Posted by Ensign Coryn Vinoda (Security) in On the Hunt

Posted by Lieutenant Fihnrilkk’Hob”ledn-ardol (Fin) (Chief Intelligence Officer) in On the Hunt

Posted by Ensign Coryn Vinoda (Security) in On the Hunt
Posted by… suppressed (3) by the Post Ghost! 👻
Making her way to the mess hall, Fin was in need of coffee. There had been a lot of travelling the last few days. She’d already reported in to the XO and CO, checked out her quarters, had a holographic meeting with Admiral Frederic and met a dinosaur, of sorts, in the corridor. Caffeine or Rum were needed to get through the rest of the day.

Walking up to one of the replicators, she ordered coffee, sweet with double cream and took a seat at one of the small tables. Looking around the room, she noticed only three other people. That was fine—she could deal with that small number, but a roomful? Social interaction wasn’t her best attribute unless she was working and then it was smooth and convincing. Having spent a lot of time alone over the years, Fin was perfectly comfortable with her own company and didn’t need constant interaction with others to help her unwind or to entertain herself. Certainly, there were times when she sought out someone else, but it didn’t happen that often.

Coryn sat alone at one of the tables nursing a glass of tea. He’d recently arrived on the Wolverine and in that time had yet to engage with his crewmates socially. He watched as the woman entered the room and was intrigued by the way she carried herself. He posture subtly expressed relief at the small number of people in the room, though he didn’t get a cold/unapproachable vibe from her.

Looking down into her mug, she saw it was already half empty. “Damn.” She wasn’t one to put off a task that needed doing and she still needed to find Lt Mado. There was a discussion she was actually looking forward to. She needed him to be totally transparent about their mission on the Wolverine. After that…well, she’d make the decision after she had all the facts.

—Fin, CIO

Vinoda found his attention drawn back to the woman alone at her table killing her cup of coffee, obviously lost in thought. He wasn’t sure why, but he felt in his gut that she was someone he needed to at the very least talk to and now seemed like as good an opportunity as any. He moved to the replicator she’d used and had the machine repeat it’s last order. Moving slowly so as not to startle her, Coryn sat the new cup down on her table and said “Forgive me for being forward, but it looked like you could use another.” He smiled genuinely before adding, “I’m Coryn Vinoda… by the way.”

Vinoda Sec

Fin looked up quickly as soon as his hand came into her line of vision. As he set the cup down and introduced himself, her mouth turned up into a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. “A gift for me? Animates don’t usually give me presents until after they know my name.”

Coryn watched as the woman smiled, he took not of the fact that it didn’t reach her eyes… Clearly attention wasn’t desired, but wasn’t a problem for her at the moment.

Her eyes took in the details of the man. He appeared 30ish, tall and sturdy. His collar reflected the rank of Ensign. She wondered if the story behind the newbie rank was interesting. With a mental shove, she pushed finding Mado off for another fifteen minutes to pursue her curiosity.

The man watched as there was a slight almost imperceptible softening in the woman’s posture. He’d spent his lifetime studying others and the story their bodies told, and something about the change in her body language said that she had made the choice to continue this social interaction.

Fin gestured to a seat at her table, inviting his company. “Sit, join me. I am Fihnrilkk’Hob”ledn-ardol. (OOC: It is customary to pronounce the entire name upon meeting someone new.) Most species call me Fin.”

—Fin, CIO

Coryn slid the chair opposite of Fin away from the table and took a seat. “Pleased to meet you Lt. Fin.” Coryn said, “You have a beautiful name, I won’t sully it with a pitiful failure of attempting to say it. Though I will learn it.” He said confidently. He adjusted his weight in the seat making himself more comfortable. “I’ve never heard such a name, at least not for anyone looking remotely humanoid… may I ask the origin?”

Vinoda Sec

She watched as he sat on the chair that seemed a bit too small for his frame. “Don’t worry about learning it. Most find it difficult to pronounce because most languages only produce sound on the exhale. I am Cam’ h”lan, from a tiny planet far, far away from everywhere.” She swallowed more of the coffee, then traded it for the full cup he’d brought. “Names are important to my people—they are thought to guide their bearer, to a degree, through life, but the closest I can get to translating it in Federation standard is ‘Best to move through life alone’.”

He nodded as she explained the significance of names in her culture. It made perfect sense… names were meant to be important, they were one of the first pieces of personal identity you were given in life. His head tilted slightly as she provided the standard translation to see if she was making a self-deprecating joke.

She wrinkled her nose to show she understood how the explanation would probably be perceived, then ran a manicured index finger around the rim of the cup. “And you? How do you move through your life?”

—Fin, CIO

Watching her facial expression he saw that she was serious, then she asked about his status and a slight smile spread across his face. He shrugged his shoulders before responding, “I don’t know about moving through life alone… I believe ‘no one stays for long’ would be a more apt translation for my situation.” His expression remained light, though his tone carried a certain since of gravity/introspection with it. He caught himself before his mind travelled very far down that road, a first meeting was no time to offload that sort of baggage on someone.

“Hmmm,” her mind automatically translated that little gem into her native tongue. She would take it out later and have a look at it.

“Have you been on the Wolverine long? I only just arrived myself.” He said.

Vinoda Sec

Fin shook her head just enough to make a portion of it fall in front of her shoulder. “I, too, have just arrived. I awaited the Wolverine on Risa and boarded as soon as they were in orbit. I still have a few check ins to do, but I was in need of sustenance to get me through it. Coffee won over Rum this time, but not by much.”

Greenish-brown eyes moved from his face to the collar where his single pip sat. “Aren’t you a little old to be an Ensign? Or are you just good at pissing people off?”

Now the slight smile that raised the corners of her shapely lips, ‘did’ put a sparkle in her eyes. Fin enjoyed people who bucked the system.

—Fin, CIO