru," He greeted, not with a smile, but his voice was warm. Renakir had a deep voice as well, very calm. "Sorry, I didn't mean to reach over you like that," He said in French, the most polite language he knew. "Umm, oh I guess I should ask what is your name?" It just hit Renakir that bars were for socialising and uhh hitting on people? Renakir was not a flirt, as far from it as you could get, but he thought it would be polite to at least try and strike up a conversation. He had never seen this man before and assumed he was a visitor so why not give him a warm welcome?

Nokkul gave Renakir a warm smile and relaxed his posture, making sure he did not appear anything other than friendly and inviting, he knew his appearance had the potential to put people off and he'd never want to scare away a possible friend. "No worries! I was probably in the way, its kind of hard not to be when you are as big as me!" He said with a deep, booming laugh, before taking a sip of his drink, tight leather shirt riding up as he did, before with a practised ease, answered Renakir. "I'm Nokkul Raaze; a helmsman from the Rapture visiting for the ball! And you are?" He said giving him a wide, dimpled grin and a nod, after spending so much time with his beloved Snek, he knew not to offer any Vulcanoid a hand for shaking. He still couldn't figure out why he seemed so familiar...interesting.

The relaxed posture and smile put him at ease, the last thing Renakir wanted was to piss off someone at the bar. They may have been in Federation space, but no one was immune to alcohol-induced rowdiness. He heard the stories from Deep Space Nine, now that was a station that knew a good bar fight (allegedly). "It's not your fault at all," Renakir waved his hand and chuckled softly, his pointed teeth on full display when he did the action. He nodded when the other introduced himself, helmsman! Now he never would have guessed that. The man looked... Eccentric. Although if Allan's fashion was anything to go by, never judge a book by its cover. He raised an eyebrow at the mention of the ship-- Rapture. Now he had met two Rapture crew members. "Rapture? Oh, I met someone from there just a little while ago. My name is Renakir, I'm a turbolift operator here," He said with an equally friendly tone as he sipped his ale. This man didn't need to hear his whole novel-length of a full name.

Nokkul grinned down at the man, enjoying the interchange, he seemed rather nice, definitely of the approachable sort, one never knew how the cultures of other ships/stations could influence people when interacting with others. Taking another pull from his drink, he leaned sideways, resting a large arm on the bar, his body loose, clearly enjoying himself. He laughed at Renakir's comment, before answering. "I bet! We've all been a little cooped up as of late! We had a bit of a stressful mission before arriving, so I imagine the crew is all over the station! Hell, I am too!" He said, with a laugh, before placing his handbag on the counter, figuring he'd stay a while if how much he was enjoying talking to the Reman-Romulan hottie. "Renakir! You're the second 'R' named Reman-Romulan I've met! Don't suppose you know my friend Rai? He's somewhere on the station as far as I know...probably got himself in to some sort of fun! You both happen to be quite the smokeshows if I say so myself!" He said, the liquor already loosening his lips, an indulgent grin on his face.

Renakir sipped his drink slowly, enjoying the strong taste of ale on his lips. Surprisingly enough, a lot of Romulans did not actually like Romulan ale. It was regarded as much too strong by most and many Romulans drank it only to show off they could handle it. Renakir on the other hand genuinely enjoyed the taste and it was evident in how slow he took the drink and relaxed appearance he had. "I can imagine," He chuckled as he held his glass, he didn't even care that his teeth were scratching it up, he was a confident Reman! Also glasses could be replicated. Renakir was not prepared for Nokkul's next statement and he was glad he had swallowed his ale before the other spoke because he would have choked at that very moment. "RAI?!" He said rather loudly, causing a few people to turn their heads to see what the commotion was. The two only had the attention of the room for a couple seconds before everyone resumed what they were doing. "Oh, fuck, Tenakruvek," Renakir ended up slipping back to speaking his native Rihannsu, he couldn't keep the suave Frenchman act up when the other said he was friends with his brother. "Rai... Yeah, that's my brother. Maybe he mentioned me, he calls me by my Romulan name, Solait. I apologise in advanced, he's chronically awkward, it's not his fault though I swear. He hasn't given you much trouble, has he?"

At Rennie's outburst, he started cackling, absolutely losing it, he managed to set his drink down before he doubled over in laughter, abs tensing and tears of mirth gathering at the corners of his eyes,. He eventually composed himself and stood back up, taking a long swig of his drink, emptying the glass and looking at Renakir with a wide, dimpled smile. "Wow, I don't think I've laughed quite that hard since the person I'm dating walked into a tree." He said, grin stretched wide across his face, a slight blush at the thought of that day. "He mentioned a brother! It's nice to be able to put a face with the name! No trouble at all! He's adorable, but as you said, just, very awkward, its pretty cute. We love him aboard Rapture! You look pretty similar!" Noting his now empty drink, he leaned over, getting the attention of the bartender before ordering a large, cold Romulan Ale, smirking at Rennie as he ordered. He loved the stuff, something about having a Romulan Mother, even if they weren't biologically related, made him have a distinct appreciation for the drink. "Mhiohs!" He said cheerfully, before downing half of the drink, a half-wistful, half-mirthful grin at the taste of the drink.

Renakir put a hand to his chest as he watched the Orion laugh. Oh no, that meant Rai was probably making a fool of himself on that ship. Renakir did not have high hopes for his very Romulan brother, but at least he wasn't... Scaring anyone? He nodded his head when Nokkul mentioned some person he was dating, oh yeah he definitely seemed like the type to have a lot of dates or something. "We do? Funny because we don't actually share any DNA, we both come from completely different sets of parents, I know Romulan families, very crazy," Renakir explained, thinking it was purely coincidence that him and Rai both had the same eye shape and silver eyes. Little did he know that silver eyes was a Torre'vnau trait and that him and Rai did share some DNA somewhere along the family tree. Renakir watched in shock as Nokkul ordered the ale and drank it down with glee. Damn, this guy for real? He didn't know how to react than just staring at the man with amazement. "You love him aboard Rapture? Oh yeah? Tell me, Nokkul, how many times has he threatened you? I need to know if he's behaving," Nokkul seemed like an honest fellow, he wanted all the tea about Rai on Rapture.

