Star Trek: Starbase 777

Each of the bars was a smooth, black-and-gold marble, topped with tall gilded vases and lamps. Various different kinds of liquors lined the wall, shelves surrounded by elegant red curtains. There were plenty of seats at the bar itself, black cushy stools, or one could head off to the #bar-tables.

Vida sniffed as she held up a cocktail more sugar than alcohol. She liked them for the shot of confidence they gave her, not that she needed it. She squinted at all the people entering in and filtering into cliques. (edited)

Sterling was a bit unfamiliar with bars, with the concept of drinking being a bit unfamiliar to him, but he did know that they were a massive social hub in certain circles. Which meant, of course, ordering a drink to hold, as it appeared to be a signal that a person was engaged in the event.

Vida looked over, and what caught her eye was an android standing a few seats down, as if he were preparing to order a meal. She thought his little bowtie was just dandy, and giggled to herself over it. "Well, hello handsome." She said in a sugary tone, much like one would use when talking to a child. "Aren't you just the most charming thing."

Cocking his head, Sterling approached, a bit caught off-guard by the tone but otherwise unbothered. He was not one to judge, and sometimes wished he could change his vocal tone in the way many others could. “Hello. I am designated as Sterling. May I ask what others call you?”

"Oh, you can call me Vida. Lovely to meet you, Sterling." She responded with cheer. "What are you doing here? Were you invited?" She asked, folding her hands in her lap atop the bar stool.

“I was indeed invited. I chose to accept the invitation to socialize, and learn more about different customs.” He told her, before gesturing to an empty seat beside her, “May I sit?”

"Hm, hm. Of course." She gestured to the seat. "How come you went straight to the bar first? Drinking problem? ...Can you even drink?"

“I do not have a digestive system. Therefore, I cannot drink.” He stated, “But I am retrieving an alcoholic beverage to hold, for the purpose of social cues, and displaying that I am enjoying this party, since I do not have facial features.”

"Aw, well, I think that tie makes you look like you're enjoying yourself plenty." Vida took a sip of her drink and swiveled her chair to put her back up against the bar. "Shame you can't eat, though. I've been making some exceptional udon as of late. I donated some food of mine to that buffet over there." She pointed over to a table where a giant bug was scarfing down worms and peanut butter.

“I have seen the udon, it looks extremely high in quality. You are a skilled chef.” He nodded, “What is it that you are drinking?”

"Margarita. I think." She twirled it in her hand. "Makes you look sophisticated." Vida proclaimed, not knowing that was wine and not the trademark party girl drink. (edited)

“I see. A margarita contains tequila, lime, salt, and a flavoured liqueur, yes?” He questioned.

Vida paused. She glanced down at the glass. "Uh, I guess?" She took another sip. "I forget you probably got a computer chip that can tell you shit. Should I get one of those? As an implant?" Vida let out a squeaky laugh.

“It is a very large decision. I do believe many could benefit from a computer-like memory, but it is ultimately up to the person.” He said, before ordering whatever was the least difficult for the bartender to make. He would not be drinking it, after all.

"So, Sterling," Vida started. "where do you work on the ship?"

“I work in the science sector. More specifically, I am a Lieutenant geologist.” He said, “Where is it that you work?”

"Kitchen." Vida responded simply. "Couldn't ever see myself working with rocks," she commented flatly. "Though it's gotta be less of an in-demand job than chef, yeah? Not as many orders per day?"

“I do not typically take orders. My daily tasks consist of analyzing samples and organizing research that has been conducted by other members of my department.” He informed her, “Is working as a chef stressful?”

And just like that, Felix led Jirai to the bar. He ordered both of their drinks like the gentleman he was, and grabbed them, before starting off in the direction of the tables. He’d thought they could sit for a moment and nurse their drinks before deciding to eat or dance. “Let’s go this way, dear.”

Jirai smiled, simply walking in step with his husband and following him wherever. It wasn’t often he got to go to fancy balls, and though he’d not wanted to admit it, he’d been very caught up in work as of late and been neglecting their date nights. So it was just as well for him to let Felix take the wheel and lead them on a romantic evening. Besides, he’d worked along with his team of dedicated OPS officers to make sure the tradition continued and he was very pleased to be seeing how it had all come together.

"Oh, of course it is! Respect service workers, kid." She shifted in her seat. Her dress was so nice yet she'd hardly used it. She'd have to ask some gentleman at some point. "Damn, I could kill for a smoke right now.."

