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Day 13 [0710 hrs.] Oblivious Aftermath

DAY 13 [0710 HRS.] OBLIVIOUS AFTERMATH

[ Lt. JG Evelyn Rawley, callsign "Ghost" | Talia's Quarters | Deck 13 | Vector 03 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @Dumedion 
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Waking up in the tangled sheets of the aftermath, Evelyn Rawley had no idea where she was, but she made no movement to try and find out either. She just bared her teeth at the light from the viewport, reflecting off the atmosphere of Qo'noS. Bloody hell...

The first fact she could ascertain was that she hadn't been drinking synthehol the night before, which was made evident by the manner her head was hurting. As if cleaved open by an axe and then dunked in a salt vat. Another clue was that her mouth was drier than Vulcan fanny. Only high grade alcohol could have that effect on her, and in copious amounts. Vaguely, as she laid there and tried to survive the pain caused by the light - and her wakefulness in general - memories of the previous night began to resurface. Scattered impressions and images. Of laughing, of sweat and sex, bronze muscles and black hair, lips and...

She opened her bloodshot eyes. Did I... have a fist-fight with Thea in the corridor?

"Fuck," she tried to say, but it only came out as a coarse whisper. She looked over, and saw the source of the more pleasant impressions of the night before, lying next to her in the bed. Her chiselled princess of a wolf sister, and they both positively reeked of sex and booze. If only that was all they had been doing, then it would have been fine, but Rawley had vague impressions that they hadn't stayed in Talia's quarters for much of the night.

"Hey," she croaked, the taste of scotch on her breath, "ye awake?"

Even as she asked, another memory surfaced when she saw the grass and dirt along her forearm, which had her eyes widen. "Did... we bathe in the Arboretum's pond last night?"

Re: Day 13 [0710 hrs.] Oblivious Aftermath

Reply #1 –
[Ens. Talia 'Shadow' Al-Ibrahim | Personal Quarters | Deck 13 | Vector 03 | USS Theurgy] Attn: @Auctor Lucan
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The sensation of movement dragged her to consciousness with a burst of confused unease; the feeling of someone beside her, moving, wasn’t normal. Dull awareness bloomed grudgingly, through a swirling haze of aches she couldn’t remember earning. Her garbled brain struggled to process the words she heard. Initially, all Talia could manage was a weak groan from where she laid sprawled out on her stomach, head to the side on the bare mattress. Sheets were tangled up in her legs, baring the rest of her skin to the air. Unwilling to open her eyes, she tried to take stock of the situation, rolling her tongue in her mouth, desperate for some moisture. What... happened, was all her pain-wracked brain could manage.

The entire side of Talia’s face was wet with drool, matted into her hair, which was stuck to her face. The mattress under her was a damp mess, as if she’d passed out in a puddle. Did I piss myself? What the...oh, she grunted again. Sex. Lots of it, she remembered; a haze of sensations and images, fleetingly pleasant as they were – scrambled in drunken meaninglessness. Now the taste of Rawley and whiskey registered on dry lips, her nose filled with the stink of booze, sweat, and cigar smoke. Everything was sore, including her lungs and throat. Ugh...smoked last night, too, she grimaced, coughing as she tried to roll over. It took three attempts.

“Nnhh,” Talia grunted, draping an arm over her eyes. It felt like someone had beaten her skull against the bulkhead, repeatedly, and left her to die a slow death as the organ swelled to burst. “Ar..bur…arbur…what,” she slurred, unable to make her brain function, even as her body demanded fluid relief and intake at the same time. Her free hand pulled at the hair stuck to her face in a weak swipe. Her bladder was screaming, forcing her to sit up with another groan, barely able to open her eyes through a grimace of nausea as the room spun and tilted. “Ugh, f-fuck,” she mumbled, trying to scoot down off the bed but rolling off in a heap to hit the deck on her back instead.

The room was trashed.

Empty bottles sat on the table, centered around an ash tray with two half-smoked cigars, littered with playing cards and shot glasses. Clothing was scattered everywhere. Someone had hung a pair of panties over her flight school class graduation picture. Penile shaped devices were littered among the wreckage, far too many than she’d ever owned. What the fuck, Talia mouthed wordlessly as she took this all in, while Ghost chuckled and coughed from the bed. Bathroom, before you piss yourself. Go, now, her body demanded, so she rolled over with another grunt and slowly picked herself up. Stumbling forward in an ungraceful, buck naked, halting gait, she tried to retrace the events that led to this.

Damn it, her head hurt.

She remembered the lockers. Rawley grinning at her door, a duffel slung over her shoulder. Teasing each other as they drank, playing poker. Then…The park, she remembered. Something between a groan and a chuckle bubbled up from her throat as she neared the door to the head. “You wanted to give me a ‘tour’, cause I never did one. Said it was ‘bloody inexcusable’…,” Talia tried to imitate Ghost’s accent, which only made her own voice feel even harsher. “Pretty sure we started at the baths. Last thing I remember clearly.” Pretty sure we got chased outta there too...”But...I remember...running? Did we run through that park naked?”

It took three attempts to unlock the bathroom door; Talia couldn’t figure out for the life of her why it was locked in the first place. She barely registered Ghost’s reply as she sat and relieved herself with a heavy sigh, cradling her head in her palms to stop the spinning. Allah, make it stop, she pleaded. Its just like the Academy, all over again. Ugh, can’t believe you pulled this shit again! That’s when she looked up over the sink, into the mirror. Talia grimaced at herself, at the dark, bruised ring dominating the flesh under her left eye, which was streaked with broken blood vessels. The fuck?

“Uh...Ghost,” she rasped, “who gave me this shiner?”

A pile of wet, grass stained clothes lay at her feet, with muddy footprints leading back out towards her door. Talia groaned again, returning her head to her palms. “Oh, shit,” she whimpered, drawing the word out like a blade. The fuck did I do? Then she looked between her legs, and froze. “No fucking way,” she deadpanned. A miniature crown – no bigger than her thumbnail – sat cocked at an angle, just above her clit in black ink.

Re: Day 13 [0710 hrs.] Oblivious Aftermath

Reply #2 –
[ Lt. JG Evelyn Rawley, callsign "Ghost" | Talia's Quarters | Deck 13 | Vector 03 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @Dumedion 
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As Talia left the bed - with a loud thud against the deck - Rawley had turned her head that way as if her wolf lover had more answers than she let on. A tour? Yeah, fuck, that's right. We were a couple of hours into drinking, and... Bloody hell, we fucked in one of the jacuzzies didn't we? No wonder we were chased off...

The sight of Shadow stumbling through the aftermath of their evening in order to reach the head and relieve herself had Rawley grinning in spite of the throbbing pain in her head, a chuckle escaping her when she couldn't get the sliding doors to part. "Yeah, yer idea to streak across the grass and jump into that pond. I think Thea tried to interject herself in the corridor just before that. I feel bruised all over. She's all forcefields and no humour, that one."

That could have been the easy explanation as to whom had given her a black eye, but... Rawley couldn't remember Thea striking them. She was more of a grappler, pinning them down and letting them go when they promised to behave and return to their quarters. Rawley felt bad they hadn't complied, fooling the hologram, but the night had simply been too young. "I don't recall... Ye ken that we ought to remember that, but I don't know."

Then, as Talia sounded genuinely distressed in the other room, Rawley groaned and lurched off the bed, stumbling sideways until she set a course towards her. Whatever it was, it seemed serious, but as she reached the doorway and leaned heavily against it, she saw the reason for the outburst. "Ha! Aye... Fitting. Don't ye see? It's me crowning achievement..."

Grinning where she stood, she bit her lip and ran a hand over her shaved head. "Don't be bloody mad at me, though. Ye loved the idea, and we talked the Chief of the Deck into making the tattoo. Barged into his quarters, we did, and begged him to do it. He wasn't amused to being woken up, but I bet he figured the best way to get rid of us was to comply with yer request. In fact, I think he liked the challenge for some... inexplicable reason. I bet yer gonna get a knowing smile down in the flight hangar today, princess."

