CFCO catching up on 'me' time

Posted on Wednesday 27 March 2019 @ 17:21 by Commander Save'ena (Sav) Tillatix & Commander Cale Llewellyn DSci
Edited on on Wednesday 27 March 2019 @ 17:23

Mission: The New Collective
Location: USS Merlin - Crews Lounge
Timeline: 23950829 - 1600 hours - 4th day for repairs at research base
3114 words - 6.2 OF Standard Post Measure

ON:

Sav was looking out the window at the swarm of insects buzzing between the support scaffolding and the Merlin. Well, they really weren't insects but worker pods as the Research Station continued on its repairs to the Merlin after their encounter with the cutter beam, and their rogue CEO. She lifted the drink in her hand to her muzzle, then showed surprise as the smell brought her to the here, the now, and the why she was there.

She glanced down at her clothes. She was in black dress shoes showing off her feet, crisscross stockings, a darker green skirt that was just above her knees, and then a lighter green shirt that showed some cleavage and her backside. Her tail flowed from a made space in that blouse, while the skirt was snuggled just under her tail. She jumped lightly as she looked about, but she was alone in the room, the crew enjoying the meals and bars on the research station.

She took a breath in, then let it out slowly, whispering to herself, "You can do this.... you can do this..." She brought the Sambuca back up to her muzzle for a sip, letting the 43% alcohol content tingle its way through her muzzle. This was from her private stash, and was real, not synthehol. She had a Reiser's Spiced bourbon on the table before her, as well as a single malt 12 year Speyside Scotch. She was set for an evening of casual dating... the counselor never said where, and right now, Sav felt safer on the Merlin than wearing this getup in one of the mob settings of the various Research Station bars. She got lost in thought again as she spatially mapped the 'insects' doing their chores in the expanse of space before her.

Cale walked into the lounge hoping to find some diversion tonight. He had dressed in his 'albino suit', as he and friend on the Vanguard called it as it aqcentuated his white skin and hair making him almost look like a ghost. The only color he 'wore' that night was the crystal blue of his eyes. He was in white jacket with no collar, a white shirt and white pants. He knew he shouldn't be in this getup but he didn't feel like picking out an outfit with color in it this afternoon. as this was easier for him.

Captain Reynolds always told him that wearing this outfit only served to isolate him from the crew even more than he normally was. But Cale didn't really care about that as much as he had grown to in this position. As Executive Officer of as large a ship as the Merlin was, it was easy to 'disappear' among a crew as 'human' as they were but Barstow had made sure that this command would be biologically diverse as necessary. So wearing his 'ghost' outfit didn't isolate him as much now as it served to in the past. He was as much as if not even more so, an anomaly among this crew and Cale like it this way.

As he made his way into the almost empty lounge, he noticed a single officer at a bay of windows. He noticed the green outfit on the black and white fur-covered person and determined it was the flight control officer of the ship, scratch that, Chief Flight Control Officer. Should he go up to her and strike up a conversation or not? Maybe she was meeting someone or maybe she wanted to be alone. But, then why come to the hub of interaction of a starship? He decided to go and talk to her.

"Commander?" was all he said.

Sav, being lost in her calculations, missed Cale coming up to her. She jumped at the sound of his voice and barely kept from spilling her drink. Now out of her revelry, she first smelled of the newcomer's scent.. terran, male, new xo, Cale Llewellyn, Commander.. and turned around to say hi. "Hey, Ex Oh Llewellyn, how are.. you... this... day? You're getting a... break... in as well?" Her speech slowed to more discreet words as her eyes caught up with how he was dressed, as in, no uniform.

"I'm quite peachy, if you know what that means, Commander. Yes, that is exactly what I'm doing but I also didn't desire to get 'that' chummy with anyone. I expect you're meeting someone?" he asked not expecting any answer from her about her personal life.

Sav churred gently as she curtsied to Cale, "Yes, I know peachy, and no, I'm not meeting anyone, so please, join me, and please, my name is Sav." She held up her shot glass and then gestured over to the three bottles on the table. "I realize it is rather early in the day to start a drink, so if you don't want to, no issues. But, I do have a selection of Vanilla Spiced Bourbon, Single Malt Scotch, and Anise Liquor from my private stash, Ifin yah want a double shot of one."

Not knowing how he should react to her not meeting anyone, he took her up on her offer to drink with her. "Vanilla Spiced Bourbon sounds quite nice, thank you, Com...Sav. And yes a double shot would be lovely. I apologize for using your rank again but I never know how to talk to any senior officer in a setting such as this. On all my prior posts, there was a lounge for senior officers and a lounge for crew so we never inter-mingled," Cale said thoughtfully. He hoped going into his life prior to this ship would go a long way to letting at least this senior officer know where he came from.

