T'was The First Night Of Shore Leave....

Posted on Sun May 3rd, 2020 @ 11:21pm by Lieutenant JG Shaille Levine & Ashe Zachariah & Captain Abigail Laurens & Lieutenant Colonel Johnathon Hayter & Lieutenant Farizah Alani & Lieutenant JG Stephanie McMillan & Chief Petty Officer Benjamin Thor & Lieutenant Commander William Rogers & Lieutenant Bianca Lee & Commander Ichiko Gail & Lieutenant Valenna & Lieutenant JG Tamarack & Warrant Officer Koh Ottasu & Warrant Officer Callisi Veera & Crewman Telleon Venn & Crewman Lily Song & Senior Chief Petty Officer Maria Vasquez

Mission: Around The World in 8 Days
Location: The Grumpy Goat

The bar room had been near empty as the crew of the Astraea started to arrive, filtering in in dribs and drabs, ordering drinks and claiming tables while waiting for friends and colleagues. The owner of the bar, an old friend of Abigail's had been more than happy to close to the public for the night, opening the doors only for the crew. In some ways it was Abigail's attempt to thank her crew for their support through everything, and in others it was wanting to start shore leave off right.

Pip had promised her that they'd all have a good night, and it was obvious that her friend had gone out of her way to make sure they were fully accommodated. A number of tables had been removed so that what was left provided a smaller, more intimate feeling. The lights were low with candles spread around the room for mood lighting and in the corner a live band was playing the blues.

Emerging from one of the back rooms, glass of wine in hand, Abigail smiled as she looked around before claiming a table of her own and sat down to wait.

Opening the door into the bar, John Hayter walked in in jeans, t-shirt and worn out brown leather jacket. What weapons he would have had on him in plan site were concealed. Yes they were on earth but that didn't mean he was to be secure and ready for anything. Hell, who knew. He may be asked to shoot an apple off someone's head. Wouldn't have been the first time. But was the last in that bar. He smirked to himself at the thought before finally making his way to the bar. He saw the female captain he had met and shared a stiff drink who was now in civilian attire as well and enjoying a drink of her own.

"Hello, Miss Abby," John nodded and took a seat at the bar. "You look like you accomplished a job that would make most people blush."

Abigail smiled sweetly as she looked up at Hayter before motioning for him to join her. "Who, me?" she asked demurely. "Surely I don't have a clue what you're talking about."

The marine smirked as he received his drink. He turned just enough to reach for his drink and lean on the bar. But he had no intentions of moving any further, at least just yet.

Stephanie stepped in, having only been told to report here to meet with her superiors, and so, she wasn't dressed for casual. She was in her uniform, with her bag over one shoulder, but her sleeves rolled up. It was unusual to meet here, she thought, as it was that the place was only open to the crew of the Astraea, but it wasn't her place to question.

Approaching who appeared to match the description of the ship's captain and someone else she didn't recognize. She stood to the side to respectfully not interfere with the conversation until she was allowed to jump in.

Next through the doors was the unmistakable Ichiko Gail. Still in uniform, though her hair had been tussled to be slightly beyond what regulation would enjoy. She was ready to relax, that much was obvious. She was glad to not be the first in, and certainly not the last. She took a stroll to claim some tea for herself from the tender, and gave the others around a nod. "Gentlemen, Ladies." she greeted in a casual sweep. "I've been looking forward to this."

Following behind was Callisi Verra, one of the fighter pilots. Still dressed in a flight uniform, complete with a flight jacket and sporting a Stetson on her head which pushed her ears back, though by this point she was used to the sensation. She tapped the brim of her hat towards the Captain before making her way over to claim a bottle of something this bar would claim to be beer, before making her way to join Hayter at the bar, while giving Stephanie a nod as well "Two of you must be part of the new crew. Welcome aboard."