Rawley's humour then trailed off. Perhaps the both of us... She cleared her throat. "Bloody hell, we didn't fuck him for the favour, did we?" The bloody man had been sleeping in his underwear when they barged in, so she'd seen a lot of skin... but she'd been enjoying another bottle of Scotch as that point so it all became fuzzy after that. Given the number of different vibrators they had replicated and used, she had no way of knowing if the aching feeling between her legs were from the Chief or their one-on-one frivolities. "Did we? Fuck... Did we blow him or did we let him...? Shit, I can't..."

Pinching the bridge of her nose, she shook her head... But then a realisation had her eyes go wide. "Oh, no..."

Turning on her heel, which almost had her fall over, she set a stumbling course towards Talia's computer console. When she turned it on, the screen was lit with a bright and foreboding notification.

YOU HAVE 147 NEW MESSAGES

"Sis, ye need to access this! Check for something about Deputy zh'Wann, V-Nine and Vinata Vojona, that Ovri nurse. Geez, I hope I have it wrong..."

Re: Day 13 [0710 hrs.] Oblivious Aftermath

Reply #3 –
[Ens. Talia 'Shadow' Al-Ibrahim | Personal Quarters | Deck 13 | Vector 03 | USS Theurgy] Attn: @Auctor Lucan
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After moving to rest her elbows on the vanity, allowing her head under the faucet at the sink, Talia held her eyes closed tight in an attempt to reboot reality from hangover hell back to normal. Ghost wasn’t helping, a fact that she mumbled aloud over the noise of the cool water running over her hair and face as she drank greedily from the faucet. Trying to ignore Ghost’s halting implications of how she ended up with the tattoo, but failing, Talia straitened up slowly – water dripping from her hair and face to run down her naked body – as she burped and groaned. Rawley’s recollection triggered confused flashes of her own: stumbling into a dark room, laughing, a strange itching sensation from a glowing device held between her legs as Ghost straddled her face, blocking her view.

“Whatever you did with him, I was too occupied to notice,” Talia smirked, leaning against the cool shower door with a grimace. Ghost was talking entirely too loud – getting all worked up over something about her terminal. “W-what,” she turned her head, wincing. “Fuck sake, Rawley, not so loud,” Talia covered her face, swaying on her feet as another wave of nausea hit. Ugh, I’m such a fucking idiot – I can’t believe I let him watch...us, she groaned again, as a burp quickly turned into a retching gurgle; she made it to the toilet, just in time.

Spitting the vileness from her mouth, kneeling before the throne, Talia coughed as she wiped her mouth with one hand and used the other to fling her hair from her face before looking up at Ghost. “W-wait, who,” spit again, shaking her head with a confused grimace. “The hell are you talking about?” None of those names sounded remotely familiar at first. Wait...Vi, the android, and the pretty blue one,her mind conjured faces and features to match the name. “Ugh...do I wanna know,” Talia groaned as she stood, steadying herself by reaching out with one hand on the bulkhead. “Fuck, no I don’t,” she answered her own rhetorical question. “Al-Ibrahim... Seven-Two...Omega-Epsilon,” she muttered her access code, gesturing weakly to Ghost. “You read, I’m...gonna go die in the shower,” she told her, before stumbling into the shower stall.

[PO2 Kino Jeen | Outside Talia’s Quarters]

This is fucking bullshit, the security officer grumbled to herself for probably the hundredth time. Last night was a shit-show of epic proportions, chasing two drunken idiots through the ship – all three fucking vectors, no less – but the thing that really pissed her off? Being ordered to babysit their door, instead of throwing their sorry asses in the damn brig where they belonged. It was more than warranted, given the laundry list of violations they had earned – the least of which being resisting a security officer – although, if the silver-haired non-com was being honest, she’d rather enjoyed putting them on their respective asses. It’s not as if it was the first time she’d dealt with that kind of shenanigans; usually, drunks are pretty tame once cornered, talked to, or threatened with disciplinary action. Unfortunately for the Trill sec officer, the previous nights inebriates were a breed beyond ‘normal.’

Damn Wolves certainly know how to have a good time, she snorted to herself.

Still.

How many regs are we just going to ignore here, she wondered, arms crossed as she leaned against the bulkhead, fuming. For what? Because their pilots? So fucking what, she shook her head, grinding her teeth together. This is fucking bullshit, she repeated again, checking the chrono on her wrist. She’d been ordered to post up outside Al-Ibrahim’s quarters pending further instructions hours ago – after nailing the drunken, naked, dark-haired brunette to the wall. Probably gonna get my ass chewed for that too. Fuck it, drunkems had it coming, she worked her jaw around, feeling it click again; the result of a lucky elbow, after the Trill had pinned Rawley.

Fuckin' Rawley, she shook her head, snorting again.

Kino sighed, irritated at the entire situation and hungry to boot. “This is bullshit,” she muttered aloud, then tapped her combadge. “Jeen to Deputy zh’Wann – there hasn’t been a peep from these two knuckleheads for hours. What’s the plan here LT? Want me to stay or bounce,” she asked, unable to keep the edge of aggravation from her voice.

Re: Day 13 [0710 hrs.] Oblivious Aftermath

Reply #4 –
[ Lt. JG Evelyn Rawley, callsign "Ghost" | Talia's Quarters | Deck 13 | Vector 03 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @Dumedion 
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In the other room, when Talia showered, Rawley was swearing over the brightness of the text on the LCARS screen, trying to make sense of what she was reading. It was some kind of morbid connecting-the-dots mystery as to what had happened last night, and she was in no condition to use higher brain functions just yet. There were so many messages, most relating to last night, but little of it making sense. The senders assumed that Talia would know what they were complaining about, and Rawley struggled for a couple of minutes, swearing under her breath.

"Did we alter holo programs last night?" she asked, hoping her call would carry to the shower stall. "There are some bloody scientists upset that their simulated radiation research has Risian massage therapists in it... and a drunk chimpanzee. I don't remember the monkey..."

So far, she had yet to encounter anything related to the Deputy and the two from sickbay, but another thing had bury her hurting head in her hands. "Fuck," she pushed away from the table and leaned back in her chair, staring into the deckhead. "Fuck! Thomas Ravon has written us both. He's not bloody impressed, I tell you. Why did they have to pull him into this?"

While Ravon was Rawley's wing mate and they were friends, he was also the Wolf Leader, and since his girl died in the battle with the Klingons, he'd not been himself. He was also Talia's Flight Leader, so of course he would be the one they contacted with their complaints. Shaking her head, running a hand over her shaved head as if to keep it from falling apart, Rawley read on, the list of new messages seemingly endless. "We assailed and kissed a Savi delegate named Corgin?" she blurted out loudly, eyes widening. "It says the 'Decataria was repulsed by the primal behaviour has filed an official complaint to the Aspect-Maker, Captain Jien Ives, asking that they put their ship in order or the Savi will do it for them,'. Geez, those manky bloody aliens, no fucking sense of humour."

Eventually, Rawley did find a message that might correlate with what she feared to remember from the night before. "Fuck, it's worse than I thought," she said, leaving the computer console behind and joining Talia. She opened the door to the stall, and while her famished eyes feasted, she retold it as far as she could remember - the messages having filled in the blanks. "The Ovri, Vinata, was undergoing corrective surgery, getting his cock back after the Savi made him female on the Versant, and then we - allegedly - stormed in all curious-like, wanting to know what Ovri cock looked like," she said, feeling a bit bad about it since even in her book, it wasn't cool to do so. Rawley shook her head, pinching the bridge of her nose. "The surgery was aborted, since we contaminated the bloody surgery suite. V-Nine - the tittering fucking robot - ushered us out. When we didn't leave, and used some red fucking medical goo to paint a sad face on the robot's white mug, she issued an emergency medical transport and sent us into the decontamination chamber a couple of doors down."

Of course the blue lights of that decon chamber and the warmth had been sufficient for them to have further shenanigans on their own, not even noticing that the robot had sealed the door for them as well. "V-Nine reported us to Deputy zh'Wann, whom were to come down to collect us, but before she reached sickbay... we managed to persuade some orderly outside the chamber's door to open it for us, and we escaped before the Deputy got there. I think that was when the Deputy set her security guards after us."

