Posted by Ensign Wiles Osten (Security Officer) in Trouble in Paradise

Posted by Captain Molly Holloway (Chief Intelligence Officer) in Trouble in Paradise

Posted by Ensign Wiles Osten (Security Officer) in Trouble in Paradise
Posted by… suppressed (5) by the Post Ghost! 👻
OOC: Splitting the threads so that there’s no mix-up between the two different locations. I was definitely not expecting this, but I must say I love it!!! – Joana

IC:
Through the door, Osten would be able to hear a loud exasperated groan and the shuffling of steps moving towards the door. They were not hurried steps, but rather those one would associate with a teenager being dragged to somewhere they didn’t want to go.

Finally, after a short pause, the doors to Holloway’s quarters opened just enough for the CIO’s head and a phaser to fit through. “I swear to God, Calvin! If you don’t lea—“ The rest of the sentence never made it, as Molly’s wide eyes made it clear she had noticed her mistake.

Ensign Osten had stood formally outside of the senior officer’s quarters as he waited, hands clasped behind his back after ensuring that his pushed-back short blonde hair was in place and straightening his uniform. He shifted nervously as the door opened slightly.

The appearance of the phaser made Wiles stiffen even further, as the instinct to duck out of the line of sight of the barrel clashed with the shock of the threat from one of his crewmates. His green eyes widened and looked down at the weapon in disbelief. After a delay in which Wiles processed the situation, the security officer’s hands moved upwards in a surrendering motion.

“Oh… I’m sorry. I thought you were someone else.” The phaser disappeared almost as if by magic, but the door didn’t open any further. “What can I help you with, Ensign?”

Capt. Holloway, CIO

Only after the phaser was withdrawn could Ensign Osten recover from being stunned into silence. He slowly lowered his hands. “Is…” he glanced at where the phaser had been seconds before, “is everything alright, Captain Holloway?” Wiles’ voice had lost its formality and filled with genuine concern. Any pretense he had for investigating a ‘noise disturbance’ was forgotten, as it was clear that the situation was somewhat more involved than a simple lover’s quarrel.

(Ensign Osten, Security Division Three Officer)

Through the partly opened door, Osten would be able to see that no light came from the inside Holloway’s quarters. Although Molly’s red hair made it look like the CIO hadn’t gotten out of bed in the last few days, her freckled face made it clear she hadn’t seen sleep in a while.

The Ensign’s question hung in the air as a switch seemed to flip inside the Intelligence officer’s mind, before a determined look appeared on her face and her stance changed slightly. “Give me a moment, Ensign.” Holloway said before closing the door.

It couldn’t have been more than half a second before the doors opened again revealing a completely different Molly. It was not apparent how she had managed to do it, but as she stepped out of her quarters, Holloway was wearing her full uniform, immaculately pressed, her face was awake and alert, and her trademark ballerina bun was sitting neatly on her head as if it had never been undone.

“Walk with me.” The words were commanding but not blunt. And without another word, Holloway started strolling through the corridor in the direction of the turbolift.

Capt. Holloway, CIO

Wiles blinked at the quick transformation. It was at this moment that he realized that he had never had any one-on-one interaction with the intelligence officer before. Wiles had no idea what he was getting into. And from what he had witnessed of the first thirty seconds of being in Holloway’s presence, Wiles was beginning to wonder if it was a good idea to risk upsetting her further than she seemed to be already.

Ensign Osten turned to tail behind Captain Holloway for a moment, a bit bewildered by the unexpected direction this evening had gone. After a couple seconds in which he collected himself to recover from the phaser incident, Osten quickened his step to catch up. Wiles glanced at Holloway out of the corner of his eye, not daring to say anything yet.

(Ensign Osten, Security Division Three Officer)

“Osten, right?” Holloway asked. The question came out of nowhere, but although Molly’s tone could be described as emotionless, it was in no way threatening. “I’ve been a security officer myself, so I try to keep up with the ship’s security roster. But I don’t think we’ve met before.”

Osten nodded simply, trying his best to mirror Holloway’s formality. “That’s right, Ensign Wiles Osten, Captain.”

As the pair reached the nearest turbolift, Holloway pressed the button to call it, and as the doors opened she motioned for the security officer to walk in before her.

Wiles ducked inside and took one of the back corners of the turbolift, allowing Holloway to take the lead position again once she was inside.