The bottle lifted up as a triple shot glass moved over next to it. The bottle tilted and poured a double shot into the glass. As this happened, Sav replied to Cale, "No issues on the slip of Rank, Cale. And, you ARE senior officer crew, being XO and all. That said, I am a little lax in my duty structure unless I am on duty, so too far the other way of you. Anyhow, I am glad you came... it is always better to drink with a friend than by yourself." She reached out and picked up the poured drink, handing it to him.

TAG Cale

Sav glanced about the lounge, then back to Cale. She sighed, then said, "I'm here because my counselor told me to dress up nice and go to some social places, so.. here." She sighed, then continued, "I realize this is only following the letter of what she said, not the intent, but I just couldn't face a bunch of strangers eyeing me.. eyeing me... " She glanced down at how she was dressed and a deep blush crept over her muzzle and face. She glanced back up to Cale with a light tremble as she blurted out, "Cale, please, be totally honest.. no lies.. do I look.. pretty? Am I looking okay dressed like this?"

Cale giggled a little but he stopped himself from outright laughing. He understood how counselors could be. But not knowing the depth of her counseling, he shouldn't make her feel any more 'down in the dumps' than she was obviously feeling right now. He decided now wasn't the right time to be reading her emotions. So he went back to his own knack for reading the facial and body cues that most humanoids didn't even know they gave off. Hence, the 'poker' faces even fewer humanoids were able to practice and use to any effectiveness.

Sav flinched slightly at the giggle, then broke into an understanding smile. Yes, what she asked was out to left field, and a huge surprise onto the XO, so, a giggle, if not outright chuckles, could be expected. Her ears focused on Cale to see what he had to say.

"You're probably right, Sav, but at least you're trying and yes, you look ravishing," Cale said with feeling. Despite the fact that he was gay, he still knew how to tell another person was beautiful when they were. Hence, his saying O'Reilly's loveliness at the party Barstow had for the crew way back before this debacle began. He wondered if the crew would be able to get back to some semblance of normalcy when this mission was over. But, he knew the crew would be able to bounce back just the way most crews were able to do so after any stressful mission.

Sav could hear the emotional content behind Cale's words and knew he meant what he said. She now blushed further, reacting to his eyes upon her and how she was looking at the moment. "Thanks, Cale... thanks. That feels good to be ravishing, but also not good... in a way. Too much attraction to oneself... to many bad things can come of it... " Sav shook herself, whispering, "stop, no, stop, don't think on it."

She steeled herself, then focused back onto the good looking Cale in front of her. "As for me, you look Handsome tonight. I am not sure about the white suit without something to offset it, but, that is just me and my aesthetics. So, I said why I am here. What brought you here tonight?"

"It's a holdover from one of my previous assignments, Starbase 956, I believe. Well, my CO, Captain Walker used to tell me that I looked so odd compared to the rest of his crew that I needed to stand out more so I had this outfit made for me. To help me stand out far more than I already did. I wanted to be noticed not for the way I looked but the way I dressed off duty. So when we had social gatherings as a crew, I always dressed like this," Cale said ruefully. "Do you not like it?" Cale asked suddenly worried that his wearing it didn't have it's desired intent.

Sav was in the middle of a sip of Sambuca when Cale asked his question. Her surprise was shown by the sudden swallow and choking on her sip. She breathed quickly to recover, then she shyly smiled to Cale. "Oh, no, you look great, you're in shape, you smell good, you're heart sounds strong, and your being an.. Albino? I think it's called? is awesome. Your outfit stand out with your hair and skin. Probably, to Terrans, you're very striking and handsome. I mean, you're handsome to me... just.. for me, I like differentiation to the outfits... like, having a black tie with your outfit, or a black belt with black half gloves and black highlights on your shoes... that would appeal to me. White on white... just not my personal aesthetic, okay?"

Sav felt she was floundering, not able to put into speech what her own fashion was. She deflated a little as she downed the rest of her sambuca and then reached for the Scotch, saying, "I'm not drunk enough for this."

"Thank you, Sav. I appreciate your 'definitions of me, condition and yes, I'm called an albino. But, it's still an oddity among Terrans. So, I feel out of the ordinary," Cale said haltingly. "And, I agree, we are not drunk enough for this at all."

Sav burst out a giggle at Cale's last statement. She had not meant for 'them', just for 'her', but Cale had did a play of words, and state of mind, on it anyway. She poured herself the double scotch, then turned to face Cale with a small sashay and giggle again. She added, "Hey, Cale, sometin' yah didna know. Most Mephetians are black or grey or brown in main color, with white or creams for markings and ventral colors. Ah'm ah rare reverse colored Mephetian... Silver, witha bluish black night markin's, ana Markin's in mah hair. It's an oddity among Mephetians, ana other races, and sought after by the rich and powerful.. ana why Ah almost become someones bedspread, against mah will. Ah... Ah... "

Sav's eyes opened wide at realizing what she just said. She shuddered as she turned slightly, angst seen in her face an pose, as she said to herself, "Sav, dammit, too much, too early... You're scarin' away yer potential friends.." She slammed down her double Scotch, almost choking on it as she was used to just sipping her drinks. She turned back to Cale, a forelorn look on her face, as she waited for him to find an excuse to leave for himself and run for the hills, even as she reached for the scotch again.

