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CH02: S [D01|1905] I did promise a picnic

[ Lieutenant Frank Arnold | Cargo Bay 02 | Upper Deck | USS Allegiant ] Attn: @BZ
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An hour, they only had an hour, well really they only had about half an hour, forty five at most, he had to see the Captain before they finished the journey, just to catch up. It'd be too weird not to right? That was how it always seemed to go, right before something big, you had eighteen things to get done, and you only had time for seventeen. Well now he had two, and time for one, he could halfass two though, but he'd decided to most-ass this!

Either way, he'd made a commitment to Ji, to get to know Korean chicken. He had no Soju right now, or beer, or chicken, but by god he had a blanket, and he had heart! No, he was hopeless, he should just call it off. But also he had some cheese, crackers, summer sausage, some cartons of milk, and a big smile. After all, he didn't want to get blown up by the Breen, without keeping his word, that'd be a bad look for St. Peter.

Frank chuckled to himself thinking of that, that people used to believe in such things as reality. As if a bearded old guy, was going to be waiting in front of a golden gate. 'So Frank, did you really put a fire cracker in your Form Four instructor's personal mail recepticle? Hmm, I don't know, eternal fire it is for you'. The thought kept him chuckling, and entertained, while he smoothed out the wrinkles of the blanket at the corners and waited. He could have brought chairs he supposed, but it wasn't a picnic then, it was a dinner, and dinner was so formal, and he didn't have Soju or Chicken, so they couldn't have dinner yet. 'So there Peter, I'm having my picnic.' Clearly the spirit of goodwill, needed to be told off too.

As soon as they'd gotten confirmation that the ship had lurched into Quantum space he'd been off. Not one to waste time, he'd gathered his supplies, and come to the second cargo bay. He'd stopped in the first cargo bay, but he could have sworn he'd seen two crewmen in the corner making out, so he'd moved on. 'Who am I to decide how people use what could be their last hour not at the end of a Breen cannon.'

He'd sent Ji word to come here, with no details of course, in classic Arnold fashion. In the mean time, he'd pushed a few crates aside, laid out a delightful plaid blanket over the deck plating, and put out the spread of food. Meticulous in its placement. He'd thought about bringing synthetic alcohol, but then he had to do his duties, and beer on the breath was not a good first impression to make, or in Dewitt's case, a second impression. So he'd comprised a classic fair, of finger foods, and milk. He'd only picked the milk because he knew that Ji liked it, Banana, Strawberry, and any other flavors he'd seen in the requisition menu, even the weird sounding ones.

Either way, now he waited, back to the door, with a stomach that fluttered for no reason at all, except that Ji had cute eyes, and a smile, and could probably murder him with a wrench if need be. With that in his head, he thought about Blue and the Theurgy, musing aloud, “I wonder how efficient their jump was. If it was less than eighty four percent, I don't want to be Kaylon Jeen right about now.” He gave a slow chuckle, “Or poor Albert for that matter.” He mused it over, just continuing his spirit of chuckling, making sure he kept his spirit high, otherwise he'd be a poor picnic partner. Well, that was if Ji came...maybe she'd think he was trying to give her duties.

Re: CH02: S [D01|1905] - I did promise a picnic

Reply #1 –
[CPO Eun Sae Ji | Not a Date | Just a Picnic | He Really Brought a Picnic | Boy is Nuts]
@uytrereee




[Meeting.  Second Cargo Bay.  Important.  Time sensitive.  Now.]

The words that traveled across her screen was a message from one Lieutenant Arnold, the Assitant Chief Engineer, and the man that had found her that day on the flight deck. The one she had introduced to strawberry milk, and the one she had told she would introduce to proper Korean food.  It would start with chicken, beer, and soju.  But, it would end with Kimchi and other delicious things that she needed to bring him up to speed on.  For now though, she looked at the words and sighed. 

Since Engineering and her were kind of working hand in hand at the moment the message could be anything.  She only had an hour to kill before work had to be done again and as little as Ji was sleeping she had thought about curling up behind some crates and catching a small cat nap.  But, it seemed that fate intervened again, so she would need to go to this meeting.  She supposed it was probably about the fighters,  or the engine, or both, who really knew at this point but Ji figured that she couldn't keep a high ranking officer waiting even if her blanket was calling.

