Shenanigans

Posted on Mon Aug 19th, 2019 @ 7:39pm by Ensign Fiona O'Dell & Ensign Briaar Gavarus & Jaeih Dox-t'Aan
Edited on on Tue Aug 20th, 2019 @ 9:43am

Mission: Mudd on the Souls of Mankind
Location: USS Hera, Deck 10, Ten-Forward
Timeline: 2396

While they had been shuffling in stony silence when they had departed, by the time the test pilot pair of Gavarus and O’Dell returned from their enforced three-hour tour, they were back to their usual jovial, joking and easygoing selves once more.

The walls of isolation they had built around one another had been overcome, the two women had spoken frankly and faced their issues, and made a breakthrough in their relationship. Having acknowledged that while it was unconventional, theirs was indeed a relationship, and they were indeed a couple, they were now free to return to their traditional habits. Which meant wisecracking, snarking and gently jibing at one another, then nipping out to the pub off duty to get drunk, passing out together and waking up to do it all over again the next day.

This was the ‘wrap up the work day’ section of the day, which relieved their feathery inventor chief greatly. While the duo were unconventional and something of a disciplinary issue, they were also both unconventionally brilliant in their own way, hardworking if viewed from a specific angle, and dedicated to the project.

What they lacked in military discipline, they made up for in loyalty, both to the project and to the team. With their bond to one another restored, Mona Gonadie knew they would continue to turn in work above and beyond expectations, enabling her inventions to be put to the test in ways she never dreamed of, giving her data that would enable her to create wonders that would become the staples of 25th-century starship life.

Seeing the two joking and laughing on the flight deck did her heart good, because she knew her simple yet effective plan had succeeded. Which meant that all she needed to do in order for it to stay that way was to let them off early, which would likely mean a beeline to 10-Forward, or ‘the Pub’ as O’Dell referred to it.

Which, under ordinary circumstances, would most likely have been true. Save that apparently, having shaken off the melancholia of the past few days, the mischievous little leprechaun had a bit more deviltry up her sleeve, as she led the way off the turbolift on deck 8.

“The old gel’s got no friends, I dinna think. I mean, lookit her- she’s got a face that could stone a crow at twenty paces, she could freeze yuir blood with that stare and she talks like a disapproving schoolmarm. Plus she’s outside the rank structure and she’s Grandma Murder-Punch- what part’a that says ‘good drinkin company’, aye?” O’Dell explained to her porcine partner as she double-timed it to keep up with the longer stride of her porcine partner.

"No part. Absolutely nothing about what you described sounds like a good drinking partner." Gavarus replied, somewhat flabbergasted by the suggestion. "What about asking the Romulan Death Squad of one out for drinks strikes you as a good idea?"

“I think she’s lonely and she’d be willing, and it might give us the chance to play at some shenanigans, aye?" O'Dell tried to explain as she bounced along merrily. "Something other than our usual barroom trouble. And given that ye and me have been through a lot lately, we need to blow off steam and get into a wee bit ‘a mischief. Who better ta help wi’ that than a canny old Romulan, aye?”

As she finished the sentence, the odd couple arrived at the door of the VIP quarters where the Intelligence asset in question was housed, and as O’Dell spoke the words ‘canny old Romulan’ the doors slid open to revel the personage in question herself. In truth, she had been planning to go out for an errand, but the sudden discovery of the two troublemakers on her doorstep gave her pause.

Looking up from the PaDD in her hand, Jaeih Dox raised an eyebrow as she looked over the unlikely pair waiting at her door. Gavarus had an awkward, half toothed grin that said 'please don't hit me' on her face while O'Dell looked as chipper as always. Letting out a slight sigh, the elder Romulan Intelligence asset commented flatly. "What is it now? Commandeering the Hera to go for a 'beer run'? Planning on stealing the Banshee to get something off of a particularly high shelf?"

“Nae, nothin’a the sort, Mrs. Dox! besides, I got Gavarus for high shelves, eh?” O’Dell nudged her porky partner in the spare ribs as she grinned ear to ear, her best cheery expression of innocence that was of course completely lost on the dour-faced Romulan. “We come to invite ye to come oot to the pub with us! Git ye oot’a yuir quarters and have a bit’a fun, get ye involved in some mischief and shenanigans wi’ people who aren’t as smart as ye, aye?” Eyes wide open and an idiot’s grin plastered on her face, O’Dell practically sold her point.

Looking down at O'Dell with an exasperated expression, then up at Gavarus who only smiled more broadly and nervously as a result, the gray-clad Romulan sighed slightly and looked back down to O'Dell. "Now why, Ensign, would I engage in such a practice that serves only to implicate myself in... how did you put it... shenanigans? Really?"

"Because ye’re bored, and the smartest woman in the room whereivvir ye go, and everybody’s either scared of ye or they dinna want ya take the time ta know ye and raising a pint wi’ a pair of fools will amuse ye fuir an evenin!" O'Dell responded without missing a beat.

Cricking an eyebrow, Jaeih looked down at the diminutive test pilot with an appraising expression. "Appealing to my ego through flattery? How delightfully intel-minded of you. We simply must channel that cunning and put it in the field. Still, it would be an amusing diversion to watch those who take… issue with me squirm a hair."

"See, now you’ve got it! Plus, ye get to raise a pint and not be drinking alone, aye?"

"Very well. If it will cease your protestations, I yield."

"Nae, I kin keep caterwaulin all night! But aye, let's be off!"

"Oh, lovely. a plethora of reasons to say yes. This is my 'happy' face." Jaeih's expression remained stony and unchanged.

“I kin tell. Ye’re practically glowin wi’ joy!” O’Dell grinned, but turned to bustle off toward the turbolift, assuming the others were in tow. Looking up at Gavarus, the merry Mariposian beamed a smile. “See? I toldye she’d be oop for some good-natured shenanigans. How can a Romulan resist mischief, aye?”

Tucking her PaDD into the back pocket of her pants, Jaeih sighed and stepped behind the pair. "I can't wait to hear what else Romulans are like. This should be illuminating."

Walking with a quicker pace, Jaeih walked past the nervously quiet Gavarus to keep pace with O'Dell. "Breathe, Ensign. You survived. We shall see how the rest of the evening goes."

"What? I... I'm fine? What?" Gavarus protested weakly. "Ugh, I already need a drink."

