This was probably the first day in all her time aboard the Challenger that Tandra rushed out of the Sickbay the very moment she was off-duty. Jogging down the ship’s corridors, she very narrowly avoided a few collisions as she rushed back to her own quarters. She had two hours before her date with Aili, and she felt it couldn’t possibly be enough time. Between finding something to wear (why was it that all she had were uniforms and T-shirts?) and getting ready (should she wear make-up, or should she stick with her usual strategy of just avoiding all but the bare minimums?) and showering, and…

Stop it. She told herself, Getting all nervous and rushing about is how you’ll make a fool of yourself. Again. Slowing down, the first thing she did was take a shower and freshen up. As she dried her hair, she couldn’t help but think, I… really need a haircut… Her hair, once cut short into a pixie cut style, had grown down to her ears. A little past there, now. And she was awfully out of practice at styling hair… Finally, she decided to just leave it be, threw some product in, and moved to her closet.

Clothes, clothes… She flipped through shirts, neatly hung up on their hangers, thinking no, no, no. Ew, why do I still own this? No, no. as she did so. Finally, she settled on a plain white T-shirt and some beige slacks that sat more on the casual side of the style scale. For her shoes, she picked out some dressy flats, which were a darker lime green in color.

Leaving the closet, she returned to the mirror and began with her make-up. She started with a base layer, some primer and anti-aging lotion. (Yes, she was only 24, and rather a tomboy, but even she did not want to be wrinkly when she got old. Or at least, quite as wrinkly.) Then, she applied some foundation, which luckily, she had been able to find one that matched her skin tone very well. Her skin was naturally fairly nice, but a little evening out the tones never hurt. All her make-up was quite light-weight, she hated that cake-y look girls got when they wore too much. She started then with the colors, beginning with a light pink blush. For her eyes, she used a few shades of blue eyeshadow, to bring out the color in her eyes. She applied some mascara, and then a little bit of eyeliner underneath her eyes. Finally, she finished up with lip balm. A lightly tinted pink, just to make the color come alive a little more. In the end, she was left looking mostly like her usual self, but more polished, enhanced. Lastly, she put on a dash of perfume, a scent in an expensive brand called “Blueberry Muffin”. She never understood why they named perfumes these things, they never smelled much like the name, but it was a sweet, fruity smell.

With a final peek in the mirror and brush through of her hair, she felt confident that she was ready. 18:53. Just in time. She headed out of her own quarters, and walked rather briskly to Aili’s quarters. I hope she hasn’t forgotten, or changed her mind or something… She thought, hesitating just outside the door. No, she was as excited as I was. She’ll be happy to see me, she managed to talk herself up, took a deep breath, and rang the buzzer for Aili’s quarters.

~ Cadet Tandra Mika, Doctor