Posted by Ensign Dradvia (Medical Officer) in You Have To Trust Someone Eventaully

Posted by Civilian Sisnil Zoi (Intelligence Consultant) in You Have To Trust Someone Eventaully

(snip)

She stopped at the door and turned back. “You’re welcome, Sisnil.” She left and hurried to get ready for her shift. The showers were occupied, past capacity. Dradvia settled for splashing her face and hurring out. She put her hair up in a quick bun and then went to the mess. Coffee. She needed a lot of coffee. Something to eat too, but not too much. A full stomach always made her sleepy.

Ens. Dradvia, Medical Officer

Sisnil stayed in bed another few hours before getting up later. He headed down to the galley for breakfast, and then hung around the lounge.

~ Zoi

Dradvia could have taken a break for a meal, but she ate before her shift and was done just after lunch. She could wait to eat. Normally a full mess was welcome, but this way she was able to avoid uncomfortable encounters. Which she had been doing for a couple of weeks now. She entered the lounge and was glad to see it populated but only very. She knew a couple of faces at a glance, but only that they were part of the crew. She knew no names.

She grabbed a sandwich and a hot drink from the replicator and then found herself a seat at one of the smaller tables. The rest of the people were a small group of late break takers and a smaller group playing a board game by the lounge chairs. She was eating in the companionable silence when a figure sat, uninvited, beside her.

“Hey Drad. I haven’t seen you in a couple of weeks.” Stevens knew she had been mad at him, so he had given her some space. He had seen glimpses of her, but had not spoken with her. Plus she always seemed to be around that guy. Today she was not. He was irritated over the other man’s…Zoi he’d heard his name was, being so possessive of her. What gave him the right to say whether he could or could not talk to Drad? He also saw this as his last chance since he saw her sneaking out of Zoi’s quarters early this morning. “How are you doing?”

Dradvia looked at him, sandwich halfway to her mouth. She set it down, but didn’t let it go. “I’m fine.” Something in his demeanor made her uneasy. He kept glancing around, and it was awkward to look at him where he was sitting so close to her, rather than across.

He smiled, “Has Dr Tessan finally given you a steady shift rotation? I never understood why the DHs do that with all the newly graduated cadets. It’s almost a regulation.” He chuckled.

“Yeah, I think so.” She picked up her cup and drank. What did he want?

“Yeah?” he was hoping she would say when. It would be easy to figure out, it was a small crew, but he wanted her to tell him herself. “Some of us lower deckers are thinking of having a small get together. You know, get to know each other and what not. You should come. It’s just for junior officers. You know, no guests or senior officers to perform for.” He chuckled again, missing the wince that particular wording caused.

“Umm, I guess it depends on when it is and my schedule,” she was uneasy about outright saying no.

He reached over and took her hand, curling his fingers around hers, his thumb rubbing over her knuckles, “Well, tell me when your schedule is, and I’ll make sure to plan it when you’re off duty.” Her hand twitched a little and he smiled, taking it for attraction rather than the extreme discomfort and rush of anxiety it was. “I could pick you up before and we could grab dinner. There will be snacks and what not, but not the same as a good meal.”

Dradvia pulled her hand back but he wouldn’t let go. He didn’t hurt her, but he applied just enough pressure to create a tug of war she was sure she couldn’t win. Sisnil said that he didn’t think Stevens meant any harm, but she didn’t like it. Stevens squeezed her hand reassuringly, or so he thought.

“Dr. Tessan keeps me fairly busy.” She couldn’t say she didn’t like parties because then he would think she wanted to spend time alone with him, which she did not. “I’ll keep an eye on the social calendar. If I’m off, I’ll decide if I want to go or not. I’m not up for anything right now.”

“Hey, if groups aren’t your thing we can just hang out the two of us. Get to know each other. It’s hard when you don’t know anyone on board.” She smiled cajolingly at her. He tugged her hand a little, ducked his head to look at her a bit, and then pulled her hand toward him. “Come on Drad. You deserve to do something fun.” And he would be more than happy to help her do that. He had to get her to agree before Zoi showed up again. He wasn’t going to lose to that guy.

Her anxiety was out of her control, the sick feeling in her stomach spreading and she felt a need to hide and sob. It rolled off her. She tugged her hand harder until it freed with a slight pop against the table top. She quickly filled her hands with her sandwich. She looked at it, and considered just throwing it away and missing another meal. He leaned forward, his chair moving so they were closer. “Hey, relax, it’s alright,” he set a hand on her arm. “I won’t let the crowd overwhelm you.”

Ens. Dradvia, Medical Officer

Sisnil was headed to the galley when he felt roiling anxiety, so much so his stomach almost felt ill. It wasn’t his, it was Dee’s. He turned into the galley and looked around. Quickly he spotted Stevens harassing her. He cut to the front of the line, grabbed food quickly, apologizing to the officers he’d cut in front of, and then strolled casually to the table and forcefully inserted himself between the two. He ended up pushing Dee more than Stevens, but at least he was between them. “Hey, pals, how’re we doing today?” He asked, looking at Stevens.

~ Zoi