“Aye, but that’s all the time!” the little lass larked, taking Gavarus' large calloused three-fingered hand and patting it affectionately before turning to the middle-aged dour-faced Romulan. “Well, they’re clever by half and aces at hidin’ things. And bally at keepin’ secrets. Plus their barberin’ is second only to the Vulcans, aye?” While she’d been complimentary through it all, she snuck in the mild barb at the end to see how the intelligence operative would take it. After being depressed and mopey for what seemed like forever, O’Dell was ready to kick up her heels tonight, and in such spirits she was definitely feeling her oats.

"Well, now I know what to do to you when you've passed out drunk, since you are such an admirer of the standard Romulan military cut." Jaeih said flatly as they arrived at the turbolift. For her part, Gavarus let out a snort of a laugh at the visual that implied.

“Oh aye. Be like shearin’ a sheep tryin’ ta make me mop ‘a curls do that precision thing yuirs does. Guid luck to ye on that one, aye? Ye’d hae better luck getting Gavarus’ hair ta behave,” O’Dell shot back as they stepped into the turbolift. Nudging the tall Tellarite, O’Dell frowned. “Y’alreet? S’matter? She’s nae g’win ta murder-punch us, she’s joost comin out for a pint, like one of the girls, aye?”

"I'm fine! I am. Really!" Gavarus protested, convincing nobody as the three stepped into the turbolift.

"She'll relax at some point, or I'll drug her until she does. I have... techniques." The former Tal'Shiar operative quipped, grinning ever so slightly as Gavarus tensed up again. "And as for that mop, you would be astounded to see what I managed with my daughter's curly red hair when she was young. I tamed that, I can tame this. Frankly, I'm thinking of it as a challenge now. And we Romulans also love those. Deck ten." As she spoke, her tone never shifted from a completely serious one as the lift doors closed and they began the short trip to Ten-Forward.

"Alreet. Then here's the plan, O Mistress Of Spies. We need a conjob, a game of werewolf that'll keep everyone on their toes all night jumping at the bit, Me thought is we play 'who's the Romulan infiltrator?' while ye sit there boldfaced in the bar sippin yuir wee pale blue cocktail and smilin at people."

The doors of the turbolift hissed open, and the trio spilled out into the waiting queue for 10-Forward, which was apparently busy for the dinner crowd as the only restaurant and bar if you didn't want to eat in your quarters or at your station or in the mess halls.

Which wasn't nearly as important as coming together to have a drink.

Throughout the galaxy it was understood- if you came together and raised a glass, you were basking in a glow, making memories, telling tales and doing regrettable things. But if you drank alone, you were just a miserable drunk. And if you did that more than a few times, you needed to get out. If you worked a high-pressure job with lives on the line and precision called for at all times... you might need a little stress relief.

Which was why pubs, taverns, community houses and mead halls existed throughout the galaxy. Where you found civilization, it found a way to poison itself enough to get off on it to relax. To bask, make memories, tell tales and make regrets. The Federation recognized it, and created Synthehol, the artificial alcohol substitute whose effects could be shaken off as an act of will with no ill effects. A penalty-free guilty pleasure that had no consequence in place of the toxins of yore... let people still, in equal amount, requested the real thing, across the galaxy.

Which said something about the sentient experience.

Which was what brought the unlikely trio of troublemakers out to the Starfleet sanctioned watering hole tonight. To bask, make memories, tell tales and make some regrets.

"Werewolf?" Jaeih replied quizzically thinking of the ancient Earth myth. "And you will have to explain a bit further as there are only two Romulans even on this ship, so I don't see how there will be much mystery here."

Relaxing just enough to finally start talking, Gavarus replied first. "Well, it’s a game. Like 'Clue'. You might not even be the Romulan infiltrator. But you're really good at @#$&ing with people, so it will keep everyone guessing. Right, Fee?"

“Aye, that’s how it works. See, the idea of the game is one person is the werewolf, in this case the Romulan Infiltrator, but nobody knows who it is, so everybody has to guess. Because the Infiltrator will joost pretend to be a Crewman. Everybody simulates the passing of the night by closing their eyes, which is when the real infiltrator indicates to their victim that they’ve struck and turned a crewman into another infiltrator, aye? Then tis the crew’s job to figure out who’s the Infiltrators and who’s the Crewmen.” O’Dell paused for another long breath before launching into more explanation.

“So the Infiltrator’s objective is to eliminate all the Crewmen, while the crewmen vote on who they think is the infiltrator. So, it’s all people accusing one another and deciding who to ‘arrest’ as the infiltrator. Sometimes when an Infiltrator frames a Crewman, the other Infiltrator will also vote for that Crewman so that they’re voted out of the game. Infiltrators may also try to frame different crewmen during one day but then vote for the same player. When Infiltrators say one thing but vote another way it’s easy for them to reveal their identity because they know who’s on their team and the Crewmen don’t. So tis all a game of paranoia and misdirection and lies and stupidity that’s joost that mush worse with liquor involved, aye?”

Noting the less than enthusiastic reaction to the proposed game, she shrugged. “Or we could just rumor monger aboot the bar and tell people yuir there on a secret mission and let the drunks in the bar draw their own conclusions…?” O’Dell, ever the mistress of simple bar games, boiled it down to something far more likely to evidence cooperation from the barely tolerant Romulan agent.

"You realize that all of these games seem custom-designed to obliterate any trust I may ever hope to engender here with the crew." Jaeih posited to the diminutive Maraposian red-head. "That said, what rumor were you thinking of... mongering ?"

That particular line of logic stopped the tiny test pilot dead in her tracks as she realized that it would indeed be sowing genuine dissent and distrust of the Romulan woman amongst the crew, and increasing racial tensions. As her pale freckled face turned a rather bright shade of red, the confidence and outgoing expressiveness of a moment ago vanished like steam as the little lass looked to all the world like a guilty child. “I dinna… I’m sorry, mum. I thought it’d be a lark fuir ye to get oot and mess wi’ people an’ I, ah, I dinna consider that we’d be… m’sorry, mum.”

Looking down, Jaeih raised an eyebrow again and smirked. "Oh, calm down, Ensign. I can only stomach one anxious drinking companion for the evening." As she then glanced exaggeratedly up at Gavarus, who was largely just standing there trying unsuccessfully to look comfortable around the woman of whom she was still clearly a bit afraid.

"There are a variety of diversions we can enjoy at the expense of the assembled crowd, and I truthfully am less concerned with my own reputation, as I am that such things might reflect back upon your Lieutenant." In that moment, Jaeih's tone shifted slightly more serious, but just for a moment. "Have you ever played 'Whispers'?"

