Skating Around the Issue

Posted on Sun Jun 18th, 2023 @ 9:18am by Lieutenant JG Calanthe 'Cal' Diaz & Ensign Anne Marie "Ree" Beckett & Ensign Alexandra 'Lexi' O'Connery

Mission: Sojurn
Location: Relea
Timeline: Day 334 14:00
3154 words - 6.3 OF Standard Post Measure

An ice rink as soon as technology had been made possible was a unique facility that offered a range of activities and experiences for people of all ages. Whether indoor or outdoor a surface made of ice was always a good environment for skating, hockey, figure skating, and other ice-related sports. Lexi glanced around the large cavern that seemed to be on the edge of the beach trying to take it whether it was a natural ice rink, or if the surface was typically made of artificial ice created by freezing layers of water onto the rink's surface.

Ice skating was an excellent form of exercise in which the comms come morale officer. It would provide the low-impact workout that improved her balance, coordination, and cardiovascular health that she needed after her head and leg injury. Plus skating on ice was a fun and thrilling experience, whether you are gliding gracefully across the ice or speeding around the rink in a game of hockey. “I cannot tell if this is real or not.” She finally spoke up carrying a pair of ice skating boots leaning against a stone wall that felt very real to her.

Calanthe's relationship with snow was due mostly to her grandparents, more specifically her mother's mother, who lived in a region of France close enough to the slopes of the Belleville Valley to make day trips possible. A treasured only-grandchild, Cal had spent several weeks of every year growing up knee-deep in the first decent fall of the season and had been 3-years-old when she'd first donned a pair of skis to tackle the combination of snow and gravity. Overall, she had spent arguably more time on horseback over the course of her childhood but skiing represented a very specific set of memories now held dear because the old woman had passed only a couple of years before Cal had graduated. It was somewhat bittersweet now to contemplate that at least she didn't have to mourn her lost granddaughter, but thinking like that only brought into sharp focus what her own parents must have been going through. Reminiscing was important because it reminded them what it was they were trying to get back to but that didn't make it easy.

Ice skating, on the other hand, was more of a social recreation tied to her teenage years. Cal couldn't recall a rink this close to the beach, however, and had spent a good part of the first few moments lost in her own confusion regarding the feasibility of the two settings merging successfully. Already teetering on her skates, the brunette wobbled over to the edge of the rink and leaned forward against the railing to peer at the frozen surface. "I bet it's going to feel real enough when we land face-first on it."

"Let's just hope it is not me," Lexi commented to the woman in a whispered tone so the rest of the group could not hear it. She was trying to boost morale all around by inviting others along but now with the realisation that they were actually doing this the pang of worry started to rise. Relea was proving more and more that it was a mixture of confusion and excitement that she had joined Earth Starfleet for.

"Everyone falls a few times. I can't tell you how many times I've landed on my butt trying to pull a stunt," Ree offered as a means of encouragement. She was practically vibrating to get on the ice. "I mean, it's best to land on your rear; there's more padding there. But it you're worried about falling, I can help spot ya. Or you can link up since that helps stability if you're falling in a line not side by side."

“I can do this,” Lexi assured. She was sure that she was going to have many bruises after this but she needed to do this and move forward from the towel collapse. She needed to do this so that she was not the scared and confused woman who had lost part of her memory. “So real or not it needs to be done.” She grinned clicking the last few clips into place.

Ree shot off with a laugh that was just short of maniacal, tucked her hands behind her back, and dropped her weight so she could go for long strides that would pick up speed faster. It'd been awhile since she'd skated, but it was ingrained in her muscle memory. Mind you, most of her skating was done out on wild lakes where you had to watch the ice for thin patches or uneven crests, but this was smooth and easy. She found it instantly calming.

Calanthe swapped a look with Lexi and opted for a far more sedate approach, despite having a decent amount of prior experience. There was no need to mention it but any physical activity, especially something that required balance, was pushing her best friend out of a comfort zone that had become altogether too much of a crutch and Cal understood entirely why Lexi wanted to do this on her own terms. As she stepped onto the ice, the brunette settled for a simple glide that took her all of a few metres, concentrating instead on getting a feel for how the skates interacted with the surface. It wasn't, as it turned out, all that much different to home. Turning, she waited for Lexi to brave the rink. "So far, so good."

Lexi smiled at the other two bravely. "If I break my leg again you will tell William it was something heroic right?" She challenged the group as she finally stood up from the bench and moved to the edge of the ice to cling for a moment to the side.

From a short distance away Ree held up her hands and whooped. "Get 'em tiger! You can do it!" She swung back in to stay close enough in case either one needed an arm to grab or a shoulder to push off of.