This ship has no bloody sense of humour, Rawley was thinking and then joined Talia in the shower, leaning the back of her head against one of the walls and just trying to find some kind of equilibrium. Her blood-shot eyes ended up meeting Talia's, and a smirk came to her. "It was a wiiiild ride, yeah?"

The mirth bubbled up her hoarse throat, and she couldn't help laughing.

OUTSIDE

Kino's combadge didn't delay in relaying Deputy zh'Wann's voice when she answered the Petty Officer.

[This is zh'Wann. The squad leader of the Lone Wolves has been appraised about the two pilots and he is on his way there now,] she said, the Andorian's tone sharing the Trill's irritation about the two women whom had been the source for a lot of work that morning. [Report to him and join him as he deals with them. If he has any sense, he will have you escort them both to the brig, or he will dismiss you as he knows an even more fitting punishment. Scrubbing the flight deck, or something. By Lor'Vlea, I say this, when I spoke to him, he was quite agitated, so I highly doubt they will be let off the hook for this. zh'Wann out.]

Re: Day 13 [0710 hrs.] Oblivious Aftermath

Reply #5 –
[Ens. Talia 'Shadow' Al-Ibrahim | Personal Quarters | Deck 13 | Vector 03 | USS Theurgy] Attn: @Auctor Lucan
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Her forehead rested against the tiled wall of the shower while a hot cascade of water poured over her shoulders – a vain attempt to ease the pounding in her skull. Beyond the shower door, fogged with steam, Talia's ears barely caught what Rawley had said; most of it didn’t make any damn sense at all. It sounded like something Ghost would make up just to mess with someone, but then Talia remembered she was reading these things off from her terminal. Her hands cupped her face, again, seeking pressure points to dig her fingertips into – trying to relieve the pain.

It didn’t work.

“M-monkey?” Shadow's face screwed up in a grimace of confusion. “I don’t…,” she shook her head. There was a flash in her memory of the two of them trying to get a console to work…or…something...then the sound of a door opening and loud voices. The two of them falling down, laughing. The hell did the monkey come from? Then she caught Rawley say something about a…corgi?

“Wha,” Talia pulled her head off the wall to run her hands through the wet mess of her hair. Are pets even allowed on ships? Someone had to be messing with them with that one. “Pups are cute, but no,” she mumbled, returning her head to the wall and closing her eyes. At least the spinning stopped, she sighed, letting her arms fall limp at her side; unable to deal with whatever bullshit story had made its way to the CO – if that even happened. “That’s jus’ crazy talk,” she slurred to herself.

Talia was so out of it that she didn’t notice when Ghost entered the shower, flinching at the sound of her voice. “Fuck,” she muttered, then sighed and shut the water off to lean her shoulder against the wall; listening to Rawley with a slack expression dominated by incredulity and incomprehension…until something clicked.

Allah, no, she remembered; the happy frog – he was a jolly sight, bouncing along with the biggest grin, tongue wagging out behind him while an even larger macaroni shaped phallus dangled in the air with every hop, slapping the ground with every landing. The animated character had popped into life in her alcohol soaked brain the moment her blurry vision had locked onto one of the screens just inside the operating room. Rawley had barged right in, causing a ruckus – while she’d looked over the Ovri's strange anatomy – and seen what they were trying to replace. It was hilarious at the time…now she felt horrified; Talia buried her face in her hands as she shook her head. “Oh, no. Oh, fuck no,” she mumbled, but then Ghost told her they’d vandalized poor Vi-Nine before getting locked in a decon chamber. Talia gasped. “Noooo-“

More flashes of inconsistent recollection: blue lights – sweaty skin. The feeling of being pressed up against cool glass. Rawley behind her…a bright light blinding her, just as she was about to…

Fuck sakes, Shadow groaned, leaning her head back. “He um…walked in on us,” Talia cleared her throat, desperate for some water. “Pretty sure we uh...rushed him, and just…ran,” she shook her head, massaging her temples. “S-somebody…chased us,” she half-stated, half-asked, then hesitantly joined in with Ghost – laughing at the sheer horrific insanity of it all.

“Ughhh we’re so screwed up,” she breathed through a stupid grin as the tendrils of panic wormed their way into her.

Then the door chimed.

Talia’s body instantly jerked taunt as her eyebrows shot up. “Please tell me that wasn’t the door,” she mumbled to Ghost, then scrambled past her, stumbling to the door, naked and dripping. “Shit, shit, shiiiiit,” she hissed the entire way. Hesitantly, she cleared her throat, looking at the lock panel and the small vidscreen showing who was outside.

“Oh, we’re fucked," Talia turned, horrified, to Ghost and the state of her room. With a mumbled curse, she started grabbing everything she could get her hands on and ran/stumbled to the bathroom, dumping it in the shower with Rawley. "Razor’s here with security,” she hissed at Ghost, scrambling back for another load of clothes, bottles, sheets, and sex toys. “Don’t just stand there – fucking help,” Talia added, fishing a pair of leggings off the floor and trying to wiggle them up her wet legs. “Ah, shit,” she yelped, right before losing her balance and face planting into the muddy carpet. “Oow, much fuggin’ tits,” she groaned.

[PO2 Kino Jeen | Outside, a few moments earlier…]

Kino smirked at zh’Wann’s reply, then arched a brow at the tall, broad, grumpy looking human male stomping his way around the corner to her; judging from the color of his undershirt and the pips on his collar, she deduced he was the head honcho of the howlers. She watched him for a few seconds, kicking off the bulkhead next to the door to unfold her arms and clasp her hands behind her back. Guess we’ll see what happens now, she thought, suffering no illusions about how everything could play out. Should they get some time in the brig? Probably. Will they? Doubt it, she mused sourly; it wouldn’t be the first time such misdemeanors were handled “in house” and wouldn’t be the last.

As he drew near, Kino forced her voice and tone into the practiced neutral professionalism she used to deal with people she didn’t know very well. Whatever she thought of the situation - it was his problem, now. She was just there to swing the ax.

“Morning, Commander. Petty Officer Kino Jeen,” she nodded to him, then held out a PaDD in one hand. “My full report on your two pilots nocturnal activities – in order of severity, but time stamped for convenience. Deputy zh’Wann ordered me to assist,” she jerked her head to the side, at the door. “Shall we see if they’re up and about,” Kino asked, smiling pleasantly as she tapped the entry console to request access.

Well, this should be entertaining. Job has its moments, once in awhile, Kino thought with a smirk, rocking back and forth as they waited.

Re: Day 13 [0710 hrs.] Oblivious Aftermath

Reply #6 –
[ Lt. JG Evelyn Rawley, callsign "Ghost" | Talia's Quarters | Deck 13 | Vector 03 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @Dumedion 
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Since it wasn't her own quarters, Rawley was a tad late about feeling the same kind of alarm at having Razor coming inside, but knowing what kind of exploits they'd been up to the night before, she did recognise the fact that she was just as much in deep shit as Shadow were.

So, while groaning and chuckling at the sudden rush when her head was still spinning, she did her best to collect sticky dildos and bottles, disposing them into the bathroom so that they could shut the sliding doors. She found her panties as well, and pulled those on, along with her Lone Wolves hoodie. She zipped it up halfway and hoped to find her pants next, but she suspected those were twisted up among the sweaty booze-smelling sheets on top of the bed. In the end, she decided she'd have to collect them later, and instead she checked to make sure Talia had managed to clean up the worst of their mess before tapping the door panel - letting Thomas Ravon and a sexy Tril she'd spoken with on a couple of occasions - once asking her to relay a message to Nicander.

"Kino! Ye're looking lovely today. Rough night?" she said with a grin and a wink, voice still raw from the prior evening, and then turned to Ravon. "Razor, to what do we ow-"

"Shut your mouth, Rawley," Thomas said, and there was an edge to his voice that Ghost had never heard before - taking her aback. She frowned and retreated from the door, but Razor wasn't finished. "What the hell were the two of you up to last night?"