Cale reached for her hand and stopped her from pouring that last shot. "I know about that portion of your past. As former and current XO, I knew about your past, though not all that much as your past, it was required that I know but I only read what was pertinent for me to know as far as it went to your the performance of your duties. I left not too shortly after reading that bit of your service record."

Sav was surprised when he stopped her from getting herself another double shot. She looked back to him and her ears focused upon him to let him know she was listening to what he was saying. She nodded to him about reading about her, and his leaving.

"Honestly, I filed it away in the back of my mind and didn't think about it again until I was assigned back to the ship. I apologize for not telling you about this before but I never thought about it until now," Cale orated trying not to make it sound like a lecture. But, it sounded like a lecture to him so he only imagined how it sounded to her; a lecture from a superior officer. He stopped there and his facial cues and his body language as much as he possibly could. He decided to go at this another way.

Sav caught his poise and facial cues, and that he was trying to talk to her without being overbearing, and, really, he wasn't, he was just trying to impart information to her. She kept herself showing listening as she knew Cale was not there when she was mostly fixed.... mostly.

"Sav, I need you to look at me as much as a superior officer and a friend who is here for you whenever you need. I want be there for you as a friend also. I need to be there as a friend not just for you but for me also. I have so few friends on this ship even with so many 'friendly faces' around I still feel like an outsider and an outcast. So, I need to forge this friendship for me as much as for you. Do you think we can do that?"

Sav's body showed relaxation as she gently nodded her muzzle. She replied, "Yes, we can do that.. I need friends, especially as I keep losing them. I..." She shook herself, then said, "Please, hear me out."

She looked at him, then said, "I was mostly fixed during the last excursion on the starbase. Caroline decided to do a deep scan with an expert in Mephetian Physiology. They removed the mesh holding my insides together. Heh, it was a cadaver mesh held together with nylon and doped with a glue poison meant to kill me... it almost did. Then a psi counselor finally removed those damned Psychic imprints trying to rewrite my memories and keeping me from talking about what the Fed councilman did to me for my pelt and life." She slammed back her shot glass, then remembered there was nothing in it as Cale has stopped her from getting more. She finished with, "So, our run-in... it was because of imprints ana me supposedly being dead... nothing against you. I wasa fightin the imprints everah day, always.. I am free now, mostly, but memories, moods, ana like overtake me. So, yeah, Ahm screwed up... except ona duty, that keeps me sane. Ifin yah can accept a messed up friend, Ah will gladly accept an outcast asa me friend." She held out her hand, "Shake on it?"

Cale took the offered hand and shook it with feeling. He was glad he was able to make a new friend today. Despite being an outsider and outcast for most of his life, he finally made a true friend. "Sav, I am always here for you and am willing to help you should you need me. My control of and ability to discern what i'm feeling is far from perfect but my powers allow me to help others in way a counselor without them can. I'm trying to focus my...empathy into a finer power so I can help others not only on the ship but elsewhere. Now, I'm not trying to become a therapist because I have no desire nor the skill to become one."

Sav cocked her head slightly as she took in this news about his abilities. 'So that was what I felt as CAG... not telepathy, but dual empathic ability... got it,' went through her mind. She churred lightly as she responded, "Nope, Ah agree, Therapist nota fer me either.. but, yer empathy can come in verah handy fer being XO fer crew, ayuh."

"Remind me to tell you my life story someday. I want you to hear my sad story just not in this public a setting, OK? And with that I shall bid you 'adieu madame'. Because, I'm sure there is something that needs attending to. Thank you for the lovely and illuminating evening, my dear," Cale bowed to the most handsome woman and winked at her. He then turned and exited the lounge.

Sav watched him go. She was saddened that he had to leave, and had a bit of angst at being left alone again, especially after the revelations with Rick Draxx today. She lost Melody as a fellow wife, possibly lost just visiting anytime as with Draxx involved, nothing was just there anymore. She didn't really have any other friends... the old crew was gone, lost to the temporal mess that became of the Merlin. She reached over and poured herself that Scotch Cale has stopped from earlier, then turned back to the window to once more watch the work being done to the Merlin while absently sipping her very good tasting, imported from Terra scotch.

OFF:

Commander Cale Jason Llewellyn, DSci
Executive & Strategic Operations Officers
USS Merlin

Commander Save'ena Tillatix
CFCO/Bridge Command Specialist
USS Merlin