“Nae, but I’m allays up to play a new game!” O’Dell’s eyes once again alit with mischief at the prospect of the rascally Romulan actually showing them some deviltry instead of pointing out the foolhardiness of their choices. “How d’ye play?”

Without hesitation, Jaeih leaned over to Gavarus who flinched slightly at the attention. "Ensign Gavarus, listen carefully." Then she cupped her mouth and whispered into Gavarus' ear ever so faintly.

"When falls the harvest moon upon the amber seas of my longing childhood, I reminisce of days gone by and days best left forgotten." Then she straightened back up and spoke normally.

"Now, tell Ensign O'Dell what I just told you." Jaeih said flatly as she folded her hands behind her back.

"Uh... wait, what? Uh... right. Okay." Gavarus, confused, leaned over and whispered in O'Dell's ear, side-eyeing the slightly smirking Romulan while they all continued to wait in the queue for Ten-Forward. "Uh... When the harvest moon sets on the... amber seas of my... longitude, I remember the good old days and forget... something. I think."

Then Jaeih simply looked at O'Dell, half-lidded and tilted her head at the pint-sized pilot.

The crimson brows knitted together in the middle of her forehead and O’Dell murmured, “When the harvest moon sees me on the amber sets of me longitude, I remember ye good old days and forget me somethinorother? I dinna get it…”

"The phrase, in this case, is meaningless. Just designed to confuse poor Miss Gavarus, I'm afraid." Jaeih patted Gavarus on the shoulder playfully. "But what I actually said was, 'When falls the harvest moon upon the amber seas of my longing childhood, I reminisce of days gone by and days best left forgotten.'"

Then Jaeih looked around at those in line then back to O'Dell. "Memorization was a key lesson for me as an intelligence operative. This was something of a game to test retention and also to acquire clues about the other individuals in the chain. You start a story, true or not, and spread it to someone else. Then wait to see what the story becomes upon its return. You reveal much about those around you. How attentive they are, what they're willing to believe, and what their own prejudices cause them to hear and reinterpret. Say something innocent and it comes back perverse or disturbing, and it lets you know what others think of the subject of the sentence."

"Plus, add alcohol to the mix and it's likely to evolve in truly bizarre directions." Jaeih added with a smirk.

Seeing the deep and abiding potential for mischief in the game, a wide and wicked grin spread across the face of the crimson-capped moppet. “Shenanigans!”

Without waiting any further, O’Dell tugged on the sleeve of the nearest crewman, motioned for them to come down to her level, then whispered in his ear. He looked at her, befuddled, then she motioned for him to go on, and he turned to his waiting compatriots who were getting in, and leaned into one to whisper in their ear.

“There ye go… tis begun!” O’Dell beamed with misbegotten pride.

"The... unbridled glee you are taking in this is truly awe-inspiring, Ensign O'Dell. You would have made an exceptional Romulan." Jaeih commented dryly as she looked around subtly on the faces of those in the queue trying to get a bead on the tone of the crowd based on what Fiona had said.

"Leaning down slightly, Gavarus chimed in. "So, what did you say, Fee?"

"I told 'em I heard Command was doin' some kinda test in 10-For'd tonight, so to pass it on. Simple an' vague, open ta misinterpretation," the little leprechaun muttered. Gavarus had reasonably sensitive ears, and O'Dell had a hunch that nothing escaped Misses Pointy Ears over there, and from the way she cocked an eyebrow at what she'd said, the Bringloidian babe suspected her suspicions were confirmed.

"Excellent." Jaeih replied, without looking at the duo, instead focusing at the crewmembers three behind them in the queue. "This should be a legitimately fascinating social experiment. That petty officer is asking his companion if the tests have anything to do with the 'Thunderchicken' incident that wrecked the bar a few weeks ago."

It was at this point that a server came to the door and gestured to Jaeih, who was standing closest to the door. "One, ma'am?"

Looking the server up and down with an exaggerated, judgmental expression, Jaeih replied flatly. "Three. Myself and my companions." As she gestured to Gavarus and O'Dell, the Hera's resident odd couple and the notorious scourges of Ten-Forward who grinned in an exaggerated, cartoonish fashion in unison.

"Uh, okay. If you'll follow me, there's a table open in the port bow corner." The server replied nervously as he lead the extremely unlikely trio to their table.

"After you, Miss Gavarus."

"No no, after you, Miss O'Dell."

"Well, only if ye insist, Miss Gavarus."

"Oh, but I do, I do, Miss O'Dell."

With the comedy already in gear, the trio made their way across the spacious lounge, where they were being stuck in the corner, O'Dell noted with amusement. Usually the trouble twins liked to be close to the bar, but apparently, they were being seated according to the Rom Mom's preferences, which was in the quiet corner. Which might just be fun for a change while they worked at shenanigans... at least to start off.

They'd been through a rough patch of late, her and Briaar, and they were going to have some fun tonight, Fiona was determined. Bumping the hip of the big Tellarite with her shoulder, the picayune pilot beamed an encouraging smile up at her porcine pal, that hopefully relayed that she was happy to be there in the pub with her bestie.

Ever the Intelligence agent, the elder Mrs. Dox took note of the subtle shift in the duo's behavior as she turned to sit with her back towards the windows. She pulled her work PaDD from her rear pocket at set it on the table in front of her as she spoke to the attendant who was seating them. "One Kali-Fal for me. Authentic, if you please. Then attend my companions."

"Uh, I'm not actually your..." The young Efrosian man said before freezing, as Jaeih shot him a terse glare as she sat up a bit straighter. "Uh. Right, one Romulan Ale. And for you, Ladies?"

"Ooh, I'm a lady tonight. This is an upgrade." Gavarus smirked as she sat, flumping in her seat which she scootched a bit closer to O'Dell's. "Whiskey. Straight up. A double."

"Bring her a beer chaser ta go with it and you'll save yuirself a trip. And bring me a ha'pint a bitters. Dinnna worry, the bar knows me order. Get me a plate a'nachos, smothered, no bacon, and a cheese pizza, aye? Thankye kindly, ofdf wi'ye now, smartly, aye?" O'Dell grinned at the young man, who looked flustered, not being a server and also not being accustomed to her accent nor the length of her order or really, most of what had just been said tro him. The bartenders would replay the sensor logs at the bar, the translators would translate the order, and the replicators would get it right, as they always did.

Then an idea struck the manic moppet, and she bounced out of the booth. "I've me an idear! I shall return with tools and supplies!"

