Star Trek: Starbase 777

Someone in OPS had an eye for the dramatic and had fully leaned into this year’s theme. In the middle of the ballroom a dancefloor had been constructed. It was large enough for hundreds of people to dance at once, but was most striking was its design. It was a black and gold patterned eight point star with interlocking crosses and squares. Around the star were more rectangles and lines - truly a work of art by itself. It had been buffed to perfection and shone in the light.

Jayri soon wandered into the dancefloor, her eyes widening as looked at the immaculate decorations. The beauty of the room was slightly overwhelming, but she just as much in awe as she was intimidated. Her gaze quickly shifted around from left to right, but nobody else was there. Nervously, with a warm feeling in her chest, she slowly stepped towards the dancefloor, lifting her trembling arms into the air as she twirled around. Jayri was not much of a dancer, but for once, just this once, she told herself that it didn't matter. A rush of air flowed between her hair, gently brushing against her dress as she felt a smile slowly grow.

Abby awkwardly wandered about the party, looking for her friend, and very uncomfortable with the idea of interacting with anyone without her designated buddy. Through the crowd, she spotted her on the dance floor. She rushed up to her with am arm raised. "Jay! Jay, hi!" Abby rushed up to her side, seeing she'd started dancing. She let a smile splash onto her face at the sight of her friend. She looked her up and down, admiring the dress, her hair and how nice they all looked with her spotted lining.

Jayri stumbled slightly as she came to a stop, her expression a mix of flustered embarrassment and a smile upon recognizing Abby. "Hi! I- Sorry, I didn't see you come in." She chuckled, waving both her hands as stood on her toes for a moment. "How have you been?"

Abby waved with both hands. "Good! Good!" She admired Jayri's outfit. "Wow, Jay, you look beautiful!" She complimented with a hint of bashfulness. "I kinda missed the whole 'themed' memo." Abby chuckled as she readjusted the red shades.

"Really?" She tilted her head to the side, blinking as she processed what Abby just said. She hadn't been called beautiful since... truthfully, she couldn't remember. Her face slowly lit up as she let out a giggle. "Ah, I'm sure nobody would mind. I'm just glad you're here, really." The Trill smiled, an awkward but geniune expression. "Oh, uh- is there anywhere you wanna do or see?"

"Er.. I don't really know, I'm not exactly sure." Abby said with a nervous laugh. "I just got here. I dunno how these things work!"

Celik made a B-line for the dancefloor, and looked around for an empty space to get down to business. There was certainly a lot of it. He didn’t stop by the bar, nor by the buffet, nor to socialize. There was plenty of opportunity to socialize while dancing, and that’s exactly what he intended to do. He situated himself next to a window, and admired the floor’s design. He tapped the toe of his heel to a beat, easing into a rhythm to dance to.

Teno had beelined for the dance floor. He hadn’t asked anyone to the ball this year - he’d considered asking Haru but figured he and T’Sareth might go together or maybe they were doing other things. No, this year, he was solo but that didn’t mean he couldn’t ask anyone to dance! In fact, when he’d walked up to the dance floor, someone had caught his eye. He was wearing a gorgeous dress and had long beautiful hair and seemed to be moving to the music already. Teno approached, a bit tentative but with an open expression. “Excuse me, I wanted to tell you your dress is beautiful.” He said with a smile and a very slight bow at the waist.

“Why, thank you.” His black painted lips spread into a blindingly white smile. Celik gave a smooth, small curtsey, and circled Teno. He examined his outfit as he circled. “You are dressed well, and within the theme. Care for a dance?” Celik stopped in front of him, and offered a hand, the sheer fabric glittered in the light. There was plenty of time to exchange names on the floor, and he was itching to dance.

“Hey uh-“ Jayri blurted, chuckling a bit as she smiled sheepishly. “Sorry, I was just wonder if you, y’know, would like to dance? Seeing as we’re on the dance floor and stuff.”

“You’re welcome!” With Celik’s smile and compliments and invitation to dance, Teno’s face broke out in a much more eager grin. “I would love to, actually.” He accepted, taking Celik’s and beginning to walk toward a free spot on the dance-floor. “My name is Zaru, by the way. Zaru Teno.”