"Well, honestly, we're still trying to figure that out ourselves, c'mander," she said and chuckled, but her mirth didn't seem to de-escalate Thomas' mood. She tried again. "Honestly, things may have got... carried away a wee bit. Apologies for the trouble, sir. Shadow and I were just... getting to know each other a little, honest!"

The next moment, the Wolf Leader was right in her face. For a moment, Rawley was dead positive that Thomas would strike her down to the deck with his fist. The sudden movement and the proximity awakened memories from after the holographic shoreleave to Risa, where Ravon had almost forced himself upon her. That had been the reason why Rawley had asked KIno to deliver her message to Nicander, because the manipulative Infested bastard had used Doctor Maya to tamper with the minds of some of the crew. Indeed, Maya had done something to Ravon's mind, making him attack Rawley, but she had managed to get over that incident, forgiven Razor for something he wasn't responsible for, and moved on with the knowledge that Nicander couldn't hurt anyone anymore. Even Maya was off the ship, helping the Klingons instead, so she was completely blind-sided by the way she scrambled away from Thomas - ending up falling on the deck with eyes wide and arm raised to defend herself.

"Enough, Lieutenant!" Thomas shouted, eyes ablaze, and in the heat of the moment, not picking up on how Rawley had reacted. "You both deserve to spend a full damn week in the Brig, tarnishing the repute of us Wolves as you are! You don't act like that on synthehol, and I can fucking smell the contraband on you both! I have over a hundred messages from Security and complete strangers among the crew, all complaining about your exploits last night. And you have the fucking gall to play this off as something funny? What the hell is wrong with you, Rawley?"

"Fuck, you, sir," she spat out, her knee-jerk reaction to the situation stemming from more than the current situation, and she bared her teeth at her wingmate and squad leader. Her words were out before she could get a thought in edge-wise, and she realised that she was way out of line. Still, her ire was her defence mechanism. "People on this ship have forgotten how to have fun, ye included. I get it, that scientist ye were dating died. So what? So has most of the original Lone Wolves. Ye've got to roll with the punches, Razor, otherwise ye don't stand a bloody chance aboard this ship."

If Thomas even had the remote possibility of looking more angry, he sure did right then. His hands were balled up fists and he suddenly struck the table next to him, sending bottles and poker cards flying like confetti through Talia's quarters. "Don't you dare take her name into your filthy mouth, Rawley!"

"What, 'Praise'? Why the fuck not? She like Voldemort or something?" she asked, getting back on her feet, but no more had she regained her balance before Thomas had seized the front of her hoodie and lifted her up on her tip-toes - her waist exposed to the dank air of the room. "Let go, ye mopey bastard!"

"That's it! Security officer, throw her in the brig," Thomas snarled and pushed Rawley away towards the Trill, and the squad leader then rounded on Talia. "And you, what the hell do you have to say for yourself? Do you want to join her?"

Re: Day 13 [0710 hrs.] Oblivious Aftermath

Reply #7 –
[Ens. Talia "Shadow" Al-Ibrahim | Personal Quarters | Deck 13 | Vector 03 | USS Theurgy] Attn: @Auctor Lucan
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After scrambling to finish dressing – which Talia accomplished by rolling over onto her back with a grunt to pull her leggings up and fishing a semi-clean t-shirt from the floor – the raven haired Wolf sat with her back against her bunk. When Rawley answered the door, Shadow didn’t bother getting to her feet; knowing they were in deep shit and her head still feeling like it was being hit with a hammer didn’t help with motivation.

Her eyes narrowed at the silver haired security officer, even as Ghost and Razor went at it. Why does she look so familiar, Talia wondered, wincing at the loud noises. Agh, fuck sakes, her hands went to each side of her skull, trying to stop the pounding ache. Ravon had come in with his fangs bared, and Talia couldn’t really blame him. Rawley was being...well...Rawley, she supposed; lashing out at anything and anyone who couldn't understand. Which was almost everyone, except him. She almost snorted at the irony in that.

“C'mon Ghost, shit,” Talia muttered, wincing after Rawley bared her own fangs. Not good. Next thing she knew, Razor shoved Ghost at the Trill and turned to snarl directly at her. She didn’t flinch – only her eyebrows rose as Talia slowly got to her feet. Whatever existed between him and Rawley, Talia didn’t really want to know or be any part of. That was for them to work out. Her dark, bloodshot eyes glanced to the shaven headed Wolf, resisting a smirk as the other pilot glared at Ravon behind his back. Fuck sakes, Ghost, Talia shook her head, sighing.

“No commander, but I’m just as guilty as she is,” Talia answered evenly, brushing her hands in front of her. “If you’re looking for an explanation, its a simple matter of damaged people with too much time on their hands,” she added, meeting his eyes. “I make no excuses. If there is any way to make amends for the embarrassment caused you and the squadron, I will do so willingly,” she nodded subtly. "I don't run from my fuck-ups."

[PO2 Kino Jeen | Talia’s Quarters]

She’d smirked at Rawley’s throaty greeting, after the merry chase and all-around-tomfoolery perpetrated by the two of them the previous night. Ah, Rawley. You idiot, the Trill thought, just before the Wolf Leader started in on her. Kino had expected the harshness of a senior officer; the classic, stoic composure of a trained leader disappointed with their subordinate’s behavior.

What she saw quickly became something altogether different – as the skin prickled on the back of her neck. Taking a step closer to him, her instincts to intervene quickly proved fruitful, resting a hand on his arm and the other on Rawley’s.“Okay, lets -,” she started to try to deescalate the situation, but then Rawley recoiled and lashed back in return. Well, that’s just great, Kino huffed, shaking her head. Catching the pilot thrown her way was easy enough, holding her back from retaliating took some careful wordplay to ensure things didn’t get any more out of hand.

“Easy, Rawley, don’t be dumb,” she whispered to the pilot, holding her back against the bulkhead. “Relax, and shut up, okay?” The Trill pointed a finger at her. “Don’t make shit worse than it has to be – I mean it,” she warned.

Then she listened to what the other Wolf had to say – the one who’d earned a minor shiner in the brief tussle they’d had. Drunks were difficult to deal with one on one sometimes, two against one had been laughable but irritating. Still, there was plain honesty in her words, which Kino respected. Too bad it was too little, too late.

Kino arched a dark brow at Ravon, waiting to hear what he had to say.

OOC: Sorry for delay, hope this works.

Re: Day 13 [0710 hrs.] Oblivious Aftermath

Reply #8 –
[ Lt. JG Evelyn Rawley, callsign "Ghost" | Talia's Quarters | Deck 13 | Vector 03 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @Dumedion 
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Kept at bay by Kino, Rawley had her teeth bared and wanted to attack Thomas for being such a bloody arse about things. Why the hell did he turn into this bloody bastard in his grief? How long had he known Zephyr Praise, honestly? Weeks? She had replicated uniform jackets older than that in her quarters. She was the crazy flower-scientist who had invented the Niga virus as well, so what the fuck?

Rawley knew she ought to be more understanding and all that shit, but she had a feeling there was more to this than just the dead chick. Was the mission as a whole getting under his skin? Fine, he'd had his brain scrambled by a Vulcan, lost just as many Lone Wolves as her, but she'd been stabbed to nigh-death by a Devoted and been in-and-out of Sickbay far more times than he had, so what gives? Glaring at his profile while not answering Kino's hushed advise, she wasn't seeing a leader in him anymore, but a fucking wreck.

Immediately, at that thought, her frown unknotted itself in the realisation that Ravon might not be the ideal choice to lead the Lone Wolves any more. Regardless of her feelings about Thomas... the notion that he may lead more Lone Wolves to their deaths struck a chord inside her - making chills run up her spine. The faces of the dead flashed before her eyes.

Fuck it, Razor... You have to keep your shit together... she thought, hearing how Talia made her stance in regard to last night.

"Well said," Thomas said quietly, though his scowl didn't lessen a bit. "You're grounded. You'll be assisting the Deck Crews under Chief Herrold's command for three days before you may don your gear again, starting right now. Get moving."

