Girls Night

Posted on Thu Jul 2, 2015 @ 3:28pm by Lieutenant Cassandra Kennings & Fleet Captain Rhea Kennit & Lieutenant Penelope Naroot & Lieutenant Nicole Anderson

2,990 words; about a 15 minute read

Mission: All this has happened before...
Location: Cassandra's Quarters
Timeline: Backpost (Evening of "Chat")

Cass hadn't put much in her quarters, but she cleared out what little she had in order to facilitate her night. She'd cleared a large space in the middle of her quarters and filled it with large cushions, low-resting pedestals covered bowls filled with food and carafes of liquid. She was standing in front of one of her sealed wooden cabinets and nodded to herself in satisfaction when her chime went off. "Come in," she said.

After all that was going on, Nina Blackburn needed some time to relax. She entered Cass' quarters wearing a grey tank top and shorts with her hair pulled back into a ponytail, carrying a bottle of 2371 Romulan Ale. "Hi. Being the Chief Intel Officer does have it's advantages," Nina commented, setting the bottle on a nearby counter.

Nicole walked in without ringing the chime. Without saying a word, she spied the bottle Nina brought, took it, uncorked it and took a long swig, then recapped and handed it to her, tossing a large bottle of purple liquid to Cassandra. "Thanks," she grunted and collapsed into a cushion, rubbing her eyes. "Cass, be a dear and get me something that will get me properly sauced?"

Cassandra clucked her tongue, threw an apologetic look at Nina and walked over to her replicator, keying in a well-practiced sequence. She returned with a tall glass containing a thick, brown-ish liquid topped with a small hill of white, delicate-looking cream. She handed it to Nicole and gestured for Nina to take a seat. "Please, make yourself comfortable," she said, taking the bottle Nicole had tossed her and setting it down on one of the pedestals.

She settled herself down on a cushion and leaned back. "I think someone's having 'one of those days,'" she said to Nina in a stage whisper.

Nina sat down. At least now she knew who the alcoholic of the group was. Nina nodded. "Aren't we all?"

"I will have you know," Nicole said, her British lilt adding a bit of haughtiness to her words, "that I had a perfectly acceptable day." She took a long swig from her drink, a slight mustache of whipped cream on her upper lip. "It's the rest of this gods-damned week that's eating me. Do you know what my little traitor is up to?"

"No gossiping without the other person in the room," Cass admonished. "Drink your milkshake." She looked towards the door as the chime rang again. "Enter!"

Penny skipped through the doors, vaulted over a cushion and landed in the center, crossing her legs and tossing a bottle of green liquid to Cassandra. "Hi!" she squeaked.

Nina looked at Cass and back to Penny. "You're in a happy mood. What gives?"

"Well, I'm alive and kicking, I got to see my boyfriend before I got here, and the ship hasn't crashed into anything yet, so what's not to be happy about?" Penny said, shrugging her shoulders and grinning.

"Khafaya-bogozh," Nicole groused, taking another long sip.

Penny stuck her tongue out at Nicole. "I miss you too," she tossed back. She smiled at Nina again, taking a deck of cards from Cassandra and shuffling them quickly. "Besides," she said, "if what I hear is true, you have someone putting a smile on your face as well."

Cass smiled to herself gently. If they could travel as fast as rumors, traversing the galaxy would take the blink of an eye. However, rumors also provided her insight into the crew. She was always careful to listen, but verify, but she was always listening. She gave Nina an interested grin as Penny looked at her expectantly.

Nina shrugged, embarrassed to be the center of attention, especially in regards to Yarin. "Yarin and I are just... really good... friends. I mean he hasn't even kissed me yet."

"Yet," Cassandra echoed knowingly. "Well, I'm sure that time will come. Assuming of course, his species kisses. Not all cultures express affection that way. So be careful: you may give a peck on the cheek, and wind up married." She grinned with amusement, then tapped Penny's knee to distract her from Nina's obvious embarrassment. "But either way, having a good friend is always a good thing, especially when he's here, close by."

The door chime rang, and when the doors parted the Captain entered. She was still in uniform (after all, the Captain was never off-duty) but in deference to the relaxed nature of the get-together she had unfastened her jacket to reveal the undertunic she wore beneath. "Good evening..." she said with a half-smile.

Cassandra gave a small sigh and a gently disapproving shake of her head. "Good evening, Rhea," she said, gesturing to the empty cushion. "What can I get you?" She pulled a large cloth in front of her, then pulled it back, revealing a set of glasses.

"A glass of iced tea would be nice..." the Captain answered.

"Remind me to schedule you for a deep muscle massage to relax that stiffness," Nicole said, making a face of distaste at the Captain's order. "And I feel compelled to point out, someone is in violation of tonight's dress code." She glanced at Cassandra then nodded to the Captain pointedly.

