Rockin' Christmas Party, Let's Get this Party Started

Posted on Fri Jan 24th, 2025 @ 12:55pm by Ensign Kash th'Kaasniik & Ensign Dani Harper & Ensign Charlotte Dawes & Sub-Lieutenant Osirin Acainus & Lieutenant JG Kasper Andersen M.D & Ensign S'Niri & Ensign Rilaxa Moxx & Ensign Tyler Williams & Civilian Aya Pyxx

1,558 words; about a 8 minute read

Mission: Happy Holidays
Location: Deck 10 Aft Lounge
Timeline: Christmas Night

A small crowd had started to form and the DJ had just turned up the music when Dani walked into the Aft Lounge. What had started as a plan to get together with a few friends on Christmas night after everyone had had a chance to talk to their families back home had turned into what was likely to be a pretty big party as more and more people found out about and said it had sounded fun. She scanned the room for a familiar face and found Kash and made her way toward him, grabbing a drink from a serving tray along the way.

"Hey stud. How have you been?" She asked playfully. Dani thought he was cute and fun to flirt with, but that was about as far as it ever got with him.

"Not too bad, but better since you showed up," he responded equally as jovially, adding in a wink for good measure. "Where are your people? I usually see S'Niri or Charlotte on your arm when you go somewhere."

Dani flipped her hair. "They'll be around. Char is bringing a date. I hope S'Niri comes." Dani took a drink of the pink punch she had grabbed. "I just couldn't wait to be here."

"S'Niri is here. And thinks the music's pretty damn good." S'Niri seemed to appear out of nowhere, slinking through the crowd with what seemed to be a massive leg of turkey clutched in her jaws. She removed it by the bone, revealing it to be picked mostly clean of meat, as she eyed the Andorian with mild interest. She wore a sandy-colored skirt and top tonight, with a silver necklace consisting of chain strung through a claw of sorts. "So. Who's this cute blue studmuffin? Better than the last guy you dated, hopefully." She purred. "I'm so glad he's off the ship. Hopefully for good."

Kash and Dani both laughed at S'Niri. They had met a few times now. It was clear she was fiercely protective of Dani, and without always meaning too, S'Niri could sometimes be humorous in the way she chose express it. Though Dani suspected her threats to claw her ex were legit.

"Relax, S'Niri. We're just goofing around," Kash said turning his attention toward the Caitian/Ferasian hybrid. "You're looking great tonight. Have a date?"

"No, not really. Most boys tend to ogle, but think somehow that I'm going to break their spine if they mess up, or something." S'Niri rolled her eyes. "Which I don't. Not on the first date, anyway." She raised an eyebrow at the Andorian. "You offering?"

"I'm sure I couldn't handle you," Kash teased. "Better keep my spine intact."

"Your loss." S'Niri shrugged. Oh, well. She'd just have to go on looking for a date - frankly, is it even a date if she picked up someone from here, tonight? "So, Dani. You meet anyone interesting of late, apart from studmuffin over here?' She asked, smacking Kash in the ankle with her tail.

Kash hopped away from her tail as it smacked him, almost tripping in the confusion of trying not to step on her even though she was well out of his way. They were cute, but he had to work with these guys and there was the ever looming pressure back home to join a bond group and breed.

"Honestly, that last one has me afraid to even smile at anyone I don't know that well," Dani said taking a huge gulp of her drink. "You never know who is going to become an obsessive stalker. That's why I like flirting with cute ole' Kash here. I know he's safe." Dani reached out and poked Kash in the ribbs.

Kash laughed and reached for his ribcage protectively. "I don't know if I should take that as a compliment or not!"

"Handsome and a decent guy. Good lord, you're missing out." S'Niri said with a smirk. "Still, though, put yourself out there! Don't know who the jerks are if you don't dip your toes in. Anyway, you can send the jerks my way and I'll give them the kicking they need. No problem."

"Meh, I'll keep you posted," she said half-heartedly.

