RP Log: A Gathering of Old Friends
| Roleplay Log | |
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Location(s):
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Stardate:
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| 2025-11-04 13:50 | |
- Ten Forward <USS Phoenix NCC-170100-A>
- Although not specifically separated into three distinct sections, the ten forward lounge is often thought to be that. At the entry way and across the inner bulkhead is a long bar complete with barstools, to which patrons can request nearly any beverage imaginable. There is an open area next to the bar before there is a single step up, which results in the second section which has several two and four person tables. The third section lines the outer bulkhead, where there are several relaxing booths, most built for two, and all of which have a spectacular view out the front of the saucer.
- A couple of food replicators are also available, one behind the bar, and another near the entry door.
- Out the viewport: The blue hue of the nearby star can be seen.
Lieutenant Castillo arrives from Deck 10 - Forward Corridor.
Ramirez sits over at one of the booths, one of the only ones with enough space for four. He stares out the viewport into space, seemingly unaware of Castillo's entrance. With a decidedly distracted air, he sips a drink -- nothing exciting. It looks like some kind of beer or ale, probably not even real. Idly, he touches behind his left ear as he looks out into space.
Castillo enters from near the bar and ambles over towards Ramirez at the booth. "Not the right table." She says after arriving, motioning for the other end of the lounge, at a table already taken. "But, my feeling was just that...so, this will do." Her eyes flick to the man's drink as she seats herself, not asking for permission. "The doctor says not to let you drink, something about not wanting to see you in medical from it." It's delivered as a joke, smile along with it. "She didn't want to come enforce her edict in person though."
Ramirez looks up and over with a smile. "Sometimes, my guesses are wrong. This is one of those times. You know. I guess." He lifts his glass, perspiration from the cold, condensed water dripping down, and motions Castillo to a seat. "Synthahol. I haven't had the real stuff since, well...before my, uh, accident."
"It might be for the better." Castillo suggests with a nod in acknowledgement. "There's a reason for the regulations, even if they're ignored from time to time." She adds with a glance to the bar. "I'm not done with my invites, so, if they answer...." Her hand comes up to her mouth, finger pressing against her lips with a 'shhh' gesture. "...if not...well." A shrug is conveyed.
[Castillo's Commbadge] Sending request for communication to Lieutenant Alue.
Ramirez leans back, considering Castillo frankly over his glass, before he turns to look out the viewport again. He nods to the woman across the way, though he says nothing.
"Aside from getting pieced back together, what'd you get to do while you were away?" Castillo asks Ramirez after listening to the unanswered response of her commbadge. She relaxes back into the booth, not having motioned for the bartender to bring over another drink.
[Castillo's Commbadge] Communications channel to Lieutenant Alue open - audio only.
[Castillo's Commbadge] Alue says, "This is Prina Alue."
Ramirez seems like he's about to answer, but then he stops, a wry smile twisting the corners of his mouth up. He motions Luz to continue her conversation, saying only, "It can wait."
"Prina, it's me." Castillo says, somewhat surprised by the sound from her commbadge. "Lieutenant Ramirez and I are in ten forward." She says with a pause, looking at Ramirez in the process. "Would you like to join us?"
[Castillo's Commbadge] "Lieutenant Ramirez? From security?" Prina asks with a note of excitement in her voice. "Yeah! I'll be right there."
"That's the one!" Castillo says with a smirk. "We'll see you shortly."
A smile grows on Ramirez's face at Prina's seeming excitement. It's like it's infectious. "I mean, you COULD say Ramirez from Tactical. Or Ramirez from the fighter wing. Or Ramirez, the ridiculously handsome and talented guitarrista."
Ramirez sighs.
[Castillo's Commbadge] There's the sound of the beginning of a laugh as the comm line closes.
[Castillo's Commbadge] Lieutenant Alue double taps her commbadge.
[Castillo's Commbadge] Connection to Lieutenant Alue terminated.
"My question." Castillo says after the call ends, getting back to the topic at hand.
His lips quirk into a line. His expression isn't...guarded, exactly, but there's a trace of irony there. "I got to learn that I'm not the best fighter pilot in Alpha Quadrant. I got to learn that I'm a mortal man, and easily injured." He starts ticking off finger after finger as he gains steam.
"I learned that I'm actually a decent guitarist, and I'm getting better." Another tick. His voice softens, some. "I learned that there's more to Starfleet than what's written in the charter." Finally, he turns to Luz, nodding his head. There's a final tick. "While I wass recovering? I learned about patience. I learned that I really had none to speak of. But I'm learning."
