Posted by Cadet Tandra Mika (Doctor) in Side Sim: Cadets’ Holodeck Meetup (Pre-Sim)

Posted by Cadet Aili McMorran (Scientist) in Side Sim: Cadets’ Holodeck Meetup (Pre-Sim)

Posted by Cadet Tandra Mika (Doctor) in Side Sim: Cadets’ Holodeck Meetup (Pre-Sim)
Posted by… suppressed (1) by the Post Ghost! 👻
Panting, Cadet Aili McMorran arrived at the holodeck doors. Garbed in black activewear (a crop-top and leggings, with her hair tied back as it only ever was when she was exercising), she had taken her daily run around the decks of the ship. Ever a swine for efficiency, Aili had booked the holodeck such that she could arrive there directly from her run. She had no need to change her outfit. If anything it bolstered her self-confidence. Entering her authorisation code, Aili entered the blank simulator room.

The previous day, Aili had sent around a communique to the ship’s entire complement of Cadets, that anyone who was free would be welcome to join her, there, for introductions and some down time. However the night before she had done so, Aili hadn’t been able to get her mind off of the Doctor, Mika, that had carried out her physical. The way she had smiled and asked to be invited to socialise… was she just being friendly? Was it more? Aili tossed and turned. Having grown up largely in the company only of a grandparent or two in the middle of nothingness, Aili had… underdeveloped experience when it came to forming relationships with people her own age. Her time at the Academy had been somewhat turbulent in that regard. Aili was far too shy and inexperienced to approach the Doctor directly so she concocted a plan of sorts. Examining the crew rotation, she invited most of the crew to the holodeck two days from the time the invite was sent, the day after she was now standing there. The rest of the Cadets, including Mika, were invited for the day Aili was now there. It just so happened, Aili made sure, that the Cadets invited other than the Doctor all had duty shift commitments at the time. The result: Aili would be able to meet with Mika alone whilst writing the whole thing off as a mishap, blaming the rest of the crew being invited for the following day as a slip-up, and she’d be able to meet the rest of the Cadets that following day.

It had seemed like a grand idea two days previously but now Aili continued to perspire out of sheer nervousness. She was rather glad she had the exercise to blame for it, in fact. “Computer, run program McMorran 2”, Aili announced to the chamber. The relays and holo-emitters powered-up with a whirring, swelling groan as the dark confines of the holodeck were replaced with a grassy, slightly rocky hilltop, overlooking a long lake stretching off in both directions, surrounded by patchy pine-forest, the sun sitting low in the sky. Sitting down next to a stone triangulation marker jutting from the ground, Aili took in both the view and deep breaths, as she waited for company.

(Cadet McMorran - Science)

OOC: This is a continuation of something that started in Aili’s physical pre-sim. I’ll likely start up the ‘next day’ sim once we’ve finished this one, where all would be welcome to join! :)

Tandra arrived at the holodeck. Apparently, Cadet McMorran - Mika couldn’t remember her first name. She was awful with names - had taken her advise to heart, and had invited several of the Cadets to hang out in the holodeck. She’d gone casual, wearing athletic pants, a plain t-shirt, and walking shoes. Still, she found herself nervous. Not only had she not really associated with anyone besides Dinah Gartenburg and the Lieutenant, but she had to admit she did find… Aili, that was her name, pretty cute. But Mika tended to assume by default that the people she liked, wouldn’t be interested. So generally, she automatically perished the thoughts.

But the way Aili stuttered when she’d left the sickbay made Tandra unsure of her default thought. Hope is a heck of a drug, Mika. Besides, would a ship romance be a good idea? Her inner voice said, but she silenced it, took a deep breath, and entered the holodeck. Immediately, she was met with a scene of a grassy hill, overlooking a lake. Born in midwestern America, she had rarely seen such a… green scape, and it was very pretty to her.

Mika saw Aili, sitting next to a stone, and no one else. She figured she was early, and so she just called out to Aili. “Hey! Guess I’m the first to arrive, huh?” She said, with a smile, as she headed over and sat down by the same stone.

-Cadet Tandra Mika, Doctor

As soon as she heard the holodeck doors swing open, Aili froze in place, her leg ceasing its previous nervous bouncing. “What have you done?”, she hissed internally, slowly blinking in an attempt to clear her head before she propelled herself to her feet. Turning to face the arriving Cadet, she acknowledged her presence: “Hi! Haha yes looks like it! It’s… Tandra, right? I’m hoping that I remembered at least a few of the names as I sent out the invitations.” Gesturing to a spot of slightly sloped ground beside herself, Aili mimed the act of pulling out a chair and nodded downwards, inviting Mika to sit with her.

(Cadet McMorran - Science)

Mika took the invitation and sat down. “Yeah, it’s Tandra. It’s funny, once you’ve been in the academy for a while, it’s almost weird to hear your first name, isn’t it? By the way, you’re Aili, right?” She commented. She caught that Aili was nervous, but being the… rather dense, one that Mika tended to be, she chaulked Aili’s nervousness up to being shy about meeting everyone. As she asked her question, she looked at Aili, but as soon as she made eye contact with the other Cadet, she suddenly found herself almost embarrassed, or shy, maybe, and she looked out at the scenery. “It’s um, a pretty lake, isn’t it? You picked a really nice place.”

• Cadet Tandra Mika, Doctor

Aili didn’t need to be proficient at reading others (and she certainly wasn’t) to tell that Tandra was similarly nervous. Not daring to speculate as to why, she simply decided to display confidence as best she could. “Ah yes, well, this doesn’t do the real thing justice”, Aili replied along with a sigh that somehow conveyed contentment and discontentment all at once. “And that’s ‘loch’ to you!”, she continued, rolling the ‘l’ and hardening the ‘ch’ as best she could for comic effect, “Loch Lomond, to be precise. Folk sometimes make it out to be more special that it really is but on an evening like this, at a spot like this, it is pretty stunning.”

Aili let out a laugh and looked down at her knees. “I’ve spent far too much time alone out in places like this. Even if the landscape isn’t real, I suppose it’s nice to have some company”, she said with a tempered smile, her eyes looking up at Tandra. “Enough about me though, where’re you from?”

(Cadet McMorran - Science)