Posted by Lieutenant Commander Faye Calloway (Chief Intelligence Officer) in Introducing Rollin, Lounge Host Extraordinaire

Posted by Lieutenant Junior Grade Charlie Bailey (Doctor) in Introducing Rollin, Lounge Host Extraordinaire

Posted by Civilian Rollin (Lounge Host) in Introducing Rollin, Lounge Host Extraordinaire

(snip)

There was reverence in the way he listened—unblinking, unhurried, fully present. As if every word she offered deserved its own cathedral.

Not just the story of her father, though that alone would have hollowed out lesser men. Not just the unorthodox love story with her husband, though it sang with the kind of conviction poets spent lifetimes trying to capture. It was the whole of her—the quiet defiance, the loyalty so fierce it burned at the edges, the heart stitched together not despite the wreckage, but because of it.

When she finished, when her vow—small and shining and terribly, wonderfully human—settled between them, Rollin reached out.

Not to reclaim the ring.

To brush his fingers gently against hers, just once, as though affirming the transfer of something sacred.

“Fair,” he said, his voice as soft as dusk. “More than fair.”

The touch, though brief, settled something in Faye and she wasn’t even sure she knew what that was. Perhaps a nervousness that she had given away too much, or even that the effortless and beautiful reciprocity was cease. She breathed more easily.

A smile followed—but not his usual dazzling brand. This one was quieter. Wiser. The kind of smile you gave someone when you recognized a fellow keeper of impossible promises.

“And should that day come—should you ever find I need reminding—I’ll accept it back. Gratefully. But until then…” His gaze flicked toward her hand, now cradling the ring. “It looks better with you than it ever did with me.”

He sat back just enough to let the moment breathe, then added—light, but sincere:

“Besides,” he said quietly, with something like affection threading through the words, “I think Jo would’ve liked you. Stern exterior, soul of a poet, integrity stitched into every breath…”

A beat, then the faintest smile—no mischief this time, just warmth.

“He respected people who knew who they were. Even more so when they carried it with grace.”

-Rollin
Just Rollin. That’s quite enough, Darling.

Faye laughed so openly that it almost even startled her. “Your’re hilarious, though I’m sure you don’t yet realize why.” She shook her head and leaned in. “Grace is not a commonly associated word with me. I’m messy Rollin’. You’re just catching me on a much more steady day. Trust me, you’ll see it sooner rather than later.”

“Grace comes in many forms, Faye Calloway,” he said, the words smooth but carrying weight. “You might try giving yourself some—you wear it better than you think.”

Faye went quiet, almost still, as she process that little nugget. She did give herself grace but it looked different than people might expect. And yet, the way he let that wisdom roll over her with such gentleness felt… actually, she didn’t know. Maybe that was okay.

Charlie stifled a yawn as she trudged through the door to the lounge. She had briefly considered just returning to her quarters but she was keen to start getting to know her new ship mates.

She plonked herself down at an empty stool. “Room for one more?” She asked hopefully.

• Lt (jg) Bailey (Doctor)

Everything shifted in that moment. It wasn’t that Faye was suddenly different, but the doctor was an unknown variable that she didn’t know how fit into this moment. That was fine. It was a lounge… The Temple she corrected herself. People came and went and she knew that. Calloway momentarily chastised herself for being so caught up in her conversation with Rollin that she lost track of what was happening around her. Ahh well, wouldn’t be the first time (a fact that would surprise most crew members when they first learned what her role was on the ship).

Stormy grey-green eyes took in the new comer and both hands came to rest against her glass. The ring was no longer there and it would have taken a great deal of intense focus to have seen the moment she had tucked it safely away. “It’s a big bar, Doctor Charlie Bailey” Faye said. Yes, she knew who the woman was. “And Rollin here will make it seem like the coziest space you’ve ever been. You’ve been warned,” she said, a smirk playing on her lips.

