Posted by Lieutenant Kiama Naim (Chief Science Officer) in Side Sim: Friends and good food -what else does one need?

Posted by Lieutenant Faye Calloway (Mission Specialist) in Side Sim: Friends and good food -what else does one need?

Posted by Lieutenant Kiama Naim (Chief Science Officer) in Side Sim: Friends and good food -what else does one need?
Posted by… suppressed (1) by the Post Ghost! 👻

(snip)

“No it doesn’t,” Faye said with a proper smile. Inwardly, she was proud of Kiama for not hiding her opinion, because it sure seemed she needed to get it out! And it allowed Faye to push down those other feelings, the discomfort of the conversational topic (though Naim had idea what they had actually stumbled upon and it had been entirely Faye’s doing) along with something darker. “I didn’t mean to accuse you of anything,” she said softly, moving back to the counter after having turned off the water.

“I know and I didn’t think you were. It’s more … I don’t know. I guess I still forget sometimes that not everyone around me knows exactly what I’m thinking and feeling,” Kiama replied and returned the smile. “Thank you, Faye.”

She nudged Kiama gently with her elbow. “You should toss that anger into making a mean curry. the spicier the better,” she said with a gleam in her grey-green eyes.

~Faye Calloway

Chuckling softly, Kiama nudged her playfully back. “I can certainly do that!” she grinned and then turned back to the stove. For a little bit she worked in silence, lost in her own thoughts when something Faye had said fully sank in. Before she could think better of it, she tilted her head towards her and asked, “You said you were that employee once. What did you mean? If you want to and feel comfortable telling me.”

~Lt. Naim, CSO

Faye turned on the water while Kiama started cooking and was immediately torn. Kiama was so open with her and Faye felt like anything she would bring up was heavy or an undesirable topic. And there were certain places she didn’t want to go. She had move on. Why dredge up more of the past? At the same time she didn’t want Kiama to think it was her. So she went the natural path. “Well, before I joined Starfleet I worked on freighters and merchant ships doing odd jobs. On one of them I was, in addition to being a deck hand, the cook. Those people barely knew their way around a pot,” she said with a fond smile. And it wasn’t a lie either, but it also wasn’t the whole truth. It wasn’t the thing that had reacted against Kiama’s story of growing up in a fine a home.

~Faye Calloway

Kiama sensed that that there was more to that then Faye was sharing, but that was okay. She wanted her to share as much or as little as she felt comfortable. After all, she was her friend and cared a lot about her. Pushing her to talk about things she didn’t want to talk would be unkind at best. Not to mention that, as open as she herself had been, there were still things in her past she didn’t like to about. Things that even all those years later still hurt. Instead she mused, “I always find it amazing what different types of people Starfleet brings together. Just look at us. Grown up far apart and under different circumstances and all. Yet here we are. Two Starfleet officers out here in the Delta Quadrant. Serving on the same ship. If it wasn’t for Starfleet we probably never would have met and never would have become friends. That would be a shame. More than that, really.”

~Lt. Naim, CSO

Similar thoughts has crossed Faye’s mind before, but it had always taken a different slant. “I’ve thought about leaving Starfleet many times, but I’ve done the aimless life before and that’s all that there would be for me. I’m not interested in repeating it. So, I stay.” She cast a glance Naim’s way. “But I’m glad I came to the Manhattan. Despite everything that happened and the… secrecy of my original assignment, I’m happy here. I never thought I’d say that about any place, and that has to do with the people I think.”

The water had come to a boil, so Faye turned the temperature down and gently added the rinsed rice, securing the lid firmly. “Rice is in. Should take twelve to fifteen minutes.”

~Faye Calloway