Brushing a hand through her short brown hair she headed towards the second cargo bay giving nods to those that greeted her along the way.  Arnold was nice enough, he was chatty as fuck, but nice.  She headed down to the second cargo bay and her dark eyes scanned the deck for the gold shirted man wondering just where he could be.  She spent a good few minutes walking around the damn thing.  There was a pair of officers making out heavily behind a set of crates, and it made her pain in the loss of Liam and how much that was so very much like them.  Stolen time, make out sessions, and trying to remain professional until they were out of eye sight.

She came around another set of crates and there in the corner was Arnold.  She looked at the situation at hand.  Blanket on the floor, some odd... “food” laying on the blanket in front of him, flavored milk and everything.  Her brow rose as she stepped into his view. 

“It's... a picnic?” she said in utter shock as she surveyed the whole spread.  “What is that?” she asked peering close at the summer sausage. “Is that meat?”

Ji lowered herself down to sit on the edge of the blanket and stretched her short legs out a little bit to the side before crossing them and sitting up right.  “Well I certainly wasn't expecting this.  Are you trying to bribe me?  I mean, it's working, I'm just wanting to know up front.” she stated with a chuckle as she grabbed one of the milks and stabbed the straw through the lid before beginning to drink it from the carton. 

“I guess we can't soju on mission, shame, that would make this so much better.” she grabbed a piece of the summer sausage.  “You just.. eat it.  Like .. a patty?” she had never experienced this kind of meat before and did not know how one was to sandwich it properly.

Re: CH02: S [D01|1905] - I did promise a picnic

Reply #2 –
[ Lieutenant Frank Arnold | Picnics are a Classic Yo | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @BZ
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Frank waited a while for Ji to show, he even had a few bits of cheese, because he was a growing boy damnit! Mostly it was that he hadn't eaten in a while, he'd been in Engineering, then he'd packed, then he'd had to come on the Allegiant, then they had the jump. This was the first time he'd had to snack or shit in a while. He probably could have used a nap, or just a lay down, but this had to be done! Besides, Ji would wake him up for sure.

As Ji arrived, he perked up a little bit, and grinned at her reaction, 'It's a...picnic?' He laughed gently under his breath, rubbed the back of his head, and offered, "Yeah, it's a picnic. This is hardly Gretna Green, but Cargo Bay Two will do in a pinch. I was going to go in One, but I think I saw a couple people having a romantic moment. Or maybe I am just tired, I don't know, either way, I figured we could stuff ourselves, and try and catch a fifteen minute sleep, before the fun starts."

He gave a chuckle as she pointed out the summer sausage, and asked what it was, "Yeah, that's meat, it's summer sausage. It's a classic picnic cold cut." He chuckled gently, "I keep forgetting our origins are so different." He heard her question, and would give a grin, "What am I supposed to be bribing you for, exactly?" He raised a brow, "Consider it passive bribery, goal undisclosed." He laughed gently, and would take a milk himself, punching a straw into it and starting to sip. Still cold, that was perfect. He smiled gently, "I'm glad it's working." This was funny really, it was the most at home he'd felt in a while, and they were nowhere close to.

"I'm glad I could surprise you. Sorry I cut into your personal time, I just figured, we said we were going to eat a lunch, and we could get blown up, so I figured I'd rather not go to my maker a liar." He winked at her, and would recline.

"It's technically contraband, but I did bring a few bottles of real scottish whiskey onboard the Theurgy. I brought a little with me here too, but obviously with the mission looming, we had to stick to milk. Not that it's not a delicious option." He grinned, taking a long sip, and as the straw pulled away when he was done, it deposited a few strawberry dregs in his beard. He swallowed and offered, "I have to admit Ji, Banana is better." He winked at her.

He laughed gently, "No Soju, but hey, there's always a next time, that's the fun of this." He laughed as she asked about the summer sausage, and he waved a hand, "Anyo." He winked at her, and then he would pick up a water cracker, and then a piece of sausage, and then top it with cheese, "Cheese always goes on top." He took a bite, "You can add a second cracker on top if you're feeling crazy." He spoke with his mouth half full, spitting a few crumbs accidentally. "Perfect classic picnic. There's like, cakes and stuff too, if you're not crazy about the meat and cheese." He rolled his shoulders, "I don't have a lot of experience with cakes, so I brought twinkies and lemon bars." Blue was rubbing off on him apparently.