Koh, having had a coach in human subterfuge and double speak, had an advantage. He showed up to the bar in casual attire. Simple black pants, along with a black shirt that had a picture of rabbit ears on it along with the words "Yes, they're natural" printed on it. Possibly someone's idea of a cultural joke, but he took it in stride. "Evening." he casually greeted, and moved to simply mingle. He'd snag a drink later, but for the moment he was 'Naturally social'.

Ben walked in, inquisitively looking at every detail and aspect of the bar. Being too engrossed by the decor and whole ascetic of the bar he didn't really acknowledge or notice the others too much.

Shaille had been on the planet for several hours already, setting arrangements in place for some of the things she wanted to do while she was Earthside. Most of her time was intended to be spent with Koh, showing him what her home world could offer, but she was also still hopeful to find some time to see her family, or at least some of them while she was there. Dressed simply in jeans and a boho style top, she grabbed a drink from the bar and headed straight for Koh, a smile on her face as she joined in the socialisation.

Having noticed Stephanie standing there, Abigail smiled and waved for her to sit down. "You must be one of the new crew members we have coming aboard?" she asked warmly. "Welcome to the Astraea."

Stephanie was trying to keep herself from looking uncomfortable, she wasn't one for large social gatherings and this one was filling up. But she did smile and shake hands with the Captain and nod back to the pilot who both greeted her. Swinging her pack off and setting it at her feet, she took a seat as indicated.

"Ah, yes ma'am. I'm Lieutenant JG Stephanie McMillan, I've been assigned as the Assistant Chief Engineer, coming over from the Chaffee." Stephanie replied. "I apologize, I didn't know there was a gathering going on, my orders weren't too clear when they said to report here after telling me to report to the Starbase."

"That's quite alright," Abigail offered a warm smile. "I figured you may as well get a chance to meet with the crew before they get too involved in shoreleave and I wasn't sure if you were planning to stay Earthside for a bit longer or head straight to the ship. It's nice to have you joining us Lieutenant."

Stephanie nodded to the Captain. "Thank you, Captain. I appreciate it, it's better than just showing up for my first shift and trying to learn names as I go. I was hoping to get situated, learn the layout of the ship but I don't want to seem like I'm antisocial either. Is the Chief Engineer around?"

Ben while turned from studying a collection of bottles on the bar counter. "Ummm I happen to be the Chief Engineer." He said before a moment later realising he hadn't introduced himself, "oh where are my manners, Benjamin Thor, Chief Petty Officer, apologies for listening in on your conversation." he added.

She turned around to that voice. "Oh. Hello, Chief. A pleasure to be working with you. I apologize in advance if I address you as "sir", force of habit." Stephanie replied, extending a hand.

"Likewise" Ben said taking her hand and giving in a shake.

Buck arrived later on in the evening. His outfit lay high on the smart end of the smart-casual scale, topped off with a flight jacket embroidered with a squadron insignia from his Eugenics War unit. He headed to the bar, looking to grab a beer as soon as possible.

Drink in hand, Shaille headed across to the tables where everyone was starting to sit, pulling out a seat and sinking down into it. "I love the ship, I do," she said with a grin. "But it really is good to get some fresh air!" Turning her attention to Stephanie, she held out her hand. "Lieutenant Shaille Levine, Security. New?"

Koh gave a smirk, moving to stand beside Shaille. "It's certainly more festive than the ships and crews back home, but that's not a bad thing at all." and he turned towards Stephanie, and gave a nod. His dull, lusterless eyes had no shine to them. No reflection, no sheen. Nothing. Just pools of flat color set in a fuzzy head that looked like the Easter Bunny's brother shipped off to military academy and deciding that he liked it. Similar to Callisi, except she seemed to be able to pull off the fashion statement of 'wearing a hat'.

"My name is Koh. Koh Ottasu. I'm one of the fighter pilots attached to the Astraea."

"A pleasure to meet you as well. Stephanie McMillan, Assistant Chief Engineer." Stephanie replied with a polite smile to both Koh and Levine.