“There is much cause to respect workers who do jobs typically marginalized,” He agreed, “And I do not have any smoking-related paraphernalia, apologies.”

"Ah, no big deal. Don't expect a printer on you or anything." She turned to Sterling. "What did you order?"

Though Silver probably wouldn’t order anything, she honestly just wanted to look around and see how things were. So, she was wandering around, when she spotted someone she recognized- Sterling, from the harvest festival! She’d not seen him in a bit. So, she approached, waving as she went. “Hello, Sterling!”

“I requested a glass of bolian whiskey. It is said to be the most plentiful on the station.” He told Vida. He turned at the sound of his designation being said, spotting the familiar face. “Silver. It is a pleasure to see you.” *He said, his robotic tone almost seeming warm, “How are the festivities in your estimations?”

The bar was where things tended to slow down, and where peculiar individuals tended to accumulate. Being an avid people watcher both on- and off duty, Kairos decided to peruse here for a bit, as well as get a drink to nurse for the duration of the evening. Very likely to be the first and the last one for him, purely because Kairos didn't need much sustenance in the first place. As he eyed the rather sizeable list of offerings, Kairos could swear that somewhere, in the quasi-Trill part of his flesh-steel brain, he could feel Sahji's restless stirring - unsurprisingly, for the third of the Rex hosts, a diplomat, was well versed in good alcohol and parties. Suddenly driven by an all too vivid mental image of that small, curly-haired woman sighing wistfully as she side-eyes all of the bloodwine varieties offered on the drink menu, he decided to... indulge. Just a bit.

And, while Silver actually could drink (though, she couldn’t get drunk), conversation had fully distracted her from any such endeavors. Silver was simply not inclined to partake in anything, having only had the ability to do so for a few years. She didn’t need it, and so she didn’t really do it. So, she was happy just to chat and not order anything. “It’s a pleasure to see you again too! I enjoy your bow tie.” She replied with a smile. “I think the festivities are very good. I’ve not been to a big party like this before.”

“I enjoy my bow tie as well, thank you kindly.” He nodded, “And neither have I. This is quite the event, especially on a space station and not a terrestrial area. It is considerably impressive.” He looked towards Vida, and then at Silver, gesturing towards both of them. “Have you two encountered each other?”

"No, I don't believe I have." Vida held a gloved finger to her chin, inspecting the newer member of the conversation. "Friend of yours, dear?"

“She is a friend, yes. This is Silver, she is very friendly. She and I performed well at carnival games, the last time we were in each other’s presence.”

Silver was, indeed, quite friendly! If you got over the slight uncanny valley, of course, being something that was just so -close- to looking like an organic thing, but just not quite there. She looked vaguely artificial, but enough to make you wonder if she was or not, unlike Sterling, who was obviously not made of meat and bone. She gave a little head bow to Vida. “No, I’ve not met you, but there is a first time for everything. I’m indeed Silver, we met at the harvest festival.” She said, gesturing to Sterling. “And you, what’s your name?” She asked Vida.

Lente walked herself over to the bar with as much dignity as she could muster while her feet were hurting, hoping to god she wasn't walking strangely. She let out a sigh of relief the minute she sat down, waving down a bartender to order... an espresso martini at first, before remembering she shouldn't have coffee and that was definitely not going to be her first choice, going for a Moscow mule instead. She turned to watch the bartender work and caught someone from the corner of her eye. He looked very Trill, but as she glanced over him, she got the sense that there was something off about him. Call it 11 people's cumulative intuition. "You having fun so far?" she asked, hoping to strike up a conversation.

Vida held out a gloved hand in a very regal manner to be taken. "Vida Biel. Charmed."

As soon as he was offered his glass by the bartender, Kairos accepted it with a grateful little grin, only to then proceed to dip his tongue in discreetly, as soon as the worker turned away from him, distracted by a newcomer. Hmmh, yes. Real thing. Pretty good, too. And so the next swig of the warm wine glass proceeded to be much more enthusiastic, as he took an actual sip. The plan so far was to finish the drink and go mingle, but when he lowered the glass to put it on the counter, Kairos heard a voice right beside him, seemingly talking at him. The android turned his head towards it, curious, then briefly taking in Lente's appearance and lingering on her Trill spots as he did so. A small smile began tugging at the corners of his lips, as Kairos offered her a (not outright toothy) smile: "The evening just began for me, so I can't really state for sure..." he replied, gloved finger tapping lightly against the wine glass' leg. "So far I have no complaints, though. How about you?"

