Nip To The Pub After Work

Posted on Wed Dec 4th, 2019 @ 8:42am by Ensign Fiona O'Dell & Ensign Briaar Gavarus
Edited on on Wed Dec 18th, 2019 @ 12:24am

Mission: Neutral Zone Neutrality
Location: USS Hera, Deck 10, Ten-Forward
Timeline: 2396
Tags: Hera Kids

The battle was over- there was no intercept course to plot because they dove into a nebula, which only a mad person would do. Which Fiona O'Dell herself had just done repeatedly, she reminded herself she'd been waiting to lay in a course when the Captain cycled off the bridge, and apparently that's how Bridge duty went after a battle- the order went out to call their relief, and everyone on bridge duty had been relieved.

Which meant it was time for O'Dell to collect her partner and their adorable babe, and head for the pub. Whether it was to be a celebration or a dirge remained to be seen, but Fiona was determined to get a whiskey drink and a lager drink. She'd sing the songs the remind her of the good times, she'd sing the songs that remind her of the bad times. But as she bobbed along in the corridor headed to Gavarus' quarters, O'Dell hummed the merry song of Chumbawumba, because she was rather happy to be alive today.

Strolling in through the automatically opened door, long ago programmed to recognize her, Fiona came in singing. "Ohhhhh, Danny boyyyy..."

Sitting on the floor, on a cow-patterned rug Gavarus had manufactured for her, Minerva Moo was parked on her diapered rear, with simple engine parts that had been cleaned and sterilized arrayed about her. Simple blocks and games she had passed through quickly, so Briaar had taken to showing her disassembly and reassembly of simple machines. When she wasn't chewing on the parts, Minnie was learning quickly. Scooping the joyful toddler up with a grunt of exertion, O'Dell continued singing as she swept into the quarters.

"Ah git knocked doown, boot Ah git oop agin, cain nivvir g'win at keep meh doown..." taking the furry toddler's delicately hooved hand in her own with the babe parked on her hip, Fiona danced with the delighted child, serenading her with one of the drinking ballads of her people.

The delighted Minotaur baby squealed with delight at the antics of her returning other mother, as the last piece to this most unusual of family units came out from the bedroom wiping dry a piece of copper coil with a towel. "Well, someone's happy. And we're not dead so I guess that means things went at least okay up there in the big chair, right?"

"Good enough, I reckon," Fiona replied as she danced into Gavarus and leaned against her in a sort of half-hug that brought the three of them together. "Bad guys got awee, but we dinna get shot nor pulverized nor disrupted, and I did me job as I was told, so, aye, I'm callin it a win. I dinna think the Cap'n was displeased, joost mad that the other ship got awee mostly, but that's nae on me as the pilot. I'll find oot what I did right an' wrong from the Lieutenant- ach, the Lieutenant Commander when she gets back, so til then, aye... all is well. At least Ah think so."

Gazing up at her porcine partner, she small sprite grinned. "So since they relieved me fuir the rest a shift, what'dye say we nip oot to the pub fuir a celebratory drink? Ah know yuir hungry," Fiona stated, as that was usually the case, then she kissed the top of the bouncy Minotaur babe's head, then pulled back to eye her erstwhile offspring. "Ah know this wee monster's hungry, aye, Minnie Moo?"

The tiny tot that was the terror of the Hera’s daycare when the rare need arose, bounced up and down on her ginger-topped mother’s hip with her usual exuberant level of excitement, letting out a gurbled string of nonsense sounds that ended in a giggle. “Mffurrggl, FFRRRBBBPP!!! He He HEE HEE he!!!”

“I think that was a ‘yeah’ for both of us, Fee.” The two-meter tall Tellarite engineer said as she put the coil down and kissed Minnie on the top of her head. She was out of her uniform and only wearing a pair of sweat pants and an oversized black t-shirt with the words 'Honey Baked Engineer' on it. “And I’m frickin’ starved. Here, let me hold her so you can get out of your uniform and relax. What was it like, flyin’ her in a frickin’ battle? That had to be frickin’ nuts.”

