Eden And The Apple

Posted on Sun Jan 6th, 2019 @ 6:41pm by Chief Helmsman Eden Bowers & Captain Rueben Gregnol

Mission: Ishimura
Location: Deck 6 Cargo Holds/Captain's Quarters
Timeline: 2243
1477 words - 3 OF Standard Post Measure

After her run in with the Captain, Eden had been more careful about where she spread out her papers around the ship. But tonight, her brain was in no mood to think. She was feeling restless and needed to stretch her wings. Unfortunately there wasn't much room to do that on a starship but she thought she'd figured out a solution as she placed a foot on a metal shelf and tested it's sturdiness. She'd found the perfect storage room, not a lot of important items in case she fell or knocked something off as she began to climb.

Sebastian was in the mood for a drink and it was unfortunate the drink he wanted was something from her personal stash that he had hidden in a storage container in one of the Cargo bays. It was an easy enterprise, no one would look in something one marked for his attention and secondly marked hazardous. He walked in and stopped dead as he heard noises coming from above him. "Identify yourself." He called quickly.

"Ensign Bowers, I'm sorry Captain, I didn't mean to startle you." Eden had found a spot to turn around and was sitting fairly high up on a shelf above him She looked down with an expression of guilt and shame on her face. "I was just restless and needed something to take my mind off . . ." Eden didn't finish the thought.

Sebastian whirled around and then looked up seeing the woman from the mess hall climbing around like she was a spider monkey up in the cargo. "Ah, singe araignée." He muttered before he looked at her again shaking her head. "You should try exercise." He offered as a suggestion.

"This is exercise." Eden pointed out, perhaps that was a bit of a cheeky response but it was the truth also. "I've never understood running when you have no place to run to. And I do like yoga but it only offers so much sometimes. I like to climb. There are no rock walls on board starships."

“Indeed Spider Monkwy but come down.” The Captain requested with a small smile. If anyone else could see him they would be dumbstruck at his quietness and almost charm.

Eden eyed him carefully. "Are you afraid I'm going to fall?" She didn't move until after she had spoken and soon found herself face to face with him at the ground level. "See, I'm fine."

"Qui very much afraid. Do you know how much paperwork would be involved if you went splat on the deck platings." The man said very much sure he would also feel terrible that the Ensign got hurt in the process. But the witness statement, explaining to his task group commander why the woman fell would just be more annoying.

"I guess you don't have to worry about it anymore. My feet are touching the ground now." She was heartily disappointed though. She didn't want to cause him more paperwork but she also didn't want to stop her climbing, it cleared her head. Eden sighed. "I'm sorry sir."

"You should try to go rock climbing our next shore leave." He said thinking if they ended up where he hoped it was a good spot for all kinds of extreme sports. "But I am relieved to hear it." The man smiled and nodded moving past her to where his hidden stash was and pulled out a bottle that was pale green. "Drink?" He wondered.

"I don't really drink . . . but I don't mind if you do. If you want some company?" Eden seemed to pause after saying this, she had no idea why she'd asked. Eden didn't normally like company but there was something about him she found amusing.

Where she found him amusing he found her adorable. She was someone different than the normal officer he knew day in and day out. “Always need company.” He said indicating the door. “I was retrieving this before heading to my quarters.” He admitted hoping she didn’t presume things.

"Ah, sneaking around." Eden nodded. "Does anyone else know about your stash? Oh I won't tell," She promised him. "I assumed you probably wouldn't spread around my penchant for mysteries." She got in step beside him.

“Of course not. I hide it out of the way for a reason very much like you hid here.” He grinned at her as a crewman passed them in the corridor with a quick ‘Sir’. He stepped back to let her go into the lift first.

Now that they were alone in the turbolift it dawned on Eden that maybe this wasn't a good idea. She generally didn't follow people back to their quarters, and even though he was the captain, it was making her nervous. "Don't you find this a little odd?"

Sebastian looked down at the woman and shook his head. He didn't find it odd at all. Did she? Was that why she was suddenly looking so nervous. "You don't have to Eden. I am not going to do something affreux because you changed your mind." He assured pausing the Turbolift.

She shook her head. "No, it's fine. I said I would. Actually, I'm the one who asked you. Sorry, I don't often connect with people. Growing up my friends were animals and plants, so you can imagine my surprise when we started talking."

Sebastian resumed the turbo lift and it continued on its journey to the required deck. It was quiet deck nothing like the crew areas. Sebastian walked in to his quarters and stepped to the side to let her in. “Welcome to my quarters.”

"Thanks," Eden slipped off her shoes and looked around, assuming she was at least allowed to do that, as long as she didn't touch anything. "Nice," she said. "Being a Captain has perks."

The Quarters consisted of a living room and sleeping room, separated by a sliding transparent aluminium partition. "It does but I prefer the older ships. Slightly more space but I love the living quarters they seem more homely." He admitted with a shy smile revealing something of himself.

She nodded, "I suppose most Starfleet officers don't get claustrophobic or they wouldn't be out here. So, what exactly is that and do you have other stashes on the ship? Not that it's any of my business. I'm nosy, or so I've been told." Eden looked around at the furniture but didn't sit yet, maybe he had a favorite spot and she didn't want to sit in it.

"Please sit down." He said taking his own boots off. He waited for her to settle before he grabbed a glass and a mug from the side. "This is a homebrew from Corsica on earth. Sadly there are getting less and less bottle the further we get from Earth." He admitted how special it was to him.

Eden did as he asked, curling herself onto one corner of the couch. "Can I ask you a personal question? When do you have a glass? I mean do you save them for days you're celebrating or bad days . . ." She wasn't sure how to phrase what she was asking but she hoped he understood.

"Neither... the days completely mundane when you've just done nothing special. They should be the ones that are toasted." The man grinned as he poured a small amount into a glass and held it out to her.

She generally stayed away from alcohol but couldn't refuse something special like this, especially after he'd poured it. Eden took it from him. "To ordinary days then." She waited until after their glasses clinked together and she'd tasted the liquid to reply. "Although I don't know how ordinary it is to find your helmsmen climbing the shelves in the storage room."

Sebastian chuckled softly as he took in what she had said and shook his head. "You really have no idea what I see some days to make this quite ordinary." He countered thinking of the time he had found a Vulcan in his bathroom suffering from radiation exposure on his ship. The man turned and looked at the woman smiling.

"Oh good, I'm glad it wont stick out so striking in your mind then." She offered him a small smile in return. "i'd hate to be remembered in someone's report for anything other than what a valuable officer I am. Thank you for the drink." Eden really had no idea what else to say.

Sebastian looked at the woman and frowned a little. This was a lot more awkward that he wanted things to be. Had he read her wrong? Had he missed some sign that she wasn’t interested? This was going to be one awkward trip either way he felt.

OFF::

Captain Sebastian Deauvuex
Commanding Officer
USS Ishimura
(PNPC Gregnol)

Ensign Eden Bowers
Chief Helmsman
USS Ishimura