Posted by Ensign Kiama Naim (Scientist) in Ship’s Lounge - A lunchtime meeting

Posted by Ensign Shon Baht (Medical Officer) in Ship’s Lounge - A lunchtime meeting

Posted by Ensign Kiama Naim (Scientist) in Ship’s Lounge - A lunchtime meeting
Posted by… suppressed (6) by the Post Ghost! 👻
Kiama had been on the Manhattan for about a week now. And even though that might not seem like a long time for most people, it was long enough that the Manhattan already felt like home to her. Though there was one thing missing: Outside of her duty shifts she hadn’t spend much time with fellow crew members. So it was with quite some excitement that the science officer entered the Ship’s Lounge and looked around for Ensign Shon Bhat. Luckily they worked during the same shift, so that it was easy enough to find a time to meet that suited both of them. For while it was a little awkward at times, she had enjoyed their conversation during her boarding evaluation and thus was looking forward to getting to know him better.

~Ensign Naim, Science

Shon had arrived just a moment before Kiama, and was currently standing in front of a replicator. His bald blue head, which contrasted rather nicely with the teal of his medical uniform, would probably make him rather easy to spot.

Once she spotted him, Kiama made her way over towards Shon. All the while she tried to pace her stride so that she wouldn’t appear too eager.

“Clam chowder, hot,” Shon announced confidently to the computer, perhaps giving the indication that this was one of his favorite foods. Indeed, his thoughts confirmed that he was particularly excited for the meal, although perhaps for other reasons as well.

Grabbing the tray and turning, Shon caught Kiama’s gaze and smiled instinctively. “Hey there, stranger. I hope you don’t mind that I ordered, but please take your time and we can find a table when you’ve got your food too.”

(Ensign Baht, Medical)

“Not at all,” Kiama replied with a wide smile and then stepped towards the replicator herself. Chewing on her lower lip, she pondered for a moment. Eventually she said, “Mac and Cheese with some chicken breast, a small Caesar’s salad and a glass of cold, unsweetened peppermint tea.” Once her order materialised in front of her, she grabbed the tray and turned around towards Shon. “Where would you like to sit?”

~Ensign Naim, Science

“Oh!” Shon exclaimed as he slid back to stand in front of the replicator Kiama had just turned away from. “Milk, cold,” he said quickly, then grabbed the glass that appeared and returned to standing beside Kiama. “Almost forgot something to drink!”

Shon led the way to a two-person table by one of the outer windows of the mess. “The mac and cheese was a good call, I’ll have to have that for dinner now that you’ve got my mind on it.” He set down his tray on the left side of the table and sat down with a bit of flair. “Hope you don’t mind a view,” he said as he motioned towards the stars outside.

(Ensign Baht, Medical)

“Not at all,” Kiama replied with big smile on her face as she slid onto the chair across from Shon and placed an unfolded napkin on her lap. “So how has your past work been,” she asked as she carefully speared a single macaroni onto her fork and then popped it into her mouth and chewed slowly. To anyone not knowing her background her posture and demeanour at the table would most likely seem to be at odds with her demeanour at other times. While she tended to use her hands a lot and at times got a bit too close to people while talking when she was excited and enthusiastic about something, she was now sitting rather stiffly at the table. Her back was ramrod straight, her legs were crossed at the ankle with her feet resting slightly to the right of her chair and her right hand rested lightly on her lap.

~Ensign Naim, Scientist

Shon scooped a spoonful of his clam chowder and raised it to his lips before blowing on it lightly, the steam drifting off. He looked up at Kiama’s question. “Oh it was fine! I seem to have become the Manhattan’s unofficial veterinarian, thanks to a couple random experiences when I first came aboard… it’s not exactly my specialty, but I’ve quickly gained a reputation for it, apparently.”

“Oh?” Kiama asked with her left eyebrow raised.

Gulping down the contents of his spoon, Shon then took a sip of his milk before continuing. “A lot of humans brought pets with them to the Delta Quadrant as a token of home. And the dog owners all bring them to the holodeck every week to play together, so naturally they all came down with canine distemper at the same time. All that is to say that I apologize if I smell like dog.” He leaned forward as he took his next bite of his soup.

(Ensign Baht, Medical)

“Hmm…,” Kiama said ever so softly. “Well, I can’t really smell anything but clam chowder and mac and cheese at the moment, so no need to apologise.” Eating a few more individual macaroni and a small piece of chicken breast, she pondered what to say next. While there had been a brief time when she was child when she wanted to have the Betazoid equivalent of a cat, she didn’t fully understand the concept of having a pet, especially on a starship; let alone more than one. Not to mention that remembering her childhood brought a number of memories to the forefront she’d rather not examine closely at the moment. So she was thinking about changing the subject without being rude.

~Ensign Naim, Scientist

Shon smiled at Kiama’s remark, then glanced up as she paused. It was only as he did so that he noticed her formal posture. Shon blinked as he set his spoon down into his bowl. Worry crept into Shon’s mind. “Anyways, thanks for suggesting this. I hope I’m a little more personable when I don’t have a lab coat on.”

(Ensign Baht, Medical)

Kiama met his gaze and smiled at him, wondering why he was suddenly worried. She was unaware of her stiff posture as it was so deeply ingrained in her, so she hazard a guess that what he said was the explanation of his emotions. She could, of course, simply read his mind, but she also tried to do her best to respect other people’s privacy. “You are welcome! I’m glad you excepted. And while I already thought that you were personable during my boarding evaluation, I think being off duty helps pretty much everyone in that regard,” she replied sincerely. “So, when you aren’t treating various patients, what do you like to do?”

~Ensign Naim, Scientist

Shon smiled. “I suppose it is your turn to ask me some questions, huh?” he said teasingly. Then he paused. “Well, I’ve always enjoyed theater. So most of my holodeck time is used rehearsing musical numbers,” he chuckled. “Bolian theater tends to be a bit… dramatic by earth standards, but there are some great old human plays I’ve been practicing too.” Shon paused. “Forgive me if this sounds ignorant, but I haven’t looked into betazoid dramas because I figured they probably have a lot of telepathic subtext I just couldn’t replicate. Is that the case?”

(Ensign Baht, Medical)