Barside Counseling

Posted on Sat Sep 7th, 2024 @ 1:12am by David Mccolugh & Ensign Eekit Drol

Mission: Mean Green Queen
Location: King's Shilling Pub
Timeline: Mission Day 7 at 1120

[The King's Shilling Pub]
[MD 7]
[1120]

A normal, earth-bound pub would probably be quiet in that strange time in the mid-morning before the lunch rush. And though David's immersive pub décor made one think they were on earth, this pub was in fact on a starship, which operated round-the-clock. Which meant some people were getting off shift at this time in the mid-morning, wanting a drink, or the ambiance, or both.

One such person peeked cautiously into the pub, silhouetted against the bright lights of the hallway beyond. It was a tall figure, lean in the way of young people, and it hesitated, pausing just on the brink of chickening out.

Oh, stop it, Eekit. It's a bar. It's not going to bite.

Obeying her inner voice, the figure committed, stepping fully into the quiet pub and letting the doors swish shut behind her. She paused long enough to let her eyes adjust to the thematically low lighting. She was garbed in her usual mustard uniform, one solitary ensign's pip at her collar. The uniform was rumpled, as though it'd been worn for some time, and her long black hair, originally tied back in a bun was escaping, giving her a slightly bedraggled air.

Once she was certain she wasn't going to trip over an unfortunately placed ottoman or something, she squared her shoulders and made her way to the bar. Although her foot was healed enough to have removed the boot, she still walked with a very slight limp, while she recovered some of the muscle function in her calf and ankle. She tried her best to minimize it.

David saw the young person moving with a limp, the boot on their leg was a dead giveaway that they were still recovering from an injury. He waved them over to an open bar seat, "Take a load off, it looks like you've got a busted peg there."

Eekit froze on instinct, glancing behind herself as though David could be speaking to anyone else in the quiet bar. The only thing she didn't do was point at herself and mouth 'me?' Realizing how she must look, she started forward again, shoulders hunching slightly with embarrassment. It was just as well that Cardassian skin was not given to blushing. She finished her approach to the bar and slid onto one of the seats gingerly, as if afraid it wouldn't bear her weight. Halfway through settling in, David's words seemed to actually penetrate her brain and a quizzical look took over her ridged features. "Peg?" she asked, looking down at herself, as if afraid some part of her uniform-- or perhaps anatomy?-- was missing.

"Your leg." He gestured, Noticed the boot there, Can't be easy or fun to walk on." He waved her over, "So have a seat."

Eekit glanced down at the limb in question, the connections finally lining up in her mind. "Oh," she breathed, and then mouthed 'peg,' to herself. Settling herself more firmly on the seat, she mustered a shrug she probably thought was nonchalant, although it came off a little stiff. "It's mostly healed," she said her casuallyness just a little forced, "just hard to keep off it, y'know? Doc says it's slower than some places to heal 'cause of all the little connecty bits." Quirking her lips to the side, she leaned forward to say conspiratorially, "Connecty is my word, not his."

"We used to call it the bits and bobs. " He set down a napkin, "What can I get you?"

Eekit's halfsmile widened into a full one as she mouthed, 'bits and bobs,' then said aloud, "Bits and bobs. I like it." To David's question, she huffed a sigh, a couple strands of escaped hair puffing up off her face before falling flat again. "Well, I was kinda hoping you could help me with that," she said, slumping halfway onto one of her arms braced on the bartop. "Something to cheer me up or something to take my mind off things. Preferably both," she added, the smile soured into something crooked and sardonic.

That made him pause, "Well, it sounds to me like there's a story there." he set down a glass, and removed a bottle, "Well howbout a taste of home, a little kanar?"

Eekit's browridges arched with surprise. Two people on this ship had kanar and no one had told her? She really needed to expand her network. Trying to keep the excitement out of her voice and only partially succeeding, she asked with what she hoped was studied indifference, but what actually came out a little too eagerly, "You have kanar? From where?"

"Not sure of the exact vintage, but the bar manager on Deep Space 9 owes me a few favors, so he got me a good selection." He shrugged, "So I have a few bottles, and I know a taste of home can be a nice thing."

One browridge remained lifted, the other dropping skeptically. "Owes you a few favors?" she asked dubiously. Eekit wasn't sure why she was unconvinced, but she definitely knew she needed to dig a little deeper. "How did that happen? You stop his place burning down or something?"

"I made the mistake of telling him about Charles Ponzi and the Ponzi scheme, he thought it was the greatest opportunity for profit he could think of. " He chuckled ruefully, "I didn't get to the part about it's collapse and Mr Ponzi ending up in prison for years. "

"Well, now you have to--" Eekit began, but cut off as David continued to the part about the prison sentence. At this, she couldn't help but grin back, "In that case, it sounds like you are going to owe him soon, in which case I'd better partake of the kanar while I still can. Not feeling like I need to get homesick tonight along with everything else though... you got a way to put a Dee Que twist on it?" she asked hopefully, glancing over David's shoulder to the beautifully-arranged, well-stocked shelves.

