Joint Personal Backlog ~ Lt Entek & Lt sh'Thrass ~ "Your Smile Is A Thin Disguise"

Posted on 241503.15 @ 11:36pm by Lieutenant Zhyalla sh'Thrass & Lieutenant Katilya Entek MD, PsyD

Mission: Holy Cow

Zhyalla had been left with nothing to do upon flying Tierney and the Doc back to the ship. She was worried about Tierney, but there was little to do for now. The doctor would see to Tierney's well being, and until Tierney reached out to her, Zhyalla would just give her space to heal. Human habits of visiting people in sickbay or in the hospital never made much sense to her, wouldn't someone who was sick or injured just want privacy? At any rate, the Andorian woman had popped in on the bridge to make sure nothing was falling apart with the whole command team down on the planet, and then once her shift was over for the day, it was time to hit Shakers.

She only detoured long enough to change out of her singed and dirty uniform from the away mission, tossing it with a growl to be recycled by the replicator later. When she'd finally arrived in the lounge, she stalked in wearing a cowl necked burnt orange sweater dress and tall brown suede boots, with her hair hanging loose past her shoulders, showing off the bright orange tips. She made a beeline for the bar, she had nothing else on her mind but to find something high proof and colorful — at least, she had nothing else on her mind until she spotted her.

She only let herself pause a fleeting moment as she spotted the Cardassian woman, her antennae twitching towards the intruder before she forced herself to keep moving and to turn her antennae away. No need to draw attention, no need to make a fuss... she wouldn't be sitting in the open like that if she didn't at least have an excuse to be on board the ship, and she was in a fleet uniform. So Zhyalla hit the bar, told the bar tender to surprise her, and came away with something the same color as the tips of her hair. She stood and looked around the lounge, drink at her lips, and considered. Her attention kept drifting back towards the Cardassian woman, the mystery that wasn't in her collection of information about the members of the crew. There was an empty seat at her table, so Zhyalla took a chance.

"Is this chair taken?" The blue woman didn't wait for an answer before she sat down by spinning the chair backwards to sit side saddle on it, twirling her drink on the table top by grasping at the top of it with her thumb, pointer, and middle fingers.

Katilya had spent most of her day sat in the lounge; despite trips to the replicator she had managed to keep hold of her table in the furthest corner from the door, back to the wall and a clear view of all that was going on around her. She liked this hobby, people watching. People fascinated her — the way they interacted with each other and the world around them. The emotions, stories, intrigue that came with it was more enjoyable to her than any fiction could possibly hope to be. There were ulterior motives for her observing the crew; if she were to be their counsellor, she needed to understand them in their natural habitat and where better to observe natural behaviour than the crew lounge.

Casting her mind back over the few people that had dared approach her as she had sat and watched she smiled to herself. She had clocked the Andorian woman as she'd entered and followed her movements with her golden eyes. Apparently Katilya fascinated the blue woman and this resulted in her now sat at her table with a self-confidence she hadn't experienced much of. Most people seemed to be afraid or regard her with disdain. Others just hadn't even noticed. "Well if it was, I doubt it would make a difference now would it?" She said after a moment eyeing the woman that now sat opposite her with interest.

"If someone else were to need it, say to drag to another table, I could vacate it... but there's a palatable bubble of space between you and the rest of the crew, so I doubt anyone would violate the bubble to even to ask," Zhyalla observed, a smirk playing across her lips as she brought her glass up to take a sip. Her eyes fell to the woman's collar, and noted the pips that matched her own that sat in her quarters on the crumpled uniform.

Katilya couldn't help but quirk a brow sharply upwards at the Andorian woman who sat at her table. "Clearly the bubble wasn't a big deal to you...." she trailed off and moved her head a little as if to ask 'and you are?' without as many words.

"You grow up on a planet that sometimes still leaves crippled children on the ice to die, and one little Cardassian wouldn't scare you either," Zhyalla returned, her smirk growing into a grin. She wasn't ready to introduce herself, and she was curious how the stone colored woman across the table would attempt to draw it out of her.

Katilya couldn't help but allow a small laugh to escape her as the Andorian spoke. "Oh my, well you don't know this little Cardassian and what she can do," she alluded with a smile that walked the line between sweet and menacing. "You may wish you were crippled on the ice by the time you've finished your... drink. What is that? Warp core injection fluid?" She couldn't help but be drawn into the vibrancy of the liquid, allowing her eyes to trail upwards, drawing her attention to the contrast of orange against white and blue.

"Not quite as easy on the throat as the warp core injection fluid, but the burning is part of the joy of it." To punctuate her statement, Zhyalla took another pull from the drink, over acting her swallowing and laughed. "So, you're saying you're hiding your true nature? I'll bet you're Obsidian Order."

