A Change of View (open)

[illyanna]

Lt. Pasha Stavros found herself ready for a change of view. The ship's halls, large as they were had no windows. they really emphasized the closed in box feeling that Stavros seemed to feel inside the belly of the ship. When she entered the Recreational Area, she had no idea that there was a flower base here. Truly a marvel that plants could grow in space. If she had to guess, she'd bet the gravity matrix and the number of people aboard the ship had something to do with their growth and health. Real leaps and bounds were made in the last 150 years with farming in artificial gravity that something like this truly needed to be appreciated. Pasha had promised herself she would actually take a tour of the Arboretum before it got too late to do so.

She walked in. Her dark hair pulled back in a pony tail swished as she each step brought her closer to the green leaves and colorful display of plants aboard. This was so much better than any Hologram Room, this was real and the air was quite fresh here and not stale or "recycled" like it was about the rest of the ship. While she wasn't a flower Lover, she did appreciate nature in all it's beauty.

"This is great. Why isn't this on the other ship I served on. I wouldn't have asked to leave." She exclaimed loudly since the area was empty. She felt at home here. The only thing this place was missing was a big craggy cliff begging her to climb. She did however spot a low lying tree and a rather devilish grin plagued her face. Childhood was calling.

[christineechapel]

Of course the woman hadn't known that there was someone else in the room. Christine was one to stay quiet most times anyway. She had found this place a quiet respite from the madness of the ship. Of course Christine loved her job and she loved being able to help Dr. McCoy as best as she could but she didn't like how confrontational people could be here. Someone always seemed to be upset about SOMEthing and she didn't like that at all. She just wanted people to get along. Why was that so hard? Did everyone have to be so loud about everything? Perhaps that was just how people were in closed in spaces for long amounts of time.

Christine had just been watching one of the flowers when she heard a new voice disturb her calm. She perked, wondering who was there. She supposed someone would come by eventually as the place was open and she had no right to take care of the place by herself. IT was hard to believe such a large garden was here in space, just there for them to enjoy. Biting her lip nervously, Christine looked up and tried to find the source of the new voice. She didn't recognize it but Christine didn't really know anyone just yet here. She had only been there for a few weeks and had yet to even meet the captain himself.

"Hello? Who's there?" Christine asked quickly and was very confused for a moment. Perhaps she had only just imagined the voice after all. She had been completely lost in thought when it had happened. Christine looked around curiously and attempted to follow where the voice must be. Wherever that must be of course. With her luck, it would be someone she did not even know and she didn't doubt it. A relative stranger, it didn't help that Christine was also still a little shy when it came to getting to know everyone here. She was only comfortable around McCoy so far anyway and that was only because she worked with him daily. If it weren't for that, Christine was sure that she would probably spend her days alone doing her work.

[illyanna]

Pasha was exuberant in joy of her visual senses. This place was so much better for rejuvenation instead of the plain and sordid hallways about. Sure this place was a bit darker because of all the shade from the trees, but it was just simply gorgeous. She closed her eyes and took in a deep breath before letting loose once more.
"I love this ship." A rather not shy voice exclaimed once more.

"Hello? Who's there?" She heard a voice call from somewhere behind her. Quickly she spun about and threw a fast hand over her mouth, having realize she ~had~ been rather loud a moment ago. The hand wasn't really for the shocked girl look most would think, but more to help hide her giggulous laugh that was trying to escape, not to mention the budding embarrassment she was having to live up to disturbing someone else's moment of tranquility.

There, just beyond the Azalea's stood a blond she wasn't familiar with, it was like she emerged from the wilderness. She did look possibly like one of the few she shared a shuttle with when embarking on her new orders.
"So sorry. I hope I didn't disturb you. I seem to be doing that a bit much lately. I was just...." What was the word she wanted to use? "...excited that not everything was as plain and boring as it seemed.
"Oh, uh, hi by the way." She grinned a bit sheepishly almost forgetting her manners.

[christineechapel]

Christine was relieved to see that someone was nearby and that she hadn't just imagined it. It seemed such a strange thing to imagine another person anyway. She sighed in relief and smiled, the smile quietly giving a small gleam to her eye as she watched the girl next to her. Yes, she was right. IT was someone she didn't know. Then again she had yet to even see the entire ship and she'd been there for quite some time already: almost a month. She doubted she would ever see the Enterprise in its entirety but she supposed she was lucky to be there. After all, she had dreamed of space all her life and here she was, finally among the stars.

