Barstool protocol

Posted on 29 Jun 2014 @ 5:54pm by Lieutenant Oren Idris Ph.D. & Petty Officer 1st Class Oliver Morris

981 words; about a 5 minute read

Mission: Episode 06 - Legend of Souls
Location: USS Galileo, Deck 7 - Callisto Bar
Timeline: MD05 - 1500hrs

[ON]

Every time he looked around, Oren found his accommodations on the ship to be a consistent source of disappointment. There was nowhere to turn! He constantly felt paranoid about accidentally messing with his roommate's things and the entire situation reminded him of staying with a distant relative. You always got a little corner they said was your own but you couldn't help but notice how it was basically in the middle of everything else so there was no doubt you'd be stepped over the minute you laid down. That discomfort was what had ultimately driven Oren out of his quarters long before his shift began.

His need for company took him to where he assumed he would find it - the Lounge. Wherever he had gone in his short life, Oren had learned that if you want to find the heart of a place, find where they pour the alcohol. Or synthehol, he imagined in this case, which was just as well. He didn't need alcohol to enjoy himself.

Scanning through the Galileo's deck listings to try and find the right place, Oren decided against wearing any of his more daring outfits. After all, it was his first time there and he saw no need to attract the wrong kind of attention. So he settled for a relatively tight pair of black pants and a mint green short-sleeve shirt. Slipping on a comfortable pair of shoes, Oren finally found the Lounge, called Callisto, on the list for Deck 7.

Walking through the corridors of the proper deck, Oren caught a glimpse of his reflection in the Callisto's doors before they opened.

'Oh gods, I look like a child,' he thought to himself, running a hand through his hair and down his face. They were all probably going to think he was someone's teenage son and that would be humiliating. Then again, he could explain that away easily enough. Bit still, he should've chosen something else to wear, this was too simple.

Shaking his head in attempt to stop his overactive brain, Oren pushed on and went into the Callisto, immediately taking a beeline to the bar and sitting down on the closest stool. He sighed and, without taking a look around, ordered a Bolian tonic water with some uttaberries.

Oliver took a seat next to the rather younger looking officer. He ordered an ale and some pretzels. He nodded to a few passing people he recognized and when he made eye contact with his bar buddy. "Is that drink good," he asked pointing to the fizzy liquid. "It looks. Blue."

"Oh...it tastes blue too," Oren replied with a friendly smile, relieved that the other man had made first contact.

"You can try it if you want," he offered. "I don't have cooties, I promise," he joked, turning the glass on the side he hadn't been drinking from and offering it to the man.

Taking a sip the fizzy liquid rolled down his throat. It was lightly sweet. "It's good. But not my style." The bartender placed his ale in front of him. "Now this is what come for. Of course it's synthehol but it still is mighty tasty".

"I never really liked ale. Too bitter and I can taste it all day," Oren replied with a small shrug. "I'm Oren Idris, by the way." He held out his hand for the other man to take.

"Oliver Morris," he shook his hand.

Oren smiled. "Oliver Morris," he said, sounding the name out. He repeated it with a wide smile. "I like it. It sounds like a name out of an adventure novel. Are you an adventure novel hero, Oliver Morris?" he asked, his tone mildly flirtatious as he look at the man sitting next to him over the rim of his glass.

"No, but I have been known to climb tall trees and fought off the few Tellarite Mosquitos." He spread his hand out a few centimeters, "Massive bugs. Bites are terribly itchy."

Oren smirked, giving Oliver an interested, curious look. "I think there's a good story behind that."

"It was hiking expedition on the fifth continent. Me and a group of friends from the Academy decided to walk off the beaten path and I was dared to climb a Wapa Tree. Unknown to us a Wapa tree is the natural habitat of several large insects. The moment I climbed the top branch I was attacked." Oliver cupped a hand against his neck and then move it a few inches, "Blister was this big and boy did it itch. The swelling went down two weeks later. The blue color went away in a month. How about you any scary stories to tell?"

"Well, not scary per se. But I did go to prison for about six months one time," Oren said, thinking. "I asked politely to do some research on the prison population, but the warden said I was too delicate to handle it and he couldn't afford to let the guards keep an extra eye on me. So I punched the warden and got arrested. That way he had to treat me like any other prisoner."

"A black eye in the name of research." Oliver laughed. "I don't think I could do that."

"Well, I was young and stupid. Thinking back now, I'm really surprised by how lucky I was," Oren said with a grin.

Oliver looked up at the clock above the bar. Taking his last big swig of his ale and wiping his mouth he said, "I hate to cut and run. But I am due to for the Enlisted Officers Meeting in twenty minutes. It was good to meet you."

"You too," Oren said with a nod and a smile before putting his glass to his lips again for another sip.

OFF:

PO1 Oliver Morris
Yeoman
USS Galileo

&

Oren Idris, Ph.D.
Archaeologist/Anthropologist
USS Galileo

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