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

SNIP

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.”

Coryn smiled and cocked his head at the statement… so she was a rum drinker, that just earned her another point in the plus column.

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

“Yes and yes.” He said matter-of-factly though his tone did carry some amusement. “I started my career in Star-Fleet at the age of eighteen as an enlisted piece of phaser fodder that was shipped around to various contested hell holes that were deemed too dirty to insignificant to send my commissioned brethren to, lest they question the ideals of the Federation.” Disillusionment dripped from his words.

“But being enlisted can only take you so far… spent a few years as a Chief Warrant Officer when I was presented with a choice, continue on doing my job as I had been with no prospects and no possible way of moving forward or go the Academy route… earn a commission… and climb the ladder that way.” He shrugged, “As old as I might feel, I decided I was too young to live a life without prospects so a year or so ago they transferred me over to the academy, and here I am.” The man took a long pull from his all but forgotten tea.

“Well I showed you mine… time to show me yours.”

Vinoda Sec

Upon entering she noticed a few shipmates already there and engaged in conversing among themselves, smiling and nodding in greeting as her and Nobs found a table and sat down. Letting out an exhausted breath trying to decide what would be for lunch.

Ensign

Lenore Mantis [doctor]