Unexpected Company

Posted on Sat Jan 14th, 2023 @ 9:36pm by Lieutenant Commander Finnley Keating VII & NVeid tr'Rehu

Mission: Character Development
Location: Finn's family home
Timeline: Day 10 of Shore Leave
1657 words - 3.3 OF Standard Post Measure

For minutes, NVeid had been staring at the message Finn had sent and he just couldn't believe it. Despite their talks, he believed that she would be alright. It would take time, but she'd be alright. How had he been so wrong then, that she sent this message? It had taken him even several hours to make a firm decision: he would track her down, use every resource he had to do so, and talk her out of quitting. How many times had this been done to him, whenever he'd been in a rough patch? Now, it was time for him to repay that debt, and do it for one of his friends instead.

It had taken even more time, but finally, he tracked down where Finn had been heading, and all it took was making sure he had a transport in that direction. He didn't even hesitate to walk up the path that led to the house, only when he was to press the chime, did he briefly hesitate. What if his resources had been wrong? What if she wasn't here?"

"Hey there." A woman bearing a striking resemblance, though older, to Finn answered the door. She had the same blond wavy hair and facial structure that the engineer did. The only thing off was the eyes. Those were green and not the sparkling blue that most noticed on Finn. "How can I help you?" She asked.

Briefly taken aback by the striking resemblance, NVeid quickly recomposed himself. "Apologies for calling unannounced ma'am," he apologized, offering a slight bow. "My name is NVeid tr'Rehu, and I'm looking for Finn... is she here?"

"She is, but I can't say she's in much of a mood for visitors. She barely talks to me or her father for that matter. Are you a friend of hers?" She asked.

Slowly, the Romulan hybrid nodded. "Yes, I should believe I am," he answered, "and I try to look out for her when she allows me to. Can I see her?" He offered the smallest of, somewhat concerned, smiles. "Perhaps I can get through to her?"

Kacey thought for a moment before looking back and around the corner to ensure that Finn wasn't looking at the door suspiciously. She then stepped out, closing the front door behind her, deciding that she'd use the opportunity to gather more information if she could before deciding whether or not she'd let the stranger in. "Do you know what happened? All we know is that Finn was captured, but rescued. Starfleet isn't the best at giving out details in these circumstances and lord knows Finnley isn't talking."

Again, the hybrid nodded slowly. "I do," he answered, "to a degree anyway. I know she feels terribly guilty about it, but I'm afraid the details aren't for me to tell. To help her with the processing of this trauma, she will need to find the courage to tell you about it herself. Trust me though, she is hurting, and the only one who seems to really understand how she feels, is me. Because..." He hesitated. "I've been through something similar."

Finn's mother made no movement at first. She didn't like the answer, but he wasn't wrong either. With a sigh, she nodded and then opened the front door. "Finn, sweetheart, you have a friend here to see you," she loudly announced down the hall.

Shit, Finn thought. The last thing she wanted was for someone to stop by. She had come here to decompress. To remove herself from all things Starfleet. "Mom, I told you I didn't want any visitors!"

"Don't be rude, Finn," her father looked over, sternly. He understood the need to decompress and be alone, and he was willing to accommodate, but not to the point of being rude to a guest.

Part of her wanted to straight up run out the backdoor and slip away, and for a moment, she almost did. However, she knew her father would be disappointed enough once she got up the guts to tell him she was leaving Starfleet and she didn't want to add to the pile of disappointments so instead she just nodded. Kacey saw the exchange from the front hall and moved out of the way for NVeid to walk past, but as he did, she whispered. "Tread lightly."

"Of course," Nveid acknowledged as he walked up to Finn. He moved slowly towards her. "We should go for a walk," he suggested pleasantly, nodding towards the back door he knew she was tempted to flee through. "I saw your letter Finn...we need to talk about it."

