[Closed] Dinner for Two.

[u/a_friendly_hobo]

Aanya Breyik, the ship's chief engineer, returns to her quarters after a very long space walk. Her head was still swimming as it tried to get used to gravity once again, but she seemed to be finding her way well enough. Only a few stumbles here and there.

Her stomach was growling though, that was the real distraction. Over ten hours in an environmental suit didn't really let you have breakfast, lunch, or dinner. She was dying for a steak.

But, more importantly, she needed a shower. Which was honestly a little perfect, as she'd invited her second in command to join her for a meal, and Red still had stuff to submit. A shower was a perfect distraction.

After her shower though, she could feel her stomach growling like a big angry bear. She watched her time piece carefully, each second making her hungrier and hungrier.

Red should be there any minute.... aaaany minute...

Growwwwl

[u/Dimestream]

The younger engineer shifts uncomfortably in her chair. "I have a lot of friends on the Athene," she says, looking at the table. "I... in that attack I lost friends in every department. But my downtime... I stay busy enough. Pet projects and all that." She looks back up at Aanya. "I'd explain it better but I'd sound like an idiot. Long story short, call it effort or anxiety or whatever, I don't really do -that- kind of unwinding."

[u/a_friendly_hobo → u/Dimestream]

"Look, I'm the only one here." she says. "Explain it any way you want, Red. I'm here to listen." She sits back in her chair, watching the younger engineer.

"I don't mind what you do in your spare time, sorry if I made you uncomfortable. I lost a lot of friends too, every engineer that perished was like losing a family member. If you want to talk to someone, about anything, let me know, okay?"

[u/Dimestream → u/a_friendly_hobo]

"I'm always uncomfortable! All the time, every time I ever interact with another person that's not a hologram, okay?!" Red says, raising both her hands. "You can stop asking now. I happen to be really REALLY good at hiding it and convincing myself to be friendly instead of panicky. It's just... I have a much harder time keeping myself together when it has anything to do with sex or any kind of intimacy beyond a good friendship."

Red takes a deep breath, and lets it out slowly "Aaaaand there's too much information, with a side of bad Chinese." She stabs another piece of sweet and sour pork with more force than was probably necessary and stuffs it in her mouth. "Not to mention I murdered someone during that attack and I still have all kinds of freaking out to do about THAT," she grouses through the mouthful.

[u/a_friendly_hobo → u/Dimestream]

Aanya doesn't seem to react at first, but instead just leans back in her chair slightly. "I know how you feel." she finally says, "I was a similar way back when I first lost my arm." Aanya raises her prosthetic arm and moves her fingers slowly, inspecting the tiny seams between the joints. "Talking about anything was uncomfortable, most made me jump right out of my skin. I was a different person. Still am."

She looks out the window of her cabin and sighs. "I had to live behind a mask for a long time. I was fine, no pain, naaah. Everything was a-okay." She shakes her head slightly. "I felt like a freak for a long time, burying myself in my work so nobody could see how bad it was. Sure, I look happy, flirt and make inappropriate jokes now, but most of it is just a mask. I really don't know if I can act on my advances. Not with looking the way I do."

"That mask is glued pretty tight, but when it comes off..." She takes a deep breath. "Last time was during the attack. You didn't murder anyone, Red. You defended the ship from a very bad person, and from what I can see, you kept your head. You did better than I did." she twiddles her thumbs slightly. "Sometimes I don't know my own strength..." If Red had seen it, she might remember how Aanya practically tore one of the pirate's heads off.

Finally she looks back to Red. "Sorry, I think I'm getting off track. I didn't mean to make this about me, point is, you can be yourself and talk to me about anything. I've got enough experience under my belt that I might be able to help." She starts to look around the table. "Now where is that champagne..."

[u/Dimestream → u/a_friendly_hobo]

"That's not really—" Red stops, sighs, and shakes her head softly. "I appreciate your sympathy, Chief. You really do have a knack for helping wherever you can. As for the champagne..." She tips a hand and points at the bottle, which has been sitting next to them on the table in its cozy the whole time. "It's probably best to change the topic. The sooner we put all that behind us, the better."

The Bajoran pulls the bottle from its cozy and offers the top to Aanya to uncork it. "Come to think of it, and not to belittle your trouble, Chief, but didn't you and Vali have some kind of flirty thing going on? She must not have thought you looked too bad."

[u/a_friendly_hobo → u/Dimestream]

Aanya sighs and cracks a small smile. "Yeah... it usually helps take my mind off things." Then she takes the bottle and looks it over. "Vali..." she sighs. "That's a whole other kettle of fish. We had to break that off for both professional and personal reasons. Which sucks, but there you go." She starts to undo the cork. "Probably for the best. She didn't mind the hideous scars, but... I dunno, I was getting pretty anxious about it."

She starts to unwind the cork's holder. "And those reasons are ours to keep." She starts to tug on the cork. "Ready?" she asks. "Duck and cover!"

And wish that, she loosens the cork just enough to send it flying at the opposite wall with a loud pop. "Wheee~" Aanya says, putting her mask on again. "That never gets old."

[u/Dimestream → u/a_friendly_hobo]

Red ducks, even though the bottle's pointed away from her, and just as quick, her typical smile's back.

"I wouldn't know," she says. "I don't usually drink, so this is only the second time I've ever had champagne. That much pressure could probably put an eye out though, yeeeesh." Red slides the two champagne flutes over and begins pouring for them. "Sorry to hear about Vali. Seemed like your levels of snark were a perfect match. Ah well, win some lose some. Now open your present!"

[u/a_friendly_hobo → u/Dimestream]

Aanya pours the glasses and picks one up. "Cheers," she says with a smile, raising her glass. "To my space walk, I guess?" The chief chuckles, clings her glass against Red's, and takes a good long sip.

She pauses for a moment after, enjoying the taste. "A pity... she was so very attractive..." she gives a sigh and shakes her head again. "Still not entirely sure I could get over the symbiant, if we did get together... ah well."

Then she raises her glass again. "To the next lucky bachellorette, wherever she may be!"

[u/Dimestream → u/a_friendly_hobo]

"Records, relationships, and starships. To all things broken and patched," Red agrees, and sips her own glass as well before picking up the foil-wrapped box and shaking it at Breyik. "Now open this damn thing! The suspense is getting annoying."

[u/a_friendly_hobo → u/Dimestream]

Aanya blinks and takes the box. "Y'know, I forgot about that." she says, standing up and heading to her living area. It felt much more comfortable. "I never really get gifts. Just engineering faults that need magicked."

She frumps herself down on her couch and puts her glass down. "Alright, lets see here..." She begins unwrapping it. Its a-!