Don't think I could live alone again

Posted on Mon Mar 1st, 2021 @ 6:58am by Ensign Elegy Nascimento & Lieutenant Samantha Leyton

Mission: Mission 4 - Eden
Location: Deck E - Mess Hall
Timeline: Day 161 - 19:30
Tags: Monthly Challenge
1432 words - 2.9 OF Standard Post Measure

Shuffling into the mess hall, Elegy Nascimento only kept one eye on where he was going. And even then, only sometimes. Otherwise, his eyes were drawn to video playback on a PADD, as he made his way through the mess hall and picked up some food. Only after Elegy dropped himself into seat did he realize he had sat himself at an occupied table. Looking up from the PADD, Elegy said, "Oh, hello," as you might say it to a friendly intruder. A heartbeat later, something clicked in Elegy's head, and he recognized his new dining companion. With far more warmth and excitement, Elegy said again, "Oh, hello!"

Samantha grinned at Ensign Nascimento or Elegy as most of the crew seemed to address him as he plopped down in the seat across from her. It was a welcomed surprise. "Hey," she greeted. "What's on the PaDD that's so interesting?"

"It's a video recording of a stage play, based on Homer's Odyssey," Elegy replied. There were a couple of pregnant pauses in his answer, as he read a couple more close-captioned lines from the actors' performance. Before he finished his own sentence, though, Elegy paused the video and put the PADD to sleep. Looking up at Samantha, Elegy shared, "I haven't been able to stop thinking about it since I heard that distress call. The story of a war hero, lost at sea for ten years." --His voice had taken on a wistful edge but then he smirked-- "...Although, I can't be sure if the the source of the distress call reminds me of Odysseus, or if we're the ones on the long voyage home."

Samantha nodded thoughtfully before replying. "I would say that it's more akin to us. But if the story tells us anything is that we shouldn't give up hope. I can only hope that something comes along to shorten our trip home."

"Do you think," Elegy asked, his eyes narrowing on Samantha, "there could be good Samaritans out there, somewhere?" The skepticism in his timbre was tempered with equal parts of hope. Absently, he pressed the edge of his fork into the chicken on his plate. "Building relationships with the Vulcans and the Andorians has been hard enough," Elegy said, offering up the only comparison he knew. "They wouldn't even share warp five technology with us, let alone subspace vortexes."

"Well I think Vulcans are an exception as they often appear to have their heads up their asses," she chuckled. "But yes, I believe we will meet a species willing to help us. The entire galaxy can't possibly be full of assholes. Are you holding up alright?" she asked, wondering if the Science officer was having doubts.

When Samantha asked Elegy if he was holding up, he pursed his lips and he looked at her with incorrigible eyes that seemed to ask her if she was kidding. "That's a good question," Elegy said in his most whimsical tone, and almost before he knew it, he said, "I don't think I am." His voice cracked on the last word. His jaw tightened even more, holding back some wave of emotion. Narrowing his sapphire eyes, Elegy said, "When we were studying that wormhole, I had to keep reminding myself of the absolute probability that it would take us anywhere but Earth. Because my heart wanted me to take the controls and fly us down the mouth of the wormhole, even if it was only a 0.0004 percent chance of taking me to my husband."

Through a lot of blinking, Elegy looked down at his plate and he stabbed at the salad with a fork. He would stab a leaf, and then shake it off the tongs of his fork, and then stab another. "Paulo is dying," Elegy said softly. "He was stable when we shipped out, but his condition is terminal. He's dying, and yet all I can think is: I don’t think I could live alone again."

Samantha placed her hand on top of Elegy's. "You're not alone. We all have people we left behind. I want nothing more than to see my family again," she fought back tears as she thought about her family, especially her grandfather. "But you have family here, on the Atlantis. All we can do is take it a day at a time and hope someway that we will be able to get back home sometime soon."

Samantha's kindness brought a little more of a smile to Elegy's expression. "I find it challenging, sometimes," Elegy admitted, and he tilted his head to one side, "to really connect with a crew. It takes a certain kind of alchemy to meet people who really understand where you're coming from." --He took a sip of his water-- "Besides, working on night shift, I haven't been able to break into some of the cliques." Wryly, Elegy deadpanned, "...It was almost easier when the Vrav were coming to get us all."

"Maybe for you but personally I enjoy the break of having to worry about how to evade them," Samantha grinned. "But I do understand where you're coming from. Being busy keeps your mind occupied. Just remember that too much work is bad. You need some time to relax and if you need someone to talk to, I can recommend Lieutenant Davis seeing as he is now the ship's counselor. But if not, then my door is always open."

After chewing on some more of his salad, Elegy nodded deeply at Samantha's words. "I appreciate that," Elegy said; he took a breath as he let her offer sink in. "I really do," he said, and then he smirked and he swallowed a half-laugh. "Lieutenant Davis may not be an entirely objective counselor for me," Elegy said dryly. "I gave him the impression I was a thief a few weeks ago. I'm still recovering my reputation from that," he said, and this time he laughed for real.

"A thief?" Samantha questioned. "That is a story that I want to hear now," she chuckled. She personally couldn't see Elegy as a thief.

Elegy took a deep breath, because it had been a long road to get from there to here. Speaking with his hands as much as his voice, Elegy explained himself by saying, "I've been thinking about how, if we're going to be living alone on this starship for more than a couple of years, we're going to need to create our own library of art. Otherwise we're going to run out." --He put a hand on his PADD-- "Like with the play, I'm using it as inspiration to score orchestral music that tells the same story. But I'll have to use synthetic instrument sound samples. We don't have many instruments on the ship. I may have... implied to Duncan and Davis that I need their help in planning a caper. To steal one for me."

"Oh?" she questioned. "What kind of instrument and from whom?" she leaned forward on the table, wearing a mischievous grin.

As much as he was fighting it, Elegy’s sapphire eyes twinkled back at Samantha with mischief. Smirking tightly with amusement, Elegy admitted, "We never got that far." --He shrugged lightly-- "Their sensibilities were offended by Starfleet officers contemplating theft." Elegy sat back in his seat and his smile took on a wicked curl around the edges. "Why?" Elegy asked, goading her; "Do you have someone in mind?"

"No, but it does help to know what you're after," she said as she leaned back in her chair. She hadn't always been the best person but it was something that both her grandfather and Starfleet changed in her. If she knew what Elegy was after, she could keep a lookout for the said instrument and hopefully acquire it.

After finishing some more of his salad, Elegy replied, "Anything from the basic music food groups would do," and he twirled his fork in the air for added emphasis. "Duncan made me a traditional wind instrument, an ocarina," Elegy said in growing excitement, "but I'd love to get my hands on a guitar. Anything with strings. Or keys. A keyboard, even an electric one, I could hook up to the computer, and its synthesizer programs, if we can't build a whole orchestra of our own."

"I'll see what I can do about that," she said sincerely with a smile. In their current situation, it was important to keep as many people happy as possible. "Just don't expect me to join your musical group. I suck at playing instruments."

 

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