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Calloway's Quarters - A shoulder to lean on? Someone to vent to?

Posted Aug. 13, 2021, 11:02 a.m. by Commander Siadra Enai (Executive Officer) (Silke Fahl)

Posted by Commander Shara Calloway (Chief Intelligence Officer) in Calloway’s Quarters - A shoulder to lean on? Someone to vent to?

Posted by Commander Siadra Enai (Executive Officer) in Calloway’s Quarters - A shoulder to lean on? Someone to vent to?

Posted by Commander Shara Calloway (Chief Intelligence Officer) in Calloway’s Quarters - A shoulder to lean on? Someone to vent to?
Posted by… suppressed (3) by the Post Ghost! 👻

(snip)

As the doors swished open in front of her, Siadra stepped carefully, almost silently into Shara’s quarters. She could sense the other woman’s emotions easily. Despite being only half-Betazoid. “Hey,” she greeted her gently. “I hope you don’t mind me coming here. I just thought you could use someone to talk to. Or a strong drink. Or both.” A small, slightly lopsided grin tugged at the corner of her lips as she held up the bottle in her hand. “I sure feel like having a drink,” she added. And everyone who knew her well, would know that that was a very rare thing for the First Officer. Sure, she enjoyed a glass of wine or even a cocktail in the company of others. But rarely, if ever, did she feel the need for a drink and rarely did she have something as strong as the content of the bottle in her hand.

~Cmdr. Enai, XO

Silently, Shara pushed herself into a sitting position, slipped off the bed and grabbed a couple glass from the cupboard in the bedside table. She sat in one of the two chairs and held them out so Enai could pour for both of them and wished the quarters weren’t so… bunk like. But it was a small ship and space was at a premium. As it was, she hadn’t had a chance to do much with her space other than set out a few framed photos on her desk: one of a younger her, Edward and a ten year old Faye, one of her and Faye from her recent time on the Manhattan and one of her and Micah with their 800 acres of beautiful land in the background.

Commander Calloway, CIO

After pouring them both a generous measure, Siadra placed the bottle on the table and then sat down on the second chair. For a moment her eyes lingered first on the open bag and then on the framed photographs. She then lifted her glass, as if in a wordless toast, before taking a drink. She let a few more moments of silence pass and then nodded towards the three photos and asked, “Is that your daughter?”

~Cmdr. Enai, XO

Shara nodded, even if the true answer was complicated. One of them. It was a good idea just yet to be too open about Nadine, especially now. “That’s Faye,” she said softly. “We’re still getting to know each other since we were apart for twenty-five years.” She downed the glass easily and reached for the bottle, pouring more. She was still angry but the alcohol would strangely help her compartmentalize, at least a little. Already, she’d gone soft and it irritated her.

Commander Calloway, CIO

Nodding too, Siadra tilted her head slightly backwards and finished the rest of her drink in one go. As she refilled her glass, she said, “I can’t even imagine what that must have been like and still feels like. Twenty-five years is a long time.” She fell briefly silent as she took another drink and then continued, “I have read your file of course. Or at least those parts I have access to. And I know there are a lot of things you aren’t allowed to talk about unless someone has high enough clearance. Which I don’t. But I can tell how hard this upcoming mission is for you and I’m a good listener, if you want to talk or vent.”

~Cmdr. Enai, XO

So much to say and so little she wanted to. It was the usual dilemma. She had gone through both flight and fight and now was sitting at freeze. Pale grey-blue eyes gazed down into her glass. “Too much is being asked of me and there’s no way to say no.” Micah’s words in the conference room rolled around in her head and it just made her angrier. She knocked back the liquor easily and poured herself another glass.

Commander Calloway, CIO

Siadra felt the anger rise again in the older woman and took a deep breath before downing the rest of her drink and refilling her glass once more as well. Fixing her eyes on Shara, her gaze intent, almost piercing though in a strange way full of compassion, she simply asked, “Why?”

~Cmdr. Enai, XO


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