Lt. Robin Hopper: The Ones You Miss
Robin Hopper
((OOC – As before, keeping this post at a brisk pace due to end of shore leave. Going to try wrapping it up here – but feel free to ad-lib a little and if I need to back-sim, no big deal!))
((Amity Outpost – Grand Mezzanine, The Brew Continuum))
Robin smiled cheerily as she walked into the Brew Continuum with S’Raga, her gym bag slung over her unbruised shoulder. The other was beginning to ache – but it was the dull satisfying ache that followed a winning game, and besides, she was far too ecstatic at her friend’s return from an extended visit to the Alpha Quadrant to care about it much.
As they entered the café, the familiar aroma of roasted coffee beans graced them. Robin had never been much of a coffee drinker – at least, not before coming to Amity. She’d been developing more appreciation for the ‘jitter juice’, as some of the old miners on Theta VII typically called it, since coming to the station – particularly during her days working with Nathan Richards on the Targhee. It had become a bit of a ritual for them, in fact. Now that the work on the shuttle was done, and Nathan was just awaiting final permissions to take it for a test flight, she was beginning to miss it.
Hopper: ::To Barista:: Caramel macchiato, please. ::A glance to S’Raga:: Latté?
S’Raga: You know it!
Robin nodded to the Barista as she and S’Raga moved their way down towards the end of the counter.
Hopper: Thanks! ::To S’Raga:: Alright, so – without getting into the stuff that’ll get me court-martialed, the gist is that Rivi and I found ourselves in an alternate timeline – for a day or so – on account of some meddling from down the time stream.
S'Raga leaned back and crossed his arms as he listened.
S’Raga: Oh, no way! That sounds serious!
Robin rolled her eyes – not because he was wrong, but because ‘serious’ was something of an understatement.
Hopper: Oh, it’s very serious. But, fortunately, the damage was reversible. We’re coordinating with staff on the Kitty Hawk and Excalibur already, looking into options. As you know, the DTI is involved, and I’m sure we’ll be hearing more about it from Federation HQ in the future… That’s about all I’m at liberty to say though.
At that point, their drinks were placed on the counter, Robin picked up her caramel macchiato and gave it a quick sniff – it smelled heavenly.
Hopper: Want to walk while we talk? I need to do a bit of a warm-down after my match.
S’Raga: By all means!
They carried their beverages out of the cafe and out into the bustling Mezzanine. If it was possible, it almost seemed busier than usual – perhaps on account of the starliners carrying people out to the Delta Quadrant after the terran new year. The duo strolled through the crowd – no particular destination in mind.
Hopper: I guess this may be needless to say, but the experience definitely shook me a little… ::Thinking back on it:: …I took a few weeks off, swung by the Beta Quadrant for a conference… It was good to clear my head a bit.
S’Raga: No kidding. I've never experienced a temporal anomaly before, but I can imagine there'd be a lot to process afterwards.
Robin nodded, taking a moment to sip at the coffee. It was a little too hot, but she drank it anyways, lamenting the burned tongue tip she’d have later on – but the brief pause was necessary for her to recollect her thoughts…
Hopper: Yeah, yeah, I’m fine now. Though I guess my mind’s been permanently expanded a little bit on how unavoidable temporal ripple effects can be. ::Shaking her head, breaking into a smile again:: On the upside, I got to see the new uniforms they’re rolling out for 2400! They’re adorable.
S’Raga: New uniforms? Hah, I haven't even broken this one in yet! ::Looking down at his shirt:: Hopefully they're more slimming than these ones.
She looked at the Caitian officer, whose floof had a funny way of making him appear bulkier than he really was. She wondered, if he was sprayed with a hose, if he’d look an entirely different shape like a housecat mid-bath. The image made her smile, and she gave him a friendly pat on the chest.
Hopper: So, tell me all about Betazed! I know some of it, from what Nathan told me, but to be honest he seemed sort of confused about a lot of it. ::Smirking:: I don’t think interstellar politics is his forté… ::Teasingly:: Did you guys start any diplomatic incidents?
S’Raga’s nervous laughter and reflexively-long sip of his latté did not go unnoticed by Robin. If she’d needed a moment with her macchiato, it stood to reason he was also collecting his thoughts. Her expression shifted from teasing to slightly concerned. oO Did you…? Oo
S’Raga: Well, funny you should mention that. Because, umm... A little bit, yes.
Robin stopped in place, forcing S’Raga to stop as well. The crowd milled about them.
Hopper: ::Leaning her head in, expectantly:: A little bit?
S'Raga: Well... To make a long story short, something made me upset, and in my infinite wisdom, I loudly accused someone who just so happened to be a daughter of the Fourth House of Betazed of having no moral integrity.
Hopper: The… Fourth House… Is that the one that? Hmm. No, that’s the Sixth. ::Shaking her head:: Sorry – that’s not important. You shouted at a Betazoid Noble?
S'Raga: Yup. Her name's Kyri Taival. And, not only does she happen to be Rivi's cousin, she's coming to live aboard Amity!
Robin stared at him for a moment, taking in his pained sarcastic smile, before turning away for a second in astonishment. He sipped his latté again while she processed. Finally, she sighed and carried on their way, gesturing with her head for him to follow.
Hopper: Okay, well obviously things couldn’t have been too bad. You’re here and not… ::chuckling:: locked up in some Betazoid dungeon… And if she’s coming to Amity, I guess you must not have scared her away from Starfleet either. I take it you sorted things out?
