Posted by Ensign Rand Farquharson (Yeoman First Class) in side - sim: Head Case

Posted by Commander Roman Alden (First Officer & Chief Science Officer) in side - sim: Head Case

Posted by Ensign Rand Farquharson (Yeoman First Class) in side - sim: Head Case
Posted by… suppressed (9) by the Post Ghost! 👻

(snip)
Roman noticed the change in her expression when Rand reached for her comm. She’d forgotten it. He unclipped his from his belt and handed it to her. “Here.” He could use the comm panel, or someone else’s comm. He would only be in the lab all day anyway, and he planned to do something easy. He needed to be ready in case she needed him.

~ Roman

Rand slipped the comm into her pocket with a quiet, “Thank you.” She was never going to be comfortable with Roman leaving for duty knowing she had things to do as well but couldn’t do them. She should be gathering reports and running errands all over the ship. At least this way she was still helping.

When they were finished eating, Roman sat by her and hugged her for several minutes before returning their dishes and heading off to the lab. With Rand off duty, his mornings typically started with gathering the reports Rand usually got ready for him. Sometimes that required a few laps around the ship, today he was lucky, and he only had to stop by the other labs. Then he had to sit and do the paperwork and that was what he did all morning. His tea was usually out within a couple hours of starting his shift, so he was typically grouchy the rest of the morning.

Gorshin had set a stool in the kitchen at a clear counter for her. Rand worked most of the morning making and then kneading dough, and making pastry dough for various dishes Gorshin was making. She didn’t talk much, but Gorshin kept up a quiet chatter at different points. It wasn’t exactly relaxing, but it didn’t require her to think too hard, or stand too long, and Gorshin didn’t seem to expect her to respond as he talked. After a couple of hours though, she felt dizzy and stumbled when she stood up to get more flour. The stool wasn’t exactly the supportive place to sit, so Gorshin made her go sit at a table, and gave her a cup of tea. If she didn’t seem better after resting, he would call Alden or Randy.

Rand

Ensign Scott was passing by the galley when she saw Rand sitting in there with a cup of tea. She hadn’t seen Rand much since before the accident in Rand’s office, so she turned into the galley and took a seat at the table with Rand. “Rand! It’s so good to see you! I never see you around anymore.” She said as she took a seat.

~ Roman | Scott

Rand was leaning against the wall in her little make-shift corner of chair and wall. Her tea was on the table and she had her eyes closed. Her head didn’t exactly hurt more than usual, but things seemed fuzzy and she was tired. Scott’s sudden appearance and super loud a bubbly greeting startled Rand. Her eyes popped open and she sat up, pushing back against the wall, until she realized who was talking to her. “Amelia?! Dè…huh? Tha mi air a bhith tinn,” the words tumbled out…in Gaelic.

Gorshin heard Scott’s enthusiastic greeting and appeared at the counter. He saw no reason to stop Rand from talking to anyone that she wanted to, as long as she didn’t get confused and out of sorts. He heard Rand respond…not in English. He wondered if he should call Alden, but decided to wait and see if it was just that she was startled.

Gorshin | Rand

Scott gave Rand a look like Huh??? Then it turned a little more concerned. “Rand… Are you sure you’re okay? You’re speaking weird languages.” She commented. Then she smiled. “Still… I’m glad you and the Commander are safe.”

~ NE Scott

Oh no Rand’s face fell for a moment, but she couldn’t help a self conscious smile when Amelia said she was speaking weird languages. She didn’t find Gaelic weird at all. Rand could only nod a little to indicate she was okay. She really wasn’t okay, but it wasn’t something she really wanted to explain to anyone else. She sighed trying to focus as the words tried to come out in Gaelic again. “Thank…s.”

Gorshin called over, “En Scott,” and he curled his finger in a ‘come here’ motion. When she did, he was loading up a tray with a small snack tray. “Just thought you should know, Rand can’t always remember how to translate to English. She’s speaking Gaelic, which is what she grew up with. If she doesn’t answer, don’t stress, just give her time.” Rand had managed to tell him that she wasn’t able to eat much because the dizziness upset her stomach. He smiled at Scott, “Take this over to Rand for me?” He also put a bowl of Scott’s favorite ice cream on the tray.

Gorshin | Rand

Scott smiled at Rand and then stood when Gorshin called her. She looked like she was going to protest as he started loading up a tray, but then the bowl plopped onto the tray and Scott smiled pleasantly and picked up the tray. “Sure!” She took the tray over to Rand and set it down. “I think our chef thinks you need to eat.” She said, taking her bowl of ice cream.