A late arrival then, sure. "Aside from the fact that something made me put these shoes on tonight, I'm doing wonderfully. Shared a lovely dance with a very pretty man, then came to sit down for a bit." She smiled back at Kairos, her gaze turned away momentarily before turning back to study the man's face. He was handsome, and looked humanlike enough in the face except for the eyes. Could be extensive body modifications, she'd seen it done before and the man did have some ear piercings, too. "They've outdone themselves with the decorations, this year. You should have a look at the ballroom, later."

A hearty chuckle followed her words, in part a reaction to them, in part delight at the ease of their chat. His lips curved - an accidental showcase of sharp, red-stained fangs - before Kairos covered his mouth with his palm: "Was that an offer for me and a round two for you?" he was allowed to be a bit cheeky, okay? The odd-colored eyes were squinted as he looked at Lente, betraying their owner's mood: "I am a relatively new addition to this station, so I don't have much to compare with. It is very grand, though! From what I've gathered, the theme is different each year, right?"

Lente shook her head with a grin of her own. "Oh god no, not before I've sat a while and finished my drink, at least. I wasn't kidding about these shoes." She lifted her foot up to show the three inch heel to Kairos: certainly not the most impressive thing anyone had ever walked around in, but for someone as unused to heels as she was, a challenge for sure. She lowered her foot again, and took a sip of her drink. "Yeah, last year the theme was oceans, and the year before that it was a hot-and-cold red and blue type deal. I think this one is the prettiest so far, though."

"I respect the commitment," he said as he angled his head in response to the showcase, gaze flitting down for just a moment, before coming right back up to look at Lente, again. Priorities. "Heard many a person complain about these things, though I do understand the aesthetic appeal. You've been here for quite some time then, mi--" There was a... peculiar sound somewhere in the back of his throat, as the man seemed to realize something, stopping dead in his speech. Almost like a notification just popped up in his brain. "Oh, man, totally forgot - what should I call you?.."

Oh, right. She'd neglected to introduce herself. "Lente Summer-Veidh, at your service," she said with a sheepish smile, betraying her own forgetfulness. "And what should I call you?"

"Kairos Rex," the android offered his own name in return. Summer-Veidh... was the latter a symbiont name? Most peculiar. "I'm currently the newest member of this station's Intel division. Pleasure to know you, Lente."

Rex, Rex... She felt like the name was ringing a bell for her, but she was quite sure Lente Summer had never heard that name before. "Intel, that's cool! Which bit? I'm a biomedical engineer myself, so I'm keeping my eye on any R&D bits they release, myself."

Suddenly, there was a glint of interest in those twin voids of his as Lente mentioned her specialization: "Oh? Is it medical equipment that you work with? Or you dabble with the more, hmmmm... organic bits as well?" "Tink-tink", his fingertip tapped against the glass again, sound sharp like it was caused by something pointy. "As for me, I'm a field agent," he briefly paused to take a thoughtful sip of his bloodwine. "So I am not involved much with the more creative section of the division, but! If you ever need to track someone down, I'm your guy." The ":)" at the end of the last sentence was practically audible.

"That's a dangerous offer, Kairos Rex, I might just take you up on that," Lente said, a mischievous look coming over her before she focussed on his initial question. "I do mostly machine building, but I did do the necessary anatomy classes, and I have some experience as a prosthetist just because those are rarer and even a space station as large as this one doesn't necessarily have access to that. Plus, I've been researching Borg, a little, since there are so many on the station, and that meshing of tech and organics is really interesting-" she trailed off, then squinted at Kairos. "But the way you asked that makes me sound like an organ dealer and slash or a mad scientist."

He nodded along to her words, visibly perking up at the mention of the Borg research - which, yes, did indeed include their techno-organic components. Now, he had some serious doubts that anyone could ever match doctor Ford's expertise in her own creation, but... she was light years away, working, busy. Unavailable. "Whaaat? No, no, no, of course not," he crooned, utterly unconvincingly, slightly raising both of his hands as if to shield himself from the fellow Trill's scrutiny. "...well, perhaps the latter, but just a tiny little bit, I promise. It's just that your range of expertise is very, very interesting to me personally. Say, have you by chance ever heard of Tahsin Rex?.."

Lente pinched her brow as she thought, eventually bringing her hand to her face as if that was going to help. It sounded somewhat familiar to her, and from the surnames, she could gather this was either a family member or a previous host, depending on whether or not Kairos was joined. "You're going to have remind me, I think. But I'm going to smack myself in a bit because that name sounds super familiar."