S'Raga: I think she said something about taking a position as terraformation project manager. But anyway, things between her and me were fairly... ::thinking of an appropriate word:: cordial when we last saw each other. I know she and Nathan spent some time together a couple days before that, so maybe he somehow managed to convince her that I wasn't such a bad guy.
oO Oh, he did he? … Does that bother you? … No… Because it shouldn’t… I know, and it doesn’t… Are you sure? … Oh shut up, brain. Oo
Hopper: Mmm… That’s… ::weak smile:: great.
She took another long sip of her macchiato. The caramel didn’t taste quite so sweet anymore, but it gave her something to do other than argue with herself.
S'Raga: But I suppose, after all, it wasn't too bad of a trip. I got to work on a project with my sister Raz. Have I told you about M'Razu before? I think you'd like her! She's a scientist, too. Conservation biology. She just finished her first semester of her Masters degree. Terrible taste in holonovels, though.
Happy for the change in subject, Robin led them to a planet near the edge of the balcony, with a tall skinny palm-like tree rising up from it. She dropped her gym bag and stood at the balcony’s edge beside it, turning to look at S’Raga and leaning back on the railing.
Hopper: Well, I’ve heard her name – but I didn’t know she was in STEM! Sounds like our interests are pretty overlapping… I should chat with her some time! I’d love to know what she’s been working on. Maybe even see if she has any ideas for the Botany lab here… It’s one of my favourite places on the station, you know.
She went to take a sip of her drink – but paused, thinking about S’Raga’s second comment on his sister. A little smile crossed her lips.
Hopper: ::Squinting:: Terrible taste, you say? ::Smirking:: I’ve been accused of that… ::Shrug:: Maybe we’d get along famously. ::Sip::
S'Raga: Hey, speaking of holonovels, what did you say that one we should do together is called again? The detective story?
Hopper: ::Mouth full of macchiato:: Mmm!!! ::Wiping away a little milk foam mustache:: “The Second To Last Game.” ::Pause:: Or at least that was the name of the book. I’ll double check with Keehani, seeing as she recommended it to me.
In actuality, Keehani had warned her that the holonovel adaptation of the Vulcan-authored murder mystery was inferior – but Robin’s interest was still piqued at the idea of playing ‘Detectives’ with the Caitian HCO.
S'Raga: Yes! I've been looking forward to it the whole time I was away! This definitely needs to happen!
Hopper: Next shore leave? ::Smirking:: I’ll replicate a magnifying glass and a Mackintosh – we’ll be regular old fashioned snoops!
She offered a little ‘cheers’ with their cups – but the gesture finally caused her bruised shoulder to twinge. As she glanced down at it, S’Raga asked a pertinent question....
S'Raga: So, other than top secret classified temporal shenanigans, what kind of fun stuff did you get up to?
Hopper: ::Examining her bruise properly for the first time:: Uhhh, well, I took some inspiration from that conversation we had – ::looking back to him:: the one about Caitian Post-Ball…
S’Raga: Response
Hopper: ::Laughing:: Oh, no – I haven’t tried my hand at it quite yet. But it did get me thinking – and then I had a chat with Commander Carter. Well, not a chat – a counseling session. I figured it was time to get back into doing something with my body and not just my brain… ::quietly:: especially with all the drinking I did over the holidays… ::Perking back up:: So I started up a little volleyball league within the SRC. We’ve met once a week for the past month and a bit. It’s been great!
She gave her gym bag a gentle kick, for emphasis.
S’Raga: Response
Hopper: You should join us for a game. With your background, I’ll bet you’d be a natural at it.
S’Raga: Response
Hopper: I’ll teach you everything you need to know. First of all – you use your forearms, not your hands – so claws are not a concern!
S’Raga: Response
As she took a final sip of her macchiato, finishing off the last delicious bits of caramel syrup and foam, she sighed.
Hopper: Honestly, things didn’t feel the same without you here. All of you, I mean… It felt empty. ::Shaking her head:: It’s funny – I hadn’t realized how much I’d grown accustomed to things here already… I’ve always thought of myself as a pretty independent person.
S’Raga: Response
She nodded, turned around, looked out over the crowd milling about below. The empty cup in her hand no longer offered any respite from her thoughts. She patted the railing beside her, inviting S’Raga to join her.
Hopper: With everything that happened, and you know, this time of the year, I really found myself missing people. You guys, of course, but also my family… ::A small smile:: I have a sister too, you know – Keri. Have I mentioned her before? ::Grimacing teasingly:: Hopefully I haven’t said anything too awful.
S’Raga: Response
Hopper: We haven’t always gotten along so great, but, uhh, well… I wrote her a letter for the first time in a while. I haven’t heard back yet, but she’s busy at school right now – ::a glance to S’Raga:: Like M’Razu… Only she’s studying politics. Following in our mom’s footsteps. The thought of her serving as an FDC diplomat someday honestly gives me chills, but… She’s a good kid. At heart… It’s her outward personality that’s more the problem.
S’Raga: Response
Hopper: So – you just got off a boat right? Let’s get you home. Come on, I’ll walk you there. Maybe I can even interrogate Nathan about this ‘time’ he spent one-on-one with the Betazoid Noble… ::Evil smirk:: I’m sure it was a rewarding experience.
S’Raga: Response
As they left, heading for the train station, she wrapped her arm around the Caitian Ensign, pulling him close.
Hopper: It’s good to have you back.
S’Raga: Response?
END
