JP- Lt Meidra Sirin and Lt Aine Sherlock - Scratch That Itch, Part 1
Meidra Sirin
((Scratch That Itch (bar), Risa))
Aine didn’t know much about this bar. Meidra’s reply to her message suggested it rather than the joint the counterman at the resort had recommended. It seemed off the beaten path, a place the others most likely wouldn’t come across them. She did know that Risa was THEE pleasure planet, but that didn’t seem to register in her mind when it came to finally replicating some of her civvies. She was the only one wearing stretch pants and a flannel in a place that seemed clothing optional.
After getting a drink from the bar, she carefully maneuvered through the jubilant crowd to a table in the back. It wasn’t but a few minutes before Meidra joined her. The counselor took a shot glass of something green from a passing waiter and toasted her friend before gulping it down. Another waiter took the shot glass and winked at her as he passed.
Sherlock: Hey, thank you for coming. I’m sorry ::gesturing towards the crowd:: I didn’t know it was this kind of place.
Meidra looked around at the various states of undress and briefly thought back to previous visits to Risa decades ago. A smirk graced her lips as she signalled to a waiter who was dressed in a quite revealing uniform. Wilde would have loved this place.She made a decision to try to find him soon and let him know she was still alive and ready for another adventure. The old Meidra who had been reckless and living each day as it came was coming back tonight. She hadn’t been much use at the counseling session. Maybe she should just focus on taking care of herself this evening.
Sirin: Not our usual type of meeting place, but I’m sure we’ll find a way to enjoy ourselves. Have you been waiting long?
Aine raised an eyebrow and tilted her head as if to point with said brow at the crowd. Meidra told the waiter to bring her something strong and turned to smile at the security chief.
Sherlock: Definitely a little more ::beat:: free thinking. I just got here.
As Meidra took her seat, Aine took a deep breath. Much like she didn’t really want others asking or bringing up her own injury, she was sure Meidra didn’t either. But certain things needed to be said and now was just as good a time as any.
Sherlock: I uh...I’m sorry you got injured.
Sirin: My injury was not your fault, Aine.
Sherlock: I know it’s not, but I keep playing things over and over in my head. If I hadn’t been shot, you wouldn’t have gotten stabbed. I just keep thinking I could have done something different.
Sirin: If we hadn't gone on the away team mission, we most likely would have either died on Resolution or taken up room in an escape pod that helped two others escape.
Aine thought about that, and it was true. No matter what way she thought about the events that took place, there was no good answer, no good way out of that mess.
Sherlock: I read Commander Adyr’s and Hallia’s reports ::beat::, thank you for trying to come to my aid. That says a lot.
Sirin: You would have done the same for me. ::grins:: Of course, I would hope you wouldn’t have gotten stabbed.
Aine took her first sip of her drink. Another version of what Risian’s called whiskey, but to her may as well have been dirty water. Next round, she would probably indulge in one of those fruity mixed drinks they served everywhere. They seemed to do the trick for others.
Sherlock: Let's forget about the bad things for tonight, yeah? I’ve got some gossip. The Captain and The Doctor are staying in the same room!
Sirin: They should be seeing how they are in a romantic relationship.
Meidra enjoyed the look of shock on her friend’s face. It felt almost normal sharing a drink during shore leave with Aine, like somehow, keeping tradition alive meant that they were all still part of a family. She took a sip of whatever it was the waiter had given her and smiled.
Sherlock: What!? How did everyone already know?
Sirin: ::shrugs:: People probably looked at the two of them and recognized the signs of infatuation. I’m surprised they tried to hide it, but it’s been noticed.
Sherlock: ::shaking her head and grinning:: I swear, no one tells me anything. Anything else I don’t know about?
Meidra quickly downed her drink that she recognized as a Risian chocolate concoction. A few more of these and things would be getting fun quickly. She looked at the waiters with an appreciative gaze. So many opportunities to get lost in meaningless attraction. She almost wished she was open to that sort of thing, but she was committed to someone at the moment. Still, it never hurt to look.
Sirin: Where would be the fun if I told you? You’re head of security, Aine. You should be telling me what secrets people are hiding.
Sherlock: ::rolling her eyes:: That’s probably why no one tells me a damn thing.
Meidra actually giggled. The next drink came and was quickly consumed. She looked around the room, watching two waiters dance together to the applause of the customers. She ordered an appetizer to hopefully keep herself from getting too drunk, but in the back of her mind, she didn’t really think it was going to help. She needed this. Her headaches were filled with the voices of those lost, and she was doing her best to ignore them.
