Joshua Niles
Security & Tactical
[TI22]
Posts: 649 Likes: 21 
Rank: Lieutenant
Position: Tactical Officer
Species: Human
|
Post by Joshua Niles on Sept 1, 2020 20:26:47 GMT
[ LT(JG) Joshua Niles - Aft Lounge, Deck 10, USS Mac ]Roughly six hours after withdrawing from the Talorian systemTo say it had been a hell of a day would be quite the understatement. They had found the Jupiter Star, which was good news... but what they had found had not been. Something was telling a certain Lieutenant Joshua Niles that he would be having nightmares of this for a long time, likely for the rest of his life. And what had followed had been his first real starship combat action. And that had proven to be nothing like the simulations. Oh, the mechanics had been the same. Run a plot using passive sensors until locking up the target with active tracking, preparing weapons to fire, entering firing sequences and executing them, giving situation reports as things happened... And they were denied bringing those responsible for the massacre on the freighter to justice due to the arrival of an armada. He still thought they could take them, or at least cause enough losses to force them to break off and withdraw before Mac could be overwhelmed... but it hadn't been his decision. And frankly, he was not too sure he wanted that kind of a massacre on his hands. That first ship, that Dias irae or whatever, had never stood a chance when he opened fire on them. Propulsion and weapons had been targeted, and apparently disabled in one pass, but he had known that ship had been mauled beyond his initial expectations. He hadn't experienced it directly, but he'd seen enough footage, and participated in enough simulations, of what happened aboard a ship taking that kind of fire. Odds are, those escape pods were only half the crew, if that... Part of him wanted to be alone with his thoughts, part of him wanted to have company, but he had no idea who he could talk to. Or if he wanted to talk to anyone, while he was still struggling to wrap his head about how he had been feeling about that battle, the conflict between the exhilaration coming from the danger, the pride at a job well-done, the exultation of triumphing over an enemy, the sorrow and horror at the loss of the Star's crew... and the shame that came from having actually enjoyed harming their assailants and having relished the chase and the desire to do exactly what he had done to them. Hard times for him. However, eventually his feet found him towards the Aft Lounge. It tended to be a bit more deserted than the others, which could be a good thing, but it also would mean there would be others around. At the very least, he would be alone with others. Though, when he entered, he saw the journalist, Miss Fox, in a corner working at a PADD. Her reaction on the ship brought a faint smile to his lips, and he wondered if she would mind some company. Fetching himself a drink at the bar, and a refill for whatever she'd been enjoying herself, he made his way to her table. "Mind if I join you?"
Tag Charlie FoxPossibly Kaya Som
|
|
Charlie Fox
Civilian
FOX NEWS
Posts: 730
Likes: 81
Position: Journalist
Species: A human of some kind
|
Post by Charlie Fox on Sept 2, 2020 17:20:06 GMT
[Charlie Fox - Aft Lounge, Deck 10, USS Mac]The metallic smell of blood...The blood of the harvested bodies smelled like metal...Charlie's lips moved silently, the words she was trying to find remaining in her head. A sight that disturbed so considerably that the team several members I lost my breakfast. She tapped quickly on her PADD, her eyes fixed on the screen, a booted foot tapping against the leg of her table. Her hair was loose, messy, a result of her constantly pushing a hand through it as she thought. She barely noticed the voice. "Mm," she responded, on autopilot, barely sparing a glance upward in the direction of the question. Her eyes were back on her work, but then they snapped back up to Joshua Niles' face. "Lieutenant! I was hoping to see you," she declared as she sat forward quickly and tossed the PADD on the table. She reached underneath and grabbed the box she'd slid under her chair earlier. "These aren't regulation, but they're infinitely cooler." She placed the black box on the table in front of him. It contained a pair of black Rygellian ox leather boots, with a layer of Yridian yak wool for insulation on the inside. They could be used for hiking or climbing, or more dangerous pastimes if one was so inclined. She grabbed a hold of the neck of the fresh pale ale he'd brought her, and returned her eyes to her words.