Re: CH02: S [D01|1905] - I did promise a picnic

Reply #3 –
[CPO Eun Sae Ji | Picnic for Two | Cargo Bay 2 | Continuing That Friendship Vibe]
@uytrereee




Ji had absolutely no idea as to what Gretna Green was, but she supposed it was probably a park or something of equal measure.  Still, she figured that it would do especially considering what kind of time frame they had going on here.  Both of them were busy and both of them were working close enough to know they were both busy.  So, she sat herself down as he mentioned the couple in cargo bay one and she gave a nod.  “Yeah, if the cargo is a rockin' don't keep a walkin' or something.” she chuckled as she looked down at the spread of food around them grabbing up one of her favorite milks.

He assured her that the meat she had pointed to was indeed meat, it was called a summer sausage.  “Do you only eat it in the summer then?” she asked as she figured it must be so because that was the name.  But, he assured her that it was a picnic cold cut, and her brow rose giving her shoulders a shrug at the same time.  “I don't know, pre-payment in advance of pissing me off at some point in the future.”  he told her then to considering It undisclosed bribery for an unknown moment in time.  Ji gave him a bit of a smirk and a quick nod.

Ji waved her hand when he mentioned that he was sorry that he had cut into her personal time.  She didn't really have any and there wasn't like any plans that she had intended to do before getting his falsely urgent memo.  “Nah, you pretend like I have a life, you should know better.” she chuckled softly as she leaned down and began to look at the various food that he had brought.  Some crackers, some cheese, some of the sausage of summer.  She was curious just what all of this was for.

He even confessed to her that he had brought a couple bottles of real scottish whiskey on board the Theurgy but he hadn't brought it on mission.  “Here I thought we were about to have a real party.” she teased.  He popped the straw through the top of the banana milk and began to drink and then.. then he told her that banana was better.  Her eyes narrowed.

“Uneducated taste buds are often fooled.” she reminded him.

When he tossed some Korean at her, she smiled warmly.  He told her that the cheese goes on top.  He began to show her that you put the cracker, then the sausage, followed by the cheese.  He took a bite and explained you could add another cracker on the top if you were feeling crazy.  She grabbed up a cracker and put a piece of meat on the top followed by a slice of cheese and then took a bite.  For a moment all she tasted was the sharp tang of the cheese and then a moment later she could taste the sausage and the cracker.  It all created some kind of interesting flavor combination in her mouth that was pretty good for just easy food. 

He pointed to some bars to the side and some kind of long pale cakes.  Her brows rose.  “You're a sweets guy?  Somehow I didn't peg you as one.” she said as she shrugged.  “But then you like banana so you're already wrong.” she reminded him as she began to eat the rest of her cracker creation.

“So what's been going on since I last saw you.  I know that you and I are working hard, but anything good in your personal life lately?”

Re: CH02: S [D01|1905] - I did promise a picnic

Reply #4 –
[ Lieutenant Frank Arnold | Best Buddies ] Attn: @BZ
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Frank laughed gently as Ji remarked on the cargo bay, and he offered lowly, "Hey, that's how some people want to use their hour of freedom." He shrugged, "After all, we could drop out of slipstream, leave the Erudite, and boom!" He gave a slow chuckle that faded to him looking off to the distance, just for a moment. There were a hundred things that could go wrong. The cloak could fail, or the power, or they could have inaccurate information on the Breen's detection abilities. The parasites could know, and so on and so forth. Like threading the eye of a needle, except if you missed on the first pass, you were just done. "Guess that's why we gotta do it right." He gave her a little nudge, "But if you wanna knock a quick fifteen out for luck, you just let me know. I'll take one for the team." He smirked, just trying to keep the mood light.

He chuckled gently about her question about summer sausage and offered, "I don't exactly remember why it's called summer sausage, I think it has something to do with preserving, before humanity had regular refrigeration technology." He gave a shudder, "Just think of the smell of rot in the summer heat." He shook that one off, and in went another piece of sausage to his maw. He gave a gentle laugh, "Pre-payment sounds good." He nodded lowly, looking her over slowly.

He laughed at her remark about having a life, and shrugged, "Maybe you wanted a shower though, or to read. I don't know, I'm glad you came though." He nodded gently, and watched her survey the food, waiting for her to try a bite. He chuckled under his breath, and said, "Tell you what, when we get back to the Theurgy, we'll have a couple glasses. Valiant returning heroes." He winked at her, and then saw the narrowed eyes, and stroked his beard, "It's the sophistication of naivety, clearly your palette has been warped by preconception." He winked at her, and slowly took a few sips of his drink.