"Really? Huh, a coincidence then! I had no idea Remans took multiple conspirators! You'd think I'd have more knowledge about Remans with a Romulan Mother, but she never really said much about your people." He took another swig of his ale, giving Renakir another appreciative look...a shame Rapture wasn't staying longer, he love to get to know Renakir much better. "None! The most he's done is be terribly confused when I called him a 'Daddy', I daresay he would just need to study up on some slang!" He said with a chuckle. "Realistically, I know he could be dangerous, but all the interactions I've had with him have been nothing but fun! You're a good brother for checking in on him though! I always wished I had siblings."

"Huh, yea we're more communal than Romulans in that sense. Romulans take multiple conspirators because we're scared of getting stabbed, but Remans genuinely just have a strong sense of community and want to spread love. To be honest I don't know much about Remans either, I was raised by Romulans," Renakir said with an awkward smile. He was surprised to hear that Nokkul had a Romulan mother. A Romulan raising an Orion? Now that was something he had never heard about. "Yeah uhhh, what was it like having a Romulan mother? I can't imagine you guys had it easy with you being Orion. No hate but Romulans uhhh, I'm not particularly proud of the xenophobia of my people," Renakir finished off his ale and tilted his head. "... Oh fuck, you called him daddy? I can imagine how that went over with him. I love my dinam, but he's... Ugh, dense as fuck. Please, for the sake of the beta quadrant, keep flirtations with him to a minimum. I swear he probably showers with his eyes closed," Renakir was also not a very flirty person by nature, but he was better than Rai. The only person he knew his brother got along with romantically would have to be his fiance, but Kianarix loved everyone. He was a man full of love.

He gave Renakir a slightly sad smile, thinking about Tura, and remembering all the times she had told other Romulans off about speaking ill of him...for a moment he got slightly choked up, grabbing the glass of ale and downing the rest of the drink, before clearing his throat slightly and answering. "Raised by Romulans too! Then you definitely know how they can be. Tura was...different, I can't tell you how many times she'd pull a knife on some other Romulan trying to mouth off about me, or yell at them some words that I still feel uncomfortable saying!" He said with a sad chuckle. "She was a force of nature I tell you." "I'll remember that, he's a sweet guy, everytime I hear of people interacting with him enough to make him petrified I just wanna protect him, he's a real sweetie. I got past any attraction I had when I met Sakkath and Syrax to be honest." He said, a blush rising to his face at the thought of the two...he wondered whereabouts they were with all of this going on, before turning his attention back to Renakir, noting his glass of ale aswell. "You are also an ale drinker? No one ever believes me when I tell them I actually like the stuff!"

"Oh no, the knives," Renakir actually face palmed at that. Why did talk about Romulans always end with knives. He knew his people liked murder but that didn't mean he was comfortable with it. "Umm, sounds like a wild childhood. I don't really have anything to say about that, I'm about as non-violent as a Romulan could be," Renakir waved his hands and smiled nervously. He felt bad for Nokkul, having to grow up with such violence. Not that his upbringing was any less violent. He had to fight for his life more than a couple times. "Yeah, Rai is uhh... Sweet," Renakir couldn't help but laugh as he said it. Nokkul really thought his brother was sweet? He would have to talk to Rai about that. The Rai he knew was awkward and very much not sweet. Actually there were a lot of things he wanted to talk to Rai about. His eyes widened when Nokkul mentioned Syrax-- THE Syrax? He didn't know the other name, who was that guy? "Syrax is the other Rapture person I ran into. Uhhhhh, yeah, not gonna say anything else about that," Renakir said with a slightly nervous look. "And yes, I love ale. I actually like it too! Me and Rai both love it, actually our family, the Torre'vnau house, we have our own RPA. Romulan Pale Ale, uhh it's artisan. Very delicious," Renakir said before he ordered another glass of ale. "So aside from scaring my poor brother, what else are you up to on Rapture?"

"Same here! I don't judge people who have to utilize it, but I stay away from violence whenever I can...scared straight as it were." He said, taking note of the tone of Renakir's voice, feeling bad for him. "Wow! I would love to try that! Does your family sell it? I'm always looking to try some good ale! I have a case of 2390 vintage put away in storage for a speical occasion myself!" He said, ordering another glass, relishing the opportunity to talk Romulan Ale with another connesouir. "Not much aside from dates and the gym, although I've been getting into holoprogramming! I'd really like to explore that more! What about you?"

"It's the Romulan way though, can't really get around it sometimes," Renakir said with a nod of his head. He thought it was cute how Nokkul was so excited when he learned about the Torre'vnau RPA. Out of all the family businesses they had, their ale business was the least problematic and by far the only one Renakir supported. Everything else was uhhhh..... Yeah. "We do, Rai brought a ton with him to Rapture, I'm surprised he hasn't offered it to you yet. Also woah 2390? Good year for ale," Renakir said like the ale connoisseur he was. He leaned his arm on the bar, enjoying just chatting away. The ale also helped loosen him up so he didn't feel as self conscious being Reman. "Holoprogramming? Sounds cool, I like making my own programmes too," Renakir wondered if Nokkul would want to swap programmes? "I am a single father of a very cute epohh daughter named Kali-fal Madeleine. She's blue, just like Romulan ale. She's great," Renakir said as he pulled out his PADD to show his daughter to Nokkul. "She's funny and I'm slowly teaching her how to fight. Hey maybe you'd want to meet her sometime? I don't know how long you're here for but I think we have time."

"Epohh?! They are adorable! And so fluffy! What is she like?" He said, before looking at the picture Renakir excitedly showed him, it was cute how enthusiastic he was about his epohh, he almost wished he had one of his own now seeing how joyful they could make someone, and just how cute they were. "I would love to meet her! I don't spend near enough time with animals these days!" He smirked, sending a sidelong glance to Rennie. "You would be a bonus!" He chuckled, before taking another pull from his ale. "What kind of holoprograms do you create? Mine are mostly recreations of picturesque places from across Romulus, based on my Mother's diaries and personal database." He said with curiosity, remembering fondly his date with Sakkath in the village.

