Roomies

Posted on Thursday, 9 April 2020 - 10:04am by Commander Soral & Lieutenant Ryan Rose MD

Mission: Operation: Overdrive
Location: USS Fontana | Various
Timeline: 2393

{ON}:

Sam wasn't sure about this. She was very knowingly spoiled with her current living situation. But she couldn't keep the CMOs quarters to herself, not when she was no longer living with the CMO. Her only choice was to find a roommate. She decided to meet with Petty Officer Eyelaya to see if they might be compatible. She'd brought a bottle of wine as a gift, and hoped it would be well received. She brushed a lock of blonde hair behind her ear and sounded the chime.

Eyelaya had never had anyone ask if she was looking for a roommate. She was excited. She tried to temper it lest she scare the candidate away. She grinned as she'd cleaned. She'd removed all her items from the shared area earlier and everything was clean enough to eat from...except her closet where she'd stuffed all the random things that had been tossed around. She'd put on a fresh set of sheets on the second room and added flowers and had just stood in the middle of the room afraid to disturb anything. Once the door rang she all but ran to the door. Take a few deep breaths she pressed the button that had the door hissing open.

Sam was surprised that the doors just opened and a woman was there. She had expected an "Enter" or a "Come in." "Hello there." She recovered though. "I'm Samantha Rose."

"Hi!" She said grabbing the woman's hand and shaking it. "How are you!? I'm Eyelaya." She stepped back and motioned. "Welcome!"

Sam smiled at the excited woman in front of her. "I'm good, thank you." She walked in. It was actually larger than she'd been expecting, and was nice and clean. "So, I understand that you are an engineer?"

"Yup I am! And you...you're in medical" She walked over to the replicator and turned, "Would you like something?"

"Yes, just as a yeoman really. Tea would be nice, thank you."

She ordered tea for the young woman and then a hot chocolate for herself. She also ordered a variety of salty and sweet snacks and brought the tray over. She plunked down on the floor by the coffee table and sipped her hot chocolate after serving the tea to Sam. "You're the doc's wife."

Sam didn't hesitate to join Eyelaya on the floor. She was used to eating outside around a fire, so the floor didn't bother her at all. "Yes. We have separated though, and I can no longer stay in the CMOs quarters." Sam explained her situation. She popped a pretzel in her mouth, then took a sip of tea. "I understand you have not had luck finding a roommate?"

Eyelaya looked down. "Yeah....I like to talk a lot and people don't like that. I like questions but I'm trying to stay quieter... I really am."

"I don't mind questions. I ask a lot of questions too." She decided to share her own problems. "I've found that now, I keep getting evil looks." Sam sighed. "Like I'm the evil witch."

"That's not right. Well I don't mind questions at all. I would love to have a roommate. I haven't had one since my best friend on Vulcan when I was at the Engineering academy."

"Alright. Well we should probably get to know each other." Sam thought a moment "What's your favorite food?"

Eyelaya smiled, "Actually I'm not sure. I like so many foods. I try something new once a week but I'm pretty routine rest of the time. I do love chocolate. How about you?"

"Oh! That sounds like a great idea. I can cook some recipes from home for us. I do love chocolate, and green tea."

She smiled, "I think that we'll get along really well!" She clapped her hands like a kid at Christmas. "This will be fun!"

Eyelaya's mood was infectious. "Ok then. I guess you have a roomie." Sam smiled. "I should get my stuff moved over."

"Can I help?"

"Sure, if you want to." Sam wasn't going to turn down the help. "Then we can treat ourselves to ice cream sundaes."

"Ohhhh sounds good! Let's go."

The quarters were a mess. Ryan hadn't fully moved his stuff out. Sam had gotten annoyed and left it in a pile near the couch. His sketches and a ridiculously large stuffed alligator sat on top of a keyboard, which sat on top of a collapsed stand. And a picture of Ryan and Amanda hamming it up for the cam, both of them in the midths of the 'awkward teen years' "I don't really have much. Just my clothes from home, and a real coffee maker, a few knick knacks." Sam explained, sidestepping the mess.