"Very well. Look inquisitive on your way out, my dear." Jaeih replied as O'Dell bounded away.

As she did, Gavarus stiffened up. She was now alone at the table with the intimidating Romulan woman who stared at the tubby Tellarite for just a moment. As she did, she picked up her PaDD and appeared to begin entering data. "Is there some reason you are afraid of me, Miss Gavarus? Not that I mind engendering fear as a reaction, as a general rule. It helps one get things done, after all. But in this case, it is a detriment to a functional working relationship."

The two-meter tall Engineer seemed to shrink ten centimeters in her seat as she squirmed under the question. "Uh... I don't... I'm not afraid, really. It's just..."

As Gavarus protested weakly, Jaeih quickly shot up straight and locked eyes with her from across the table. The sudden shift caused Gavarus to flinch slightly.

Embarrassed by her reaction, Gavarus sighed. "Yeah, okay. Fine. Yeah. You... You freak me out a little. I mean, we... Fee and me go to the ships gym every few mornings to exercise and every now and then we see... Uh... The Lieutenant training with the security team and... She... She kinda kicks the shit out of half of them more often than not."

"As she should. I taught her those skills from a very young age." Jaeih replied, matter-of-factly as her gaze fell back to her PaDD. Occasionally, she glanced up to stare at another crewmember before resuming her typing.

"Exactly. So if she can do that, I don't want to see what you can do. And... you both act the same. The... The death stares are... unnerving and..." Gavarus paused, noticing what Jaeih was doing. "Uh... What are you writing?"

Without breaking from her faux-activity, Jaeih replied quietly. "Absolutely nothing, Miss. Gavarus. But the thirteen crewmembers who have taken notice of my presence that I’ve caught staring now presume I am involved with the rumored ‘test’ that command is to be instituting. The Bolian at table six has been surmising that I am, in fact, a Romulan spy performing experiments on the crew. The three humans four tables behind you have been discussing how often I'm seen speaking with Commander Paris."

She then placed the PaDD down on the table and took on a more casual air. "Miss O'Dell picked a truly insidious mind worm to plant, and it has taken root quickly. But, as you well know, it is baseless. We invented the rumor. Thus my behavior is reinforcing it, based purely upon their own fears of the unknown and of authority in general. See a pattern?"

Raising an eyebrow at the twitchy Tellarite as she processed what was just said, it was clear she was still missing the point. So Jaeih sighed and elaborated. "Intimidation is a poor command style that I hope my daughter grows beyond with Commander Paris' tutelage. But neither she nor I will ever lay a hand on you, nor any member of this crew. I am stern, because that is my nature, but I would not have accepted this invitation if I disliked you, Miss Gavarus. You are perceiving a threat where none exists, based upon incomplete data. Exactly like the subjects of our little game here. So please, relax."

As the elder Dox finished, the boisterous Fiona O'Dell bounded back into area, stopping off at the table nearby. In her hands she bore a serving tray filled with a rack of test tubes all bearing tubes of liquid of various colors, some of which were already empty. While she chatted up the table, the inhabitants of said table made their choices, took their selections, drank them down and returned the empties to the rack, then she merrily bounced back to their table.

“Alreet! So I figured since twas all still awkward and all, I’d get us some shots! Plus the new lad’s prolly g’win ta be forever getting’ our order, so why wait. Thus, a shot of the pale blue ale fuir the scourge ‘a the spaceways here…” the feisty redhead handed the pale blue test tube over to the greying Romulan, in a dose that would likely lay a normal human out cold. “Fuir Briaar, a fine single malt Irish whiskey, I got ye a Bushmill’s ta try.” Handing over the test tube of the dark amber liquid, the little lass plucked out another pale blue cylinder for herself. “As fuir me, I got ta admit, I’m curious, so I got me a synthehol version of the blue stoof ta try, cuz I’m curious aboot the taste- everybody allays makes this face, ye know?”

Holding her test tube aloft, the professional pub crawler beamed a smile at her partners in crime for the evening. “Here's ta getting inta some shenanigans!”

"Very well. To... shenanigans." Jaeih said conceding as she raised her tube then took a light sip to taste it, nodding with the hint of mild approval. Then Gavarus threw back the test tube in one quick shot and grimaced as it went down.

"@#$%ing A, that's the good shit, Fee! To Shenanigans." The temperamental Tellarite exclaimed as her cheeks flushed ever so slightly.

"So, I observed you interacting with the crew. Anything interesting to report, Ensign O'Dell?" Jaeih asked as she returned to her routine of pretending to study the crew, staring intensely at a pair of science officers who had been muttering to themselves before nervously freezing at Jaeih's glare.

“Nah. Joost make’s ‘em more suspicious that I’m comin aboot offerin shots, because is it part ‘a the test? Should they take one? Should they not? Once ye start paranoia oop, everything gets it goin!” The pixie pilot took a tiny taste of the tart contents of the test tube, then sucked her cheeks in. “Holy mary mutheragawd, that’s the most sour thing I ivvir put inta me mouth! Briiar, ye got ta try this!” Without hesitation, the little lass handed over the remainder of the drink to her porcine partner, clearly expecting her to have no qualms about the unsanitary nature of sharing germs.

Smirking ever so lightly, Jaeih commented as Gavarus took the test tube and chugged it down. "Kali-Fal is an endurance trial as much as it is a beverage, Miss O'Dell. What say you, Miss Gavarus. Have you the stomach for it?"

Squinching her face up as if she had just sucked on a lemon that was angry at her, Gavarus shook her head as she put the vial back in the holder. "Yeah, no. If I want to poison myself, I want to enjoy myself doing that. That tastes like it WANTS to hurt me. Damn... respect!"

Jaeih scoffed as she smirked and finished her tube of the real deal. "Well, I have been doing my part to both sow additional confusion and get your... friend... here to unclench herself. That said, what are you two to each other? Your... dynamic seems... different from when we first met?"

Glancing at Gavarus then back to the stern Romulan woman, O’Dell handed over another whiskey shot to the still-suffering Tellarite, then she shrugged sheepishly. “She’s… we’re… I dunno. She’s me partner, ye know? Me best friend, me mate. She’s the first one I think aboot and the last one I think aboot. I’d take the fall for her, I’d introduce her to me parents.”

