JP: LtJG Sera zh'Aella & LtJG Jocelyn Marshall - Crossing the Bar
Jo Marshall
(( Lounge Bar, Cloud Skipper))
:: A relaxing tune hummed through the lounge from the instrumental group in the aft corner, a soft but melodic sound that set the mood for the evening. Outside, the dusk was setting in, cascading an orange glow through the Cloud Skippers large windows, and at the bar sat two friends slowly getting drunk.::
Marshall: Did you know that the average Andorian digestive system doesn't tolerate chocolate?
:: Sera smiled suspiciously at the non sequitur. She always enjoyed the company of Jo Marshall and getting tipsy with her was definitely something to look forward too on shore leave, but random facts about the Andorian digestive system didn’t follow their normal topics of conversation.::
zh’Aella: I like the taste of hot cocoa but I can’t have it without a hypo full of digestive enzymes, so it really isn’t worth the trouble. ::She said with a head shake.:: So, have you doing some extra research on eating habits of Andorians ?
Marshall: I don't know what you mean, I know loads of random facts about your species. I did take Physiology 101 at the academy, you know.
:: Sera gave her beer a long slow pull before leaning back with a tipsy smile.::
zh’Aella: Sounds like a cover story to me. I think someone wanted to get a certain blue helm officer some chocolates?
:: Sera fluttered her eyebrows before giving the Human a nudge in the upper arm.::
Marshall: No… maybe… ::she relented:: I *may* have looked up on the library what a suitable present was for… grieving. ::she exhaled the last word as though she'd been holding it in:: Surprisingly, I couldn't get you chocolate, so beer it is.
:: That comment caused a pause in Sera’s playful behaviour as she felt the angish and loss that she had been avoiding since the ceremony in the Gorkon’s shuttle bay.::
zh’Aella: Thanks Jo. The beer is appreciated and so is your company.
:: She said with a warm smile.::
Marshall: Both of those I’m good for. ::she lifted her beer bottle, then looked to her friend:: So… How’ve you been? How do you want to handle this?
zh’Aella: I’ve been okay, kind of. I wanted to lock myself away in my quarters. But I remembered how annoyed Leigh got with me when I did that after the drive failure in the Roman Expanse.
:: The drive failure had seen Sera thrown for a loop, and despite assurances from those who knew, Jo still watched the effect it had taken on the Helm Officer. Leigh had been there for Sera afterward. Losing a mentor and a friend like that… Jo didn’t know what she’d do.::
Marshall: She called a phaser a phaser. Starfleet needs Officers like that; no nonsense, straight shooting... I’m sorry we lost her. She was a good friend and she will be missed.
:: Sera nodded firmly but found in difficult to look at Jo, she kept her eyes focused on her drink as she spoke.::
zh’Aella: I always found it difficult to make friends… ::She paused and looked up with a sad smile.:: You remember what I was like when I first joined the Gorkon. So having one get killed like that….
:: Another pause as she felt her eyes begin to water, her emotions breaking down the barrier that she’d put up. .::
:: At the premise of tears starting, Jo put her beer down and held out her arm widely.::
Marshall: Come on, blue-blood. Bring it in.
:: Sera leaned over and gave Jo a big hug.::
zh’Aella: Thank you. :: Sera sat back down and wiped eyes again with a smile.:: I know I said it on the Gorkon, but I’m really pleased that you came back from... that other place.
:: Sera added with a twitch of her antennae, unsure of what the science types were calling the region beyond the fissures.::
:: A shiver ran down Jo’s spine at the memory of being… wherever she was. The prospect of spending eternity there was something she refused to think about. She pulled it together for a smile.::
Marshall: Yeah, me too. I have so many questions about it that I can’t ask anyone. It was just… empty. There was nothing waiting for me, no one there… ::she swallowed, and sighed:: And then, the first thing I do when I get back, aside from fending off mild hypothermia, of course, is send a hand cultivated plant to someone, just in case I didn’t get the chance again. Real rock and roll.
zh’Aella: If you need to talk about it, I’m here for you too. I don’t know what you went through but I can listen.
:: There was a moment of silence, the mood had changed so quickly from merriment to melancholy. Sera recognised the change and tried to inject some cheer into her voice.::
zh’Aella: And if listening isn’t enough I can entertain you with drunken Andorian antics.
:: Jo drummed her hands on the bar, catching the bartender’s attention.::
Marshall: We need more drinks and a taste of home. Sir! Andorian ale and alcoholic voodai, please.
:: Sera quickly drink the last of her beer and nodded in agreement.::
zh’Aella: Yes! More drinks over here. :: She said needlessly before glancing at Jo.:: Well remembered, I was building up to my first ale.
:: The blue liquid in the bottle was chilled, the frost clinging to the sides, and two shot glasses were placed in front of them. On the other hand, the voodai bottle was brown and room temperature. Bajorans sure knew how to have a party on the palette. The bartender left the uncorked bottle, and Jo poured two glasses.::
Marshall: Only the finest for my savage warrior bestie. ::she lifted the glass:: Leigh, wherever you are, I hope you’re looking disapprovingly at some shoddy engineering work and showing inexperienced Ensigns how to do it McMann style.
::Sera raised her ale high and smiled as she pictured her friend.::
zh’Aella: Leigh, I was so intimidated when we first meet. ::She said with a soft smile thinking back to her engineering academy classes.:: But you turned into my first mentor and a valued friend, I miss you but I’ll never forget you. Godspeed Warrant Officer.
::Sera wiped her eyes again as she said goodbye for the final time.::
=/\=
Lieutenant JG Sera zh'Aella
Helm/Comm/Ops
USS Gorkon
Publicity Team
V239107TZ0
&
Lieutenant JG Jocelyn Marshall
Operations Officer
USS Gorkon
G239304JM0