"Ye know the funniest thing?" Fiona commented as she shook out her skinny arms. Hefting their child was becoming more and more challenging to her every day, and her morning workouts were not keeping up with the growth of the child, who was expected to someday dwarf Gavarus' stature. But as a parent, Fiona was determined that she would keep up with her babe in swaddling for as long as possible, and that meant being able to pick her up until she was simply no longer physically capable. Because a silent agreement between them both had dictated that Minnie would group up thinking that everyone was different, and that her own size and stature would never be seen as a negative. Thus she would find a way to work around it.

Unzipping her uniform top and shucking her slacks, Fiona half-folded them to place them in the replicator for recycling even as she hopped on one foot to remove the ankle boots that were part of the uniform. " I wasnae scared, honestly. I guess tis all the time the L-T- dammit, the Lieutenant Commander, had me spend in the simulator. But the Captain, she let me joost fly her, ye know? So I wasnae nervous or noothin', I joost... did what came naturally, and... I think I did alreet. Ah hope so. Like ye said, we're still here."

Shrugging into an oversized sage green sweater that came down nearly to her knees and cuffing the sleeves, Fiona looked thoughtful as she grabbed a pair of leggings, then realized they were definitely not hers, then grabbed a light brown pair and sat down to slide them on. "Ah did do some fancy tricks though, and I sang a wee bit and the Captain, she dinna say naught aboot it, so... hopefully? ye dinna think she'd write me oop later, aye? She's the direct sort, I figure."

“I dunno, I’ve… I don’t think I’ve ever met the Captain, really. Like, one-on-one.” Gavarus said as she bounced little Minerva on her much more prodigious hip. “But, like, I figure if she didn’t tell you to hush then and there, you’re probably fine.”

Then she looked down and smiled, “Oh, I love that sweater on you. You look nice.” Then the towering Tellarite leaned in towards Minnie and grinned. “Look at your Mum. Don’t she look pretty? Huh?”

Looking first at Gavarus, who was officially 'Mom', then down to O’Dell, who was 'Mum”' Minnie smiled broadly and made grabby hands at the smaller of the two, who was currently blushing at the compliment. Gavarus knew her pint-sized partner wanted to carry the little bundle of happiness for as long as she was able, and so she leaned down to accommodate the transfer. "Here, I can grab her travel bag if you want to carry her."

"Aye, thankye luv, I'd appreciate it," Fiona took the hand-off, trying to hold Minnie out before her and quickly realizing she needed her full strength and body mass to manage the increasingly heavy bundle of joy and excitement that was their somewhat spoiled child. After all, her mothers both doted on her, and while they easily made time for one another, she was clearly the focus of their lives. While she might not have been consciously aware, Minerva Moo Mary Margaret Mona Carrot most certainly knew as a surety that she was definitely loved- which was what both parents were determined would constitute her childhood.

"Ready to go the pub, aye? Aye? Let's go get yur momma some guacamole and queso, and some cheese an' crackers fuir me, and we'll get ye a nice bottle of chocolate milk to celebrate, aye?" Fiona asked the babe in excited tones, as Briaar fetched the diaper bag, and checked it's contents to ensure they had all the tools for the job at hand, ever the consummate engineer. Watching her bustle about the messy yet cramped quarters, Fiona smiled, a dopey, happy expression. More and more she found herself appreciating the unconventional love of her life, whom she would never have anticipated, yet somehow couldn't imagine living without.

“I dunno. I got the recipe of some of that tits ass potato casserole shit we had in Ireland, and I think I could eat a tub of it tonight. Put it into the ship’s systems and everything.” Gavarus said as she hoisted the custom-designed, black and white cow print diaper bag the pair had made just for Minnie and smiled. “Let’s get this portable feast underway!”

----------------------

Ten-Forward was less busy than normal, as the Hera was still in the nebula and still on guard, but for the most unconventional of families, that just meant more room for them to spread out. As they entered, the bartender and wait staff rolled their eyes, almost in unison, as the trio made their way to their favorite table. “Yo! High chair!” Gavarus shouted over to the bar, pointing to Minnie as she pulled out a chair for Fiona and tossed the bag on the adjacent, empty table.

“Thin crowd tonight. Don’t know if that’s a good thing of a bad thing.” Gavarus said, sitting down with a grunt.