"He was a neurobiologist who worked on adaptive neural cell cultivation," he answered smoothly, the words coming to him with ease, even as Kairos fought off the urge to pinch at his chin. He didn't have a beard, unlike Tahsin. "I, mmm... inherited them. As well as the symbiont." He remembered the reactions, the murmurs surrounding the late scientist's death quite vividly. He just... wasn't sure how far into the universe those whispers travelled.

Wait, no, Lente did recognise this. "No way. He co-authored the paper...." she put her finger up as if to shush Kairos, who wasn't talking to begin with, as she scoured her memory. "Was it manual stem cell stimulation for the purpose of selective neural network creation? Or- no, I think that was it. The methods have been improved upon a little since it was written so I don't refer to it a lot..." That was Lente knowledge, from before she was joined. She was then hit with Estya knowledge, who kept up with the Symbiosis Commission as a professional courtesy over the years. Lente hadn't heard, but her predecessor definitely had. "Wait, that makes you-" she cut herself off, but her wide eyes and lopsided grin made it very clear that she'd just connected some dots. "Oh my god, do you know a lot of Tahsin Rex's stuff? This is so awesome, I've been trying to work out neural regeneration for ages, but rebuilding neural networks is so much harder than just building them, do you know anything about it?" It wasn't like she knew much about everything her former hosts did, having the memories not being the same as having the skills, but if Kairos could even share a fraction of what Tahsin knew...

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Oh? "...That is correct, yes," Kairos could practically feel Tahsin beam at the recognition of his work, the proud bastard. Yet the android couldn't help but be impressed as well. He watched with utmost attention as Lente's mind worked, realization lighting up her face in a way that made him smile as well. "I quite literally am his work, to be fair," he grinned again, all sharp teeth. "There are things I know, and some unpublished materials I can probably dig up. I think he'll be happy to see them be used for innovation. But, mmm, there's also this other thing..." Glass forgotten, he looked at Lente again, expression schooling itself into something more serious. "When organic beings need a check-up, they go to a doctor. If they're an android, then it's an engineer instead. I, however, am a bit of a complicated case, and would prefer to... entrust myself into the care of someone who knows both worlds. The only person who I know for a fact can do such things is my creator, who is sectors away from here, neck deep in her work. Would you be able - and willing - to... well, for the lack of better words, perform maintenance on me? In a way, it would be the most practical way for you to gather the knowledge you need, no?" (edited)

Lente sipped her cocktail slowly as she listened to Kairos speak, worrying the straw between her teeth as she smiled in satisfaction at the prospect of looking at Tahsin's unpublished work. The bits that Kairos would provide her, and the bits that Kairos was. Now that she was looking at him, she could see what the unnatural bits of him were that put her off initially. The eyes, their colour and movement, the dark skin of his neck, the way his face moved... it was convincing, but looking at it with the knowledge of 11 people of how a humanoid face should look, and her own knowledge of how machines moved, she could start to notice. How interesting. "I'll do it, absolutely," she agreed readily, the greed for knowledge permeating her being almost palpable. "Oh, but you'll- wait, if you have an android brain, you can just remember my comm code, right? I'll need any and all blueprints you have of yourself, so I can prepare for it. I need to know what I'll be looking at." She took another sip, batting her eyelids at Kairos for him to confirm or deny being able to remember her comm code. She'd write it down for him, but she wasn't carrying any of her usual stuff.

“Vida is a chef.” He explained, as if someone had asked, before turning to Vida, “Silver works in engineering.”

Silver shook Vida’s hand, in a looser grip than what was normal. Silver always was too gentle, forgetting exactly how delicate organics were and overcompensating for it. She nodded when Sterling explained Vida’s occupation- cooking was interesting, though she didn’t eat much herself. “Ah, that is interesting. I don’t eat very often, but cooking is fun. And yes, I’m a maintenance engineer.” She replied. “What is everyone doing for the holidays besides this party?” She asked.

"Well, having read about this Holiday tradition," Vida began with the puff of her chest. "I've learned much of course how, in its purest form it is the celebration of Saturn." Vida narrated the Pagan origins of Christmas, assuming it to be some celebration that all on Earth would celebrate. "I've already begun my sigillaria, though of course I have to show respect for my own Goddess above all else."

“I am going to be participating in a video call with multiple former crew members of mine.” He turned his glass in his hands, “I do not know the purpose. But it seems to be an activity they enjoy.”

