((definition of semi-closed: This is primarily a story for Alina and Tess, but if you are one of the people that know either of them well and see a point in the story to make an appearance, cameo or otherwise, feel free to do so.))
Closing the closet door, Alina finally finished clearing out some of the mess in her quarters. She knew Tess was going to show up at some point and she never really cleaned the place much in the past few months. Walking by a center console in the room she noticed a tall tanned woman with long hair fiddling with something on the console.
"Are you still bothering people? Go away.." Alina said in mock derision to her former boss and now distant friend Christine April, who was only holoprojecting in for the moment.
"Almost done.. besides your friend isn't here yet.. I just wanted to get the current schematics from Ziggy so I can work on your RFP... which by the way... it is so awesome that you sent me an actual RFP... like.. I am so happy I am almost about apologize for everything I did when you worked for me." she says in a half-sarcastic tone.
"Almost huh?"
"Yeah, it'll be pretty hollow."
"At least I know where you stand." Alina noted with a smirk, Christine did short wave and vanished as she cut the connection. Alina went off into a side room to look into something while waiting for the arrival, she had keyed her synesthesia into the door sensor so she'd hear the chime and could answer from anywhere.
((quick intro, I'll do a detailed description of her quarters next time.))
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Tess took a deep breath as she looked at herself through the mirror in the poorly lit room. Just enough darkness to be able to see well. She instinctively went to push her hair back behind her ear, only to once again find that the ear wasn't nearly as large as it had been before. With a slight scowl she took one last look at herself before walking out. She had decided to wear the old robe she had from her time with the Dominion, and was doing the last adjustments so it hanged in the perfect asymmetrical way.
Walking out of the quarters and down the hallway, Tess headed straight for the nearby turbo lift and activated it, moving down to the deck she knew Alina's quarters to be on. Moving with confidence and purpose, as she normally did, she went directly to the door and typed in the keycode, opening it. Having been given access in order to watch Selena allowed Tess that ability.
As the quarters opened and Tess stepped into it she let out a small sneeze. Cat hair. She frowned at it and pressed on, popping her head around the corner to find Alina.
Walking out of the quarters and down the hallway, Tess headed straight for the nearby turbo lift and activated it, moving down to the deck she knew Alina's quarters to be on. Moving with confidence and purpose, as she normally did, she went directly to the door and typed in the keycode, opening it. Having been given access in order to watch Selena allowed Tess that ability.
As the quarters opened and Tess stepped into it she let out a small sneeze. Cat hair. She frowned at it and pressed on, popping her head around the corner to find Alina.
Though Alina was not immediately visible when Tess entered the room, she was notified of the entrance and called out, "I'll be there in a minute!" though what she was doing was unclear.
Alina's penchant for personalizing her own space, a carryover from her younger years trying to be as unique as possible to distinguish herself from her sister, led the quarters to be set up rather differently than a typical living space for someone of her rank. She had the normal tables and one chair completely removed and replaced with an intricate center console which had holographic interfaces and a nearby desk. On the desk were littered stub-PADDS, smaller extendable models that could be scrolled out, designed for writing quick notes. These seemed to be focused on random and recent research ideas she had. A large holographic screen on the desk showed a to-do list with no less than 14 main items, and almost two to three footnote items on each. A micro-projector sitting on the main console also showed several pages of what was likely the book she'd been writing.
On the other side on the console was a display case containing 4 different violins, one of them the silvery-white color that signified Alina's primary instrument. It was unclear why she had 3 others though, as they weren't labeled. Above the violin display were animated posters of the late songstress Zandy Nome during her 2394 performance where she and Rasshima debuted their song "Lion Strength." On an opposite wall were also posters of sky bikes flying acrobatic maneuvers to a backdrop of Laren Manev on Trill. Nearby that wall was a bookcase of sorts with a collection of holographic display photos of various people, Alina in some them, never managing to look comfortable in front of a camera. Notable images had her with her sister at a very young age and with surprisingly long hair, her with a group of MACOs including Arad Malito, who also showed up in a picture with Alina and Cosmic Venus star Meryl Gunyr. Lastly an entire shelf had been dedicated to pictures of Andria, or ones with both her and Alina together. There was even one of Anne from before Anarhai. The shelf was notable for having a series of paper folded items as a centerpiece. Sprawled out on the top of the shelf almost blending in, was Selena, the purple caracal who was twitching her ears in synch to some pop music playing in the room. The lyrics were from the final hit single from Zandy and Rasshima, which was never given a proper title before Zandy died barely finishing a performance of the song. Disagreements of the most appropriate name were common among the fanbase, with Rasshima typically never offering an opinion despite being a co-writer.