"She's very smart! One of the smartest epohhs I have ever met!" Renakir said with pride as he scrolled through the multiple shots of Kali-fal he had on his PADD. Yes, Rennie had tons of pictures of his epohh daughter that he would look at quite often. "Yes, definitely! I just dropped her off at day care," 'Day care', more like the bioscience lab where she could play with Saren's epohhs. At least there were scientists there to care for her. Renakir listened attentively when Nokkul explained what sort of holoprogrammes he created. When the other mentioned 'picturesque places from across Romulus' Renakir frowned. It was... He was conflicted what to think. He quickly ordered another glass of ale so he would have an excuse to turn away and hide his discomfort from his new friend. After receiving his ale, he turned back to Nokkul. "Mmm... Yeah umm.. I mostly have holoprogrammes of France where I went to the Academy. You.. Lived on Romulus? Or not?" Renakir asked, curious how Nokkul and his Romulan mother lived and where they lived.

He grinned at Rennie as he showed of Kali-fal, his pride warming his heart, it was nice to see someone that devoted to the care of an epohh, knowing how much love and joy they could give back. "Really? The station has a daycare for epohhs? Wow! You guys have everything here!" He too took another sip of his ale, curious about just how big this place really was. "France! Oh wow! That must have been beautiful! I visited San Tropez for a weekend while I was at the academy, it was stunning. I can imagine that must have been a pleasant time at the academy!" His face suddenly went a little more serious, and sad, thinking about Tura. "Nope, never got the chance to go in person, but my Mother would frequently take me to a seaside village recreation in the holodeck, I have really good memories of that. I know the idea of casually visiting that place is...problematic, but everytime I use the program again, it makes me almost forget that she isn't here anymore."

"We have a day care for all pets, we have a lot of civilians here," Renakir realised that Nokkul lived on a Starship and they had much fewer facilities to care for animals or really any amenities for civilians. "Yeah it was nice scenery at the Academy. There were many bakeries with Vulcanoid friendly treats," Renakir was glad that Vulcans were a Federation species because it meant there were a lot of foods he could eat. He spoke as if he ever ate at those bakeries when he actually ate all his meals in his quarters. Never in public, too scared to be well... Reman. "I understand visiting a fantasy place is comforting to some people. I.. Personally would not want to go to anywhere resembling Romulus. As you know uhh... Romulan society and just Romulus in general is not a place that sits well with Remans," Renakir didn't want to make Nokkul feel bad for enjoying the place but he also couldn't pretend he would be okay with such a programme. "I would explore other programmes with you. There's a few action adventure holonovels that are popular recently, "He suggested with a soft smile. "So how long are you guys docked here? I want you to meet Kali-fal before you leave."

"That sounds fun! I would love to sometime! Sadly we are set to depart tomorrow afternoon, if you have time before then I'd love to meet her! Now I'm kinda sad to leave! You're an awesome person, and the universe is a cruel mistress for not giving us more time to hangout!" He said giving Rennie a sad, but distinct smile, glad to have made a new friend.

"So soon? Man, I gotta suplex Rai before that," Renakir said with a laugh as he took another sip of his ale. He wondered what his brother was getting up to. Causing mischief? Nah, he was probably doing something incredibly dumb like.. He didn't know, eating snow or licking an ice sculpture? "You gotta take care of him, he's delicate. What have you guys on Rapture been up to? Any exciting missions? I kinda worry about Rai being tactical officer because uhh well, you guys don't have a cloak and that's like the Romulan way and all."

"I'd pay to watch that!" He laughed, wondering what the two's interactions would be like, them seeming so different with Rennie seeming much more outgoing, but Rai having the ability to be dangerous when needed. He could imagine they would be quite entertaining. "Some pretty crazy missions! Rai actually took the lead on the last one and saved the day and a ship from some bad actors, you should definitely be proud. Believe me, he's watching out for us mostly! I just worry about him socially, if he was ever in a social situation and needed help, I'm sure any one member of the crew would jump to help!" He said with a genuine, caring look. "What about the station? I'm sure you guys get up some some crazy stuff here!"

"Haha it's actually pretty hard to suplex him, although I think I could get a few bites on his hands," Renakir said, bearing his sharp teeth as he growled for Nokkul to see. Maybe it was the ale, but he wasn't as shy about his Reman features. No, he actually felt comfortable embracing them. He was grey, a little scary looking, silver eyes, but he also had a giant (fake) sword and exposed stomach. "Oh for real? Rai leading a mission? I didn't think he had it in him," Renakir was pretty sure Rai was an engineer, right? But he was also tactical officer? He felt a little ashamed for not knowing more about his brother's job, but Rai had always been very vague about what he did so it was only natural Renakir filled in the gaps with his own assumptions. "Oh, I worry about him socially too. You know I hear on Romulan ships it's polite to threaten your fellow officers. Actually that's normal amongst Romulans too. Every birthday, my dad thinks up a new way to try to kill me. It's actually one of the best parts of the day, but I know uhh that's super weird to others," Renakir smiled nervously, rubbing the back of his neck as he said it. Ah yes, assassinations being a fun activity. He knew his father wouldn't actually murder him, but it was a nice battle of wits. "And ehh not so much lately. I have been working with the turbolifts, you know keeping them running. Between me and you, turbolift two seems kinda cursed. And also I would be wary about more than one Romulan in a lift at a time. Nothing good ever comes out of two Romulans in a lift-- well usually," He leaned in closer to Nokkul, resting an arm on the bar so he could lean close-- well within stabbing range, he was very much in Nokkul's personal space here. It looked like they were colluding.