"No, you didn't disturb me. Just lost in thought, that's all. This seems the perfect place to come and well...just think. Everywhere else always seems so busy and loud all the time. But here, it's just the right amount of quiet." She nodded, the small smile still there. "Oh and hello to you too...I'm Ensign Christine Chapel." Then she realized that whoever this was was probably several ranks above her as everyone else seemed to be. She gave a quick, flimsy excuse for a salute and looked down nervously at her shoes again. Were they even clean enough to be talking to a superior officer? "Nurse..yes. I hope to be head nurse some day and under Dr. McCoy's guidance I hope to do just that. He's quite a good teacher and uh, I'm sorry, I'm rambling. I don't think I know you either." She said just as quickly, breathlessly and she felt her nerves kicking in again. Great. Why was she always so terrible with introductions?

[illyanna]

The blond seemed to portray a relief of some sort. Pasha's eyes shifted momentarily to make sure there wasn't someone else behind the bushes with her. Maybe she was happy to not be alone. There was no clue as to what the blond was thinking. Maybe Stavros should actually talk to her.

Stavros was quite puzzled about being saluted to. Obviously, this woman was lower in rank, but we were on leave. Everything's relaxed during leave.
"At ease, soldier." Pasha said glibfully, just like her father always greeted her. She was rambling, it seemed everyone she ran into began talking about the good doctor. She didn't ask for the woman's life history, but it was in all honesty a nice piece of knowledge to have. The woman has a goal, an ambition in life. Good for her. Stavros nodded her head after, noticing it was intensely quiet here.
"Ya' know, I was just thinking the same thing that this place is quite peaceful." She said aloud to stop thinking and possibly process the information she has just vomited forth in testimonial.

"Well Ensign Christine Chapel it is nice to make your acquaintance. I'm Lieutenant Pasha Stavros. Of course I have the most boring job in the universe...I analyze soil and meter rock cultures through a long process of technical wordage that I don't care to restate if I don't have to." She laughed trying to make light of her situation. Don't misunderstand, Pasha loved her job, but it was incredibly boring at times and she was stating a fact.
"So what has you so deep in thought, Ensign Christine Chapel?" Pasha found humor in a lot of things, specifically at how formal everyone can be when they think it matters.

[christineechapel]

Christine smiled and nodded, not fully used to all of the ranking just yet even though she'd been in the Academy. Things had been different there. She felt safe there but here was a totally different story. Sometimes she had to tell herself that everything would be just fine. She would be surrounded by the safety of the ship and nothing would happen too horribly. She couldn't possibly die in space, could she? No, don't even think about those things. But this was what she had signed up for and Christine just wanted to help others who did happen to get hurt or sick or just needed some kind of relief. She felt like this was where she needed to be no matter how overwhelmed she got sometimes.

"Oh, right, yes leave. I promise I do know these things. It's just my first time in space and I'm so used to the academy. I apologize. I've only been here for a few weeks. I just want to be of some use instead of feeling lost all the time." She said breathlessly, rambling onwards about how she felt until she realized that wasn't exactly a good idea either. Quickly, Christine stopped herself and found something rather fascinating on her shiny boots before focusing on another beautiful flower nearby. The flower brought a gentle smile to her face

"Were you looking to escape the pressures of the ship too? IT's nice to find a quiet place like this and I'm so glad they have it. I've heard that they recommend the holo deck sometimes too but i'm afraid I don't quite know how to work the thing. So what is your assignment on leave, Lieutenant? To relax as well? Get away a little while? I'm anxious to finally get onto another planet. I've never been off earth before and I just want to see what it's like out here."

[illyanna]

"Yes, that Hologram....room," Pasha wasn't quite sure what to call it or even much about it to that matter, "..I'm not sure about it. It's like new technology. It kind of scares me. I wonder how long it'll be before we're calling for our crew specifically in there and not in their quarters...or even at their posts." She grinned thinking that might be a bit humorous calling for the captain 4 times before looking into that room. It had the potential to be dangerous and addictive. Worse than that, it had the potential to be unhealthy.

"Assignment on leave?" She asked a little confused.
"The only assignment I have is to relax, have fun and see my parents." She bemoaned at the thought of being hugged to no end by her mom and dad.
"I'm delaying that project for as long as I can before we leave." Pasha gave a little laugh, imagining again how mom would probably over feed her and dad would regale her with retold stories of trips he had been a part of.

