Star Trek: Starbase 777 - beachside-seating

The afternoon sun swept over this area. Set further back so no one would be disturbed by the tide coming in was a variety of different sorts of seating. There were loungers for sunbathing, parasols for people who preferred to stay out of the sun, blankets, and more. A couple of Pakleds wove through the seating handing out floral necklaces and headbands of different colours, and it appeared they also acted as vendors for anything people might have forgotten: swimming goggles, snorkles, and the likes. They didn't sell suncream though - the benefits of this sun being made by the holodeck.

After retrieving a drink from the bar— it was a bit early to be drinking, but who cared— Suun moved to the loungers, excited at the prospect of stretching out and enjoying the sun and view of her fellow crew members enjoying the simulation. She had retrieved a sunhat, somewhat unnecessary thanks to the missing threat of sunburns, but the floppy woven brim provided a bit of shade against the false sun in her eyes nonetheless.

Gimura appearance. The little angry blueberry that she was took a seat on a towel beneath a parasol, setting her beach bag to her side. She took a few glances around at the people nearby, deciding that it was safe enough for her to pull out her graphic novel and start reading.

Peering out from under her hat, Suun’s lips curved upwards at the sight of the somewhat sour ensign. “Gimura!” She greeted her, stepping away from her lounger, “Lovely to see you, how are you?”

Fuck. Gimura stared at the panel she was reading for a few moments before huffing, snapping the graphic novel shut, and raising her gaze to Suun. She was going to be trapped in conversation now, wasn’t she? She should’ve brought headphones. “…fine,” She said, putting her graphic novel down on top of her beach bag, “Just…hanging out,” She looked aside, watching the tide. “I don’t…plan on going swimming, so…” She shrugged.

“Me neither, it’s quite nice in the shade.” She nodded, “Holodeck or not, I can never shake the feeling of sand in my clothing.” She crossed her legs with a hum, glancing at the book with another smile. “What are you reading?”

Gimura glanced at the holographic sand at let out a little hum. She hadn’t quite realized that the sand was going to stick with her…she pulled her legs closer to herself, away from the sand and more on the towel. Gimura’s eyes widened a bit before she quickly looked down at her graphic novel. She grabbed it and shoved it into her lap, “It’s- It’s nothing, it’s- Just some…dumb…it’s…” She grumbled, “…it’s a graphic novel that I like.”

“Oh?” Her eyebrows lifted in a mix of surprise and interest, having had… no clue, actually, that Gimura would be the kind of person to enjoy graphic novel. Not that she couldn’t be! Suun simply had no real grasp on the girl’s interests, and it was fairly clear to her that the ensign wanted it that way. “What’s it about?” She titled her head, “If you don’t mind, of course.”

Gimura’s cheeks turned a darker shade of teal as she glanced down at the book in her lap. Her nostrils flared a little as she considered. “…it’s about this girl who discovers a like…dream dimension, and she explores it and helps…defend it, and stuff,” Her hands tightened slightly around the book before she took in a breath, “This is the newest volume…”

“That sounds like a good read!” She replied, running through titles in her head in hopes of recalling whether she had read something similar, adjusting her hat in thought. “I do hope it’s been enjoyable so far, and that I didn’t interrupt you at a captivating part.” She added, lightheartedly, as she put her drink down, “I never took you for a fan of graphic novels, but that’s quite a lovely thing.”

“It is,” She said with a little hum, “And uh- No, I just…started it,” Ooouugh Gimura’s worst nightmare, someone taking interest in something she liked. She certainly didn’t expect Suun to make fun of her for it, but there was something deeply ingrained in her mind that made her shoulders tense up. “…yeah…” She muttered, “Kerry is uh…one of my favorites,” She tensed, “The series is…Kerry in the Lap of Midnight. I uh…realized I forgot to say that.” (edited)

“I’ll have to look into it. I’ve been meaning to find new things to read, and I trust your opinion.” She drummed her fingers against her knees, “The concept reminds me a little of an old El-Aurian story I read as a child. It’s a small galaxy, I suppose.”

Mmm…Gimura was never sure if people actually trusted her opinion, but Kerry was a very good series…she gently drummed her fingers over the hardcover of her book and gave a little nod, “I guess…” She tilted her head in interest, though tried not to, “El-Aurian story..?”

“Yeah. I’m… a little rusty, after two and a half centuries, but I remember it being about a young child who fell between worlds, and grew up to defend people from the terrible things lurking in their dreams.” She exhaled, before letting out a chuckle. “I’m sure it was told to me to soothe my nightmares when I was little, but it stuck with me.” *She mused, “Either way, some of the themes carry over, and that’s the beautiful thing about literature, is it not?”

“…huh…” She said after a few moments of consideration had passed. She didn’t realize that it was a known type of story. Gimura, a daughter of two cultures, did always appreciate that kind of overlap. She did, however, feel a slight little pang of disappointment upon realizing her favorite graphic novel wasn’t entirely unique. “For sure,” She said with a little nod, “I uh…” She let out a huff, “I haven’t…told a lot of people about liking it.”

“I’m glad you told me. It’s quite the intriguing premise, I’m excited to look more into it. Thank you for sharing it.” She clasped her hands in her lap, going for another sip of her drink, which was beginning to warm up under the fake sun. Internally, Suun found herself celebrating. She had found a start to a proper conversation with the ensign, which meant it could possibly be less awkward in the future! Even then, awkwardness was still better than silence, and a win was a win.

Her thoughts grumbled to themselves. Surely this would come back and bite her in the ass somehow, right? She played her cards so close to her chest for a reason. Gimura mumbled some sort of thank you, or a your welcome, before looking back at her novel. She huffed, “…do you…” She furrowed her brows, very tightly, and looked up at Suun with a thin veneer of anger hiding worry beneath, “Do you mean that?” (edited)

“Of course I do. I promise you, I’m not one to stretch the truth.” She stated, softening her tone slightly, “If I came off in a way that made you think otherwise, I’m terribly sorry. I truly am interested in your book.”

She stared at Suun silently for a few moments. Whether she was actually absorbing what the lieutenant commander had said or if she was just trying to figure out if the woman was lying was unclear. Gimura took in a short breath and then huffed, and gave a small, “…okay.”

She pursed her lips, looking away for a moment in search of something to change the topic with. The way Gimura watched her, like she expected her to lie about something so simple as an interest in the other’s book, was quite curious, but most likely something she didn’t want to explore on their shared day off. “Have you been a fan for long?” She asked, spitting out the first thing that came to mind.

Gimura had just swung the cover open of her graphic novel when Suun had asked her another question. She paused, silently cursed, and closed the novel once again. So close and yet so far, "Yeah...uh...been a fan for a while. I followed the original books before they were collected into the uh...first volume..." Her cheeks turned a dark teal as she continued to speak.

“Impressive. I imagine you get the bragging rights for being there since day one, in a way.” She joked, before glancing down at her empty glass and then back up at the young officer who seemed to just want to read in peace. Perhaps a refill was in order, soon, if only to give Gimura some peace.

Gimura let out a little, airy laugh from her nose at the joke Suun made, quite against her will. She pursed her lips together into a very tight knot and gave Suun a glance out of the side of her eye, “…yeah, I guess you’ve got a point…”

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“Well… I won’t keep you from your reading much longer. Thank you for indulging me in conversation, Gimura.” She grinned, placing her hands on her knees, “And I hope you enjoy your book. If you ever feel up to it, I’d love to hear more of your thoughts on it.”

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