As she ate her first bite, he offered lightly, "Good right?" He nodded slowly, "But different." He knew he'd have the same reaction to trying her home cuisines. At her question though, he shook his head, "No, I am not." He chuckled, "But as I said, my boss is a sugar slut, so I get a good idea of what is good." He grinned at her, "I'll take the sausage every day." He trailed off as he said it, and shook his head, "You know what I mean." He laughed, and slapped his own thigh, clearly amused.

At her question, he gave a slow shrug, "Not really, mostly work. I did get to do some really cool work on the Theurgy. The Tovarek drone we're bringing with us, I'm responsible for the modifications on that, I spent most of two days, just working on that." He nodded slowly, "And uh, the day before I met you, I worked on a plant with Ensign Cir'Cie, that has the ability to biologically synthesize dilithium." He grinned widely, and then slowly sighed, "But as for personal life, empty quarters is all that awaits me at the end of a day."

He raised a brow, "What about you, you make any progress on your complicated situation?"

Re: CH02: S [D01|1905] - I did promise a picnic

Reply #5 –
[CPO Eun Sae Ji | Deep Conversations for Short Picnics | Full Length Motion Picture]
@uytrereee




It was good, not great, not something she would probably make a habit out of eating but it was good enough for a quick snack though.  It was definitely not something she had ever eaten before even though she had eaten a lot of things.  It was rare that someone could easily surprise Ji with food most people ate boring normal food and she was the one that was opening the world to other people.  “It's edible.” she elicited with a bit of a playful grin in his way. 

When she mentioned that he must be getting a sweet tooth he mentioned that it was more that his boss was a sugar slut and he had just come accustomed to it.  But he would take sausage any day.  Ji let out a bark of laughter without even realizing it because the whole situation caught her completely off guard.  Those were the best moments, to be sure, the ones that caught you off guard in such a great way that you couldn't help but react.  “Uh huh, Sausage Lover.  I know exactly what you mean.”

He told her that he had been mostly doing work, and getting to do some cool stuff on the Theurgy.  She listened to him talk about what he had been working on lately and she gave a quick nod.  She was glad that he was enjoying his job she knew that some of the people in Engineering had a hard time under the thumb of their leader.  But most of them had some sort of loyalty to the woman that seemed to fly off the handle but it seemed that while people though she was nuts, they also realized that she only went off when people really deserved it.  But then, it took a while for people to realize that was how it was. 

He also had met with someone to see if they could biologically synthesize dilithium.  She rose her brow and gave another nod.  But, he still hadn't found anyone to share his quarters with.  She smirked again a moment.  “You will at some point.” she admitted.  “you're much too nice a guy to be left hanging for too long.”

Then he asked her how her complicated situation was.  She sighed as she brushed a hand through her hair it was usually a moment for her to think.  “Not.. really any better.” she sighed softly.  “So, I was an idiot.  And I slept with someone that I wasn't dating, someone I had slept with before, pre-Liam era.  If you will.  So... old emotions came up and how he makes me feel all of that, and things happened.  Well before I could tell Liam about it, and I fully intended to, we got stuck in this alternate .. Theurgy... I don't even really know how to explain it at this point what happened, but I'm sure you've heard of the Niga virus.  Anyway, that was rampant there, and I met the guy I had slept with on that ship.  Only it wasn't him it was an alternate version.  He told Liam I had cheated, and then he .. then he raped me under the control of the Niga virus in front of Liam before we were beamed back.”

She looked down, no longer hungry but she picked up her milk and she drank another sip letting the bubbles slide through the straw making that horrible sound that it did when it wasn't enough liquid for the straw to remain full.

“So.  I moved out of Liam's but we haven't talked about it.  I tried to .. but I think I have to be more blunt and I'm terrible at relationships, and maybe I'm just not meant to have one.  But if I'm honest, if I'm really honest, … I'm torn between the two and I hate myself for it.”

Re: CH02: S [D01|1905] - I did promise a picnic

Reply #6 –
[ Lieutenant Frank Arnold | Life's Never Simple These Days ] Attn: @BZ
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Frank heard Ji say that the summer sausage was edible, and he laughed gently, and gave a shrug, "Probably not as good as duboki I'm sure, but it's classic white person picnic food at its finest." He chuckled softly, "Practically unchanged since the dark eras of mankind, even if the replicator does...dull it some." He smiled at her and gave her a little nudge then, finishing off his first milk with a satisfying gurgling slurp.

