Posted by Lieutenant Tiastri Ezial (Chief Engineer) in Fan Tail Lounge Fancy Dress Party - alt-time side Sim - Open to All

Posted by Lieutenant Junior Grade Miriam Cross (Doctor) in Fan Tail Lounge Fancy Dress Party - alt-time side Sim - Open to All

Posted by Lieutenant Mthunzi Nkosenye (Chief of Security) in Fan Tail Lounge Fancy Dress Party - alt-time side Sim - Open to All
Posted by… suppressed (7) by the Post Ghost! 👻
[snip]
At that moment Ade, the Ship’s Dentist, came out of his office, dressed in a penguin onesee suit. “Did I hear someone just mention ‘a drink or two’? As it happens I was on my way to the Fantail Lounge myself.”

He took out a flyer from his pocket and showed it to the two ladies. It was a colourful hand-drawn ink sketch promoting a drink and dance event with an overuse of exclamation marks. In large letters across the top it said, “Deck 13 invites you to the Merrimack Late Summer Fancy Dress Party. Everyone welcome! Make your own cocktails! 20th Century Dance Crazes! And much more! Must come in Fancy Dress! Starts at 2000 hours in the Fantail Lounge!”

“I’m not one to turn down a drink,” said Ade. “But I’m not sure about the fancy dress part. Do you think this would be the right thing to wear? Were you planning on going too?”

Cross’s jaw fell open,for a minute the doctor thought she was hallucinating ,as her brain cells were still trying to take in the image of a giant penguin in sickbay.It was the familiar voice of the dentist that brought her back to reality ‘’Oh my!’‘ she exclaimed ‘’You had me fooled there’‘ Cross replied looking at the flyer in his hand as if she was half blind.

Marthese saw Ade in his penguin suit and come trotting their way ‘’What’s up doc..done with being a dentist’‘ she laughed turning to Cross ‘’Imorru xtahseb?’‘ she asked.
‘’You bet ‘’Cross responded then both doctors turned to Tia ‘’ Shall you join us?’‘.

“Well, you will also need a costume,” Ade said. “Have you any ideas?”

‘’No problem I have one’‘ Marthese replied ‘’What about you Miriam?’‘ she asked the other female doctor ‘’Eh,why most certainly ‘’Cross lied through her teeth .

‘’Say I don’t want to spoil anyone’s fun but I have been on the Merrimack long enough to know the rest of the crew ‘’ she stopped wondering how to put it into words ‘’The crew on this ship never showed much enthusiasm to move among and engage with others at a social function’‘.

“Yes, I have noticed that too,” replied Ade. “They can be quite stoical.... ....but Deck 13 must be more ebullient, after all, they have organised this event. Deck 13 must be the Merrimack party deck!”

“Let’s go then! We wouldn’t want to be late!” added Ade, who lead them off towards an evening of tacky costumes, unfortunate lighting, tasteless decorations, dreadful music and kitsch.

Back at her quarters Marthese took out the red Indian dress,after a quick shower and her black hair made in two thick shiny braids that reached down nearly to her waist complete with feathers she was ready and headed to Deck 13.

Cross was also in her quarters but unlike her colleague she had no fancy dress to wear.Shrugging the doctor took a sheet and with the help of a pair of scissors made a couple of holes for her head and arms to fit in,the last thing was wrapping a piece of the sheet around her waist making sure it was well and firmly secured.
On the way to Deck 13 Cross noticed some funny looks but tried her best to ignore them ‘’ Morons, they most probably do not even know about the fancy dress party ‘’ she muttered to herself.

Ade also received some odd looks until he reached the Fan Tail Lounge on Deck 6. Once out of the turbolift he saw that everyone else was also in costume. There were period soldiers, ocean going sailors, American wild west cowboys and construction workers. He had no idea who these people were, and realised that he would never find Miriam and Marthese as he hadn’t asked how they would dress.

Marthese was quick to spot him ‘’Hi there Mr Penguin how’s Antarctica?’‘ she smiled slipping a hand through his ‘’Say I saw Cross with a sheet on,she’s at the bar drinking.’‘

“It’s still a large spaceport, airport, tourist buildings and premium shops, with quarries, fracking, mining, on shore and off shore oil rigs, and waste processing plants,” replied Ade puzzled. He had forgotten what he was wearing. “Well, I’ve never needed any excuse to go drinking at the bar!”

