Lt Cmdr Alora DeVeau & PNPC MCpt Luthas - We all have our own ways of dealing (NT)
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((Starbase 118 Ops - Turbolift))
Ah, shore leave. Oy, after everything that had occurred, Alora was grateful for it. Okay, if she were to be honest, she was always grateful for shore leave after a mission. Missions were just...well, stressful in general. Shore leave offered a reprieve from that, and Alora was thankful for each and every one of them. It meant more time. Which meant that she had to fill that time. That time needed to be filled with something other than nothing and silence. So, she decided to head down to the commercial sector. The turbolift was more than accommodating.
What she hadn’t expected were the doors to open and for her to run into a face that had become familiar since her arrival on Ops.
DeVeau: Oh! Hi Luthas!
The bag at Luthas’ side crinkled as he walked, swinging in time as he walked back to his quarters. The bag itself was full of high end whiskey, a plum brandy and soju the store owner had recommended, and several different types of edibles.
Alora’s eyes drifted to his hands and the contents thereof, then to his face.
DeVeau: Whatcha dooooin’?
Luthas: Gathering everything to get good and crunked tonight.
He held up his bag of goodies.
Luthas: Needed to go out and get the good stuff.
When it came to substances to drown away the bad mission memories, Luthas didn’t pinch his pennies.
Crunked? What did he mean by crunked? It took a minute, but Alora suddenly realised what Luthas had actually said. That was not a word she’d heard used in conjunction with that sort of activity before.
DeVeau: Wait...I thought Vulcans couldn’t get drunk on liquor.
Luthas: I mean it takes me a bit more than a human would, but I can get both drunk and high off the same stuff you can.
Alora shook her head. Everything she’d learned about Vulcans seemed to be thrown out the window when it came to Luthas.
DeVeau: I don’t get it. Saveron never was able to on liquor, but on chocolate, he was flat out drunk with a single piece of cake. From what he told me, chocolate does that to Vulcans, but not so much liquor and such.
Luthas: :: He shrugged. :: Maybe it’s a mutation, like humans who have food intolerances. :: He grinned :: Wanna join in?
Join in? Alora might take a single drink, but there was no way she planned on getting drunk again - not after last time. The fact that Luthas intended to bothered her, though.
DeVeau: Are you okay? Is something bothering you?
Luthas: Mostly wanna wash away the bad air from the last mission. With how I’m feeling I’m almost guaranteed a bad trip if I try anything in the hallucinogen category.
Right. Which meant that whatever was going on in that brain of his was bigger than he was letting on.
DeVeau: I guess I’ll join you.
Mainly to keep an eye on the man rather than the partake so much. That meant Alora didn’t even have to get out of the turbolift. Instead, she shifted over to give him more space.
DeVeau: Lead the way.
Luthas: Sure.
He waved her to follow him.
The turbo lift hummed only briefly before bringing them to the proper deck. Alora let Luthas get off first, then followed him into the corridor and down a ways. This...was going to be interesting.
((Starbase 118 Ops - Luthas’ Quarters))
Luthas led the way into his quarters and set the bag down on the dining area table. The small single room apartment unit was fully furnished with basically new ikea esc items but otherwise sparsely decorated despite its small size. Boxes of parts and tools lay scattered alongside profession associated magazines and books about mechanics and engineering. The only few items that could be definitely considered personal were a few photos sitting on a rather empty bookshelf.
Luthas: Home sweet home.
Alora took a few minutes to get acquainted with her surroundings. The parts and tools caught her eye and she wandered over to take a look at the books, surprised to see items in /print/ as opposed to on a PADD. Rustling of more real paper products drew her attention. Luthas gathered the magazines scattered on the clearly almost brand new couch and gestured to the now cleared space.
Luthas: Feel free to take a seat.
Alora did as indicated and moved over to perch on the couch, then leaned back, one leg crossed over the other.
DeVeau: What are you working on?
One hand motioned toward the tools, then stretched out to rest over the back of the couch.
Luthas: Just a few new gun mods for people back on the Rascal.
DeVeau: I didn’t realise you had a hobby. What else do I not know about you?
Many things. Alora hadn’t had as much time with him as some others, but now was as good a time as any to learn more.
Luthas: :: He grinned :: Lots of things probably.
DeVeau: Such as? Enlighten me.
Luthas: Hmm, well... I originally wanted to be an engineer or weapons developer rather than a marine because that’s what I was doing in between jobs but Grace talked me out of it. :: He rubbed his chin in thought. :: When I was younger I used to have to be the one that crawled into the engineering ducts because it was easier for me to get in and maneuver, so no claustrophobia for me. :: He snapped his fingers. :: Oh! I’m pretty sure my parents were part of some kind of Vulcan spin off cult. How’s that?