Her bark of laughter got him laughing, contagiously. Maybe it was just the nerves of the uncertainty of their immediate future, but it felt good to laugh along with Ji. As he calmed, he gave a slow giggle as the thought resurfaced in his mind once again, taking another moment to quiet himself. He rolled his shoulders and offered, "More of a taco lover really." He laughed gently, and leaned back, helping himself to another handsome portion of picnic food.

As she said he was much too nice of a guy to be left hanging for too long, he shrugged, "Eh we'll see. So far I've got plenty of good friends, and that's enough right now. Besides, there's always the holodeck." He chuckled gently, thinking about Xelia and what she'd promised, even though he hadn't heard from her in a while.

Once she had settled into his story, he just listened for a bit. His heart sunk just a little, and he really didn't exactly know what to say at first, but given a bit of time, and a few strokes of his beard, he conjured up, "Yeah man, that really sucks." He thought a bit longer, and then offered, "Setting apart that second part for now, you did a bad thing." He rolled his shoulders, "A pretty selfish thing really, and your boyfriend...uh your Liam, well he does have a right to be angry or hurt." He mused and then continued on, "But that you're this torn up about it, demonstrates very clearly that you're not a bad person. If you were you'd not be so upset about it, and you obviously are." He gave a shrug, "I guess you gotta ask yourself, what do you want? If you want a future with this Liam, you're going to have to talk about what you did, and what happened thereafter, and then decide together if you both want a forward path together."

He shrugged, "Or you pull the rip cord, clean break, walk away. But it's not as attractive as it sounds, I promise" He listened a bit more and offered lightly, "Nah no one's meant to be alone, some of us are just relationship retarded." He laughed gently, and would throw his arm over her shoulder, giving her a squeeze, "Otherwise we can just be alone together, and occasionally get naked." He grinned at her, "Not for sex or anything, just for naked activities, naked chess, naked jogging, finger painting, arts and crafts, stuff like that." He grinned at her, trying to get her to laugh a little, laughter was good for the spirit.

After a moment he'd let her go, and then said lightly, "That's the first step then isn't it, forgive yourself for what happened, the stuff you could control. Let go of the stuff you couldn't control, or at least accept it wasn't your fault." He gave a nod, "Because until you do that, you're not going to be able to reconcile outward, because you're not reconciled inward."

He offered as a final thought, “There’s no shame in declaring how you feel to a person you cherish, you might not have the chance forever.” Sometimes he could be quite wise.

Re: CH02: S [D01|1905] - I did promise a picnic

Reply #7 –
[CPO Eun Sae Ji | Feeling the Worst | Trying to Figure Out the Feelings | Needing to Breathe]
@uytrereee




She appreciated his honesty.  Most people sugar coating things like this stating that it wasn't her fault.  It most definitely was her fault and she knew that.  She had let Luca kiss her, and then that kiss had lead to other things.  Luca did everything to make sure that she chose what happened.  He hadn't forced himself on her, he hadn't done anything of the sort, she had chosen to sleep with him because of the way he made her feel.  The fire that he lit inside and yes, Arnold was right, she was selfish. 

“Yeah I know I was selfish, and I know I made the wrong decision, and I know I hurt Liam.  He's surprisingly good about it but... I don't know... I'm torn.”

He told her that seeing her guilt meant that she wasn't a bad person, she was living with the guilt of having hurt someone else through her actions which was one of the definitions of being a good person, she supposed.  Frank told her that she was going to have to ask herself what she wanted, if she wanted a future with Liam she was going to have to figure out what to do about all of it and talk to Liam so they could try to move forward if that was the case. 

“You're right.” she said with a sigh as he told her that she needed to forgive herself so that she could work on doing what she needed around.  Talk to Liam, talk to Luca, and figure out who and what she wanted.  Liam was easy and available, he was already there and she had enjoyed their relationship.  It wasn't like she wasn't unhappy.  But there was something about Luca that made her feel... alive, like he touched a live wire in the core of her being and she needed to figure out what she wanted to do. 

She didn't laugh, but she gave a bit of a grin it was probably as good as he was going to get.  She wasn't sure how this was all going to work out just yet but something would happen.  So she decided to take another bite of her food and then look up at Frank.

“so when are you going to catch the eye of some hottie that keeps you in line and tames that tongue of yours?” she asked trying to move off of her own issues and to someone else.  She might as well give it a try, and besides she wanted to make sure this friendship was dual sided.
 