Seeing that Finnley would be hard pressed to want to go for walk, Finn senior piped in. "You know actually, your mom and I were just talking about how we need to organize that old office upstairs. You two can have the room," he said, quickly popping up from the couch and exiting up the staircase with his wife in tow.

Finn watched her parents disappear before turning her face back to NVeid. "What the hell! You thought you could just track me down and intrude in my private life? What's wrong with you NVeid?! There's nothing to talk about. I need time. I said my goodbyes. Leave me alone."

"I can't do that." The response was firm. "You're too much like me Finn, if I had been left alone when I wanted to be, I wouldn't be here today, trying to talk to you. So, here I am...repaying a debt if you'd like to consider it such, even if it isn't a debt owed to you." He could easily pick up on her anger and he allowed it to wash over him. "You're given time, but I won't accept goodbye. And I doubt any of your friends will accept goodbye from you."

"I'm not going anywhere. I'm just not going back to Starfleet, so it's not really goodbye. Come visit anytime," she shrugged before getting up from the couch, not realizing she'd spoken loud enough for her now very concerned parents to hear upstairs.

"I'm not Starfleet," he pointed out, "there's no reason you can't be chief engineer and not Starfleet. Point is ..the Athena needs you, the crew needs you." He gave her a dead serious look. "What if they promote Fenn to chief?"

"You're leaving Starfleet?" A very concerned Finn senior had snuck back down the stairs after overhearing the commotion.

Finnley turned white as a crisp sheet drying in the sunlight as every ounce of color drained from her face. This wasn't how he was supposed to find out. She had wanted to sit down and explain it on her terms. Explain why she was abandoning the family's multi-generational engineering dedication to Starfleet and why it was the logical thing to do. Now that was ruined. Was he disappointed or angry? Finn couldn't really tell. Maybe it was a mix of both, but he had every right. The man standing in front of her had been a marine engineer, his father and mother had been Starfleet engineers, it went back farther than the Finnley Quinn Keating name itself. Everyone said she'd taken after her grandfather. Would he be ashamed of that statement now? As ashamed as her dad surely was at this moment?

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry dad." Finn slowly backed up towards the door. "I didn't want you to find out this way. I'm sorry. I can't. I can't do this right now." Before anyone could react, she swung the door open and tore out through the trees as fast as her feet could take her.

"Finnley stop!" Her father yelled angrily after her.

Kacey grabbed his hand. "Let her go, Quinn. She needs space."

"The hell she does," a fire was lit in his eyes as the words spat from his mouth. "Something was wrong the moment she came into this house and you know it too. This isn't her and I'm tired of playing along." The marine had finally entered the room and wasn't backing down.

NVeid blocked the marine's path to the door. "She isn't herself," he clarified, "she's been through so much lately, she felt compelled to resign. What she needs now is support and realizing that she is needed." He looked up at the man. "She spoke very highly of you when we spoke," he added, "and what I sense from her now is a great deal of shame and hopelessness. With your permission, I'll go after her....and make her see that she needs you and needs to trust you. Anger will solve nothing right now, it'll only drive her away."

"You can stay out of it," Quinn's face was almost red. This stranger in his living room was trying to keep him from his daughter and she was hurting. Nothing would stop him, not when it came to protecting his only child. "You think I don't know my own daughter? I've been through rough spots before, and I've experienced loss. I also don't have to explain myself to a stranger. Move. Now." The words were stern and offered no room for negotiation. It was very clear in that moment where Finn's rebellious and stubborn streaks came from.

The Romulan didn't budge. "You don't have to explain no, but I know what she's been through. I've seen her when she returned to the ship. Anger will only make things worse."

"I know that." Quinn tore off, away from Nveid. He made his way to the kitchen grabbing two bottles of water before pulling what looked like a hiking pack out of the hall closet. If he knew Finn, this wasn't going to be a short jaunt through the woods. "I'll check in once I find her," the marine planted a quick kiss on his wife's lips and then, ignoring the Romulan still standing at the back, bolted out of the front door.