~ NE Scott

The food on the tray was mostly bits and pieces of left overs. Gorshin refused to throw anything out until absolutely necessary. Rand nodded, her words slow to form, but she could tell it was because she was tired, “He…does.” The food was good and just a bite or two of different things. She mostly nibbled at it. As much as Rand hated gossip, she kind of hoped that Amelia would start talking. Rand wasn’t overly social but she hated not knowing what was going on around the ship. She also knew that once Scott got going she’d go for awhile with very little encouragement. But how to get her started? Then it occurred to her that Scott was probably helping with Nibbles since Rand couldn’t. “Nibbles?”

Rand

“I think that poor little mouse misses you!” Scott gushed, and then went on for a while about all the animals, and their recent habits and behaviors and everything she thought they did just because Rand was gone. “Nibbles and Mushu both got really depressed when you and the Commander were out.” She commented. “Hey, do you think Alden’s more attached to those animals than he lets on? I’ve got a bet going, no one believes me!” She said in her usual fashion, smiling at Rand.

~ NE Scott

Rand missed Nibbles. She knew it had been a long time since she’d seen the mouse. Franks had been watching all the animals when…when Roman had been attacked, and then....she shook her head slightly, the details wouldn’t form. She knew what had happened because Randy and Roman told her, but she didn’t remember. She kept nibbling at the food so she wouldn’t have to talk, just look interested and nod her head.

Yes of course Rand knew Roman was attached to his animals, but she was not going to give that secret away. Her eyes widened in surprise at Scott’s question and her head tipped to the side like she was considering. Then she shook her head in a clear ‘No’ and added her voice to it, “He is not.” Rand made a waving motion with her hand to encompass the entire ship, “Wh…what else?” The truth was Scott’s fast paced excitement was hard for Rand to keep up with and her head ached duly, but as long as she was talking Rand didn’t have to.

Rand

Scott had some other details to share about various officer’s dating lives and other ship going-ons. But she stopped when she saw Alden at the door to the galley, headed over toward them. Scott stood and smiled again at Rand. “I’m guessing you’re going to want to be alone with him.”

~ NE Scott

Rand listened as she went on. The romantic lives of her crew mates were of very little interest to Rand, except that they were happy. Unless it was about Randy, and then she’d take all the info she could get to tease him. Rand was sipping at her tea when Scott stopped talking. Scott’s comment made her flush for no apparent reason. Rand hadn’t forgotten that Roman had gone to great lengths to keep Scott in the dark about his proposal, but she did forget that Scott still hadn’t found out. The light caught her ring as she set her tea down to turn and look towards the door. Her relief at his presence would be obvious to Roman as well as her exhaustion. Scott hadn’t been doing anything to exhaust her, but Rand had actually been up and doing for a lot longer than what her body was able to handle now.

Rand

The light caught the ring and it was enough to put it solidly in Scott’s focus. She looked really excited, she knew what an engagement ring looked like. She glanced back and forth between them, made an excited gasp, and then said, “You’re engaged? Awww! When’s the wedding?!”

Rand looked like a doe caught in the headlights of a 29th century automobile. Scott hadn’t known. Now she was asking all kinds of questions. When? They hadn’t had time to discuss when…had they? Roman proposed and then things went sideways.

Roman sat down by Rand and put an arm around her, pulling her in closer to him. “Are you okay? You look tired,” he said quietly to Rand and then looked up at Scott. “Yes we’re engaged, no we don’t know when the wedding is. We haven’t planned anything yet.” It would be easier to just answer the questions before she asked rather than try to make her go away without an answer.

Rand didn’t care at the moment how it looked, she leaned into him, resting her head on his shoulder when he put an arm around her. She spoke quietly and slurred in Gaelic, a sure sign she was over tired. “I got dizzy, Gorshin made me sit down and try to eat.”

She couldn’t help how much she liked how confident he was and the way he didn’t care that the ship’s biggest gossip was jabbering questions at him. Or that he was there and would take care of it.

Scott smiled like she thought it was the cutest thing ever. “Awwwww!!! You guys are too cute!” She gushed. “You’re having it on the ship, right?? Is everyone invited? They better be!” She rambled on excitedly.

~ Roman | Scott

Everyone?! That made Rand go stiff and softly gasp. Everyone was a lot of people! She didn’t want to be around a lot of people. She hadn’t considered that Roman was XO so people would expect to be invited. Or on the ship? She guesses that was logical, but she hadn’t considered it, at all.

Rand

Roman rubbed her back gently, trying to keep her relaxed. He wasn’t going to make her invite anyone she wasn’t comfortable with. “We don’t know what we’re doing yet. You’ll know when everyone else does,” Roman said and then turned to Rand and spoke in Gaelic, “Maybe I should take you up to deck 3 to rest for a while.”

Scott did an overexaggerated pout but it stopped her incessant questions. Instead she said, “You haaave to let Mushu and Nibbles be in the wedding! They are how you met, aren’t they?”

~ Roman | Scott