In The Gym (and beyond)?

Posted on Sat May 11th, 2024 @ 5:19am by Lieutenant Jules Mundy & Ensign Cha'joga d/o H'gren
Edited on on Sat May 11th, 2024 @ 11:53pm

1,819 words; about a 9 minute read

Mission: The Menagerie: side stories & mischief making
Location: The Ship's Gym?

It was the end of a long shift, and Mundy decided to decompress with some exercise. Since the gym was usually empty at this time, he took off his shirt and started pumping iron.

Cha'joga'a goal behind visiting the gym had never been to bulk up or be particularly buff. She was a helmsman, which meant plenty of sitting around and sedentary work outside of the obligatory repairs to her shuttle. The actual goal had always been to keep herself fit. Nonetheless, toned muscle lined her limbs and stomach when she emerged from the changing rooms in a sports bra and shorts and passed Mundy on the weights bench on her way to the treadmill.

Mundy paused lifting and noticed the Klingon pass by. There was just one Klingon assigned to the Astrea, so it must be the Helmsman. "Evening ensign."

Cha'joga paused on the spot and turned to face him with an amused expression. "Not a lieutenant. I wish I was, but I'm barely a few months out of the Academy." She responded. "The name's Cha'joga. You're lieutenant Mundy, right? The operations chief?" She glanced him over once. "You come here often, sir? Certainly looks that way."

"I try to keep myself fit as much as possible." He looked her over. "Looks like you come here often yourself, ensign."

"Twice a week, yes. I can't spend all my time sitting down at the helm station, can I?" Cha'joga said with a snicker. She flexed her arm, showing off taut muscle lining her bicep. "I'd go stir crazy. I'm going off to run - don't let me bother you too much, hm?" She walked away to the treadmills nearby and started jogging.

Mundy moved to the bar, jumped and caught the bar, and started doing pull ups. "You won't bother me, ensign, but thank you for saying that."

Cha'joga let him be and moved on to the treadmills to jog at an easy pace for a start, something nice and easy for a start. She couldn't wait to go for dinner afterward - mmm, Betazoid fried oscoid sandwiches. So juicy and umami.

Mundy swung his legs over the bar and hung upside down. "Ensign. You think you'd be interested in joining me for dinner?"

"I don't see why not! I have all evening to myself, at any rate!" Cha'joga would've been lying if she weren't a tiny bit impressed. She definitely wouldn't have been able to hang by her feet like that - not without falling off, at least. That took practice.

"Do you have somewhere in mind?"

"There's the mess hall." Mundy lifted up, moved his feet off the bar, then dropped down on his feet. "Shouldn't be crowded this late."

"I'd say that's as good a place as any! The oscoid sandwiches are to die for!" Cha'joga grinned a toothy grin. "Sure, why not. If you don't mind waiting a while for me, that is! You might be almost done, but I've barely gotten started."

"I need to hit the sauna and then a cold shower anyway. So take your time." He headed for the door. "Maybe we can arrange a workout together. Interested?"

"Name a time and day and place and let me know. I'll be there!" Cha'joga didn't mind the company at all - having someone else to train with wasn't entirely unwelcome at all, really, and she was grateful for it. "See you in a little bit!" She hopped off the treadmill and moved to the pull-up bar he'd just used.

An hour later, Mundy arrived at his quarters, wearing casual clothes, and rang her bell.

By then Cha'joga had found the time to finish her workout, shower and change into something a bit more appropriate. Hearing the doorbell she emerged from her quarters in a one shoulder white top and shorts, leaving her midriff and arms bare. "Dinner." She said, tossing a braid of dark brown hair behind her ear. "I hope you don't mind that I order two sandwiches at once. My appetite is very much Klingon sized," Cha'joga grinned, showing off rows of gleaming teeth.

"You can order whatever you want." They started walking side by side towards the turbo lift, which will take them down to the mess hall.

Cha'joga strolled beside him. "Some people get a bit turned off by how much I eat." She said. "So I thought I should ask. What is your favorite thing to order from there? I'll go with the oscoid sandwiches I mentioned - though the Betazoids always make them better than replicators. Mmm, I can't wait! What is your favorite thing to order?"

"I'll probably have my usual....steak and potatoes. And the way you exercise, you need to replace lost calories, so never apologize for the way you eat." They entered the turbo list. When the doors closed, "Mess hall." And the lift started moving.

"You won't mind? Excellent! Then I suppose we shall get along nicely!" Cha'joga grinned and waited for the turbolift to stop before walking out the door in front of him. "What do you do for fun? Surely not just pump iron in the gym like you were doing when I came in?"