“I do not know what any of that is, but it sounds interesting! What’s a sigillaria? And why is it celebrating a planet?” She asked earnestly, a little confused as to why people would celebrate the planet Saturn. It was very pretty, she loved its rings, but she never thought there was a holiday for it. “Same for me, with the video call! I hope I can get as many of my creators on a video call as possible.. it’s very hard to see them all since they’re all in different places now, so I want to try and do it this year.” She said with a smile. “They probably miss you, that’s why they want to call you.” She supplied. It was the holidays after all, when families got together. She more than anyone else knew how much a crew could become family. Though, her real crew-family.. she couldn’t call any of those people. She wouldn’t hear from them in this world ever again, nor could she ever join them in their eternal rest. She settled for remembering them, always.

"Oh, the Terran god." Vida corrected her. "That's what all this winter holiday business is for, yes? The practice of celebrating Saturn and sculpting clay gifts?"

"Great!" the barely visible tail twitched, curling itself around the leg of the seat he was sitting on, betraying the levels of delight Kairos felt when Lente agreed so enthusiastically. A solution to the problem, found. "As for the comm code, unless there's a napkin around to write it down on, I can remember, it for sure - however's best. Are you busy with any other projects right now, orrr?.."

He listened attentively at Vida’s explanation of her holiday practices, head tilting in interest. “That is wonderful, about your creators. I hope you enjoy your call.” He dipped his head, “I hope to be in contact with one of my creators as well, and the captain who oversaw it.”

"I would agree with you about that napkin, but these clothes are new. I don't have any pens in them." A mildly insane statement a lot of the time, but for Lente it rang true; most of her pants would inevitably end up with an assortment of stuff in them, usually including but not limited to a tape measure, a pencil, three pens, a notepad, and a lip balm. But she'd replicated these pants specifically for this party, so there weren't any pens in it, and the likelihood of other people carrying pens around wasn't something she relied on. "If you've got one for me I've got you, though."

"Hm, one moment..." he began to pat himself down, searching for the suit's pockets. Kairos would often find himself carrying some sort of a writing tool, be it a pen or a pencil or a marker or literally just a piece of clay, so that the science team members that were prone to losing their own utensils left and right could continue their note-takings. "...Ah! There you go." A gloved hand reached out to Lente, offering a simple black pen to her. The napkins, thankfully, were just in reach for both of them. "I don't have a paper on me to write on, I'm afraid," he offered the engineer a sheepish grin. "But this might do."

Vida chuckled. "Getting in touch with family for the holidays?" She asked Sterling. "Sounds fun."

“It is quite amusing. They are very unserious.” He replied, “Are your creators serious, Silver?”

“Ah, a god. There are a lot of those, though I dont know about a lot of them.” She said. Silver herself knew of a few kami and spirits, had prayed at several shrines- and sent a couple kappa and other such creatures back to the realm of ghosts a few months ago, but mostly she just knew what a few of her creators had told her about religion. It wasn’t really for her, she’d decided. “I’ve never heard of it, no. I think the purpose of this is to celebrate someone’s birthday? Someone really important I think. I forgot who that was, though.” She sighed, she often had to compress memories to save space, which meant losing details- though, that was what humans had to do to, so she didn’t really mind. “I hope you can get in touch with all of them.” She said to Sterling. “Mine are.. it depends, I have seven main contributors in my development team, and most are very serious people. But my main one, I talk to him the most, he’s quite funny. Dr. Hinato Suzuki, he’s the only one who’s still at the Daystrom Institute. He says he’ll die before he retires, and maybe not even then. Though, I don’t think he can work as a ghost.” She explained with a small laugh.

“That is quite humorous.” He stated, deadpan as always, “I hope you enjoy your meeting.” “Captain L’Kora and Lieutenant Castelo are both on opposite ends of the galaxy, so I am hoping that the signal remains strong enough. My hopes are to you both as well, that your celebration and socialization go smoothly.”

“It’s funny, as I’ll be calling him again two days after Christmas, that’s the anniversary of my activation! This year, it’ll have been 36 years since that day.” She smiled. She didn’t exactly consider herself 36 years old, though, as she’d not been alive for 25 of those years, but if you went by the year alone without taking the glacial imprisonment into account, she’d be 36 this year. “I hope for the both of us that our signals are strong, I find everything long-distance is always a bit slower around the holidays when so many people on various ships and such start making calls. Or, at least it was for me, the last time I was ever away from Earth. But then, I was somewhere quite remote, so I don’t know how it will be now.”

