Posted by Lieutenant Nala Shai’Mori t’Liriena (Chief Science Officer) in Side sim: Slight dinner in captains quarters

Posted by Captain Alex Becket (Commanding Officer) in Side sim: Slight dinner in captains quarters

Posted by Lieutenant Nala Shai’Mori t’Liriena (Chief Science Officer) in Side sim: Slight dinner in captains quarters
Posted by… suppressed (3) by the Post Ghost! 👻
After getting to know that his new first officer is going to work well. He had thought to himself. He had started to get something to eat but had thought about Nala. =/\= Lieutenant Nala. Would you mind having a little dinner in my quarters? =/\= he tapped his combadge and started to get the replicator going on some food and drinks.

Captain Alex Becket
Commanding Officer
U.S.S. Ark Angel

Her ears flicked, confusion cutting through her concentration.

Dinner?

For a moment she just stood there, PADD still in hand, brain trying to shift gears from molecular structures to… social interaction.

“Yes—sir ” she answered quickly, then paused, recalibrating. “I mean yes. I’d be… happy to.”

A beat.

“=/= I’m on my way. =/=”

The channel closed, but she didn’t move right away.

Her gaze dropped back to the PADD.

It’s definitely a repeating sequence… but it’s not stable…

Her tail flicked once in frustration then she started walking again, already reading as she went.

⸻

By the time she reached his quarters, she was still buried in the data.

The door chimed, but she barely noticed it herself, one hand lifting automatically to trigger it while the other held the PADD close. Her ears were forward, posture slightly hunched not from anxiety this time, but from intense focus.

“…if it’s reacting to environmental stressors, then the expression rate would shift here”

She stepped inside mid-thought, only realizing where she was a second too late.

Nala froze.

Her ears shot upright, tail snapping still as awareness caught up with her.

“Captain sir” she said quickly, straightening a little too fast, PADD still clutched in her hand. “Sorry I was reviewing some genetic data from earlier scans and I think there’s”

She stopped herself, blinking, trying to switch contexts.

“…I didn’t mean to walk in like that,” she added, more composed but still a little breathless. “Thank you for inviting me.”

Her tail gave a small, apologetic flick as she finally lowered the PADD though not very far.

She clearly hadn’t let it go yet.

Lt. JG Nala

He smiled. “Hey, it’s okay. No need to apologize. It’s okay. Also, no need to be formal in here. This is where we are, rank-free. So don’t worry, Nala.” He said with a smile. “I’ve replicated some earth food. I didn’t know what you liked or anything.” He added.

Captain Alex Becket
Commanding Officer
U.S.S. Ark Angel

Nala paused for a moment, ears flicking as she processed both the words and the shift in tone.

Rank-free.

That alone took effort to adjust to.

Her posture eased a fraction not fully relaxed, but no longer locked into strict formality. The PADD lowered slightly in her hand, though she didn’t quite let it go yet.

Then her attention shifted to the food.

Her ears angled forward almost immediately, interest replacing tension for just a second. The scent registered, and her tail gave a small, unguarded sway before she caught it and pulled it back in.

Meat.

That part was simple.

“That’s… actually perfect,” Nala said, a little quicker than she meant to, but genuine.

She stepped a little further into the room, tension easing just enough to show.

“I eat anything with meat in it,” she added, matter-of-fact, with the faintest hint of relief in her voice.

Her eyes flicked back up to him, more grounded now.

“So you guessed right.”

A small pause, then

“And… thank you,” she said, more deliberately this time. “You didn’t have to do this.”

Her ears shifted again, less strained now, more open.

The “no formalities” still sat a little awkwardly with her she could feel it in the way her tail flicked once at the edge of her control but she made the effort.

“I’ll try,” she added, a touch uncertain but sincere, “to remember that this isn’t… a report.”

Then, after a brief hesitation, she glanced back toward the food.

“May I?”

Lt.jg Nala

He smiled again. “Please. Have a seat.” He nodded. “So Nala. How are you liking the ship so far?” He asked her.

Captain Alex Becket
Commanding Officer
U.S.S. Ark Angel

Nala took the seat as offered, movements more controlled now, though not entirely relaxed. Her tail curled into her lap, a familiar grounding position as she settled.

She picked up the food, hesitated only briefly, then took a bite.

Her ears lifted slightly.

“That’s… really good,” she said, a quiet note of approval slipping through before she caught it.

Another bite followed, slower this time, letting the simple familiarity of it steady her before she answered.

Her ears flicked at the question.

“It’s not my first day anymore,” Nala began, voice quick but more measured than before. “I’ve been aboard a few weeks. I’ve learned the layout, the systems, most of the routines.”

A small pause.

“But I didn’t expect to be made a department head this quickly.”

There it was.

Her tail tightened slightly in her lap, then loosened again as she forced herself to keep speaking.

“I was prepared to learn,” she continued. “To observe. To… grow into the role over time.”

Her eyes dropped briefly to the table, then lifted again.

“Instead, I’m expected to lead people who have more experience than I do,” she said, honest but not complaining. “And I know I can do the work—I’m not worried about the science.”

Another small bite, more out of grounding than hunger.

“It’s everything around it,” she admitted. “Managing people. Making decisions when there isn’t enough data. Being the one others look to.”

Her ears angled forward again, more focused now.

“I don’t dislike the ship,” she added. “I actually like it a lot. It’s just… I’m still catching up to the position I’ve been given.”

A brief pause, then a quieter truth:
“I don’t want to fail it.”

Lt.JG Nala

He would smile. “Hey, it’s okay. You won’t fail. I believe in you.” He smiled as he said what he said.

Captain Alex Becket
Commanding Officer
U.S.S. Ark Angel