Not Having A Clue

Posted on Wed Aug 19th, 2020 @ 7:48pm by Petty Officer 1st Class Alexa Williams & Lieutenant Noah Reed M.D. & Lieutenant Commander Savin & Lieutenant Ausra Danton

Mission: Character Development
Location: Ausra's Quarters
Timeline: MD-02 (pre-rendezvous)
1340 words - 2.7 OF Standard Post Measure

"There," Ausra said as she stood back admiring her handy work. Her quarters were about as perfect as she could make them. Nevermind that there were a few piles she'd shoved out of the way into nooks and corners and covered them up with things like her grandmother's afghan. Hopefully no one was going to get cold while they were in here. She shrugged and smiled when she heard the chime, wondering which of her new friends it would be.

Not quite certain what this was all about, Savin waited for the door to open after pressing the chime. He'd seen the invitation, but had considered it to be very vague. Still, curiosity piqued, he had accepted it. He took a step back from the door so not to be in the science chief's face when the door opened, giving himself a quick once-over, hoping his casual dress wasn't too much for the evening.

Noah Reed rounded the bend in the deck and saw Savin standing outside the quarters they had been invited to for a friendly gathering. He walked up to the man and gave him a friendly smile, making sure not to physically touch him. He knew that Romulans and Vulcans disliked uninvited physical contact like patting and despite his warm demeanor, Reed didn't want to offend. Instead, he smiled and said, "Hey Savin. Looks like we both arrived on time."

Seeing movement from the corner of his eye, Savin turned his head just in time to see the doctor speak. "Good evening doctor," he greeted, returning the smile. "It looks like we did, do you have any idea what this is about?"

Noah contemplated the question for a moment before replying, "Well, she mentioned something about a game called-" He stopped abruptly as the door hissed open.

The door opened at this point and Ausra stood there in civilian clothing with a smile on her face. "Welcome, two at once, lovely. Sit, drink, eat and play. Maybe not in that order even. Come in."

Bounding down the corridor, the young yeoman almost charged straight into the two men waiting outside the door.

"Sorry I'm late!" Alexa declared brightly. "Did I miss the dastardly act of murder yet!?"

The wave of bright emotions from the woman washing over him, Savin turned his head and offered the newcomer a smile, just catching the last of her words. "Murder?" he queried, "there was a murder?"

"Not yet," Ausra winked at him. "Come in, all of you. Make yourselves at home. I put out some snacks and stuff but does anyone want anything to drink?"

"Something fruity for me. But not alcoholic. I'm on shift in the morning and the captain is really grumpy first thing in the morning..." Alexa dropped quickly into a seat. "Oh. Sorry, that was a bit too much information."

Savin just looked perplexed as he sat down. "We are murdering someone?" He asked, "I do not understand..." He glanced towards the others, the offer of a drink forgotten. "Do you?"

Noah decided to shrug and simply add, "If we're going to be involved a murder plot, I'll have a bourbon on the rocks, if you don't mind."

Ausra nodded at both Alexa and Noah. "It's just a fictional character that's going to die Savin, no need to sound the alarm. I did say it was to be a game night. Now," she put her hands on her hips. "Did you want something to drink while I get the others? And please have a seat, we'll go over the rules first."

Savin breathed a sigh of relief as he settled down. "That is a comfort, I must have missed the word game. I would like some tea please."

"Coming right up." She busied herself, letting the others chat for a moment. She returned with the drinks. "Okay so Clue, it's an old old Earth board game. Someone dies and the object is to figure out who the murderer is. There are cards that are shuffled and several are placed in this envelope, the killer, where the murder took place and the weapon that was used if I remember correctly. Any questions so far?"

"How do we figure this out?" Savin asked as he accepted his tea, "Does anyone know the combination or do none of us know?"

"None of us know, someone slips them inside without looking and when you think you are right you can ask to solve the mystery and see if you picked the right murderer, the right room and the right weapon."

"Okay. Doctor Reed? In your Quarters?" Alexa suggested. "Did I win?"

"If none of us know then how will we know we picked the correct answers?" Savin asked, somewhat confused.

"No, the people in this room are only the players, we're not actually in the game itself." Ausra sighed and picked up a card. "These are the cards we will be using. Everyone gets dealt a certain number of them each and one of each goes into this envelope. Then we play the game and discover evidence along the way. When someone thinks that they have the right answer as to who the murderer is, we open the envelop and they are either right or wrong. If they are wrong well then no one wins I guess. If they are right then there is a clear winner. It's been a while since I played. Let's just sit down and try it."

Noah settled into the couch and watched Ausra set up the game. He picked up a green piece and said, "And I suppose each of these colored pieces represent the players on the board?"

Leaning forward, Savin picked up one of the other small items. "What are these?" he asked, holding up a prop that looked like a coiled piece of rope.

"Yes," she answered Noah and then turned to Savin. "Those are the murder weapons, er one of the murder weapons." She settled herself down between Noah and Savin. "Let's just try playing, shall we?"

"Oh, can I be this one? 'Miss Scarlet'. She looks sassy! I like her!" Alexa grinned as she picked up on of the tiny figures. "Do I roll the dice thing?"

"I will take this one," Savin said, picking up the figure of Professor Plum.

"Umm, we're supposed to shuffle the cards and hand them out. And you're not supposed to tell people which cards you have in your hand outright. People have to guess who the murderer is after all. I guess it's been a while since I played this. But don't reveal anything and keep your cards close once I give them to you."

Noah leaned back in the couch and smirked confidently. "Alright but don't pout when I get a full house..."

Ausra laughed. "Are you people doing this on purpose. How can you not have played Clue before? It's a classic. What did you do with your childhoods? Okay, Savin I can see because he's not human, but still."

"I know Human games, just not this one," Savin clarified. "Jerant did introduce me to several boardgames."

"Oh, like what?" She asked, turning her head curiously.

"Uhm.." He thought for a moment. "He called it Ganzenborden at least that is one.. another is Mens erger je niet. I apologize I do not know their names in Standard, only how he called them."

Reed glanced over at Alexa. "What do you think about this game, 'Ms. Scarlet'?"

Alexa grinned and blushed in equal measure. "The thought of finding out who committed a grisly murder is pretty exciting!" she replied. She leaned in a little conspiratorially. "I do love a good little mystery holonovel from time to time!"

"You know, I think the Captain should have just let me play the mad scientist." Ausra said, glancing around at her companions. Well, if they didnt play the game exactly as it was meant to, was it really going to hurt anything? Nah. "Okay, gather around closer, let's play!"