The female doctor stopped wondering what to say next ‘’Em try not to laugh when you see her’‘ she suggested pulling him towards the bar.

“No problem,” said Ade as he passed by a gorilla in a tuxedo suit. “I’m sure it can’t be that funny!”

Against all odds, the doors to the lounge opened up and in came the massive frame of the Security Chief. He wasn’t in uniform… that appeared to be the most ‘fancy’ dress he would allow himself. As the big Zulu came in he looked around the room as if taking a tactical survey, the perpetual scowl never relaxing for a moment. He made his way to the bar and ordered a drink, looking to see if he recognized anyone; and if he did, seeing if he wanted to actually talk to them.

Cross was having some well deserved relaxing time consuming her favorite alcohol… vodka . First the female doctor noted the dentist with marthese making their way to the bar and then Nkosenye, glass in hand she did her best to hide behind a gorilla and a rather small T-Rex hoping no one would see her in the ‘suppose’ costume.

At over seven feet in height, Nkosenye saw the doctor trying hide herself in the menagerie of oddities at the bar. Without looking in her direction, his low rumble of a voice said “Doctor Cross. Very nice to see you. I hope the igorila -” he said, using what may have been his native word for the gorilla, “- and lizard are good drinking companions. If you prefer different company, you are welcome to join me… if you like.” and his face turned to look at her. The perpetual scowl had been replaced, surprisingly, by an actual smile… small thought it was.

Cross gave a weary sigh and made her way nearer the CoS ‘’SSSSh… not so loud for I don’t want the dentist and the doctor to see me’‘ she replied in a low tone ‘’Cannot fathom what possessed me to accept their invitation and’‘ the female doctor did her best to make eye contact with the seven plus man ‘’ Don’t you dare ask me what my costume is suppose to be for I have no darn idea’‘ and with that she drowned down what was left of the vodka.

Mthunzi looked down and said “Well… um… perhaps a table further away would allow for you to keep a lower profile?” he asked, a small amount of hesitation in his voice that was definitely not the norm. “But first…” and he motioned to the bartender who filled another glass which Mthunzi picked up and handed to Cross. “A refill. Shall we, Doctor?” he asked, gesturing to table in the corner of the lounge.

‘’You bet’‘ the doctor replied ‘’Vodka and make it double’‘ Cross replied without much hesitation and she made her way to the table at record speed.

Ade and Marthese arrived at the bar at the same time as Mthunzi. Ade made a nod of recognition to him before realising this costume made him completely concealed his identity. In actual fact, they had never really met socially, despite both hailing from the United States of Africa on Earth, though you couldn’t miss the man given his stature.

Ade caught the attention of the barman and ordered, “I’ll have a beer and whatever my companions would like, please!”

The female doctor gave a nod to the CoS ‘’Good afternoon Sir’‘ while giving him one of her sweetest smiles ‘’Just orange juice for me please ‘’ mathese in her red Indian costume replied ‘’Alcohol dulls the senses and…’‘ she put a hand over her mouth ,after all she was sure the others were there to have a good time and not get a lecture about alcohol .

Mthunzi nodded at the doctor and said “Good evening.” He then retrieved two drinks and made his way to the corner table where Cross was seated. “Doctor.” he said as he sat the drink in front of her and took the chair opposite her. He sat down glass filled with a bright red liquid in front of him, and then looked somewhat quizzically at Cross. “So how did you decide on that particular ensemble?” he said with a indication to her ‘costume’.

“Well, excessive drinking of alcohol is bad for the the liver, and will put on weight, which is bad for everything, but responsible drinking is good for the heart, and for the digestion, and beer is one of the few food sources of silicon,” replied Ade. “So, I’m just going to up and order some of that green stuff over there…”

Ade, Ship’s Dentist

Nkosenye, CoS

‘’Thanks’‘ Cross said as she heard the clink of the glass on the table,the doctor was observing marthese and her beautiful Indian dress ‘’She even have beads and.....’‘.
That was when she heard Nkosenye ‘’Its bad isn’t it?It looks funny doesn’t it?’‘ Cross asked already knowing the answer for both questions ‘’Say’‘ she said in a low tone ‘’Did Julias Caesar the Roman Emperor have a wife?’‘.