Lieutenant Alue arrives from Deck 10 - Forward Corridor.
Castillo and Ramirez are seated at one of the booths for four at the back of the lounge. She leans forward into the table after listening to him speak for a minute or so. "How about this." Her hand gestures away a thought. "We forget about all those mortality and duty things for the moment." Her back is to the entrance, moreso than Ramirez's is. "And focus on the patience and the fledging guitarist you've become?" She hums with an upward inflection, seeking approval.
Alue stops at a replicator on the way in to order her drink from there instead of from the bar. Quicker that way. She carries it in both hands over to where the pair she has come to join are sitting. "Well, look who's back!" she says with a smile.
Ramirez gives a smile to Castillo, a response to her words that is filled with calm understanding. His condensation-dewed glass is lifted in agreement and salute. "Aye, Lieutentant." Irony drips from his response, though not in a mean-spirited way. He's agreeing, not following an order.
"My personal effects took months to catch up to me. Among them was the one thing I spent most of my cubage on -- a genuine 19th century Torres. My mother's. She passed it along to me. And you know? I can /play./"
Prina's comment brings a wide, bright smile. "As I live and breathe. Prina Alue." Warmth exudes from him. "You know? I missed you. All of you."
Castillo scoots over once Alue comes over, motioning for her to join both her and Ramirez at the table. "He was just telling me about his guitar, and how much better he's gotten at it while he was away." She puts on a warm smile. "He's been practicing, and I haven't asked...but from what I understand, he'll agree to play it for us sometime." Eyes to Ramirez, looking for the approval.
"Is that so?" Prina asks. She sets her drink on the table and then flips her ridiculously long braids out of the way with practiced ease as she slides in to join the others. "Well that should be quite a treat! It's good to see you again." A mischievous twinkle in her eye gleams as she asks Ramirez, "Which Earth did you visit while you were away? The one in the middle, per chance?"
Ramirez grins to Castillo. "Embarrassment isn't a thing that happens to you. Instead, it is a road you travel, its edges guarded by humility, its destination mastery of yourself." The words sound like a quote. He shifts to make room, sipping his fake beer, His grin spreads. "Prina. Someday I'll get you well-read."
His sigh is theatrical as it is long. "Philistines. I work with Philistines." There's a pause, and he adds:" You're only excited because you haven't heard me play yet. I'm good, not yet great. But Rome wasn't built in a day."
"Middle one?" Castillo mouths to Alue with a lifted eyebrow, not quite understanding herself. She continues to listen to Ramirez's response before speaking. "Well. I'm an easy audience, and it's better than whatever you're giving it credit for...so it'll be great." A pause. "I'm certain." She glances at Alue, then back at Ramirez. "And, speaking of reading, I was trying to get Prina to write a book." Her body relaxes further into the cushions.
Alue is about to sip from her glass, but she quickly sets it back down on the table at Luz's comment. "Well, I did a little research. As it turns out, it's been done before," she says, then eyes Ramirez. "She wants me to write a book on the horrors of a repetative regenerative life cycle. In other words, what regenerative species might experience having to revert back to their own childhoods, go back to school, and start all over again."
Ramirez raises a hand to Castillo, nodding. "Just so long as you can handle a mistake here and there, I suppose." He shrugs. "While I was rehabbing, it helped. My right side.....needed some time." The raised hand waves that part away. "Good therapy, and I got better. " Castillo's final comment eventually redirects him, and he looks to Alue. "The Hell of eternal puberty."
He shudders, openly. "Sounds like a 19th century Gothic horror to me." He snaps his fingers. "Wait a second. I've read something like this...." Clearly wracking his brain, his lips pull into a frowny line. "Er. Anyhow." He looks up, between the two. "So, Luz. How come you all ran into an alien race that speaks espanol without me around? It seems fundamentally unfair."
"Ah, no, no." Castillo says with a shake of the head to Ramirez. "That's sounding like some duty speak." She warns with a waggling of her finger. "We're talking about the things you're not going to find in the ship's log." Her attention is cast to Alue, looking for agreement. "We've got enough time to talk about all that when we're on shift next." A pause is made after her assurance.
"Who wrote something like it before?" She asks Prina, trying to get back to talking about the 'Gothic horror', "Maybe someone Cris has heard?"
Alue rolls her eyes, finally sipping from her drink. 'Some Vulcan philosopher. Who else?" she asks. "I'm starting to think that they've already written about everything."