Ashe walked into the Grumpy Goat quietly, though no amount of stealth made her invisible, she was definitely one who stood out in a room. Recognizing the familiar figure of Rogers, she headed directly for the bar, sliding into the seat next to him and ordering a drink. "Thought I'd come check out the competition," she quipped before taking a sip. "What do you think? Better than the Deity?"

"It's okay." Buck grinned. "Decor's nicer; view's not so good; beer's the same and the staff don't like me giving them nicknames."

"Wait so not all bars look like this on Earth?" Ben exclaimed with some surprise.

"Oh yeah." Buck replied turning to the chief engineer. "A lot less dives these days but there's got to be as many different types of bar as there are types of person."

Lieutenant Farizah Alani had been running a little later than she had wanted to be running, but her work be it official or personal rarely stopped. She walked into the Grumpy Goat quietly enough though her blue skin and bald head would make her stick out unless there happened to be a Bolian get together. She ordered a drink and retreated to a corner of isolation where she could study her PaDD. Socialization would have been lovely, but she was passing it up for the time being.

"So what plans does everyone have for shore leave?" Abigail asked, glancing around. "Anything exciting planned?"

Stephanie looked back to the Captain, "Actually, Captain, unless I'm needed here, I'd like to report to the ship, maybe help with the caretaker crew. I haven't served on an Akira-class and I figure I might as well get to know the lay of the land. Truth be told, I've been clawing at the walls since I left the Chaffee."

Abigail laughed softly. "I thought that might have been the case, of course, take some time to settle in before you get overwhelmed with duty shifts. I'll let Operations know to expect you and make sure your quarters are ready."

"Thank you, Captain." Stephanie replied. She glanced back to the Chief, "I promise I won't go changing things, I'm not in the business of changing things a Chief Engineer has already set up. My old man is Chief Engineer on the Forrestal so I know better." Stephanie said with a smile.

"I'm heading down to DC. Going to hang out with the other fossils in the Smithsonian." Buck joked. "They're planning an exhibit on the Eugenics Wars and they want me to record some stuff for it."

Glancing around again, Abigail's gaze settled on Hayter. "What about you, Mr. Marine? What are your plans for shore leave?"

"I'm running low on my stash. May have to go collect a couple containers full of liquor," Hayter responded simply as he took a sip from his glass and leaned back on the edge of the bar. He looked over the gathering group and smirked. "Maybe get a couple of those marine transwarp Ironman marine suits I hear other departments state us marines have."

Senior Chief Petty Officer Maria Vasquez entered in a knee-length blue dress that sparkled with sequins. She normally didn't go much for fancy clothing, but she'd come across the dress in a quaint little shop on Risa years ago on a previous posting, and for some strange reason she simply couldn't pass it by. Heading over to the bar, she ordered up a frothy fruit drink that hailed from Trill that her first department head had (through a somewhat long and strange turn of events) had introduced her to.

Valenna walked into The Grumpy Goat in regular casual Klingon attire, a gown, that most Klingon civilian women wore. She wasn't much of a "dress uniform" kind of person, and since she was meeting a new crew, she decided to wear what she had always worn on the first day of class when she was teaching at the Academy. Having reviewed the crew manifest, she waited for the Captain to finish her conversation with Hayter before approaching. She decided to stop and grab a drink, Klingon bloodwine of course, before finally approaching Abigail. "Captain--I'm Valenna, your new chief science officer." She took a gulp of her drink. "I just got in."

"Lieutenant, it's a pleasure to meet you. Grab a drink and join in the crazy, I thought this would be a good way for everyone to spend some time together and get to know each other before we get back to the crazy," Abigail said warmly. "There's a few new faces here tonight."

Farizah perked up from reading her PaDD, hearing the Klingon, who had not gone unnoticed addressing the Captain. Interesting thought the Bolian. She was not aware that there was going to be a change in the Science Department albeit it really was not her concern. Still, she was still settling into her own position and getting to know the crew. A new Department Head, especially a Klingon was worth observing.

