Hysperia Hysteria

Posted on Thu Mar 23rd, 2023 @ 7:22am by Laurier Cami & Jeassaho Kea (*)

Mission: Mission 16: Hysperia
Location: Hysperia - Tavern
Timeline: MD-09 (fifth day of festival)
1930 words - 3.9 OF Standard Post Measure

"Jeassahoooooo!" The high-pitched cry of the young Bajoran woman probably woke up half the tavern.

Bearing a duffel and a new haircut, Cami extended her arms out wide as she made the proclamation, her eyes glittering at the sight of her best friend waiting for her. Barely waiting for the moment to pass, she rushed forward and grabbed Jeassaho into a hug, pressing their cheeks against each other before bundling them both into the nearest booth.

"It's been SO long. I can't believe I haven't seen you in nearly two months! So, come on, what's the gossip? What have I missed? Tell me everything!"

“Wow someone decided to try and reinvent themselves.” Jeassaho said squeezing the woman tightly against herself before she accepted her cheeks and the assistance into the booth. Cami the whirlwind was definitely back as both her balance and ear drums were shot already. People kept looking over but said nothing. “Oh well there is so much to tell you…” she admitted thinking of all the crew changes, Nollel and Burnie getting married, all the dragons, the chef, Cassie’s grand child. The list went on and on for all the changes and gossip.

"I know, I bet there's been so much going on without little me..." Cami replied, curling her legs up underneath herself. "Oh! Drinks!" She waved at a tavernkeep. "Can we get something cold and alcoholic here, please? Thank you so much!" She whipped back to Jea. "So how's things with Reuben? Has he apologised for abandoning you on a ship that broke down yet?"

Poor Reuben... Jeassaho thought to herself. None of the crew knew what he had done to get the credits but it was genius, to say the least. "He has more than apologised for the abandoning. He feels terrible so do not under any circumstance say anything because everything is pretty on the ship with the refit. He really did do what he said with the Rangers... But there is quite a lot I need to tell you." Jeassaho grinned as the tavern keeper tutted at the excited Bajoran and went off to get something cool and alcoholic for the pair. There were not many selections but it was at the very least good. "So pick someone and I will give you an update."

"Oh. Who to start with?" Cami pondered. "Well, the obvious one is Burnie. Did he flip out over the repairs like we thought he would?"

Jeassaho squished her nose but nodded. “In a good way and they are nearly all done apart from a few last minute things for after the festival. It is going to be lovely having a system that works. But there is something you need to know about Burnie. He got married to Nollel a few days about.”

"Wait-wait-wait-wait..." Cami held up a hand, face contorting momentarily. "Wait. Burnie got married? When did they decide to do that!?" Inside she was filled with a mix of amazement and the faintest tinge of jealousy. She'd crushed on Burnie for months, and Jea knew that. But the fact that he and Nollel had tied the knot was out there as one of the most wild pieces of news she might have expected.

"It just happened." Jeassaho could not claim to know everything that had happened between the pair that had led to them getting married but they both seemed loved up and happy with it which to Jeassaho was the only part that matter. "Are you okay with it? They look really happy and I know you crushed on him..." The betazoid wanted her friend to be okay with it.

"I'm..." There was just a fraction of hesitation in Cami's response. More a sense of her checking herself than doubting it. "Like you said, he's happy. C'mon, it was just a crush. It's not like anything serious was ever going to happen." She shook her head, shaking away that idea. The ship had sailed. "What else? Anyone else 'accidentally' gotten hitched?"

“No. But it does not mean it does not hurt.” Jeassaho promoted leaning across the table to touch the young woman’s hands. “You are allowed to mourn but there is so much else that has happened. Cassie brought back a grandchild from Earth with her.” It felt odd saying it but the grandchild was about ten years younger than them but it was still a little strange.

"Cassie has-" Cami blinked a bit, and then did the math in her head. "Well, I guess if she's a few hundred years old that might work out. She never talked about it before, though. I'm willing to bet that caused a few ripples with Jake. Assuming he hasn't run off with another 100-year-old woman already..."

“Well, she was in suspended animation so it is not quite the same.” Jeassaho grinned before wincing at the comment. “I do not think she knew to be honest and it’s not the same. I bet you did not know that I and Reuben had a child one upon a time.” She said making the point that they did not know everything about each other.

"Wait - you never told me about that!" The Bajoran felt almost affronted that Jea might have not let her know every deep and intimate detail of her life. "What happened?"