"Oh, you-" Vida sat up straighter, a surprised expression on her face. "Sorry, I just didn't know you were-- you know."

“An android?” Sterling asked, head cocked in his typical inquisitive fashion.

Silver’s head was cocked in the exact same fashion and direction as Sterling’s, though she didn’t realize it. Typical silver-themed android things. “Yes, I am an android. There are more of us than one would otherwise expect on this station, I’ve met at least three not including myself.”

"Oh, my hero!" Lente flagged down the bartender as she took the pen out of Kairos' hand, asking for something to write on. In the end she managed with a random coaster they had lying around somewhere, which was thankfully a little sturdier than a napkin. "As for whether or not I'm busy," she said as she wrote down a string of numbers that corresponded to her communicator, "I'm always busy. If I don't have anything to do I implode. But I'll make time for you," she said with a smile as she handed Kairos her number. "If you send me your blueprints, of course. I can't do anything without them. Or, well, I can, but I'd have to spend about nine hours scanning your ass, and then reconstruct it by hand. That'd be a waste, though."

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He accepted the coaster with a nod, letting his eyes skim over the numbers as Lente talked. "Just the ass specifically? Damn, and here I thought I was an object of interest as a whole," he quipped as he pocketed the coaster, because he just couldn't help himself, it seemed. "Alright, you'll be getting those blueprints soon. Given the state of my innards, it would definitely be best for you to prepare, err... visually? At least?" He shrugged at that, only to then continue on: "But, that's for the future. Any futher plans for the ball?.."

Lente snorted at the question, glancing exaggeratedly at Kairos' behind. "Yes, the ass alone is plenty of work," she said before taking another sip. "I mean, I'm staying sitting here until I'm up for walking again, but don't let me stop you from enjoying the ball. There's enough people here that I'm sure you'll find someone at least half as interesting as me to talk to." If she sounded conceited, that was on purpose.

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Vida was ready to say something more to Silver when her stomach rumbled. She let out an awkward chuckle. "Eheh... I should probably eat. I won't be eating my own cause I'm saving it for you all."

Victoria would, as promised, find herself back at the bar after a walk and some pleasant conversation. She was glad to see her seat the counter hadn't been snatched up in the time since, and helped herself to it again. Ordering another glass of whiskey, she slouched forwards with her elbow propped against the counter, and her hand against her cheek, replaying her encounter with Garcia before filing it away.

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T'She had made their appearance at the bar, not really sure what they were doing at this event at all, it was not like their presence was mandatory -- and they could be nice to just drink some tea in their quarters. But... they were lonely, as illogical as that was, and maybe this would be a good opportunity to meet some new people. That was what drove them to order some fancy mocktail that tasted like a key lime pie, and sit at the bar.

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Not too long after the others sat down, Ato approached from somewhere across the way. He'd not really caught who was actually seated at the bar before sliding onto a stool and ordering a synthehol version of a Vodka Cranberry - for the satisfaction of taste but none of the depressive effects. He took a sip and looked up to the person next to him and- "Oh, hi, Commander," he nodded to T'She and then "-Lieutenant." Victoria too.

"Lieutenant, it's good to see you," T'She started, doing their best to appear genuine, even if they were already genuinely glad to see Ato there. "Hopefully you can enjoy yourself tonight, it seems to be quite a well put-together event, but then again, it always is." They then realised that not everyone would appreciate being yapped at when they were trying to get a drink. "Sorry... if I am bothering you." They finished as they bowed their head, just a twinge of embarrassment present in their voice.

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Ato's expression was a cross between sheepish and surprised at T'She's reaction to his presence. They'd certainly seen each other on duty multiple times since, well, he pushed that thought away again. But he was happy to see them too - they were always fun to talk to. "It's good to see you too, Commander." He nodded at their comments about the event, bringing his drink to his lips and taking a small sip. "Yeah, I wasn't here for this last year. I only got here in February but I can only imagine if this is what OPS did this year that last year must have been just as amazing. They really... they really did a good job." When T'She apologized though his eyes widened and he shook his head. "No, no, of course not. I came here to, well, get out of my room. I've been cooped up too long, now. I'm glad to have a conversation with you, especially outside of medbay."

"I have been staying in my room a lot of the time as well, perhaps we both could use some time away from it." They responded with a smile on their face, even if it was a little unnatural for them -- it wasn't against logic to show emotions after all. "And I concur, having a conversation outside of med bay is always nice."