Shaking her head, Katilya leaned back in the chair and laughed again. "Yeah 'cos we all the know The Order are concerned with this boat and so must have sent me in... just because I'm a Cardassian... Wow," she said, her words dripping with sarcasm as she winked at the Andorian, the gold of her eyes glinting a little. "Heating things up and burning doesn't sound like a bad idea... Xenophobic Andorians are cold blooded... right?" she asked — almost politely — as she teased the woman who sat at her table, then took a swig from her own glass and more muted drink.

"I'm not sure, I'll have to break my silence with my family, and see what they have to say on the matter. They were cold enough to me growing up though," Zhyalla returned, leaning forward with her antennae pointing at the Cardassian with curiosity. She wanted to retort, explaining that Starfleet Intel was interested in this boat, which meant the Obsidian Order would be too, but she knew better. The response though sent a twinge down her left antenna, and she filed it away for later. She certainly needed to see what Intel had on this woman.

Katilya's demeanour changed at the mention of family; coldness growing up was a feeling she knew only too well and it struck her that, despite being completely different genetically, perhaps the two women were more alike than she had first wanted to accept. She looked the Andorian over and back to the hair and colour of the drink. 'On second thought, perhaps not' she mused to herself before speaking again. "That must have been difficult for you growing up. Did they discard you?" she probed, her instinct taking over the line the questions followed.

"I'm surprised they didn't, even if I wasn't physically broken." That they knew, Zhyalla mused with a snort and an amused bob of her antennae. "They were unhappy with a choice I made, called it selfish." The blue skinned woman shrugged. "So, if you aren't Obsidian Order, what are you doing here? The fleet isn't exactly the most welcoming to Cardassians."

"Your choice to enter Starfleet?" Katilya guessed as despite the civilian attire it was obvious enough by the way the unusual Andorian carried herself. Pausing for a second she looked down to her glass and ran an extended finger around the rim before sighing a little "More welcoming than I've had before," she said with a small voice. "I... was exiled at 19, picked up by a freighter who felt sorry for me and lived on Earth ever since. Joining Starfleet seemed like a good idea and this is my first ship posting; cut my teeth on a colony world on the fringe of Federation space," she explained slowly and carefully. "You were so far out by the time my order papers came through I had to hitch a ride out here on a transport vessel, headed to a system nearby on a trade mission. Bolian captain... nice guy," she concluded before looking up and meeting her eyes with those of the Andorian. "So what's your story?"

"Transport vessel?" Zhyalla repeated, an antenna raising in question. "We're kinda in the donkey end of anywhere, and I don't know many transport vessels with a slipsteam drive." She shook her head, as if to dismiss the thought, as she added it to the mental queue for later. "It was less about Starfleet, and more about my choice to not have kids. I haven't talked to them in a long time, and I nearly died laughing when I found out that my reproductive organs agreed with me about kids... but didn't bother to tell them, even though they probably would have taken me back with open arms to express sympathy over my loss." Eyes rolled as antennae mirrored the movement, and she took another drink.

"Pakled design... fast for something so damn clunkly," she commented before focusing on the Andorian's story. "Well I firmly believe it's your choice, but I'm sorry your family didn't see it that way. I'm guessing you didn't want to deal with the fallout of them being sorry for you over something you couldn't care less about?" she asked, slanting her head to the side. Yes, this Andorian was interesting indeed.

"It offended me that the only way they'd accept me, is if the choice to have kids was taken out of my hands, even if it had the same end result. That's not family, that's selfish." She leaned back, leaving the drink on the table, and her hands found the back of the chair as she dipped further back. "I'll have to look for a Pakled designed freighter... how's its agility?"

"Oh, you know... handles like a brick stuck in cement, but it got me here in one piece, so I can't complain." Katilya paused a moment, and sighed a little. "I'm not surprised," the Cardassian said simply, rolling her eyes a little at the insanity of family demands. "Sounds like you feel like you're better off without them — have you made new familial ties since being posted here?" she asked as she took a sip from her glass.

"Oh, well, that doesn't sound like any fun," Zhyalla returned with a pout. She eyed the Cardassian woman as the two legs of the chair nearest the table lifted off the carpeted deck plates, and Zhyalla shifted her weight to keep herself teetering on the other two. Her antennae twitched as her body moved quickly back and forth to keep her balanced. "I've made a friend or two here. Made a few on past assignments too... But you know how it is, fleet doesn't care who you're friends with, just where they think you'll be most useful."