Nokkul's eyes widened at the growl, a dark green blush making its way from his face, down to his neck and hands. He gulped at the absolute sight Renakir was...he definitely had a type..he realized at he tried to tear his eyes away from the man's exposed stomach, rubbing a massive hand across the back of his neck, mouth long past going dry, he picked up his glass of ale and downed it in one great gulp, if only to keep his hands busy.

05:09

It took him a few moments, but he composed himself enough to talk, blush still flaming across the visible skin, of which there was quite a bit due to his outfit being so...revealing. When he spoke his voice was much depper than he intended, before pitching back up to normal. "You know, that doesn't actually surprise me, its cute though! A fun birthday activity! On my birthday my Mother would take me orbital skydiving on the holodeck! On my 18th birthday we did it for real though, everyone has different traditions. (Mock) assassinations would be fun, a real mental challenge!"

05:09

Almost like he was a peice of metal held near a magnet, when Rennie moved closer, he did too, with the exception of his Sakkath, Syrax and his Mother he had never been this close to a Vulcanoid, it was interesting, he didn't usually make friends this fast, but there was something unique about Rennie, he was oddly at ease. Once again he tapped the bar, requesting another round for the two of them, normally he wouldn't embibe quite this much, but he was off-duty, in the company of a pretty man, and the bar had some really really good ale, he wondered the vintage of it...that was until Rennie rested an arm on the bar and he momentarily lost all control of his brain, focusing only on just how close they were, and not to say anything embarrasing.

05:09

"A haunted turbolift?! Cool! Spooky haunted objects and places have always fascinated me! Thankfully we could ride in a turbolift together because you are half-Romulan and I was just raised by one!" He said with a booming laugh, chest heaving at his own joke, clearly the drink was loosening him up, making him even more relaxed than he already was...or was it the company. "Are there other haunted places on the station?" He said, tilting his head to the side, curiously.

Renakir did not get the other suddenly becoming flustered. Was he doing something wrong? Oh-- he was within stabbing range. It was definitely the ale and the fact they were so close. Renakir was also blushing, but he was always blushing because he was always overheating. He backed up a little to give both himself and Nokkul space to breathe. "Oh that sounds fun, Hey if you ask Rai nicely, maybe he'd be down for some mock assassinations with you. Ask him to download programme Torre'vnau Alpha Six Nine, trust me it's a good programme. I created it in the academy, it's peak Romulan adventure," Renakir nodded his head, a mischievous smirk stretching from ear to ear as he said it. Oh would Rai love that programme. "Hmm aside from Trubolift two... Well my quarters were haunted once. So I built a pillow fort called the RRW P'Low, very safe from all ghosts," He explained, quite proud of his creation as evident in his loud and confident tone and the way his silver eyes seemed to light up as he talked about it. "I am gonna explore the party a lil, I'll catch you later then, Nokkul!"

Sakkath brushed Renakir's shoulder as the two passed each other in the bar area. Sakkath shot Renakir the nastiest stink eye imaginable, causing the Romulan-Reman officer to flinch. The two golden children of 777 and Rapture meeting, what a treat. Although Sakkath was clearly not impressed with Renakir. They headed over to the bar to see Nokkul with two tall glasses of Romulan ale. "Nokkul. You are drinking two glasses of ale by yourself?"

Having briefly looked down at his padd to check the time, he bolted upright hearing Sakkath say his name, eyes going wide, he quickly straightend his outfit, composing himself, not wanting to look bad infront of Snek. He turned and (tried) to give them his most suave grin, one solitary dimple making its way to his face, before looking over to the bar to see that Rennie hadn't in fact had the second drink. "Oh! The guy I was talking to didn't drink his! Also hi! I knew you were on the station somewhere, but I didn't realize you were here! Have you been enjoying all the festivities?" He said, before moving to casually rest his arm on the bar again, enjoying the warm, loose feeling from the ale, and took in Sakkath's outfit...wow. "Also, you look absolutely stunning!"

Sakkath did not show any visible reaction to the suave grin and cheeky smile in greeting that Nokkul gave them. They were very much used to how the Orion wore his emotions on his sleeve and made it a point to smile at every interaction. "I see, please drink responsibly," Sakkath said as they sat on the stool, pulling down the hem of their dress so their legs weren't showing as much. They were wearing black tights, but it was still a bit too revealing for them. They were actually quite self conscious about their body, mostly because Vulcans valued modesty and showing lots of skin was not very acceptable within their society. Funny for a species that lived in the desert. "You look stunning as well, I see you spared no detail of your outfit," Sakkath looked the man up and down, no reaction, but they did give a nod. "I have enjoyed the festivities. I got to watch... A showdown. Like a Rumblr fight but with stares," Sakkath brought their hands up to fluff their hair which had grown in size considerable after their interaction with Lorin and Alizati. "I also met another Vulcan-Romulan, he had blue hair... Hmm, handsome? And what about you？ How has the party been for you?"

Nokkul smirked at their comment, huffing out a laugh before taking a long pull of his drink, setting it down after. "You know me, I'm very responsible!" He said with a half-giggle, looking at Sakkath with interest as they talked about their time at the ball, a blush rising to his face at the compliment. "Really? A fight? I hope no one's feelings got hurt!" He wanted to make a comment about the jealous glare they had sent to Renakir, but he held his tounge, a dimpled grin making its way onto his face as he suppressed a laugh. "I also met a hybrid! He was Reman-Romulan! Also very handsome, and neat! His family runs a Romulan Ale brewery! The ball has been pretty fun, but I just got here a bit ago, kinda made it here a little late! It's better now that you're here though!" He said cheekily, but he was serious, they did make wherever they were better, he remembed how excited he was to see Sakkath even when engineering was literally on fire around them.

Sakkath raised an eyebrow to Nokkul saying he was responsible. He didn't think drinking two tall glasses of Romulan ale was very responsible, but at least they were at a Federation event and if anything went wrong, Nokkul could go to sickbay. "No, I do not think so. It was... It went alright. I got to pet a three headed Furby, definitely a unique experience," Sakkath said, hoping that the Furberus was enjoying their time at the ball as well, wherever they were. They tilted their head when Nokkul mentioned the Romulan-Reman officer he met. Was it that guy in the red outfit they had passed? "How interesting," Was all they said about the man. They did not have any opinions on him aside from the fact that he had brushed shoulders with them. It was probably unintentional, but there was more than enough room to walk around without squeezing past people. "I appreciate that my presence has made this event more enjoyable for you. I am going to meet my uncle soon, hmm, you are free to come?"