Tag: Joshua Niles
|
|
Joshua Niles
Security & Tactical
[TI22]
Posts: 649 Likes: 21
Rank: Lieutenant
Position: Tactical Officer
Species: Human
|
Post by Joshua Niles on Sept 2, 2020 19:50:09 GMT
[ LT(JG) Joshua Niles - Aft Lounge, Deck 10, USS Mac ]Taking the non-committal sound the journalist made, Joshua sat himself down across from her as he set her fresh pint where she could easily reach it. He hadn't been sure he was looking for company, but it would seem that the idea of joining her had won out on the part of him that may have desired solitude; and with some luck, she would not be one to send him away just yet. Though once he had sat down and set down his drink, a box was produced, and when he opened it he found, as she had promised what felt like weeks past, a new pair of boots. Clearly, not standard issue. In fact, they did not feel like the tough synthetic material his uniform footwear was made of, and while clearly replicated, they were indeed a fine pair of boots. When he would get a chance to wear them, he was not certain, though he did smile at the gesture. It had not been necessary to replace the ones she'd been sick upon, given he had just recycled them and had a new pair replicated in return, likewise with his uniform trousers. "They most certainly are," he replied with a grin as he closed the box and set it down by his chair. When she returned her attention to her PADD, he considered rising and going his own way, but instead he found her concentration rather... appealing, and he noticed some of the small things about her, such as her hair mussed up from her using it as a way to keep one hang busy as she was thinking. "If you don't mind my asking, how are you holding up? Today was... well nothing can really prepare you for that, is there?""And, since I know you're not precisely one of Starfleet's biggest fans, you could call me Joshua, or Josh, if you'd prefer."
Tag Charlie Fox
|
|
Charlie Fox
Civilian
FOX NEWS
Posts: 730
Likes: 81
Position: Journalist
Species: A human of some kind
|
Post by Charlie Fox on Sept 3, 2020 14:35:45 GMT
[Charlie Fox - Aft Lounge, Deck 10, USS Mac]"And which would you prefer?" Charlie asked smoothly, her eyes still on her PADD but her lips curving upward slightly. She might have been teasing a little, though she found it unusual that he would give her a choice rather than state his preference for his own name himself. She also found herself wondering if his concern for her was as transparent as it seemed, or if it was his gateway to talk about what they'd been through for his own purposes. Perhaps both. Such a cynic, she admonished herself halfheartedly, while her PADD lowered, her eyes leaving her work to study him instead. "I asked to come along, I knew the risks." She carefully avoided answering the more personal question of how she was holding up, though what she said felt too sterile, somehow, like she was doing their experience an injustice. Charlie wasn't one to talk about her feelings overmuch, but they had just been through something disturbing enough to warrant a little more than her usual dismissal. So she loosed a quiet sigh, placed her PADD on the table and shared. "It's hard to put what we saw into words. Everything falls short. Nothing feels adequate." Her foot began tapping against the leg of the chair again, and her free hand slid through her hair, pausing at her crown while she considered the situation. "And there's no closure. No obvious satisfying end to the story, no loose strands to weave together."She pulled her hand from her hair and stared at him, frustration evident in her expression. "Y'know what I mean?"