Chapel continued on about her fears and desires of life off planet. It was curious to Pasha that Christine had never been off planet. Who in this day and age had not at least been to the Moon? They had a practical tourist location here to view the Ol' Glory Site.
"Life there is not so bad. It's just life there just....less...pretty." She laughed again finding humor in her own words. If there was one thing Pasha was was someone who laughed a lot about odd things. She found humor in most topics, not just a joke. He view was simple. Life was a joke and if you couldn't laugh at it most of the time, you weren't living.

[christineechapel]

She smiled quietly and nodded. It was nice to find someone relatively normal for once here. The silence was what made her feel at home here and she enjoyed the smell too and the beautiful flowers that greeted her eye. She wondered how it could feel so much like a wonderland here on such a metal ship as The Enterprise was. She kept smiling and looked back towards the woman named Pasha. Something about this place just thrilled her and Christine didn't know exactly what but she didn't care. She just wanted to stay here forever it seemed and maybe at least the afternoon. That would be something.

"Sorry, I keep forgetting that we're on leave. I guess I'm so restless that I just want to see everything all at once. I mean it is my first voyage and all and I've always been earth bound if you will. I just hope people here...like me. Or else I don't know what to do." She shrugged, rambling again and she knew it. She looked down and then back up at Pasha with the small smile on her face. She finally felt comfortable here and almost at home. Sometimes she did miss earth more than she could say but this was a once in a life time opportunity. Chapel didn't want to mess this up as she was so afraid of doing. She tried not to fret and just take things in stride. After all, she just wanted to do her job to the best of her abilities.

"I wonder what the plans will be after leave. Leave is usually two weeks or so isn't it? Sorry, this is my first well...everything. I'm excited but I'm scared at the same time." She shrugged, hoping she wasn't spilling too much information to a near stranger. "Sorry. I talk too much when I'm nervous. I guess you kinda already noticed that since I won't shut up. Sorry uh...do I just call you Pasha or Lieutenant? First shore leave. I really don't know what I'm doing. I know .It's pathetic."

[illyanna]

Pasha just grinned, finding the Ensign humorous. The girl just kept talking. Maybe she needed to to keep her sanity. It wasn't too hard to listen. Usually that's what Pasha did best. True though it was nice to actually have a friend aboard the ship.
"You can just call me Pasha."

"I knew you looked familiar. We came to Enterprise on the same shuttle, didn't we. Yeah, I think you sat about 5 rows ahead of me." Pasha thought for a second or so to make sure she was remembering correctly.
"But to be honest, I'm hearing rumors that there's a lot of activity regarding the Romulan War. I don't know. Maybe we'll get to head out soon and find out more." She had heard the rumors from her parents. Her dad would have had a position on the Kelvin before it was destroyed. He kept up with the Romulan goings on ever since. Pasha thought he had an addiction.

[christineechapel]

Pasha. It was such an interesting name and it made Christine smile. It sounded so much more exciting than her name at least, just boring old Christine. She supposed it was better than Elizabeth or Emily but she would just deal with it for now. At least her last name was interesting enough though sometimes she got a little bit teased for it. She realized she had just gotten lost in thought again and probably looked very silly just staring at her and smiling a little. Why couldn't she seem to concentrate on anything lately? Her mind was so scattered and alive that she just didn't know how to control it anymore. She supposed that didn't help her in social situations either since she didn't know how to talk to people normally.

"Really? The same shuttle? I must not have seen you then. I would have remembered you, I believe. Especially with that name. Anyways, that shuttle was quite a bit bumpy, don't you think so? And what's your uh..position here? I mean, what do you do?" She asked and hoped that she wasn't being too nosy. Christine didn't like being accused of anything she wasn't and being nosy certainly wasn't one of her qualities that she knew of. Unless, she was just mistaking herself. Christine nodded as she listened and hoped that she wasn't boring the girl. Perhaps a few more questions? "Oh, do you know any of the crew yet? I'm afraid I've only met my superior officer and he's been quite kind. But the others, I don't know so well. Do you?" there was one inparticular that she had seen from a distance but hadn't the courage to even talk to him just yet. She didn't want to make it obvious though and simply wanted to pretend to be normal.

[illyanna]

Pasha was about to answer one of Christine's questions before another blurted out of her mouth and then another. Pasha just grinned, finding it funny. It was like having a little sister, with more energy than she did.
"Whoa...hold on there..." Her eyes smiled themselves in the artificial light of the room.

"I have met a few others on the ship, yes. And sadly not all of them are as friendly as you." She smirked remembering the embarrassment of LT Uhura and the Romulan Ale affair. It wasn't something she was particularly blissful memory to remember. It seemed petty for her to be so bothered by it, but she just couldn't shake it.