"Of course! I'm here for ya Snek! I know this is something you've been...consternating about, and I wanna support you in anyway I can! This is big!" He said, eyes wide, surprised they were inviting him to come along...he would not squander the opportunity, least of all so he could spend more time with Sakkath, it felt weird not seeing his best friend for the time they had been docked with the station. "Do you feel ready for it?" He said giving Sakkath with a serious, but caring look, wanting them to know with absolute certainty that he had their back, no matter what happened.

Sakkath let Nokkul see them smile for a split second when he called them 'Snek'. They were pretty lukewarm about the nickname at first, but had grown to actually like it. Romulans often used nicknames when addressing others, mostly to hide their identity, but this usage of nicknames wasn't bad. It was friendly and showed their closeness with each other. "I am not sure. I learned some... Disturbing things. My uncle was born in Biscae Village on Remus. As you know Remus is where the Remans are from and was known for its mines. The Remans were slaves to the Romulans," Sakkath spoke in a serious tone, which greatly contrasted their weird victorian-clown attire they had going on. "I do not want to be associated with a family that has exploited others. I am aware that my Romulan family employs one servant, which makes me wonder what they were doing on Remus. If that is true, I will need to to stand with me and leave."

Giving Sakkath an uncharacteristically serious look, leaning forward to cross his fingers and stand with body language telegraphing care, but also how much he understood the importance of what they were saying, exhaling sharply at the mention of a servant, something he was taught from a very young age was in the least, exploitative. When he spoke it was a powerful, concise tone, different from his usual cheerful, benign tone. "That is indeed rather disturbing. As I'm sure you will to, I will keep an open mind, but from the sounds of it, I am...worried. I of course will stand with whatever decision you make, and will do everything in my power to aid. I feel bad that your family seems so..." He chose not to continue with his statement, wanting to keep an open mind, and not judge, but he really worried for his friend, and how they would feel if their family ended up being as exploitative as they sounded.

Sakkath was glad that Nokkul understood the gravity of the situation and how they should proceed. They wanted to believe that their Romulan family was better than their Vulcan one, but if they had any history of exploiting others Sakkath wanted nothing to do with them. They would rather become houseless than have a name with such ugly history. They took out their PADD and sent a message to their uncle, telling him that them and Nokkul were at the bar. "Are you going to drink that second glass of ale? If not, I can offer it to my uncle," Sakkath said, assuming their uncle would be an ale drinker.

"Feel free! I want to be as sober as I can when he arrives." He said in a joking tone, but the look on his face belied that. He knew it was a time to 'get his shit together' and be on alert, who knew what kind of bad actor this Uncle could turn out being. He really wanted this to go well for Sakkath's sake, he didn't want anyone to have to go through something as traumatizing as purposefully cutting off family, but especially Sakkath, he knew just how much they needed this, and he wanted this best for his best friend, in whatever they desired. He turned to Sakkath, giving them an intense, but caring look. "Whatever happens, I'm right here for you Snek."

And just on time, Sakkath's uncle appeared at the bar. The man was tall af, a little taller than Sakkath but shorter than Nokkul. He had slicked back black hair, slanted eyebrows, pointed ears-- no forehead ridges though. Smooth forehead, an uncommon trait amongst Romulans and made him appear almost Vulcan. He exhibited the same heterochromia as the rest of the Rllaillieu's, blue eye on the right with a brown eye on the left. He seemed very commanding, almost overwhelming presence. His relation to Sakkath was unmistakable, they both had the same harsh and piercing gaze and a stoic but calm demeanour. "Jolan tru, Sakkath," He greeted as he stood in front of Sakkath and Nokkul. His eyes shifted from Sakkath to the Orion standing beside him and he bowed his head. "And you must be Sakkath's friend? They mentioned a second person with them. I am Hanaj tr'Rllaillieu, resident of the Isha district on Mol'Rihan and hopeful senate candidate."

As the man walked in, Nokkul moved to stand, pulling himself to his full height, squaring his shoulders, jaw tight and clenched as he took in the man, keeping his face neutral, but looking for any sign of hostility, malice, or duplicity, afterall he was a Romulan, and a full-blooded one at that. As he introduced himself, Nokkul gave him a sharp, perfunctory nod, trying his best not to sneer at the mention of the man wanting to be a politician. When he spoke it was in crisp, formal Romulan, a vast depature from his usual silly, cheerful tone when he spoke the language. "Jolan tru, it is agreeable to meet you." He said curtly, pointedly standing near Sakkath, and giving the man a serious, calculating look.

This Orion was pretty slick, Hanaj thought. He was clearly proficient at Rihannsu and knew how to make a good impression. However Hanaj was not a man to express his feelings or thoughts on his face so he just nodded to Nokkul. "Where did you learn such proper Rihannsu? I am surprised, not many aliens learn the language," Hanaj said, the cadence to his voice matching Sakkath's, oddly enough.

Sakkath was actually thankful that Hanaj was talking to Nokkul first. They were still nervous about this meeting, but of course they did not show it. Heterochromatic eyes met heterochromatic eyes, it was a bit jarring to meet a person who shared their same condition who wasn't their mother. They stayed silent throughout the exchange, allowing their uncle and Nokkul to speak first.

After briefly looking over at Sakkath to check on how they were doing, he returned his focus to Hanaj, coutenance and posture unchanged. "My Mother was Romulan, she made sure my Rihannsu was as good as a native, I believe I have held true to those lessons." He said in a flat, almost Romulan tone.

"I see, she was smart, but also speaking Rihannsu as an alien, could be dangerous," Hanaj did not provide anymore feedback aside from that before looking at Sakkath who... Seemed to be glaring at him with a menacing stare. Hanaj was a bit taken aback by this as he had expected this meeting to go over well, yet Sakkath was looking at him like he was a criminal.