Tag: Joshua Niles
|
|
Joshua Niles
Security & Tactical
[TI22]
Posts: 649 Likes: 21
Rank: Lieutenant
Position: Tactical Officer
Species: Human
|
Post by Joshua Niles on Sept 3, 2020 15:52:44 GMT
[ LT(JG) Joshua Niles - Aft Lounge, Deck 10, USS Mac ]And, his willingness to go to a first name basis was met with a question in return, and then Niles caught that slight smile of Charlie's. So, she was in at least a bit of a playful mood? He could live with that. And considering he knew she was not going by her full given name, he reckoned he would give her that much. Truth be told, he didn't care much either way. Though, truth be told, his full name could be... somewhat ponderous at times. "Josh will do," he replied with a smile of his own. Though when he had asked her about how she was coping with their recent experiences, he knew it weren't many people he felt comfortable speaking to about. Lieutenant Quinn (with whom he had a cordial though strictly professional relationship), had Commander Baker (who straddled her role as chief medical officer and acting XO on this mission, a combination he was not still not sure he could reconcile), and PO Som didn't seem to like him a whole lot. And while he had the fellowship of other officers he could reach out to, no other had been in the abattoir that the Jupiter Star had become. And Charlie Fox? She was, well, alone in this. To his mind, they might as well be alone together at a minimum. That line about knowing the risks, he could sense that was just a platitude. After all, he could use it himself, follow it up with how he'd been trained for this and that it was part and parcel of wearing the uniform. However, when she expanded on this, he was freed from the need to follow up in kind. "Honestly, I really hope no one who doesn't absolutely needs to goes over those reports. That's the kind of images no one need in their heads if they can avoid it." He had spoken softly, looking into his glass before taking a long sip, perhaps a little longer than was customary. The shpboard whiskey was synthehol, but at least it was a good one that could duplicate the feeling of smooth fire pouring down his throat. "And you're right about the lack of closure. We found them, took them, then we lost them." As he spoke, his voice hardened, clearly resenting the way things had unfolded in the end. However, an officer did not openly criticize the call of their superiors, let alone in mixed company. Well, perhaps with a trusted few around very private drinks, but not in public! "So yeah, I know exactly what you mean."With one long pull, he finished his drink and gestured for one of the servers to refresh it. "And as much as it pisses us off, I can't imagine what it's like for the families of the Star's crew. I don't envy whoever's going to have to inform them of what happened, but if I was them, I'd feel like Starfleet just turned around the moment the going got tough."There was regret in his voice, and a degree of guilt. Of course, as the Tactical officer on the Bridge at the time the call had not been his to make, he was only the instrument of his commanding officer's will. But that didn't mean he didn't feel guilty about that lack of action on his part....
Tag Charlie Fox
|
|
Kaya Som
Engineering/Ops
Site Historian
Yaya! You have survived! That's too bad!
Posts: 804
Likes: 108
Rank: Senior Chief Petty Officer
Position: Chief of Engineering
Species: Trill
|
Post by Kaya Som on Sept 3, 2020 17:29:30 GMT
Kaya'd had a shower and a change before meeting up with Jin and a few other friends in the lounge. The last twenty-four hours had been, to say the least, eventful and decompression was in order. For Kaya, that included getting a head start in her quarters with something not served in the replicators. Something, anything, to wash off what had happened. Jin was in an argument with Oarren when Kaya noticed Joshua Niles walk in. She watched as he got a pair of drinks and joined the reporter at a table in the corner. "...Kaya..."Oarren elbowed her back to reality and Kaya blinked. "What?" he asked, following her gaze. "Nothing. Just a sec," she said and pushed back from her seat. Carried by an untracable impulse, Kaya stalked the length of the room and placed her palms on the table between Fox and Niles with no care at all that she was interrupting. "Hey, psycho," she said in a sing-song with a dead-eyed smile. "Doing okay? I know you wanted to blow some shit up today, huh? Maybe next time we won't be outnumbered and you can play out your revenge fantasy. Mmm?" |
|
Charlie Fox
Civilian
FOX NEWS
Posts: 730
Likes: 81
Position: Journalist
Species: A human of some kind
|
Post by Charlie Fox on Sept 4, 2020 13:28:56 GMT
[Charlie Fox - Aft Lounge]"Josh it is," she agreed, smile widening a little further. She then listened to his opinion on the reports and images, and shook her head. "My editor agrees with you." The tapping against the table leg stopped and she leaned forward a little so that her voice could match the soft, quiet level of his. She wrapped her fingers around her beer but didn't yet take a drink. "He wants to use more artful angles, like splatter on a bulkhead or some crap. I mean, I get it, and Olsen captured some seriously gruesome stuff. But don't you think people deserve to know what it can be like out here? Civvies. Sometimes they need to see things properly to believe them." She gestured toward her PADD, her mouth turned downward. "I can't do it justice with words alone."Charlie took a drink, trying to sate her displeasure like it was a thirst. The Lieutenant, Niles, Josh spoke about the lack of closure, of any apparent justice, and when he mentioned the condolence messages, she placed her beer down. "That'd be Perry. He's going to come out of this smelling like sh-"She was cut off by a very unique greeting. Naturally, she thought the trill was referring to her as the ' psycho', as that wouldn't be an unusual occurrence for Charlie. Her eyes widened when she realised that the engineer meant Josh. "-it," she finished belatedly once Kaya Som had finished. "Wait. Outnumbered?" She glanced from the one with the scary stare, to the one with the supposed revenge fantasy. There was something in her that wanted to jump to his defense, but she hadn't been on the bridge. She had no idea what had really gone down after she'd left the survivors in Sickbay.