The shelves held a wide variety of liquors, each bottle stacked neatly, the rest of the bar area had a highly shined mirror behind the bottles making them look like they went on forever, above that were some pictures, a few men in military uniforms of their times, from Regency to what was known as the Edwardian error, any student of history would recognize the stern looking woman as Queen Victoria, next to her were George the third and fourth, then after her was her son Edward the seventh and grandson George the fifth, Each one a monarch he had 'taken the king or queen's shilling' in service to their nation, above them was the massive nock gun that sat deactivated as sort of a piece of history.

"I believe I can." he did a quick fill of her glass and applied the requested twist. He set it in front of her then shrugged, "I'm not going to invest but then again he probably will find a few to partake, it's not a rule of acquisition, but Barnum did say that a sucker was born every minute."

As David began to work on the drink, Eekit tore her attention from the odd weaponry on the wall-- although she didn't recognize either the gun or its era, its shape was close enough to Federation standard phasers she could take a guess as to what it was for-- and watched with fascination as he added ingredients she assumed were edible-- or at least potable-- to a satisfyingly thin vintage of kanar. It seemed whomever David's Deep Space 9 contact was at least had managed to provide decent spirits. When the concoction was finished and placed in front of her, Eekit held up the oddly-spiraled glass, peering into the dark, almost opaque drink, flecks of whatever herb-- and had that been a fruit? She wasn't sure-- David had used. She lifted it in a salute to the bartender and took a cautious sip, her deep browridges arching with surprise. She lowered the glass, staring into it again as she sucked the drink through her teeth. "Well I'll be damned," she said, looking back up at David, "that tastes just like the Dee Que." Flashing him a grin, she lifted the glass again in a salute, "Barnum isn't wrong. To suckers."

"May we not be one." He toasted with his ever present cup of coffee. He gave her a chance to enjoy her drink, best thing he had learned was when to not talk.

Eekit huffed and seemed to deflate a little, leaning an elbow on the bar. "Too late," she said morosely and took another sip of the drink, sternly reminding herself not to consume it too quickly.

That got a raised eyebrow, "Well there's a story there, care to share?"

David's question, couched in just the right tone to draw her out, nevertheless made her shoulders hunch forward, as though to protect herself. She toyed with the glass for a long, quiet moment, spinning it idly on the bartop, entirely engrossed in how the liquid within seemed to remain still despite the movement of the vessel around it. If only it were so simple for sentients. Rather than answer the question directly, Eekit finally glanced up and asked, "Do you ever ask yourself impossible questions, and then spend oh, I don't know, inexcusable numbers of days trying to answer them?"

"All the time, Part of life." He paused, "I've also had a long time to think of them, starting with after I got back from France after Waterloo, What's your impossible question?"

Eekit spun her glass on the bartop, twisting it in her fingers and staring intently at it, working up the words to answer his question. Finally, she bit the inside of her cheek and mentally shoved herself forward. You started this, you may as well finish it, she told herself roughly. "How much better off would the captain be without me?" The impossible question was spoken stridently, as if by saying the words forcefully enough, she could erase the image of the small, lost girl asking them. This wasn't Cardassia, and David wasn't her father, but she felt as inadequate as she had those many years ago anyway. Fiercely, as though to wash the taste of the question from her mouth, Eekit tossed off a quick gulp of her drink, forgetting her promise to consume it slowly.

"I think this is a coffee conversation, " he dug out a mug and poured some for her. "And to answer your question, not at all. Why are you asking?"

Watching him pour the dark liquid, Eekit barely resisted derailing the conversation with more questions about coffee conversations. There was a hard knot under her ribs that wouldn't let her shy away from the question now she'd asked it out loud. His answer, though it should have been reassuring, instead made her frown. Something about the simple, matter-of-fact words were like an itch she couldn't scratch. Her frown deepened as she considered how to answer his question. In the end, honesty won. The whole ship knew the truth, there was no reason to prevaricate. "He got injured on my watch," she mumbled into the mug, not looking up. "Remember what I said about suckers? I thought security for the captain was where I was meant to be. 'cause I work hard. And I'm good at security." Pause. "Usually."

Blowing out a sigh, she took a sip of the coffee, its bitter taste a sharp contrast to the complexity of the drink he had poured from her. She blinked in surprise and looked up, clacking her tongue off the roof of her mouth as she sought to rearrange her tastebuds around the new sensation. "But having your charge kidnapped and injured sucks. Having your charge kidnapped and injured when he's the captain..." She didn't finish the thought, letting David fill in the blanks.

That got a pause, "First time in a combat situation?" He appeared sympathetic, "My first time was the Siege of Talavera, we went in right after the Forlorn hope, first unit through the breach, I was so scared I shook like a leaf. Funny thing is you get training, discipline, learn everything you can about combat, but the first time you're under the guns everything you learn goes right out the bloody window."