"Dinam-ri'ranai," Sakkath spoke up, their hands clasped in front of them as they stared at Hanaj. "Before anything, I want to know what your business on Remus was, what our famiky's business on Remus was, "Sakkath said, wasting no time cutting to the chase.

"Sakkath," Hanaj took a deep breath, looking at Nokkul and then at Sakkath, unsure how to deliver his answer. Nokkul's posture did not make him feel any more comfortable either, the man was acting like this was some formal diplomatic meeting. Hanaj was a serious man as well, but this was not the nice friendly family reunion he had in mind. "May I sit down? Did you order this ale for me?"

He grunted, crossing his arms, and giving him a pointed look, before gesturing toward the stool. "Be my guest."

Hanaj took a seat at the bar between Sakkath and Nokkul. He looked to both of the men and took the glass of ale to have a single sip before putting it down. Ah yes, Romulan ale, the favourite drink of his people, but he was honestly not the biggest fan. Still, he didn't want to leave it sitting. "Sakkath," He began to speak. "Our family, the Rllaillieu house. We were banished to Remus by the Empire to speaking out against injustice. I was born on Remus along with your mother. I understand T'Lora likes to appear very.. Hmm, high class? She never liked that life and attempted to move back to Romulus, but when that didn't work out, without telling a soul, she left for Vulcan," Hanaj explained, with his posture relaxed and gaze looking down at the bar. "I am sorry. I wish I could tell you that you will be leading a proud and honourable house, but we are still struggling to rebuild our lives. I am hoping to win a seat on the senate, but... Things will take time. Although we may lack in wealth, our home is full of love," Hanaj said as he reaached his hands out for Sakkath. To his surprise, Sakkath actually returned the gesture, the two now holding hands, very NSFV but this was family. "We also have an epohh farm, they are all so cute. All four of us cook and care for the epohhs together. We currently have no head of house so if this all sounds nice to you, we would love to have you. It would not change your standing in Starfleet at all, but... Would you consider transferring to the Republic some day?"

Sakkath stared at Hanaj as he spoke, completely dumbfounded by what they were hearing. Banished to Remus? By the Empire... No doubt the Tal Shiar. They suddenly felt very guilty for suspecting Hanaj or any of their family members were up to no good on Remus. They were victims of the Empire just like so many people were. They looked down at their joined hands, tears forming in their eyes as emotions began to surge through their mind once again. They could see Nokkul just watching this scene from the corners of their eyes. Oh, Nokkul, they felt bad he could only watch them. "I am sorry to hear that and... Yes, it does sound like a pleasant life. I will take the spot as head of house and... About the Republic. I will consider it. There is still much I want to do in Starfleet, but perhaps once I have travelled enough, I will return home and serve with... Our people," Sakkath looked at Hanaj thoughtfully, pleased this meeting was going over well. "Nokkul.. Thank you for supporting me at this time. This must be very awkward for you," Sakkath got up from their seat, letting go of Hanaj's hands. "Did you want me to order you anymore ale? Anything else? I think I am going to take Hanaj to look around the ball before it ends."

Watching the exchange intently, as soon as things seemed to calm down he turned away, not wanting to intrude. "No worries! Go have fun! I'll see you back on Rapture, I think I'm going to head back myself, a trip to the gym sounds rather nice right now. Just message me whenever you want to hangout again!" He said, giving the two a soft wave before heading off.

Sakkath bowed their head to Nokkul as they watched him leave. Then they turned back to their uncle who offered out his hand. How strange that a Romulan-- a Romulan they just met, was so.... Touchy? They kindly rejected this offer and led their uncle to one of the areas of the bar with the ice sculptures.

"Sakkath, what is that boy eating? Where can we get some of that?" Hanaj pointed to some random Bajoran boy sitting at the end og the bar with his hand deep in a bag of jumbo marshmallows.

Sakkath shrugged their shoulders and decided to approach the stranger to ask. "Hello, we wanted to know where you got those marshmallows?" Sakkath asked, giving the Bajoran their classic piercing stare.

Nalas nearly lost his shit when he was approached by not one, but two Romulans. Holy shit was this an assassination attempt? He choked out some muffled sounds with his cheeks full of marshmallows. Hanaj and Sakkath both continued to stare, it was that Rllaillieu intimidation energy. Nalas quickly swallowed the marshmallows in his mouth and waved his hands around. "Uhh uhh dining area! There were tones of them! Uhh, you guys want some?" Nalas offered the bag out to the two, trying to be polite.

"Sure," Hanaj reached his hand into the bag before Sakkath suddenly pulled him back.

"We are Vulcanoid. Thank you for the information though," Sakkath looked at their uncle and then at Nalas who was still sitting there with his marshmallows, now frozen in fear.

"Oh yeah, hehe.. Right, sorry," Nalas laughed nervously as he slowly slithered off of his chair. Two Romulans asking him about the marshmallows, yeaahhh he was gonna get tf outta there. Both of them had the same cold stare, going right into his soul. "Uhhhhhhh..... I gotta go umm... Blow dry a fish, joe mama true" Nalas said very quickly before darting away to another spot in the bar. (edited)

Sakkath watched as the funny Bajoran boy made his exit and then turned to Hanaj, a slightly defeated look on their face. "... I need to speak with you in private about something," They put a hand on Hanaj's shoulder and quickly led him away from the bar area.

Evoras was wearing a long forest green dress with spaghetti straps that she hadn’t bought herself. She couldn’t have, it was the last thing anyone that knew her would expect her to buy. It didn’t look bad, it just really did fit her usual presentation, but she’d decided there was no point in keeping it around if she didn’t use it at some point. Her hair was open and currently hiding most of her face like a curtain. It was both in the way and very welcome, as long as this ball didn’t unexpectedly end in an emergency, then it’d only be bothersome, but the possibility of that happening was not… too high, plus she had a hairband on her wrist under one of her gloves. She was currently sitting at the bar, successfully ignoring most people, a plate with chocolate covered fruit and a pick she’d snatched from another food in front of herself and a drink that she’d mostly been ignoring beside it. From the corner of her eye she recognized Nalas and turned to look at him. Eyebrows slightly raised, she inspected the marshmallows. “Are they any good?”

