Stop Me If You've Heard This One...

Posted on Mon Sep 3rd, 2018 @ 7:13pm by Lieutenant Valeria Mordin & Commander Johnathan Wade & Lieutenant Roger Stevens

Mission: https://wellington.pegasusfleet.site/index.php/sim/missions/id/4
Location: The 'Prancing Mythological Creature'

The doors swished open to admit the gracious form of the lead science officer on the Wellington, Valeria Mordin. She walked in, eyes wide, and her glance fell on everything around. Certainly, this wasn't the first time she had seen the interior, but now she had the chance to look at it at her pace, and she enjoyed the decor greatly.

It was like a page from someone else's history book, and she was clearly impressed. She took a seat at the bar, noticing the stool rather than an actual seat, and smirked at the notion of something both more and less practical than a chair. When she caught Jack's eye, she gave a gentle nod to catch his attention fully. "I love the look of this." she complimented, "And from what I hear, it's entirely real? No replication, no fabrication? Even if it's half true, that's very impressive. I was wondering if I could impose two things upon you, sir." her tone of 'sir' wasn't in a matter of rank, but rather he was the owner of this establishment, and an elder to boot. It wasn't rank, it was simply respect.

"A menu of the options you'd recommend for a quick meal... and for one meal's worth of time with your associate Mister Stevens. He paid me some rather courteous compliments last we met, and I find I rather enjoy his company. If it isn't too much to ask."

Jack nodded toward Valeria as she addressed him as sir, taking it for what it was. He put down his news paper and was about to pull out a menu when he heard the second part of that request. "Are you..." His smiled widen as he leapt over the bar and escorted Valeria too a nice table by the hearth "I will be right back with Roger and I am going to make you such a meal, this is wonderful!" He raced back too the kitchen, so spry for an old man.

"There's no need to go to such trou..." but it was too late, and that old man was already up and gone. She mused for a moment that this spry old man reminded her of so many stories from her youth, and it actually made her smile a touch. She regained her composure and decided to simply wait.

A few minutes later Roger seemed too be nearly flung out of the kitchen and made his way over to Valeria's table, rather confused. "You wanted to see me?"

She gave him a nod, and motioned to the chair across from her, "If you have the time, I was wondering if you'd join me for something to eat?" she offered, "I enjoyed your company last time, and find that I still do. If you're too busy, I understand." the famous, and infamous, Ts'usugi offer to save face. They always offered a way out of situations, especially those imposed.

"Oh, no I am never to busy for you." His eyes widen when he realized what he said. "I mean i uh.... yes I have time to eat with you" he sat down, blushing just a little. "So, hows the science going?"

She gave him a soft smile as he sat, "It's fascinating to say the least. The math involved in moving a particle out of touch with the universe is staggering. To move a planet? I'm almost afraid to find the answer." she admitted. "I want to, but when you discover some terrible truth, it has a way of never staying hidden. Something powerful enough to shift a planet, I worry it may be some ancient weapon." she admitted again. Then she took a breath and held it for a moment before releasing it.

"I took a read through your file, but that tells me about you. I want to know a little more about you. What I can't find in a file or a report." she said with a smirk. "Walk me through your day? If you don't mind."

"A day in the life of Roger? Not that exciting really, wake up, work out, work the lounge, go to my quarters and watch a movie or read. Rather routine sadly." He says with just a hint of sadness in his eyes. "But what about you, I imagine your life has to be much more exciting, discovering new things all day long."

"There's a beauty in routine. Grandfather would probably ask you if the trees ever got tired of blooming." she smiled softly, "We tire of routine, but we look forward to waking up every morning." she said, now with a hint of amusement in her tone. "What kind of movies does Roger Stevens watch in his off time?"

"Oh mostly old action and comedy movies. My favorite is ones from the old earth actor Jackie Chan. He was nuts, doing his own stunts back before then had any of our advanced medicine. He would constantly get hurt, but keep on filming, cause the show must go on and all that."

"Grandfather always said it's not how you fall, but how you pick yourself up." she smiled softly. "He sounds amusing, this Chan."

"As for me, I wake up, I run or hit a sandbag depending on the day, and then I report to sciences. It's true, discovering new things is fascinating, but it's actually more difficult than you think to actually discover something actually new. When the worlds were just farms and fire, the discovery of a shiny rock in the dirt that, when heated, could be shaped to a new form was absolutely amazing. Now, we're running out of room on our atomic charts from all the shiny rocks we're making in laboratories essentially out of boredom." she admitted. Sometimes, science was less discovery and more fighting boredom.

"That's why what's going on now is so fascinating. I consulted the Buoy Network, and even inquired through the Ts'usugi Scientific Centers and the Dalacari Academia. Nothing like this on record." she paused, "I snuck in the request while sending letters home."

"Sending letters home? Too anyone special?" He said, trying not too look like he's expecting to hear crushing news about a significant other.