"So you do not know everything about me so you knowing everything about Cassie would be impossible," Jeassaho said sealing herself for mentioning what had happened between herself and Reuben nearly a decade again that had caused so much drama. She grinned at the drink that came and took a big slurp before she finally started to explain. "I and Reuben used to be Starfleet and I got pregnant thanks to a failure in mandatory contraception. Was unexpected but we were engaged so it did not go too badly because it was a failure of Starfleet. We were in a shuttle on an exploration of a communication relay, Gregnol who was my XO, Chief Engineer, and pilot and me as communication for the person conducting the repair despite being eight months pregnant ... and it was attacked by the people that Barton had upset."

"Barton..." Cami had heard that name mentioned a few times. Jea had mentioned it before, but she'd not been one to pry into something that didn't seem all that pleasant a subject. "Jea..."

If Reuben had not made enquiries about Barton it was likely nothing would have happened. "You can imagine where this is going it was the shuttle when Reuben was taken. I was left alive alongside the other crew members but there had been enough damage that I lost the baby and I lost Reuben all on the same day and this is why he has the no children rule." She quietly said. "His name was Alexis."

"He would have been beautiful. Like his mother. Not like his father..." Cami winked, trying to raise Jea's spirits slightly. Neither of them had intended to get this deep into their past, but as best friends, they were used to being totally open with one another. "Do you think...he'll ever change his mind?"

"Not a clue. It is not a subject we discuss often but one day I am hopeful. He would be a good father. He keeps control of all of you after all, he just still needs to heal from it all." She smiled a little and downed the drink in front of her. "Barton was the person who brought the ship and then promptly got arrested and the ship was passed over to Reuben," Jeassaho explained thinking that she had asked about Barton. "Barton was a trouble maker and Reuben's best friend as they grew up. Whilst my husband went to Starfleet, Barton just made the worse friends in the universe and Reuben inquired to the wrong people at the wrong time and got mixed up in his dealings and the rest led us all here."

"Wrong people at the wrong time probably explains why most of us ended up here," Cami replied sympathetically. "As much as a troublemaker as you know I am, I promise I won't turn into a maniacal supervillain and try to steal the ship out from under you."

“Glad to hear.” Jeassaho laughed and held her drink to the woman in salute. She was relieved that no one else was turning to villainary.

"Come on, let's talk about something more positive. What kind of idiotic mess has your brother gotten himself into while I have been gone?" Cami asked.

“We’ll be has not accidentally got married or eaten by a dragon so think he is having a good couple of months.” Jeassaho smiled a little. She could have seen her brother with Cami but she could see the man so much more with Delaney. She did not accept his shit at all.

"Well maybe he's growing up then, hmm?" Cami chuckled. "Oh! I almost forgot!" She ducked under the table and fished around in her bag for a few moments before re-emerging with a fist-sized parcel in her hands. Wrapped. "The whole fiasco with the ship breaking down reminded me how terrible the coffee on board can be. So, I made sure to get you something better. Bajoran dark brew. Honestly, it changed my life." She handed it over to Jeassaho.

"Possibly or maybe the.... oh wow this is for me?" Jeassaho's explanation about the new doctor was lost as the coffee was handed over to her and she opened the canister just a little to smell it. "Oh my goodness this smell rich and dark... Oh wow ... this is lovely Cami. Is this cause everything broke on my birthday?" It was a stark reminder of why she should not celebrate birthdays as something always happened.

"And because I bailed and figured I ought to make up for not taking you on a warm holiday without me," Cami admitted. "So...sure! Happy Birthday!"

"You did not bail. I made the choice to stay here with Reuben. It is the first time in forever we've just stopped. It has been nice but this is really appreciated and I love it." Jeassaho was under no illusions that people sometimes did not understand what the gruff Russian was doing with the petite betazoid but they worked and worked well it was just the time and space they needed. "So how was the holiday? Any romance?" Jeassaho grinned teasing.

"Not for me," Cami said, taking a sip of her drink. "Honestly, I think all the good ones are taken these days. Too many of the Bajorans are in their 'spiritual' phases. It's all pilgrimages and prophets. I thought some of them might be willing to cut loose and have some fun, but that's what you get when you go home for a couple of months." She planted the glass back on the table. "Think I'm stuck in the single life for a little longer."

"We all have a spiritual phase and single pringle is not so bad right? You are happy?" Jeassaho asked as she indicated to a server for another round.

"If it means I can get drunk with my best friend in the middle of the day?" Cami lifted the mostly-empty glass in salute. "Ain't no man getting in the way of that."

“Or woman.” Jeassaho added as she raised her own glass in response to the salute. There was nothing like day drinking with people who you thought on as family and putting the world to rights.