"In what little free time I have, I like to listen to music and occasionally paint." They reached the door to the mess hall, as the doors opened, Mundy placed his hand on the small of her back to guide me in.

"Paint, listen to music and lift. Someone's un-boringed his life quite a bit!" Cha'joga glanced sideways at him when he placed a hand on her back, but she otherwise thought nothing of it and allowed herself to be led inside. Once inside she beelined for the replicators and made her order: two thick sandwiches made with some kind of fluffy baguette and what seemed to be juicy deep-fried oyster meat in between. A smile spread across her lips as she sniffed them. "Just like I remember." She announced. "Oh, I can't wait..." She trotted off to a table nearby and glanced back to see if he was following.

Mundy got his food from the replicator and followed her to the table. He sat opposite her. On his plate, a thick porterhouse steak, 2 baked potatoes, butter and sour cream to put on the potatoes and a salad.

Cha'joga tucked in without hesitation. She was pleased to hear and feel a satisfying crunch when she bit into the fried oscoids in her sandwich, and juices coated her tongue. She made a satisfied hum and took another bite before glancing up at her dining companion. "Not much for conversation?" She asked. "At least, that's what I'm getting."

"I prefer not to talk while I am eating. Before? After? That's fine." He picked up his glass and drank. "Is there something you wish to discuss?"

"I can work with that." Cha'joga decided. "Did you want to do something else after we're done with dinner? I thought you inviting me to dinner was because you wanted to get to know me better."

He looked at her. "I figured we could go out for drinks after dinner. Ten forward, my quarters or your quarters."

"Fine by me. I'm thinking... ten forward. Wherever else we go afterward, I suppose we'll see!" Cha'joga responded cheerfully. "In the meantime, don't let me disturb you too much. I'll let you eat in peace." She resumed her meal, crunching into juicy, salty fried oscoid.

They finally finished their meals. Next stop was lounge where they sat at a table looking out at the stars while they enjoyed after dinner drinks. He had a beer.

Cha'joga had ordered herself a glass of whiskey. She'd wanted to try bloodwine but she'd had no such luck. "So. There must be some stuff you'd like to know about me." She said, leaning slightly across the table. "Ask, and I shall answer! I have little to hide."

"Married, single or divorced?" he asked.

"Single. You forgot 'just broken up' and 'dating', just so you know, but yes, single." Cha'joga raised an eyebrow at him. Talk about direct. "Intending to shoot your shot, then? Which was why you did that at the entrance to the mess hall?"

Mundy didn't know what she was talking about. "What did I do?"

"You placed your hand on my back as we came through the door. Is that not what human men do with their female friends?" Cha'joga raised an eyebrow. She didn't seem at all angry or upset, though, which was good.

"It's what a gentleman does to the lady he is with. He's making sure that the lady enters the room safely. Did I offend you?"

"No offense taken. I was under the impression that men preferred to use such gestures with women - or I suppose men - they have taken an interest in. That's all." Cha'joga smiled a toothy smile. "I have nothing to hide. Ask me whatever you'd like, and I shall answer."

"All right, I'll ask you a question." Jules paused before asking. "My question is.....would you like to come back to my quarters and spend the night?"

For a good few seconds Cha'joga stared at him with her eyes wide. Whether she was surprised, amused or angry wasn't clear. Then she burst into a snickering fit, covering her nose and mouth with her first. "Really? Of all the things to ask, that's what you chose?" She asked. "You've barely bothered to get to know me, and you'd like to take me home already? Is this what you normally do to the women you find attractive, sir? No offense intended."

"No offense taken. And to answer your question, yes, if I find an attractive, intelligent woman, and once I get to know them, I will ask them to spend the night. I am a very good judge of character." He took a sip of his beer. "What's the worse that can happen? You say no. or maybe you say yes. Even odds."

"You haven't even bothered to learn more about me. I like an offer to spend the night, but not when the man or woman I'm talking to has barely made the effort to learn about me past whether I'm single or not." Cha'joga shook her head. "You know that learning about each other is part of any relationship, of course? It'll be a no tonight."

"Well," Mundy stood up from the table. "your loss." He walked to the bar and starting chatting the female bartender. She was smiling and laughing, so whatever Mundy was saying to her, she liked it. After 20 minutes, they left the room together to go to his quarters.

Cha'joga had, by that time, left in disgust. She'd neither lost nor gained anything, really, but talk about leaving a bad taste in your mouth.

Lt. Jules Mundy
Chief of Security
USS Astrea

Ensign Cha'joga
Helmsman
USS Astrea

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