"Very special, I have a large family and a mother who worries." she replied, "I'm the middle of nine, so I like to keep them informed as much as I can. For my elder siblings, I tell them about the various people, places, cultures, things that my younger siblings wouldn't understand. For them, I tell them about the ships, the stars, and the people who make the maps of the spaces between. Whenever I write home, I write home twice. Once in the home tongue, and the exact letter again in Federation standard. My eldest brother and sister are almost completely fluent, though sometimes my littlest sister gets tripped up on some of your words."

She fell silent as Jack returned with the meal. He promised them a meal, and true to his family honor he delivered. She offered a nod of her acceptance of the food, along with a 'Thank you' as she did so. Once he was gone, though probably still watching from the shadows, she resumed.

"We have action movies back home as well. Stories of revenge, honor, low-justice mostly. The classic tale of a lone hero out to settle a score." her soft ghostly smile returned, "Though your Mister Chan sounds more whimsical than serious. Before I knew better of humanity, I'd say that to get back up from a break takes courage." she started, "You see, Ts'usugi bones are firm, but when they break they break into shards. There's no such thing as a 'simple' fracture to a Ts'usugi."

"When I heard human bones break mostly neat, I was almost jealous." she paused, "Almost. I'd rather just not break a bone."

"I agree, better to just not break it. But when your job involves anything from fifty foot falls too being run over but an ancient hover boat, it happens" he smiled, mostly reacting to her not having a significant other. "A large loving family must be nice. A place to truly come home too" his smile faded just a bit.

"Home is wherever you are. Lay upon the bed of the world's earth, gather her stones to rest your head, and marvel at the sights she will drape over you." Valeria commented, as though quoting a book. "And a large family is nice come harvest time, but it just means if you don't get to the dinner table quickly, you miss all the good seats. That, and it's more mouths to bribe when you come home with Tattle Tale pollen."

"It's a flower back home, the pollen glows in the dark. Naturally, it grows near all the interesting places that children aren't meant to play around after dark." she commented, rolling her eyes with a smirk, "Otherwise, it's a beautiful flower. I brought a few stalks with me as a reminder of home, after convincing Starfleet Botanical that they weren't an invasive species."

"Those do sound annoying and yet also beautiful, and I bet all the bribes are worth having a loving family." He looked down at his food, poking it a bit when he said that. "I'm not so lucky in that department. But that's my baggage and I don't want to burden you with it."

Her ears drooped a little bit, "Then cherish the family you choose, and whenever you're up to talk about the family you were burdened with... IF you ever want to talk about it, I'll certainly listen." she offered. "There's a marvelous metaphor about how our troubles are stones in the field of our soul, and some stones need many hands to clear... but I think that it loses its meaning when the person with the stones could easily lift the entire field." she giggled.

"Next time I talk with them, I'll see if I can get a recent photo of them all together. Internal Security will scrub it to keep Ts'usu's location secure, mind you, but I'd love to share at least a picture of my crazy siblings with you." she offered softly.

"That would be cool, too see your family. And I don't mind talking about it, I've made my peace with it. Those that called themselves my parents. had me used as a lab rat because of my unique genes, did horrible things and made me forget. All for the sake of the group that I believe caused this ship a fair share of problems recently. I turned them in" he paused "And then I got punished for it. A final insult from them. But that's past and done. They are all gone from my life and good riddance."

Valeria shook her head gently, "They're missing out on knowing you. I say it's their loss." she paused for a moment, "If it's any comfort, Ts'usugi myth and folktales say that justice has a funny way of finding itself where it needs to be." she reassured, before turning her attention to her food. A few pokes, a few nibbles, and she actually perked up. "Let's eat, before Jack thinks something is wrong with the moment."

Despite the dour topic, Valeria still seemed quite interested, and actually perked up a bit near the end with the talk of those so-called parents of his being out of his life, and the prospect of justice. Mind you, it wouldn't be Ts'usugi justice, but somehow she didn't think that that would sit too well with Roger.

He smiled a little bit. "A moment? Is this supposed to be a moment" Roger said amusedly as he did begin to eat Jack's wonderfully prepared meal.

She replied to his smile with a smirk of her own, "It certainly *could* be a moment." she replied between chews. "You're a good man, Roger." she said after a few moments of silence. "There's something about you I like, and I find that I enjoy your company. Would you like to get together, sometime in the next week? I understand if you're busy, or if Jack is keeping you to a tight schedule." The infamous Ts'usugi offer of retreat to save face.

"I would love too" Replied Roger. "Jack tends to keep my schedule pretty loose unless we are expecting a visitor too the ship"

"I'll have a chat with him. You'll be free." she said with an assurance in her voice. "After, we eat. It's been too long since I've enjoyed actual fare, and while it's leagues above an Insipp unit, there's something about an actual meal that I find reminds me of home."

"Yeah, there is something comforting about a hand made meal. If you have any recipes you'd like to share, I am sure between me and Jack we can find a way to fix them up for you."

To that, Valeria gave a soft smile. "I'd like that. Just understand, Mister Wade will be going up against my mother in that regard. I trust he'll be satisfied with second best." she commented, before continuing her meal.