Ramirez grunts towards Castillo. "I'm the security meathead guy, now, Luz. I can't remember every detail of every book I've ever read." Then he snaps his fingers. "Oh! The Dunwich Horror!" He grins, fiercely. "Lovecraft. Not really the same story, but kind of. But not really."
He looks to Alue. "Prina. They were exploring the galaxy when Philip was just leaving Macedonia. Of course they've written everything." He shakes his head. "Nothing new under the sun. You know what matters? YOUR take on it." He points towards the middle of her chest. "I'D read that book."
"You would write something with more passion." Castillo adds her approval, looking to Alue. "More flare." She asserts with another nod. Her brow juts furrowed once more, "Do Betzoids have telepathic books?" It's a serious question. "A medium to convey emotion? That's something that I'd think the Vulcans would avoid...not to stereotype them."
Alue shakes her head. "I'm not telepathic," she reminds Luz. "Empathic only." She smiles and sips her drink again. "An interesting idea though."
Ramirez seems to actually have an answer. "One time, Miri..." And THAT just gets cut off right there. Rather than continue, he pauses to sip he drink. "...well. Not a lot of fiction, from what I gathered. Writing is purely...informational. At least, that's what I gathered." Then he laughs. "Doesn't matter. Luz's right, Prina. You'd write with passion. A Vulcan would get bogged down in the moral and ethical implications, in between the technical descriptions."
Castillo nods in response to Alue's comment, understanding. She decides to contribute her own fare to the conversation, trying to steer clear of duty assignments, mentally languishing at the thought of more work. "While you were gone, and Prina was researching ideas for her next novel, I took up playing air hockey in the ship's arcade." It's stated with pride. "I lost...a lot...but, I almost beat Commander Choma, and that's a win in my book."
"Next novel," Prina almost mutters with amusement as her eyes drift to the bar tender across the room.
Ramirez waves a hand. "Beating Commander Choma in reflexes is a sucker's bet, Luz." He reaches up, tapping his temple with his index finger. "Choma's weakness is that he can only think like a fighter pilot. His planning and tactics all revolve around playing to his strengths, not playing to the weaknesses of his opponent or the situation." He pauses. "But, yeah. Coming close is a damned miracle. I've never beaten the man at anything."
His eyes follow Alue's. "Prina? Can I get you a drink?" He tilts his glass back, finishing his fake beer." I need one, anyhow." Then he looks to Castillo. "And you?"
"She might be upset if you robbed her of the opportunity of walking over there herself." Castillo remarks to Ramirez as he offers to go fish a drink from the bartender. She looks out at the rest of the lounge, trying to see if she's familiar with the person tending bar, confirming her suspicions or not. "But, I had something from Pacifica last time I drank here." A glance is given to Alue, her memory being tested.
Prina's eyes snap back to Luz and she smiles guiltily, then gives her a quick nod and glances down at her still mostly full drink. "No, my drink is doing just fine, thanks," she says to Ramirez. Her cheeks turn a slightly darker green than the rest of her skin.
Ramirez glances between the two, and then comprehension dawns. "Ah. I see." Indeed, he does. He glances towards the bar, then laughs. "I'll be back, Lieutenants." With that, he stands, and efficiently and quickly lassoes another synth-beer. Looking over his shoulder, he calls, "Pacifica. You know, I've never been there."
Castillo dreams up what she thinks is a witty remark, one Ramirez likely wouldn't understand without context. "Funny!" Her response is said loud enough for him to hear. She looks to Alue with a smirk and stays quiet...if only another moment. "Not to do this to you again, but are you able to help move things between quarters again?" It's said as a whisper, lower in volume as she speaks to Alue, waiting for Ramirez to return. "And, then talk with me more privately before?"
Alue is a little confused by Luz's question at first, but then she gets it and nods. "Oh, sure. I'll help you move as many times as you need it," she says with a grin. Her eyes drift toward the bar again, noting Ramirez but actually watching the bar tender over the rim of her glass.
For his part, Ramirez clearly can't /hear/ them, but he seems to pick up on some of the body language at least. He doesn't move in their direction until Alue's eyes move past him, to the bartender. This seems to amuse him some, but he says nothing. When he returns, he lifts his glass.
"So, Prina. I already apologized to Luz. Wanted to do the same for you. Sorry I didn't say goodbye. I was ordered to leave, immediately. No time to talk to anyone. Then, well, I got hurt." He shrugs. "I'm sorry. It was out of my control."
