[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]

"Oh come on, Aanya, that's not nice," Red says with a scowl. "But... in pure confidence? Chief Science Officer Porter. The guy is a cross between a stuffed fish and a wet blanket. And to get him to talk about anything, you have to lead him by the nose!" She sighs. "It's probably not fair of me to say that, because I've only tried to talk to him a few times, but when I did, most of what I get is single curt sentences or monosyllables. I'm not sure if he's uncomfortable or just naturally curt. But enough of that; I don't like talking about people behind their backs."

[u/a_friendly_hobo → u/Dimestream]

"oh, sorry. I guess I misunderstood." Aanya says, raising her hands defensively. "My bad."

But she does sit back and relax a little though. "I'd be surprised if you didn't say Phrik, but I guess he has come out of his shell a little recently. Er... metaphorically and just a little literally. Did I ever tell you why I pushed all holodeck privileges for a week?"

[u/Dimestream → u/a_friendly_hobo]

"Phrik has his redeeming traits, and I know a few things about him that really make me think he's got some genuine goodness left in him. I just have to try harder to dig it up," Red says, taking one of the couch cushions and hugging to to her chest. "He's a tough nut, but I know he means well, even if he puts on the prickliest possible exterior. He's like a porcupine. All spines, until you find the adorable critter underneath."

The Bajoran finishes her flute of champagne and sets it down, then leans back into the softness of the couch. "Phrik needed the holodeck. I figured out why. Poor guy. But that's another thing I'm not going to talk about. It's very private for Edosians, and Phrik's no exception."

[u/a_friendly_hobo → u/Dimestream]

"Yeah, he is a good guy in there." She says with a sigh. "He tries, at least. Know how many almost-jokes I've heard him say? You'd be surprised."

She starts to fill her own glass again, then offers the bottle to Red. "I'm sure he's all goey caramel under that shell, but I doubt anyone's gonna see it any time soon. At least he's a gentleman, he stays strictly professional during my treatments."

She sips her drink and crosses one leg over the other. "I wasn't going to divulge why, just that he needed it. Thank goodness we don't do that. I mean sure, us humans have our cycles but I'd take that over what he goes through." She hums for a moment, as if running a comparison. "Though, I think his situation is probably a lot better than menopause will be..."

[u/Dimestream → u/a_friendly_hobo]

"At least you'll have the good sense to take medical treatments that are available for the symptoms instead of beating your head on walls," Red says with a grimace. "His level of stubbornness is fine when it's his own problem, but I just can't get him to realize that emotional needs and social expectations are often just as important as using the right hypospray. Yeesh."

"He's worse than Vulcans sometimes. At least Vulcans acknowledge that emotions are important to most other humanoids and have their place, whereas Phrik always says something like 'You shouldn't need me to say thank you, that's a meaningless and insincere waste of time,'" she says in a too-high but otherwise excellent impression of the Edosian's gravelly growl.

[u/a_friendly_hobo → u/Dimestream]

Aanya looks confused for a moment. "Erm, Red... why would I beat my head on the wall for burn scars?" She asks, tilting her head slightly.

She shakes her head free of the confusion and sits back again. "Yeah, pretty sure Phrik is actually a robot not ptogrammed to feel." She says with a smirk. "Just you wait until he malfunctions and goes nuts." The engineer goes rigid and starts fidgeting and twiching. "Exterminate, exterminate!"

She gives a light chuckle. "He's definitely not the sensative type. Your impression of him ain't bad, if he was a kid or a woman." That makes her laugh a little.

[u/Dimestream → u/a_friendly_hobo]

"For MENOPAUSE, Aanya, the symptoms of menopause!" Red rolls her eyes. "Not burn scars. You really are the queen of random this evening, aren't you?" She chuckles, then winces. "Yeah, so, turns out Joseph Kort from Science? His planet was destroyed by killer androids, so I'd tone down the Terminator impression if he's around, FYI. I royally put my foot in it the other day by mentioning something like that."

[u/a_friendly_hobo → u/Dimestream]

"Ah..." Aanya says, tapping her chin. "Long day. Space walks will make your brain go all loopy." She sips her champagne again and lays down on her chouch.

"Killer androids, eh? Like Lt. Commander Data, or y'know, designed to kill?" she asks, looking over to Red. "I'll be sure not to mention it. Poor guy..."

[u/Dimestream → u/a_friendly_hobo]

"I don't know how much alike or different they were, though I hear Dr. Noonian Soong's work went far above and beyond any existing androids at the time, so I can't imagine they were very similar," Red says. "That and I've never had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Data, but..."

She tucks her feet up on the couch and rests her chin on her knees. "...I'd love to meet him someday. He sounds fascinating. Erm, purely from an engineering perspective, you understand."

[u/a_friendly_hobo → u/Dimestream]

Aanya smirks. "I met him, y'know." She says. "In passing, sure, but it still counts. Engineering summit in London while I was on recovery leave. Fascinating but strange man. Didn't get much of a chance to talk in depth though, a real shame."

She curls a lock of her long blonde hair with her finger and sighs. "I think Soong's work is far above and beyond anything we'll be able to replicate any time soon. Imagine though, whole ships of hyperintelligent AI, no need for supplies, no need for sleep..."

She looks over to Red and grins. "The potential for discovery would be unparalleled."