Turning to Rawley, she already knew what he was about to say. "You'll be in the brig for insubordination. I will discuss it with Deputy zh'Wann when you ought to be released. Petty Officer, get her out of my sight."

Having rendered his judgement, Thomas didn't linger regardless what either of the pilots may have said, stepping out of the sliding doors and taking off in the direction opposite from that of the Security Center's. Meanwhile, Rawley was thinking, not just about Thomas and his behaviour, but the future of the Lone Wolves. She'd already seen so many die under Renard' and Ravon's command, whereas...

Rawley blinked, knowing what she had to do.

"I'll come along, don't ye worry," she growled to Kino, though not at her, but the fact that she had to enact her plan from the confines of the bloody brig.

Re: Day 13 [0710 hrs.] Oblivious Aftermath

Reply #9 –
[Ens. Talia "Shadow" Al-Ibrahim & PO2 Kino Jeen | Talia's Quarters | Deck 13 | Vector 03 | USS Theurgy] Attn: @Auctor Lucan

Her dark eyes fell to slits, lips thinning as Talia resisted the urge to frown at the sentencing. “Yes sir,” she deadpanned, waiting until Ravon left before growling out a sigh. Three days. Guess it could be worse, she thought, leaning her head back as her shoulders dropped. Despite it all, Rawley’s comment made her chortle a weak laugh; she met her sister-Wolf's eyes then, resting her hands on her hips. “You,” she chuckled, shaking her head. “What the hell was that Ghost,” Talia asked, concerned for her friend. “You knew he had us locked up. Why’d you do that?”

Talia folded her arms, cocking a hip as she listened; her face softened, shaking her head again. “Evelyn,” she whispered, daring to use the woman’s first name for the first time, taking a step closer to her. “We’re still on the same side, at the end of the day.The Wolf is nothing without the pack, and the pack is nothing without the Wolf, remember,” her head dipped, eyes narrowing as she quoted Rawley’s words at her. “Whatever history you two have, you need to find a way to work through it,” she added, glancing at the Trill, who seemed quite amused.

“Oh, don’t mind me,” Kino smirked.

Talia rolled her eyes at both of them, sighing again, holding a hand up to her forehead. “Ugh, this ship is insane. Fine,” she hissed with a shrug. “Have fun cooling your heels in the brig,” the raven-haired pilot pantomimed a sad, slow wave. “Guess I’ll clean this shit up and report to the Harrold. That’ll be fun,” she smiled sarcastically.

The Trill cleared her throat suddenly. “Speaking of cleaning up,” the security non-com reached behind her, pulling a PaDD from the waistband of her pants. “You two were drunk and dumb enough to leave some evidence,” she waved the tablet playfully. “Care to see?”

Talia’s eyes widened, moving to grab the device from the Trill, but Kino pulled it back surprisingly fast. “Ah-ah, no snatchies,” Kino glared, the Trill’s mismatched eyes flicking between the two pilots. “The report is already filed,” she smirked, “everything you two knuckles did, with eyewitness statements – everything the brass needs – except these pictures,” the Trill nodded to the PaDD, then slowly offered it to them. “Stay in your fucking rooms next time,” she growled, like a parent telling a child something they should already know for the hundredth time.

Talia’s brows knit, but she held her tongue, eyes narrowed at the silver haired woman. “You were the one that chased us,” she stated.

Kino nodded, smirking. “I was the one that dropped you,” she tapped under her eye, where Talia’s eye was bruised. “I’ll wait outside,” she addressed Rawley, “don’t make me come in here after you,” she warned through a grin.

Talia watched her go, smirking at Ghost’s commentary. “Built yourself quite the reputation, huh,” she quipped; amused, despite it all. “Shall we,” she sighed, holding up the PaDD.

“Agreed,” she nodded enthusiastically, unsure if she was ready to see it once. Deleting it immediately was tempting, but a part of her needed to know exactly what all the fuss was about. Once and done, she nodded to Ghost, then turned the device on, holding it up for both of them to see.

Talia instantly covered her mouth with a fist, as her eyebrows shot up, eyes wide in shock. “Oh, fuck,” she grunted.

A series of snapshots rolled from the baths: the two of them, bottles held aloft, naked and wet in a hot tub. Talia sliding along the tiled floor towards the tub. Rawley’s head between her legs, Talia giving the camera a thumbs up. Rawley pouring a clear liquid down her chest – Talia laughing as she tried to lap it up. A blurred image of the two of them, holding a bunch of clothes. Rawley giving someone with a bright light the finger.

The next series was from the Arboretum: Talia hugging a tree, grinning stupidly. Ghost, running towards the lake. Talia pushing her in. Ghost pulling Talia in. The two of them yelling at someone. Wrestling in mud. More blurred images.

Talia’s room: The two of them, covered in mud, chugging bottles of brown liquid. Ghost pulling Talia in the shower. Talia on the toilet. The two of them kissing in the shower. The muddy floor. Ghost pouring a bag of dicks on Talia’s bed, laughing. Ghost holding a hand of cards, nearly naked, grinning around a cigar. Talia taking a shot, flexing, showing her hand of cards - a full house. Talia holding a dildo between her tits, licking it as Ghost poured liquor on it.

An unknown corridor: A tall, grayish skinned alien cornered, eyes narrowed, hands up in seemingly defense or defiance. Talia hugging, or holding, the alien - Ghost laughing. A blurred image of what seemed to be Talia hoisting the alien up on her shoulders. The alien’s face in a silent grimace of disgust, Talia planting a kiss on the side of its head, Rawley pouting in the foreground.

Sickbay: V-Nine holding her arms up in a warding gesture, the blue-skinned nurse, Vojana, laid out on a surgical table. Talia, holding a nearly empty bottle, eyes barely open as she tried to swallow the holographic image of  Vojana’s alien member – Ghost holding the android at bay. Talia swiping something on the android’s face. More blurred images, dominated by blue light and darkness.

Harrold’s Quarters: The chief in bed, looking confused and bewildered. Ghost on his lap, chugging from another bottle. Talia leaning against the bulkhead on the floor, looking absolutely wasted. The three of them grinning at the camera. Ghost on Talia. Talia on Ghost. Harrold watching Ghost take Talia’s pants off. Talia getting her tattoo, giving Rawley the finger with a stupid grin. The remaining shots, which were several, were blurred to the point of being useless.

“Fuck sakes,” Talia laughed nervously, turning to Ghost, then hit the delete button. “Allah, I’m never drinking with you again,” she chuckled, holding her head. Even as she said it, she knew that she didn’t really mean it. Regardless of how much shit they were in, Talia had to admit that it was fun.

Then she looked at the state of herself and the room, and sighed. “Okay, I gotta clean up and get to the FAB. You got a date with a cell,” she smirked, moving off to the shower. “Catch you later,” Talia threw Ghost a lazy two fingered salute, grinning as her squad mate left.

[Some time later]

Talia entered the FAB, frowning at the crowd gathered around one of the Valravyns, which looked like its engine was in the middle of being disassembled. The hell is that about, she wondered, spotting DixieBee, looking more pissed off than usual, glaring at one of the deckhands. Her RIO and a redhead Talia didn’t recognize were talking, even as the redhead moved ceaselessly. Looks like a cluster, Talia smirked, then headed off to the Deck Chief’s office, giving her duty jacket a tug.

C’mon skull, quit hurting already, she thought, massaging her temples as all the noise invaded her eardrums. Fuck it’s gonna be a long day…

Soon enough she arrived at Harrold’s office, tapping the door with her knuckles instead of using the entry console. Filling her lungs with air in an attempt to ease the anxiety rampaging through her body, Talia waited, frowning as she shook her head. This’ll be awkward…

When the door opened, Talia offered him a stiff nod, looking quite uncomfortable. “Uh…hey,” she murmured, then cleared her throat and stood tall. “Razor grounded me,” she lifted a shoulder, “I’m working for you for three days,” she added with a sigh. “So, where do you need me?”

