Life Finds A Way

Posted on Mon Dec 17th, 2018 @ 6:02pm by Ka'see 'Cassie' Anderson (*) & Chief Helmsman Eden Bowers

Mission: Mission 8 - Shattered
Location: USS Ishimura
Timeline: 2243
1614 words - 3.2 OF Standard Post Measure

Reaching up to rub her temples Eden pondered for the briefest moment that it must be getting late. Or was it early? Time of day really didn't matter to her at the moment. As long as she wasn't late for starting her shift then she could sit here quietly and try to figure out this puzzle. Her stomach made a little rumbling noise but she ignored it, food could wait a little while longer, at least until her stomach started to hurt then maybe she'd address it.

Cassie came into the library and stopped as the woman spotted the other woman bent over rubbing her temples. "You okay?" The Ensign asked softly as she noticed how late it was becoming. Cassie herself was getting ready for Gamma watch having been stuck on it since she came onboard.

"Hmm?" Eden said, feeling as if her eyes were crossing. She glanced up at the woman in front of her. "Yes . . . I think so. Why? Do I not look okay?" She glanced down at herself, her uniform was still on straight. She patted her hair, it seemed to be still in place.

“You look... uncomfortable,” The Vulcan hybrid said gently as the word finally came to her. “You look like you have been there a very long time.” She added as she moved to a terminal herself with a nod to the woman. If she was okay there was no need to interfere.

"I probably have been sitting here a long time," She went to stretch and heard something pop in her back causing a spasm of pain to shoot through her. Eden winced. "I suppose I should have moved a little sooner." As if on cue her blond hair came tumbling down, the pins finally letting go. She could do nothing about it however as her back was still stiff and she needed to stretch before moving her hands above her shoulders.

Cassie turned as she heard first the pop and then something tumble to the floor. She strode over the space and picked up the pins and stood holding them out. “I believe that proves how long you have been here.” The woman said with a look over her. Humans were so feeble sometimes, she was lucky to have the best of both worlds in some cases.

Eden sighed. "Yeah." Her stomach rumbled again, only showing off for the other women no doubt. "Alright, I'll move. I'll eat and sleep a little before my shift starts." She noticed that the pins from her hair were being handed to her. "Thanks."

"I saw some nice food in the mess hall for Gamma watch you should get some before it all goes," Cassie said with a firm nod. She knew she was known on the ship as a slight oddball, not quite Vulcan and not quite Human it unnerved people as didn't know how to reach to her. It didn't help that she didn't know how to react to herself anymore.

Was that a hint? Eden had a terrible time reading people, she was mostly concerned with her own thoughts from day to day, not that she didn't care for others. "Do you want to join me?"

Cassie looked taken aback at the offer but found herself nodded. "Um... That would be nice." The woman said unsure if that was the reaction to have. She hadn't had a meal with anyone since coming onboard at all, it would be nice to have some conversation.

From the look on her face, obvsiouly she'd been wrong about her assumption. But it would be rude to take it back. "Alright," Eden got up from her spot, stretched her aching muscles for a moment and began walking toward the mess. "I get so caught up in things from time to time, I block out what's going on around me." Eden said by way of explantion for sitting in the same spot so long.

“You should try to get a massage to get those knots out. It will only get worse if you don’t.” Cassie said noticing the way the woman stretching. “I do the same in the labs.” The scientists assured her that she wasn’t alone. It was so easy just to get caught up in things you loved.

Eden had never had a massage before. She wasn't sure how she felt about someone touching her like that. "I'll think about it," she assured her. And Eden would think about it, but she was pretty sure the answer would be no. Still, pondering never hurt anyone. "I like puzzles," Eden explained. "Sometimes I forget how long I've been working on one. It's what I do. Funny now that I think about it. I spend most of my day sitting and then my free time sitting." She turned and looked at the other woman. "What do you do for fun?"

Cassie let the woman go first into the mess as she thought about what she did for fun. "I guess I do exercise. I do yoga a lot." It wasn't anything strenuous but it eased her muscles at the end of the day after leaning over microscopes or on her feet all day.

"What's yoga like? I've never done that. I usually like to walk . . . or sometimes I do some rock climbing when I get the chance, which isn't very often." Was she supposed to be talking now? Eden shrugged, unsure. But it seemed like someone should keep the conversation going.

"I like yoga. It's an easy exercise for ships. Also allows your mind to think about something other than work. There is a small class that meets regularly in the rec room on an evening. More than welcome to come, Beginners always welcome." Cassie offered pointing to the queue they had to join for food.

"Hmm, all right. I will see if I can come." Eden could imagine herself doing the poses and falling over. Hopefully, it wouldn't cause everyone else to get knocked down as well. She couldn't help but smile at the thought. "You might want to warn everyone first. I'm not the most graceful."

Cassie let out a small snort of laughter that seemed almost wrong coming from her with how stern she looked all the time but it lit up her face bringing a warmth to it that hadn't previously been there. "Not everyone is the first time. There is no judging from anyone. We've all been there." The hybird assured as she moved to grab a chicken and salad filled plate.

Somehow Eden doubted that they'd seen everything yet but she nodded. It wouldn't hurt her to try, and she had warned them. Taking a modest amount of food, not too much as here stomach was doing flips at the moment she followed Cassie to a table. "At least it's not busy, I hate it when there are a bunch of eyes looking around, it unnerves me."

"Can always sit at the back and just observe it all." The woman suggested using her own observation skills to watch and see that the woman wasn't outgoing at all, much like herself. The scientist sat down and saw several familiar people across the mess hall but didn't stare too long returning her gaze to the woman.

"I suppose I could." Eden replied, she supposed that would work either for the yoga or a meal. "I come here at off times to avoid the crowds. I know I shouldn't, but a lot of people overwhelm me. I never had that growing up. I had no siblings and mostly adults around at all times so I grew up quickly."

"Same." The woman confirmed thinking that maybe she had a kindred spirit in the woman. Cassie herself had grown up on Vulcan and then with her parent's separation she had been moved to Earth and to the colds of Scotland and the far north with barely any children.

"You're different though." Eden blushed slightly at her lack of tact. "I mean you look Vulcan but you're not exactly . . . well all the other Vulcans I've met have been, different."

"I'm part human." She admitted softly brushing her hair over her pointed ears. She was an anomaly to both worlds thanks to her mother's brilliance and her father's love despite how the rest of the world viewed his marriage.

"I'm sorry," Eden replied. "I mean it was none of my business. But, you shouldn't be ashamed of that. You're just getting a little jump on the future I'm sure. I imagine if there's a way to have kids with any race we come across someone will fall in love and find a way to make it happen."

The biologist paused mid fork to her mouth as she listened to what she said. “My mum made it happen. Her techniques have been used else where since.” She said softly thinking of her husband and the fact if her mother had been alive her miscarriage would never have happened.

"Life finds a way," Eden nodded. She tried desperately to think of a way to bring the conversation back to her even though she didn't enjoy talking about herself. Finally she gave up and just said, "Thanks, for this."

“Perhaps.” Cassie said softly as she carried on eating the salad. No one there needed to know about the last year or so, no one needed to know about her marriage and how complicated it had become. “Your welcome.” Cassie conformed. Life might find a way but no one deserved to be alone.

Ensign Eden Bowers
Chief Helmsen
USS Ishimura

Ensign Cassie McAvoy
Science Officer - Biology
USS Ishimura
(PNPC Gregnol)