Tags: Joshua Niles , Kaya Som
|
|
Joshua Niles
Security & Tactical
[TI22]
Posts: 649 Likes: 21
Rank: Lieutenant
Position: Tactical Officer
Species: Human
|
Post by Joshua Niles on Sept 5, 2020 15:16:08 GMT
[ LT(JG) Joshua Niles - Aft Lounge, Deck 10, USS Mac ]Josh could not understand what Charlie's editor could really want with this. Of course, people who weren't directly involved couldn't really know what it was like out there in the back end of nowhere, and they had a right to know what it was like. But, there were limits. "Of course they do. But splashing those images everywhere, I don't think it's going to do anyone any favours. Let alone the families of the victims."At the mention of Commodore Perry, Niles shook his head. Odds are it wouldn't be him sending those message, he probably had a flag yeoman who would be handling that... and who would be getting the angry responses. Truth be told, the Lieutenant did not really like the man, for so many reasons. Perhaps Commander Eastman was a literal old woman but she hardly was the figurative one; Perry, on the other hand... But, despite his own personal feelings, it would not do to openly criticize a flag officer in public... Though, just as he had been about to wave that off, the engineer, Petty Officer Som, approached their table and made her presence known in a most inappropriate sort of way. "I beg your pardon?" Niles' voice had gone up in volume, and had been hard and flat, hiding his surprise behind rightful indignation. "That will be quite enough, Petty Officer, and can I remind you that whatever happens on the Bridge is privileged information?" A hint of the Lieutenant Niles who'd been at Tactical in the Talorian system bled through, that cold anger just edging into his voice. "Now, go to bed, PO. Go to bed and consider exactly what you're doing here, then don't let it happen again... and I'll forget about this." Then, he returned his attention to the journalist. Now that the cat was out of the bag, and that while officially what would transpire on the Bridge was considered classified it would eventually be all over the ship, he had to get ahead of that... accusation. "We caught up to the ship that hit the Jupiter Star. We hailed them, they opened up on us, and I returned fire." The man's voice had lost its edge, but its volume lowered again, and it was flat, somewhat regretful. "And when we came about to beam the survivors from the ship and their escape pods, a Talorian fleet we didn't know about let themselves known and ordered us to stand clear and depart the system. Commodore Perry..."At the mention of the flag officer, a flame of cold-burning rage danced in the Tactical officer's eyes, expressing precisely what he thought of that particular decision. He had seen the scans of those ships, most were little more than the raider they had chased, a few would have been tougher customers, but nothing that, in his opinion, could have stood up to an all-out effort by the Mac; he was certain he could have taken that fleet, and at least their flagship in the first strike. "Commodore Perry decided to respect Talorian sovereignty and ordered us to withdraw."But, there was one thing he needed to admit, if only to himself... and to the journalist, whose good opinion he found he valued for some reason: "And yes, I wanted to make those responsible for what happened to the crew of the Star pay for what they did. Make of that what you will."
Tag Charlie Fox Kaya Som
|
|
Kaya Som
Engineering/Ops
Site Historian
Yaya! You have survived! That's too bad!