As the words began tumbling out, O’Dell picked up another test tube of whiskey, took a very small sip, winced, then handed the remainder over to Gavarus as the words began tumbling out faster. “I’ll nae let innyone disrespect her, and her happiness is important to me. We’re… well, we’re nae quite sure what that makes us because I’m… me, and I’m nae what ye might describe as exactly… ye know. We’re still tryin’ ta figure it oot, and tonight’s the first night ‘a that, and… I prolly shouldnae brought ye along, but ye’re a crabby old lady and I like ye because ye’re nae bullshit, and I thought maybe it might make things a bit less awkward between us if we had somebody else ta play off of, and I figured maybe if we got oop to some mischief and got proper drunk then maybe it’d work itself oot, and ye’re like, a professor of mischief, so…”

Looking a bit self-conscious, O’Dell had run out of explanation, and looked to Gavarus for some help.

"What're you lookin' at me for? I can't explain it any better? I guess we're girlfriends... or something... Right?" Gavarus muttered, looking around for the server to bring their drinks to help take the edge further off.

As she did, their actual server appeared from the back with their orders on a tray and brought them over to the table to set them down. "Here you go, ladies. Will there be anything else at this time?

"I'm going to make an assumption and say double her order now. She needs it," Jaeih said with a grin, pointing to the flustered Tellarite as she took her glass of Kali-Fal. For her part, as the server left rolling her eyes, Gavarus took a big swig of her whiskey.

Continuing, Jaeih followed up. "So, you are a couple, but newly minted and unconsummated? Which I am gathering is not on your personal sensors as an option? And I am here this evening to somehow make this revised status quo... LESS awkward. You were right, Miss O'Dell. This promises to be a VERY interesting evening."

“Ah aims ta please,” O’Dell muttered as she tipped up her small mug of dark room temperature beer, taking gulp after gulp of it until she had drained nearly half the contents. Once she’d accomplished that, she clambered up onto the bench seating to park herself close beside Gavarus, to grab for a cheese covered nacho. “As fuir the consummation part, the less said aboot that the better. Ah mean, lookit me fer a minnit and use yuir imagination ta connect the dots, aye?”

"One moment." Jaeih said as she leaned over to address the table next to them in the busy room staring blankly. "Pardon me, Petty officer? May I ask what it is you're drinking?"

"Uh... Synthale? Why?" The confused human maintenance crewman looked first at the stern Romulan with a PaDD in her hand who was staring at him, half lidded.

"Oh, no reason. I was simply curious. Please, continue. Thank you." Then Jaeih leaned back to a normal sitting posture, punching in her PaDD while side-eying the glass in the crewman's hand. Immediately, he looked down at the glass, back to Jaeih and then set the drink down amd began whispering to the others at the table.

Looking back to O'Dell and Gavarus, she turned her PaDD to show all was on the screen was a screen saver of the Hera mission badge and the time.

"Now, to the topic of the two of you, I make neither judgment not assumptions. The details of your relationship are your own and none of my business." Jaeih said rather matter-of-factly as she raised an eyebrow and tilted her head at the nachos quizzically. "If you have found that person that occupies your thoughts, then you have something special. Take it from a 'crabby old lady'."

Lifting her glass, O'Dell broke into a lilting tune.

"Well, her eyes were joost as black an' dark
As rich Pike County coal
Yeah she was mean as the devil herself
God almighty knows
When she wept it rained black soot fer days and days on end
Across the land on the day she died
Came a hearty vein a gold"

"Aye, there's a lark, we cuild do Hera Rules Karaoke... s'somethin the senior officers started. Ye do a karaoke song, then when ye hand off the microphone, that person has to sing." Shoveling another nacho into her mouth, O'Dell indicated the pizza. "Ye should try a slice of the pizza afore Briaar gets it all. Tis nae bad here for a bar pizza."

It was abundantly clear that it took no time whatsoever for very little alcohol to work very quickly on the small humanoid, and she was already starting to feel the effects.

Pondering the strange lyrics of the song that certainly seemed directed at her, Jaeih raised an eyebrow at the Pizza before gesturing to Gavarus. "Don't let me stop you, Ensign. You may fire at will, Im not hungry."

Shrugging, Gavarus grabbed a slice I her thick three-fingered hand, beer mug in the other as she took a huge bite. "Works for me." She muttered through filled cheeks as she chewed.

Then, Jaeih turned back to O'Dell. "I assure you, I... do not... sing."

"Ach, dinna be that way, ye great stone face," O'Dell beamed a happy buzzed smile at the scowling Romulan woman. "Everybody sings. I'll bet ye sang sweet lullabyes to yuir wee bairn afore she was born, and I'll bet ye sang silly songs ye made oop as a girl before ye knew others would mock ye fuir it. But tis alreet, alreet, I wasnae threatenin' ye wi' a good time, Madame Secret Agent. Surely ye know by now she and me, we're nae the threatenin type. Particularly not to people who threaten to do stuff to us in our sleep and make it sound believable aye?"

While she might have dwelled on the excellent point she'd made, O'Dell blew past it, clearly already sliding past buzzed and straight into drunk as her midget metabolism was quickly overwhelmed by the five ounces of beer and a few tiny sips of whiskey and Romulan Ale she'd imbibed in the past five minutes. "But nivvir ye worry, I was joost thinkin that some karaoke with on the spot pressure might be joost the thing ta make nervous folks craaaaazy nervous enough for proper hilarity to ensue. So noow all I need is a wee bit more beer, maybe a another nacho or two, and joost the right song...".

Sighing, Jaeih turned to Gavarus and countered, "Is she always this… pleasantly insistent?"

But by then, Gavarus had finished her double whiskey, the remainder of the test tubes and 90% of her beer and her demeanor was decidedly more relaxed as she replied, "What do you mean, 'she'? We're a WE, lady, and WE totally think you need to get your sing on."

Slightly taken aback at how dramatically Gavarus's tone had shifted with a little alcohol, Jaeih raised an eyebrow realizing that her attitude held no sway over these two while they were drinking as the tipsy Tellarite kept talking.

"N' we know for a FACT that Lieutenant MurderPunch absoLUTEly rocks at this shit! N' you both have kinda deeper, gravely voices." Then Gavarus leaned over and tapped O'Dell repeatedly. "OOOH, OOOH! She could do something creepy like 'Total Eclipse of the…' No! No! 'I put a Spell on you'!"

"OPHMAHVHRIRISTJAYSIS that's bluiddy brilliant Briiar!" Hopping up onto the seat, O'Dell high-fived the hooved handygal, then looked about manically. "Alreet, I got ta start it off though, because I'm an officer and so that means I've authority and alla that rot. So, let's see, where's the DJ booth? Bound to be some sorta multistation hereabouts. I think it's multimedia- I wasnae here but Doc Dael's performance of 'We Will Rock You' was still makin' the rounds when we came aboard. That shite's legendary, mate! Sooooo, deejay booth and Ah need ta figure oot what ta sing..."