"What do I do....well...I study the tectonics of planetary plates. There's a whole lot more to my job, that involves technical words and chemicals. But in all essence, I play with rocks. Analyze soil. You know, I guess maybe you might be able to call it a doctor to the ground." Yes, she was trying to make her job a little more exciting. The truth of the matter was that she put dirt into a machine and then read the chartflows that the computer spit out. It wasn't all that exciting.

[christineechapel]

Christine Chapel nodded quietly, realizing she had talked far too much for her own good yet again. It was strange how she either talked too much sometimes when she was excited or just not at all. She just got ahead of herself unfortunately and Christine never knew exactly what to make of social situations. For now, she was just happy to meet someone nice and who called her nice too. It didn't really happen these days as she seemed to upset people just by being there without meaning to or interrupting on accident. She bit her lip and nodded , trying to calm down a little. Just stop. Take a breath and let the woman answer some questions before she asked anymore. It seemed now that she didn't even know how to shut up.

Actually, it was quite the opposite. She didn't know why she decided to ramble as she did. Perhaps she was just curious. Well, more curious than usual. She nodded again and tried to hold in her excitement. It was just nice not to be yelled at, especially by people like Captain Reese or Dr. Javert. This lady seemed genuinely nice and actually remembered her from the shuttle. That was odd. Chapel wouldn't have counted herself for actually memorable. if she were someone else, she would certainly not remember herself either. Yet this woman had and it made her feel so much better about herself. It seemed silly that such a small thing would make her excited but it did.

"Oh. That's interesting. I wish I knew interesting things like that but I don't. I'm just a nurse really and I don't really know too many people here either. I'd like to but I'm not usually this talkative and I tend to freak out in front of people. Thanks for calling me nice..really. I haven't been getting that a lot lately since there seem to be so many strange touchy people around here."

[illyanna]

"And that my dear, is not far from the truth." She grinned and nicked a finger in Chapel's direction as if to say she was on point. If there was ever a collection of characters and personalities that differ so greatly from one another, The Enterprise was it. Even from the whispered secrets of how the Captain got his chair and kept it showed just how memorial these personalities and demeanors were.

"Oh hush, woman. I'm sure you know other interesting things that I can't even pretend to understand." She thought for a moment trying to think of something that would prove her point, as she was assured that Chapel's next couple of words would be related to asking for an example.
"Maybe....like, uh, how the body works? I'm fascinated to know how a fever is the body's defense against a sickness. I mean why does the body heat up like that? Is it the blood that is warm or the muscle or just the skin? Maybe I'm just too curious for my own good." She shrugged before swinging her weight as she hung on that limb from the oak.

[christineechapel]

Chapel nodded and felt interested that she would actually want to know something about nursing. What could she possibly tell her though? She had never exactly explained her job before and didn't really care to. Most of it was just a bunch of doctor speak that didn't make any sense to someone who hadn't studied it for years on end. In fact, Chapel herself sometimes had problems with the vocabulary as it was always so high brow. She just wished someone would write it down without having to sound like a such a snob while doing so. Yet Christine doubted that would ever happen. Usually, doctors tended to be snooty whether they realized it or not.

"Well, if you ever want to come stay at the sick bay for a while and investigate, I'm sure it's all right. I mean, I'm sure there are some doctors who would be silly and ignore you but you're welcome on my watch anyway. Perhaps then you can see what being a nurse is like." She suggested, hoping she wasn't too far out of line for doing such a thing. Maybe it would peak the lieutenant's interest enough to make things well worth her while and engage her for the rest of leave. Perhaps then Christine could finally have a friend of her own. It would be nice to call someone friend. Her sister had made it so no one would be friends with her let alone care anything about her. Christine pushed back the dreadful memories of her sister and struggled to pay attention to what was happening now. No. she wasn't going there. Now that Christine was free on her own, she would never have to worry about that woman ever again. Or so she hoped.

[illyanna]

Pasha gave a most expressed face, nodding to Christine as if to genuinely feign interest. The Lieutenant was not one to turn down a real and perfectly good offer from a nice enough person. The problem was that Pasha wasn't exactly excited about watching the goings on in the Sickbay. But curiosity was beginning to catch the girl. Maybe there might be an answer for her there to finally give evidence as to how exactly the electric diodes send their protein scanners through the body in an imaging scan. The science explained it, but the engineering aspect marveled her like a 5 year old kid just discovering they remember how to write their name correctly.

"Yeah. Sure. That might actually be an idea. Maybe, after we could grab some lunch or something." Sure Pasha was a bit of a science nerd, but she did like to show her friends that she wasn't all science.