Posted by Ensign Ashlyn Trenton (Security Officer) in side-sim Trenton/Fayth Quarters

(snip)

Ashlyn climbed out of the closet and grabbed a change of underclothing, headed for the sonic shower. “The Counselor was giving me relationship advice, suggested that instead of flirting with everyone in the hopes of getting a catch that I try to get to know people first then use targeted tactics to flirt with singular people. I understand where she is coming from, but flirting with all will more easily show that I’m not the kind of person to settle for just one. At least that’s what I was thinking, though I also see her point.” The shower started but Ashlyn continued to talk as she normally did. “I also have to be careful about inviting her to Parkour, sure I’m more comfortable in Parkour, but that’s because I can be free and mobile and sessions with the counselor are anything but free…and mobile. No offence to her but she’s slow, I even had it set to green level so she was literally climbing a child’s jungle gym with every rung available and she was still so slow. I mean, I get it, she’s not athletic but it’s just a ladder. Not like I was asking her to run and jump or scale sky scrapers without rope.” Ashlyn stuck her head out of the sonic shower to grin playfully at Sharah. “Maybe we should convince her to get more into it by showing off what it’s done for your glutes? I’m sure I’ve got some before and after photos hiding somewhere.” Ashlyn ducked back into the shower before Sharah could throw anything at her.

• Ensign Ashlyn Trenton
  Security, USS Europa

Sharah thought about it. She didn’t really like the counselor. She’d told Joseph it was nice that she knew about her condition and her treatment plan, and it was. But the counselor seemed, to Sharah, more interested in the fact she was rooming with a friend instead of a stranger and seemed to have a big problem with that. To Sharah, she seemed very passive aggressive, and it made Sharah uneasy. She kept her thoughts to herself though because she didn’t want Ashlyn worrying that the counselor might separate them. They were good for each other’s head space and physical health. She guessed if she had to, she could ask Zarath for help. She really liked her department head and she felt like he would give her solid advice about what to do. “Wow, Ashlyn, that makes me feel better. She’s worse than me? But hey don’t be too hard on the poor counselor, if she’s never done Parkour she wouldn’t know what to do. I couldn’t even jump before the first time. Remember, I fell of the trampoline and hit my head?” Sharah got yogurt and fruit for herself and a ration bar for Ashlyn. Sharah smiled, “No you will not show her photos of my glutes. You’ll give them to me. I know someone who would appreciate them.” Sharah of course blushed, because everything embarrassed her, but she’d send them Joseph anyway. She was sure he’d appreciate them, or maybe she would just delete them instead of sharing them. “I guess, if you want her to come,” Ashlyn could tell by her voice though, that Sharah wasn’t excited about the idea.

Ashlyn laughed rather hard at the suggestion of sending the pictures to Rainns. “I should send them just to see how fast he shows up to complain to Lieutenant Abrams about my inappropriate conduct. Guarantee he’ll miss the date time stamp of them happening while on the Challenger. All seriousness though, they’re just profile shots so I could analyse your form and give you advice on how to better move. If you want to see them the camera is in the second drawer.” Ashlyn paused in thought for a moment and shook her head. “I know you’re not fond of the idea, but Parkour is about freedom of motion. I don’t think we should exclude people simply because we don’t like them. If you have enough time to notice how much you dislike someone, then you have more Parkour skills you could be practicing.” Ashlyn shook her head at herself as she turned off the shower and came back into the room dressed. “Wow, that was more lame than it sounded in my head.”

Sharah shook her head, “He wouldn’t complain to Abrams. If we are doing parkout then we are out of uniform and it would be personal time and Abrams nor anyone really, can say what we do on our off time. And he’s is observant enough to notice the date stamps.” Sharah pulled the camera out and looked over the pictures and smiled. “I’m taking copies of these, but I’m not sending them.” Sharah knew he had been dying to know what she looked like in her body suit. She wasn’t going to ruin the imagination for him. But the pictures were very good. “You have a talent for photography, Ashlyn.” She nodded thoughtfully to Ashlyn’s assertion. “That’s true, and while I’m there I don’t think of anything but what I’m doing. That doesn’t mean that before and after I don’t feel that way. But my personal feelings on it are moot. I would never tell someone not to go to your parkour class. You are an excellent teacher and people can learn a lot in that class, not just about parkour.” Sharah made a note to keep her personal feelings to herself. She wouldn’t do anything to jeopardize the success of her friend’s program. It was something she was going to have to workout for herself. “It wasn’t lame, just honest.”

Sharah thought about the flirting thing. “Well I get where you are coming from. You want everyone to know you are poly. But flirting with everyone can also be seen that you are just that, a flirt, and aren’t serious about being in a relationship. Unfortunately, often we have to not only think about what intention we want to show with our actions but also what our actions cause others to perceive as our intention. So I would say, maybe not flirt while on duty or with any direct superior officer. Though you usually don’t, not while on duty anyway. I think it’s just the stress of the transfer.”

Ashlyn thought about this while getting into some more relaxed clothing for the day. “So you think her advice is actually sound then?”

