[sb118-khitomer] Lieutenant Charles Matthews - "The Outsider, The Newbie, The Sore Thumb..."
Shakeel Hussein
((Dewitt Residence, Ventura, California, Earth))
It had been a long time since Charlie had felt like this; that feeling of being the outsider, the newbie, the strange person who was sticking out like a sore thumb. It took him back to the time when a younger Ensign Matthews was assigned to the USS Astraeus. It took him back even further than that, reminding him of his days at the Academy when he’d be doing his best to hide away in any classroom or fade into the background during some sort of enforced social event. Back in the present day, to make matters even worse, he was standing awkwardly with his arms crossed and one thumb resting against his lips as he chewed the side of his nail contemplatively. He’d been on the Khitomer for a matter of days; they had a need, and he took the opportunity, but why, oh why, did he think attending a wedding would be a good idea?
He had never been one to do the rounds and network in a room full of people that he didn’t know. He struggled doing that in a room full of people that he did know. Lieutenant Matthews preferred to keep himself to himself and would often avoid being a social butterfly like it was the plague, but he forced himself to remember what the transfer to the Khitomer actually was; it was his chance for a fresh start. The chance to forget about the tumultuous fourteen months he had been through since leaving Starfleet Academy, at least some parts of those fourteen months anyway.
After finally chewing through the curved nail of his thumb, he lowered his hand and scanned the crowd for a Lieutenant Commander that he had not had the chance to meet as of yet. A Lt. Cmdr. by the name of Nolen Hobart.
Charles spotted a nearby group that looked as if it could be approachable, one that appeared to be seemingly engaged in casual conversation, and, in a somewhat out of character manoeuvre, he gingerly made his way towards the three men, deciding that one of them might be able to point him in the right direction.
C. Matthews: ::clears throat:: Excuse me, I’m sorry for interrupting. ::pause:: I was just looking for Commander Hobart. Would one of you be able to point me in the right direction?
Hobart: You’ve found him. Lieutenant Matthews, right?
Matthews was a little surprised. Firstly, that he’d managed to stumble across the group that just happened to include the very person he was looking for but secondly, he was somewhat surprised at how young the Commander appeared to be. The shorter man didn’t look any older than Charlie did, and the fact that he was already a First Officer was pretty impressive.
C. Matthews: Yes, Sir. ::smiles weakly:: Charles Matthews. It’s a pleasure to meet you all. Oh, and congratulations on the nuptials, Commander Dewitt.
C. Dewitt / Cain: Responses
Hobart: Somewhere around here is Ensign Forza. He’ll be working with you in Tactical. ::pointing around, vaguely:: Scrawny, brown hair. You’ll know him when you see him; he’ll be the guy with his foot in his mouth. ::beat, pointing to Cain:: No, not this one.
Charles glanced between the two Officers and chuckled as he considered the words from Commander Hobart. A scrawny man with brown hair could describe a few of the Officers at the wedding, but he recognised the name that the FO had just mentioned, he’d managed to look up one or two bits of information regarding the Khitomer and her crew whilst travelling from the Astraeus, and he was looking forward to integrating into the Tactical department on board the updated New Orleans class starship.
C. Matthews: Ensign Forza? ::pause:: I look forward to meeting him and working with him in the future. In fact, I’m keen to get acquainted with all of the crew.
C. Dewitt / Cain: Responses
Hobart: We've got an Ensign Richard Matthews in Science. Any relation?
Feeling his brow furrow, Lieutenant Matthews slowly shook his head but, even as he did, there were seeds of doubt that made him feel a little unsure. He knew his father had a couple of younger brothers that he'd never met, but surely they'd be much older than the average Ensign. It was a slight coincidence, but the surname of Matthews was a common enough last name within the Fleet that not all of them were related. At least, Charlie certainly hoped not!
C. Matthews: I’ve got a fairly large extended family on my father’s side but no, not that I know of, Commander.
C. Dewitt / Cain: Responses
C. Matthews: ::laughs:: I mean, there’s always the possibility but Starfleet doesn’t need two Matthews’ on one ship. Not from my dysfunctional lot anyway…
oO It’s bad enough that more than one of us are in Starfleet. Oo
Hobart / Any: Responses
C. Matthews: So, foot in his mouth Forza and a Matthews in a blue shirt… is there anyone else I should know about before I get the chance to meet them?
Hobart / C. Dewitt / Cain: Responses
That drew a genuine chuckle from Charles as he started to relax in the presence of the three Officers.
C. Matthews: OK, I’ll be sure to keep that in mind.
Hobart / C. Dewitt / Cain: Responses
Any: Response
TAGS/TBC
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Tactical Officer
USS Khitomer NCC-62400
A240012CM1