"Oh! Sorry. Yeah, I guess that would make sense." The music playing was quite tame, though not quite slow song territory. "Do we, like, duet, or are we just going to dance on our own?"

“Wonderful to meet you, I’m Celik.” Once they arrived in their opening, he slid his hand up onto his shoulder, and eased into dancing with slow, sweeping motions. His dress was made of a thing, light fabric, and paired his with movements, made him look as though he were moving through water.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Celik." Teno smiled again, a very light blush in his pale cheeks and a shy smile to match. He brought his hands up to hold Celik at a respectful but intimate distance too, and moved with him. Perhaps a bit less gracefully, but not awkwardly. He'd danced like this before, it had simply been a while. He would adjust accordingly, as Celik moved. "Wow, you're really good at this." (edited)

“Oh, I’ve been around. If you do one thing frequently for about twenty or so years, you’re bound to develop some sort of skill.” He tested the waters by leading him into a slow twirl, seeing what level of skill Zaru was at. Celik held his smile, which was no difficult task, company plus dance always put him into a good mood. “How are you finding the event?”

"Uh... I'm not sure..." Jayri slowly held out both her hands, spacing them out a bit. Granted, she didn't have much of a clue on what to do, pausing for a moment as she tried to think of something. "I think I'll just follow your lead. I'm- not very experienced."

"Oh, boy..." Abby let out a breathy, nervous laugh. "Putting me on the spot, eh?" She took a breath trying to figure out what she should do. She didn't want to screw up in front of her friend, but at the same time... she was no dancer! "Well, we could do a step, you know. Hands on the shoulders, stepping to the rhythm."

Jayri nodded, stepping closer and lifting her arms over Abby's, holding onto her friend's shoulders. It seemed like the both of them were just as nervous, causing the Trill to let out a comforting giggle. "Alright, I... think this is right?" She muttered, slowly moving to the side as she waited on Abby's move.

“Twenty years?!” He smiled, clearly surprised. “Well, I’m sure it’s more than practice. You’re elegant.” He smiled again, letting himself be twirled, and spinning in time with the music once before returning back to Celik. “It’s good, so far. Everything is so beautiful. OPS outdid themselves again. You?”

“You flatter me.” He guided Zaru around the floor in smooth patterns, somehow pulling off the difficult feat of not stepping on his dress or his hair. “If I were to choose a theme based upon a particular human area, I’d choose Disco. But, I can’t deny the fact that I enjoy the fashions of old Hollywood. And the lighting is pleasing, not too bright.” Celik would kill for a disco party. He had a great love for disco, and trying to find anything related to it, much less anyone who knew what it was, back on Cardassia was impossible.

Abby awkwardly put her arms on Jayri's sides. "I think? God, I don't know when I last danced. Maybe..?" Abby took a step to the side, nodding for Jayri to follow.

She followed along, moving in step with Abby's direction. The duo seemed to be moving smoothly. "Must've been... well, a long time I guess." Jayri mumbled, her eyes focusing on her steps. The rhythm of the song was stable enough, and she found herself swaying slightly as her foot matched Abby's. "But, y'know, I think you're doing fine." She smiled, a brief chuckle escaping her lips.

Abby leaned more into the step as they moved. It felt strange, but... nice. "Thanks. Might have been prom. I didn't have a date so I just asked my friend. She did have a date, though. She alternated." Abby gave a bit of a chuckle. She was just as bad at matching a tune as ever, but having someone else to fall back on made it feel a little less pressing.

Teno chuckled, following Celik's lead and letting himself be pulled and guided and directed while maintaining a comfortable rhythm. "Disco? I'm not sure I'm familiar. What's it like?"

He let out a long, sharp sigh. How was he supposed to describe Disco? Was there a way to describe it that doesn't do it a disservice? "Disco... if you want the more objective side, you have wonderful basslines, prominent beats, but what makes it truly disco is that you can't possibly resist dancing. It calls to you, and as if you are possessed, you body moves to the beat. I can't possibly describe it in a way that captures the feel of Disco. I'm afraid that is a message only experiencing it first hand can communicate." Celik frowned softly, if only he could play it right there and then. He would be able to get up to some real boogying.