Re: Day 13 [0710 hrs.] Oblivious Aftermath

Reply #10 –
[ Lt. JG Evelyn Rawley, callsign "Ghost" | Talia's Quarters | Deck 13 | Vector 03 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @Dumedion 
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What Talia said about keeping the pack together was, of course, correct, though Rawley's concern and the solution that had popped into her mind was for the pack as a whole, and not just the single wolf. This, case in point, being a wolf who no longer wished to be the alpha. She was certain that Thomas no longer had the desire to lead them, made evident in so many ways since she knew him, but with the mission taking priority, her wingmate likely felt he had no option but to soldier on. Though what can I tell Talia about it, without further undermining his authority? No, she has to think it is my fault...

"I will find a way," she said with a lopsided smile and a shrug when told she had to deal with whatever was happening between her and Razor. She didn't say it went beyond the two of them, instead shouldering the blame. "We just have a lot of history from these past six months, and this one is on me. I'll serve my time since I had it coming."

And she would... though that wouldn't be all she'd do to fix things. Hopefully, she wasn't putting too much faith in Medical to help her with what she wanted to do. Not just for her, or for the pack... but for Razor.

Just as Rawley was about to resign herself to her sentence, Kino spoke up, giving them a PADD with evidence that hadn't been filed and Rawley lit up with a mix of surprise, relief and intrigue - a grin directed to the security guard that had covered their backs a bit by circumventing regs a wee bit. "Oh, thank ye, I do care to see!" she said, eyeing the sexy metal-and-bone Petty Officer up for a moment. "Next time, we'll make sure to invite ye so that ye can keep a real close eye on us..."

Later, then Kino had left, and when the first few images appeared on the PADD... Rawley couldn't help but burst out laughing. Their antiques were thoroughly documented in those images, and while some of them seemed to be from the security surveillance footage, others seemed to have been taken by someone else? Who was it..? Fuck, Rawley's head was still hurting, but she was sure it hadn't been just one person. Oh, that's right! Several random crewmembers had caught them out there, snapping images of them with their PADDs so that they may send them to Security, and Kino had just vacuumed them all up into a PADD and handed it over to them?

"Geez, we owe her..." she said at one point through the reel, still smiling as the images kept coming - one more hilarious than the other. "What the...! The hell is that?"

Cybernetics Lab: At first glance, a macabre image of Rawley using a dismembered hand to grope Talia - the latter sitting with legs spread on a console. A closer look, however, reveals how it's a prosthetic hand, and Rawley is winking at the one who snapped the image.

Holodeck: Delta shift scientists chasing a monkey, whom seem to have stolen something from them. Rawley, pointing and laughing. Talia, trying her hand at the holo-calculations suspended in the air, doing the math for the scientist and moving the numbers around - pretending to know exactly what needed to be done.

Cryogenics, Main Sickbay: Rawley painting hearts with her finger on frosty windows of the stasis chambers, the frozen patients deemed cute getting some love. People not missed got a phallic representation and a turd instead. Talia either holding off and/or kissing a blonde nurse who's trying to interject. The angle makes it unclear.

Lower Gymnasium: Talia doing naked squats. Rawley doing naked deadlifts. A group of male Ensigns cheering them on with fists raised and laughing faces. Talia doing naked bench press, with the added difficulty of having Rawley's face between her spread legs.  Rawley kicking one of the Ensigns between the legs after he was getting gropey on her. Rawley kissing the gropey Ensign to make it all better. Talia hog-tying him with resistance bands, and his friends laughing harder. Talia and Rawley sauntering off to the showers, the former having a bottle raised.

When the reel of images finally, after several other locations had been detailed, Rawley shared Talia's unvoiced sentiment, saying it out loud. "Oh, I have a feeling ye will, dearie..." she said, returning the salute with a grin, and left through the doors to join Kino.

[ Ensign Liam Herrold | Fighter Assault Bay | Deck 16 | Vector 02 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @Dumedion 
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When he had called "Enter", Liam Herrold had just read the message from Thomas Ravon - knowing what business Shadow had with him. The memories from last night were quite fresh, but he schooled his face when she stepped inside - recognising the signs that the Lone Wolf was a tad... 'worse for wear' that morning.

"Please, come in," he said, unable to help the small smile. Luckily for Talia, Thomas wasn't in the office Liam shared with the Wolf Leader, so they were alone. He leaned forward and steepled his fingers underneath his light blue eyes - studying her. It became apparent that, with the lack of immediate comment on what had happened in his quarters, the Lone Wolf may not remember everything that had happened after she and Rawley barged their way into his quarters. "How... are you feeling?"

With his eyebrows raised in query, he wondered just how little she might remember. Moreover, given what they more or less had forced him to do, he was a bit concerned that she may have regrets as well. He figured it was best make the comment right out of the gate. "Undoubtedly, you may know what you and Ghost forced me to do, and I just wanted to say that if you regret it, I know for a fact that tattoo removal is quite easy nowadays. Centuries ago, not so much, but all it takes now is a carefully tuned dermal regenerator and it will all just be a memory."

Having said as much, he cleared his throat and leaned back in his chair a bit, wearing his golden jumpsuit unzipped at the collar. "As for afterwards, before you left, I have to say that - in my defence - you threatened me with all kinds of things if I didn't oblige. See, I didn't mind that much - certainly not - but perhaps you may have regrets today? Be that as it may, I can assure you that I haven't filed any complaints with Security. It was..."

Liam searched for a good word. "...a rare night, and an equally rare experience. One which I will remember for quite some time."

Unsure how much Shadow may recall, he left that hanging in the air to see how good her memory was, since he wasn't certain she wanted to know all the details either.

Re: Day 13 [0710 hrs.] Oblivious Aftermath

Reply #11 –
[Ens. Talia "Shadow" Al-Ibrahim | Fighter Assault Bay | Deck 16 | Vector 02 | USS Theurgy] Attn: @Auctor Lucan
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“Been better,” Talia grunted, wincing at the bright overhead lights as she listened.

All she’d wanted to do was report in and get to work, but of course, nothing ever worked out quite the way Talia wanted – which, if she was being honest with herself – was a pretty big character defect in and of itself. As Herrold’s choice of words cut through the fog of her cognition, she quickly picked up what he was trying to do: offering her a clear recollection of what went down between the three of them last night. Fuck sakes, I don’t want to know, she groaned silently. The pilot hung her head slightly, folding her arms as she shifted her weight to one leg. Well, kudos to him for being up front and honest about it, she grumbled to herself.

“Look,” Shadow sighed, then met his eyes with hers. “We’re all adults,” she lifted a shoulder, even managed a small smirk. “From where I stand, last night was a good time that got way out of hand. Doesn’t mean I don’t regret some of it – ‘cause I do – but that’s my burden to bear, not yours,” her brows rose with emphasis. “Thanks for not being sore at me or Ghost over it,” she added, nodding to him. Can’t say the same for everyone else we ran across last night, she grumbled to herself.

The fact that she really didn’t remember much of what happened with him seemed moot at this point. Her imagination filled in the blanks, which wasn’t helping her feel any better about it. From where she stood, the best thing to do was to apologize for the way things went down and move on from it – having learned and grown a little wiser.

“I’ll keep the tat,” Shadow shrugged. “As for the way things went...I apologize for making you feel forced into it...as for the rest? As far as I’m concerned, whatever happened, happened,” Talia sighed again, massaging the bridge of her nose and sore eye for a second, then tilted her head at him. “No hard feelings, and by all means,” she chuckled, waving a hand at him, “enjoy the memories. Next time, I’m locking myself in my room before I do anything remotely stupid again.”

That said, Talia glanced around the room, eyeing the various rosters and priority boards as she silently thanked whatever Power ruled over the universe for being able to have this conversation without anyone else in the room. Things could always be worse, she smirked to herself, then turned her dark eyes back to Herrold’s. “Have to say, given the circumstances, you do nice work. Very steady hands,” she lifted a shoulder again, nodding. “So, are we good then,” she asked sincerely, shifting her weight again. Uncomfortable with the whole situation, she knew better than to simply ignore it and try to go on like nothing happened; even if that was exactly what she wanted to do.

