Messy Traditions

Posted on Wed Apr 19th, 2023 @ 3:37am by Lieutenant Didrea Zade & Lieutenant JG Kirral Nagata

Mission: Character Development
Location: Mess Hall
Timeline: MD4
2219 words - 4.4 OF Standard Post Measure

Though she wouldn't exactly call it a tradition, Kirral had always found meal times since joining Starfleet to be particularly odd for her to adjust to. Large, open eating areas with big tables, room to see everyone, and plenty of room to end up alone on some end table and that to become your standard. It was a crudely effective design for groups to form and social isolations to form, if not by intent. The Academy hadn't been the best for her results in using that time to make friends, and so she'd often given up to take her food to her dormitory to study or crunch numbers while she ate. But in her last year, she'd resolved to break that cycle, and so her first day of classes, she'd introduced herself to the first person she saw eating alone and sat with them to strike up conversation.

Her tactic had worked then, and so she'd done it again when she got to the USS Zenith, despite the much smaller setting. That lone helmsman had become her best friend on board a ship where she'd learned to call just about everyone close friends. And now, she was on the Athena. New ship, new chance to do the same. She didn't know the Trill, didn't know which section she worked in with her yellow uniform, only had two, solid pips on the woman's uniform to go by. That would have to be enough. With her tray in hand, a nice staple of pasta with roasted vegetables, Kirral approached and smiled at the woman who was currently on her own. "Excuse me, Lieutenant. Is this seat taken?"

It sucked trying to find things to do when the ship was effectively under lockdown, and Zade found herself with an extra long lunch break. Fortunately, Sorel was kind enough to share the student evaluations from the training she and Ryan attended, and she was absentmindedly browsing the evaluations and scores of each student. Until a voice grabbed her attention, anyways. She looked up from the PaDD to see an unfamiliar face in a blue uniform. "Nope, have a seat," she replied. In front of the Trill was some brothy liquid, a soup she particularly enjoyed while she attended college on Trill.

Invitation accepted, tradition complete. All Kirral had to do now, as she accepted the invitation and sat down, was see if that same luck paid off as before. "I hope I am not interrupting work. During my previous assignment, I was notorious for squirreling my meals away to the lab spaces to try and multi-task. Maybe that changes on the Athena." She did her best to remain polite then, briefly eyeing the reports that the Lieutenant was reading, before turning her attentions to her tray and expertly skewering greenish pasta alongside a sprig of broccoli to take as a whole bite.

Zade glanced at the PaDD again before setting it aside and gave the woman a faint smile. "If I had work to do, I wouldn't be eating here. I was just reading the results of an exam I was able to assist with at the Academy yesterday." Upon closer examination, the woman in blue wasn't Vulcan like Zade had first thought. There were some features she recognized as Romulan, but they were far more subtle. "So what role did you transfer into?"

"So we're alike in that regard?" A small joke, equally small smile accompanying, before she continued. "Acting as an assistant instructor was one of my favorite times in my last year at the Academy. What was the area of instruction?" It was a roundabout way of asking what this woman did for a living, even if the uniform helped narrow it down for her somewhat. "Astrometrics Officer Kirral Nagata." Neatly dabbing her face with a cloth first, she offered a hand across the table. If there was any doubt whether she was a Vulcan or not, it likely evaporated with the offered gesture.

Definitely not Vulcan. The smile, while subtle, was the first key, but the handshake was the second clue. "Zade, chief of security," she met the woman's hand with her own to give it a shake. "Lieutenant Ryan and I helped with a practical applications course they do in the tactical security track. In reality, it's just glorified laser tag, but it teaches the students to work together and to adapt to whatever they face. The instructor reaches out to former students to be the opposing force, since they have real world experience."

"I remember taking the more core curriculum there, but never anything quite so in-depth on that front for me." She felt it kind of silly to even mention, given the color of her shirt, but conversation was conversation, right? With her hand back at her side, she went for another bite. "A pleasure to make your acquaintance, Lieutenant. No offense, but can't imagine any business I have with you in a work situation ends up pleasant for me. I shall endeavor to avoid even learning what the brig looks like." Then, she leans in, more of her human side shining through with a smile to match the humor in her tone. "Any regular troublemakers I should be made aware of?"

Zade wasn't surprised to hear the first part. It was really only in the security track of the Academy where the more interactive classes were. Sure, science had their own kind of interactive courses, and everyone took a basic self defense course, but not all of them required the tactical simulations that challenged one's ability to think fast and act fast. "Fortunately, I've yet to send anyone to the brig. You'll probably hear the name 'Fenn' come up a lot if you ask about troublemakers on this ship, though. Though from what I hear, he tends to stick his nose into people's business more than anything."

"No one at all? That is rather reassuring. Either the crew is well-disciplined, or Security is lax. But judging by present company, I will assume the former." Another polite smile was given. She hoped the compliment came across well, wasn't misconstrued. Sometimes she could use too many words when just getting to the point would be easier, and that had been a long statement to basically convey her first impressions were that the Trill was a fine officer, as was the rest of the crew that she knew of. "Fenn? I have not heard that name as of yet, no. But I have dealt with busy body sorts before. Thank you for the heads-up, Lieutenant."