"What was that like? I've... never really been one for parties." She asked as they continued, feeling herself move with more confidence as the song went on. "I remember when we had a graduation party at the academy. I went but... I kinda just stood there." Jayri shrugged, sheepishly smiling.

"Aw, I'm sorry, Jay." Abby responded with sympathy. She laughed. "It was kinda tacky. I don't remember a lot of it. I think I was too preoccupied with going to military academy. I'm sure nowadays with holograms and stuff they're way cooler." She began to lean more side to side while they danced.

Teno winced at the sigh. Had he said something wrong? “Oh, well maybe I’ll look it up tomorrow. There’s a really neat store here that sells records and also the computers have huge databases… can you recommend any artists in particular?” He was curious now - this disco sounded like fascinating stuff.

"I will have to put those databases to use." He slowly began to up the up the intricacy of their dance, and threw in another twirl, for his own enjoyment. It felt as if he were moving faster, though he was still in time with the beat. "Obviously you have to listen to the Bee Gees, but my personal favorite is Diana Ross. If you do find yourself enjoying Disco, I must warn you that you will find very few who will be able to share in your interest. You may have to convert more just to have someone to talk to about it. And not everyone is so open as you."

Teno did his best to keep up, only faltering once, maybe twice. Though he executed the twirl flawlessly again, apparently enjoying being spun more the second time than the first. When Celik pulled him back in, there was a huge grin spread on his face and he let out a soft laugh. “Bee Gees and Diana Ross, okay. I should be able to remember those names.” He nodded. “I think one of my friends might really enjoy listening to new - well, old - music with me.” Teno wasn’t the type to proselytize, despite being, in his youth, a devoted member of a religious order. He wasn’t really worried about finding people to share his interests with, content to explore them on his own but also- “And, besides, maybe we could listen together.”

His face tightened into a stiff smile. Someone interested in listening to Disco with him? A rare occurrence. He should have been overjoyed, but instead he felt anxious. Then again, when did he not? “You do not know how much a relief it is to hear you say that. Back on Cardassia, minds are not so open. I could even teach you how to dance appropriately to such music, if you’ll allow me.” Celik held his gaze for a moment, and then looked away at the rest of the floor. He was used to dancing wanted many people, but few of them wanted to know him more after the fact. Or maybe he refused to let them, worried that he would reveal too much.

"Nah, it's alright. Like you said, some of them are a bit tacky." Jayri shrugged, leaning her head to the side. "I guess that makes two of us then." She laughed, her steps growing fuller as she swayed with more confidence. "What was military academy like? I assume it's pretty different to SFA, but y'know, I could be wrong."

Teno was blissfully unaware of Celik's anxiety. He wasn't particularly good at reading social cues, let alone those of people he just met. "Mhm, I could understand that." He offered a slight nod. As a Bajoran, he'd heard quite a bit of biased opinions on Cardassia and its culture and people, though his parents had been very intentional about teaching him not to internalize those. They wanted to encourage open-mindedness in him, something they'd not really been taught but had to develop over time as Bajor healed. "Sure!" He laughed happily, his chin lifting up as he did so. "Please, I'm sure you'll be a great teacher. I bet we could port the music into the holodeck, too. And maybe the computer could populate a program based on images from the time." Teno was happy with this - he was the type of person to make a friend of everyone he met, or at least to try. He'd never been too keen on the idea of 'strangers.'

Abby stumbled a bit in her footing at the question of the academy. "Oh, that, huh? Well, all things considered, I couldn't complain. It prepared me to explore space, and it definitely saved me a lot of expenses. Debt, y'know? I was lucky, I got one of the fairer instructors. A lot of my classmates dropped out. Couldn't handle it." Abby chuckled a bit. The time was grueling and tough, but challenges like that prove deep down who has that spark.

