Posted July 23, 2021, 9:19 p.m. by Lieutenant Cara Esmé O’Farrell (Counselor / Education Specialist) (Jennifer Ward)
Posted by Lieutenant Commander Gravel Mardusk (Chief of Security) in Lounge - Neighbors… Thats Very Convenient (Tag CNS)
(snip)
Cara laughed, “Inhaling a cheeseburger? Nope, no even close, try again,” and she chuckled again. She stared back at him going quiet, color slowly flushing her face. “Oh ya, it’s weird. But I like weird.” Still leaning forward against the table, she tapped her fingers on the edge. “So I guess tha’ means I’m gonna make ya squirm and say tomorrow. That way ya don’t choke yurself ta death and miss out on a date.”O’Farrell
“No cheeseburger in the universe could keep me from a date with you.” he said with a wink. “And tomorrow works. But since I planned the first one, you gotta plan the next one. A guy likes to be chased a bit too, ya know.” and he grinned and took a drink.
Mardusk
Cara started to laugh, she was grinning at him. “New Favorite horrible pick up line that worked. ‘No cheeseburger in the universe could keep me from a date with you.’ May be the whole conversation though.” She took a deep breath and let it out slowly to calm the giggles tryin’ to escape. “Good ta know, ya like ta be chased. Ya do know I’m liable ta get lost in the attempt, right?”
She picked up the temporarily forgotten burger and took a bite. Then after a sip of the beer, “Alright, Gravel, it’s still ya night for questions and tellin’. Unless your finished?”
O’Farrell
Mardusk looked at her and said “What is your biggest fear? And your biggest regret?” he asked, more inquisitive than playful. He wanted to know about her.
Mardusk
“I donna really have regrets. ‘Onestly. There are things I wonder ‘what if’ but there is nothin’ I wish hadn’t happened in my life. Each choice brings me to where I am. Example I could regret takin’ the position here on Atlantis because I get horrible space sickness. I could be real miserable here. But if I hadna come I wouldna have met Dr. Evrilla, and she’s bloody brilliant and was able ta make a hypo for me, so now I can travel, go, or sever anywhere and not become useless cause I’m too sick ta function. So sumtimes I wonder ‘what if’. Like what if I had married Grant…” she laughed at the absurdity, “naw I donna wonder ‘bout that. I’d either be in the looney bin or prison.” She picked up a fry and paused the put it down. Sitting back and crossing her arms in front of her, a purely self protective gesture as she stared across at him - evaluating him - would she tell him what she hadn’t told anyone else. “I’m afraid of stayin’ lost.”
O’Farrell
Mardusk regarded her for a long time in silence. She was certainly beautiful. And intelligent. And witty. But here? Right now?
She was honest.
He nodded and said “So where does that come from, that fear? Something happen? Or has it just always been there? Because I tell you… sometimes those feelings are just awful. And I wouldn’t wish that on anyone.”
Mardusk
“I was always getting lost as a kid. By the time I was 8 everyone knew it, so it wasnna like I stayed lost, and I knew better than ta wander where I couldna see familiar land marks. I just never went anywhere alone. Learnin’ my way round the Academy was a nightmare in frustration. But it was survival training that did it. Got dropped in the Carpathian Mountains. There was a rock slide and my compass broke. Ya know that trick with a bowl of water and a needle…yeah well the needle needs to be made of a metal tha’ reacts to magnetism of the poles. Oh I survived with flying colors, I was well fed, hydrated, and mostly dry. I wandered around two days in circles before I decided ta give up and stick my arse in one spot. It was a week before they sent anyone. Now that may sound bad but we had 5 days on the short side ta make the check point 7 on the outside…so. That’s when I realized it wasna just a quirk. It was trouble.”
O’Farrell
Gravel shook his head and said “Well, at least you stayed put. That was the smart move. Roaming around lost just gets you more lost. What I don’t get is why, if you were having problems, they would put you in that position to begin with. Thats just asking for issues.” He shook his head dismissively. “I’d string up anyone under me who did that to somebody.” He looked at her and said “Do you want to learn.. I mean really learn… how navigate? I’d really like to teach you.” and he smiled and said “Besides, that means I can have you to myself for a few hours on the holodeck every now and then.”
Mardusk
Cara grinned, “See I told you I knew what to do if the ship went down and I was lost. Experience,” and she laughed, but only a little. “Basic survival skills is standard for all Star Fleet officers. And I did great there, but we just had to stay in one place. I didn’t do too bad with orientation, but here’s the thing, I had the compass to tell me which way to go. I was trying to get search and rescue certified. I wanted to stretch myself a bit, but after that I was told to drop the program. I honestly never really thought it was that bad until then. So a ship docks at a Starbase and there’s the station map somewhere. I can read the map I can tell you where to go, but as soon as I look away from it I have no idea where to go. It just doesn’t ‘click’ - the map with the actual terrain. I’m hopeless, but if you want to take that on I’m willing.”
O’Farrell
Gravel said “I think I’d like to take that on, yeah… among other things, if I’m being honest.” and he grinned and took a drink. “Next question… oh wait, I owe you something about me. Ok… Im a full blood Orion. Orion isnt part of the Federation. My mom is actually legally a refugee. Escaped Orion as a kid, stowed away on a cargo freighter. But even though I was born in the Federation, serve in Star Fleet… Im not a citizen. I can’t vote.” and he shrugged.
That was the most asinine thing Cara had ever heard. It wasn’t the first time she’d heard it but that was…she started muttering, she’d had a long day…it was obviously angry muttering but the only thing he would catch “You can never underestimate the stupidity of the bureaucrats.”
“So… have you ever dated a non-human before?”
Mardusk
“I dated a Betazoid freshman year at Academy…he was a nice guy really, but it’s unnerving for someone to contribute to a conversation before you start it. Went on a date with a Tellerite once, he said he didn’t want a second date because he had to work to hard to offend me. Then there was Gilic. He was Zaldan. Worst date I ever went on though was a Vulcan. No sense of humor at all.”
O’Farrell
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