Oil and Water

Posted on Fri Jan 3rd, 2020 @ 10:31pm by Commander Temperance Zachary & Lieutenant Commander Renee Salchin

Mission: Episode 02: "Samaritan"
Location: Mess Hall
Timeline: Backpost - Starbase Montgomery

Renee's inch and a half heels clicked slightly along the decking as she smiled brightly at everyone she came across. She was heading to where the computer had told her that Commander Temperance Zachary, the executive officer of the ship, was supposed to be. Of course, the computer could be wrong, but it tended not to be. And the mess hall, while not one of the most accommodating places to report for duty, was definitely a convenient location, especially as her stomach rumbled at the thought of food. She'd left her quarters a mess, having just had all of her things dropped off and then rummaging through one of her bags for the most presentable uniform she had, or at least one of the most comfortable she had.

And so she strode through the door of the mess hall, eyes flicking around for the person who matched the file pohoto of the Commander. As she stopped, her skirt swung forward before settling back at her side and Renee automatically swept her hands down it to smooth out any wrinkles that would have marred the pleats that went down to exactly the tops of her knees. Four brunettes in the mess at the moment, but one had short hair, so that one was out. One was wearing blue, the other two wore red but no, THAT one was just an ensign and the other had her back to her.

Renee took that moment to walk over to the replicators and ordered a slice of pecan pie, then took it from the alcove and dug her fork into it as she turned towards the final mystery and counted the three full pips and grinned, popping that first bite into her mouth as she made her way over to the Commander that looked more and more like her file photo, "Commander Zachary, I presume? I'm Lieutenant Commander Renee Salchin, the new Chief Engineer aboard and I was informed by the computer that you were here. Mind if I grab a seat?"

Temperance had an array of PaDD's spread across the table in front of her, eyes darting from one to the next as she scanned the information they contained. One hand wrapped around a mug of liquid that may have once been steaming hot but was now, at best, tepid. At the sound of the voice, Temp looked up, an expression of surprise clear on her face that quickly settled into a smile. "Of course," she said politely. "Sorry, i wasn't expecting company," she offered by way of apology as she started tidying the PaDD's that covered the table.

Renee edged one PADD away to give enough space for her to put her plate down, then waved the need to move the other PADDs, "Don't worry about it, I understand the need to keep up with things and I'll try not to bother you too much." She grinned, "But I've found it's kind of important for senior officers to report in to the Exec as soon as they really can."

"Have you been on board long?" Temperance asked curiously. "I only just joined up with the crew when the ship was at McKinley station. It's a bit of a change," She laughed softly. "It was nice getting some time on the surface before coming up here. Holodecks are nice and all but they just don't replace the real thing, don't you think?"

"It depends on what you consider 'long'..." Renee said, working her fork through the pecan pie again, "If two hours is a long time, then absolutely!" She nibbled on the bite, pulling half of it from the fork, "But no, planets are definitely the best, especially for shopping!" Her eyes glittered, "I got a couple hours of that in San Francisco before I had to hustle myself on board via the Station, but I picked up a couple outfits for when I'm off duty."

Temperance raised an eyebrow slightly. "Shopping?" she asked, almost incredulously. "You're on one of the most beautiful locations in the universe and all you do is shop?" She sighed and shook her head. "What about walking barefoot in the grass? Laying on your back and feeling the sun shine on you? Sit on the beach and feel the salty air on your face?"

"What do you think I did 'yesterday'?" Renee's eyes shone with the memories of the beach she'd been on for much of the day before, "I got a lift down to the central coast, about oh... Two-fifty miles down from San Francisco, found a beach where there wasn't anyone else and spent a few hours getting as much sun as I could handle, and a nice, completely line-less tan." Her grin turned mischievous.

With wide eyes, Temp shook her head slightly. "Well, if that's what makes you happy, I guess go for it?" she said quietly. "I'm a firm believer in doing whatever makes you happy."

Renee tapped her lips with her fork for a moment, looking over Temperance as much as she could, "I think we're going to get along just fine, ma'am, wonderfully in fact."

Temperance smiled politely. There was something about this woman, about her forthwith attitude and clear behaviours that she found both concerning and oddly intriguing. "Yes, I'm sure we will," she said as she picked up her cup and took a sip. "I'm sure we will."