Posts: 804
Likes: 108
Rank: Senior Chief Petty Officer
Position: Chief of Engineering
Species: Trill
|
Post by Kaya Som on Sept 5, 2020 19:53:31 GMT
Kaya knew immediately that she'd done something stupid. Not something wrong, but getting semi-blitzed and publicly confronting an officer who she'd never met and calling him a 'psycho' hadn't been well-calculated. Not calculated at all, actually. She straightened up as Niles pulled rank her smile faded to a smirk. He'd really just done that: brushed her off, sent her to bed, and making himself look important in front of the pretty reporter. So much for 'privileged'. She should have walked away then, gone back to her friends, vented, argued and turn in late. Instead, Kaya crossed her arms over her chest and nodded slowly. "Starfleet junior officers, judge and jury," she said to Fox. "Executioner. Little known fact." Then Kaya held out a hand in caution. "No, it's okay. He was going through something." Walk away now, Kaya. Not worth the headache, Kaya. Go have a drink, Kaya. Tag Charlie Fox Joshua Niles |
|
Charlie Fox
Civilian
FOX NEWS
Posts: 730
Likes: 81
Position: Journalist
Species: A human of some kind
|
Post by Charlie Fox on Sept 5, 2020 20:36:21 GMT
[Charlie Fox - In the middle, somehow]Charlie understood what Josh was saying. She, above probably most other people, got the concept of meting out justice. She chased it; it's how in her mind she was justified in doing what she did, why she behaved as she behaved. She had been on the Jupiter Star and yet she was still trying to wrap her head around the extent of the abject cruelty and horror she'd witnessed in the aftermath of the Talorian attack. It was a difficult thing to reconcile, and she believed it was a completely normal, totally human reaction to want to punish the murderers. Yet she inwardly cringed when Josh pulled rank and ordered the Petty Officer to bed, but could not suppress the bark of a laugh that slipped out at Kaya's retort. "See, this is part of the problem I have with the Fleet." One of many... "You're all fed this line that individuality is celebrated, infinite diversity, blah blah, but when presented with a dissenting opinion from someone a few rungs down the ladder, it's dismissed out of hand."She sighed, not sure why she was bothering. Why did she even care? She should just stand and walk out, going back to her work and leaving the two to plot their respective revenges on each other. Or tear each other's clothes off, whatever. But the three of them had all been on the Star. They'd all been through the same thing, and if left, Joshua Niles would write her up, and Kaya Som would dislike him for it in the morning. Maybe they deserved better than that. She kicked at the leg of the chair beside her. "Join us, please. This is worth discussing, it's important. You'd both be doing me a favour; it might help with my objectivity and give me a way to end this awful story."Charlie leaned back, eyeing them both, suddenly very unsure of herself and how they'd react to an irritating civilian telling them what to do. "But there is no place for rank in these kinds of discussions," she said, eyes locked on Josh for a few moments before shifting to Som, "And you can leave your useless insults at the door, too." Then she shut up and took a long drink from her beer.