• Ensign Ashlyn Trenton
  Security, USS Europa

“I don’t know. I don’t know what her exact advice was, but I would imagine that curbing your flirting while on duty and with those in authority over your duties would make things less awkward for you. Off duty I have no idea. I’ve never flirted with anyone. I don’t understand it, even though I can hear peoples thoughts I don’t get the idea behind the flirting, why not just be honest and say, ‘I find you attractive I’d like to have dinner with you,’ or something. I’m not the best to ask I guess. But not everyone is going to be your type or someone you are interested in, so why waste time flirting with them?”
En. Fayth, Doctor

Ashlyn clearly enjoyed her style of clothing, as she finished zipping up the last bit, the circuit completed and the EL tape lit up in a soft royal purple glow. “Honestly, I didn’t even know I had a type till I met Lieutenant Abrams. I mean, she’s tall, strong, holds a position of authority, has a smooth jawline, the curve of her ears and neck line, mmm yummy.” There is a long pause before Ashlyn turns a shade of red, “I said that out loud didn’t I? Wow I have a problem.” Ashlyn trods over to the replicator and orders a glass of water to toss in her own face. “Come on, even I found that distasteful. Mark it up to new expressions, how do I handle this? Can’t exactly walk up to her and say ‘hey boss, I find you so attractive I get stupid. Could you make yourself ugly so I have less of a problem?’ I mean, I could but I don’t think it would go over very well.” Ashlyn sunk to the floor to go into deep thought, most of her conference was busy ogling memories so she had to follow Sharah’s advice and segregate them out till they could be useful.

• Ensign Ashlyn Trenton
  Security, USS Europa

“Okay so you have a type, and Lt. Abrams fits into that. I’m sure you aren’t the first person to have a crush on a superior officer. And you can say whatever you want, out loud, here in our quarters. I’m not going to pass it along. And actually your comment was rather flattering. I’m not suggesting you actually tell her. Since we aren’t supposed to be flirting with our DHs. But nothing about it was wrong or distasteful. Sharah went and sat on the floor next to her listening as she separated out the different Ashlyn’s in her head. They each had a job to do, so they needed to do it, rather than all freak out over whatever it was that distracted them. Sharah hoped the idea of different rooms, or officers around the conference table would help.
En Fayth, Doctor

Ashlyn leaned back and took a breath to relax. As she was getting ready to say something, the door chimed and caught Trenton by surprise. Reacting like a surprised cat, she was up on her feet in a matter of moments ready to pounce or attack. “Identify?” Was all she demanded at the door. “Ensign Reese, I’m here about a service call request for a remodel?” Ashlyn calmed down and straightened herself out so she looked less like she was an aggressive Security member. “Right, come on in.” The Ensign entered the room, still in uniform, and took a quick look around. “You guys just get in? Don’t see too much for decoration.” She turned to face the pair that owned the room. “What can I do for you?”

• Ensign Ashlyn Trenton

Sharah shook her head, “Hey Ashlyn remember, I’m a scary strong telepath. I’d know, well, most of the time, if they were bad. Unless they are SUPER bad, and then I wouldn’t know they were there at all.” She laughs and gets to her feet. “Yes we did, and this is what we want to do. We were hoping you could help.” She picks a PaDD up off the desk and hands it to NE Reese. It details the plans for half a room to be made into what looks like a jeffries tube cross section blew up in the room. “Except we want to do the whole room, rather than half of it.” Sharah waits for Reese to look over the plans.
En. Fayth, Doctor

Reese looked at the PaDD with an expression of confusion, most engineers, heck most people in Starfleet would be happy to never have to be in the Jefferies Tubes. To have a pair that want to live in them is just plain odd to the young Ensign. Her forehead creased in the apparent confusion, prompting Ashlyn to ask questions. “Is there a problem? You looked troubled, is this not something we can do?” The Ensign shook her head, partially to say no but mostly to shake herself out of her own thoughts. “No no, nothing wrong, just unexpected. You do have enough fabrication privileges so there are more than enough components to do this. I guess it takes all types then, should be about a week to get the work done.” More of the ensign’s surface thoughts gravitated toward how weird the two of them are and what a waste of time this is but a request is a request and she’ll get it done.

• Ensign Ashlyn Trenton
  Security, USS Europa

“We can repurpose items here in the room, or reclaim them to reduce the amount of credits used up.” Sharah heard the thoughts and turned away. She thought back to Zarath ordering them to get extra exercise to help them both sleep. As Ashlyn’s doctor she could easily write up a medical need for it. “Yes it does take all kinds,” she sighs to herself. “If it’s a matter of taking too much time, if you could help us with the diagram and some instructions, we can do it ourselves.” The ensign’s thoughts were upsetting for Sharah. She hated hearing them, and although she was used to being seen as strange, weird, and a pariah it didn’t make it any easier. And she didn’t like this ensign thinking about her friend that way either. She glanced at Ashlyn, the hurt obvious, though Ashlyn wouldn’t know exactly what was wrong. When it came to being in sickbay and anything medical, Sharah was a force to be reckoned with, but outside of that arena she was shy and painfully unsure of herself. She turned back to NE Reese, “We can get everything moved out of the way that we would be keeping, to make it easier. We don’t want to bog you down with this.” Sharah desperately wanted to yell at the ensign to mind her own mind, that what they wanted may seem like a waste of time to her, but was necessary for them. She sits down in a chair, working hard to move above the noise around her, to surf above it, so that she doesn’t hear what the ensign is thinking anymore. The phrase don’t be afraid repeating like a mantra in her head. In this case: don’t be afraid of what others think of you.
En. Fayth, Doctor