08-18-2024, 09:23 PM
== subplot for Coleman and Han ==
=== previous post by Eun Ju Han included from Artemis Holodecks thread ===
Han Eun Ju had been looking forward to doing this for some time with Damian. The holodeck she had reserved had finally come up and she was excited to go on a Korean date with him. They had eaten Korean food together, thrown a fantastic Korean party together with the help of Mara, and she had been teaching him simple words here and there when they were together which was pretty much every minute off duty as possible. Eun Ju had never fallen so hard and fast for someone, the whole thing scared her sometimes, thinking she had put her heart into someone who could easily have anyone he wanted at the drop of his cute smile… and yet.. he chose to spend his time with her.
Ju had confided in her friend from the Philly, the Glitter Queen, all about her fears for the new relationship and how fast it was moving. She was afraid of what that would mean but she also knew that once they were on mission it would be a lot harder for them to spend time together. Who knew when their shifts would align, and he was a commanding officer which meant he would be pulled in any direction at any hour. Eun Ju didn’t feel unsecure in their relationship she just worried that they might burn out moving so quickly. On the other hand, she couldn’t imagine it slowing down.
Eun Ju had dated a couple guys growing up though none to really remember too fondly. Just simple dates, group dates, things like that. She had enjoyed them but never felt a connection like she did with Damian. When she was with him it was like they had already been together for months instead of just a week. Now she was going to show him a bit of Seoul which had been where she had grown up in a small two bedroom home with her Halmoni and brothers. Halmoni had passed away some time ago and Ju was sad she would never meet Damian, the old woman would have put him through paces for sure. Have him doing things he never thought he would be doing for a small Korean lady.
Ju was dressed casually as always as was Damian. Holding hands they stepped into the blank holodeck and the door closed behind them plunging them into almost pitch black. “Computer, initiate Korean Festival Seoul,” Ju said into the room, she had gone through so many in her time since joining Starfleet because she had wanted to find the one that really reminded her of home. So she had memorized a few of her favorites and decided to share this day with Damian because it not only would give him a taste of modern day Seoul but it would also give him a taste of a traditional Korean festival. One day she wanted to take him to the Joseon era and do a little fun times there, maybe a little role play, who knew, but that was an adventure for another day once he had studied up on some Korean culture and etiquette.
It was a moment before the computer spoke confirming her request and then the whole world came into being. They were standing on an overlook which looked down over the heart of Seoul. Surrounded by old fashioned neighborhoods, high rises, large corporate buildings, and in between it all some of the slums. There was a bustling of vehicles, cars, and people. Streets filled with her native language. Immediately, her entire face lit up at being home, the breeze playing with her hair moving it slightly while they stood on the overlook.
“Welcome to Korea,” she smiled brightly looking up at Damian with a smile on her face. “There’s a festival today, or I can start with a small tour. Show you where my house was, my school, favorite hang out spots. Or we can eat. What would you like to do first?”
==Tag Damian==
=== Coleman ===
Walking through the corridors, hand in hand with Ju, Damian considered himself extremely lucky. There had been a moment the day before, when he had thought about the adage of pinching oneself to wake up from a dream. In Ju he’d found some semblance of peace amongst the incredibly tumultuous waters that the previous mission had wrought upon him, and many others. The timing of Ju coming aboard, and them also discovering their true feelings for one another, couldn’t have been better timed. If it was a dream, he definitely didn’t want to wake up. And if he did wake up, he’d make the dream a reality all over again.
“Computer, initiate Korean Festival Seoul.”
It took only a moment for the computer to acknowledge the request and begin the transformation of the room through the holographic matrix. Damian gently squeezed Ju’s hand as the world around them changed; a wide smile on his mouth reached up into his eyes as he took in the view from their vista atop an overlook. It was breathtaking, and all of it was a discovery for him as Damian had never been to Korea before, and certainly not Seoul. While he hadn’t spent his whole life on a starbase, and had certainly traveled for his boxing tournaments, those expeditions had never landed him on Korean soil.
The streets were busy, full of life and people. Conversations from passersby filled the air along with the scents of the city. It could have been overwhelming, though having Ju beside him, holding his hand, anchored him to the moment. Instead of letting it stunlock him, Damian made the conscious choice to take it all in and be present.
