Posted by Lieutenant Commander Daggum Hammor (Chief Operations Officer) in Chuy’s On the The Station - Working Out The Kinks

Posted by Ensign Viyara Nazeen (Scientist) in Chuy’s On the The Station - Working Out The Kinks

Posted by Lieutenant Commander Daggum Hammor (Chief Operations Officer) in Chuy’s On the The Station - Working Out The Kinks
Posted by… suppressed (2) by the Post Ghost! 👻

(snip)

Hammor watched her for a moment and then said “You don’t like talking about yourself, do you? Like… at all. That’s fine, and I’m not saying you have to. But it does lead to lop-sided conversation.” and he smiled and took a sip of water. “Survival class my third year sucked. I was teamed with a Bolian. How is that fair? He can literally eat anything! Bastard kept picking up gravel and tossing it in his mouth and making Mmmm- hmmm noises. I almost tossed him in a ravine.” and he laughed.

Hammor, Ops

Viyara laughed with Daggum. “No, that definitely isn’t fair.” She shook her head and fell silent again, becoming uncharacteristically silent. There even was a small frown on her face. And not the ‘I’m concentrating hard’ type of frown. For several moments she just nibbled a little at the mozzarella. As if she was trying to make up her mind about something.

Eventually she looked up again and when her mismatched eyes met his, there was a fire in them. “I don’t, no. I never learned how to, I guess. And if I were to let people get too close …” She narrowed her eyes and pursed her lips. “Let’s just say it’s not only through boxing and martial arts that I learned to defend and protect myself.” Reaching for her glass, she took another sip of water without breaking the eyecontact.

~Ensign Nazeen, Scientist

Daggum’s eyes didn’t leave hers. He held the contact and said “You keep protecting yourself when there isn’t something attacking you, you’re bound to have pretty lonely go of it. And Im the last person to judge someone for their past… but it sounds like you have one.” He took a drink, but kept his eyes on hers.

“Don’t we all?” Viyara asked with a soft sigh, choosing not to reply to the first part of what he had just said. He was right, of course, and she knew it. But there was a difference between knowing something deep within you and admitting it to yourself and to other people.

“But one thing I can say with absolute certainty… your past doesn’t have to dictate your future.” and his head cocked to side and he smiled a warm, friendly, wholly accepting smile.

“Or your present.”

Hammor, Ops

Without meaning to, Viyara snorted and shook her head. If only that was true. But for her, her past did dictate her present and most likely her future as well. She was good at hiding it, even from herself, but deep down within her, hidden behind smiles and her extroverted and flirtatious nature, she was still a frightened little girl. Part of her, a part that seemed to slowly become bigger since she first set foot on this weird ship, wanted to open up to someone and maybe Daggum was the best person to open up to, but the larger part of her was still afraid. Though she just kept telling herself that she wouldn’t even know where to begin and that no one would be able to follow anyways if she didn’t.

~Ensign Nazeen, Scientist

Big shoulders shrugged and he shook his head and smiled knowingly. “Hey… you do you.” and he leaned back as Mario arrived with a large tray.

In front of Viyara, he sat a plate with round, stuffed pastas. “Portobello and goat cheese stuffed ravioli on spinach noodles, and a chicken marsala for the main.”

“That looks amazing,” Viyara said enthusiastically as a wide smile lit her face up again.

In front of Hammor, he set a massive plate. “Lasagne. Chicken Parmigiano. Fettuccine Primavera.” He the set two bottles of wine between them. “House wine. You’ll love it. Trust me.” and he walked off.

Hammor’s eyes widened at the sight, and he lifted a bottle and said “Yes or no?”

Hammor, Ops

“Oh, definitely yes,” Viyara replied without missing a beat. “Don’t tell anyone, but I do appreciate a good wine,” she continued with a wink.

Lifting her now filled glass of wine, Viyara said, “To new beginnings.” After taking a sip she added, “Maybe I’ll tell you my whole story some day. I get the feeling that you would be able to understand and not look at me differently.” Spearing a ravioli onto her fork, she popped it into her mouth and chewed slowly. Letting herself really taste it. After she had swallowed, she said softly, “Let’s just say that my scars are on the inside and when I was sixteen I just couldn’t bare it anymore. Fending for myself had to better then … home.” At the last word her voice became suddenly harsh and anger flared up in her eyes. But she quickly added just as softly as before, “And it was.”

~Ensign Nazeen, Scientist