[Backsim] JP: Lt. Sevantha Saa & Lt. JG Gwen'ora Tasen - Reunion
Jess - Gwen Tasen
((Botanical Arboretum, Deck 9, USS Octavia E. Butler))
Saa: oO…Is it Delta’s shift already? Oo
Sevantha’s void gaze watched as a few officers she didn’t recognize walked through the corridors. It’d been a day since Avander had removed the hollow pip from her collar and replaced it with a full one. A day after Morro had chased her down at the after party in the Big Bubble on Seytoxal and asked to talk. Sleep had been hard to find in all the excitement and she’d been having inexplicable psychic echoes throughout her waking hours.
The echoes led her to stand in the Botanical Arboretum, and while not as grand as the extensive park and lake within the USS Astraeus, it was still beautiful to behold.
Another spell washed over her, and Sevantha’s brow furrowed. She’d been perfectly sober since the poetry association meeting and aftermath. Surely she wasn’t hallucinating, her friend was alive, there was no way these could be death echoes. The sensation grew stronger, the presence stronger, and finally Sevantha tore herself away from a collection of Keela flowers to hunt for the source.
The moment left her speechless.
Gwen'ora had barely given herself the time to put her possessions in the room she'd been assigned. Followed the procedure of transferring ships as much as she had to. As soon as she'd gotten through the proverbial hoops, the woman had done the action she had been wanting to do ever since she had stepped foot on the USS Octavia E. Butler.
The computer had answered Gwen's question about the location of Sevantha Saa, telling her the botanical arboretum and offered directions, which Gwen had gladly transferred the information to her PADD.
Gwen was thankful for the fact it was Delta shift as she hurried through the hallways. She didn’t care if anyone judged her, she had someone to surprise. She hadn’t told Sevantha where she was transferring because she herself hadn’t know. Not until she received her assignment and then it was a matter of tell her or surprise her. The later had easily become the choice.
Now Gwen stood in the arboretum across from Sevan, absolutely smiling happily as she watched the look on the Betazoid’s face. This was probably one of the few times Gwen would ever actively surprise the woman as much as she had pulled off just then.
Saa: ::weakly:: …Gwen?
Gwen just nodded softly as she stood there, probably looking a bit more of a well traveled mess than she wanted, but this was Sevan. And this had been the reunion she had been hoping for over the last few months. Gwen had just assumed it would be years in the future and not now.
Sevantha took a cautious step forward.
Saa: Gwen’ora Tasen? ::speaking clearer:: By the Four…
Tasen: The one and only!
For a moment, Sevantha couldn’t catch her breath or find the words fast enough before the Ba’ku woman had rushed forward and hugged her.
Saa: W…What are you doing on this side of the galaxy?! ::finding her words:: I thought you were on the Esau?!
Gwen hadn’t been able to hold in her excitement and didn’t regret her sudden rush to hug her friend. But at Sevan’s confused words, Gwen pulled back and looked her over before nodding softly. Not realizing the light tears in the corner of her eyes.
Tasen: I was! But she was set for a refit and we all got reassigned…::trailing off a bit::
Expressing emotion openly was not taboo for a Betazoid, yet Sevantha loathed any sort of public display of vulnerability. Gwen’s tears, the excitement and relief she felt, caused her own eyes to start watering.
Saa: And?
Tasen: And I’ve been in transit since…
The mischievous and happy grin was ever present on Gwen’s face as she tried to not think of the assignment documentation or anything else that would mentally confirm anything to Sevan.
Saa: Taking a detour to visit Seytoxal before heading to Deep Space 14?
Sevantha squinted trying to decipher what the woman was thinking without actually engaging her telepathy as tempting as it was.
Tasen: I probably should have said something but I wanted to surprise you. ::pauses for a long moment before whispering:: But you are looking at a new Science officer on the USS Octavia E Butler.
Saa: …You transferred here?!
Between Morro’s revelations, the pip removal and replacement by Avander, and now Gwen’ora’s return the floodgates opened. Standing in the middle of the Arboretum Sevantha’s carefully constructed and controlled visage broke as the tears streamed down her cheeks.
The sudden stream of tears down Sevantha’s face paused Gwen. Absolutely made her freeze as she searched her friends' gaze, both wanting to pull her back into a hug and wanting to give her the space. Gwen just didn’t have words as she felt more tears escape.
Saa: I…I’m sorry I left without saying much. ::She bows her head:: … I went to DS9 for a research trip and… I just couldn’t go back.