“Welcome to Korea…”
Ju’s voice pulled his gaze towards hers, and it seemed they both were wearing matching smiles. As she listed off the options, he wasn’t sure about which he should choose first. The festival would be exciting, and was definitely high up on the list of experiences that he wanted to indulge in. Though the offer of a small tour, of getting to know Ju better, was tantalizing. As much as they seemed to fit like puzzle pieces made for one another, there was still plenty that they were learning about each other. This was a chance for him to get to know her even better, and deepen their rather rapidly progressing connection.
“...Or we can eat. What would you like to do first?”
The offer of food had Damian chuckling. If there was one thing they had done a lot together since she’d come aboard, sharing meals was perhaps the most frequent of their activities. He didn’t mind at all, as Damian very much enjoyed spending that time with Ju, as well as exploring all sorts of culinary delights. However, at least for the moment, he wanted to focus on something they didn’t normally do together.
“Hmmm,” he playfully stalled.
“Well I want to check out the festival for sure. All of this is new to me, and seeing that would definitely be an experience that I want to share with you.”
Damian’s thumb gently caressed the top of Ju’s hand held in his.
“But, I gotta say, my curiosity is the strongest pull here. Take me on a tour and show me all your old haunts. That way I get to see more of this beautiful city, and I’ll get to know more about you along the way. By the time we finish that up, I’ll also look less like a tourist hopefully.”
Even though the holodeck was filled with fictional characters, who didn't really care about Damian gawking, he’d already been transported to somewhere that felt real. Being with Ju helped that transition from holodeck to reality, as the wind wisped her hair, and he had to hold himself back from tucking the stray strands back into place.
As they started walking together through the busy streets, Damian couldn’t help but feel some awe. The mixture of architecture was stunning, but also didn’t reveal just how dense of a population that the city held. Swarms of people always seemed to be around, and Coleman had to turn off the security side of himself to keep from feeling a like he needed a team for overwatch; which was easy enough, as his subconscious knew and realized they were in a simulation.
“I love the buildings here. Plus it is wildly busy. When I was younger, the only times that I saw this many people was when the starbase would be host to a bunch of starships returning. People would stream out from the docking areas into all the other spaces. It is going to take some getting used to for me.”
It was something Damian rather sheepishly admitted. If it was a mission, he’d find a focus to get him through. However, he was here with Ju to explore, and that left him more afloat than he was accustomed. He maintained his gentle grasp of Ju’s hand, his thumb still absentmindedly running across her smooth skin; and he walked just slightly closer to her, maintaining her pace instead of his own.
=== previous post by Eun Ju Han included from Artemis Holodecks thread ===
Han Eun Ju had been looking forward to doing this for some time with Damian. The holodeck she had reserved had finally come up and she was excited to go on a Korean date with him. They had eaten Korean food together, thrown a fantastic Korean party together with the help of Mara, and she had been teaching him simple words here and there when they were together which was pretty much every minute off duty as possible. Eun Ju had never fallen so hard and fast for someone, the whole thing scared her sometimes, thinking she had put her heart into someone who could easily have anyone he wanted at the drop of his cute smile… and yet.. he chose to spend his time with her.
Ju had confided in her friend from the Philly, the Glitter Queen, all about her fears for the new relationship and how fast it was moving. She was afraid of what that would mean but she also knew that once they were on mission it would be a lot harder for them to spend time together. Who knew when their shifts would align, and he was a commanding officer which meant he would be pulled in any direction at any hour. Eun Ju didn’t feel unsecure in their relationship she just worried that they might burn out moving so quickly. On the other hand, she couldn’t imagine it slowing down.
Eun Ju had dated a couple guys growing up though none to really remember too fondly. Just simple dates, group dates, things like that. She had enjoyed them but never felt a connection like she did with Damian. When she was with him it was like they had already been together for months instead of just a week. Now she was going to show him a bit of Seoul which had been where she had grown up in a small two bedroom home with her Halmoni and brothers. Halmoni had passed away some time ago and Ju was sad she would never meet Damian, the old woman would have put him through paces for sure. Have him doing things he never thought he would be doing for a small Korean lady.
Ju was dressed casually as always as was Damian. Holding hands they stepped into the blank holodeck and the door closed behind them plunging them into almost pitch black. “Computer, initiate Korean Festival Seoul,” Ju said into the room, she had gone through so many in her time since joining Starfleet because she had wanted to find the one that really reminded her of home. So she had memorized a few of her favorites and decided to share this day with Damian because it not only would give him a taste of modern day Seoul but it would also give him a taste of a traditional Korean festival. One day she wanted to take him to the Joseon era and do a little fun times there, maybe a little role play, who knew, but that was an adventure for another day once he had studied up on some Korean culture and etiquette.
