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[calypso-neil]

[She was a diplomat, after all--he didn't know why he expected her not to catch on. As of late his penchant for not being an open book was cracking.

So he offered a hint of a smile and nodded down, folding his hands in front of him. At least he didn't fidget.] 

I appreciate it. Been up and down lately--I'd hope you haven't heard anything too incriminating. [Saying that was already a bit of a faux pas, as it would raise the question of what was incriminating in the first place.] I mean--I've been around as a bridge officer. People say lots of things that aren't true, just because it's boring without. 

Anyway. [He shook his head, glancing to see if he'd drawn any attention.] I'm fine, is what I mean. 

Nina studied him as he spoke. Funny how a grown man could remind her of her younger siblings, as everyone did when they were holding back… not necessarily lying.. just feeling more than they were saying. Again, she wouldn’t insist too much upon it if he didn’t want to share, besides who was she to ask for information from him? She was sure he was strong enough to handle himself, which all at once made her feel foolish for even asking. Though, she did admit to herself that she was glad they were talking. He was on the list of people she admired and wished to have conversations with. Nina nodded, bringing herself back to the matter at hand. 

I’m sure most feel the same about the asteroids. They’ve caused plenty of trouble. 

She paused to look him in the eyes before giving him a small smile and continuing. 

Well I do hope whatever is on your mind works out for the best. I’m always around if you need someone to talk to. 

Again she mentally scolded herself for thinking she was close enough to him that he would -ever- talk to her about such personal matters. To keep from further embarrassment she steered the conversation to his question. 

I’m doing quite alright. However, I do hope to be of more help around the ship. As of late the skills in my particular area haven’t been needed yet everyone seems so busy. 

[calypso-neil]

Miss Collantes. [Bless her damn heart. Neil smiled politely, although there was a bit of recognizable confusion in his face. Admittedly he wished he had a place to sit down as well; he wasn't sure if anyone in the room had even seen him do so. He usually took his post near the captain's chair, or occasionally communications.] 

I'm alright. Just been a long past few days. [He wrinkled his nose, knowing there was some empathy to be found in that for everyone.] I'm certainly ready to be out of these asteroids. 

[That didn't really give much explanation to his blatant tension, but maybe he could just change the subject.] How are you? 

Nina hadn’t been at her assigned spot on the bridge for a while. Today, as things seemed a bit tense and chaotic with the arrival of the team, seemed like a good day to be around to help out. After helping out a bit in the medical ward, a duty that made her feel a bit uncomfortable, she now sat back in her seat PADD on her lap. However, she couldn’t help noting out of the corner of her eye a tense atmosphere surrounding Mr. Chambers. She hadn’t ever talked to him but had noticed him. He seemed to be a calm man, alert, and ready for duty, as the saying went. All qualities she admired. Maybe she would just check up on him while everyone else was busy….

She turned to him. 

Excuse me, Mr. Chambers. You seem a bit….. tense. Are you alright? 

That hadn’t quite been the right word, but she didn’t want to intrude. Yet, she had to check up on him, it was unusual for anything to effect him so evidently. 

[calypso-neil]

[As long as he and the Captain had left at different times, no one would question it. Except for the people with sharp eyes like the First Officer, inevitably lurking somewhere.

So Neil returned to his spot near the helm, lips pursed. No one would have assumed he was guilty of something if not for the slight crack in his exterior--as if he had something to be guilty about. To hell with it.] 

[calypso-neil]

[He returned to his typical frown and furrowed brow as soon as she mentioned the CMO, avoiding any eye contact with her.] He's certainly been having a run of bad luck lately--well, we all have.

Not really. [That wasn't the answer he wanted to give, but it was already out.] Just, er--I didn't want to waste any time going back to my room just to rinse off. You know. If anything, I'd be interrupting you.

[Little did he know, Don wondered the same. Although now, given she’d definitely crossed a line, the Captain allowed herself to enjoy the moment. Just a bit.

Until she remembered what had happened, and frowned.] My CMO. He’ll live —but it wasn’t pretty.

Did I interrupt you, Mr. Chambers?

[calypso-neil]

Right. [He eyed the locker then looked back to her, and wondered how long he was capable of holding the conversation.] 

I would have thought he was restrained. He didn't harm anyone, I hope?

No harm done, [at all. Goddammit, were there security cameras in there? Shit. Whatever. Best to keep her eyes on Neil’s face, Neil who looked like he would explode any minute now. She should feel bad, she shouldn’t be there, there was absolutely nothing professional in that.

Her nose? Oh yeah.

She should feel bad, but goddammit his stupid face made everything worth it.] 

Got into a fight. An officer tried to look down my bra.

I had to knock down the assimilated lieutenant. Shit was tough.

[calypso-neil]

[Changing at the Academy surrounded by dozens of different species was less awkward than this.]

Captain. Excuse me. [He kept getting closer and closer to breaking his otherwise calm exterior--he'd cover it up with as much silence as he could, as well as tightening his grip around the towel.

He didn't even bother with the formality of standing up straighter, and even could look at her from the shoulders up.]  ...What happened to your nose?

