Posted by Ensign Rand Farquharson (Yeoman First Class) in side - sim: Honoring the Ardent

Posted by Commander Roman Alden (First Officer & Chief Science Officer) in side - sim: Honoring the Ardent

Posted by Ensign Rand Farquharson (Yeoman First Class) in side - sim: Honoring the Ardent
Posted by… suppressed (1) by the Post Ghost! 👻

(snip)
Roman stood when Randy did, showing him out the door. Then he took a quick shower and got ready, and headed down to the lab. He wanted to avoid the last project, and he could. Randy had a point, there was no rush on the files. So he would bury himself in his other work. He reached the lab and sat at his desk - nearly an hour and a half late. Then he looked for his paperwork.

~ Roman

Roman’s paperwork sat on his desk waiting. Rand had been in the lab at her normal time and worked on compiling the notes as much as possible. Franks had asked her if he should do the reports, but she just grinned and shrugged, “It’s Cmdr Alden, he’s always at work.” Which Franks had to agree with. Though if it had been himself pulling those hours he would have taken the day or two off. He supervised Rand while she worked with Nibbles and then because she didn’t have Alden’s reports yet, he let her do a little work with Mushu.

Rand left because she had her morning meeting with Rogers, but was unable to return until a few minutes before lunch.

Rand

Roman had his paperwork done in record time, sitting on the edge of his desk waiting for her. He moved on to other work. Anything he could find that he’d been putting off. Paperwork, samples he didn’t particularly enjoy (there weren’t as many biologists as one would think that actually liked the excrement samples), reviewing projects, that kind of thing. When Rand returned just before lunch, he was working with Mushu, a task he’d been saving since that he liked to do.

~ Roman

Rand bit the inside of her lip to keep from smiling when she saw Roman working with Mushu. He looked better. Tired, but not exhausted, like his body had let out a huge sigh. She turned back to the computer to finish the reports as everyone left for lunch. When she finished and looked back, Mushu was stubbornly making his way up Roman’s arm. A tiny laugh escaped her before she could stop it. Roman used to let Mushu do that all the time. They very first time Roman had shown her Mushu he was on Roman’s arm. Rand always thought Mushu like the view because his eyes never stopped moving. “Did Scott finish that lure for him?”

Rand

Roman turned quickly when Rand laughed as if she’d startled him a little bit. Mushu made his way up to Roman’s shoulder and perched there, his tail curled by Roman’s ear. He shook his head to her question. “She’s been busy lately.” He’d been in a mood all morning as he usually was after he talked to Randy. But Mushu usually cheered him up. “I’m trying to keep him busy in the meantime, keep that lethargic behaviour from coming back.”

~ Roman

She hadn’t meant to startle him. She thought he knew she was in the lab. Roman engrossed himself in his work, but he was never one to not be aware of what was going on around him. “He seems to be enjoying it. His eyes are moving all over the place.” Rand imagined if she was allowed to let Nibbles out from her four glass walls, she’d probably do the same to her. She didn’t say that because she didn’t want Roman to think she was asking or expecting him to bend the rules for her. Plus he was usually irritable after he’d spoken with Randy. She understood the feeling so she gave him space.

Roman nodded. “He’s always liked heights. Might live in trees naturally.” Rand was right, the strange little lizard had his eyestalks fully extended and was moving them about as if trying to take in the whole room at once.

She turned and went into a drawer pulling out a smaller pair of tongs and then pulled a steam out of Mushu’s enclosure. He liked insects but he would eat plants and seeds too. She picked a leaf and held in the tongues moving it back and forth, closer and farther away, trying to entice the little lizard to snatch it from her. “Do you want me to grab a lunch tray and bring it over?”

Rand

Mushu watched her makeshift toy. Then the lizard stuck out his tongue and it stuck to the stem. Roman smiled. “Looks like your toy works.” He said. As he did, Mushu’s tongue dropped away from the stem and retracted into the lizard’s mouth. Both eyes were still set on the leaf and stem though. He glanced up at her words. He still wasn’t hungry. But Randy’s words made him pause. Avoiding spending time alone with yourself and food and exercise, withdrawing from those things that keep you alive and healthy.

“Ehm, no… But come by with yours, we’ll sit together,” he decided at last.

~ Roman