It was a moment before the computer spoke confirming her request and then the whole world came into being. They were standing on an overlook which looked down over the heart of Seoul. Surrounded by old fashioned neighborhoods, high rises, large corporate buildings, and in between it all some of the slums. There was a bustling of vehicles, cars, and people. Streets filled with her native language. Immediately, her entire face lit up at being home, the breeze playing with her hair moving it slightly while they stood on the overlook.
“Welcome to Korea,” she smiled brightly looking up at Damian with a smile on her face. “There’s a festival today, or I can start with a small tour. Show you where my house was, my school, favorite hang out spots. Or we can eat. What would you like to do first?”
==Tag Damian==
=== Coleman ===
Walking through the corridors, hand in hand with Ju, Damian considered himself extremely lucky. There had been a moment the day before, when he had thought about the adage of pinching oneself to wake up from a dream. In Ju he’d found some semblance of peace amongst the incredibly tumultuous waters that the previous mission had wrought upon him, and many others. The timing of Ju coming aboard, and them also discovering their true feelings for one another, couldn’t have been better timed. If it was a dream, he definitely didn’t want to wake up. And if he did wake up, he’d make the dream a reality all over again.
“Computer, initiate Korean Festival Seoul.”
It took only a moment for the computer to acknowledge the request and begin the transformation of the room through the holographic matrix. Damian gently squeezed Ju’s hand as the world around them changed; a wide smile on his mouth reached up into his eyes as he took in the view from their vista atop an overlook. It was breathtaking, and all of it was a discovery for him as Damian had never been to Korea before, and certainly not Seoul. While he hadn’t spent his whole life on a starbase, and had certainly traveled for his boxing tournaments, those expeditions had never landed him on Korean soil.
The streets were busy, full of life and people. Conversations from passersby filled the air along with the scents of the city. It could have been overwhelming, though having Ju beside him, holding his hand, anchored him to the moment. Instead of letting it stunlock him, Damian made the conscious choice to take it all in and be present.
“Welcome to Korea…”
Ju’s voice pulled his gaze towards hers, and it seemed they both were wearing matching smiles. As she listed off the options, he wasn’t sure about which he should choose first. The festival would be exciting, and was definitely high up on the list of experiences that he wanted to indulge in. Though the offer of a small tour, of getting to know Ju better, was tantalizing. As much as they seemed to fit like puzzle pieces made for one another, there was still plenty that they were learning about each other. This was a chance for him to get to know her even better, and deepen their rather rapidly progressing connection.
“...Or we can eat. What would you like to do first?”
The offer of food had Damian chuckling. If there was one thing they had done a lot together since she’d come aboard, sharing meals was perhaps the most frequent of their activities. He didn’t mind at all, as Damian very much enjoyed spending that time with Ju, as well as exploring all sorts of culinary delights. However, at least for the moment, he wanted to focus on something they didn’t normally do together.
“Hmmm,” he playfully stalled.
“Well I want to check out the festival for sure. All of this is new to me, and seeing that would definitely be an experience that I want to share with you.”
Damian’s thumb gently caressed the top of Ju’s hand held in his.
“But, I gotta say, my curiosity is the strongest pull here. Take me on a tour and show me all your old haunts. That way I get to see more of this beautiful city, and I’ll get to know more about you along the way. By the time we finish that up, I’ll also look less like a tourist hopefully.”
Even though the holodeck was filled with fictional characters, who didn't really care about Damian gawking, he’d already been transported to somewhere that felt real. Being with Ju helped that transition from holodeck to reality, as the wind wisped her hair, and he had to hold himself back from tucking the stray strands back into place.
As they started walking together through the busy streets, Damian couldn’t help but feel some awe. The mixture of architecture was stunning, but also didn’t reveal just how dense of a population that the city held. Swarms of people always seemed to be around, and Coleman had to turn off the security side of himself to keep from feeling a like he needed a team for overwatch; which was easy enough, as his subconscious knew and realized they were in a simulation.
“I love the buildings here. Plus it is wildly busy. When I was younger, the only times that I saw this many people was when the starbase would be host to a bunch of starships returning. People would stream out from the docking areas into all the other spaces. It is going to take some getting used to for me.”
It was something Damian rather sheepishly admitted. If it was a mission, he’d find a focus to get him through. However, he was here with Ju to explore, and that left him more afloat than he was accustomed. He maintained his gentle grasp of Ju’s hand, his thumb still absentmindedly running across her smooth skin; and he walked just slightly closer to her, maintaining her pace instead of his own.