Step one

Posted on Sun May 10th, 2020 @ 11:23am by Ryder Bray & Ka'see 'Cassie' Anderson (*)

Mission: Ishimura
Location: Mess Hall
Timeline: 2246
1502 words - 3 OF Standard Post Measure

It was hard to understand what was happening in her life everything that she had thought was going to happen had not come about. Johnathen had been transferred without any goodbyes or anything and that had not been what she had been planning at all. The hybrid had thought they had moved on. She had thought to say goodbye and wish him well at the docking hatch but the Trill that had barged into her as she stepped out the turbo lift had held her up and the moment was gone.

It had left and she was left there trying to work through emotions that she had first with her marriage and secondly with what she was feeling over the flight control officer who was now gone. Cassie looked up from playing with her food to see Ryder slip into the empty seat across from her. “Hello, Sir.” She murmured sounding bored but a lot more like her old self.

"Sir?" Ryder was beginning to think agreeing to being the ship's new Executive Officer was not the most ideal option. He knew there was going to be adversity; already, he had to field questions and complaints about the change. But even some of the officers he had grown close to had taken a few steps back, as if the new duties meant him to be the bad guy. There was a wonder if the last Executive Officer had such issues. "Come on Cass, you don't have to be all formal."

Cassie smiled at the man and shook her head. She was going to do it now that he was obviously wound up by it. "Oh, I do. You have the fancy quarters now." She found herself saying with a small teasing tone to let him know she was teasing before she sobered. "Johnathen left."

"Oh please." Ryder pulled the giant sandwich that he had on his plate over in front of him. "We're still friends. I don't need any of that formality around here. Someone'll get intimidated. I just have more paper to shuffle, that's all." He frowned. "Speaking of paper shuffling - I signed that this morning. I didn't think he'd do that so quickly."

Cassie frowned just a little as she realised Ryder had technically signed the release papers on her relationship. "Neither did I or without a goodbye. I guess things were truly broke." She shrugged stirring her soup one more time before admitting defeat pushing the plate aside.

"Or he just ended up deciding he wasn't brave enough to say goodbye." Ryder pointed out. He decided to wait to stuff his own face, opting to take a bite out of the pickle that lay next to the sandwich. After swallowing it down, he gave a shrug. "You'd think if he has time to shuffle that paperwork, he'd have time to talk to the people he cared about most. Shouldn't see it as broken, Cass. He's just a chicken with emotions."

"Only way I can see it to be honest." Cassie shrugged a little. None of these people knew her as Johnathan had but that was over maybe she would go back to her husband now instead of going after something foolish. "Does not matter though. I remember when I first came to earth someone quoted something to me that feels right to say But when I grew up, I put away childish things. Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity." She shrugged. It felt right she was no longer dazzled by the man.

Ryder shook his head. "Cass, in my unprofessional opinion, a guy who can't own up to telling a girl what his issue is before he leaves is a guy who doesn't deserve a girl at all. I didn't know Jon well enough, but that sort of move earns disrespect points. I think he was just scared to commit. The only break between the two of you was him."

"Perhaps." The woman said softly and shook her head. "Does not matter. What is done is done. I should have let him go a long time ago when I got married." She added leaning back looking deep into the coffee she was sipping on. There was so much more she could say but she needed to stop making excuses. "So how are you feeling about this new role?" She wondered.

There was already so much baggage he could have peaked into with that statement, but Ryder shrugged it off. It was her business, not his. "It's just more paperwork. There's not a huge amount of other duties I haven't already been doing. Everyone just seems to think I've turned into someone else overnight."

Cassie snorted just a little. "I do not think any of us have been seen the same since we returned from that planet." Cassie realised. They all seemed to get a wider berth at the moment. "I blame Eden for shooting you." The scientist actually teased him just a little.

"I mean, we could blame 'er, but she came around to apologize the other day like none of us had been huffing strange atmosphere and letting it all get to us." Ryder gave a shrug. "I'm halfway to the point of ordering people to treat me like you all used to just to feel normal. I won't - that'd defeat the purpose."

Cassie just shook her head and leant across the table and put her hand on his arm. "You will always be my friend Ryder." She promised quietly. "Still up for helping me with my annual live phaser fire training?" She wondered. That was a normal question, right? Friends who treated each other normally did stuff like that?

Ryder gave her a lopsided grin. She had a gentle touch, but by this point he was used to it. "Of course I am. That's not just a security officer duty - I'd do that for you any time. Besides, who else is going to save me next time Eden's got the phaser pointed at me?"

"I like to think that was a one-time thing. I hope I never have anything like that ever happen again." Cassie said. She tried not to think on the psychosis that she had gone through or how poorly she had been after that event. Damn mushroom spore planet.

"I'm joking, Cass. Eden's not the first person on my mind when it comes to phaser-related dangers to my person. There's a few engineers that I can think of that fit that bill well before she does. Mostly because they haven't gone through that training yet." Ryder shook his head. "But I've put them on some other officer. No, we'll still have ours. I'll make sure of it."

"Cannot have anyone else see me making a fool of myself by shooting myself or you in the foot." The woman squeezed his arm one more time before pulling back to finish up her food. She did not have to return to duty but she did not want her food to get any colder.

Ryder snorted. The stigma everyone had over simple phaser training was astonishing to him, especially seeing as everyone was supposed to be trained yearly. "Don't worry about it Cass. You won't be shooting anyone in the foot when I'm done with you."

"I am not sure Sir if that is a threat or promise," Cassie said raising an eyebrow at him as if trying to work him out. It was hard work and she still did not know after a few moments of trying to work it out.

"..." For a moment, Ryder stared at Cass as if the joke went right over his head. Assuming there was a joke. Was there one? He couldn't tell. "... A promise, Cass." He pointed out cluelessly. "Why would I threaten you?"

Cassie looked at him for a moment unsure if he was joking himself before she shook her head. "And they say that Vulcan's cannot understand a joke or teasing or flirting." Cassie shook her head at the man piling her cutlery on her plate. She could see why the Captain chose him he was oh so serious and could not understand the joke at all.

"Oh. Well, I should get back to my duties. I'm sure one of my security team want to cower in fear at the fact that I can't just 'tattle to the XO' anymore." He rolled his eyes. "Catch you later?"

"You know how to find me Sir." She teased still thinking that it was funny that jokes went straight over his head more than once in a while. It was endearing especially when he was most likely one of the few friends that she had at the moment.

OFF::

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

Lieutenant Ryder Bray
Executive Officer / Chief Armory Officer
USS Ishimura
(PNPC Uhin)