Desperately the Counselor lifted her hand to dry her cheeks.
Tasen: I don’t blame you…::She looks away::
Shame hit Gwen like a fist. She’d broken down and hid. Hid from everyone. Hid in her lab and worked. Worked with plants because they didn’t bring back memories of Frontier Day. Hid from the friends she had made. Hid from a friend that had quickly become one that she would cherish for however many centuries she had left. Hid until she fled to another ship without much communication on the matter.
Saa: After we moved from our ensign rooms… It just became impossible to find you. ::She looked up:: And there were days I’d stand in sickbay, going through the motions, trying to commit to memorizing the Houses of the Par’tha Expanse…::she sighed:: But it felt empty.
Tasen: So we were in the same spot…::looks back over at Sevan:: the same sort of rut from everything oO from that day Oo
Gwen sighed before she took that necessary step again to hug her friend, so very glad to have her back in her life and not just over a long distance call. Even though she was a teary mess, when Gwen finally pulled back she was still smiling. Disheveled teary Ba’ku scientist she was at the moment.
Saa: H-how… was the ::inhale and exhale:: Esau?
She was not well versed talking through tears. It was funny how a familiar face could break down all her walls so easily.
Tasen: The Esau was great. I’ve got some stories from there. Though the best part, I got to go home for a bit.
Saa: I was wondering if you’d head back for a bit, after everything, the slower pace of Ba’Ku must have been nice.
Tasen: ::nods:: My parents now know about all sorts of our shenanigans. And would be glad to meet you at some point. Though there is no way in the stars they’ll leave Ba’ku.
Saa: Seems we have some galactic touring to do. ::she smiles:: You still need to see Betazed, though I’ve also promised Morro a trip there too, if you don’t mind a guest.
Tasen: I wouldn’t mind a guest, but ::pauses as she grins mischievously despite the tears:: Morro though?
Almost immediately Sevantha realized there was some developments that Gwen’ora was not full aware of. Lifting her hand, she wiped at her cheeks, suddenly stiffening up at the teasing. Watery eyes turned into a feverish blush. She wasn’t ashamed of the developments but she had worked so hard early on to keep a serious and impenetrable demeanor aboard the Astraeus, she fell back into the defensive habit. Gwen’ora also just always had a way of knowing what button to push to effectively tease her.
Saa: ::hesitantly:: …There have been developments.
Seeing Sevantha’s swap from teary mess to blushing, Gwen couldn’t help but smile wider as her own gaze felt wet again. The amount that she’d missed this…she’d missed her friend way more than she had realized.
Tasen: Such as? Do Betazoids or Orions have a specific term for their ::pauses:: partner?
Saa: There isn’t a label for both of our sakes at the moment. .
Tasen: ::Smirks:: I’m going to need the details before I accidentally run into the man and quiz him endlessly.
Saa: Glad to see your spark of mischief back. ::waves hand to dismiss the subject:: We’re going to need drinks and to play catch-up, deal?
Gwen’ora smiled warmly at Sevantha as she wiped her own eyes again on her sleeve before nodding her head lightly.
Tasen: Deal. I’ve got a bit of unpacking. At least plant wise that has to happen tonight or I’d be worried about the ones that came with me.
She paused and shrugged her shoulders lightly.
Tasen: If you don’t have a shift early, I could use the company for a bit.
Saa: Tomorrow is just PADD work as opposed to open scheduling hours… I think I can manage a little sleep deprivation. ::She smiled:: Nothing a Raktajino can’t solve.
It wasn’t every day in the universe that you get to surprise a telepath, but Gwen can add to her list of achievements that she did so. Going from the Esau to the Butler had been a massive change. Part of Gwen had been nervous about it, but now as she stood across from her old roommate, she was glad she had done it.
Tasen: You’ll have to tell me about everyone here too. Do you enjoy it? Who is the party happy one? Who brings you the most trouble? Or is the most accident prone? Have you and Morro…I’ll ask that one later. I have so many questions.
Gwen rambled off questions till she realized she was being a goof and just grinned as she gestured to the exit of the arboretum. Glad for this moment that she had made the choices she had made…to make it back to friends and in the job she enjoyed so dearly.
All the questions made her head spin and there were so many places she could start. Yet there was on socialization group that Gwen’ora was going to love and had more than a few of the answers she was seeking.
Saa: How about we start with a little thing with call the junior officer poetry society and Dr. Jania Nis, and then work from there.
[[End Scene]]
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