Tags: Joshua Niles, Kaya Som
|
|
Joshua Niles
Security & Tactical
[TI22]
Posts: 649 Likes: 21
Rank: Lieutenant
Position: Tactical Officer
Species: Human
|
Post by Joshua Niles on Sept 5, 2020 21:08:16 GMT
[ LT(JG) Joshua Niles - Aft Lounge, Deck 10, USS Mac ]Niles had tried to give the engineer an out, and he damn well knew that by the letter of regulations, he could have called on Security right then and there to have her removed and at a minimum confined to quarters until such a time as disciplinary proceedings could be started. However, she seemed to have been completely uninterested in availing herself at that one chance to withdraw without any further consequences, and he was stuck on the fence between exercising his authority and seeing her dragged out by some burly lads from Security, or to give her one more chance when the journalist spoke. "Not quite, Charlie, not quite," he said tensely. "A good leader will entertain opinions from their subordinates, because, frankly, no one can be an expert at everything. The Petty Officer is an engineer, I'd be an idiot not to at least consider her advice where it comes to fixing things. I'm not obligated to take it, but situation permitting I would listen. But that kind of thing ends where it is disrespectful and undermines the chain of command." Then, he even managed a smile. "It may come as a surprise, but even I don't always agree with my superiors. I give them my best advice, and it's up to them to make the call; when that call is made, it's made and I obey the orders they give me, that's where it ends no matter my personal feelings."However, the last insult that had been hurled at him, executioner, stung, hard. He was still struggling with how willing he had been to end the Talorians the hard way, but there was one thing, though. "Som, Trill was never hit during the Dominion War. I lost friends when the Breen sucker-punched Earth; that's why I joined Starfleet, so I could at least do something to prevent anyone from having to go through this ever again. I became a Tactical officer, because that's how I could best do it. Twenty-eight crewmembers on the Star were butchered, you saw it, you were there. You're damn right I wanted to get the ones who did this to them. And we didn't even get to pick up that part of their crew we could to take them to trial. Hell, I could live with a court letting them go if there wasn't even enough evidence to convict, though I wouldn't be happy about it. Frankly, though I'm not entirely sure how I should feel about it, I wanted them to know what it was like to be completely outmatched the way they overwhelmed the Star, and I wanted it to be my hand on the controls. But right now, we don't even have the knowledge they'll be so much as charged! For all we know, now that their people picked them up, they are being celebrated as heroes, while the Talorian application to join the Federation is still trundling along happily through the red tape and this won't even be a speed bump."Having spoken, Josh picked up his whiskey and drained the tumbler right then and there, before gesturing for the server to come and replace the empty glass with one that would still be of use. "So, Som, while for you this might have just been one more engineering task, through up to your knees in gore, to me it was a reminder of why there's a need for people willing to do what I do."
Tag Charlie Fox Kaya Som
|
|
Kaya Som
Engineering/Ops
Site Historian
Yaya! You have survived! That's too bad!
Posts: 804
Likes: 108
Rank: Senior Chief Petty Officer
Position: Chief of Engineering
Species: Trill
|
Post by Kaya Som on Sept 5, 2020 21:41:04 GMT
Kaya was right there with Charlie when the reporter spoke up with a level-headed, reasoned request that the religious adherance to protocol be tempered with a touch of humanity [fn]...for lack of a better word[/fn], an acknowledgement that none of this was normal - right up until Charlie invited Kaya to sit down and chide her for being mean.
Kaya gave her a disappointed look but Niles was at it again. And mighty, he had a lot to say. She could only listen with growing disgust. This was way worse than what she'd thought - Niles actually believed he was justified. He actually thought it helped his case to make this about the Dominion War.
"Willing to do what!? Vek'tema! You," Kaya said firmly, "need to go to therapy, lieutenant. Your issues are going to get people killed. Or is that the idea?"
She interrupted herself before she dug herself in deeper. She lifted her hands in mock retreat.
"No. No, you know what? It's fine. I'm going, I'm going."
Kaya gave a last look at Charlie Fox and wondered what the hell she was even doing.
|
|
Charlie Fox
Civilian
FOX NEWS
Posts: 730
Likes: 81
Position: Journalist
Species: A human of some kind
|
Post by Charlie Fox on Sept 5, 2020 23:14:25 GMT
[Charlie Fox - (D)Aft Lounge]Charlie was shocked into silence. It didn't happen very often. But she sat, pint still in hand, as Josh completely missed her point and for some reason, felt obligated to explain the chain of command and the concept of respect to her. She blinked, and wondered if he was this uptight in bed, or if he embraced his inner savage. It got worse. Josh seemed to be of the opinion that he was more entitled to feel how he felt than Kaya was, because Trill hadn't been as much a target in the Dominion War, and naturally, the resident trill reacted accordingly. At the other woman's parting look, Charlie found herself offering nothing but a shrug in response. All told, this was not how she hoped her evening would go, and while under different circumstances she might have relished the heated exchange, this type of thing wasn't her cup of tea. There was passion, sure, but it was all entirely too personal for her taste. "When do you shut it off, Josh?" She asked softly in the wake of Kaya's mock retreat. "The protocol, the chain of command stuff, the stiff-upper-lipping. I mean, we're not on the bridge now, we're having a pint in the aft lounge, trying to come to terms with what happened to all of us today."The answer suddenly became important to Charlie. She wasn't entirely sure that this place was somewhere she should be at that moment, or if she was stepping into something she might not be able to step out of. She understood the impulse to punish, but she also believed that Kaya, as graceless as it was voiced, had as much right to her opinion and anger as Josh did. Not for the first time in her career, she felt immense relief that she didn't have to deal with any of this crap. What a minefield.
