Home Sweet...Home?

Posted on 29 Jan 2015 @ 12:50pm by Lieutenant JG Drusilla McCarthy & Lieutenant JG Grayson Jones

1,603 words; about a 8 minute read

Mission: Episode 07 - Sojourn
Location: Starbase 84: Simon's Eatery
Timeline: MD08 2238hours

ON:

Running her fingers through her loosened hair, Dru couldn't dampen the nerves that she felt. It had been awhile since she had had to share her quarters with anyone else, even during her last deployment on the USS Galileo she had had her own quarters due to holding the position as Chief Counsellor.

Knocking back the drink in her hand, she hoped for some dutch courage. It didn't help that it seemed her roommate was a male. She had no idea how that was meant to work....She was generally a tidy person anyway, having so little personal belongings, but there was other practicalities to consider...

With his deflated and puffed up face, Grayson strode into the Eatery and looked around for his soon to be roommate. So far he had spent the best part of the day mourning his father's passing and informing what little family he had left and his father's friends. To be blunt, he needed something a little cheerier to lift his spirits and bring some hope to his day. So, in traditional Grayson style, his worries were wiped from his face and a smile was plastered on to mask the physical hints of his day.

Taking a moment to compose himself, Grayson strode over to the table and softly spoke to who he assumed was the person he was there to meet. "Drusilla? Grayson Jones."

Looking up as she heard her name, Dru smiled easily as her natural mask slid across her face. Standing on propriety, the counsellor moved to her feet as she held out her hand. "Please, Dru is ok. Afterall, we are to be roommates I believe."

Her eyes tried not to over analyse as Dru took in the appearance of the man who stood infront of her. He didn't seem like he might be a mass-murderer so that was a good start...right?

"May I take this seat, or get you a drink?" Grayson asked as he quickly gave a once over of his would be roommate. She seemed nice and pleasant at first, almost like the type of girl who he would hang around with during his Academy days. He hoped she would be fun, today was a day that needed some fun.

Dru couldn't put a finger on it but it almost as if her Grayson hid something under the surface. It would be hypocritical of her to judge given she hid her own feelings and emotions. A man, and woman, had a right to their personal thoughts and feelings; if he wanted to open up, experience had thought Dru that he would.

Smiling as she indicated the seat infront of her, Dru shook her head at the offer of a drink. "I asked you here so I figure first round should be on me. What are you having?"

"Thanks," he replied, "anything fruity, colourful and chalked full of alcohol." Grayson smiled in what felt like his first genuine smile in days. Drinks always had that affect on him, but, he could tell the company was adding to it.

Looking up at a waitress, Dru beckoned her over, "Two straw daiquiris, double vodka." As the woman nodded her head and moved away, the counselor allowed herself to relax in her chair a little. "Should we lay down the ground rules for the room while we can still think straight?"

"Yeah, let us get the business out of the way then just...hopefully...enjoy ourselves." Grayson responded. He thought he was a relatively good roommate, other than one isolated incident.

"Well I guess first things first...I get the bottom bunk!" Smiling Dru focused on where she'd grasped her hands on the table top. "You don't need to worry about me bringing...people back."

"I can change to the top no problem," Grayson's mind instantly went to the gutter with that joke, but thought best to keep it to himself as most people may not get it right away, this alone cheered him up immensely for a few fleeting moments . "Oh I am the same there. Between working in Engineering, attending a few 'house calls' and hitting the gym, I usually just get back long enough to sleep. So most likely you won't have to worry about getting under each other's feet or anything."

Dru let out a breath at that and smiled her appreciation. She wasn't sure yet how she would cope with that aspect of things and wasn't in a rush to find out. "I work in counseling and with only a handful of us onboard, I imagine it means that life will be busy for me also....Did you have anything that you wanted to add?"

"Not that I can think of," Grayson added, looking around his head for inspiration for something, "I'm not particularly OCD, like to think I am friendly, cheery...most of the time. I do like to have the odd party or trip to the bar, of which you would be more than welcome to come along! You?"

Dru felt her fingers tightened as she watched the waitress move over with their drinks. Smiling her appreciation at the younger woman, she took a sip of the alcohol in order to give herself a moment. "I'm not really a going out type person...Generally people find it a buzz kill when they find a counselor in the midst."

Giving a mischievous wink, Grayson just had to add, "That's when we give them more alcohol and let all their secrets flow naturally. I know that's what happens to me."

Dru looked down at the glass in her hand as she begun to have second thoughts on weather alcohol would be a good idea. "So tell me abit about yourself..."

"Not too much to say really, son of an Ambassador," to which he paused after the day's events, "relatively hectic upbringing...shunted from port to port, never really settling down until the Academy. That was a fun time, lots of parties, socialising and still graduating near top of class. I picked up my addiction to the gym and keeping trim then too. How about you? Hopefully much more interesting that me."

Smiling, Dru took a sip of her drink. "I'm afraid not, I grewup with two bog standard parents and an over protective brother. I struggled in the Academy but they saw promise in me still and I guess that got me to where I am today."

Taking a large gulp of his drink, Grayson asked, "How about hobbies then?"

Dru got a dreamy look on her face as she looked down into her drink, "Swimming....I love how you can just loose yourself with each stroke of your arms through the water...how it feels as if you exist in a separate universe away from life's hardships..."

Laughing a little, Dru rested one forearm on the tabletop as a finger of her other hand traced the rim of her glass, "Have you ever swam? Or had a similar experience through something else?"

"I write, music mostly...piano. But for loosing myself, running does that for me. Just an open path, some music in my ears and my mind trying to put the world right." Grayson smiled as he finished his drink and began to long for his next run. He had a lot to figure out.

Drumming her fingers against the glass, Dru smiled at the passion in her room mates voice. "You'll need to let me hear some of your work someday."

"Yeah, it is nothing special, so... try not to expect some high level classical music." Grayson chuckled.

As Dru moved her drink back to her lips, a drop of alcohol brushed against her tastebubds just as she felt bile raise to the back of her throat as her face went slightly white. Taking a deep breath for a moment, she tried to figure out if she was about to be sick.

"Sorry...." As the bile taste disappear, the counselor still felt unsettled before she looked back over at her soon to be roommate, "I'm not sure what just happened there...."

"Most likely the drink. All pure alcohol here, not that synthale we get on the ships. If you have been used to that, it takes the body a few drinks to get accustomed to it again." Grayson began to part his sage drinking knowledge, "Usually taking a round of drinks off and having a soft drink or a water helps settle an uneasy stomach."

Pushing her unfinished drink away, Dru placed the palm of her hand to her forehead as she begun to feel lightheaded. "I think that maybe it might be a good idea if I return to my quarters....Lie down for abit."

"You won't need to worry about me crashing in later," Grayson added. "While on shore leave, I've managed to get some temporary quarters here, so we will each have our own space for a while until the ship departs. Just try not to mess up my photos," he laughed and prodded jokingly.

Smiling weakly, Dru had to admit that her mind had diverted slightly to try to figure out what might be wrong. Pushing her chair away from her table, the counselor held out a hand, "I look forward to seeing how we get on as roomies."

Lifting his drink in a faux toast before extending his own hand to meet in a handshake, Grayson replied with an optimistic, "As do I."

:OFF

Lieutenant JG Drusilla McCarthy
Assistant Chief Counsellor
USS Galileo

Lieutenant JG Grayson Jones
Assistant Chief Engineer
USS Galileo

RSS Feed