"If you break your leg again, Willy-ham won't let me within fifty metres of you again," Cal pointed out, her droll tone giving the impression she was more at odds with her best friend's fiancé than was actually the case. She was somewhat miffed that he'd deemed it necessary to punish Ben for being punched in the head, mostly because he seemed to have listened to the engineer's insistence that he'd deserved it, which was a foolish rabbit warren to disappear down when Ben took responsibility for everything. Hell, if Lexi broke her leg again, he'd probably find a way to take credit for that too. Still, Gerhard had a job to do and, having just been promoted herself, Cal had limited her feedback to his decision to just one or two observations. Maybe three.

Lexi nearly lost her balance in surprise at her friend's tone and held on to the science ensign to keep herself upright. She had not expected that level of droll at all but she was sure it was to do with why William had run off that morning around Cusack and Jamesson. "Wow... someone is not happy with him?" She laughed as she stopped clinging to Ree and stood up straighter. "Sorry." She said smoothing the woman jacket back down.

Beckett bit her lip to keep her mouth shut. She wasn't one for gossiping intentionally. Accidentally because she rambled, yes, but not ever intentionally.

Calanthe, on the other hand, had taken the opportunity to flee questions about her ongoing up-and-down dynamic with Lexi's beloved. At the heart of it was just the woman's tendency to be a devil towards those she actually had any esteem for but there was a protective element to her current annoyance that held fast to the idea that you didn't incarcerate victims. Lexi wasn't William, however, and Cal had no desire to revisit the morning's tangle of accusation just because the intervening time had thrown another spanner into the works. Instead, she moved ahead to test the ice, gliding on relatively steady legs towards the centre of the rink.

Lexi narrowed her eyes and frowned at the woman who went off ahead. She was not going to raise questions now but it was on her to do list. “Looks solid right? Shall we try and follow Ree?”

"Yeah, sure! You're doing really well with your balance. Sell that confidence," Beckett prompted as they skated along. She was till getting a feel for the style of skate. There was no toe pick, and the balance was a little odd, but it was really smooth and clean.

“Not bad for someone who lost their memory and broke a leg in process.” Lexi commented trying to sell herself as she wobbled just enough for a moment to worry herself before she carried on and glided to catch up with Calanthe. “What do you have for plans for after this?”

Honestly, Ree wasn't quite sure what she'd do next. There was so much to experience. "Exploring mostly. There's so much to see and do that I think I need to just see where my feet take me. I wish I'd thought to bring my sketch slate down. There's so much uniqueness that I'd love to draw and bringback to the ship."

“Exploring is good.” She decided quietly.Lexi put a little bit to much force in moving forwards pushed past Calanthe and spun around. “What about you lady? What are your plans for after this?”

Whilst the pair had sorted out which of Lexi's feet wanted to go in which direction, Calanthe had only partially wobbled her way around a circuit of the rink to scope out its temperament. People looked at her weird when she spoke about sporting surfaces in that way but she'd spent too much time skating, and skiing for that matter, to think any differently. Sometimes, the ice just behaved a certain way, and if you didn't familiarise yourself early on with its unique quirks, you wound up overestimating what it would let you get away with. That had always been her experience, in any case, and they didn't need a second broken leg complicating things.

"Shopping," was her decisive answer once she rejoined the girls. "I keep amassing credits and winding up with no time to do anything with them. I need more art supplies, maybe some jewellery stuff if they have any. Someone," she reached out to gently twirl Lexi in a circle, "is going to need a wedding set, after all. You should come with, you can pick out the components and I'll make it."

“Ahh.” Lexi wobbled just a little as she was span around for a second before settling herself back properly. “You do not need to do that.” She whispered surprised that Calanthe had not forgotten what she had suggested weeks ago. She had been noncommittal then as she had not wanted the woman to go to any fuss.

"Well, I need to make something." Once again pushed aside, reminded by such a small thing that her friend's life was expanding in ways that didn't include her whilst her life disintegrated into a messy pile of someone-else's-heartache, Calanthe buried hurt feelings behind sass and spun to weave slowly backwards, keeping just ahead of the pair as she addressed Ree instead. "Ensign Beckett, would you like any jewellery made, since apparently my first customer has tastes beyond my talents."

"I... Calanthe I did not mean that... I just don't want my maid of honour to go all that effort for me." Lexi said sadly looking a bit defeated. She just wanted people there and to not waste resources that they might need in the future on her and William's wedding. She'd marry the guy in the middle of no where if it meant she got him. It was crazy to think how far they had come in the last year.

It wasn't an argument Calanthe was likely to accept, not when she was frequently almost too stubborn to bow to irrefutable logic. In this case, the supplies were intended for one purpose and weren't going to be much use for anything else unless the helm suddenly needed bedazzling. There was also the point that, in her determination to focus on feeling happy for her friend rather than worn out by her own relationship issues, Calanthe just needed to feel useful. Needed the distraction. Needed something to do that wasn't worrying herself sick. She held up a finger to halt the interruption, the look of imperious haut aiming for a playful pantomime though there was a bite to the protest that was difficult to mask entirely. "Ensign?," Cal asked again.