~Faye Calloway, CIO

Charlie gulped as it dawned on her she had interrupted their deep conversation. She awkwardly cleared her throat and shifted in her seat. “Thank you Lt Commander,” she replied sheepishly.

“It’s Faye,” she said. “I might be in uniform but I’m not quite on duty right now.”

Rollin’s gaze slid to the newcomer with the easy grace of someone who had made a career out of greeting strangers as if they’d been expected all along.

“Always room for one more, Doctor Bailey,” he said, the title wrapped in velvet rather than formality. “You’ve walked in on a quiet conversation, but I promise the drinks are much louder.”

Charlie bit her lip and went to get up. “I’m so sorry, I interrupted your conversation, please excuse me,” she replied as she felt her cheeks begin to flush.

“Don’t be silly,” Rollin said, the words rich with velvet dismissal of the notion. “Conversation regarding lost loves and new confidences is meant to be interrupted—otherwise it risks getting far too maudlin. You’ve done us a kindness, really. Faye and I were having one of those talks that asks you to set down whatever else you’re carrying, if only for a moment. And The Temple,” he gestured lightly around them, “is very good at making room for more moments… and more people.”

He reached behind the bar—not rushed, not mechanical, but with the deliberation of a man composing a scene. Two crystal tumblers already sat before him, their contents catching the light in a slow swirl of gold and amethyst.

“Faye and I were indulging in a Stardust Accord,” he explained, sliding a glance toward his companion that was equal parts fondness and conspiracy. “It’s a gentle sort of magic—good for coaxing the day to loosen its grip without stealing your balance.”

Then, with the barest lift of a brow:

“Or, if today’s been the sort that requires less poetry and more fortitude, I can summon something stronger.”

He let the choice hang there, open and unpressured, before adding with a small, knowing smile:

“Either way, Doctor, welcome to The Temple. You’re in good company.”

-Rollin
Just Rollin. That’s quite enough, Darling.

Charlie breathed a sigh of relief and smiled at Rollin’s welcoming tone. “A Stardust Accord sounds lovely, I’ll try anything once,” she added with a chuckle.

• Lt (jg) Bailey (Doctor)

“Excellent choice,” Rollin said, his smile widening—not in conquest, but in approval, like a painter pleased with a bold first stroke on canvas.

He moved with unhurried precision, drawing another crystal tumbler from beneath the bar. As he poured, the layered colors bloomed and spiraled, catching the lounge’s low light until the drink looked less mixed than conjured. With a final flourish he added the dehydrated pear slice and Betazoid Pansy for garnish.

“Now, the first sip,” he said as he set it before her, “is all shimmer and promise. The second is where it starts telling you its secrets. By the third, you’ll feel as though the universe itself has leaned in to share a confidence.”

A faint glance to Faye—just enough to pull her back into the moment without a word—then back to Charlie.

“Don’t worry, Doctor, this table is an equal-opportunity keeper of confidences. Whatever story you brought with you, it will be safe here.”

He leaned one elbow lightly against the bar, posture open, gaze easy.

“Now… tell me. Are you the sort to savor, or the sort to dive straight in?”

“It’s pretty unusual, and for a nonalcholic drink, I daresay it’s rather intriguing,” Calloway said.

This was the part where most people broke into natural small talk. Faye could do small talk when interests aligned. But the rest of the time she overthought everything. She snorted, more to herself than anything, but then looked between Rollin and Charlie. “When I am in off-duty clothes, I have a collection of t-shirts with sayings on them. Today, the most appropriate might be: When you meet me You think I’m quiet, When you talk to me You wish I was quiet, When you know me You get scared when I’m quiet,” she said with a gleam in her grey-green eyes.

~Faye Calloway, CIO

Rollin’s smile tilted, amused and appreciative all at once.

“Darling, if that’s the shirt, then I imagine the back reads: Approach with curiosity… and perhaps snacks.”

A glance toward Charlie, smooth as ever. “Fortunately, The Temple is well stocked for both.”

-Rollin
Just Rollin. That’s quite enough, Darling.