LtJG Jovenan – There's almost 400 people aboard, I can't know them all
Jovenan
((Elysium, Deck 5, USS Artemis))
For a brief moment, Jovenan and Luxa could only sit and wait for their orders to arrive. That didn’t mean they should remain silent the entire time, instead, Jovenan wanted to discuss the shore leave that was probably mostly behind them by now. The view out of the window gave her a perfect subject to converse about as well, given the small, sulphuric-yellow moon that they could see in the distance.
Jovenan: I held a sensor analysis training to Hiro earlier on the shore leave. He ran a probe around that moon a few times quite expertly. How was the shore leave for you? Did you find the time to do anything interesting while here?
Lorana: Shore leave has been interesting. It's strange, as it's home. Or at least it was my home.
Jovenan felt small embarrassment for not making the obvious connection. Obviously this was Luxa’s homeworld, that’s a topic she probably should have started the conversation with.
Jovenan: Oh right, I almost forgot that! Sorry, I’m running a bit slow. I assume you went and saw many of your family members and friends given the rare opportunity to visit home, then?
Lorana: Not yet, I've been preoccupied ::changed subject:: Actually I visited planetside with Lt. Silveira recently ::laughs:: We went dancing by the docks, it was a lot of fun.
Dancing? That was interesting. Jovenan didn’t remember ever actually seeing a human or a Caitian dance, nor did she know what the dances of those cultures looked like, so she imagined them doing the Edo style, yoga-like dance moves, facing each other, copying one another clumsily to a fast-paced music she imagined Caitians might like. It was probably far from what they had actually done, but she couldn’t know any better. It looked awkward.
Jovenan: Really? That does sound fun, I didn’t know you and Lieutenant Silveira did such things. ::pause:: I also met him. I was exercising in the Fitness Centre when he called me and ordered me to his office as soon as possible. When I arrived there, he had this very sour face, made me stand in attention and told me, with very stern voice, that he was… proud in me. ::shrug:: I suppose he pulled a prank on me.
Lorana: He did? He certainly doesn't take things too seriously. I hope you have a plan to get him back for that?
Jovenan: Me? Uh, no, that would be unbecoming of me. Should I?
Before their conversation could continue further, the waiter abruptly returned with their drinks. He placed a glass of fruit juice in front of Jovenan, while Luxa received the cup of tea Jovenan had requested. She gave a look to Luxa before they themselves switched them the right way around.
Gorpis: :: sarcastic:: Enjoy.
Okay, now Jovenan could hear the insincerity in his voice. This person was being rude to them on purpose. As he walked away, she shook her head disapprovingly. Luxa had noticed the waiter’s attitude earlier, and the lack of change in it hadn’t gone unnoticed from her either.
Lorana: I wonder where Mirrin got that one from?
Jovenan: Who?
Lorana: Mirrin? She runs the bar here.
Luxa subtly pointed at the bar, and Jovenan turned to see the person she was talking about. There was, indeed, a woman with wavy blond hair in civilian clothes behind the bar. Jovenan didn’t know her personally, but she did look familiar.
Lorana: She makes fantastic, yet lethal, Caitian Daqaras.
She didn’t know if ability to brew deathly potions was a skill that was particularly important for a bartender, although it could come handy in some situation, at least in offworlder fiction it often did. She sipped her tea. It tasted fine as usually and not at all poisonous.
Jovenan: I clearly don’t frequent here enough to know the staff. ::longer pause:: Oh, now I know where I’ve seen her before! She was also in the Round Table.
Lorana: Response
Right, Luxa had never been on the Excalibur, she had only joined them to the Artemis. Jovenan remembered well how she had first met Luxa. Now that she knew her, the image of a roaring Caitian running towards them with a phaser blazing was both amusing and terrifying.
Jovenan: The Round Table, the lounge on the Excalibur. I think she was the barkeeper in there as well. Not that I would have visited there much more often than here. I guess she switched over to the Artemis at some point as well.
Lorana: Response
Jovenan: I was there only about 3 months before we switched to the Artemis. They wanted to keep all the senior staff with local knowledge in the Borderlands while move the stronger ship to the Tholian border. Which, now to think of it, would be near here. I suppose if we’re lucky we’ll have a chance to see some old acquaintances before the shore leave ends.
Lorana: Response
Jovenan: How about you? Do you know people on other ships? Any old Academy classmates you keep contact with?
Lorana: Response
TAG/TBC
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Lieutenant JG Jovenan
Science officer
USS Artemis-A
E239911J11