"Everybody's on edge, I s'pect. Bad guys got away wi' lots of advanced hoosh-hoosh stoof, so more danger and alla that. Plus in the nebula we're a bit sightblind wi' the sensors a'course, but Cap'n know what she's doin'," Fiona opined. "So folks frettin cuz of danger, but tis a bit par for the course, aye?" While the diminutive daredevil would fret and obsess about her own performance, Fiona had a remarkably effective coping mechanism about not sweating the big stuff. Which was in no small part why she preferred to not be a part of The Big Decisions- instead, she was content to do her part in R&D and test out the inventions and innovations of the future, leaving Saving The Universe to those better qualified for it. Bouncing Minnie on her lap until the chair came, she shooed off the server's offer of assistance, and with a few grunts of exertion, got Minnie secured in her high chair, that was beginning to get snug on her.

"Christ jaysis, I think next month we're g'win ta hafta start puttin her in a booster chair, Briaar. She's growin s'fast, y'ken?" Spoken with no small amount of maternal pride, Fiona's thumb brushed the furry cheeks of the bovine babe who was rapidly advancing.

“Well, that book might read like weird-ass Shakespeare that we got, but at least it told us how to feed her right. So she's growin' right.” Briaar said as she waved the server over. “Okay, Two Guinness’s and two whiskey shots. A plate of Potato Casserole, a Cheese and Cracker tray. And a bottle of Chocolate Milk for Minnie and F*** it, a tray of chips and queso with guac.”

As the server typed the order, walking away, Briaar clapped her thick, three-fingered hands together with a grin, “You’re gonna be on big girl food in no time, right Minnie Moo?”

The baby that seemed to be growing every day slapped her own three-fingered hands on the lit table and giggled, loving all the attention. “I’m glad it went well for you, though, Fee. I mean, I knew you were gonna kick ass. So that’s awesome.” Briaar said, legitimately excited for her pint-sized partner.

"Aye. Troth be told I did some raisonably insane stoof oop there today. But the Captain, she dinna bat an eye, joost let me go at it. I mean, I dinna want ta brag..."

"B'ag! B'ag!" Minnie chimed in, and as Gavarus stared at the babe in surprise, O'Dell took the encouragement.

"I programmed on the fly a spherical warp rotation. We dinna hafta use the sensors, because tis a nebula. Ye know what's there? Sand. Hangin in space. Twill move oota yuir way when ye warp there. So the only thing Ah had to prohibit was a sphere a' safe distance from their ship, which we couldna really see fuir the sensors and all, so I was kinda guesstimatin. But twas a delight. All the for'd batteries had to do was keep firin', because I spun her on an axis to the center point of me guesstimatin. So that big angry Klingon gel, she was makin some satisfied noises back there, if ye catch me drift." Accepting the bottle of Guinness from the server, Fiona paused to take a swig before reaching for the bottle of milk from the server, only to have Minnie's grabby fingers get it first, latch onto it with a surprisingly sure grip and bring it in to begin gulping it down like an expert.

Listening, Briaar was all smiles, not caring that her bottom tusks were showing as she leaned forward to grab her own beer. “That is frickin’ AWESOME, Fee!”

"They groow oop s'fast, that's what me Da always said... I dinna think he meant quite this fast though. Ah well, t'means diaper's'll pass sooner, aye? Oh, speakin a which, them chicks 'a th'Chief's. She allays goin on aboot how her people fly from birth. E'en wi the LT's genetic soup in there, bet ye a shilling they're g'win ta be flyers. So," Taking a sip of her beer, Fiona wound up her punchline. "Dye figure she's developed a diaper that can stay attached to Miradonian Romulan flying infants?"

"Also, d'ye reckon they'll need helmets...?"

“Crap…” Briaar said, leaning back in her seat and taking a big swig of her beer. “Yeah, I guess. I mean, I didn’t know if she was, like, serious about the flying. But we should probably work up something.”

“Hey, you know how we have the dampening field on the hands of the Banshee so you can grab things and pick people up safer?” The Porcine Engineer leaned forward, a bit excited as she thought, “I bet if we could get the power supplies down and design a flexible mapping grid, we could make, like, energy bubble wrap for them. Like those old EVA belts, but bouncier.”