DeVeau: I feel like that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
Alora gazed at Luthas, a half smile playing over her lips. She wondered how much was packed into that summary, and how many details he left out? She couldn’t talk - there was much Alora didn’t share.
DeVeau: Do you mean the V’tosh ka’tur?
Luthas: I dunno. Maybe? :: He flopped down on the couch beside her :: My parents didn’t make an emphasis on logic or restricting emotions. No one on the settlement we lived on before their deaths who made it through the attack knew who they were, and I had no known genetic relatives on Vulcan. So it’s possible?
DeVeau: Couldn't hurt to ask.
Alora rested her head on the hand which leaned against the back of the couch.
DeVeau:. Who's Grace?
Luthas: Grace was my legal guardian. The was the captain of the ship that grabbed me and a bunch of other survivors and got the heck out of dodge. When they couldn’t find any living family for me and two other kids she and the crew adopted us.
Alora realised she had no idea at all about Luthas’ story. Here was a part of it - and part of it was what he’d lost his parents. Unlike her who had been under the loving care of her parents all her life. How different would she have been had her situation been more like the Vulcan’s?
DeVeau: So she was like a mother to you?
Luthas: Eeeehh, more like a stern grandmother type? The one who did most of the actual raising was Marc, he’s the ship engineer.
DeVeau: So a grandmother and father? Tell me about them. I’d love to learn about your family.
Luthas: Well Grace was a marine officer before she left Starfleet, and bought a ship so that she was the person in charge. Marc was also in Starfleet and left. Pretty much all of the original crew are ex Starfleet actually. The rest of us mostly came on board after the attack.
DeVeau: I don’t know anything about your history. What attack? What happened?
Luthas: I don’t really remember much to be honest. It was when I was six, so over thirty years ago and things were chaotic at best.
Yeah, chaotic. And over thirty years ago. Six years old was so young to have something traumatic happened, and sometimes trauma, especially that young, was buried - sometimes buried so deeply, there was no memory at all.
DeVeau: But they took care of you?
Luthas: Yep. Mind you it wasn’t a typical childhood. We were treated more as little adults because they couldn’t afford to care for children who couldn’t pull their own weight.
DeVeau: Kind of like the marine’s. They take care of each other. Take care of those under their protection.
Luthas: Mmm. Most of them were ex marines so it came with the territory.
He fished out a package of pot cookies from the bag, opened them and began munching.
Luthas: What about you? What’s your family like?
DeVeau: My family? My parents are great. They live on Earth, and I don’t know what I’d do without them. I have four brothers, and they’re all very different. Two are on earth, one is in Starfleet and the other seems to hop around the universe as he likes.
Alora might have asked for one of the cookies. In fact, she opened her mouth to do just that, but then a whiff of something hit her. It was light, just detectable in the air, but distinctive. Alora’s eyebrows shot up and she quickly refrained from asking.
DeVeau: Do you miss them at all? Do you talk to them?
Luthas: Hmm? Oh? :: He hurriedly chewed through his current mouthful. :: Yeah we talk regularly. Like once a week or so? It mostly depends on what we’re all doing.
Luthas seemed to be getting distracted - and not quite so chatterbox. He didn’t seem to be in low spirits, which was a good thing. When Alora had seen him with the alcohol, she had feared that might be the case. Evidently, it was simply a case of someone who enjoyed getting wasted. Definitely not Alora’s taste. Then again, he was Vulcan, and a Vulcan metabolism made it much more difficult to get drunk or high.
DeVeau: Do they ever visit Ops?
Luthas: Haven’t been here long enough for them to have visited, though they’ll probably visit now that I’m not stationed at some base in the middle of nowhere.
DeVeau: Well, if they ever do, I’d love to meet them. I bet they have some interesting stories to tell.
Alora eyed the Vulcan, then pushed herself to her feet.
DeVeau: I should probably get going.
Luthas: :: He grinned :: Reassured that I’m not going to OD are you?
Alora started toward the door, then paused and turned back around, one finger lifted as a thought occurred to her.
DeVeau: Oh, if you’d like to come by my quarters tomorrow, I have something for you.
Luthas: :: Slightly worried:: Something?
DeVeau: Just come after your shift. It’s nothing big, but I hope you’ll like it.
Alora grinned, then turned and slipped out of the Vulcan’s quarters.
Luthas: See you.
He waved as she left and then popped another cookie into his mouth and settled down to enjoy himself.
*******
Marine Captain Luthas
Marine Commanding Officer
As simmed by,
Lt. Commander Ishani Kasun MD, PhD
Chief of Security
Starbase 118 Ops
O239306IK0
&
Lt. Cmdr. Alora DeVeau
Science Officer
Starbase 118 Ops
M239008AD0