Posted by Lieutenant Junior Grade Aasrel Izei (Chief Medical Officer) in Lounge- Contemplations

Posted by Commander Shara Calloway (Executive Officer) in Lounge- Contemplations

Posted by Lieutenant Junior Grade Aasrel Izei (Chief Medical Officer) in Lounge- Contemplations
Posted by… suppressed (3) by the Post Ghost! 👻

(snip)

She gave a throaty chuckle. “Oh I know. Let’s just say I wouldn’t be here if I hadn’t been able to do what was required.” Shara’s playing paused as her mind drifted elsewhere and she had to wrench her attention from the past and firmly plant herself in the present. She steadied her breathing to calm her suddenly racing heart and went back to playing, letting each chord be an anchor.

“So what do you do when you’re not working?” she asked.

~Shara Calloway, CIO

“Oh, just read mostly,” Aasrel replied with a shrug. He noticed her internal struggle but mentioned nothing. He tried to think of something else to say, but… He didn’t really do anything else anymore. Bethany was trying to get him to pick up some of his old hobbies, but he was still reluctant to do so.

~ Izei, CMO

“What do you like to read?” she asked, shifting the song into an old folks song she had heard when she was younger. It was an isolated memory that she could keep barriers around where everything else from that time couldn’t get near enough to touch.

~Shara Calloway, CIO

“Medical things, some fantasy. That type of thing.” He nodded towards the instrument she played, “You play anything besides that?” He asked curiously.

~ Izei, CMO

Shara nodded and broke into an amused smile. “I actually started out playing the piano from a young age. My mother was classically trained and played for the local orchestra on the side. The piano has always been my first musical love, but I didn’t have access to one in the Delta Quadrant and I had learned guitar after I got married.” She patted her guitar. “This was a gift from my crewmates and is one of the few objects I own that I actually would be devastated to lose.”

~Shara Calloway, CIO

Aasrel smiled. “It’s a beautiful instrument.” He thought for a moment and then asked, “What kind of music do you like playing the most?”

~ Izei, CMO

“Hmmm,” Shara said, brows furrowing slightly. “It really depends. On guitar I enjoy playing folk music and some of the musicians my late husband loved. On the piano, I play a lot of Terran music. Classical from the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries, but a lot of more popular music from the 20th and 21st century. It really depends on my mood. But I will say that when I find myself needing music and have the piano handy, I love playing particular classical composers. Some were my mother’s favourite, some I discovered on my own.”

“Do you play or enjoy listening to music?” Shara asked.

~Shara Calloway, CIO

“Uh, it depends,” Aasrel replied with a quick shrug. “I’ve enjoyed yours.” He shrugged again, “Always kind of wanted to learn an instrument, never had the stick to it to stay with it. Or, you know.. actually pick one.”

~ Izei, CMO

Shara paused and reached over to the other chair that had her case. She pulled out a device and clamped it onto the neck of her guitar and checked that the tuning was still where she wanted it.

“Hmmm, well, I think you should start with what music you like listening to. Even if it’s vocal music, what sounds in the background are you drawn to? I would try those instruments first. And the holodeck is a great place to do lessons. Much easier than teach-yourself-tutorials, at least to start.”

I took my love, I took it down
I climbed a mountain and I turned around
And I saw my reflection in the snow-covered hills
‘Til the landslide brought me down

Oh-oh, take my love, take it down
Oh-oh, climb a mountain and you turn around
And if you see my reflection in the snow-covered hills
Well, the landslide bring it down
And if you see my reflection in the snow-covered hills
Well, the landslide bring it down
Oh-ohh, the landslide bring it down

She smiled, the memory conjured a much happier one than usual. “That was the first song I learned to play on the guitar. It was one my husband loved and the lyrics always spoke to me. Still do, honestly.” She shook her head. “I think we’re all just trying to navigate life the best way we can, for better or worse.”

OOC: Fleetwood Mac’s Landslide: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WM7-PYtXtJM

~Shara Calloway, CIO