"S'bloody brilliant, Briaar! Aye, that'll save 'em from early brain injuries. Wouldnae do fuir one a'the Chief's kids ta be crosseyed, aye?" Grinning winningly, Fiona tapped her beer bottle to her partner's in salute. "See, ye've allays got an idea. Which reminds me, somethin ye said t'other day rung a bell wit me, and I started ta thinkin."

As Fiona talked, the server brought the ordered meals to the table, along with refill drinks. And as soon as the plates were in place, the portly porcine dug in to her steaming Potato casserole with a smile that turned into a sarcastic smirk as she raised an eyebrow at Fiona's hanging thought. "Uh oh, should I be scared?" The Tellarite engineer said, clearly joking.

"So ye were g'win on aboot how we could get one a' them family quarters, wi' more room and space fuir the wee one. So's we could consolidate alla yuir great engine parts wi' me perfectly maintained shrine of breakable things wi' our wee bullette in a china shop here." Hopping up to stand in her chair, Fiona wrapped the small calf in her arms. The babe grabbed for her as well, jamming the bottle into Fiona's unruly mop of crimson curls as she squeezed Fiona's pale cheek in tightly against her own furry face.

"But aye, Ah think tis time. I'll hafta have a few rooms that are off-limits to little missy here until she's older, and supervised. I'll give her music lessons, but only after she's learned not to pain't wi' her own manure. But otherwise, tis silly fuir us ta be roughin it in yuir wee bachelorette quarters. We're a family, and Starfleet made us different quarters fuir that. So let's go get us one, aye? Like ye said?" Reaching over, Fiona's small, pale doll-like five-fingered hand laid over Briaar's large, rough, three-fingered version that dwarfed hers.

Smiling hopefully up at the Tellarite, O'Dell shyly suggested, "Ye and me, and Minnie makes three... what d'ye say, Briaar?"

Turning her hand over, Briaar took Fiona's into her own and leaned in, "You can dial down the puppy dog eyes, Fee. Yeesh! It is not fair you can do that. It’s like a superpower. Seriously!”

"Ah'm joost tryin ta look sincere so's ye know I'm nae jokin, and that I realize tis important, aye?" Fiona protested mildly.

Chuckling, Briaar smiled as she leaned back, “Yeah, of course. I mean… I brought it up. N’ while you were on shift earlier I was talkin’ about it with the Chief, anyway. She’s looking at that as a possibility too, but they might be able to expand their quarters down there and keep those big ass windows in ‘Officer Country’. I dunno, but for us, there are still a shit-ton of family quarters available on Deck... uh... 13 that we can go look at as soon as the ship’s out of freak-out mode.”

Beaming a happy smile, Fiona stroked the large, calloused hand in both of her own. "Aye... I'd like that. Um... but before we do, we..." That happy dopey smile faltered, and the smile became a forced one- not that O'Dell could ever particularly hide her moods from the prescient porcine. "We should probably call me folks. I been... I been puttin it off for a while, and ye've nae said innything but I know ye've thought aboot it, and likely figurin' the worst. We... we should call 'em. Face the music, I suppose."

Immediately, Briaar's face scrunched awkwardly. Her own mother found out mostly by accident and the subspace call was a comedy of errors and suddenly all of her body issues and self-consciousness came bubbling back up to the surface. "Heh... uh... y... yeah. Yeah. I guess before we're s... s... shipping Minnie off to the Academy, we should p... probably do that. Yeah."

As usual, the persnickety porcine's nervous stutter chimed in at the dreaded concept of meeting Fiona O'Dell's family. But she took a massive swig of her beer and pushed out a smile. "Yeah! We got this!! We can do this, right kiddo?"

Addressing the rhetorical confidence booster at the bovine baby, the fuzzy bundle of excitement pumped her tiny fists and muttered, "DOOT!!! DOOT!!!" with a smile and a trademark giggle.

"Look, Briaar..." Fiona stroked the big calloused three-fingered hand in her own. "Me da... he's an old man, and he's... vurrah set in his ways. I mean, ye saw alla the silly hobbies I have that he insisted I learn growin' oop. So's I'd make some strapping young man a fine hoosband, and make lots of new O'Dell's. Ye and me... well, yuir nae a strapping lad from the Campbell clan or the MacGregors, and Minnie wasn't what he was thinkin' of when he pictured his grandchildren from his wee bebeh girrl. Me mum might be a tetch more progressive but..."

