AT/D04 - Officer's Lounge

[Tyra Crawford]

==

[Hallowette Maxas-Darl]

=Recall Timeline==

The lounge was more quiet than it ever was while underway. That was to be expected, Hallowette reckoned, given the crew was far from fully accounted for, and it would take a few more days until they would be.
The lanky hybrid waved a small hello to one of the bartenders as she entered, scanning the room for any familiar faces, before moving on to a table bordering the large canvas window that looked out on the spacedock and Earth just beyond it. It was always amazing to her just how blue the world was. Even Trill and Bajor, with their purple and emerald oceans, felt different somehow. No less beautiful, perhaps, but Earth possessed a particular brilliance that always managed to catch her attention. She wondered if humanity ever truly noticed it anymore, or if familiarity had rendered such beauty invisible, as it often seemed to do.

She removed a PADD from the thigh pocket on her uniform and placed it on the table. She scrolled through the various pages of data and settled on a book by a Romulan monk who had recently become an ambassador to Vulcan. She found the discourse of evolved diplomacy fascinating, especially as to how it related to two species that originated from the same evolved source, yet diverged so drastically.

After some time the young auburn haired tactical officer grew aware of the gnawing sensation that sat just under the pouch on her abdomen, and she decided to settle the sensation with a quick bite. During her time on leave, she'd spent a fair amount of time in the United Kingdom, and while there she had discovered a simple, yet delicious human dish called Welsh Rarebit. She strode to the replicators, punched in a few keys and then waited patiently as the matter condensers assembled a plate of the crisp, gooey and melty dish. Returning to her seat at the window, stopping only to get a glass of fresh beneer juice from the bar, she sat and began to eat as she dove back into her book, only looking up occasionally when someone new entered the lounge. 

==TAG ANYONE!==

[Ardanna Svenson]

<< Gym <<

Following her workout and after dropping her gym bag off at her quarters Ardanna decided that some sustenance was required before she reported to Security. Besides the Ensign had worked up quite the appetite and while she could have gone to the Complex early, the lounge appealed to her more and if she was lucky she might even bump into someone she knew, which was always a bonus.

Ardanna had also wisely dressed in her uniform, saving her time in the long run as she made her way to the lounge, with the intention of eating something relatively healthy especially after the indulgences that came with being on leave.

It was time to get back to more than her usual workout routine, and that included her diet with perhaps the exception of her cheat day once a week. For now though her choice was already made as the brunette lower ranked officer entered the lounge, her unique gaze casting a glance around to see if she knew anyone. While she hadn't spent much time with Maxas-Darl, Ardanna figured this would be a good opportunity to rectify that as she stopped by the replicators and ordered a chicken and bacon salad with a side of fresh berries before making one last pit stop to order and receive a glass of strawberry lemonade.

Thanking the bartender, Ardanna then carried her tray over to where Hallowette was sitting and greeted her warmly. “ Hey Hallowette, would it be okay for me to join you?”

== Tag Hally ==

[Hallowette Maxas-Darl]

==Artemis Recall==

“ Hey Hallowette, would it be okay for me to join you?”

The voice was warm, and while not completely familiar, it wasn't unknown to her either. Hally looked up from her PADD to see the athletic form of one of the ship's security Ensign's, a woman who she knew well enough to call her by her first name, but wasn't someone she knew in any intimate fashion.

"Oh, hey Ardanna, of course, have a seat."

She gestured towards an open chair at the table and sat forward as she did so, making sure to slide the PADD away from her as she placed her attention on the newcomer.

"How are you? How was your leave? I've not seen you since the picnic."

[Ardanna Svenson]

If Hallowette didn't want any company, Ardanna would have understood, but thankfully, the pilot acknowledged her request before gesturing to the empty chair opposite her. " Thank you", Ardanna replied as she placed her tray down onto the table, then took the available chair. When asked how she was and how her leave had been, the security officer smiled, deciding it wouldn't hurt to let the other woman know what had happened during her leave, and how Hallowette would be the first person other than her brother and friends to learn about a rather happy development in her personal life.

" I'm really good, and leave was better than I thought it would be", she began. " After I saw you at the BBQ, I spent some time with my brother and friends from the Academy which was awesome as I haven't seen them for ages, and oh yes me and Ollie are an official couple now".

Grinning slightly, Ardanna paused to take a sip of her drink, giving Hallowette the time to digest that particular piece of news. The brunette didn't expect anyone to be surprised considering how close she was with Ollie, but leave had given them the chance to develop their relationship further, and while she wasn't usually the type to get to this stage with someone, the handsome Aussie had changed her mind and she could confidently call him her boyfriend.

" How about you, how have you been since I last saw you?"

== Tag Hally ==

[Eun Ju Han]

Having docked on Earth was a true treat for Eun Ju. Being able to finally go back and visit her brother in Korea had been an unexpected but much-needed experience. There was something special about being home for a little while. The smell of Korean street food, the taste of fresh, unreplicated kimchi, drinking her brother under the table with soju the first night as she caught him up on all her exploits from the Artemis since she had left. She had gone to visit her Halmoni's grave as well, leaving flowers and her favorite food as an offering to her in the afterlife. It had been a trip that had grounded her again. She had fallen for someone, lost him, and then had a hard time feeling as though she wasn't exactly sure what to do with herself after that. She had heard nothing from him, and now she had put that behind her. She had spent longer without him than with, it just took her time to kind of recenter and ground herself.

Hopefully, the stigma of being the one who was dating the first officer, who got arrested, and was carted off the ship would have also died down some.

