The Mountains are Calling

Posted on Wed Jan 11th, 2023 @ 3:32pm by Lieutenant Commander Finnley Keating VII & Lieutenant JG Nayisa Wrea

Mission: Character Development
Location: Earth
Timeline: Day 1 of Shore leave, after "...Must Come to an End"
1316 words - 2.6 OF Standard Post Measure

Only one other occupant happened to be on the shuttle when Finn hopped on. She nodded toward the stranger in civilian clothes. "Where are you headed?" Finn asked as she dropped her bags on the opposite side of the shuttle and sat down herself. Though she wasn't much in the mood for talking, she did need a distraction and small talk would work to smooth over the proverbial bandaid she had just ripped off in leaving the Athena.

Nayisa watched the woman sit, noting the baggage, and not just the physical. She recognized the chief engineer by mentally matching her face to the personnel files she had read, but the emotion she was bearing on her shoulders made Nayisa hesitate to ask questions about the bags. People didn't pack that much just for a day trip. It was very subtle, but she'd suck at her job if she failed to notice the emotion in the woman's blue eyes, however faint it was. Realizing that they hadn't formally met yet, Nayisa put herself into 'no assumptions' mode.

"Gonna go climbing," the silver-haired woman said with a goofy smile. Nayisa had on a simple grey short-sleeve shirt and black pants, a jacket tied around her waist, and she had a small bag sitting next to her. She gave the bag a gentle pat, "well, more specifically, I'm going to visit a friend, who happens to reside on top of a mountain. I haven't visited in a while but I miss her, so..." Deciding to test the waters, she asked, "what about you?"

"Going home, visiting family. A little farther down the coast from here," Finn replied, referring to her hometown of Santa Barbara. "I can't say I'm much for climbing, but I do hope to take my board out and spend some much needed time in the ocean," a small smile crept on her face at just the thought of returning to a real body of water.

Nayisa nodded in understanding. "I suppose we all need our own getaways. Mine's got a hell of a view of the ocean... you know La Cumbre Peak?" There were a handful of places she loved to go, whether it was for climbing or just to experience nature. It had been so long since she had been on Earth though that she wondered if she would have time to go visit them all.

"I have actually, it's not too far from the town I'm headed to. You said you have a friend there?" Finn asked, her curiosity piqued with interest in knowing they were headed to relatively similar destinations.

Nayisa gave a small nod. While she was well versed in the art of hiding her true emotions, there were some things she couldn't hide. What she couldn't hide, she tended to not talk about. Her eyes fell ever so slightly as she reminisced. "Yeah. Evie and I used to climb to the peak all the time as teenagers. She knew me before all this came in." She jokingly gestured to her silver hair, which once was a shade of brown.

While it was years ago, Nayisa could still remember Evie as if they had talked yesterday. Her little dimples whenever she grinned, the occasional snort mixed into her laugh, the way the sun brought out natural highlights in her almost sandy colored hair... the many nights they'd spend stargazing and telling each other their ambitions for Starfleet every time they spotted a shuttle. Nayisa wasn't as into the idea at the time, but she indulged the conversations. She remembered that sparkle in Evie's eye whenever she talked about being a scientist on a starship. Starfleet was originally her dream, not Nayisa's. "I made a promise that I'd visit her at the top of La Cumbre next time I came to Earth. It was her favorite hike," she added. A small knot formed in her stomach at the memory, but Nayisa chose to pass it off externally as nervousness.

Finn seemed to note a slight sadness, though she didn't know the woman well enough to really judge if it was sorrow or just reminiscence. Either way, one point certainly caught her attention. "Was?" She asked.

There was a short pause as Nayisa took in a slow breath. "Yeah," she whispered. It was all she needed to say. The silence spoke for itself as it thickened the air in the shuttle. "Obviously, she had other favorites, too, but that one in particular was special to her."

"Ah," Finn replied softly. It was clear that it wasn't a topic the woman cared to expound on in great detail and Finn understood that. "Well, in that case...I hope you enjoy your hike and that it brings you some peace." She smiled, wishing she could find some of that too. "I'm Finn by the way," the engineer extended a hand. Partly as a friendly gesture and partly to move past the obviously sorrowful topic of the woman's friend.

Nayisa stared at the hand for a moment, her mind pondering how to proceed, before leaning forward to accept the hand in a brief shake. "Nayisa," she said in return. She gave a brief smile, one that was meant more for consolation over actual happiness. "I doubt I'll ever have peace of mind, but thanks." Near-black eyes looked Finn over, as if trying to read emotion off her face like reading words from a book. "It looks like you could use some peace of mind, too. You're welcome to join me, if you like. It sounds like La Cumbre is hardly out of your way, and you wouldn't be intruding."

Kane had told her to climb a mountain, Finn thought, still annoyed with the comment. On the one hand, it wasn't a terrible idea but on the other, Finn just wasn't in the mood for being around people, and if anything she wanted time in the ocean, not on a mountain. "Maybe. I assume I can find you on the Athena's roster? If so I'll consider it and contact you. Fair enough?" Finn finally replied, leaving her options open.

Another short pause as Nayisa considered her options. In her experience, people tended to close themselves off when they found out she was intel, and just for once she wanted to not have that association. "I'm afraid you won't find me in your ship's roster," she said, choosing her words carefully. She masked her fabrication with an apologetic smile. "I'm just a nobody who got picked up when your ship passed Europa. I'll be on Earth for a couple days, though, and if you contact the travel office in San Francisco and say you want to get in touch with Nayisa Wrea, they can forward a message to me. Not many people have that name. Though in all honesty, if you end up scaling La Cumbre, odds are you'll find me already there."

Interesting. I didn't think we were in the business of providing transport to civilians, Finn thought. "Got it, I'll be in touch if I decide to throw on some hiking boots then. Thanks for the offer." She smiled, still suspicious of the woman's origins.

Nayisa gave a kind smile. "Of course. Climbing can be worthwhile alone, but I think it's better with good company." The shuttle alerted that they were close to arriving, making the silver-haired woman briefly look up. "I hope you have fun out on the water. I hear it's perfect this time of year."

"Thanks, have fun climbing. Say hi to Evie for me, it sounds like she must've been a great friend," Finn returned the smile and started to grab her things. The offer of a hike was nice, but she doubted she would actually join. Time alone to think was what she thought she really needed. Not a climbing partner. Then again, who knew what the future might hold?