Drinking Socials

Posted on Fri Apr 14th, 2023 @ 3:22pm by Lieutenant JG Rafe Hunnicutt & Lieutenant JG Ash Rowe

1,597 words; about a 8 minute read

Mission: The devil wears tripolymer
Location: Ship's Lounge
Timeline: Not mission critical

ON:

Rafe Hunnicutt, resident prankster, tinkerer of mechanical stuff and resident believer in it's eight o'clock somewhere in the galaxy smiled to himself as he sipped the dirty martini. Extra dirty, actually, which was pretty perfect after a shift. Sure, it was synthol, but he hadn't exactly put up his own still yet as he was still salvaging parts of cast-off equipment. He fished out one of the three olives, popping it into his mouth.

"Ah yes, that looks good," Ash Rowe leant against the counter next to him, looking to his drink with sheer envy. She waved a hand to the server before pointing to the glass. "I'll have me one of those too, thanks!"

"Dirty martini?" Rafe smiled as he looked at her, taking in the blond woman. "Don't find many people drinking them on Starships. This one is a bit stronger on the gin. Sure you don't want to try it before you order it?"

"Aw, look at the chivalry on you, don't worry, I won't hold it against you," she teased lightly at the vaguely patronising warning, a small smile of amusement pulling at her lips.

He laughed at her tone, nodding before he watched her. "Alright, so you know what you like," he said, winking. "Just wanted to make sure. Had a few of these thrown in my face in my time."

"Now that sounds like there's a story behind that..." she said with the kind of voice that was trying to tempt him to tell it.

He grinned, shaking his head. "No," he said, lifting his glass. "I've already lost half your respect, not losing the other half for at least another ten minutes...I'm Rafe."

"Ash," she offered, watching him with a small smile. She could respect his response, even if she found it amusing. "I'm the new Chief of Flight. Don't worry, I'm not on duty anytime soon after these..."

"Oh, I am pretty sure that a drink makes the flying better," Rafe said quickly, sipping his drink with a smile. "I'm Engineering. Just...that. Not responsible for anything."

"Oh I wouldn't say that...you're responsible for this giant tin can that's all that's keeping space out and us in..." she pointed out, her eyebrows lifted at the prospect.

"Nah," Rafe laughed as he shook his head. "Not responsible. Don't confuse me not wanting to breathe vacuum with responsibility..." he winked, leaning closer. "Besides, true power here? It's the enlisted. They do the heavy lifting."

"Without all the paperwork," she agreed with a sigh, resting back as she rolled her eyes. "Do you think we messed up right at the point of entrance forms?"

"Oh, we did," Rafe leant closer on the bar, his voice lowered to the tones of a conspiracy. "We messed it up right then. Should have gone with the other form, but we liked the idea of being officers. The snazzy uniform, the promise if better quarters...of working closer to engines, or flying the very ship itself..."

"The last one seduced me," she chuckled softly, shaking her head with a mock daydreamy sigh. "And don't get me wrong, it's great...but there's nothing quite like being at the controls of a tiny bird."

Rafe smiled as he looked at her, sipping his drink...well, gulped it down and motioned for another one. "I'm not much of a pilot. But the different propulsion systems...the way a well tuned warp core hums? Pretty special. Not sure I'd trade it for anything else in the world."

"So...I guess you were pretty much born to do this then," she gave a half smile at that, almost envying it.

Rafe laughed, shaking his head. "No, I just can't go where I am from and didn't feel at home on Earth," he admitted before he looked at the drink being put down in front of him. "So at least being here means I don't look around seeing a planet that's impossible to get to."

She watched him for a long moment, flirting with the idea of asking where it was he was from, but decided against it. The reason he couldn't go back could be a pretty dark one. "If it helps, I'm not here because of a lifelong dream either," she said in an over the top whisper.

"Oh good, because if I meet another idealistic crewmember singing the praises of the Federation with a serious face and starry eyes, I might throw up a little in my mouth..." he said teasingly, winking to show he wasn't really serious.