Eekit snorted derisively, with the easy dismissal of the young. "Hardly," she said, "although it might have been my first kidnapping..." Her gaze became unfocused, as though trying to summon up a kidnapping she might have forgotten about. Taking a thoughtful sip of her coffee, she nearly spluttered it out again, surprised anew by the taste sensation. Blinking she slid the mug a little ways away, picking up her kanar drink again. "So after you got done shaking like a leaf, you obviously acquitted yourself well-- you lose a lot of friends?" she asked, softening her tone in deference to the topic.

"More then I can remember." He moved the coffee cup, out of the way, "Comes with a long life."

Eekit grimaced, although it was hard to tell whether as a response to David's comment, or to the sip of her drink. "That sounds awful," she admitted, spinning the beautiful glass David had filled with her drink meditatively between her hands on the polished bartop. "You know, Cardassian blessings aren't usually very poetic, but one of them is, 'Die well.' I always thought it was a bit defeatist but after watching all your friends die..." As though realizing how her comment might have sounded, Eekit jerked and buried her face in the glass, taking a modest sip to collect her thoughts again. "You made many friends on the Sojo?" she asked, not looking up from her drink.

He paused, "I've made a couple, met some people. How are you fitting in?"

Eekit's lips twitched to the side. "Fine, until I went and got the captain kidnapped," she said, the liptwitch settling into a sour expression. "Now I've been relegated to footage review on the mid watch and I can't even say I don't deserve it." She blew out a defeated puff of air, lifting a few black strands of hair that had escaped her bun. Taking another sip, she looked up and lifted her glass to David, "Figured now was as good a time as any to visit. It's nice, what you've done with the place." Eekit took another look around, adding, "It's cozy, in a human sort of way. They do love wood, don't they?"

"They do." He noted that was the second time she mentioned the kidnapping, but poking that seemed to be a sore spot so he moved around it, "It's also a bit of history, I recreated the Inn back on Earth where I first took the King's Shilling in 1806 for the penninsular wars I wanted to make a place where people can just relax. So I hope this helps and you can put your troubles aside, and enjoy a drink and a place to unwind."

Briefly wondering-- and then dismissing-- what a shilling was, Eekit canted her head, her hard Cardassian features twisted into a question. "Were they relaxing, the wars?" she asked, trying to put all of his words into context. She knew some folks found such things a pleasant pastime and although her own folk were regarded as violent enough, she couldn't imagine actually relaxing to an armed conflict. Surviving was hard enough.

He had to laugh, "The wars themselves were not relaxing at all. Especially the battles." THen he paused, "It was more the comrades, the times just sitting around, the wars changed but the soldiers didn't." He paused for a second, "And the bar was a reminder of home for many folks on the ship."

Eekit's lips twisted to the side in a wry smirk. "Turns out soldierin' calls to the same people the galaxy over, eh? Or I guess," she added a little uncertainty, "the centuries over too. What made you give it up?" Her curiosity seemed genuine as she gazed over the top of her pretty glass at the El-Aurian, trying to imagine giving up her own calling and failing, despite her recent debacles.

He shrugged slightly, "it was in 45, after the push in to Germany, down through Normandy." He paused, "I just had a day where I knew I couldn't do it any more, when I talked to my CO, he hid it from Patton, and moved me to intel to finish out the war. After that I stayed in the shadows until the Vulcans showed up"

"Intel?!" Eekit without thinking, disgust curling her lip, "ugh! Must've been real bad in Nor-man-dee to drive you to intel." Wrinkling her nose, she downed the rest of her drink, and then cocked her head to the side, curiosity overcoming her distaste at the shiftier side of security. "What happened when the Vulcans showed up?"

"They were running scans on various humans, part of first contact protocols, usual stuff, strange fascinating new species, might as well get some research. And well, I got scanned and the cat was out of the bag."

Eekit, who felt she had been following the El-Aurian's impressive history fairly well so far, now stared blankly at the bartender, blinking as though somehow that would help his words make sense. It didn't. "Why was there a ca-- were you somehow the cat? Did the Vulcans turn you into a cat? They can't do that... can they?"

That got another chuckle, "Sorry I keep forgetting a lot of old earth idioms, basically it's a way of saying my secret was out."

"Oh." Although Cardassian skin was not predisposed to blushing, Eekit nevertheless didn't look the least bit embarrassed by her ignorance. If anything, she seemed even more confused, blinking at David as though trying to work through how cats, bags, and secrets related. Deciding that this was as good a distraction as anything else at the moment, she said with heavy irony, "And then it was a straight shot from there to the Sojo, right?" Smirking, she slid her empty glass across the bar toward him.

"I think this calls for another drink. Do tell, barkeep."

He poured her another glass....

A post by:

David McColugh
Bar Therapist

Ensign Eekit Drol
Security Officer/ Bar Patient