no_ordinarylife | Celebrating Birthdays

It seems like yesterday they were just celebrating his birthday. It's been months since the crew assembled in the lounge and the newest ship to bear the name Enterprise is almost ready for her initial test flights. The deep seated anticipation has driven him back to work. It's the only way to keep himself sane. There are people he wants to see before his time at Yorktown is over. Amara is at the top of his list. He secretly hopes he can convince her the next five years would be worth her while.

He arrives with not just one, but two, bottles of tequila. One in each hand.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

From:

cadet_amara

"Agreed."

Amara wasn't fond of all the bull shit niceties that polite conversation usually involved. Small talk was never something she enjoyed.

"You first. How are you really, Jim?"

From:

no_ordinarylife

Jim has spent a lifetime responding by rote. A hard habit to break even now. It's easier and far less complicated to gloss over the details than try to explain in complexity. Easier to keep people out. Away.

He breathes out and replies honestly. "Anxious. Worried."

From:

cadet_amara

It was indeed so much easier to hide behind the mask of polite responses. Still, he'd answered honestly, and so her response would be equally honest.

"And I'm frustrated and demoralized." She replied, raising her glass slightly with a cynical little smile. "So you're in good company."

From:

no_ordinarylife

"Misery loves cheesecake," he pokes fun with a equally half hearted smile.

Soon it evaporates and they're back to the heart of the conversation. "Why frustrated and demoralized?"

From:

cadet_amara

"Off the record? I'm a pilot assigned to a starbase. It doesn't get more frustrating than that."

She smiled a little, picking at her cheesecake but not taking a bite. "And my last Captain seemed to think I took more risks than he'd like. Never mind that I got us to our destination two days ahead of schedule, slow and dull is apparently the goal of cargo duty."

Sighing a little, she leaning back in her seat. "So... as lovely as this place is, it's purgatory for pilots. And I seem to be stuck here."

From:

no_ordinarylife

Oddly enough, hearing her woes seems to steadily improve his disposition. It gives him hope she might just find his offer appealing.

"Funny you should say that." He DOES take a bite, hiding a smile in the disguise of chewing.

From:

cadet_amara

"Oh?" She raised an eyebrow, looking across the table at him. "And why's that?"

From:

no_ordinarylife

"We're going back out. Soon. And I've still got a few personnel issues."

From:

cadet_amara

"You have a pilot." She pointed out, though she was leaning forward a little bit, indicating her interest in what he had to say. "And a good one at that. I doubt you'd have much use for me."

From:

no_ordinarylife

"I do have a pilot. And Sulu's the best at what he does. But every man has to sleep."

From:

cadet_amara

"That's true." She admitted. "But surely you can do better than me. I hardly have the most stellar of records. Hence why I'm here."

From:

no_ordinarylife

A wave of frustration washes over him. Has he always believed in her more than she believes in herself? "Maybe you haven't been given the best of opportunities," he counters.

From:

cadet_amara

Probably. Amara always tended to focus on the negative, and failed to hear the positive. It was true, the reports all said she was reckless, she tended to disregard the rules, and her grades at the Academy had always been just above the minimum requirement. But the also said that when it came to flying she had a remarkable natural ability, and good instincts. Those were things that could not be taught.

"Maybe so." She agreed. Her posting had been limited to cargo runs, mostly under stuffy old captains who really were just waiting out the clock until retirement. Not exactly the best fit for her.

"But I don't want opportunities just because I'm your friend either."

From:

no_ordinarylife

He wants immediately to jump on her last statement but he forces himself to pause and see it from her point of view. How would he feel if something was handed to him seemingly without merit?

"You beat my record at The Rings by four seconds," he reminds her out of the blue. "I was there for that. I've seen you fly."

Jim doesn't give a shit about her other captains or her academy grades. He never has.

From:

cadet_amara

For a minute she sat quietly, considering that unspoken offer. It was tempting, she'd be an idiot not to admit that, and an opportunity that would likely not come again. Still... she couldn't help but question his motives. She was not the type who accepted things easily. She was the kid who used to sit up waiting for Santa with a bat because she thought for sure someone who was bringing gifts was actually there to rob her blind. Pessimistic didn't even begin to cover her personality.

"It was five, actually." She finally said, reaching over to pour herself another drink. "But who's counting?"

From:

no_ordinarylife

If they weren't having this exact conversation, he'd probably smile at the comment. "Yeah, I am your friend," he pushes through. "But I'm also a starship captain responsible for lives of his crew. I wouldn't ask if I didn't think you were capable."

He looks her square in the eye. "Maybe you're not as good as Sulu. But most people aren't."

From:

cadet_amara

She met his eyes for a moment, still frowning just a little as she considered it in all seriousness. She could tell he meant it. It was the way he met her eyes. And while she still had her doubts, she somehow knew he was asking because of her skills as a pilot, and not because of their old friendship.

Leaning back in her chair, she broke his gaze, considering the glass in her head. "Well..." She said slowly, still thinking of a response. "Who am I to refuse the Captain of the Enterprise?"

She looked up to meet his eyes again, a slight smile playing at the corners of her mouth. At least she wouldn't be stuck here anymore!

From:

no_ordinarylife

Her acceptance elicits a truly happy smile, one that reaches his eyes. He feels like he should say something more but is content to leave it be.

"It was four seconds," he refutes mischievously, reaching for his own glass.

From:

cadet_amara

"Bullshit." She returned that smile with a grin of her own. It was an old argument, but one that she enjoyed having. "It was five, and you know it."

From:

no_ordinarylife

"Four and a half," he insists, just for fun.

From:

cadet_amara

"Five." She crossed her arms, giving him a challenging look, not budging an inch. "They only added a second to my time because I did half the course upside down and they said that wasn't the "regulation course"."

From:

no_ordinarylife

"Yeah, you keep tellin' yourself that," he teases.

From:

cadet_amara

"I will, thanks." She replied, raising an eyebrow in response. "And see if I ever make you dessert again."

An empty threat. She liked cooking, especially baking, and she had a talent for sweet talking her way into the ship's galley when the mood struck her to cook, which was quite often. There would likely be many, many cakes, cookies, and creative meals in the future of the Enterprise.