01-08-2026, 01:02 AM
I needed this. I needed this so badly.
Robin had finally dried off from her dip in the lake, more or less. Her dark blue denim shorts would take a while longer than the purple one piece swimsuit she was wearing (one that conspicuously matched her hair and eyes) but it was getting there. It was warm enough that having a wet butt didn't bother her. She could have peeled the shorts off, of course, and most people probably would have (or wouldn't have swam in them in the first place), but the tiny nurse was still ridiculously modest sometimes. Her pixie cut was completely unstyled and had been towel-dried and left to its own messy affair. She was barefoot, though she had a pair of sandals in her bag. There was just something about walking barefoot in grass that she loved. They didn't have it on Iota Tau and she'd spent most of the years since leaving the colony living on ships or at the Academy.
She'd spent the early part of the day in Grasmere eating and shopping and eating. She'd tried a couple of the local restaurants and one of the bakeries, and each and every one had been a treat. All of her loot (including the good-sized bag of chocolates she's procured) had been beamed to her small home in West Virginia. But now the Augment was starving again, as usual, so of course her first stop were the tables of food. It smelled wonderful.
She considered for a moment, then went for a medium rare double cheeseburger stacked with the classic Jimmy Buffet loadout (lettuce, tomato, Munster, steak sauce, and an onion slice) along with a pickle spear and some potato chips...
This is the UK. They're crisps.
And a cola got her started. She'd be back.
Mara, Aeryn, and one of the Security team (Ardanna Svenson) were already at one of the gazebos, and more Artemis crew would be arriving shortly. Robin joined them. She needed to socialize. Her nightmares of the horrible cloning facility had been frequent and she'd returned to Sickbay in a funk, barely socializing with anyone during the trip to Earth. Even after the ship had reached the Federation capital she'd spent her time cooped up in her house doing some basic chores and wasting time watching the latest holodramas. That wasn't like her and she knew it. Ordinarily Earth was like a giant theme park, filled with endless things to see and do. So this was a good start, a sort of refocusing of self.
"OK, that’s fuckin’ good. Whoever you got on the grill needs a pay rise. How you doin’? I still remember gettin’ conned into that Artemismas thing. Bein’ responsible for people havin’ a good time was a new kinda pressure. You look like you’re copin’ better than I did.”
She's selling herself short. That party was a blast.
"Hey, how's everyone?" Robin said as a standard-issue conversation opener. In the few steps between the grill and the gazebo several large bites had mysteriously been taken out of her burger, and she wiped her mouth with a napkin and swallowed before continuing. The poor thing wouldn't last long.
Oh man that's so good.
"Aeryn, this place is amazing. It's so green. I love it!" Greenery like this wasn't something she was used to. The weather was perfect and she appreciated the warmth. The Artemis always felt cold to her. "And I'll second Mara's comment. That's some good grilling." The Security chief had a ribeye sandwich, something that sounded like a great second helping.
== Tag everyone ==
Robin had finally dried off from her dip in the lake, more or less. Her dark blue denim shorts would take a while longer than the purple one piece swimsuit she was wearing (one that conspicuously matched her hair and eyes) but it was getting there. It was warm enough that having a wet butt didn't bother her. She could have peeled the shorts off, of course, and most people probably would have (or wouldn't have swam in them in the first place), but the tiny nurse was still ridiculously modest sometimes. Her pixie cut was completely unstyled and had been towel-dried and left to its own messy affair. She was barefoot, though she had a pair of sandals in her bag. There was just something about walking barefoot in grass that she loved. They didn't have it on Iota Tau and she'd spent most of the years since leaving the colony living on ships or at the Academy.
She'd spent the early part of the day in Grasmere eating and shopping and eating. She'd tried a couple of the local restaurants and one of the bakeries, and each and every one had been a treat. All of her loot (including the good-sized bag of chocolates she's procured) had been beamed to her small home in West Virginia. But now the Augment was starving again, as usual, so of course her first stop were the tables of food. It smelled wonderful.
She considered for a moment, then went for a medium rare double cheeseburger stacked with the classic Jimmy Buffet loadout (lettuce, tomato, Munster, steak sauce, and an onion slice) along with a pickle spear and some potato chips...
This is the UK. They're crisps.
And a cola got her started. She'd be back.
Mara, Aeryn, and one of the Security team (Ardanna Svenson) were already at one of the gazebos, and more Artemis crew would be arriving shortly. Robin joined them. She needed to socialize. Her nightmares of the horrible cloning facility had been frequent and she'd returned to Sickbay in a funk, barely socializing with anyone during the trip to Earth. Even after the ship had reached the Federation capital she'd spent her time cooped up in her house doing some basic chores and wasting time watching the latest holodramas. That wasn't like her and she knew it. Ordinarily Earth was like a giant theme park, filled with endless things to see and do. So this was a good start, a sort of refocusing of self.
"OK, that’s fuckin’ good. Whoever you got on the grill needs a pay rise. How you doin’? I still remember gettin’ conned into that Artemismas thing. Bein’ responsible for people havin’ a good time was a new kinda pressure. You look like you’re copin’ better than I did.”
She's selling herself short. That party was a blast.
"Hey, how's everyone?" Robin said as a standard-issue conversation opener. In the few steps between the grill and the gazebo several large bites had mysteriously been taken out of her burger, and she wiped her mouth with a napkin and swallowed before continuing. The poor thing wouldn't last long.
Oh man that's so good.
"Aeryn, this place is amazing. It's so green. I love it!" Greenery like this wasn't something she was used to. The weather was perfect and she appreciated the warmth. The Artemis always felt cold to her. "And I'll second Mara's comment. That's some good grilling." The Security chief had a ribeye sandwich, something that sounded like a great second helping.
== Tag everyone ==