“I like how you think. I like it very much. An accurate recreation of an Earth club in the 70’s would certainly set the mood.” Celik had been taught the opposite, taught to close his mind and to believe what he was told. What he was told being terrible things belonging to an old, dead Cardassia that ought not to be revived. He knew they weren’t true, intellectually he knew that he was taught lies. But his feelings were a different matter. He had met very, very few Bajorans, so they never came up. And now that they had, he was surprised to find that he felt guilty. Guilty for lying, guilty for hiding what he really was. “Pick a date, and I’ll find or make a gap in my schedule to teach you. If this place decides to ever host a Disco themed event, you’ll be well prepared.” He’d just have to get over himself. For the sake of spreading Disco, if nothing else. (edited)

"Yeah, I get that. I didn't have many that dropped out, but a few did switch from engineering to other divisions. I missed out on living a little though, but y'know," She smiled, her hand holding onto Abby as she stumbled, trying to provide a bit of support where she could. "I guess now's a better time as any to enjoy life. Wouldn't you say so?"

Abby tried to return to the music, giving their dance a little sway, spinning from side to side, though she slowed upon hearing Jayri's question. Her eyebrows furrowed. "How do you mean?"

"I dunno..." She spoke, swaying more as she tapped along to the music. Jayri took a moment to think. "I feel like... I missed out a little. I didn't really let myself... 'breathe', if that makes any sense. Like this, for instance. I never really went to anything like this before, so it's better late than never I guess." (edited)

"Um, I don't know." Abby mumbled as they moved in unison. "I've been serving my country for so long. But, I mean, you guys don't really do that as much, so I guess I've just got to find something else." Abby's eyes passed through Jayri, almost looking to some invisible world with her thought.

"I'm sure you'll find that something." Jayri smiled reassuringly, though her eyes narrowed in concerned as she noticed Abby's unfocused gaze. "It might not seem like it but... It's out there. I promise."

Abby looked down a bit at their hands together. She had no real home now. And she'd already been struggling in every way to keep above water. But she had a foot in. She knew people. She had a friend. She could find some way to live. Heh. Thanks, Jay." *She said, bringing her gaze up again.

Teno's expression brightened, even though you wouldn't have expected it to be able to get any more pleased. "Really? Okay, that sounds great. I'll give you my comms code, after we've finished our dance of course." He laughed happily, swaying and twirling with Celik across the floor. "I'm sure the music will be so much fun to dance to and I'm an eager student. I really love to learn new things - about culture and people. So, if it's alright with you, I'll come prepared with questions?"

Oh, Vara'l indeed proceeded to take Xal's arm in his. "Oh I do know him, though I suspect he's not aware I happen to be Bi." The Romulan responded then before he added. "He babysits for me, though I've known him since we were kids." He'd stated as they walked then, briefly distant as he'd considered the memories and mused. "Things are...kinder than they were then." As they'd arrived, Vara'l recovered quickly as he stated. "Enough of me speaking for lengthy and boring times about such things." Flushed and still very much flustered though perhaps his blush happened to be a tad less fierce than it'd been when he was kissed. "Shall we dance?" He asked then as he nodded at the dance floor. "I do believe you said you wished to learn a bit about me, shall we...dance and chat?"

Xal pulled Vara'l's arm, and therefore the man attached to it, close, and walked directly out onto the dancefloor with him. "Oh, really, now? Are you shy man, dear?" Xal giggled, and once they were on the dance floor, he kept Vara'l's arm close by wrapping it around his waist for him. And then he placed an arm on Vara'l's shoulder, and reached down to grab his other arm and placed it on his own shoulder, and then finally wrapped his free arm around Vara'l's torso. And they were the appropriate pretzel for a ballroom dance, after that. "Well, I am quite pleased to hear you have found a sweeter life, aboard this Starship and in Starfleet." Xal offered a genuine smile, then, and nodded to Vara'l's question. "Oh, yes, let us dance. And you can chat my ear off as long as you follow it with- " And he bent down, and whispered something very silly into the man's ear. And they were off, twirling to the music and laughing, and sharing in conversation for the remainder of the evening.