Re: CH02: S [D01|1905] - I did promise a picnic

Reply #8 –
[ Lieutenant Frank Arnold |  We'll get there with a bit of time | USS Allegiant ] Attn: @BZ
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Frank gave her a warm smile, and would scoot up next to her, and throw his arm over her shoulder. It was a brotherly move, it was certainly meant to be comforting, not add to her confusion. He offered to her lightly, "Yeah, you did all that stuff, and well, I guess now you have to forgive yourself." He smiled gently, "You're a little lost right now, but that's okay, you'll find your way out." He rolled his shoulders, "And I'll help you. It's like that old parable of the man stuck in a hole, and his friend jumps in with a shovel. The guy says 'hey why didn't you go get help' and the second guy says, 'I've been here before and I know the way out'." He nudged her offering, "Come on, show me that pretty smile."

When she said he was right, he just laughed gently, and would offer, "I know, I usually am, it's getting people to listen to me that's the problem." He raised his chin in a mocking smug gesture, clearly joking, before he took his arm off of Ji, letting her have some space if she wanted.

At her question, he shrugged, "I keep asking myself that. I mean if you want to help me tame my tongue, and a couple other things, until she comes along." He winked at her, and then just shrugged, "I honestly don't know. Shipboard relationships are always weird. I actually dated the captain of this mission for a year or two when we were both young officers. I was sorta seeing someone on my last transfer before the Theurgy, but, well obviously that came to a smashing halt." He laughed softly, and would roll his shoulders, "I guess with a bit of time, I'll figure it out. Otherwise we'll both be alone, and occasionally get together for pity sex." He smirked at her, and then relaxed into a crate, eating some more picnic snacks, gurgling off some of his flavored milk.

He stroked his chin, and then said lightly, "What do you reckon our chances really are out here?" He mused, "I mean, if we find what we're looking for, they've gotta be decently good. But that's going to be a challenge in of itself." He paused, and then rolled his shoulders, "Guess it's good we're picnicking now, we might not get another chance for a while." He offered, "I'm really glad I met you Ji, for what it's worth. You're like, family I never had. I know we just met a little while back, but we do go together pretty easy."

He cleared his throat, "Whoah when I promised you a picnic, who knew we were going to get into all this mushy stuff. T'Kolla's going to think we were banging, just from the looks of shame on our faces."

Re: CH02: S [D01|1905] - I did promise a picnic

Reply #9 –
[CPO Eun Sae Ji | Learning to Move On | Decisions Aren't Easy | I Need a Coin]
@uytrereee




He told her that she was going to have to forgive herself.  That was easier said than done, she honestly wasn't sure that she could do that.  Sure, in theory it sounded like a great idea.  But when it came to actually doing something like that she found that she felt so bad she wasn't sure that ultimately she deserved either one of them.  What if she was just a shit person and she was going to destroy all the good things that came to her in life.  He told her that he was going to jump into the hole and help her dig out because he had been there before.  She doubted that he meant that in reality but she also wasn't going to ask if he had ever cheated on someone like she had because he didn't deserve the third degree and also it wasn't any of her business.

She decided to turn the conversation back on him so that they could get her out of the lime light and work on him a little bit more.  He said he wasn't sure why he was still single, causing a bit of a smile to cross her face.  He was nice, kind, and a good friend, but she didn't really see him as anything more than that and that was fine with her.  She could stand to have a few more friends and few less suitors.  He admitted that he had dated the Captain of the away mission some time ago.

“A captain and everything, damn boy, and I thought I got around.” she chuckled giving him a nudge playfully.

“Ugh pity sex..  that's just nasty and sad.” she laughed again brushing a tired hand through her hair.

He went on to say that he was glad that they had met and she was like a bit of family to him.  A bit of a smirk played on her face.  “I could use family and friends more than a pity fuck.  I really just need people to be on my side and someone to listen to me.  Of course, I'll be the same for you too because that's what friends are for.” she said with a bit of a smirk. 

Silence fell around them, and then she looked at the chronometer on her wrist and sighed.  “It's time boy.  We better get back to work before people hunt us down  and make us work.” she said as she got up and began to help clean up their mess so that they could dereplicate everything.  Once that was done, she turned over to Arnold and gave him a grin.

“Thanks for the picnic.  See you soon, don't be a stranger.” she said as she hit him on the arm softly and headed off towards the Engineering deck with a bit of a lighter step.

-FIN-
 
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