"Well you know... It got me here, Vulcan captain was nice enough and I could hide away in my bunk and read so I was happy enough. Glad to get onboard and into the gym though; good to move around don't you think?" she asked sweetly enough with a hint of something else underneath the surface. "True enough, but not many choose to be friendly with the head-shrink," she paused and looked away almost sorrowful. "Especially when that person is a Cardassian. I know I'm not liked and am probably a sideshow round here."

Zhyalla's eyes narrowed as she leaned forward and the legs of the chair met the deck plating with a carpet muffled thump. 'Vulcan', then 'Bolian', both traced silently over her lips as she sized up the spoon headed woman. Another item for the checklist to go over later. "You're probably no more of a sideshow than the albino ambassador that just came on board. Though people don't seem to trust quacks even when they're the same race as them, so one as exotic as yourself should encounter plenty of trust issues."

Katilya watched the woman with interest, reading her body language and facial micro-expressions as she leaned forward. A lop-sided grin played itself out as she listened and then she frowned. "Quack?!" She said, more amused than anything else. "Well, don't hold back with your opinions will you... I'm used to people not trusting me, you learn to develop a thick skin. But I wonder why you'd be so wary of your ship's counsellor?" She asked with intrigue.

"What?" Zhyalla had been bringing her drink to her lips when she stopped short and the glass landed on the table with a clatter. "I'm not wary of you, would I be here sewing the ship if I was?" Her antennae quirked as she tried to make sense. "Quack's just a pet name pink skins have for people in your profession... isn't it?"

The petite Cardassian laughed at her Andorian table guest. "Oh wow... You're all kinds of special aren't you?" She asked, not bothering to hide the sarcasm. "Sewing the ship? Wow... Quack is generally considered a derogatory term for someone in my line of-" she paused and let a smile form at the corners of her mouth, "work." She liked this one, amusing. "What do you do?" Katilya asked after a moment.

"Oh, wow. I'm sorry, I didn't meant to insult you," Zhyalla said, collecting her drink again, almost missing the question that had been directed at her. "I fly this bat, you know, thread a weevil with it."

Smiling, the petite Cardassian woman shook her head. "You didn't — we're good. You... Fly... This... Bat." Katilya repeated slowly. "Do you mean... Bird? You've not spent a lot of time around humans have you?" She asked. As she watched the Andorian, she tried to look past the exterior and work her out. Something didn't quite fit but she couldn't work out if it was just the unusual language choices or something deeper. Shrugging it off, she returned to her drink.

"I've spent plenty of time around pink skins, they just have the oddest way of saying things sometimes," Zhyalla insisted with a huff. "I mean, who insists that the knees of an insect is a way to say they like something? Bee's knees, indeed." An eye roll and a dismissive twitch of her antennae punctuated her remark, and she hid behind her glass with a sip.

Katilya leaned forwards and listened with interest as the blue woman spoke. "They do don't they ... And why do they all have an uncle named Bob?" She asked slowly. "Language and expressions are a funny thing. I find people often say one thing and mean something else completely..." She allowed her voice to trail off with a subtle hint of double meaning behind her words. "You know, you've still not told me your name. Interesting from a psychological standpoint," she teased, miming writing notes on a PADD.

"Ah, so this is where you insist I have penis envy or that I want to romance my mother?" Zhyalla smirked, shaking her drink at the Cardassian woman in a chiding manner. "If you wanted a mustache to stroke in consideration, I believe you could carry it. Big bushy one. For now, our conversation has been a delight and I think I'm relaxed enough I can sleep. It's been a pleasure." The Andorian woman stood, swallowing the last of the bright orange in her glass, then offered her right hand to the Cardassian to shake.

Katilya raised an eyebrow at such an angle it would put a Vulcan to shame, as she accepted the offered hand and shook it. "Thanks, you wouldn't look so bad with a beard yourself. If you want to explore those deep rooted problems you have — feel free to swing by my office, Blue." She leaned in closer and whispered, "I'm surprised you're the pilot... You seem more suited to shadow games," she said with a grin and a glint of apparent knowing in her golden eyes. Letting go of the Andorian's hand, she leaned back and raised her glass. "I'll catch you later."

"Have a good evening," Zhyalla returned with a smirk, and turned to head out of Shakers. About halfway across the lounge, she paused a moment and a funny look crossed her face as she glanced back at the Cardassian, before shaking her head and continuing on her way. The chief counselor was certainly a puzzle to be unlocked, but it was going to take time. First, Zhyalla'd get whatever Intel had on file about her, then she'd work out from there.

=/\= End Log =/\=

Lieutenant Zhyalla sh'Thrass
Chief Helm Officer
USS Enterprise, NCC-1701-F

Lieutenant Katilya Entek MD, PsyD
Chief Counsellor
USS Enterprise, NCC-1701-F