[That hadn’t been right, she realized soon after. That hadn’t been —that had been really fucked up. She was shaking. The goddamn Borg that had latched on to her, her helmsman got like that, her CMO…

She needed a shower. She needed a lot of drinks, and some sleep, even if she had the feeling that there would be little sleeping done, and more lying awake on the bed as concern after concern crashed and hit her. Repeatedly.

At least she could give herself one of the things on her list. It was nasty enough to be covered in…Borg stuff, her shirt had become stained with the blood from her nose. That was unacceptable.

So off she went. Her shirt was already off, and then holy shit—

No she didn’t gape, she knew better than that. But she clenched her jaw and looked straight ahead at his eyes instead of]

Mr. Chambers.

[calypso-neil]

[He'd start off showering with cold water to clear his head, then get it scalding.

They'd nearly made it, and aside from a Borg cadaver in the brig and a disgruntled Admiral, Neil could pretend most of the hardship was over. So when he was dismissed, he went to the rec room to sleep. He must have gotten in about thirty minutes before he woke with a start, the flash of a familiar woman's face and a feeling of certain death hanging over him.

Which was how he found himself in the locker room, his uniform folded neatly inside one on the end, a towel hanging on the peg next to the stall. He spent a little longer than he was used to cleaning off, since he'd been dismissed from the bridge and knew the place would be vacant.

Until, of course, he heard the door creak, and he turned, getting the towel back around his waist maybe just a little too late.]

[calypso-neil]

"Oh." Neil didn't really expect her to respond to that; it went to show, in a way, that she at least noticed something about him. And that made him smile, in a way that he tried to be subtle about, still looking down. "Well, then I can't argue, either, I suppose."

He guessed mentioning his dog was really just to tease him, but he didn't mind that as much as he minded remembering how she came to know of it. He just had to move the topic along. "Anyway, what can I--er, would you--is there anything I could do for you?"

Don’s lips quirked into a grin, tired, yet a genuine, gratified gesture. Of course he’d stayed. Already she could hear Piper telling her that he followed her around, could even see his stupid smug ass grin. Never mind that. What they all gossiped of was none of her business.

"Don’t be so hard on yourself, Mr. Chambers." As if they weren’t graced with each other’s presence every day on the bridge and the rest of the ship.

"I’m sure your dog would like to think otherwise. And who am I to argue against such a nice and fluffy thing like that?" 

[calypso-neil]

"I don't have anything I need to do." Which was a decent enough way to dodge the question. He tried to ignore the sudden itch in his palms, or to look at her, all while staying composed. 

(At this rate, he was used to that sort of balancing act.) 

"If you're looking for company," he added, "I'm not the best." There was more embarrassment in his honesty than humor, but he was definitely willing to spend the time with her. He couldn't humiliate himself any further, he was sure. 

"No." If she’d replied way too fast then she had chosen to overlook that, otherwise, embarrassment would gnaw away her dignity. That was the least she needed. Along with utter loneliness, or at least the illusion of it —no matter that they were in space. With her crew, she could never truly be alone. And that was more comforting than anything.

Still…no, she didn’t want him to leave. But she didn’t know how to ask him to keep her company, words, for once, escaped her grasp. ”Do you wanna leave, Mr. Chambers?” 

[calypso-neil]

"Maybe so." He frowned at the assertion nonetheless, because if anything that kind of talk confirmed selflessness from her. "But there’s a difference between being selfish and focusing on yourself." 

But self-care was understandably not a priority, especially in a crisis. He wasn’t sure what she was trying to ask of him, so he just glanced down at the floor. “If you’d like me to leave, then.” 

It was his job to know, of course. It was a bit shameful he couldn’t then. 

Don shrugged half-heartedly; now that he was bringing up how on edge she’d been for the past days, she really couldn’t find enough energy anymore. Stress itself was a word that did not carry just how fucking afflicted she was. 

"It would be selfish if I thought like that." Everyone had their ways of dealing with shit. Some simply didn’t.

She breathed out quietly, pursing her lips. “Eh. Anyway, what can I do ‘bout that, huh? You were going to your room, and here I am stopping you.” Dismissive was not the way she would’ve liked to sound. Yet —what was she doing anyway? She blamed it on current adversities. Yeah, that had to be it. 

[calypso-neil]

He'd been very good at avoiding the attention of gossip amongst his crew in the past, even when he was in command. His private life wasn't exactly private, but so boring it didn't matter. And when it had been private, he was certain it was impenetrable.

But now that he was here, mooning over his Captain, of course a keen eye had noticed. To think all he'd been doing was assisting the Captain to the best he could; then, when she was gone, assisting Martin the best he could in Piper's absence; and then assisting Piper the best he could. It only became difficult once things had fallen back into order.

Never mind it. "Stressed, but that's normal. I'd wager no one is as stressed as you, though, Captain."

Piper prying on personal things was never a good sign —funny that she’d picked up on little things already. And the man had no ounce of discretion when it came to…those particular rumors. Not even she was spared from gossip, sure, but it was kind of worse when your own second in command was the one in charge of it all.

