Hello, Stranger

Posted on Sun Aug 21st, 2022 @ 7:00pm by Lieutenant Didrea Zade & Lieutenant Myra Sh'rillil

Mission: Character Development
Location: Toram VII
Timeline: BACKPOST (100% Zade's fault)
1999 words - 4 OF Standard Post Measure

After getting all her things from the Colossal, Zade needed a break. The stress of transferring mid-mission and being thrown into her role was catching up to her. It had only been something like a week but it felt like a month. On top of it all, the rumor mill had finally died down, which eased some of her stress but still kept her on edge. The Trill knew there were some competitive things happening on the planet, but she just needed a break from people, or at least from those she was familiar with.

Opting for a quieter place, Zade decided to go to a beach, and took in a deep breath of salty air as she leisurely walked just beyond the reach of the water, the olivine green sand finding its way between her toes as she walked. In one hand was a drink, something fruity and orange, and in her other hand were a pair of sandals. The black tank top she chose was form-fitting, with semi-transparent material at the collarbone, and it was tucked into some blue shorts. A gentle breeze made her curls dance, tickling her cheeks, and she took a content sip of her drink as she casually looked around. There were some people around, either laying down in the sand or strolling like she was, but the beach wasn't as occupied as she expected.

Myra grabbed onto Zade’s arm as casually as one could after having run up to a person from behind and awkwardly grabbed their arm. She gave Zade a bright smile and waved behind her at two Toramites slowing down behind them. “I’m Myra. Would you like to be my friend, if only for a few moments? I’d greatly appreciate the gesture.” She shooed the two off, pointing at the Trill without waiting for an answer. “My friend, I told you about. See you later boys!” She leaned in slightly on the other woman, trying to infer something of a bond between the two. “They tell you Toramites are competitive, but they don’t tell you exactly how much.” She winked at Zade.

Despite Myra's attempts to be casual, Zade was surprised when one of her arms was suddenly embraced from behind by a stranger. Fighting the urge to pull away her arm, she looked at the woman, then at the two Toramites behind them, then back at the woman. The unspoken plea for assistance spoke volumes. "Good to see you, Myra." Zade rolled with it, giving the woman a friendly smile, before turning her attention to their company and giving them a classic 'head-to-toe' look over of judgment. They both looked like they were intent on joining them. Ugh. "Something the matter, boys?"

“No, seems to be synonymous with ‘try harder’ in this culture.” Myra nodded to herself and looked back, waving at them. “I respect the hustle, but I’ve yet to find the proper way to convey my actual lack of interest outside of physical violence, which I try to avoid if at all possible.” She winked at the Trill. “I bruise easily.” She glanced at the water. “Say. How are you with swimming?”

Zade chuckled, knowing the feeling. The annoyance of men thinking they can get what they want, though, still kept an internal annoyance aflame. She followed Myra's gaze to the water, "good enough. Though if we're making an escape from your unwanted company, you owe me a drink." To make the point that she had a half full drink in her hand, she lifted the glass so Myra could see it. It was obvious that she'd have to abandon it if they decided to swim to shake the Toramites.

Myra giggled and pulled at Zade. The woman clearly deserved several if she was willing to put up with this. “Deal! Drinks for the nice lady on me.” She glanced back at their ‘pursuers’ and half sighed half laughed. “First, water!” She picked up the pace, going into a soft jog, wondering as she did so, if the past few days were to be an insight into her new life. If so, she’d need to adjust to such a robust adventuring lifestyle. She grabbed Zade’s drink and left it on a bench as they walked past. She winked at Zade, grinned and kept jogging.

For the facade, Zade let herself be pulled along, but internally she was itching to separate her arm from the woman's grasp. Being touched and pulled along was not a favorite pastime. She was able to get one last sip of her drink before it was taken from her hand and abandoned on a bench. There was a slight twinge of concern as they approached the water, because she never really tested how waterproof the case for her backup translator was, and was hoping that it would be safe in her pocket. The comm badge in her pocket would be fine, those specs are everywhere, but her backup translator was harder to replace. As they approached the water, a small part of her was considering if Myra could be involved with the Toramites and if this was some weird elaborate ploy, but she knew she could handle herself if things went south and the woman seemed nice enough to rule it out. "I don't have to abandon my shoes too, will I?" She asked jokingly.

Myra winked at Zade, let go of her arm and started actually running towards the water. Unlike Zade, she had nothing with her except the white bikini she’d put on the same morning. Not even shoes. “Pretty sure it's easier to swim with shoes in your hands than a glass of whatever that was.” She pushed back the impulse to blow the guys a raspberry and let herself into the water.

