Surprise (Sort of) Part 4

Posted on Wed Sep 3rd, 2025 @ 8:04pm by Ensign Tenzi Sh'reyva & Crewman Emiliano Echevarria & Sub-Lieutenant Osirin Acainus & Josef Forstinger & Lieutenant JG Fulvia & Ensign Kash th'Kaasniik & Ensign S'Niri & Ensign Tyler Williams & Civillian Samuel Wynters

1,850 words; about a 9 minute read

Mission: The Menagerie II
Location: Paddy's Loft / Ten Forward, Deck 10
Timeline: MD007

S'Niri was in the mood to party. And possibly titillate someone into blushing. Or more. That, and she felt an obligation to make sure a certain human colleague of hers stayed on the straight and true, so she had to be there to make sure he didn't do something stupid. Such are the hardships one has to go through for a friend.

Either way, the titillate bit was definitely a priority - and so she'd swapped her uniform for a dark red tube top and a pair of shorts tonight, paired with a small purse with a spike-studded strap. Yes, even saber-toothed cat women can look girly and baddass at the same time!

She strutted, barepaw, into the party, and beelined straight for the serving line. Until Tyler got here, she had a rumbling belly to satiate and people to meet!

Garo nudged Emiliano with his elbow, narrowing slightly at the feline silhouette cutting a path through the room like she she owned the place. "That's S'Niri, yes? I heard a story that she made the armoury chief cry during orientation."

Emiliano smirked. "That's just a rumour. Maybe she growled at him a little. Like a bedtime story with knives."

"Hah," Garo said, smoothing a hand down the front of his shirt before stepping forward. "Then we must say hello before she disappears."

They crossed over, weaving between knots of junior officers. Garo arrived first, hands clasped politely behind his back. "Evening, S'Niri. I'm Garo. We have met before, I think, in passing. But always passing too fast."

S'Niri had heard the rumors. She would've loved for them to be true, except that wasn't really what happened. All she'd done on the first day of meeting their new armory chief was take her to the lounge after duty hours and buy her a drink, where she'd poured out her family woes in tears. Suffice to say that interaction had ended well for all involved.

The PR value of people believing that it was true, though? Ooh, that had been way too good to pass up. She'd done nothing to stop or encourage the rumors, and now here she was.

That aside, though, her concern in the here and now had been to enjoy the plate of finger foods she carried in her paws - until Garo and his friend came up to her, that is. She glanced up from her plate and listened, feline ears twitching curiously.

"Perhaps." She purred, nonchalantly, as she tossed a chicken nugget up in the air and caught it in her maw. "I don't remember your face, but I'm sure I'll recall soon enough. Who's your friend?"

"This is Emiliano," Garo said, tipping his chin toward his friend. "He has many skills. One of them is standing very still and pretending to be taller than he is."

"Hi," Emiliano said, giving her a grin that was part amused, part impressed. "Emiliano Echevarria. I'm new to the Astrea. You've got style." He stuck-out his hand.

"It's a skill, darling. Takes time. I'd shake your hand, but there's this wonderful barbeque sauce the bartender's put on the ribs that's all over my paws.' S'Niri held up her hand and wiggled her fingers; indeed, the fur there was slathered with reddish brown stickiness. "And last I checked, you humans don't like sticky handshakes. So I won't."

Garo rocked back on his heels, eyeing the glossy sheen of sauce on her fur like it might leap off and stain his shirt through some feline voodoo.

"Ah, yes," he said, nodding solemnly. "In my family, we say--if handshake is sticky, you are already too late to save the shirt."

Emiliano chuckled, shoving his hands in his pockets. "Guess that's one way to keep people from asking for a dance."

Tyler had wandered in not long after S’Niri and decided that instead of going up to her and chatting straight away, mainly so he didn’t make a fool of himself, he would go and get himself a drink. As much as he really wanted alcohol of some kind, he knew she would literally rip his head off for it. And not in the playful way. So a sparkling lemon squash drink with some red colouring in it would suffice.

He had noticed two new looking crewmembers attempt a conversation with S'Niri and he found it funny how she was entertaining them with polite conversation. There was also a pang of something that felt like jealousy but he pushed it aside and walked over to the three of them.

"Hey guys, I'm Tyler." He offered a smile and a hand for a shake before looking at S'Niri, "And before you bite my head off, this isn't alcohol."

Emiliano was the first to take Tyler's hand--firm shake and easy smile.

"Emiliano Echevarria," he said. "And this is--"

"Garo," the Armenian transporter specialist finished for him, clasping Tyler's hand in both of his, his voice wrapped in the warm, rounded edges of the Caucasus. "If you are bringing drinks to S'Niri, you must be either very brave or very foolish. Possibly both."

"More foolish than brave, I think," Tyler gave them a grin as he stepped back and sipped from his drink, "But somehow she puts up with me regardless, so I think it's a win-win situation."