Tags: Joshua Niles , Kaya Som
|
|
Joshua Niles
Security & Tactical
[TI22]
Posts: 649 Likes: 21
Rank: Lieutenant
Position: Tactical Officer
Species: Human
|
Post by Joshua Niles on Sept 6, 2020 2:31:01 GMT
[ LT(JG) Joshua Niles - Aft Lounge, Deck 10, USS Mac ]Blood was pounding in Niles' ears, but the only true outward sign of his fury was the dangerous light dancing in his eyes. Som had gone too damn far! This went beyond regulations, beyond the courtesies due among service members. She'd crossed that line, and when she left, he had not even noticed that he had clenched his fist to the point his palms were protesting against his nails. Though, odd as it was, it had been the journalist's voice that brought him back to the lounge, and while he didn't comprehend her words at first, falling on ears that functioned but a mind that was in no real shape to understand, he did recall them by the time she was done speaking, and as he relaxed his hands, he started massaging his palms while he looked down towards the tabletop. All that rage had fled from him, leaving him oddly exhausted. "Right now, Charlie, that's all I have I can be reasonably sure I can control," he answered softly, quietly, admitting this to her as much as he was admitting it to himself that he was not exactly dealing with this well. He did not even acknowledge the server when a fresh drink was delivered, and all he knew of it was a vague amber blur at the edge of his vision. I'm have no idea what I should be feeling or thinking right now. Part of me hates what I've learned about myself, part of me enjoys it, part of me is actually scared of it. And there's that really cold and logical part of me that says that this is a hell of an asset, and I need to make it work for me."He was not entirely sure where that had come from, but one hand reached across the table to land upon her wrist. "And for some reason, here I am talking with you because I feel you're the one person I can talk to."
Tag Charlie Fox Soft Kaya Som
|
|
Charlie Fox
Civilian
FOX NEWS
Posts: 730
Likes: 81
Position: Journalist
Species: A human of some kind
|
Post by Charlie Fox on Sept 6, 2020 21:15:19 GMT
[Charlie Fox - Daft Lounge]She wasn't blind; she could see he was struggling. Charlie didn't need to be a counselor to realise what was happening, but she did know that they needed one. Kaya was definitely right about that. "Thank you," she muttered softly to the server before he vanished again, picking up on the tense mood in the lounge and making himself scarce. She couldn't blame him. She fixed her eyes back on Josh, who appeared to be working through the questions he needed to ask himself, and then her gaze flickered downward as he placed his hand on her wrist. She felt a slight twinge and she remembered that was the arm Tyler had death-gripped in Sickbay during her questioning. There'd likely be a bruise there in the morning. "Maybe that's because I'm not a part of... all this," she mused when he suggested she was the one person he could talk to. She looked up from his hand then placed hers over it in what she hoped was a reassuring gesture. "It's good that you have the self-awareness to see these sides of yourself, Josh. But recognising them and using them are two different things. Making it work for you will probably result in more of that." She nodded toward Kaya's retreating back. Times ten.But she didn't want to kick him when he was down. She patted his hand, and then suddenly felt awash with tiredness herself. "I should go," she said, unsure about leaving him to those kind of thoughts, but also cognizant that he and Som weren't the only ones with demons they needed to deal with. "There's a takeaway, if you want one. You didn't do it. You wanted to, but you didn't." She moved to gather her PADD and her sense of detachment, which had been knocked out of her.
Tag: Joshua Niles , Kaya Som (soft).
|
|