Nalas was off at the other end of the bar, far from the scary Romulans, munching happily on his marshmallows. No one was bothering him there, which was nice and it seemed like the two Romulans were off doing... Whatever Romulans did. Anyway tonight he was dressed in nice shiny green and white Bajoran robes, he was doing a good job reconnecting with his Bajoran roots! On his feet though.... He was wearing thongs, sadly. Flip flops for anyone who feels scandalised by the sound of 'Nalas in thongs at the Winter ball'. Anyway. "Mmmm mm.. Yeah yum," Nalas replied after he had swallowed some marshmallows. It only then occurred to him that-- holy shit this was the CSO! "C-Commander Evoras!" Nalas scrambled to his feet, dropping his bag of marshmallows to the ground. Luckily they were safe in the bag, but still! "Hello! Good evening! Umm enjoying the ball?"

She was tempted to snort at the sudden shift in his behaviour, but wasn’t nearly drunk enough for her self control to be that impaired. It took quite a bit to get her to act drunk, because her brain’s first instinct upon noticing something was off was to act more normal than it normally did. “Is there a problem, Lieutenant Junior Grade?” Her eyes glanced towards the floor for a moment. “Good evening to you as well. You might want to pick those up. It’s more difficult to eat them if they’re further away.” Was she enjoying herself? Maybe? It wasn’t particularly fun being at a party on your own, but she liked the music even if she’d prefer it without the noise of quite so many people. The food was nice also. “There’s a lot of people. What do you think?”

"Uhh no not at all," Nalas grabbed his bag of marshmallows and sat back down in his seat. It was always scary talking to authority figures. He knew he was silly and was probably cursed to be a Lower Decker™️ forever, but he was going to try and be professional! He didn't laugh at her comment, but he could tell she was trying to be... Friendly? Ahh, why was it so hard getting friendly with Vulcanoids? "Yes! I met some cool people. I met uhhh a handsome guy from Rapture, saw my friend Aella the Vorta, uhhh... Got stared the fuck down by two Romulans," Nalas began running down the encounters he had that evening, using his fingers to count. "It's nice! I didn't expect you to be one to show up to social events? Are you here with anyone?"

“Well that certainly sounds a fair bit more exciting than my evening has been.” Her time spent here had been uneventful by design. She’d briefly seen a few familiar faces from afar, but most of them had been involved in conversations already and she’d not wanted to impose. After she’d successfully located and decimated the chocolate covered fruit she’d come here, mostly because it wasn’t quite as busy as most other areas. “No, I’m here on my own and I don’t usually, but it’d be illogical to keep around my formal clothes if I didn’t use them ever so often.” Being here with someone? What a ridiculous thought. That’d be even sadder, if she was sitting here on her own, because she’d been abandoned. She lifted her drink and sipped on it. It tasted like straight sugar, she knew it wasn’t, but that didn’t make her like it. Shaking her head slightly she looked back at Nalas. “The food is nice too. Have you tried these?” She gestured at the fruit in front of her.

Nalas listened as his boss spoke, trying not to space out. He had a real habit of his mind wandering off, but he had to stay focused! This was his boss and he was going to make a good impression. "Oh I am glad you came then!" Nalas gave Evoras another awkward smile when she said she came alone. Nalas was also here alone, but he was also meeting up with his boyfriend and friends so it didn't really feel like he was alone. He shoved his hand into the bag of marshmallows and ate a couple more. "Oh what? Mmm fruit? I thought Vulcanoids couldn't eat fruits?" Nalas tilted his head as he leaned in closer to the fruits that Evoras was talking about.

“I’ve heard humans can’t have alcohol.” She shook her head, half in response to the conversation and half because it felt interesting, almost as if her brain was turning a little slower than the skull around it. “I’m not exactly about to die from a little sugar, that’s not how that works.” Almost as if to prove a point she stabbed a strawberry with the pick and ate it. “They taste better than my drink, that’s for certain. You can try one if you want.” Carefully manoeuvring the plate around her drink, she pushed it a little towards him. Then she picked up her drink and looked at it as if she was judging it, before she put it down again.

Nalas burst out laughing when she said that and shot her some finger guns. Oh wait he was supposed to be professional. Nalas nodded at Evoras' reply, eyes widening as he watched his boss stab a strawberry and eat it. ".... Oh uhh yea sure," Nalas had never interacted with Evoras off duty and he honestly had no idea how to feel about her just stabbing fruit but sure he would join! He took a pick and gentle skewered a strawberry to eat. It was sweet and very juicy, in fact it matched the marshmallows! He hummed happily as he chewed, eating slowly this time so he could savour the taste. "Oh, not bad! You want a mashmallow then?" Nalas said, offering the bag to her.

Evoras carefully inspected the marshmallow. Head slightly tilted, her eyes glanced up to Nalas, to her hand holding the pick and then back to the marshmallows again. With the mental equivalent of a shrug she picked one up. “Thank you.” Well this was certainly something. The consistency was just as odd as she remembered it being. This was definitely not the optimal way to eat these. “I still prefer them as part of a s’more.” Her eyes fell on her drink again. She didn’t want to leave it, but she also didn’t really want to drink it. After a few seconds of telling herself that her idea was stupid, she lifted the drink up and tilted her head back drinking the remaining liquid as quickly as she could, before picking up a fruit to get rid of the taste. “Where did you get the marshmallows from?”