Castillo's facial expression tightens as Ramirez mentions an apology on his return. She looks to him, then Alue, to gauge her reaction. Her mouth stays closed, electing to remain silent until Prina has had time to respond.At the mention of getting hurt, Prina's attention seems to be ripped from the bar tender to Ramirez. She openly looks him up and down and then back up again as if trying to find evidence of injury somewhere. "hurt? Are you alright now?" she asks him.
Your emotional state of "seems panicked for a moment, then he calms down." is broadcast to those around you.
Ramirez blinks rapidly for a moment, then his brows lift as he looks between the two. "Oh. Well, as pretty much?" AS much as he tries to hide the bitterness, there's a faint trace of it. "I'm medically disqualified from high-G spaceflight until approved by.." He makes air quotes with hisa fingers, and drops his voice to something comically officious, "...a Starfleet Medical flight status review board."
Castillo lets Ramirez explain the situation in his own way, despite looking like she wants to interject on his behalf. She holds off on trying to steer the conversation away again, thinking to herself again, not wanting to interrupt. Her body rocks forward off the back of the couch, leaning against the table with her stomach.
Alue studies Ramirez, then shifts her gaze to Castillo, then back to Ramirez. "Well, I'm sure they wouldn't have let you come back out here if you weren't fit for duty," she says, but her expression doesn't seem so certain. Sensing that this isn't the right time or place to be talking about the subject, she simply adds, "If you need anything, you know where to find us. Right, Luz?" she nudges the other woman with her elbow.
Ramirez glances to Luz, frowns, and shakes his head. He doesn't really seem sad, truth be told. Resigned more like. "It's not a bad thing, really, Prina. A path closed. Another one opened. I'm fit for duty. Just not in a fighter." He nods his head a moment later, then sips his drink. "I know where to find you both." He looks between the two. Then he looks solely to Luz. "Okay. Next time, Luz? Kick me in the shins, or something, when I get all....Spanish. I'm going to start brooding all over you both soon."
Ramirez adds. "But I'll look good doing it, no?"
Castillo nods in agreement with Alue's statement, the nudge forcing her attention to Ramirez to state, "Absolutely." She listens to his response, leaning back once more. "I don't think you want me kicking at your shins." Her foot wiggles unseen. "It's made of steel." It's a joke. Or is it? "Better just to keep the spirits high in the first place." She suggests.
Just then the bar tender comes over and greets Prina with a smile, bending down to peck her on the cheek. "My shift is over. Are you ready to go?" He waves to the other two at the table and gives them each a brief, but warm, welcome.
Alue smiles and gets to her feet. "I'm ready if you are," she says to him, then addresses her companions. "I'll see you both around. Luz, let me know when you want me to stop by." She links arms with the bar tender as she pats Ramirez on the shoulder with her other hand. "Good to have you back," she says, then waves goodbye and allows herself to be escorted out of the lounge. She laughs in response to something the bar tender says just as they step out into the corridor, then she's gone. Her mostly full drink sits forgotten on the table.
Lieutenant Alue goes Out.
Ramirez looks over to Luz, laughing openly. "They're cute together. She's smitten." He nods towards the door, adding, "I should probably go, too." After a moment, he looks back, though, adding, "Thanks, Luz. I needed this. Didn't even know I did."
Castillo lets out an amused noise at Ramirez's remark about Alue. She doesn't move from the seat, seeming to be OK with sitting in the booth for eternity. "Don't be too quick to thank me." Her comment is made with a shrug. "You owe the both of us a song now, a bit of guitar next time."
Ramirez snaps his fingers, then points to her as he stands smoothly and downs the rest of his drink. The glass touches the surface of the table with a faint *tink.* "So noted. Now I just need to learn to play in the next couple of week." His teeth flash brightly. "Okay. I need to be off, Luz. I need to go down to my office and review duty logs." The shudder looks all too real.
"Boooo!" Castillo gibes with a dismissive gesture, her disapproval at least partially fake. "Go do your logs then, why don't you?" She laughs while saying. "Just don't bring any thought of them here next time." Her direction is given with a look to the rest of the lounge. "Work free zone."
Ramirez nods, shortly. "Or anything duty-adjacent." He smiles brightly to her. "I get it. I get it. Message received." His smile is warm, genuine, and cut off as he turns towards the exit. Over his shoulder, he calls, "Night, Luz!" And then...he's gone.