Then as usual she switched from one subject to the next ‘’If the Penguin comes to join us he’s the dentist and the Indian is a doctor’‘ why Cross felt the need to divulge such trivial information to the CoS was anyone’s guess.

Cross Dr.

Nkosenye looked at Cross and listened as she asked a question, changed the subject, and then changed the subject again. Nkosenye waited for a pause, and then said “I know who they are. I try to be familiar with all members of the crew. Caesar had three wives, if I remember my history lessons correctly. The last one had a premonition of his death.” and he paused and looked at Cross for a moment and then said matter-of-factly “And I think you look quite beautiful, Doctor.” and he took a sip of his drink.

Nkosenye, CoS

Cross’s eyes widened ‘’I do?’‘ she asked, never quite remembering getting a compliment of this sort before and lo and behold the doctor actually blushed.She thought it would be better to change the subject ,maybe if there was more vodka in her system Cross would by now be sitting on his lap without a care in the universe .

‘’Say did you know that the small island were I grew up was once attached to Africa?’‘ she finished off fluttering her eye lashes unnecessarily .

Cross Dr.

Nkosenye noticed the coloring of her cheeks but said nothing. “And what island would that be, Doctor?” he asked, genuinely interested in learning about her. He took a sip of his drink, but his eyes never left her.

Nkosenye, CoS

Cross felt her cheeks burning ‘’M..M..Malta’‘ was the only thing she could mutter while wondering why the sudden elevated body temp..... doctor or no doctor. This man was too cool for her liking,there was some thing that unnerved her He’s nobody’s fool Cross thought to herself ,glad Nkosenye had no telepathic abilities.

Cross Dr.

Nkosenye nodded slightly, his gaze not wavering. “Malta? I know of it, but never had the opportunity to visit. I have heard many wonderful things. My home is the opposite end of the continent. My people have lived there for as long as there is recorded history. KwaZulu-Natal, on the eastern side of South Africa and Lesotho. Do you know it?” he asked. There was a marked change in his demeanor. The usually stand-offish Security Chief had, at some point in the past few moments, been replaced with an actual person. A person who seemed to focus their entire attention upon Cross. His normal scowl had softened, and when he spoke of home there was a wistfulness in his deep voice that no one on board had heard before. He looked away momentarily to the bar and motioned for another round before turning his gaze back to Cross.

Nkosenye, CoS

Cross thought it was not fair that the man kept paying ‘’This round will be on me ‘’ she spoke in a gentle tone , the loose locks of hair softened her face which still retained traces of youth.

My people have lived there for as long as there is recorded history. KwaZulu-Natal, on the eastern side of South Africa and Lesotho. Do you know it?” he asked.

She shook her head ‘’Unfortunately I never got the chance to visit the African continent though I had planned too..some thing happened that would change the course of my life forever’‘.
Cross Dr.

Tia had hemmed and hawed about joining the festivities. She hadn’t even finished her official check ins yet. But since everyone would be there, doing her medical and XO check in at this time seemed pointless.

The young, red haired, Romanian gypsy walked into the party and looked around. Her red dress (*) was simple yet elegant. Her hair, wild and unruly like a bonfire around her head when down, was pulled back with gold and red cord in a simple knot at the base of her neck. The gold was also echoed in a simple torc around her neck with a wolf head on one side and a ball representing a full moon on the other. The ends resting lightly on her shoulder blades as if watching, or guarding, her throat.

The protem Chief of Engineering was unknown to most of the ship, so she didn’t expect anyone to rush up and welcome her. After a moment to get her bearings, she headed for the serving area and waited till she had the chance to order a nice, cold, ale. It wasn’t very ‘ladylike’, her mom would probably have said. But her dad would have approved. She took the simple glass of amber liquid and moved towards the windows and a corner near them where she could see what was happening without feeling like she was a caged animal.

Tia Ezial
CE (field promo)

(( (*) Link to the dress pic..... https://www.liligal.com/red-batwing-sleeve-one-shoulder-sheath-dress-g187201.html?currency=USD&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIv5zm3OiE3gIVrLDtCh1YZggwEAQYASABEgL6g_D_BwE ))