Lt. JG Natasha Cole - Difficult to Classify
Natasha Schell
(( Archaeological Survey Site – Serein Basin, Rylor ))
Tal: If the rest of your crew are anything like the two of you, we’d be delighted to have them. You’re quite clearly a brilliant scientist, Jovenan. And Natasha. ::arching an eyebrow:: You… are becoming increasingly difficult to classify.
Cole: I could say the same for archaeology. It seemed simpler before you started explaining it.
Jovenan: ::to Cole:: I’m also quite impressed by your deductions. Did you ever consider becoming a scientist?
Tal: There’s still time to defect. ::lightly, to Cole:: You’ve already demonstrated strong observational instincts and an acceptable tolerance for uncertainty. That’s most of the job.
Cole: Defecting to science feels a little drastic. Can I start as an honorary consultant and see how it goes?
Natasha tried to keep her tone light, but the offer, joking or not, hit somewhere she hadn’t expected. She wasn’t blind to science’s appeal. Roy had found his place in medicine. Samantha had made science feel warm and human in a way she’d never quite expected. And her mother would probably be thrilled if Natasha ever took a sharper turn in that direction.
Still, she knew where her instincts lived. Security fit the way her mind moved. That didn’t mean she couldn’t appreciate a discipline built on patience, pattern, and quiet discovery.
oO Right. That smile was becoming a problem. Slightly distracting, but manageable. Oo
Jovenan: I’m stepping back to my plot. Not going to let you hog all the discoveries!
Tal: By all means. If this turns into a professional feud over excavation squares, I’ll consider my afternoon extraordinarily well spent. ::airily:: I believe you're next up for a miraculous discovery, Jovenan.
Cole: Your turn, Jovenan. Try not to make mine look boring.
She had noticed that Jovenan hadn’t introduced herself with her rank. So Nat wanted to make sure she respected the Commander's choice and not out her.
Jovenan: ::laughingly:: I make no promises!
Tal: Excellent! A word of advice: don’t chase the dramatic interpretation. ::lightly, but not unkindly:: Archaeology punishes optimism almost as reliably as it rewards patience. Look for repetition instead – alignment, matching cuts in the stone, anything that suggests this seam belongs to a larger pattern.
Cole: Understood. I’ll try to keep up with your standards.
Jovenan: Of course. ::looks around her plot:: I don’t know where the structure would have extended to, but it probably had related functions near it. I’d imagine a road or path, garden, waste dump or sewer. Inside, a roof and a floor, whatever was inside. A lot of opportunities to leave something behind.
Tal: If this is part of a threshold or access point, the interesting pieces may not be the obvious ones. ::gesturing lightly with the brush:: Fasteners. Post holes. Wear patterns. Evidence that something opened, closed, or was handled repeatedly. Small clues are still clues. Especially here.
Cole: I’m beginning to suspect archaeology and investigation have more in common than advertised.
Jovenan: I can see that. Some of the methods are the same, and in a way, the objectives too: finding out what happened here. The age of the scene is just a bit different… unless the investigators are badly delayed.
Tal: Response
Cole: I keep thinking about the last person who touched this and had no idea we’d be here centuries later trying to make sense of it.
Jovenan: Lieutenant Tal, could you come see what I’ve found? ::makes way:: Looks like a layer of fire-cracked rocks.
Tal: Response
Natasha looked over at Jovenan’s square to get a better look, a smile tugging at her mouth
Cole: Okay, that's a good find. ::playful smile:: I liked this better when my square was winning.
Jovenan: If it’s a hearth, there might be, um, evidence of what they used as fuel or what they ate, at the bottom. I’m a bit afraid to brush more, in case I accidentally remove something important before you have a chance to have a look.
Natasha paused her own careful brushing. If Jovenan had found a hearth, that was more than interesting, it meant that this was the kind of find that made a place feel lived in.
Tal: Response
Cole: That sounds like the kind of caution I wish more people applied before touching things.
Jovenan: Can we help with taking the samples, or is it strictly for professionals only?
Cole: I’m happy to assist, as long as I’m not about to commit some archaeological crime by accident.
She had stepped closer towards the rope separating their squares. As Nyra shifted closer, Natasha caught the faint scent of dust, sun-warmed fabric, and clean soap beneath it. It was oddly grounding.
Tal: Response
Jovenan’s mouth curved again, clearly enjoying herself. Natasha found herself smiling too. This was turning out to be far more rejuvenating than she’d expected.
Jovenan: Sorry we keep getting adding to your workload. If we keep doing this, I fear we might take all your free evenings for a while.
Tal: Response
oO Apparently archaeology came with more eye contact than advertised. Good to know. Oo
Cole: I’m not hearing a downside yet.
Natasha tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear while listening.
Tal/Jovenan: Response
Natasha brushed a little dust from her gloves, glancing between the two of them before her attention settled briefly, and perhaps a fraction too easily on Nyra.
Cole: If we keep coming back, can we negotiate better titles than “volunteer”?
Tal/Jovenan: Response
oO This was a far better use of shore leave than overthinking alone in her quarters. Oo
Cole: I suppose I could be persuaded to continue my field education.
Tal/Jovenan: Response
Tags/TBC
----- ◌● -----Lt. JG Natasha Cole
Security Officer
USS Artemis-A
A240205NC4