Beta shift, it gets better soon!

Posted on 12 Sep 2012 @ 8:18pm by Lieutenant Aria Rice & Petty Officer 1st Class Gabriel Stark

1,223 words; about a 6 minute read

Mission: Episode 01 - Project Sienna
Location: USS Galileo: Deck 3, Security Offices
Timeline: MD 9: 16:00

ON:

Aria Rice's face as she entered the office said it all: tired and dreading the shift. She didn't feel like she had experienced much rest or anything of the kind. If anything, she felt as if she had been drinking steadily for days and rolled off a shuttle in the atmosphere. She moved to the replicator and got herself some strong coffee before sinking down into a chair with a soft groan of pure misery. Shift. Yes...had a shift to do. She looked around, grimacing at what was around her. "Oh Hell..." Paperwork. A lot of it.

"Not yet, but I'm sure it's waiting at some point," Gabriel Stark watched her from where he was sat quietly near the corner of the room, perched on a desk. His dark hair and eyes seemed almost darker against his complexion and he studied her with an observational glint.

Aria looked at him, her eyes taking him in, running over him. Okay. He was beautiful. And her gaydar went off as quickly as it had with Kohl. "Mm...at least for us sinners, huh?" she chuckled and rolled her shoulders. "I'm Aria. Been running around like an idiot for the last days, never had the chance to introduce myself to others..."

"Same," Gabriel flashed a smile, looking down as he kicked a foot lightly against the deck. "Been a bit of a blur, huh?"

She nodded as she watched him, standing as she moved over to him. "More like one drinking game gone horribly wrong..."

"Nah, not done anything on duty yet that I want to hide under the covers about, that's how my drinking games end," he shook his head, a gleam in his eyes as he grinned, tilting his head as he watched her. "What's your name, goth girl?"

She arched an eyebrow, laughing softly. "Well, you pay attention...and I am not a goth girl. I'm Aria Rice...and you?"

"You have black hair and you wear real kohl eyeliner even on duty. You're goth girl," he said firmly, shaking his head as he stretched out with a smile. "I'm Gabriel Stark."

She folded her arms, giving a wide smile as she watched him. "And what are you then, Gabriel? Party boy?"

"I couldn't possibly comment," he motioned across his lips with his fingertips, as if zipping his mouth up before folding his arms with a smile. "Either way, it's hardly a party in here. Why have I got a pile of padds on the desk? Why?"

"Because no one has done anything for the last...four days?" she said and smiled weakly. "Besides, I should do them anyway."

"Yeah, you're the officer, you should do them," Gabriel nodded decisively, but there was a hint of a smile playing across his lips as he moved to the seat, kicking his feet up on the desk and putting his hands behind his head with an 'ahhhh'.

"Oh, you sneaky..." she laughed and threw what looked like a tissue to her at him. "At least entertain me while I do this!"

"I don't strip until I've had at least three cocktails. Those are the rules," he wagged a finger at her with a grin before sitting back up straight with a laugh, pulling a padd over. "Must be the perks of being an officer, paddwork."

She laughed warmly as she shook her head. "If I had known there was this much of it, I'd have stayed on Luna, winning pokergames in the House of the Rising Sun..." she said playfully.

"Sounds like a good lifestyle," he admitted with a soft sigh, tapping a 'clear' on one of the padds before picking up another, scrolling through it. "Maybe we should go rogue. Become pirates."

She laughed softly and nodded, looking down. "Do I get to wear a really cool outfit? Because that would be one way for me to go rogue..."

"Only if you're good. I'd be Captain of course," he grinned to her, tossing a padd over to her that needed an officer to sign off on. "Get to pull rank for once."

"Yeah, yeah..." Aria grinned back, her eyes warm as she signed it. "See, I think you are happy as enlisted. You don't have to do this all the time!"

Gabriel watched her for a long moment at the words, his smile weakening at it. How many times had he wished he could turn back time and make it through the officer's Academy course instead of being chucked out. "Yeah, who'd want that," he laughed lightly, covering the change as he leant back. "Listen, I don't many people here yet. When we get half an hour to ourselves, do you want to catch a drink with me. We can order colourful drinks with umbrellas in and sit in the mess. Close our eyes, and we can pretend it's a bar."

She groaned and smiled as she watched him, nodding as she leant closer. "I'd love that. Because seriously? Drinks...especially colourful ones...are my favourite."

"Now how would I ever have guessed," he said sarcastically, holding her eyes with a smile, making it clear it was all too obvious.

"Oh...are we really going there at this time of the day? Really?" she smiled and shook her head. "Not that you are catty or anything. Do you kiss your boyfriend with that mouth?"

He watched her with surprise before laughing, shaking his head as he looked away. "That obvious, hm?"

"My gaydar is next to none," she said and smiled gently. "Hey, it's not a bad thing, and it isn't obvious either. To others. The moment you said fruity cocktails and became catty, I got it all confirmed..." she winked, biting her lip.

"Well you're only half right," he shook his head with a small smile, as if to say 'so there'. "I don't have a boyfriend."

"Really?" she looked at him with surprise. "I mean...you're beautiful."

Gabriel watched her in return with equal surprise before laughing softly. "Shame you're not a guy, huh? What about you, goth girl, who's on your dancecard?"

She blushed as she looked down, shrugging. "There's someone I like. But she's got a kid and all, not sure I'd tick the boxes for her."

"Who gives a flying fandango about boxes once you're dancing horizontal?" Gabriel watched her with raised eyebrows, shaking his head firmly.

She laughed at the words, her eyes shining as she sat back. "Well, easy for a sex bomb like you to say!" she smiled as she shook her head, considering it. "Suppose I have nothing to lose?"

"Nope," he shook his head lightly, tossing another padd on to the 'done' pile. "Well, apart from your pride and dignity, but who cares about that these days, right?" he flashed a playful smile to her, clearly only teasing.

"Oh, not me," she said and smiled, arching an eyebrow. "And not you. I think we'll get on like a house on fire...if you ask me at least."

Gabriel laughed softly at that, watching her with dark, shining eyes as he leant back in the chair, stretching out as he nodded his agreement. " 'And where two raging fires meet together, they do consume the thing that feeds their fury' ...."

OFF:

Ensign Aria Rice
Security Officer
USS Galileo

PO2 Gabriel Stark
Security
USS Galileo

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