Tyler could feel the rhythm of the music that pumped through the lounge speakers and made a mental note to incorporate that into his own musical rotation. He spotted a few people he knew, including Dani, Kash and S'Niri, but he chose to go and get a drink before he did anything else. People-watching was always good fun.

Osirin walked up behind Tyler and wrapped his arms around the other man, pulling Tyler's back against his chest. "Guess who," he whispered.

"I'm really hoping it's that guy I met on shoreleave," Tyler said with a grin, knowing exactly who it was, "I'll be disappointed if it's not."

"I would hate to disappoint you," Osirin said, releasing Tyler from his grip. "This is one more Terran holiday I know next to nothing about. You'll have to tell me more."

"Well," Tyler said, wrapping his arm around Osirin's shoulders. "It's traditionally spent with family and/or friends, exchanging gifts, eating food, etc." He finished his whiskey on the rocks in one go. "People also attend religious services. The whole concept of Christmas has changed a lot over the last few hundred years, so I'm not entirely familiar with what event prompted everything."

"Well, I guess I'll just have to do a little research on my own. But at least the Captain knows how to throw a good party here."

"I think we should go and mingle with everyone else though, don't you?" Tyler asked. "You know, so people don't start talking about us."

Osirin gave the other man a sideways glance, genuine surprise on his face. "You object to people talking about us?"

"It's not that I object to people talking about us," Tyler confessed in a quieter voice as he watched Osirin's features. He didn't know how to bring the subject up without sounding like an ass, "It's just that I'm... kinda new to all this, and I'm still figuring things out." He hoped the other man would understand.

Osirin cocked his head to one side. "I get that, I guess. I mean this is all new to me as well. There is a whole dichotomy between my culture and Federation culture."

"We don't have to stick around here you know. I'm not anchored to this party."

"Mm, we'll see what happens." Tyler replied with almost certainty that he would be leaving.

---

Charlotte was feeling a lot more energetic about tonight's party than she was about the morning's gathering. It wasn't that she hadn't wanted to go. It was more about it being being such a small group of... well family, and she felt a bit like she stood out. Here she'd be among her people and everyone was free to get a little silly. There was a bounce in her step as she skipped ahead of Kasper and led him towards Dani and S'Niri without stopping to grab a drink.

"Hey guys, what's new?" Charlotte asked as she approached the group.

"Oh just lamenting the hopelessness of dating on this ship," Dani quipped. "How are you guys?"

Kash shook his head. "And I'm getting picked on over here. I was about to send for help."

Kasper had managed to peel away from Charlotte to go get them both a drink before he had to deal with Dani and S'Niri. Kash was alright, Kasper liked him. "Sup guys," he said as he passed one drink to Charlotte and a second one to Kash, "You looked like you could do with a drink."

"Oh, hey, Charlie. Good to see ya. No drink for me?." S'Niri commented. "And- holy shit, no way. Is that Tyler!?" She said, craning her head to look at the now familiar visage of her colleague in the crowd. "I gotta admit, I never pegged him as being into men..."

Kash tried to pretend he was not interested in what S'Niri was looking at, but he'd turned to look when she'd made the comment and spotted his ex standing awfully close to Tyler. Of course, Kash wasn't aware of anyone on board who knew he had any history whatsoever with the Akadian exchange officer.

Dani shrugged. "Why not?" She operated under the assumption that most people could be attracted to anyone regardless of gender unless she was told otherwise.

At the mention of his name from S'Niri, Tyler swallowed and waved at her, at them all, before walking over with a drink in hand and Osirin in tow, "Uh, hey guys."

"What's up? Good to see you out again, Osirin," Dani said greeting them in a sing-song voice.

"I am good," Osirin responded his arm around Tyler's waist. It was a protective gesture on his part but it was unclear as to whether he was protecting Tyler, or it was the other way around.

Tyler raised his glass in salute to Dani, more so because he was uncomfortable, and he took a sip of it, "This night is definitely shaping up to be something, that's for sure."

Dani grinned and raised her glass as well, clinking them together for good measure. "To having a good time!" She cheered before doing a little spin.

~tbc~

 

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