"I don't put people in the brig unless I have a reason to," the Trill simply responded. A lot of the things she had run into were more petty annoyances than actual disruptions, the kind that just needed a reminder over disciplinary action. "Fenn is one of the engineers. I suspect I ran into him on a bad day, but I've had several instances of him causing problems with others, so I tend to keep an eye on him."

"I have already spent some time with Chief O'Connell, will be doing some work with a Mr. Paxton soon as well. Do not believe Fenn's name has yet come up with the engineers that I know." She smiled a bit, eyes taking in the rest of the mess hall while they spoke and she took the time to drink from her glass of what looked like water. Maybe sparkling. "When you're not keeping an eye on Mr. Fenn, what is it you do for fun, Lieutenant? I've thus far managed to keep busy with my new duties and my research, but I suspect I cannot avoid time off forever."

The Trill's first answer would be that her "fun activities" involved training. A lot of her off duty endeavors typically consisted of activities she could practically use. Things that challenged strategy, or reflexes, or endurance. "Recreational archery, sometimes," Zade responded. "I usually partake in strategy games, but I could be convinced to go for a hike or something similar in the holodeck." Zade scooped up a spoonful of her soup, "what activities do you normally partake in?"

Kirral considered that answer over a fresh bite of her salad, smiling across at the Trill. After a good drink to wash it down and a sigh, she finally got to a reply. "The sort of thing I spent my childhood doing then? I grew up on ships with Starfleet parents, well... one of them and a step-parent at least. Lucky me, Galaxy-class had all the holodecks one could ever want. Truth be told, I normally just try to find more work to do myself. Mother liked to tease me that I belonged in blue long before I ever joined Starfleet, the way I took to astrophysics, astrometrics, planetary studies... To better center myself and control my emotions, I took up various meditative martial arts and techniques from Earth and Vulcan, so I suppose that counts? Have you ever done Tai Chi, Lieutenant?"

A light huff of air left Zade's nose as the side of her mouth lifted in a half-smile, signs of her short chuckle. As one who often preferred to find work to do over casual recreation, the comment was relatable. She was certain that many of her former superiors would lilely point it out as one of the Trill's traits. "I don't believe I have. That's an Earth style with loose, bending moves, right?"

"Something like that, yes. As much about meditation and self-discipline as self-defense. I find it very relaxing. Find it even helps when I'm stuck on a work problem and need to think it out more clearly, which I must admit I found to be a surprise. Turns out, overthinking and brute force don't always arrive at timely solutions." She spun her fork a few times in the air, adding emphasis, before more of her food disappeared in a bite.

Zade nodded slightly before consuming the spoonful of soup she had picked up. With how much tension she tended to carry, maybe she should pick it up sometime. "It's useful to have something that clears the mind," she commented.

"Well, if I ever get group lessons going, I'll be sure to drop you an invite, Lieutenant." With that, bobbing her fork for emphasis, Kirral took another bite and smiled across the table at the security officer. "Thank you for accepting my request to sit with you. Always feels nicer not to eat alone. But if I get too annoying, feel free to let me know, hm?"

"You're welcome. Sometimes it's challenging to find seating here." The officer across from the Trill was oddly... cheerful. While there was nothing wrong with being her smiling self, it was a strange contrast to the tension affecting the majority of the crew. Zade had to remind herself that Kirral was one of several who recently transferred, and such she wasn't surprised by Kane's arrest like everyone else. "I don't mind the company. If anything, it distracts from an otherwise boring shift."

With a satisfied nod, Kirral took another bite to finish off her food items at the least, a hand encircling her cup to take a drink afterward. "Do you have any interests outside security, Lieutenant? I could always give you a crash course in astrometric datamining and analysis. If your job proves unsuitable for keeping your attentions." Was it a tease? Maybe, she was smiling, but it could have been a genuine offer as well. Maybe she was just out to convert others to the blue shirt life.

"I sometimes play Velocity," the Trill responded, "but I enjoy things that make me plan ahead, stuff with adrenaline. I also bake but it's hardly anything to hail home for, or whatever that human phrase is." Zade briefly pondered before adding, "I wasn't that great at science, but I suppose some of the technique could be useful in security."

Kirral found herself pushing her tray slightly to the side as she finished, making room to hold her drink in both hands and sip casually. Now that both of them were largely over meals, it was sort of an invitation for either to leave too, though she may have just been imagining that. Not like subtle social cues were her specialty. "It may very well, Lieutenant. Learning to pick out important details in a sea of information, properly analyze them to assess their worth and meaning. Security is very 'attention to detail', yes?"

Zade nodded as she too set aside her now-empty tray. "Yes, it can be. Perhaps we can show off our work areas sometime and truly see how similar they may be."

Kirral laughed, stacking their trays and moving to get up with them in tow. "Immaculate and efficient as possible, both, I'd bet, eh Lieutenant? Was nice meeting you, but I should get to those duties, speaking of. See you around?" She stood, hovering momentarily with the trays in one hand and her now empty glass in the other as she finished off the contents.

"Likewise. I'll be around," Zade replied, standing as well. At least she got to kill some time in an otherwise uneventful day. Perhaps she could make some rounds to occupy her time, check in on other parts of the ship.