JP: Doctor Erin Reynolds & LtJG Jocelyn Marshall - So, There's This Girl... (Part Three)

[Jo Marshall]

((Later - Upper Entertainment Deck, Iana Station ))

:: Diversity seemed to be the thriving theme on the station. The tiers of entertainment decks were heavily mixed between cafes that catered for felines and their friends, a jazz club with smoke seeping out of the entrance, shops, bars, restaurants, some playing Tyrellian traditional music. There seemed to be no end of beings either. It looked like mostly families up top, however, taking one glance over the rung to the lower levels revealed pulsating lights in darkness, heavily synthesised music, and a lot of bodies.::

:: Managing to get changed between the moon and the station into casual gear, Jo didn’t feel half as out of place if she’d been there in her uniform. Very few Officers were walking around with their working rig on, though Tyrellians seemed to stick to almost ceremonial garb. Jeans, canvas shoes, an old band t-shirt from her personal replicator stash, and an open navy blue cardigan. Easy. She stuck her hands in her pockets and fell into step with the Human, realising that even without the thick soled standard issue boots, she was still a couple of inches clear of the woman.::

:: Though, now they were there, Jo realised social situations with lots of people were her speciality, not Erins. Ever the joker, she bluffed confidence. Even if it was just the two of them, it was a large station.::

Marshall: I really didn't think it would be this big. Or this noisy. ::she looked to Erin, concern curving her eyebrow up:: You alright?

E. Reynolds: I'm okay. ::She nodded -- perhaps a little too quickly -- and offered Jo a fleeting smile.:: Tyrellians have office parties too. I'll leave it to your imagination how wild a group of botanists can get.

Marshall: I can almost picture the biodome as an underground rave. ::she narrowed her eyes briefly, then shook her head:: I can't imagine it. Now, heated debates over climate levels I could believe.

E. Reynolds: ::She snorted softly, a barely stifled laugh.:: Yeah... ::Scratching her cheek with the tip of her finger, she laughed again.:: Pretty much on the mark with that. It's fascinating and all, but... Well...

::She shrugged, shaking her head. A brief parade of expression marched across her face; guilt, shame, sorrow and embarrassment, all mixed into one peculiar whole.::

E. Reynolds: Am I weird if I say I sometimes miss being aboard the Triumphant?

Marshall: Not at all. ::her response came a bit too quickly, she sighed:: No. I mean, you spent years there, with the same people, fixing the same ship. It would be insane to think you didn't. ::her voice softened:: What do you miss about it?

E. Reynolds: The people. The closeness. ::She glanced to Jo and half-smiled.:: I hated it at the time, there were no secrets between any of us, but now... ::She sighed.:: I don't know anyone. I don't know how to talk to them. Or what to talk about.

Marshall: A freedom like no other. ::hands in pockets, she straightened her arms:: It's like the ship was a world of its own, in a way. Then, here's this whole other universe, and you're starting from scratch. ::she was rambling, she thought of Brunsig:: Do you still keep in touch with Walter? ::she corrected herself:: Sorry, Marten.

E. Reynolds: I try to. ::She hesitated, waging a private war inside her head for a short while before she continued.:: He's not doing so well. He's not... ::She shook head.:: Well. It's been hard for all of us to find a purpose here.

:: Jo couldn't imagine that; she'd always had a sense of purpose, direction, knowing what she wanted to do, even if it deviated. Silence followed them for a few moments, then she asked a question that she'd been meaning to for a while.::

Marshall: What did you want to do before you joined Starfleet?

E. Reynolds: What do you mean?

Marshall: You existed before joining Starfleet. All I wanted to do was play Springball, professionally. ::she half-smiled:: Don't laugh. It was a total pipe dream. Did you ever want to do anything different?

::Erin smiled, her hazel eyes lit up with amusement, but true to Jo's request, she didn't laugh.::

E. Reynolds: Starfleet was my something different. ::A faint flush crept onto her cheeks, and she rubbed the back of her neck.:: I was... something of a wunderkind. I had my first PhD by the time I was fifteen, and I was working at the Theoretical Propulsion Group after that. But I wanted a challenge, so I set my sights on Starfleet.

Marshall: That's… ::she grinned:: That's not half as surprising. I found joining Starfleet a challenge. Turns out, you're a genius. From another universe. A bloody beautiful genius. ::she shook her head:: Teenaged me would be so jealous. ::then raised an eyebrow at Erin:: Hold on… first PhD?

::That faint blush turned furious scarlet as Jo spoke, and Erin rubbed her cheek, avoiding her friend's gaze. The question was seized on as soon as it was asked, a welcome distraction from the compliments she didn't know how to react to.::

E. Reynolds: Uh huh.

:: Jo caught the flash of red on her cheeks and felt immediately bad; not enough to take it back, Erin was a genius, and lovely, but perhaps not the best thing to say. She rolled her eyes at herself, wiped her hand over her face, and it was gone.::

Marshall: When did you finish the second?

E. Reynolds: Three years later. ::She shook her head, and offered a rueful smile.:: I didn't have many other hobbies.

TBC

--
Lieutenant JG Jocelyn Marshall
Operations Officer
USS Gorkon

&

Doctor Erin Reynolds
Botanist
Ereina Ark Project