"Uh, huh. Give it." S'Niri snatched the cup, sniffed the contents and handed it back to Tyler without missing a beat. "You're crazy." She purred, feline ears twitching. "Try this again and I might actually smack you. If you're not drinking booze, don't make it look like booze within ten feet of me, huh?"

"How does this even remotely look alcoholic?" Tyler quipped, a tinge of annoyance in his voice. "Did I or did I not make you a promise to get better?" He raised a brow at her. "Because it might be more of a hazy memory, but I do remember saying something about it to you."

"Sorry, boys. This big lug here's on the road to quitting alcohol, see, and needs somebody to make sure he actually stops." She said, smiling a sharp-toothed feline smile at Emiliano and Garo as if nothing had happened. "To his credit, he's making good progress, so he's out of chew toy status for a bit. He likes it where he is, so."

Garo chuckled, the sound low and warm like a gentle rumble. "Road to quitting, huh?" That's a brave trail--full of rattlesnakes and awful coffee." He glanced sideways at Tyler with a teasing sparkle. "We'll keep the chew toy offers on hold. For now."

Emiliano grinned, folding his arms. "Good to know you've got backup, Tyler."

"Yeah, she's too good for me." Tyler put his arm around S'Niri's shoulders and laughed when she shrugged it off and gave him a filthy look.

Now finally-long overdue due to having difficulties traversing the ship. Josef entered. It was his first time at the 10 Forward-and he stuck out like a sore thumb. Old jeans paired with a white wifebeater which had a combadge stuck to it like a pin. It was like he walked out of some sort of holonovella.

He was however no stranger to how a bar worked. And looking to nurse himself a drink, walked over and sat down on one of the stools. Quickly finding himself pouring over the menu of which a good 3 quarters looked like gibberish to him.

Seeing the new arrival step up and take a seat at his bar, Samuel moved over and gave the man a friendly grin. "Welcome to Paddy's Loft! I'm Samuel, the proprietor. What can I get for you?"

Two stools down, Tenzi sipped at something neon and mostly ice, her antennae curling forward just slightly--enough to mark her interest, not enough to be impolite. She had never seen anyone wear a combadge like a lapel pin on a civilian tank top. It made him look like a man who'd taken a wrong turn somewhere and wandered into Starfleet accidentally.

Josef gave a greeting by raising his two fingers from the bartop in a slight wave. "Nice to meet you Samuel. I'm Josef, just a beer please." He didn't specify-not thinking that he really needed to. Beer couldn't have changed THAT much since he was gone. Taking a look around the bar he let the sights set in his mind. Lots of people he had never met before, Human-or at at least people that looked human to him, up to that Lady by the bar-who by accounts would've been found normal and attractive back in his day-if it wasn't for her skin being blue and 2 antennae sticking out of her head.

Samuel paused for a moment as he considered the man. He clearly was not from this time, his energy told the El Aurian that much. Then he nodded. "Coming right up." He stepped away for a few moments, then returned to Josef, placing a large ceramic beer stein in front of the man, the froth floating on the top of the beer faded some, revealing the dark liquid underneath. "One dunkel."

Tenzi pretended not to listen. Her drink was already mostly water, the ice clinking lazily as she tipped it. She caught the faintest scent of the dunkel's roasted malt drifting her way. Her antennae leaned a fraction closer, then retreated--an Andorian's equivalent of glancing without staring.

To be honest, Josef was surprised to receive an entire stein of dunkel. Then again, he didn't know what to expect-nor truly aware that his Bartender was older than probably anything he had ever seen.

"Thanks." He responded tapping once on the bar, before taking a hold of the Stein and throwing it back, and drinking.....and drinking.....and drinking-it was kind of concerning how quickly he was chugging that beer down. Without concern for taking a breather, or his liver. Though eventually he did pause briefly. Wiping the foam of his face.

Who was this uncivilized pink-skin? Tenzi was instantly enchanted. He had tipped back the stein like someone who had been wandering through deserts and had just discovered water again. Not even the academy jocks she sometimes hit the bars with, could do that. And make it look easy.

Samuel grinned, content with the fact that his customer seemed happy. When Josef finished the beer, he spoke. "And? What do you think? Taste as good as you remember?" His expression was one of honest curiosity, as every one of his senses drank in the man's reply.

Tenzi's antennae curled forward without her permission, betraying her fascination. She pressed the back of her hand to her mouth as if hiding a smile, but it didn't work. Her lips betrayed her anyway.

It was ridiculous, and yet--something about him, this stranger in denim and cotton, with his combadge pinned like it was some brooch passed-down in his family--something about him made her heart snag. He was drinking like the universe owed him one small mercy, and Tenzi found herself suddenly--and irrationally--enchanted.

~tbc~

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