Brows furrowing, the little leprechaun dug in. "I'm nae ashamed a'ye, Briaar. We're an odd couple, I'll grant ye, but ye make me happy and wi'ye I feel safe, allays. Plus ye and me make good parents for the wee one here, and she needed the likes of us, I think- two oddballs who aren't like innybody else, because she's like no one else. So she'll grow oop knowin that bein different isnae bad, tis good- tis what sets us apart and makes us great, aye? Her and Moira and Hermoine and the Dox girls and whoever else comes along that Hera told us aboot, they'll all be great, and our gal'll nivvir doubt that her parents love an' support her. But... meetin me Da, ah... I dinna think he's g'win ta be happy, nor is he likely to be kind, Briaar. But I've put it off long enow, I think. Aye?" Those big green eyes searched those of the earth-pig taken to space, hoping against hope that she had not hurt her paunchy partner with her admission.

Listening, Briaar knew it was going to be an uphill battle with Fiona's family and she let out a bit of a sigh. "Look... Fee... I know that I'M nobodies idea of the perfect person to bring home to meet the folks. I do. I know what I am and I'm a frickin' mess and a half. But..."

Biting the bottom of her lip, she fidgeted slightly in her seat and rocked slightly as her eyes darted around. It was clear she was searching for the words to express what she was thinking and having trouble. "I... I don't frickin' care if your folks think I'm just some piece of shit pig as long as you know I love you. However you want me to handle this, I will. You want me to give as good as I get, I will. You want me to just smile and take it, I will. Whatever makes this better for YOU is all I care about. You and her are all that's important to me, okay?"

"Awwww, Briaar, yuir s'sweet," Fiona sighed. "Nae, ye dinna take a lick 'a guff from me folks. Ye and she are wi'me, and we're family, and that's that. I joost... I dinna want what they might say to hurt ye is all. Me Da, he's old-fashioned, and men will be men and girls will be girls and the way God intended it and alla that. I joost... I don't want ye to be hurt, that's all. That's why I been stalling and dragging me feet alla this time, is cuz... well, Ah know yuir sensitive, and the last thing in the world I want is for ye to be hurt because me family are a pack'a dunderheaded old religious types."

"I've heard it all, Fee." Briaar grinned. "But I got you an' I got Minnie. They got nothin' they can say that'll hit me with you two behind me. Bring 'em."

Taking a swig of her beer and a scoop of casserole, the prickly porcine grinned, "And if they insist on being... exhaust ports... we can always patch my family in on the other line and let 'em fight it out amongst themselves, Thunderdome style."

"Oh my dear sweet baby jayzis, that's a fookin' hoot! Aye, let the in-laws slug it oot, that's brilliant!" As the mood turned jubilant after some tension, Minnie squealed with delight, as she was wont to do when she was happy. With both of her fairly odd parents happy, that was a clear sign to her that celebrations were in order, and she rapped on the tabletop of the high chair with enthusiasm. As Fiona scooped up a large chip of guacamole, she carefully fed it to the babe, giving her the opportunity to discover a new flavor and texture.

"Oh, we're gonna be cleaning up weird, green diaper stains in a little while, ain't we Minnie Moo?" Briaar said as she reached over and booped the tiny tot on the nose. As she did, the baby's eyes crossed, focusing on the finger as she tried to chew the new experience. 

"Good thing she's growing so fast she can chew solid food now. Well, food and my engine parts at least and not fingers anymore." Briaar said with a wistful expression on her face. In her mind, she was stuck on the choice of phrase Fiona had just used a moment ago: 'in-laws'. A phrase that implied that the two were a married couple. And while that wasn't the case, they were certainly a family. They had adopted Minnie together and were about to officially move in together, and the typically temperamental Tellarite was truly happy for probably the first time in her adult life.

Leaning over, Briaar pushed up tight against Fiona as she smiled, the little ginger cuddling to her with a contented sigh as Gavarus went to take a sip of her beer...

Her now empty beer.

"Oh, for F@#$'S SAKE, can we get some FRICKIN' refills sometime this DECADE?!"