Turning suddenly to eye Gavarus, eye to eye for a change, O'Dell's eyebrows quirked together and her eyes misted up a bit. "Aye, Ah know the song. Where kin Ah find a mic and a terminal, or do Ah need to talk to a bloody human?"

Dropping from a stand to flat on her ass with surprising nimbleness, the bench seating of the lounge was sufficient to protect the bony butt off the tiny terror of 10-Forward. Grabbing her half imperial pint glass with both hands like a child, she took a couple more small swallows, bracing herself a bit for what a fool she was about to make of herself.

Maybe a few more sips of beer.

Stifling a chuckle, Jaeih took another sip of her drink as she watched O'Dell's alcoholically induced struggles. When she had been invited along, she initially agreed somewhat reluctantly in spite of her bourgeoning respect for the R&D department officers.

They had bent over backwards and risked their own careers just to protect the integrity of Jaeih's daughter-in-law, and she had to acknowledge that effort in spite of their unusual demeanors.

But now she was seeing them in their element and was beginning to understand the two a bit more and why they were drawn to each other. Like many good couples, they were both broken in the same way and Jaeih couldn't help but recognize that.

"Ensign, if she cannot walk, will she be able to sing?" Jaeih leaned over to ask Gavarus with a hint of actual, if minor, concern in her voice.

Waving her now empty beer mug at the passing server who simply nodded and rolled her eyes, Gavarus snorted. "Are you kidding? Fee can, and HAS, sung in her SLEEP! she's got this, once we get the thingies. The equipment."

While the two had literally only officially become a 'couple' that very day, they had passed out drunk in each other's quarters more than enough to give them quite the familiarity with each others more interesting habits. A moment later, the server returned with a tray filled with renewed drinks for the entire party, clearly not new to serving the drunken pair. As she did, Jaeih raised a finger and cleared her throat as she gestured the server over.

"Pardon me, but the Ensigns were wishing to inquire as to the location of the… Karaoke… equipment." Jaeih asked with a flat expression that made it clear that nobody was asking for permission, just the equipment.

For a moment, while Gavarus snatched up her my for a swig, the server looked anxiously at the freshly drunk pair, trying to find a ground to object, but she flinches slightly as Jaeih simply cleared her throat, raised her hand and gestured her on her way with a wag of her fingers.

"Tell the deejay Ensign O'Dell's callin' Hera Rules Karaoke, joost like the senior officers declared it. And get ready, cuz I got me a song in me wee tiny heart and I'm g'win ta belt it oot. So I'll need ta program a thing or two. Alreet, m'off. Oh, wait-" the moppet held out her hand for the secret agent's PaDD. "I've got a wicked idea fur a song fer ye, but twould help if ye'd heard it first, aye?"

Not like she could likely unlock the PaDD in her drunken state, or sober, given that the intelligence analyst was a cryptography expert, and O'Dell's specialty was all in the reflexes. But the pint-sized pilot was still trying to offer the grumpy grandma to be the chance to play along.

Sighing, Jaeih slid open the access code and begrudgingly handed her now unlocked PaDD to O'Dell. "Indeed. I had to sound proof Mnh... my daughter's... quarters on our ship growing up once she discovered your planets music, but it is... NOT something I have ever familiarized myself with."

"S'nae my planet, mum. I'm from Miraposa, which is out past the Breen confederacy. There's been talk me whole life of goin back to Bringliodi to recolonize, now trhaty the solar flares have died doown. But the Brinbgloidians are nothing if not a lazy people, and they've not yet gotten round to getting a spacecraft for it, nore settling tools or supplies, and they still need to mend the garden fence, and so on. Earth music is instilled in s'many of us because our people are colonists who originated there, in my case. Then we go to Starfleet Academy there, which is something of a four year, or six in me case, of Earth culture and Starfleet livin."

"My apologies, Ensign." Jaeih said with a slightly amused expression. "In my defense, regardless of your origin, you are... aggressively human, my dear. But also, exceedingly interesting. What did you have in mind?"

"Somethin' appropriately dramatic fuir a spy, mum, that inspires paranoia, and ought ta be easy enough, as tis slow and easy enough fuir yuir vocal range. Plus I think ye'll have fun with it... it kinda speaks a ye ta me." The little lass handed the PaDD back over, with the song brought up, in the arrangement of the artist she had in mind. Nina Simone's 'I put a spell on you'.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ua2k52n_Bvw

"Alrett. This'n's fuir ye, Briaar... aye?" Fiona beamed a little shy smile at Gavarus, then she bounced out of the booth to go chase down her server, who was hypothetically setting up her improvised interruption of the dinner crowd's quiet evening tonight.

While the unflappable Mrs. Dox began playing the file at an audio level low enough for ears only as sensitive as hers to hear from any kind of distance, the old-school Intel officer grinned ever so slightly. She didn't quite know why she so readily went along with O'Dell's various little plans, and yet there she was.

As Jaeih listened, Gavarus took a swig of her beer with a nervous expression. "Uh... What's for me? I don't get it?"

Sighing slightly, Jaeih rolled her eyes with a better than decent idea of what kind of message Fiona O'Dell just might have in mind for her Porcine partner. "Oh, you'll figure it out, Miss Gavarus."

A few moments later, a pedastol rose from the center station that served as the 'entertainment complex substation' of the Starfleet designed and equipped lounge, which of course had full holoemitters... thus as the lights dimmed and a spotlight came up over the diminutive figure seated on a stool, with a guitar in her lap and a microphone in a stand in front of her.

Clad in a bright emerald green A-line evening dress, the small singer wore something of a poodle skirt and green and black checker patterened heels that matched the rather large bow pulling her hair back into two large victory rolls. O'Dell looked classic, although from no clearly defined era; yet somehow she managed to appear mature, with makeup and an actual dress on that made her appear cute, if not womanly.

"Good evenin, crew of the Hera, various dignitaries and guests. I'm Ensign Fiona O'Dell, and this is Hera Rules Karaoke. Now, this is a tradition that was started by our own Chief medical officer Doctor Dael, whom eye all know, aye? Noow, the rules are simple. If ye get handed the microphone from the last person who sang, ye have ta sing. Ye have one minute to pick a song and program whativver special effects or costumes ye'll need, but when tise time thje the musice starts, if ye dinna sing... ye've broken the sacred rules of Hera karaoke, and what's the good Doctor g'win ta think that their tradition was so easily brushed aside, and by the likes a' you?" O'Dell peered around the room pugnaciously, in a silent challenge to those who would efile such a sacred barroom tradition.