Instead, she stood there and dealt with it.

Re: Day 13 [0710 hrs.] Oblivious Aftermath

Reply #12 –
[ Ensign Liam Herrold | Fighter Assault Bay | Deck 16 | Vector 02 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @Dumedion 
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Liam nodded with a chuckle. "Yeah, we're good."

Then, he realised how she had phrased something she said a few moments earlier. Whatever happened... happened? That got him thinking, and he tilted his head a bit, looking at her curiously. Does that mean she can't..?

"Sorry, I may have misunderstood what you just said, but..." he began, then cleared his throat as he got out of his chair and faced her. He leaned against the edge of his desk and folded his arms across his chest. He looked at her closely, trying to judge if he had read too much into her passing comment. "...are you saying you don't even remember what we did after I finished the tattoo?"

Liam knew that if it was him, he had wanted to know what he'd ended up doing. Sure, both Ghost and Shadow had been pretty drunk when they broke into his quarters and made him tattoo the crown on Tasha, but had they really been so drunk that he had erred by consenting to what transpired before they left his quarters? A sinking feeling came over Liam, as he realised he shouldn't have agreed to anything. If they were that drunk, they couldn't possibly be consenting, and it could be argued that he - despite how insistent they'd been - had exploited them.

"Damn, I..." Liam reached up to rake back some blonde hair, looking towards the carpeted deck plating between them. He then scratched the back of his neck, a chill having climbed his spine. "If you two were that intoxicated, with real alcohol instead of replicated bottles of synthehol, then I shouldn't have let myself be talked into anything. Sure! You left me little choice in the matter, being quite insistent, but I had no idea you had been drinking that much. I should have called for security rather than let your advances get the better of me..."

Sighing, Liam looked at the Lone Wolf with quite a bit of concern furrowing his brow. "I bet neither of you would ever even consider doing what you did with me unless you had been drinking... and now I feel awful." He shook his head, and in spite of the experience and how much they had all seemed to enjoy it, he regretted that things had gotten carried away to the degree that it did. Both Rawley and Tasha were breath-taking women, but when they didn't even know what they were doing? He should have known better. "Some would argue I was taking advantage of you two rather than the other way around given the circumstances, and while that was not my intent, I feel like I should be the one apologising to you now."

Re: Day 13 [0710 hrs.] Oblivious Aftermath

Reply #13 –
[Ens. Talia "Shadow" Al-Ibrahim | Fighter Assault Bay | Deck 16 | Vector 02 | USS Theurgy] Attn: @Auctor Lucan
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Talia, you fucking idiot, Shadow groaned to herself in the silence that followed. Her features had shifted from confusion at first, then concern, settling into screwing her eyes shut with a grimace of self-condemnation. Clearly, she'd made an uncomfortable situation even worse. Smooth, ace.

“Wait, throttle back,” she breathed out as her palms came up in the air in a gesture of cessation. This needs to be cleared up before it gets any worse. “That’s… not what I meant. Here's what I remember, okay? We barged in on you, fooled around, talked a bunch of nonsense, I got a tattoo and we had sex,” the pilot ticked off a finger, stating every event as matter-of-fact. Technically, I was already having sex getting tattooed, but whatever. That last one was partially assumed too, but she remembered enough to deduce the obvious. The details weren’t important, right now.

“I was drunk, sure, but not completely out of my mind. That came later – after the fact,” she frowned, then nodded to herself. “We did a lot of stupid shit last night I really don’t remember doing. Our little escapade is hazy, but I meant afterwards,” she clarified, trying her best to keep the edge out of her voice; irritated and embarrassed at the situation, all her lapses in sound judgement, not to mention the brutal physical hangover. “Can’t speak for Ghost, obviously…you’ll have to ask her.” If she even cares, Talia added silently. “Pretty sure she knows what went down though,” she met his eyes, but quickly looked down at the floor. “Maybe you’re right, maybe you should have called security,” Talia shrugged weakly, “maybe we shouldn’t have gotten drunk and goaded you into it too.”

Then she went to join him at the desk, leaning a hip against it. The pilot massaged her temples, running her hands through the tangled mess of her hair. Ugh, what a fucking mess. “Listen,” she winced, almost pleading, “I don’t regret what happened with you. I mean, we were there, you were there…one thing led to another,” she shrugged again, with a what-did-you-expect expression. “I do regret how it all went down, because that’s not how I operate…and the way things look, especially from your perspective. If people talk about it I’ll set them straight. They can eat my ass,” another sigh, as her eyes met his. “Would I do it again? No, but that’s got nothing to do with you. I just…don’t have the nerve for it.” She shook her head, holding herself, even more uncomfortable with the whole situation. “Mostly because it leads to shit like this,” she mumbled.

Fuck sakes, just apologize and shut the hell up, Shadow grumbled to herself.

Her features softened, even as her guts churned with self-loathing for making him feel the way he did. “I’m truly sorry for putting you in this position,” she murmured, then paused, unsure what else to say.

Re: Day 13 [0710 hrs.] Oblivious Aftermath

Reply #14 –
[ Ensign Liam Herrold | Fighter Assault Bay | Deck 16 | Vector 02 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @Dumedion 
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While it was a great relief that Shadow didn't hold anything he'd ended up doing against him, knowing the context of the situation as she did, Liam was less sure about the rest of the crew and what it might lead to. Scuttlebutt spread at warp speed on an isolated ship like the Theurgy, and how many already knew? How many in Security had interrogated Talia and Rawley? If it was something just between the three of them, that was one thing, but how could he be sure Ghost wasn't boasting about last night's conquests already?

Damn, his own reputation was just one facet of the situation, because he had great empathy for how Talia said she'd never act like that unless intoxicated - that she lacked the nerve. If that was the case, he was the last one that should be feeling sorry for himself. The escapades of the two fighter pilots was already the talk of the entire ship, and when Liam put himself in Shadow's position, his own lack of restraint - giving in to the temptation of the moment - seemed like a mere candle next to a roaring bonfire. Shaking his head where he stood, he willed himself to ignore the sick feeling in his stomach - the weight of regret that burdened him so - and chose to focus on Talia's plight instead. If yesterday wasn't nearly as common for her as it was for someone like Ghost, then she had to be utterly mortified.

"If there is any consolation," he said, and put a comforting hand on her shoulder - turning more towards her where they leaned against his desk, "I'll say this. If you have no regrets about last night in regard to what happened in my quarters, despite how it mightn't have happened without the alcohol, then I will tell myself that it was a spur of the moment that we both enjoyed. For I sure did, even if it would have been more noble of me to turn you both away or called for Security." Looking down between them, he added the obvious. "I appreciate your offer of explaining things if Rawley ends up telling anyone, or if you already told Ravon, but I imagine last night.... might reflect more on you than me. Thank you, and if there is anything I may do to alleviate the current situation for you, I will. I promise."

She was supposed to serve under him in Fighter Bay Ops, but given the situation, he didn't have the heart to send her out scrubbing the deck and doing hours of MRO in the weapons magazine and storage areas. Ravon expected him to punish her, no doubt. He expected her to feel the consequences beyond the mere fact that she wouldn't be flying her Valkyrie. Liam, on the other hand, wanted to let her off the hook entirely.

"I don't think you're dressed for the tasks of the deck crews," he observed in the end with a chuckle, the lack of a duty jumpsuit in gold apparent.

Re: Day 13 [0710 hrs.] Oblivious Aftermath

Reply #15 –
[Ens. Talia "Shadow" Al-Ibrahim | Fighter Assault Bay | Deck 16 | Vector 02 | USS Theurgy] Attn: @Auctor Lucan
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Shadow looked down at her uniform and snorted a weak laugh with Liam, grateful for the attempt to lift the mood. “Oh, I'm sure I can find one of those atrocious jumpers somewhere,” she muttered, but managed a small smile. At least things between the two of them seemed to be clear. Silver linings, she sighed, brooding over what he'd said. It most certainly will come down more on me, she agreed, well, me and Ghost.

