Girls' Night Out

Posted on Mon 20th Jun, 2022 @ 9:45pm by Petty Officer 2nd Class Shayla Benet & Crewman Catherine O'Rielly & Crewman Eslin Briga & Crewman Recruit CJ Pendleton

1,382 words; about a 7 minute read

Mission: The Hunted
Location: Deck 2255, The Usual Place Restaurant
Timeline: MD1, 1800 hours

It being the end of a work week, The Usual Place was crowded by the time Eslin arrived. Emmie Walker was nowhere to be seen. She'd left Eslin a hastily-scrawled note in their quarters stating that she'd be out for "a while" and not to wait up. That told Eslin that her roommate was probably deeply involved with tinkering on a shuttlecraft.

She spotted others in her party and told the hostess she was joining them. The Usual Place was an intriguing hodge-podge of second-hand furniture and tables, sofas, and wing-backed chairs, depending on where in the restaurant you went. The furniture came from everywhere, too, designed to be comfortable for a variety of physical forms. People who just wanted drinks could opt for the groupings of sofas and low coffee tables, while people who wanted food could sit at dining tables or whatever was comfortable for them. If you needed a particular piece of furniture, you just dragged it over if no one was using it--or the staff could replicate something for you.

"I see lots of people had the same idea we did," Eslin said to the group as she reached them. "Emmie's engrossed in a shuttlecraft. I told her where we'd be if she's able to join us later."

Shayla walked in and looked around for anyone she knew. tonight she didn't feel like sitting at a table alone and hoped to find some familiar faces. Noticing a group, she walked over. "Hi. Mind if I join you?"

Catherine, dressed in a dark hunter green v neck top, dark slacks and shoes. "Music is hopping." She mentioned to her friends, nodding at Eslin about Emmie before hearing the new voice and turning toward it. She smiled a greeting, vaguely remembering the other woman was in sciences. She glanced at the others with a 'fine by me' expression.

Eslin nodded and grinned. "The more, the merrier." She had put on jeans and a rose-colored shirt for the evening. Her feet were shod for comfort, not style. Her light brown hair was as straight as an Addams' and hung just past her shoulders.

Shayla smiled. "Thank you." She found an empty seat with the group and sat down.

When CJ was working, her long blonde hair was kept in a neat bun. Now her silky smooth long blonde hair was free and hung down almost halfway down her back. The form-fitting, brown leather pants she wore accentuated her ample curves. The white midriff blouse showed off her flat tummy that she worked so hard to keep, but on this night she would indulge herself. She wore a light green sweater just in case she got cold. The heels she wore added 5 centimeters to her height. "Hello, ladies." She said as she approached the group. "So what's on the agenda? I'm starving."

"Hey, CJ," Eslin called out in greeting. "Right now it's just food and drinks. After that, who knows?" She grinned at CJ. "Maybe more drinks?"

CJ slid into an empty seat, "Food first, I feel like I haven't eaten all day and drinking on an empty stomach doesn't work so well for me."

"Yeah, definitely leave the drinking until after dinner," Eslin agreed. She glanced at the others at the table. "What looks good on the menu to you?"

"I may just be here for the food," Shayla said. "I'm supposed to be off tonight, but Berta said she wasn't feeling well earlier. At least if I do end up covering for her, there's only some files to update and some stellar maps to send over to a dozen ships heading out in the morning." And, if she worked tonight, she could listen to some music. Something generally not allowed on Alpha shift.

"On call's a pain. You can't really cut loose." Catherine said sympathetically and with feeling. Speaking from experience. "Guess we'll just have to do what we can, then," she added, trying to be upbeat.

"At least I have a little time," Shayla said with a smile. "Good food and good company goes a long way toward making a night on call palatable."

Later in the shuttle repair shop, wiping her hands on a degreasing towel, Emmie gave a disgusted sigh. What were the shuttle pilots doing to her machines that put them so out of timing? She tossed the towel into recycling and rolled the cuffs of her work uniform down. At least this one would be ready to fly again in the morning.

As she walked into the lift, Walker decided to see if her friends were still having dinner at The Usual Place. She was suddenly starving, and it wasn't too late, she hoped. After a quick turbolift change, she arrived at the restaurant and looked around from the doorway. She spotted several of her friends and headed in their direction, relieved not to have to eat alone again.

"Hey, y'all," she greeted everyone generally, choosing a chair near her roommate, Eslin, the only one she was completely comfortable with, but maybe tonight would change that. "You saw my note, I hope?"

Eslin brightened at seeing Emmie arrive. "Good to see you! Yes, I found your note. I wasn't sure you'd be joining us at all. What were you working on?"

With a sigh, Emmie replied, "Another shuttle piloted by some hotshot who thinks he can make it into a fighter from old Earth days. I swear ... well, never mind. I'm starving!" She punched a chicken salad sandwich order into the automatic PADD. "I'm not even going to wait for real service."

"So jury-rigged as all get-out and suffering metal fatigue because it wasn't built to be a fighter?" Eslin asked as she ordered a Reuben sandwich with curly fries and a pint of shandy.

"Were you looking over my shoulder?" Emmie laughed. "You got it in one."

Eslin laughed. "No. I have brothers. You would not believe some of the crazy stuff they pulled. Or maybe you would."

"Are they pilots?" she laughed, too. "If so, I'd believe anything."

"Not beyond the usual for Gliese, but they wanted to be, as teenagers." Eslin sipped from her shandy when it arrived and gave a happy sigh. "So how was work today, Shayla?" she asked. "If you do wind up getting called in, I hope it'll at least be a quiet night for you."

"Busy, but that makes the shift go faster," Shayla replied. "At least if I get called in, I should be able to listen to music while I work. Gamma shift is always a bit more lax about that." She grinned. "Easier than security, anyway. I hear gamma shift can be a bear for them."

"That would make up for a lot, yes," Eslin agreed. "What kind of music do you like?"

"Most of the time yes." Catherine spoke up into the conversation flow, "But when you're working armory, it's pretty dead. Unless something crazy is happening. I listen to audio books or music."

"Audiobooks are a great idea," Shayla said. "I should look into that. I don't have enough time to read and that'll help." She turned to Eslin. "I like old earth music, mostly from the mid 20th century. I occasionally get into the music of the first two world wars."

"Cool!" Eslin said. "I like Irish dance music and what they call Celtic metal."

Catherine beamed, "That's awesome, me too. You catch much Celtic Pub Rock? We should trade lists sometime." Always eager to get more good music sources.

"Right now, my current favorite is the Rampart's Men's Choir singing 'Rocky Road to Dublin.' I could listen to them on endless loop," Eslin said.

Catherine nodded, "Noice, I'll have to add them to the list." Their orders arrived and a little time was lost as staff made sure everyone had the right items before disappearing again.

Shayla was half-way through her meal when her combadge chirped. "Benet, please report to astrometrics."

"Be there in ten minutes." Shayla sighed when the link closed. "Well, at least I got a meal first." She signaled for a box to take the rest of her food with her. "Thanks for the company. Have lots of fun for me."

 

RSS Feed