“For sure,” he replied, smiling and taking another sip of his drink. “I’ve been cooped up a lot since… well, it’s nice to be out tonight. The theme reminds me of some old movies some of my friends showed me at the Academy. Otherwise I wouldn’t have had much of a reference for ancient Hollywood.” A chuckle escaped his lips.

Vialara had made her way through the very beautifully decorated red carpet entrance area, and had made her way through the group to the bar, you can't have a good party without a drink in hand! (Non-alcoholic, of course, as always.) She stepped through the edge of the crowd, and into the little bit of empty space around the bar, as she leaned up against the edge of the bar, and waited to put in her order.

Victoria noticed the first duo of her colleagues rapidly manifesting at the bar, the fact that they were wrapped in finery instead of their uniforms the only reason she didn't feel spooked enough to vanish with her drink. She nodded at the polite greeting from Ato, realising that she hadn't been called 'Lieutenant' in a while, then accepted the drink from the returning bartender. She sighed, took a sip from the glass, and glanced around, inadvertently catching Vialara waiting by the counter. Well, it seemed rude to look away, now, so Victoria would offer a smile and a raise of her own drink as greeting.

The android laughed at the antics, his tail swishing out in an elegant arch, before wagging it's tip rapidly: "Oh, I get a feeling we will get along just fine. Alright, I'll be leaving you for a go-around then! Saw some curious decorations in one of the corners..." Kairos said that as he stood up, making sure his overcoat sat nice and regal over his shoulders. After that, he offered the engineer a cheeky little curtsy: "Have a nice remainder of the ball, Summer-Veidh. Until our inevitable next meeting." And with that, the Trill was off to wander.

After wandering around for a bit to enjoy the decorations, Senang made her way to the bar, to get something sparkly (and sparkling) to sip to match her dress. She noticed a familiar face as she approached (and pehaps she was looking for it), and sidled up beside T'She as she ordered a gold cuvee, complete with flakes of 24 karat gold. "Good evening," she greeted T'She, and a familiar face she thought to recognise from... the borg cube, maybe? She wasn't about to bring it up.

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Vialara finished ordering herself a nice glass of wine, as she turned and raised it towards Victoria with a smile, and a nod. "Evening, Lieutenant. Are you enjoying yourself?" She said as she slid down the bar past a couple of other patrons to sit her glass down next to her.

"As much as I'm going to, Commander," Victoria replied, leaning her side against the counter and offering a toast now that Vialara had come all the way over. "You look nice," she commented a little too readily, "-which I guess is the point. I'm not used to seeing everyone out of uniform."

T'She's expression brightened slightly when they saw Senang, quite content to see yet another familiar face. "Greetings, you look amazing tonight," they complimented sincerely, taking a sip of their drink before they pushed their glasses up their face.

Man, there really were a lot of familiar faces about the bar tonight. Some from his division and others, well, it was a bit hazier which clued him into where he knew them from. He also was trying not to think about that and instead took another, slightly larger, gulp of his drink before nodding to Senang as she settled in nearby. "Uh, hey, Commander." He offered a sheepish smile. "What are you drinking?" He'd not caught her order, but its shimmer was beautiful in the light, much like her dress, which he was too awkward to comment on, though it seemed T'She had done it much better than he would have been able to.

"We make a good pair," Senang responded to T'She, accepting to comment gracefully but complimenting their suit in the same breath. They held up their glass in a sort of toast to Ato, as if examining it. "A dry sparkling wine with gold leaf," they explained briefly. "I seem to remember your name and station much less well than you do mine, though," she said, prompting Ato to introduce himself. (edited)

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"It looks really nice." He'd started to nod again, awkwardly, when Senang continued. "Oh- um," he chuckled. "Lieutenant Ato Th'Zhaloth, medical." And he gave another sheepish grin. "Nice to meet you, again. It's been a few months since we were in the same place for long, but..." He stammered, stopping abruptly and just taking another sip of his drink with wide eyes.

"Do you want me to order you one?" He'd do it without looking twice; it wasn't a hardship. "I'm Lieutenant Commander Senang, for the sake of propriety. I have an inkling as to where we met before, though I admit to keeping myself rather sequestered at the time. Let's consider this our first meeting." Senang felt very little either way, and it probably wasn't appropriate to discuss his convictions at the time. How they would have ended for Ato. Either way, it's not like he would enact them now, and so the topic was nothing but unproductive.