To her mind, the reality of the situation was pretty cut and dry – it didn’t much matter what anyone could or should have done – hindsight made everyone a fool. Was she worried about Ghost (or the whole crew, for that matter) talking? Perhaps, but could she do anything about it? Nope. Ravon knew enough to get them both brought up on charges, but he didn't; not yet anyway. What did that mean? Talia didn’t have a clue, nor the mental capacity to worry about it at the moment. Herrold’s choice of words was amusing, though; noble. Just like that, she had a callsign for him: Galahad, the Perfect Knight. Her smile stretched to a thin grin, pleased with herself; it seemed a good fit.

Pushing her hip off his desk, the Wolf turned thankful eyes to his with a nod. “No need to go falling on a sword for anyone. I’m a big girl,” she lifted a shoulder. “I’ll deal with the fallout – I’m just glad we’re level,” she gestured to Galahad, then rested a hand on her hip. “Just…give me a heads up if Razor comes around, okay,” Talia asked through a grimace. “I’d rather steer clear of him for a few days. He was…irate. Suppose I would be too. Doesn’t excuse the way he dealt with it to me.” Everyone had their own shit to deal with; she was no exception…but that was one of the worst first impressions she’d ever had with a ranking officer. “Then again,” she sighed, “wasn’t exactly our finest moment either. You should have seen it – I thought they were going to slug it out right there in my room,” she laughed weakly, then remembered the mess waiting for her. “Which is trashed.”

Fuck, Talia grunted, wondering how the hell she was going to get rid of all of it discreetly. Ugh, so many dicks and bottles, the pilot shook her head. “Good times,” she muttered, as the juvenile notion of sticking one right on Razor’s canopy flitted through her head. Probably a bad idea, Talia smirked.

“Speaking of which,” amusement bled from her hoarse voice as she nodded to the hangar deck, “I should probably get to it. Thanks for understanding, and…,” she raked a hand through her tangled hair with a sigh then met his eyes again. “For what it’s worth,” she shrugged, “knowing what I know now? I’m glad it was you.”

It was a whispered confession, but an honest one. Come what may, Talia knew, based off how he’d handled the situation so far, Galahad wouldn’t run his mouth and make things worse. Silver linings, she repeated silently with a subtle nod.

Re: Day 13 [0710 hrs.] Oblivious Aftermath

Reply #16 –
[ Ensign Liam Herrold | Fighter Assault Bay | Deck 16 | Vector 02 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @Dumedion 
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When Talia said that she was glad that it was him, Liam smiled, for it alleviated the feeling of regret and shame considerably. He had been concerned when hearing how bad things have gotten between Rawley and Ravon, but he couldn't say he was surprised. Rawley was whom she was, and Ravon did seem quite irate of late. I hope they work it out somehow...

"Likewise..." he said, then caught himself saying it since that may have implied far more than he'd intended. Did he intend it, though? An honest slip of the tongue? The way she ran her hand through her hair had triggered his imagination, and the memories of the time shared in his quarters, and he swallowed since the images in his mind were quite vivid. Liam cleared his throat and pushed away from the desk, trying to cover up his bluster and the heat spreading in his loins by being pragmatic and duty-bound. "Well, no need to go looking. Here."

He walked over to the replicator in the office, putting a hand on her shoulder and brushing past her to reach it, and then powered it up for her with a tap on the menu. "Thea? One Fighter Bay Ops jumpsuit with measurements for Ensign Talia Al-Ibrahim."

[Right away,] the A.I. said, likely accessing the medical database in order to get the fit right for the fighter pilot. What Liam hadn't expected was the added comment via the intercom, which made it obvious Thea hadn't just allowed her automatic subroutines handle this specific request. [My internal sensors tell me you and Rawley didn't return to your quarters after I apprehended you outside the Arboretum, Ensign Al-Ibrahim. This, even though I wrestled you both down on the deck and you promised me to do so. In hindsight, given how you seem relegated to duties off the flight roster... perhaps that may have been a wiser course of action?]

When the replicator shimmered and produced a jumpsuit for Talia, Liam schooled his lit face from showing too much of an amused smile. He scratched the back of his neck in embarrassment on Talia's behalf, imagining her and Ghost naked and pinned to the deck by Thea, and now having to stand for it. I bet an A.I. never forgets a slight either...

Liam walked over to Shadow with the neatly folded jumpsuit and gave it to her. "You can report for duty to Petty Officer Adara Hussein when you have changed into this," he said with an apologetic smile, not wanting to punish Talia but not seeing how she might convince him not to have her do anything heavy given her hangover. "She is leading the deck crew responsible for MRO this shift. You should be able to find her by Emerald's fighter. Follow her instructions and... you'll just have to hope your fellow Lone Wolves haven't underreported their engine diagnostics, which might have you end up with a complete engine maintenance disassembly."

Liam trailed off there, not sure what else to say, since he'd said too much earlier. He stood with his hands in his pockets, looking at her and trying to keep his mind off the night before.
 

Re: Day 13 [0710 hrs.] Oblivious Aftermath

Reply #17 –
[Ens. Talia "Shadow" Al-Ibrahim | Fighter Assault Bay | Deck 16 | Vector 02 | USS Theurgy] Attn: @Auctor Lucan
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Talia inhaled deeply, then blew out a long exhalation, rolling her shoulders at the sound of the replicator starting up. She'd managed a small smirk and a nod at his reaction, then cradled her bruised face as he brushed by, trying not to think at all – because thinking hurt. Her slender fingers brushed along the edge of the bruise around her eye, flinching at the pain. Must have clocked me good. What was her name again, she tried to remember the silver-haired Trill with Ravon, the one with crazy looking eyes. She gave up after a few seconds, irritated at herself for trying, then forgetting in the first place. All because you decided to go looking for a good time. Well, you found it, didn’t you?

Thea's disembodied voice made her wince instantly, shoulders hunched as if the A.I. would appear and drag her over the coals in person. Thankfully, that didn’t happen, but she didn’t miss the subtle edge to the sentient-computer's tone. I just got lectured by the ship – by the fucking ship, Talia blinked, then lowered her head, shifting her weight uncomfortably. “Yes, Thea, thanks for reminding me,” she grumbled. Even though she vaguely remembered the encounter with the A.I., Shadow seemed to recall Ghost getting the worst of it. How did we end up naked, she wondered, then remembered the baths, stealing clothes, running from security. Ah yes. Idiocy, that’s how, she smirked at the memory.

Looking up at Galahad’s approach, with a fresh mustard stained abomination for her to wear, the Wolf sighed heavily between her teeth, very close to a growl. After nodding at his instructions, she blinked rapidly, shaking her head, unsure why any of her fellow Wolves would cut corners on maintenance. Then again, there were the Valravyn teams to consider. Yeah, that figures. “Well, you already got one 477 torn apart out there,” she muttered dryly, jerking her head towards the bay, “what’s one more?”

Her eyes fell to the jumpsuit in her hand, as reality finally sunk in. Three days of this shit, she thought bitterly, but refused to show her disappointment. It was her own fault, and better than going stir crazy in the brig. Maybe. Possibly. Fuck it, whatever. She’d just have to knuckle down even harder once she’d earned flight status back to make up for the lost time. Fantastic.

“I’ll go get changed and find her,” Shadow nodded, then lifted her eyes to his again, noting the way he was looking at her. Her head tilted fractionally as she blinked, considering. In the muddled fog of her mind, possibilities and scenarios dawned of their own accord. He was cute, and the dick was decent, from what she remembered anyway…

That line of thought lasted for about three seconds.

What? The hell are you even – fucks sakes Talia, you’re barely conscious right now, she told herself, but smirked at him all the same. “See you around, Galahad,” she whispered, moving past him to the door, grinning at his confused expression. "He was a Knight, from an old story back home. Look it up sometime."

For the immediate future, she vowed to keep her head down and free of intoxicating substances; but first, she had to make it through the day without making it any worse – for everyone. No pressure, the Wolf groaned silently, but squared her shoulders and lifted her head to met the challenge regardless.

Good times were had, all the same.

-FIN
 
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