"10-Forward staff says when it shuts down, and ye dinna have ta sing well. ye dinna have ta make it a song and dance number. bet if ye getr the mike, for weal or woe, tonight- ye sing. Aye?" There was no reaction from the crowd, so O'Dell leaned in and said, "I dinna hear ye. I said, Aaaaaye?""

A few of the crowd murmured their assent, without much enthusiasm.

"Oh ain't you lot a load a fun. Alreet, well foine. I'll start us off, and show ye that ye dinn hafta be amazing. Sometime ye joost hafta be yuirself, aye?" With that, O'Dell began strumming the guitar, which as the plinky sound emerged it became evident that the reason it looked like a guitar in the lap of the stunted O'Dell because it was in fact a ukelele. As she plunked at the chords it, she began to sing, in a gentle, lilting voice, free of most of her brogue.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5V9-Rd2IHZg

When the night has come
And the land is dark
And the moon is the only light we'll see
No I won't be afraid, no I won't be afraid
Just as long as you stand, stand by me

So darlin', darlin', stand by me, oh stand by me
Oh stand by me, stand by me

If the sky that we look upon
Should tumble and fall
Or the mountains should crumble to the sea
I won't cry, I won't cry, no I won't shed a tear
Just as long as you stand, stand by me

The refrain repeated, but the message, the teensy troubadour hoped, had gotten through.

And her hope was answered as, at their table, the tubby Tellarite engineer was doing her level best to stop herself from openly tearing up at the sentiment. But with two double shots of Whiskey and most of two very large mugs of beer in her system, there was no hiding it as she bit her bottom lip in a shuttering grin.

Watching, Jaeih shook her head and smiled as she continued to review the song file on her PaDD. Glancing up, she waggled a tissue from the table at Gavarus. "Ensign. Your snout is... leaking. Attend it "

"Huh? SHIT!" Gavarus replied, embarrassed as she wiped her nose with a hork. "Shit. That's... shit." Still smiling, Gavarus was at a loss for words.

As O'Dell finished up with the sweet old song of days gone by, a timeless classic that had survived the ages, she hopped down off the stool, microphone in hand, and trotted through the politely applauding crowd, the single spotlight following her all the way back to the table. Which was where she offered the mic to the grey-haired Romulan woman they'd dragged along on their adventure for the evening with a sweet hopeful smile. "Ah believe the next round a'shenanigans is on you, mum? Sing yuir song, then hand it off to yuir best candidate, aye?"

Sighing slightly and curling her face into an irritated protest, Jaeih nonetheless took the microphone. "Very well. Who am I to disrupt... tradition… or besmirch the good doctor's legacy."

She stood up leaving the PaDD on the table. A lifetime of intel work had given the middle-aged Romulan woman an exceptional memory, and she felt confident that she had the lyrics committed to memory.

Back at the table, setting the ukulele on the table, O’Dell hopped back up into the booth and scooted over next to her bosom buddy. “Ah’m… nae vurrah good at a lot of this, because it’s all new to me. I’ve nivvir been a girlfriend before, I’m tryin ta get a grip on the labels, I guess? We were joost… mates, and we’re still what we were before, I still care aboot ye and I want ye happy and I want to be near ye and want ye near me, joost… I dinna know how ta say it right is all. But I do want ye to know I care, so… a song?”

Blinking up at the dark-eyed swine, the miniature moppet looked hopeful yet vulnerable. As indestructible as her confidence could be with a fighter craft wrapped around her or a number of drinks in her, O’Dell demonstrated far less security in her personal life, much of which was uncharted territory for her. She was used to people befriending her, getting to know her, her getting to like them, her helping them win over the girl or fella they were after, then O’Dell getting left behind, like the leprechaun who’d granted the wish, discarded when no longer needed for the happily ever after. Thus her relationship with briar Gavarus was one she was perpetually uncertain in as defin8itions were sought with which she was uncertain.

Sniffling as she looked down at Fiona, the porcine engineer wiped her snout again with the napkin and smiled broadly. "Yeah. That was... you're g... gonna have to give me a minute here, Fee. I'm trying not to start crying here in Ten frickin' forward. But... yeah. We got this. And I'm not going anywhere."

Leaning in against the much larger form of the emotional engineer, the little lass cuddled against the burly arm of her mate, content to be close, as that was what made her happiest.

As Jaeih then stepped into the center of the room, she cleared her throat and paused for a moment, muttering. "Mnhei'sahe is going to lord this over me forever. Sigh..." Realizing that while her daughter might only be the Chief of the Flight Control Department, that she had a habit of reviewing all of the Hera's security feeds and reports and would very likely see the security footage of what was about to transpire.

Then, as the music began, the salt-and-pepper haired operative squinted slightly and passed a judgmental glare across the entire assemblage and began. She didn't sing so much as speak in a drawled out tone that did, in fact, have a decidedly eerie tone, added only slightly by her reconstructing the son's contractions into their root words.

"I put a spell on you because... you are mine
You better stop the things that you do
I am not lying, no, I am not lying..."

The relatively short song seemed to drone on for much longer than it's actual run time as she stood, fixed in space, her eyes scanning the room as if she was performing the song for each person individually, as so kind of macabre premonition or evil promise. As she reached its end, a bizarre grin split her lips as she turned and nodded for approval from O'Dell, who stood on the table and applauded, a lone voice amongst the polite smattering of uncomfortable applause and greater whisperings that followed in the wake of the rather pointed song.

Without taking her eyes off of the crowd, Jaeih stepped back to their table and, in one motion, held the microphone over Gavarus' and bopped the emotional engineer lightly on the top of her head.

Looking up, Jaeih smirked lightly as she then dropped it in her prodigious lap. "Shiiiiit... I knew this was comin'." Gavarus grumbled. "This isn't fair. You both prepared for... crap. Okay, fine! I can do this!"

"Aye briar! it dinna matter if yuir good, it joost ,matters that ye try,m aye?" Go knock 'em dead!"" O'Dell cheered, trying to set the stage for success regardless of the results.

Groaning as she lifted her bulk from the seat, she reached over and snatched Jaeih's glass of Romulan Ale and chugged it down. "Gimmie that! AAAAAGGH! Sooo damn tart. @#$%!"