"Huh?" Ree had gotten lost watching a pair of aliens ghost across the ice, dancing more than skating as if they'd had centuries to learn how each other moved. It was simply gorgeous. And they were technically the aliens there, but whatever. "Oh, I don't typically wear anything, but.. if you made something that made you think of me, that'd be really great. I don't really know what I like when it comes to that. I've never exactly been the girly girl type."

Calanthe, who likely could have been accused of being prone to feminine aesthetics, continued her slow glide backward as she considered the woman's response. "I could probably make a pair of earrings out of some spart parts," she grinned eventually, performing a lazy circle before drifting back to skate alongside Lexi, who she didn't trust entirely not to find a way to break another bone. At the very least, protectiveness encouraged close proximity. "Unless you need something a little more...romantically motivated." She caught a look from her best friend and feigned innocence. "What? This is the perfect opportunity to extend date invitations."

Ree laughed defensively. The question visibly made her shrink a little. "Ha, no. I'm not seeing anyone. I'm not- yanno, I'd own a dog. A dog would be great company without having to live up to the crushing expectations of a partner, so, yeah. If we ever find space puppers, I call dibs. I don't think I'm even good at dating, so I don't really try anymore."

Lexi sighed and turned around in a circle on the ice taking in the scenery as the pair spoke. She did not know what else to say to make it better for the woman. There was a chasm between them that was only getting bigger recently.

"I miss my horses," Calanthe admitted, surprising herself a little with the honesty. Of all the losses she'd endured, it was the one she dwelt about least often but it was still there, an ache that sat behind the sharper pangs. In true Calanthe style, she was somewhat oblivious to Lexi's concerns now that the topic had veered towards something distracting, having less of a problem with the woman herself and more just a lack of coping strategies for how to navigate all the sudden changes in their lives. Their happy routine had been thrown for a spin now that Cal had Bridge duty and the Communications Chief certainly didn't want to rain on her best friend's parade now that their personal lives had fallen on polar opposite sides of the 'working out for the best' line. "Though I don't know that a space steed would be that easy to accommodate."

"What if it was a tiny one? Like yay high or so," Ree suggested, holding her hands about 16 inches apart as she glided in a slow arc. "Maybe purple? You could feed it those crunchy green bales that are supposed to be kale salad, but the replicator in the crew mess keeps messing up somehow. I wouldn't suggest ever ordering it frankly."

"I am pretty sure Jones would have issues with it," Lexi commented already thinking of the man who had single handedly kept the ship fed in the worst days. Finn was a silent hero but Lexi had a lot of love and respect for the crewman who had been through the worst that most of them with the loss of all his roommates by being late to shift.

"I don't think anyone is seriously suggesting we hunt down a miniature horse. Quite aside from not being able to exercise it properly, I would not like to end up on stall-mucking duty."

TAG REE

"I should get going," Lexi announced quietly spinning tomorrow the edge. "I have to do some work for the Captain and my leg is starting to hurt. Carry on though." She encouraged already feeling her knee faltering ever so slightly from the strain.

"We just got here." Normally, Calanthe would have been the first to suspect that the abrupt departure was a sign of too much exertion but hanging out had been something Lexi had practically dragged her away from the archives to do. Now, having taken the effort to get this far, the other woman was ditching them after, what, 15 minutes? A wall of loneliness rose again, the kind of isolation that smothered and suffocated if left unchecked, and the Communications Chief furrowed her brow before leaving poor Ree to pick up the pieces. "Guess that's my cue to go shopping then."

"No stay and enjoy. I just... my leg is killing me." Lexi said quickly as she moved to the side and gripped it hard. Her knee was going to give out if she was not careful and she did not want to make a fool of herself. Quickly she escaped off the ice and got her feet flat again which instantly took the pressure off.

"Shopping is enjoyable," Calanthe argued, already stepping off the ice and exuding the kind of stubborn tenacity that usually made it pointless arguing with her. "Are you okay to go back on your own though?" Despite everything, and her own jumbled of emotions and what they were doing to her mood, there wasn't a force in nature capable of rendering Calanthe unconcerned for the welfare of the people she loved. She tentatively reached out a hand to Lexi's elbow, worried enough that the woman was angry with her not to push but still determined to help if she could.

Lexi nodded. "I will be. I have my communicator if I get into trouble." The blonde quickly assured smiling gratefully at the help to where they had left their boots. It was complicated but she was relieved.

Calanthe's frown deepened but she avoided arguing, sensing for once that it wouldn't solve anything. As she watched her friend pretend not to hobble away, the brunette mollified herself somewhat by deciding she'd just call ahead to warn Gerhard to keep an eye on their wayward morale officer and turned, instead, to face the rink again.

"Hey Ree! You want to go shopping?"