Cassandra cleared her throat and blinked rapidly at Nicole, then reached behind a cushion and pulled out a pitcher of ice-filled amber-colored liquid, as if she'd known all along what the Captain would order. She poured a tall glass slowly, ice cubes clinking as they fell. "Now, Nicole," she admonished, a teasingly lecturing tone in her voice. "It is at the Captain's discretion how she dresses when off duty." She handed the glass to Rhea. "Of course, that means you get last pick of the chocolate treats as a penalty." She smiled and took a bowl of chocolate-drizzled popcorn and handed it to Nina.

Cassandra fanned out the cards in her hands expertly then slipped them together. "Ladies, the game is Rigellian Hold 'Em--"

"Oh good," Nicole said, sitting up.

"--five cards showing, three cards face down until all betting is concluded, may the best hand win. Ante up, Nicole." Cass tossed a chip into the center and dealt everyone two cards, then put three face down in the center.

Nicole checked her cards and tossed in her chip. "Do you think Starfleet could be persuaded to let us visit the Vidiians?" Nicole said, looking to the Captain. "I'd be extremely curious to compare their current status to their previous medical scans from the Voyager missions."

After a sip from her glass, the Captain settled down and added a chip of her own to the center of the table. "I'm not sure. Vidiian space is some distance from our current patrol zone."

Nina also tossed in a chip as she looked at her cards. "Good riddance. Vidiians give me the creeps."

"Don't we go looking for creeps?" Penny quipped, tossing in her chip plus another to raise. "And besides, they're cured now, right?"

"That's the report," Cassandra said, as another round of bets were made to call Penny's raise. She dealt out the flop, three cards face up, and took another peek at her cards. "I'll open with fifty," she said. "And there's quite a bit in the Delta Quadrant to 'give us the creeps'," she said, smiling at Nina. "I would begin getting used to them now. We'll be fortunate not to meet with the Borg while we're here."

"Most have been reported cured but there are some still infected with the phage," Nina stated as she saw the raise. "The Borg I can handle. They're slow and often predictable but a race that some still look like post apocalyptic zombies? I'll pass."

"I've been reading up on reports of the Ocampa," Cassandra said. "Evidently what started as a small revolution against the Caretaker's placid society rapidly evolved into the society's saving grace. I'd be curious to see how far they've evolved at this point." She put her cards down, folding and toying with her chips. "If we could just establish enough native planets or organizations in a Federation alliance, it would do a lot to stabilize the quadrant. They'd make a strong member, I think."

They finished the round of bets and Cassandra put out another card, then put in her bet. "Perhaps after our next mission, some extended away missions are in order?" she offered, looking at the Captain.

"Never can tell what the future might have in store," the Captain answered. "I'm a firm believer in the old adage 'Be careful what you wish for. You just might get it.'"

"Story," Penny said, automatically referencing the quote. "Aesop's Fables, The Old Man and Death, circa 550 BC. 'We would often be sorry if our wishes were gratified.'" She blinked, coming out of recitation and looked around at the others looking at her. "What?"

"So rare to see you come off as bookish," Nicole said, exchanging a glance with Cass. She looked at her cards again and threw them down. "Fold." She sat back and tossed back some chocolate-covered popcorn. It was probably the one thing she loved most about Cass' treats: everything included sugar.

The Captain studied her cards a moment, then put out a card and placed her own bet.

Nina studied the captain for a moment and looked at her cards. She didn't have a strong hand but it was still a good one. "I'll see and raise. "

Penny looked at Nina, squinting a bit as she studied. "See your raise and raise again."

Cassandra raised an eyebrow and checked her cards again. "Call," she said.

Completely expressionless, the Captain didn't even look at her cards as she said, "Call."

Nina smiled at the captain. "You didn't even look at your cards. You're bluffing. I call."

"Am I?" Katrijn replied, lifting her cup of tea to her lips for a sip.

Cassandra put out the river, the last card to be dealt and looked around at the others. The table now showed a four of hearts, king of diamonds, eight of hearts, king of spades, and a seven of clubs. She'd been hoping for a heart on the last card to give her a flush, but three kings weren't bad, and there were still the final three cards to turn after the round.

"Fifty," she said, tossing her chips in.

The Captain studied her own cards for a moment, the last two being the King of Clubs, and the seven of diamonds, and then said "I'll meet that..and raise you another twenty-five."

Tossing her chips into the pile with a soft clink, she leaned back relaxed and calm. Her own hand was a full house with kings over sevens, and she felt pretty confident.

Nina looked at her cards. She only had a three of a kind. She bit the corner of her lip in thought. " I fold," she said, flopping her cards face down on the table.

Penny looked at the other two women and ran some calculations. "Fold," she said, putting her cards down.

Cass wasn't sure if the Captain was bluffing, but she wasn't going to let things go further without seeing the Captain's hand. "Call," she said.

She laid her cards down and flipped over the last three, delighted to see a nine of hearts, giving her a flush.

Taking a sip of her tea before she began to reveal her cards, the Captain deftly flipped her cards and revealed her hand.. full house, kings over sevens.

Cass' jaw hit the floor. She looked up at the Captain and sat back in her cushion. "Well.....damn," she said, taking a long drink from her glass. She glared at Nicole who was snickering behind a pillow, and snapped her fingers, the cards flying back into her hands. "And for my next trick," she said, shuffling quickly, "I'll watch the Captain make my chips disappear. Well played, Rhea."