As she grimaced against the strong spirit, Jaeih actually let out a light chuckle of a laugh at the exaggerated display as Gavarus shook it off and stepped into the spotlight and called up a list of songs on her PaDD for a moment. "Okay... hold on. I got a minute to pick... just hold your shit."

"Okay! That frickin' works. Okay." The porcine tinkerer muttered as she looked up at the ceiling of the room and took a deep breath. "Okay... this is sooooo not subtle. Shit." She whispered as the music began and she did her level best to sing.

Gavarus' voice was cracked and broken sounding when she sang, like someone perpetually in puberty. It was a grating, unpleasant sound that warbled as she shut her eyes to avoid seeing anyone watch her.

"So she said what's the problem baby
What's the problem I don't know
Well maybe I'm in love (love)
Think about it every time
I think about it
Can't stop thinking 'bout it..."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ELdGlYrMpM

As she did her level best to get through the now-ancient 'Counting Crows' song, she began to choke herself up on the chorus,

"Accidentally
I'm in love, I'm in love,
I'm in love, I'm in love,
I'm in love, I'm in love,
Accidentally...

As she did, she skipped the entire last verse and panickingly let the music run out as she looked over at their table and Fiona O'Dell, who looked a bit broken as her big greed eyes were wide and blinking as the all-too-on point song hit home. She knew the legend of the children's fable of the ogre who was contracted to rescue a princess, who joined the ogre to live happily ever after with him as his bride. The analogy of the gruff and abrasive ogre and the redheaded princess who turned out to be more than a match for him. The fact that Gavarus had braved the microphone and sung a song that was so perfect for them, and admitted her feelings so publicly just made her heart swell, and Fiona O'Dell found herself feeling not unlike a princess, and somewhat unable to move or particularly form words at the moment.

Flagging down the server, Jaeih commented, "Refills, please. Or they may end up just staring at each other all night. Also, a tray of Osal twists for me, thank you."

As the server left to procure the order, the only member of the trio not currently having an emotional moment leaned over so that her face fell into Gavarus' line of sight as the porcine engineer was still standing awkwardly in the center of the room. "Ensign? Is anyone next?"

"Huh!? Wha?" Gavarus muttered as Jaeihs protestations snapped her out of her moment. As she did, she looked around the room to notice that most everyone was trying to look as if they hadn't noticed Karaoke was even happening. There was an almost aggressive degree of professional ignoring as the largely silent room had almost every patron in it actively eating or drinking at the exact same moment.

"Oh, @#$% you all, then. Frickin' killjoys." Gavarus scoffed as she dramatically held the mic up and let it drop as she walked back to the table just as the updated order and fresh drinks were arriving. Hesitantly, she sat back down next to Fiona, hoping she didn't make things any more awkward.

"Why didn't ye pick the next victim to keep it rollin, Briaar? Twas supposed to be part of the shenanigans, aye?" O'Dell asked softly, her cheeks flush with pink and a bit of a frazzled smile in place on her face. "I mean, no harm done, but... twas tradition, aye?"

For her part, Gavarus was even more flush pink and fidgeting, "I... I dunno. I just... I kinda just panicked I guess. Sorry. I didn't mean to kill the room."

"Fear not, my dear." Jaeih commented plainly. "Nobody in the room has died..." As she spoke, it was louder than normal as she leanded over and stared at the drink of the same crewmember she had questioned earlier. "...yet."

"Twas still sweet briaar, and it meant a lot to me... it was a vurrah lovely gesture aye?" Fiona beamed a smile at the flustered pig in space, trying to reassure her and focus on the important part- that she had serenaded her pal, whom had serenaded right back, and that both had been touched by the act of the other.

In the moment, Gavarus leaned in closer to O'Dell and smiled. Both had made gestures that were reciprocated and returned and both were feeling it as Jaeih raised an eyebrow, looking over their shoulders.

"It appears you forfeited the game a smidge early, Ensign Gavarus." The elder spy said flatly. Turning around the odd couple watched as a gold clad young man reached down to pick up the discarded microphone.

None of the trio recognized the thin, lanky human crewman as he nervously smiled and cleared his throat. He looked, at best, to be maybe twenty one at the most.

From the table he had come from, there were a few Snickers as a small group of similarly young crewmembers looked on as he started to speak, my at first, before working up some confidence, "H… Hi. Transporter technician, crewman second class, Chance Randall."

Then, to the surprise of the room, and Gavarus and O'Dell in particular, he flashed them a nervous smile and immediately began crooning 'Fly me to the Moon.'

"It appears you two started something." Jaeih commented flatly as she took a bit of one of her Osal Twists. "You continue to surprise. Does this evening satisfy your need for… shenanigans… so far, Ensign O'Dell?"

"Waaaahl let's see. I got to sing a sweet song to me girl, and she got up the gumption to sing one right back to me. I got the Great Stone Face herself to get up there and sing a song that made the whole room even more nervous and paranoid, even while we managed to get some proper karaoke rolling. People are drinking and talking, wondering what may be oop and tomorrow the rumors will be flyin... another round or two and I think we'll have accomplished what we set oot ta do!" O'Dell grinned as she leaned against Briaar's beefy arm, then reached for her mostly empty pint glass and took another sip of beer.

"What aboot ye, mum? Worth taking a chance to come out with the roustabouts and ne'er-do-wells to see how the other half lives?" O'Dell asked pointedly of the Romulan civilian Intel asset, whose ties to the Hera were deep, yet whose relationships were few.

Taking a sip of her Kali-fal, Jaeih gestured to the pair to sample one of the Osal Twists as she replied. "I would say that... the evening has been extremely... illuminating. And... not entirely unpleasant. You are both skilled at your jobs, care about one other and your co-workers, and have decidedly bizarre ideas of how to relax. But I can respect that."

As she spoke, Gavarus grabbed one of the Romulan treats and took a bite. As she did, her face scrunched up. "This is FRUIT?! How in the hell is it so frickin' tart?! I swear to gods, no wonder you people don't know how to smile. Your TREATS are all like PUNISHMENTS to eat! Seriously, what the @#$%!"

Letting a legitimate laugh out, Jaeih was, in fact, smiling. "Oh, we know how to smile. You are eliciting a good amount of it this evening, Miss Gavarus." She then turned back to O'Dell and nodded slightly, "So, that said. I thank you for the invitation."

“Won’t be the last one ye get, Lady Grey,” the bright-eyed banshee promised. After all, when seeking to enact shenanigans, who better to seek them with than a canny old Romulan?