“Deck Eight.” She said flatly as she walked in and the doors closed behind her. Clasping her hands behind her back, Holloway continued. “I take it you heard Colonel Harris’s outburst and decided to check what was going on?” There was no sign of gratitude in her words but there was also no sign of annoyance.

Capt. Holloway, CIO

There was a moment of hesitation as Wiles tried to figure out how to best word his response. “I heard… of the incident,” he started. “I’m the officer in charge of security division three, so most of my duties are on the lower decks. But one of my fellow officers reported the ‘outburst,’ as you put it.”

Great. Molly thought. The last thing she wanted was publicity, and Cal was giving her just that. With her eyes locked on the closed turbolift doors, Holloway nodded silently. There was no sign that she might by upset, offended, or happy with Osten’s statement.

He glanced at the back of Holloway’s head, trying to gauge her reaction to what he said next by her body language, if possible. “I figured someone would probably go talk to the colonel, but I wanted to make sure that you were alright as well.” Wiles knew he should stop there, but he couldn’t help but add, “If I had someone of Colonel Harris’ stature banging down my door like that… I know I’d be concerned for my safety.”

(Ensign Osten, Security Division Three Officer)

Molly would have looked at Osten had the turbolift doors not just open in front of her. However, the smile that cracked her lips would be hard to miss as she stepped into the corridor and waited momentarily for the Ensign to join her. As he did, she waked towards the lounge.

Holloway was a very stoic person. Most of the time it was hard to read what her emotions were under her neutral and somber exterior. As such, it might be a surprise to realize that she could actually smile. The expression on Molly’s face, however, was not one of happiness, but rather one of amusement.

Walking into 8-Forward, Holloway kept silent as she moved towards one of the tables further back and sat down, her back facing the bulkhead. She motioned for Osten to join her with a lighter expression on her face.

“Thank you, Ensign. I really appreciate it.” The gratitude was genuine. “And I appreciate your candor. Not every one has the courage to express what they think.” Holloway eyed the replicators before continuing. “I know Colonel Harris can seem scary, but I can assure you, his bark is bigger than his bite.” Molly smiled, this time a reassuring smile. “I know how to handle him. We have served together for…” her eyes glanced upwards for a moment, as she did the math in her head. “… five years now.” For a second, the Intel officer seemed to go down memory lane, but Holloway’s light brown gaze quickly returned to the security officer. “The last mission left us all a little shook.” She sighed softly. “Care for something to eat?” Molly said suddenly as if the thought had just dropped into her mind. It wasn’t at all clear, however, whether she was just trying to change the subject. “I’m starving and I’m thinking pancakes.”

Capt. Holloway, CIO

OOC: So sorry for the delay!

OOC: No worries! :) – Joana

Wiles was visibly relieved that Holloway seemed unconcerned with the… aggressiveness of Colonel Harris’ behavior. It wasn’t that he underestimated Holloway, in fact perhaps he was underestimating the moral character of the Dresden’s commanding officer instead. But one of Wiles’ best childhood friends had experienced domestic abuse, so he was vigilant in keeping an eye out for the signs.

Ensign Osten assumed that the introduction of food was a signal that Holloway wanted to pivot the conversation. He sat up a little straighter in the chair at her suggestion. “I love pancakes, Captain.” He winced slightly at the infantile nature of his reaction. In a more measured tone, he continued, “that sounds like a great idea.”

(Ensign Osten, Security Division Three Officer)

“Great! I’ll be right back!” The speed with which Holloway disappeared from the table might make Osten wonder whether she wanted to be there in the first place. However, it didn’t take long for the CIO to be back with two stacks of pancakes, complete with syrup and butter on top.

Placing them on the table and sitting back down, Molly pushed one of the plates towards the security officer. As she eyed her own stack, there was a faint glow of innocent joy in her expression that didn’t quite match the general somber stance of the intel officer.

“My uncle used to take me and my sister out for pancakes when I was a kid. Some of the best memories I have were made around them.” She smiled, as she dug her fork into the dough and took it to her lips. “Not the same…” Holloway commented as she took her first bite. “… but close.”

“So what brought you to the Dresden?” Molly asked. It might seem like she was trying to make small talk, and that her mind was miles away from the event that had started the evening. But with Holloway rarely was anything left to chance, so it was safe to assume that the casual question was not casual at all.

Capt. Holloway, CIO