Ash chuckled softly, shaking her head with a knowing smile. "Hm...I hear what you're saying, but I think deep down you're not quite as cynical as you seem..."

"Then you're not knowing my deep downs yet," he said innocently, winking before he fished out his olive from his glass to eat it. "Although buy me another drink, sailor, and you might..." he added, but it was clearly a joke as he grinned.

Ash whistled, waving for another couple of drinks before chuckling as she settled back down, setting the cocktail stick between her teeth for a moment. "So any dos and don'ts I should know about here? Any tyrants I should look out for?"

He considered it, clearly thoughtful. "I'm not sure...everyone seems alright at the moment, but I am merely a lowly engineer..." he said playfully. "My boss is alright if that helps at all?"

"It does...I mean...now I'm a Chief and all, it's good to play nice with others," she teased, but it was only a half joke. It was useful if the chiefs of flight and engineering were on the same page.

"Oh, I see, you just want me to keep your ship tip-top so you get all the glory..." he teased, watching her with a playful smile. "When you get told to 'make it so' or whatever Captains on the bridge say to go to warp."

"Well yeah, if something messes up and I can't fly spectacularly, I'm the one that looks bad, you're nice and safe in the bunker," Ash pointed out, but with a small, teasing smile.

"Of course..." he grinned, unable to stop it as he watched her. "Or at most, I run and hide while my Chief gets chewed out by the Captain..." he added playfully. "So. You like a drink and you like flying, not necessarily together..what else do you like?"

She searched his features, considering whether to answer properly or just joke it off with a half response. She leant forward to him, grinning as she searched his eyes. "Have you ever driven an automobile?"

He looked at her with confusion before he remembered something. "Those...things in museums? No...no, I haven't." He leant closer as well, lowering his voice. "But I think you have..."

"Oh yes," she grinned with it, popping an olive into her mouth with perfect timing. "You can *feel* the road. Don't get me wrong, I love hover racers, but it's smooth, gliding on air. When you're holding on to wheels on the ground...it vibrates into your soul."

He watched her closely, at how animated she looked. "Connects you," he said, because he remember the feeling of running through the woods, how connected he felt with everything even as it felt as if his heart would beat through his chest and his lungs explode.

Ash's smile broadened as she saw his expression change and felt the emotion in him. She pointed to him knowingly, chuckling softly. "You know exactly what I mean."

"It's the moment when you feel connected to yourself and everything around you. It's a thrill," he smiled back, unable to stop it. She had a contagious smile.

She nodded encouragingly, her palm open. "You *do* get it," she chuckled, taking a long breath. "Don't get me wrong, flying a ship is pretty fun. But you don't exactly feel the wind in your hair, you know?"

"Not unless the environmental controls have gone haywire..." Rafe teased before he nodded, looking down. "I get it. I do. Maybe...I need to try driving."

"Maybe? You definitely need to," she corrected with a grin, shaking her head. "I'll go with you, for moral support, of course," she teased.

"Alright, deal," he said and offered his hand to her, with an answering grin. "You can teach me."

"So what will you teach me in return?" she asked with a smile as she sat back, shrugging lightly. "I mean, it's only fair, right?"

He took a moment to consider what he was good at. He didn't think she'd enjoy him droning on with poetry, and while he was pretty sure she could move he didn't think boxing was a good one either. So it left... "Want me to teach you how to make a still? I call the product gin, others call it warp core sludge."

She watched him with surprise for a long moment, leaning forward so she could lower her voice to a hushed tone. "Are you serious? Yes!"

He laughed at her excitement before he nodded. "Alright. The challenge is to make it with whatever is spare junk lying around, pretty sure we can do that easily enough."

"Ah yes, we'll be sipping warpcore martinis in no time..." Ash teased, grinning as she raised her glass to him.

"I'll drink to that," he raised his glass in return before he knocked his drink back, with a smile.

OFF:

Lt. JG. Ash Rowe
Chief of Flight Control

Lt. JG Rafe Hunnicutt
Engineering
[PNPC Magnus Volsung]

 

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