It had been a couple of days now since they had boarded the new ship and Ria was slowly beginning to settle in. She was still feeling rather uncomfortable because of her behaviour during the fungus incident, even though she knew that none of that was actually her fault. Between that, her shyness and her anxiety she wanted to do nothing but hide in the labs, or in her quarters when she was off duty. Yet that was exactly why she had come here after her shift had ended: To stop hiding and face her fears. That was also why she came here on her own. For as much as she would love to have Achilleas at her side, she felt like she needed to at least enter the Lounge on her own.

So here she stood. Just outside the reach of the door sensor. Inhaling deeply and holding her breath, Ria took the final step forward and then forced herself to keep walking. Looking around, she spotted an empty table in front of the widows. After a short detour past the replicators, she headed straight for that table and sat down. With her head bowed, she glanced shyly around; both hoping that someone would join her and hoping that nobody would.

~Ensign Iyun, Scientist