"Fair enough." Zade followed Myra into the water, relieved that the grip on her arm disappeared. She slightly cringed when the water went past her hips, feeling the cool liquid seep into her pockets. No going back now. Glancing back, she saw the Toramites stop at the water and argue with each other. "Looks like they can't swim," she commented. Turning back to Myra, she then asked, "so, where to?"

“Looks like there’s a small artificial island over there.” She motioned and looked towards a small mound poking out of the water. “Could be a good first stop and then we can reassess.” She grinned and started towards her destination, visibly enjoying the water for the few minutes it took them to get to what was now clearly a large safety marker with multiple buoys surrounding the tiny islet. She swam the few remaining strokes and slowly made her way out of the water before sitting on a large rock. “We can take a break and then move back to shore, preferably in another direction than from whence we came.” She smiled brightly at Zade.

The Trill followed, taking the moment to do a quick dive to enjoy the cool water on her face before climbing up onto the rocks. Taking a seat next to Myra, Zade reached behind her and gathered her hair, a trickle of water splattering onto the rock as she squeezed the water out. "So, is Myra your real name or something to confuse your Toramite friends?"

Myra giggled, her crystalline laughter quickly lost to the water. “Given name before I was even born.” She grinned. “It was my godmother's name. My mom’s best friend and not real, but real in any emotional sense, aunt.” She shrugged lightly, playfully kicking at the water with her feet. “Doesn’t really fit with Andorian culture, but that’s what you get for being an ambassador’s daughter.” She winked at her new ‘friend’ and laid down on her back and stared at the sky. “She is one hell of a cook and an even better gardener. I never managed to pick it up quite properly despite her efforts.”

Zade nodded, directing her attention to her pockets and she pulled out two items. The first was a black box about the size of her palm that looked like a flattened cylinder, and she opened it to see if the inside got wet. A visible sigh of relief escaped her when she saw that the inside was dry. Snapping it closed, she looked at the smaller item, her comm badge. She thumbed the device, only to frown when instead of a polite chirp, it gave a short and mildly distorted chip. "You'd think we would have more waterproof technology at this point..." Zade muttered, more to herself. At least she knew the case for her backup translator was watertight, that was what she cared about more.

Turning her attention back to Myra, the Trill put her items on the rock next to her shoes before laying down. The sun was sure nice, blanketing her body after the dip in the cool water. "Ambassador’s daughter, huh? What has you out in this part of space?"

Myra beamed a smile at Zade. “Opportunity!” She laughed. “I know it sounds silly, but for the first time in a long time I feel like I’m actually getting a shot at doing what I love.” She sighs, but smiles again. “My last posting did not give me much in the way of advancement opportunities.” She nods to herself, staring at the water. “Did a lot of lateral movements though. Which isn’t a bad thing in itself, just not how I had envisioned life moving.”

She grinned and glanced at Zade. “With a little luck, and hopefully some good work on my part, I can make this a great experience.”

Zade found Myra's optimism surprisingly contagious, and she gave a smile of her own in return. "I'm going to safely bet that you didn't factor handsy Toramites into your vision," she joked rhetorically. Turning her head to look at this new woman, she added, "so what's your line of work?"

Myra giggled and shook her head. “Repair and maintenance for the most part. Although if I’m really lucky I’ll get to work on strange or new systems from time to time.” She smiled and winked at the other woman. “I’m just really vibing with the change of scenery at the moment. I’m not sure I really care what I end up doing, the change of pace just feels really good.” She kicked at the water some more, pondering to herself for a few moments before smiling back at Zade.

"Fair enough." The sound of the water gently slapping against the rocks filled the air between them. Myra seemed like a casual person, perhaps one Zade could stay in touch with. "I'm Zade, by the way. Didn't really introduce myself earlier."

Myra grinned at the Trill. “Good to officially meet you Miss Zade. I hope I didn’t make a bad first impression. I hear those are important.” She winked and giggled. “Silliness aside, I’m sorry I roped you into this.” She offered an apologetic shrug. “I have to admit I didn’t really think it through, just kind of winged it.” She gestured vaguely towards Zade. “Tell me how I can make it up.” She wiggled her nose. “Beyond the drink that is.”

Zade waved her hand, as if to dismiss the involvement. "Don't worry about the impression, or the involvement. I'd suck at my job if I couldn't pick up on the cues of someone needing help." Thinking for a moment, she added, "well, in addition to that drink, you can show me a neat sightseeing place you've been to recently."

The andorian’s eyes lit up as she started fidgeting. “How do you feel about lava falls?” She grinned widely at Zade, antennae making a heart shape as she leaned in towards her.

"Lava falls? As in... lava acting like a waterfall?" Zade asked. She then gave a smile, "sounds like fun."