Sirin: How are you doing? I mean, not in the hey, I”m the counselor way...but really?
As her next drink arrived, something colorful with an umbrella in it which she promptly discarded, she pondered that question. She tried to separate out the incident with how she was actually feeling.
Sherlock: I suppose about the same as anyone… ::raising an eyebrow towards Meidra::
Meidra made a face. Aine could always read her better than most, probably the security officer thing, but still. She looked up at the glittered ceiling for a few moments, gathering her thoughts. How did she feel? Like a fraud, that is how. She started to eat one of the appetizers once it was placed on the table, stalling for time until she could speak without crying.
Sirin: I have nightmares. Of you dying, of me dying. Hell, of everyone dying. I haven’t taken the time to process any of it, but I’m not sure I’m being a very efficient counselor. ::beat:: Usually, I would talk to Genkos...I mean I did, but how can I tell him I’m not coping when he’s going through so much?
Aine nodded in understanding. That’s the way it seemed to her, for everyone. The collective trauma had no individual levels with which to really gauge others.
Sherlock: Well, I’m not having nightmares. I’m not sleeping much at all. But the waking moments aren’t doing me any good. What about Dwich? I haven’t seen him, how’s he doing?
Meidra knew that she needed to talk to someone. But everyone had suffered, and it was her job to ease the turmoil felt by her crew. Her needs would be met, eventually. She just needed to focus on her job and keep from dwelling on any residual anxiety she felt. It would be counterproductive to have the counselor lose control. She could do this, string the words together to make sense. Meidra coughed lightly to clear her head before taking another sip of her drink.
Sirin: Dwich is great, and we plan to go away for a few days to just...be together, away from the inquisitions… I mean interrogations, um… interviews?
Was it getting warm in here? Obviously others felt so as clothes were being shed by more than one customer making their way to the large round dance floor. She was fairly certain that she was getting tipsy in spite of the precaution of food. She ordered another drink and started humming whatever song was playing. She tilted her head, gazing at her friend, wondering if she should be brutally honest, or keep playing the serene counselor.
Aine let out a slight laugh, her first in days. She wasn’t sure of everyone’s scheduled inquiries, only her own. And she wasn’t exactly looking forward to it. Other than not being on the Resolution, they didn’t have much to ask her about that wasn’t something she didn’t want to revisit.
Sirin: What do you do when you feel you can’t do anything more, Aine? How do you keep moving forward when everything in the past seems to be pulling you into memories you can’t shake?
That was a deep question and Aine took in a deep breath. She knew what seemed to help her the most but it surely wasn’t the best advice as it seemed more like avoiding her problems. She’d learned at the Academy through one bad experience to compartmentalize her problems.
Sherlock: I’m not sure I have the best answer to that, really.
Meidra waved a hand and huffed out an impatient laugh.
Sirin: It’s not just this situation. I’ve failed numerous times to keep people safe. The situation with CloQ was bad enough, but this…::takes a long sip of her drink:: I’m supposed to be a strong empath and I couldn’t see that we were walking into a trap on that away mission. I was of no help at all ::shakes her head:: And now, I have no idea how to help anyone.
Sherlock: It was a bad situation all around. I don’t think you can blame what you feel are your strengths. And honestly, in hindsight, you can’t question failings. Just have to reflect on what didn’t go right and remember it next time.
Aine shrugged. She didn’t know if this was the right thing to say or not. Rarely was she the one to give advice, rather she was often the seeker. It seemed this leave, given the advice she’d given to Sil, she seemed to be the dispenser.
Meidra pondered this for a moment. Not question failings? If she wasn’t sure of what went wrong, how could she make sure that next time, things went right? She was going to ask this but when her mouth opened, something else came out, surprising them both..
Sirin: Tattoos are pretty.
Aine took a big swig of the fruity concoction the waiter had brought her, and while sweet, it was most definitely stronger. Almost instantly intoxicating. She wondered if it was mixed with Romulan Ale, which she’d heard had a similar effect.
Sherlock: I don’t know about that. Maybe after a few more of these. ::pointing to her drink::
Sirin: And the ::points to the waiters::,.. what is the phrase humans use? Eye candy. Yes, very nice. I wonder if they taste as good as they look?
Lieutenant Meidra Sirin
Counseling Officer
USS Resolution
R239707MS0
&
Lieutenant Aine Sherlock
Chief of Security
USS Resolution
R239712AS0