She snorted, lifting an eyebrow. “Maybe he was. That doesn’t mean he’ll stop being nosy, trust me.”

Best course of action was to make him shut up, or change topic. But what was done was done, and as much as Don would’ve liked to hear what Neil had said…she really didn’t know how to ask, and it was probably best if they dropped that. Probably.

It kind of made her think —no, no. Every time she thought of that, her mind blocked her out and suddenly there were more important things to worry about. Always. 

Fuck. “So you okay, then, Mr. Chambers?”

[calypso-neil]

Birthday nap ❤️

[calypso-neil]

Neil furrowed his brow, unsure what kind of message she was sending--he didn't want to make it too clear he was trying to pick up on body language. But he'd be bold, he decided, and move to stand across from her on the other side of the wall.

"Funny?" He linked his fingers together and leaned back, for once slightly casual. "It's not my place to say so, but maybe he pried a bit, about personal things. Maybe he was being friendly. I can't tell."

Maybe he could tell, actually. He had a suspicion that Piper was onto him--in terms of antagonizing him and also in his...relationship with the Captain, or lack thereof. Maybe there was even some gossip at play. But he felt like he'd already said too much, so he just waited.

As long as Piper kept his damn mouth shut and didn’t go around throwing Neil suspicious looks and making suggestive comments about her, it was fine. Man, the First Officer sure took a liking to bothering her with that whenever he could.

Which, hadn’t been much as of lately, for obvious reasons. 

Don clicked her tongue, shaking her head. This time, her smile was slightly more relaxed. “A whole some. Same happened to me, so I can’t really say anything ‘bout it.”

The captain crossed her arms as she leaned against the wall. There was enough room for him to go through, if he wanted. She had no right to keep him there, stalling. But —and thank God no one would ever hear her say it out loud not as long as she live— she just wanted some damn company.

She should have brought Titus with her. The little fish was so soothing to watch. 

"He say anything funny to you?" 

[calypso-neil]

"I'm in no hurry." He shook his head, although maybe that seemed a little intrusive. He could never tell whether or not she wanted him out of her way. He'd gotten good at picking up on her temper, as he often did in his assistance, but sometimes it was thinly-veiled. 

She really wanted to know, then. He allowed himself a little smile. "We're good, yes. It just took some getting used to each other." 

Ah. Her adjutant, ever present in times of need. Even if that sometimes reached whole new levels of irritating that Don didn’t know existed. But deep down she knew it was just her temperament flaring at the most random of times. A problem she knew how to deal with, fortunately.

Now, though, now his presence was a blessing.

 ”Mr. Chambers,” she greeted quietly, blinking and turning to look at him. She forced her lips up, but realized it would be a fruitless attempt at formality. Also, had she really blocked the entire hallway? Dammit. “Don’t mind me, go rest.”

Yet… “Although I think I must ask how things went with Mr. Piper. You two good?”

[calypso-neil]

Neil had spent his time lingering in the galley, checking the bridge and exchanging polite—or, at least more genuine than usual—words with the First Officer, who he'd been attempting to develop a better rapport with. It hadn't been very long, but he knew that in times like these, these sorts of moments would either be over in the blink of an eye or drag by painfully. Once the Captain had slipped away for her own business, he’d stuck around to help Piper and eventually was dismissed. 

He didn’t like stress, still. He could handle it, but it didn’t mean he liked it. 

So when he turned a corner on the way to his quarters, where he intended to make some tea and possibly call his sister, if it was even possible in the state of emergency, he shouldn’t have been so surprised when he saw Don standing there as well. And it looked like he’d been noticed. 

So he cleared his throat, and made it clear he’d turn around or walk by if she requested it. It wasn’t the right time to start feeling his stomach flip as soon as he saw her, but he knew he had very little control over it. 

She’d been staring at the same spot of the same wall for what felt like hours. But no, it hadn’t been hours. She doubted it had even been more than ten minutes. Time just couldn’t spare her, or anyone for that matter. Especially not now. 

It would have all been easier if they’d just fired that damn ship, but even considering that made bile rise up her throat. It seemed like something the Admiral would do anyway. No way would she scoop so low.

There were no doubts (and no time for them really). She knew what she was doing.

It just sucked when your own people were harmed, and your ship, and she kept it all bottled up because there was no Connor, no Vic. Felix was nice, but…

Don wrinkled her nose, finally snapping out of it. The hum of the ship’s engines, the blinding clean light, even the smell, it all crashed on her. Shit. That was not nice, not now, not ever.  

[calypso-neil]

what fools these mortals be 

zeus (idris elba) and hera (gina torres)

[calypso-neil]

Of course. 

[He was referring to both statements, of course, but brevity got the better of him. It was just his nature; he wouldn't show any more than he had to.

Even if the Captain had seen him fawning over his damn dog.]

If you need any more questions answered, Captain, or an escort, I'll be here. 

I ain’t shooting that ship until we can get Dr. Byrne out of there. [Or until they lost her. That could happen too. But as long as Don couldn’t help it, that possibility was discarded.

She looked up at Neil, her eyes flickering to his chin for a fraction of a second.] I know how they are. I’m trying to prepare.