Eyelaya gave a nod. "I'm sorry you are going through this." She followed Sam into the room and picked up a bag. "Were you two married for long?"

"Thank you." Sam said sincerely. "Just shy of nine months. I really shouldn't have come to this posting with him. It's just...." She stopped. One of those 'do I stop and not vent to this near stranger, or do I let the top off the bottle' moments.

"Just..." She prompted.

"It's just. When I first saw him, my heart did that whole flutter thing, ya know? I had wanted off my colony for so long, and here was this really handsome, really nice, really smart man. I deluded myself that we could make it work. We don't actually have a lot in common, and our life goals are so different. I just don't know what I'm going to do now. I mean there is no divorce on my colony, I want kids someday, and life on a starship is not nearly as exciting as I expected. It actually kinda sucks."

"Ohhh it has its moments." She studied the woman. "Do you love him?"

Sam sighed. "I did. I still do, in a way. But not like a husband. I want him to be happy. He's never let me in though."

"Men are known to be like that." She touched her arm. "Don't give up. Maybe you two just need some time."

Sam smiled. "Thanks." She grabbed up some of her clothes, and knick knacks, then showed Eyelaya where the coffee pot was. "If you grab that. I think we can make it in one trip."

Eyelaya took the coffee pot and they headed out. "Tell me about your colony."

"We were one of the original colonies, set up for spiritual expression. We had technology, but it's use was frowned upon. Hunting, fishing, sewing. It all seemed so dull at the time. The stories I'd read about Starfleet in the early days, and the adventures of the NX-1 Enterprise made it seem so exciting. That was all there was to do besides work, was read. My father wanted me to take over the garment making and marry the blacksmith. Ugggg." Sam shuddered.

"I take it you weren't fond of him." She sighed. "When you left the colony it must have been rough."

"He was dumb as a rock." Sam explained. "It was great actually. Like being on a really fancy vacation. Why did you join Starfleet?" She asked.

She shrugged. "I couldn't stay on Vulcan much longer. I wanted to be amongst the stars. There is something so wonderful about being here."

"Vulcan? But they're all so....serious." It was the most PC word she could come up with to describe the race as a whole.

"Some are. Living with them I'm able to tell a lot about them. Some are just as passionate as we are but it's about control. About supressing those emotions on the outside but intimately understanding them." She sighed. "I love Vulcan...it was the only home I had but after the accident things were difficult," she confided.

"What kind of accident?" Sam asked softly. The least she could do was offer an ear. Eyelaya had listened to her.

She hadn't talked much to anyone about this but decided to anyway. "We were working on a new engine model. Solon and I had to recalibrate the plasma tank so that it would maintain the right pressure. Things appeared normal but something was bothering me. Solon, he out ranked me, decided that the variance was acceptable and it was on paper but... well when we turned on the plasma the tank ruptured. I was thrown from the platform and burned." She touched her forehead. "There was a lot of damage. I used to look a lot more Cardassian. All my neck ridges had to be removed which was okay I guess because of my half Bajoran side they weren't as vital as to regular Cardassians. I lost my face ridges and the had to do lots of reconstruction. I was in hospital for a year."

Sam only knew the basics when it came to Bajorans or Cardassians. "That's awful. Nobody would know if you didn't tell them though." Sam noted helpfully.

She sighed, "There are times I miss my old face but I guess with the way it was I was lucky to make it. The Vulcans were great and they did a lot I just didn't like spending a year in hospital and then Vulcan counselors." She shuddered.

"Vulcans have counselors?" Sam couldn't stop the surprised question. "Sorry. That would be a long time to be in hospital, I can't even imagine. I would never want to step into another medical bay."

"Hence why I don't like doctors. Although EMHs are okay." She sighed, "They have counselor indeed and their techniques are not nearly as fun as Starfleet." She shrugged. "But that was a lifetime ago... or at least it feels like it." She smiled at the woman. "I'm glad I finally have a roommate."

Sam was quick to let the subject change. She didn't want to make her new roommate uncomfortable. "I'm sure we'll get along fine."

{OFF:}

CPO Eyelaya
Engineering Officer

&

Samantha Rose
Yeoman