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"Um, maybe after I finish this, actually. It could be good, thanks." He offered a more genuine smile, this time. "Well, I'm glad to officially meet you, Commander Senang. I uh, glad to make your acquaintance in a much happier and more pleasant environment." He looked around briefly at the decorations and the people before turning back to Senang. He had a hunch, based on what he vaguely remembered about a rifle and some of the things Senang had said before he'd been assimilated, that perhaps things could have turned out differently but he didn't think it was worth dwelling on. They were both alive and enjoying drinks at a ball. They'd survived.

Vialara smiled as sat her glass down on the edge of the bar, giving Victoria a light chuckle. As she looked across at her fellow medical officer with a little nod of her head. "Why thank you, Lieutenant. You clean up pretty nicely yourself. It is different seeing everyone out of uniform, but it's a refreshing change of pace. Plus, I love an excuse to dress up all fancy-like, break out all my fabulous outfits." She picked her glass up once more and held it out towards Victoria. "To spend time together with the people we love."

Her chin dipped for a brief laugh after their glasses clinked, raising after it concluded to drink. "Can I ask you to call me Victoria, even if it's just for tonight?" She hoped it sounded sincere and polite enough, the way it came out. She wasn't feeling particularly Lieutenant-y, still. "You do this a lot?" Victoria asked quickly afterwards, "I usually just pick up the extra shift. Think it's been years since the last time... must've been on Tranquility. Between you and me, I kinda feel like an old fancy widow." She shook her head, and drank again.

"You can ask me to call you whatever you like, darling. I'm always happy to oblige." She said with a small smile, as she had another looong sip of her wine. "Victoria, it is. We are off duty after all." "And yeah, sort of. I get to go out now and again, I like meeting new people, and having new experiences. Even at my age, there's always more new things to discover. But the winter ball is a special once a year event, it's good to really come out and enjoy the evening."

"Your age?" Victoria smirked at that, and passed across a sideways glance, "I'm not exactly spring chicken either, and sometimes I feel like I've met enough new people to cover two lifetimes. Where I'm from, we're not really built to end up on starbases this big." She became noticeably more casual now that Vialara had taken her up on the offer, comfortable enough to lean with both forearms against the countertop. "Collect any nice new experiences this year, yet?"

Twelve slipped in then, quiet as they arrived with efficient booted steps and settled in at the bar. "Ale, please." Came the order they then made before they settled down to wait for their drink.

"I'll be 52 soon, I know I look great for my age but it's true." She said with a soft chuckle, as she sat her now empty glass down on the bar "Well I'm glad you did end up on this starbase, cause you're a great officer. It's an honour to have you in my department." She looked across and gave Victoria a knowing smile. "Had a few yeah, and a few recurring experiences with some old faces. What about you, any fun new experiences yourself?"

"Laying it on a bit thick," Victoria could not suppress the appreciative, yet slightly embarrassed smile. She hoped her cheeks weren't reddening more than the alcohol could mask. Unfortunately, they were. It meant a lot more than most compliments. The red would only deepen as she put Vialara's smile and her words together, taking a moment to click. Oh. Shit. Down went the rest of her drink. "Not usually enough time to find them. You know how married I am to medbay. But I'm..." her eyes glanced up to the ceiling to find the words, wondering if Vialara knew of her current predicament, and how much of it she ought to explain - 'none' seemed the most compelling, "taking a break. So, yeah, seen the inside of a few bars, met the cutest engineer. Fun, yeah."

Vialara cupped a hand over her mouth and let out a quiet chuckle. "I'm happy to stop with the compliments if it's too much for you. But I'm usually very kind and generous with those I like." She leaned back over the bar to order another glass of wine, since hers was now done. "Sounds fun, Victoria. Just be sure and take care of yourself, see the inside of a bar too many times and you might not like seeing the outside so much, take it from me."

“No, please,” Victoria gestured for Vialara to continue, “Where were you with them while I was on shifts?” A bit of a tipsy lie, that was, perhaps a touch of Victoria forgetting how things were like on the job. It was not a kind position to be offering compliments to Victoria in medbay, that was for sure. She hopped on Vialara’s order with one of her own for more whiskey, and nodded with a grimace at her advice. “Yeah,” she agreed, sounding like she’s had some experience, herself. She’d keep her commentary light, but the gaze she shot across was one of understanding, “well, at least at this one, I’m guessing they’ll kick us out when the music stops. So, we’ve got nothing to worry about tonight.” With a chuckle of her own, she nudged her head over her shoulders at the other patrons at the bar after a brief pause, abrupt enough in her developing stupor that it left her hair wobbling. “You think this says anything about our department?”