Nalas watched as Evoras took the marshmallow. For some reason he was nervous that his boss wouldn't like it. He didn't even noticed that he was leaning forward in his chair as if studying her every movement."Oh! I love s'mores too! Sadly they are not served here, but they have marhsmallows and chocolate-- oh and graham crackers! I was eating one of thse houses they had on the front table. A little hard but still good,"* No one tell Nalas that the gingerbread houses were for display and the materials were stale. Anyway.* "I got them from the dining area, there was a whole bag of them laying around and I mean everything here is for taking, it's not like they can't replicate more," Nalas said as he popped a couple more marshmallows into his mouth and straightened his posture again. "Hey, can I have another strawberry? Those are good!"

He’d eaten the decoration? Letting her hair fall over her face so no one could see it, she smirked at the bartop. Without reappearing from behind her curtain of hair she nodded along to his story about how he got the marshmallows. Maybe she should have just taken the entire plate of fruit too instead of having to look for a plate, then again that’d have been a bit excessive. “Of course they are, I wouldn’t be eating bad strawberries.” She raised her head again, face once more straight and picked up another one for herself. “You can also take another three, I don’t mind.”

Nalas raised his eyebrows at the science officer's action of hiding her face behind her hair. Did he do something wrong? Or was she laughing at him underneath all that black hair? He grinned sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his neck. "Thank you so much Commander," Nalas grabbed the pick again and skewered three strawberries at once and began to munch them slowly. He wondered if Evoras was getting drunk? She was really going hard on the fruits and she had a drink too. Nalas may not have been one for alcohol, but he always liked seeing how people were when they had a couple drinks. "Oh, actually speaking of s'mores, there is a lounge area set up with a real fire, i think you could roast some marshmallows for s'mores there! How are you feeling though? Like, drunk wise?"

“There is?” She probably should have taken a good look around before retreating. It had been literally years since she’d had s’mores. This might be worth it. She carefully stood up from where she was sitting.Her leg hurt, but not too badly. She sent a quick approval to her past self for picking comfortable shoes and picked up the plate with the remaining strawberries. “I suppose we could go and investigate if that might work.” There was a pause, both because she evaluated how drunk she actually felt and because she debated whether or not to tell him. “Well, it’s probably not the wisest idea to let me shoot a phaser at this moment, but it’s unlikely I will have any problems in the setting we are currently in. Unless of course you really want to know how well I can aim after two drinks and half a plate of strawberries.” The last part was not serious, she would never go to a shooting range if she could have s’mores instead. “Do you happen to know if there’s crackers somewhere?”

Nalas also stood up and watched Evoras carefully. He looked concerned, after all she was his boss and he didn't want anything bad to happen to her. It would have sucked in Bajorans couldn't have sugar he thought. He loved fruits and sweet treats. "Oh I think they're by some of the snacks at the other end of the bar," Nalas did a quick scan of the room with his eyes as he had to ensure that those scary Romulans weren't around. Not that Evoras couldn't scare them, although in her current condition could she really scare anyone? He walked slowly through the crowd of people towards the snacks where there was more fruit and more marshmallows too, surprising! There was also s'mores shots. "Omg! Alcoholic s'mores?? Do you want one? They also got 777 winter ball shot glasses!" Nalas said with much excitement. He wasn't one for alcohol, but he wanted the shot glasses and to try a s'mores shot.

"There's no need to be concerned, I'm well aware of how much is too much. I'm perfectly adequate." Evoras lifted her dress slightly, just to absolutely make sure she wouldn't trip over it, it was quite long after all, and followed Nalas through the people. This was precisely why she wasn't a fan of too many people too close together, it was difficult to get places and on the way there if you weren't careful half your stuff would vanish. Then again this was an event by Starfleet so the probability of someone going around stealing things might be somewhat lower, plus she wasn't exactly carrying about anything valuable, so logically speaking her brain should be able to relax. Still in thought she came to a halt next to her 'guide'. She eyed the drink somewhat sceptical of the notion that that liquid was supposed to taste like s'mores. Even if it did there was a decent chance, she thought, that the taste would not match the consistency at all. To be absolutely certain though, she'd have to try it. "I believe this might be interesting."

Nalas nodded to the commander's words but he wondered if she really was 'adequate' as she put it or if she was shitfaced drunk and just great at hiding it. Vulcans, man. As he stood at the end of the bar with the s'mores shots, he kept looking out at the crowd to make sure he didn't lose Evoras. Not that he would, she had a pretty striking appearance with her green dress that stuck out amongst the sea of black tuxedos and suits. Nalas picked up a glass, admiring the craftsmanship and looked down at the oddly brown coloured liquid. It did not look appetising at all, but it did have a pretty aromatic smell just like a s'more. "Yeah, let's... So some people do this thing where they entwine their arms together and drink a shot. I guess that's a big no for Vulcans, right?" Nalas asked, thinking how cool it would be if he could tell his friends he did shots with his boss. No more professionalism, he wanted to be cool!

After also picking up a glass and turning it around in her hands twice, so she'd made sure to have inspected both the glass as well as the highly suspicious content thoroughly, she carefully returned it to one of her hands so she could use the other to hold onto something. This was, mostly, because she didn't care to stand on her hurting leg and just a little bit because she had no desire to make a fool of herself for losing her balance while standing on one leg. "I would rather not, but we can click the glasses together if you want. That's also done if I don't have a dreadfully faulty memory." With that she held her glass out in front of herself so it hovered about halfway between them and raised an eyebrow while waiting for him to react.

"Oh yea, we can do that," Nalas said as he held up his tiny shot glass to do the little 'cheers' or however they called it in Standard. He did just that and took his shot, immediately regretting his decision. The s'mores shot did NOT taste like s'mores. It had a terrible after taste and he was not a fan. Well, at least he got bragging rights that he had drinks with his boss. "Holy fuck, alcohol is not it. I don't get how my people drink Kanar like water," Nalas grimaced and shook his head. "Anyway, thanks for hanging out Evoras, are you sure you're gonna be okay heading back after this?"

She tilted her head back and was hit with a rather unpleasant taste. I was rather obvious that she didn't like it too, at least compared to her usual reactions. "I can't say I approve of this one either and as I've said, I'm familiar enough with how much is too much, I'll be fine. Thank you as well and have a good night."