[sb118-ops] Ensign A'Mayri - Hey, so remember when I said...

[A'Mayri Y. Stark]

A’Mayri had visited the bar for the third time that night, this time to get Luxa…a strawberry daiquiri?- and herself a small espresso martini. The contents of said drink contained enough alcohol to keep her sober and just enough sugar to keep a small manageable tingle. She calculated that the tingle would distract her enough while still staying alert and reasonable. 

Just before her drinks arrived, the presence of a familiar human male stood beside her. He waved to the bartender without making eye contact with her, and ordered his drink. 

Munshi: Romulan Ale.

As soon as Alok got the shot, he gulped it down in a single go. She raised a curious bar at the action, but looked back forward to give him the space required as she adjusted to his emotional bandwidth in real time. A’Mayri wasn’t blind, and it was perhaps the easiest social equation of miscommunication and lack of communication she had witnessed in a while between all of her new friends. 

Had she been less in control of her internal regulation, she might have gone crazy and ordered a second espresso martini. 

Alok’s face barely twitched at the drink as he drank it in one go, and A’Mayri wondered if he drank often enough to be accustomed to the burn. 

A’Mayri: ::looking respectfully down at her neatly folded hands on the bar counter, honest and careful tone:: Romulan ale is an interesting choice of beverage if your intent is to ‘drown’ out the interaction you just had with the Lieutenant.

Munshi: Immaterial. It’s not even the real deal. ::he sighed for a moment, letting his shoulders drop just a fraction as the synthetic burn hit his chest:: My mind keeps replaying your warning. ::he looked at A’Mayri, offering a tired, lopsided smile:: Just say it. You don’t have to suppress the urge just because of your Vulcan side.

Both her eyebrows raised just a fraction. Typically she would stay proper, well poised and purely observant. Now? She was willing to budge just a touch more and let herself physically react. 

A’Mayri: ::she looked back at Alok, offering a small barely visible sigh and side glance:: I believe the commonly keyed term for such a situation would be ‘I told you so’, but you do not qualify for such a statement. This was not a simple act of foolish aspirations, but genuine interest even if not fully examined. 

Munshi: Tedious is a polite way to describe it. It's like spending three weeks compiling a complex software architecture, running every diagnostic, ensuring 100% redundancy, only to realize the core server was plugged into the wrong deck junction the entire time.

Alok tapped his empty glass against the polished counter, motioning for another, though he hesitated before ordering.

A’Mayri: We often forgo attempting the simplest solutions when we believe that the equation is too complex for what should be a simple result. Typically there is only one correct answer in any given result…minus influencing variables that enjoy inserting in at the most inconvenient of times. 

Munshi: Yeah, well... ::letting out a low, humorless huff:: Math has never been my strongest subject when the variables start moving on their own. I thought I had run all the preliminary scans. But I guess I missed a few sub-routines. 

As Alok turned his glass around in his hands, the bartender set the synthesized espresso martini in front of A’Maryi and a polite ‘the other is coming up shortly!’ 

Munshi: The funny thing is, I'm not even angry. Just... profoundly annoyed with my own predictive models. A’Mayri, how do you manage it? I mean given your half Vulcan biology, how do you keep your internal systems so rigidly partitioned that things like this don't just crash your entire operating system?

A’Mayri had heard variations of this question and statements with the same belief numerous times before. Her train of thought only wandered for a moment before she adjusted what he reasonably thought was an answer that would easily compute Alok's internal processes. She would keep it simple as they all were attempting to enjoy a celebratory night, but respect his genuine emotional outreach. 

A’Mayri: You’ve already found half of the answer Alok. I am half Vulcan, and thus it would be inadequate to only treat my internal systems as one operating unit. The rigidity is not in partitioning just my emotional responses, but wiring them in a way both independent systems can operate and communicate without feedback. ::small pause:: This, and perhaps a satisfactory recovery protocol. Like a secondary backup file of a hobby or a safe space to process and decompress said emotional files. You are human, Alok. Use your tools in a way that highlights that programming.

Munshi: A recovery protocol. Right. ::He offered her a genuine, if slightly weary, smile:: Well, if my recovery protocol involves drinking more watered-down synthetic ale and complaining about station politics, I hope you're prepared to stick around as my primary diagnostic tech.

The Vulcanoid used her straw to create a partial vacuum to lift the roasted coffee bean out of her drink, her finger sealing the top of the straw before she plucked it with her other hand and tossed the bean into her mouth. The instant relief of the hard crunch and the bitter flavor was subtly delightful compared to the sweet drink. 

A’Mayri: ::offering him a small acknowledging nod with a slightly more relaxed expression, the best she could give to comfort his weary smile in the moment:: I am. But I suspect that you have a rather complex team ready to deploy if more delicate care is necessary. 

Alok glanced back toward the center of the ballroom, where Commander Foster was waving his hands to regain the crowd's attention for whatever madness had been cooked up. Then he looked back at A’Mayri who had followed his gaze to witness the same scenario.

Just to lighten up the mood,  Alok tried to pass on a sarcastic comment.

Munshi: Retreating to the lower decks sounds safe, but... honestly? After surviving your Lumerian impression and an evening of geometric panic, I think I can handle whatever surprise the Commodore is about to drop on us. ::He set his empty glass down with a definitive click.:: Let's see what kind of chaos Taybrim has planned. We might as well watch the system burn from the front row.

Alok invited her to join him , Ryden and Tori.

A’Mayri: The invitation is socially acceptable and welcomed, however I have compatriots I am already seated with. Our new Envoy has been most socially inclusive and welcoming, though she does seem to have a preset negative screening for engineering. ::gazing towards the table where said Luxa is seated with the others:: Those presets seem to have categorized Tori as unpleasant due to his absconding to his new coupling with our Chief Medical Officer.

Luxa had been nothing but kind to her, even as an engineer. There was some truth to the sciences being pleasant, but for now A'Mayri was content where she was.

Alok followed his eyes to where A'Mayri had indicated. A Caitian sat peacefully with commander McLaren and the others.

Looking dead ahead at Luxa, Alok gulped and nodded at A'Mayri.

Munshi: It’s completely logical for you to go A’Mayri… Pretty please…

A’Mayri: ::small but amused head nod:: Of course. May the rest of the ceremony go pleasantly for you.

Before she stepped away, she picked up then placed down a neat and square cocktail napkin in front of Alok. She carefully plucked away his empty glass from where it sat and set it rim down onto the napkin as a subtle sign to try and just enjoy the night without the drowning of watered down synthetic ale. They shared a glance, then A'Mayri thanked the bartender for the newly made drinks and walked back to her table with a quiet and settled ease knowing her fellow engineer was in a slightly less self destructive state.

((OOC: More sims coming out today for rewards, new ship and catching up! Thanks Alok for the fun 'I told you so' moment lol.))

~End scene for A'Maryi~

--
V/R,
Ensign A’Mayri Ych’a Stark
Engineering Officer
StarBase 118 Ops
O240303A11