From: Bethany \ (mouse3of3_at_yahoo.com)
Date: Thu May 24 2007 - 10:07:13 PDT
"Party Time"
(Cont. from Katie's "Grunt Work")
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Location: USS PATRIOT
Stardate: 2.70524.1229
Scene: Hard Rock Cafe
Tam looked around the room at the chattering, milling crewmembers and realized that she did not want to be here.
It wasn't that she didn't want downtime, but she could have spent it more productively than standing in a roomful of people that she did not know that were becoming increasingly inebriated. It was only synthehol, but it was still not something that she would have picked. Trying to fit in, she had worn casual clothing, newly replicated so that it was impeccable, but she still felt off in this crowd that knew each other.
The encounter with Daniels had been reassuring, and she had been able to fall back onto a familiar topic of work, but the comfort didn't go very far. Several crew had greeted her, including a couple of the Marines that she had already interviewed, but a handful of others she could see actively ducking away from her through the crowd-- presumably those who had had less-than-positive experiences with counselors. Being a willing ear did not mean that everybody took advantage of it.
Tam was actually happy when she spotted T'ial. She knew that she had to expand more with regard to her social acquaintances, but that would happen over her stay onboard. For now, she was comforted by the appearance of the closest being she had to a friend onboard. The Vulcan looked slightly uncomfortable in her work uniform, picking at one of the packets of rations that were present at every table. She was, however, staring fixedly in one direction between the occasional desultory glance at her plate.
Tam followed her gaze as she approached the table and found that T'ial was staring at a cluster of crewmembers, most that she recognized vaguely as being from the engineering department. When one woman broke away from the group, her eyes followed her. "Examining a new specimen?" Tam asked T'ial, sitting next to her. She checked the label on the ration packs and selected one that she liked, having already heard about the unusual meal. Human-style food, chicken and mashed potatoes, with a dessert of peach cobbler.
"Yes." T'ial never even looked at her. "I am trying to determine if she has a tail."
Tam blinked, unsure what to say to that, and focused on unwrapping her ration pack. When she looked up again, the woman was headed their way, chatting with a man that she thought was on security detail. T'ial muttered something in Vulcan next to her right before they arrived.
"Mind if we join you?" the man asked, already pulling out a chair.
"Not at all," Tam responded, knowing that T'ial was too focused on her "specimen" right now to care. "I don't believe I've met you yet."
"That's not surprising." The woman slid into another chair. "I'm Eugenia, I'm here from the ACT. And this is... You said your name was Martin?"
"Yes. I'm assistant head of security. Although I may as well be head, we still don't have one." He held out a hand for Tam, who took it, and then extended it to T'ial. "And you are?"
"T'ial. Science officer." She looked at his hand, but didn't take it, and instead made a note on a PADD that she had with her.
"She's working on a project right now," Tam said, feeling bound to take up her defense. She had seen T'ial like this once before, focused to an incredible degree just on what- or who- she was studying. "I'm Tam Niala, ship's counselor."
Of course, that led to the regular questions all around, and a conversation about the merits of the PATRIOT, interrupted by the occasional other crewmember joining them. The meal was capped by the captain stopping by the table to talk with them. Eventually, though, they all dispersed, in pairs and threes, as the evening wore down.
Tam found herself at the table with just T'ial and Ginny ( as she insisted that she be called), listening to T'ial interrogate the latter. Ginny, rather than being insulted or affronted, seemed amused, answering all of T'ial's questions. Finally, though, she pled exhaustion and retired, leaving just the two friends at the table.
"T'ial?"
"Yes?"
"I don't think she has a tail."
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NRPG: Just playing!
Bethany B.
Ensign Tam Niala
Counselor
USS PATRIOT
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This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.5 : Sun Feb 17 2008 - 03:10:48 PST