Star Trek: Theurgy

D03 {2330 hrs] - …and Party Every Day

January 13, 2023, 04:26:40 AM

[Lt. Regiene “Reggie” Suder | Holodeck 02 | Deck 08 | Vector 02 | USS Theurgy ] attn: @Stegro88‍

April 21, 2831
23:30
Stardate: 57663.12

What a fucking night!

Most of the crew had already left, but the holographic crowd on the main floor remained, taking their sweet ass time in exiting, and the stage crew was already hard at work dismantling the various drum kits and sound systems that had been set out on the revolving stage. Not that it mattered. The program could be shut down on command at any time.

Reggie Suder was in no hurry whatsoever.

Deep down, she’d always known the night would have to come to a close that she’d have to issue the order, but to do so while sitting in the holodeck still, seemed to ruin the magic. She much preferred to start and end the program remotely and enjoy the illusion of attending and leaving a venue as opposed to a holo box of photonic projections and forcefields.

She sat in one of the overstuffed red leather chairs, watching the activity on the main floor and reflecting on the night. She’d met so many of the crew, given them all a chance to unwind and cut loose. They’d all found something…something in themselves. Something in each other and Reggie suspected that more than a few of the crew would be enjoying private after parties in various quarters overnight.

Gonna be more than a few pairs of boots left outside tonight.

Sadly, hers would not be one of them.

During the course of the night Reggie had gotten wrapped up in her sense of duty as hostess of the night and had spent so much time moving from group to group and checking in on everyone else, that she hadn’t afforded herself the opportunity to really sit in and connect with anyone. Sure a lot of broken ice. But real connection? Nope. Imagined connection that would end with a one night stand? Negative there too. She hadn’t even had the opportunity to get good and drunk. Damn synthehol.

Kate seemed to have gotten her self drunk. She must have brought some of her own stock in. And she didn’t even offer to share. Reggie was going to have some words with her new neighbor about that. To not share the good stuff…well… that was just unspeakable.

Maybe it wasn’t so bad. She was pretty fucking tired and while it would have been nice to have had someone to fall asleep next to, that just didn’t seem to be in the cards.

Fuck.

Honestly, it was probably for the best. It had been a long few days and an even longer night and damn, was she tired and she was taking Valravn flight up for a training run in the morning. She took another pull of her drink, savoring the flavor of the beer as it hit her tongue before setting the now empty on the side table.

“Computer,” she said as she pushed herself out of her seat. “Save and end program once I've exited the holodeck.”

The holodeck controls beeped in acknowledgment and the Betazoid took in one more breath as she reflected on the night and made her way past T’Less at the bar as she headed for the exit.

T’Less?

Reggie stopped and backtracked to the bar and it’s lone occupant.

“Hey,” she said, her voice soft and cautious. “I didn’t realize you were still here.”

Re: D03 {2330 hrs] - …and Party Every Day

Reply #1 – May 02, 2024, 06:03:41 PM

[ Lt. T'Less | Holodeck 02 | Deck 08 | Vector 01 | USS Theurgy | Orbiting Qo’noS ] Attn:  @P.C. Haring
[Show/Hide]

The night had passed at a pace that was as confusing as the sounds that the holographic band had been outputting for the so called enjoyment of their flesh and blood audience. And yet, she had remained, maintaining her seat at the bar and watching on as the other members of the crew appeared to enjoy themselves, in some cases, immensely it seemed. But she had remained sedate, seated at the bar, enjoying a varied parade of drinks that others had chosen for her. It had been her only real distraction from watching Reggie out of the corner of her eye.

She had tried not to watch her. Had tried to focus on anything but the woman and the attractive purple streaks in her hair. But she constantly found herself being drawn back. Whether it was the way she smiled, she moved or just the look in her eye when she caught T'Less looking at her, the Vulcan couldn't say. She was keenly aware that the Klingon, Chief MacGregor, had caught her looking at Reggie multiple times after the Betazoid had left. She'd asked if the two of them ‘had history' but T'Less had waved off the question with one of her own and Mickayla had gratefully taken the hint.

She'd stayed though. Mickayla had drifted off after a second whiskey and left T'Less nursing her own second. A third followed, then a fourth. If the drinks had been true alcohol, T'Less wondered what she would have been feeling in that moment, but the artificial nature of the fluids prevented anything but reality from affecting the Vulcan's mind. Reality and Reggie's telepathic message to her before she had left.

“Hey,” came the soft, familiar voice. “I didn’t realise you were still here.”

It was Reggie. T’Less had been so lost inside her own thoughts that she hadn’t realised that the concert had ended. Looking around, she didn’t recognise anyone from the crew. Had she really lost herself so bad that she didn’t notice when everyone left? Glancing down at the countertop, she saw the tumbler of whiskey sitting there, untouched, the ice that had been in it long since melted away. She had experimented throughout the night with the differing methods of serving the amber fluid and had found she was partial to the ‘on the rocks’ version; something for which Chief MacGregor had called her a heathen.

“I, um,” T’Less started, knowing she needed to respond but not having any idea what to say. “You suggested that we could talk a little here. But you seemed busy earlier, and I had not wanted to interrupt what appeared to be a pleasant evening.”

Re: D03 {2330 hrs] - …and Party Every Day

Reply #2 – May 04, 2024, 06:53:39 PM

[Lt. Regiene “Reggie” Suder | Holodeck 02 | Deck 08 | Vector 02 | USS Theurgy ] attn: @Stegro88‍ 

At once Reggie felt both crushed and uplifted.  Given how much time had passed and the nature of their chance meeting in the closed public baths, Reggie had not even expected T’Less to attend the event.  The Betazoid had held even less expectation that the Vulcan would stay the night to wait for her, especially given just how raucous the night had been and how she knew that must have grated on the Vulcan’s sense of logic and decorum. In that regard, she felt uplifted. 

At the same time, she also knew just how much an effort this must have been for T’Less and while Reggie had caught herself eying T’Less more than once during the course of the evening, she had not truly expected her to stay and wait.  Surely they could have caught up elsewhere after the show, or even elsewhen if necessary.  As such she hadn’t paid the Vulcan much attention during the course of the night.  Between her sense of responsibility as hostess of the event and well just the sheer fun of it all she immediately felt guilty that in her zeal to entertain all her guests, she had inadvertently neglected the one that, if she were being honest about it, meant the most to her.

“You would not have been interrupting,” Reggie offered, her voice quiet, reserved. “To be honest, I didn’t expect you would even show up to say nothing about staying through the evening.”

She slid her self onto the bar stool, the leather of the pants that shaped her butt squeaking ever so slightly against the leather of the barstool seat. Immediately the Orion who had been tending bar, served up a Risian Mai-Tai.  Reggie nodded in acknowledgment remembering that she had asked her to keep her hand full with the drink for the duration of the night.

“I’m glad to be wrong,” she said to T’Less  “Hasn’t been a day gone by since that exam when I haven’t thought about you.”

The drink in her hand provided ample enough distraction to keep her from saying what had come her mind next.  She took a sip and as the she swallowed the simulated alcohol, she also swallowed down the questions that burned so heavily on her mind for almost eleven years , the same questions that haunted her, that needed to be asked, needed to be answered, but to do so now… here… would only make things worse.

“How have you been?”

It was a dumb question, Reggie knew.  But it was also the only question that seemed appropriate.