Eun Ju had come back on board earlier this morning and settled back into her Quarters. She had decided to combat her loneliness at times, to bring a small mini-rabbit with her so she had gotten the little bunny set up with it's own area. She had decided to name the little fluff ball Nari, which was Korean for Lily. With all the travels, Nari had gone right into the little rabbit hut she had set up for it and fallen asleep, which left Ju little to nothing to do and a lot of time on her hands. It felt odd to be back, but right somehow, she had brought a ton of Korean snacks back with her too so she could have a taste of home from time to time, since she did not know when she would have a chance to return to Earth again.

Ju stepped into the officer's lounge wearing her uniform because it was just easier than going with her casual clothes on board at this time. There were two females already having a conversation to the side, but she didn't know either of them; she didn't think. Being an Engineer, she was often busy and in the depths of the ship, fighting mechanical demons rather than up on the social floors making friends. Not that she didn't have any, her boss was more-or-less a friend, perhaps closer to an acquaintance, but they worked together well enough. She also had made other friends here, even Calleja, with her epic temper.

The Korean stepped up to the bar and ordered herself a bottle of soju and a small glass. She might as well relax a little bit before heading back to her quarters. The decision now came to, did she ask to join the two women who seemed to know each other, or did she stay by herself and wait to be invited? I don't even know them. What if I make a fool of myself. I should make more friends though. They can keep me busy off hours. We could do fun things together. Maybe they like watching K-dramas, or listening to Kpop. Maybe they want to work out at the gym or something. It could be good to branch out again.

Her thoughts were interupted as the bartender put a bottle of soju and a small glass in front of her. "Do it, go say hi," the bartender said, nodding her head to the other two women. Ju blushed, feeling as though he had been seen, but she gave a bit of a nod and turned. Taking a deep breath, Ju crossed from the bar to the other two women at the table.

"Do you mind if I join you? I'm Eun Ju, by the way, or Ju for short," she said, waiting for the two to answer nervously.

==Tag Hallowette and Ardanna==

[Hallowette Maxas-Darl]

The smile that crossed Hallowette's face was immediate. "So you two finally made it official, huh?" punctuating the question with a soft laugh. "Well, congratulations, Ardanna. That's such happy news."

The happiness in the young security officers expression was difficult to miss, and Hally found herself genuinely pleased for her. Ardanna and Ollie had been dancing around becoming official for a while, and most everyone who knew the two of them, even just as acquaintances could see how much they fancied one another. Ollie had a reputation for being an unabashed flirt, but once he had settled his affections on Ardanna, his target lock had become more or less solid on her alone.

Before she could ask anything further, another voice joined them.

"Do you mind if I join you? I'm Eun Ju, by the way, or Ju for short."

Hallowette looked up and offered a welcoming smile. "Not at all. Please." She gestured toward an empty chair. "I'm Hallowette. Hally, uhm, usually." As Ju settled in, Hally moved her PADD aside and made a little more room at the table. "Perfect timing, actually. Ardanna was just sharing some good news." The Trill-Bajoran hybrid glanced toward the security officer with an amused expression. "I'll let her tell you about it herself."

Once everyone had settled, Ardanna's earlier question returned to her. How had her leave been?

For a moment she found herself looking back out toward Earth hanging beyond the spacedock. "It was nice," she said softly. "Maybe little quieter than I expected." A faint smile touched her lips. "My family is spread across several worlds these days, so I wasn't really able to visit anyone." Her delicate spot lined hands tapped thoughtfully on the table, "My Dad and his family are still on Cardassia, and with the diplomatic challenges between them and the Federation heating up, my request to visit was denied."

She missed her Dad, little sister and step mom. Knowing the state of affairs were deteriorating, she worried greatly for them, but trusted that her father's status as an official Bajoran envoy would likely protect them more than any starship could. Still, it had been well over a year since she had seem them in person, and she yearned to just be among them for a little bit. "So I mostly stayed on Earth."

Her eyes brightened slightly. "I think I spent about half my leave wandering around places on Earth I'd not gotten a chance to see while at the Academy. Johannesburg. Seattle. Kyoto. Little villages and museums and old ruins." She laughed. "I probably looked completely ridiculous. Everywhere I went there were humans walking past things that were hundreds or thousands of years old without a second glance, while I was standing there staring at everything." It was one of the things she loved most about Earth. The weight of history seemed to exist alongside everyday life in a way few worlds managed. Preserved, cherished, but not buried under the pretense of the sacred like on Bajor or the mythological like on a planet like Qo'nos - just history for history sake.

"I also volunteered at the Academy." That smile lingered. "My old instructor was looking for pilots willing to spend some time mentoring cadets." Her shoulders lifted slightly. "I told myself it was because I wanted to help." The grin that followed suggested there was more to it than that. "But honestly? I think I just needed something meaningful to do." There had been days when she felt the absence of family more keenly than others. Teaching had helped with that. "The cadets were wonderful. Exhausting sometimes, but wonderful." She chuckled. "They reminded me that every officer starts somewhere. Every confident pilot you meet was once a nervous student trying not to embarrass themselves in a simulator."

Looking between Ardanna and Ju, her expression softened. "And it was nice feeling useful. Nice being part of something, even while everyone else was off living their lives." Realizing she had perhaps become a little more reflective than intended, she reached for her beneer juice and smiled, turning towards the pretty young engineer, "But enough about me. What about you, Ju? Did you get to spend much time on your homeworld?"