Bianca slipped in casually, not wearing her uniform, just a simple black blouse with white accents and a black floor length dress. She'd heard that the crew was having a pre-shore-leave party and since she'd just had to get on board the ship, why not join in? But she could also use this a chance to observe people. She quickly obtained a Jack Daniels and Cola before sliding off towards a large knot of people where she could hang around the fringes to observe everyone.

While the blues band took a break Buck placed his drink, an old style gin and tonic which one of the nurses had bought him, on the lid and sat down in front of the keys. HE took a moment to adjust the microphone and started playing a little tune.

o/ It's nine o'clock on a Saturday / The Astraea crew shuffles in/ an old man sits at the piano / making love to his tonic and gin / Now crew I'll play you a memory / I'm not really sure how it goes / but it's sad and it's sweet and I knew it complete / when I wore a younger man's clothes o/

Shaille paused, looking toward the source of the music. The song was familiar, but the singer was even more surprising. "Wow," she breathed. "He's got a good voice!"

Koh gave a smirk, finding himself nodding along with the tune, "It's always the ones you least expect. I couldn't carry a tune if it came on a pallet jack." he admitted, but this impressed him.

o/ la lala didida / lala didida dada / Sing us a song, you're the piano man / Sing us a song tonight / Well, we're all in the mood for a melody / And you've got us feelin' alright o/

o/ Now John at the bar is a friend of mine / He gets me my drinks for free / And he's quick with a joke or to light up your smoke / But there's someplace that he'd rather be / He says, "Bill, I believe this is killing me" As the smile ran away from his face / "Well I'm sure that I could be a movie star / If I could get out of this place" o/

"I'd be more like a full time tv show star, but... movie," Hayter countered out loud as he raised his glass in the are towards the obviously what looked like a drunk man on a roll. He was starting to like this crazy crew. He was now noticing why Hawkins spoke so highly of the woman in charge as well. If he wasn't a Captain, himself, John could see the two hooking up.

The sight of Lieutenant Commander Rogers sitting at the piano, playing and singing was one that she wasn't expecting, but Abigail found herself smiling and humming along with the song as he sang.

o/ la lala didida / lala didida dada

Now Paul is a real estate novelist / Who never had time for a wife /
And he's talkin' with Davy, / who's still in the Navy / And probably will be for life o/

The music from the piano began to swell. As he moved into the more impassioned part of the song Buck's voice grew to match it.

o/ And the waitress is practising politics / As the businessmen slowly get stoned / Yes, they're sharing a drink they call loneliness / But it's better than drinkin' alone o/

Callisi gave a smirk, an ear perked up to follow the tune along. It told a story. The ever-shifting form of the human spirit. Diner servers becoming civil servants, and a commitment to the Navy that was indomitable. Perhaps they were more alike than either side wanted to admit...

o/ Sing us a song you're the piano man / Sing us a song tonight / Well we're all in the mood for a melody / And you got us feeling alright

It's a pretty good crowd form the Astraea / And the Captain gives me a smile / 'Cause she knows that it's me that they're comin' to see / To forget about life for a while o/

Lt. j.g. Tamarack raised an eyebrow. Certainly, he had not noticed the captain giving Lt. Cmdr. Rogers a smile, and did not know where Rogers had gotten the impression that they had come to see him specifically, for momentarily forgetting life or anything else. Most curious.

When the song moves into the finale Bill rose from his seat. Playing standing up he almost hammers the keys.

o/ And the piano, it sounds like a carnival / And the microphone smells like a beer / And they sit at the bar and put bread in my jar / And say, "Man, what are you doin' here?"

Oh, la lala didida / lala didida dada o/

"Alright everyone! Let's get the last chorus all together!" Buck shouted across the bar.

Unable to help but join in, Abigail started singing along with the final chorus of the song, glancing around, watching the others get involved as well.

Ichiko joined in, a soft smile on her face as she sang along with the song she just heard today for the first time.

o/ "And you've got us feeling alright."

The last line of the song echoed thunderously around the room before it was repeated.

o/ "And you've got us feeling alright."