As she dealt the next round, she looked over at Penny. "Something on your mind, Penny?"

"Well there's a loaded question," Nicole said.

Penny had been staring into space since she folded and it was a second or two before her mind processed that she had been spoken to, which, from her perspective, was an unthinkably long time. She finally blinked and turned towards Cass, then noticed Nicole's questioning look and that she'd caught the attention of the Captain and Nina. "I was just thinking," she said. "I was wondering how people can judge whether or not they're 'in love.' I don't really understand the parameters of it."

She looked around at the stunned faces of Cassandra and Nicole, the Captain's curious expression and the somewhat amused expression on Nina's face. "Have you ever been in love?" she said, addressing Nina.

Nina's smile faded as she thought about Ken--she hadn't really thought about him in years. She had even omitted the information about the incident from her record, with the only indication was she was listed as being a widow. "Yes, I was even married to him, but he was killed while on an away mission when I was stationed on Starbase 171."

Cassandra raised an eyebrow in surprise, looking at Nina as well now. She was aware of Nina's marital status, but not that her husband had been killed in the line of duty. She immediately made a few mental notes for later as she shuffled.

"I'm sorry," Penny said. She frowned. "I hadn't considered that possibility. He could be killed." She stayed lost in thought a moment while they looked at her expectantly, then blinked and looked around, realizing she'd drifted off again. "Sorry," she said, looking back at Nina. "How did you know you were in love?"

"Beep, beep, Penny," Cass said gently, noting Nina's expression. "Love is a tricky subject. It's not something most people can quantify."

"Well yeah, that's my problem," Penny said. "I've researched almost the whole database on the subject, and no one can agree. I'd say it's a human thing, but no species seems to have it down, even the Vulcans."

"I wouldn't go looking to Vulcans on matters of emotion," Cassandra said. "Are you thinking you're falling for someone?"

"Would certainly explain how dazed and distracted you've been," Nicole said, finally piping up. She grinned and looked at Cass. "And I bet I know who it is," she said in a sing-song voice.

"And beep, beep, Nicole," Cassandra said, putting a restraining hand on Penny's knee as the other girl started to look annoyed. She began dealing out another hand and glanced at the Captain, then back at her cards. "Everyone in this room has someone they love," she said. "And I'm sure they weren't the first person we ever had feelings for. But if you ask the four of us for our reasoning, you're going to get seven different answers, Penny. If we could quantify love, explain it, distill it and put it into some chart, or graph...it would cease to exist."

"Oh..." Penny said, quietly. For a moment she looked worried, then seemed to make a decision and looked down at her new cards. "Twenty," she said, putting her chips in.

"It's alright. Well, I knew I was in love because I would think of him all the time. I would feel excited and yet at one with him. But like Cass said, it varies from person to person.". She looked at Cass and pointed. " And no, I don't need to talk about it. Besides, my feelings for Yarin proves th...." She bit her tongue as she realized her words. "Shit," she said to herself. Besides, I want to know who captured our helmsman heart," she smiled at Penny.

"So it is true," Nicole said. "You and Yarin?" she was smiling like Christmas just came early. "How did that come about?"

Nina took a long sip of wine before deciding to answer. "We got stuck in one of his programs on the holodeck. Guess I've thought about him often since then," she shrugged. "Besides, it's Penny's turn to be interrogated by you gossipers," she chuckled.

Penny threw her chips in and cleared her throat, blushing a bit. "His name's Thomas Barnes. He was operating the transporter during the away mission," she said. She stuck her tongue out at Nicole when she whistled at her. "He's a good man," she said, smiling. "He's smart, kind, thoughtful and very fun. Everything I've been looking for."

"Bold statement," Nicole said, "but if my experience has taught me anything, dig a little deeper because every guy has that one quality you just want to slap him for."

Cassandra clucked her tongue as they continued the hand. "And the right person has that quality that you will always adore them for," she said. "Love is one of the greatest mysteries of life," she said. "And without it, I doubt we'd be ourselves."

The others all took up their glasses and gave a quiet, 'hear hear,' then drank to their respective 'someones.' As Cassandra lowered her glass, she looked at Penny who was staring off into space again.

The game went another few rounds without much more discourse, although Nicole's occasional questions about Yarin's 'romantic side' had Nina making rude gestures after a few more drinks.

As the gathering concluded, Cassandra sat back and waved her hand, the various chips, bowls, glasses and such making their way back to the recycler, or their respective shelves. She looked at the door where her guests had left and smiled. Relationships were a key to a healthy mentality, and a healthy crew, happy crew. She was glad to see some of them were finally following their hearts. *Well, four down, several dozen to go,* she thought.


Joint Post


Captain Rhea Kennit
Commanding Officer

Lieutenant Nicole Anderson
Chief Medical Officer

Lieutenant Cassandra Sanders
Ship's Counselor

Lieutenant Penelope Naroot
Chief Flight Control Officer

Lieutenant j.g. Nina Blackburn
Chief Intelligence Officer

 

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