The lighting in the room was surprisingly low, with a gentle blue glow bouncing off the walls. Following the source of the blue glow didn't take long to reveal the source was the rather large semi-spherical glowing blue orb on the ceiling right above the center console. It was not only lit up but was slowly wafting a fog downward, an artifact of a cooling system no doubt. The blue orb was in fact the housing for the 'brain' of Alina's parallel hybrid isolinear/neural circuitry based Class 1 Computer system, typically known as Ziggy.
Alina finally emerged from a door to the left of the entrance where Tess has come in. She was wearing a loose fitted sky blue top with tight cuffs on the arms, short black shorts and tight high heeled boots with knee length stockings under them that rose above the boot (which terminated themselves at her shins) but didn't reach all the way to the shorts. She was finishing the act of putting earrings on when she looked to Tess with a smile, "Hey! You can come in, sit if you want. Replicator is on the other side of the violins." she said as she crossed to the desk, grabbed one of the stubs and scribbled something out rather quickly. She then looked up, and around a bit as if looking for something.
"I'm forgetting something... I know I am..." she crossed over to the center console and nonchalantly placed a hand on it, causing a sudden blue beam to fire up toward Ziggy's 'brain' complete with a clearly programmed in sound effect, "What am I forgetting Ziggy?"
"A general sense of self-reliance." the computer quipped. Unlike when speaking through Alina's communicator as it sometimes did when she was out, here Ziggy's voice (a soft and sultry sounding female voice, betraying the gender neutral reference Alina often gave the machine) spoke through surrounding speakers in the living space, making its presence far more noticeable. The blue sphere also pulsed in light in sync with the speech patterns.
"Ziggy... come on baby..." Alina pleaded with a slight pouting look on her face as she looked up at the sphere.
"Mm.... not a single button on me and you still manage to push the right ones Doctor... you left your latest chapter revision open without saving. Don't worry, I made sure to cover it for you." Ziggy replied.
"Why thank you!" Alina added in a chipper tone as she walked over to Tess. Ziggy didn't waste her active moment (the beam from the console apparently a means to rouse Ziggy from a sleep-like state) though.
"It is lovely to see you again Dr. Cayrne, we never had a chance to speak properly on any of your previous visits since I wasn't locally active. I find your fashion to be appropriately stylish as well." the computer chimed in.
"Appropriately?" Alina wondered out loud.
"For her at least, I don't intend to imply anything of you by that. Incidentally.. nice legs Doctor..." Ziggy said to Alina, almost a bit suggestively. It was a good imitation, but of course Ziggy, lacking any true self-awareness, was merely playing out a personality core shell program that analyzed behaviors and allowed the intelligent system to craft responses that fit the people to whom it spoke.
Alina waved Ziggy off and looked to Tess, "So.. did you have any particular plans or did you just want to chill or something?"
Alina's penchant for personalizing her own space, a carryover from her younger years trying to be as unique as possible to distinguish herself from her sister, led the quarters to be set up rather differently than a typical living space for someone of her rank. She had the normal tables and one chair completely removed and replaced with an intricate center console which had holographic interfaces and a nearby desk. On the desk were littered stub-PADDS, smaller extendable models that could be scrolled out, designed for writing quick notes. These seemed to be focused on random and recent research ideas she had. A large holographic screen on the desk showed a to-do list with no less than 14 main items, and almost two to three footnote items on each. A micro-projector sitting on the main console also showed several pages of what was likely the book she'd been writing.
On the other side on the console was a display case containing 4 different violins, one of them the silvery-white color that signified Alina's primary instrument. It was unclear why she had 3 others though, as they weren't labeled. Above the violin display were animated posters of the late songstress Zandy Nome during her 2394 performance where she and Rasshima debuted their song "Lion Strength." On an opposite wall were also posters of sky bikes flying acrobatic maneuvers to a backdrop of Laren Manev on Trill. Nearby that wall was a bookcase of sorts with a collection of holographic display photos of various people, Alina in some them, never managing to look comfortable in front of a camera. Notable images had her with her sister at a very young age and with surprisingly long hair, her with a group of MACOs including Arad Malito, who also showed up in a picture with Alina and Cosmic Venus star Meryl Gunyr. Lastly an entire shelf had been dedicated to pictures of Andria, or ones with both her and Alina together. There was even one of Anne from before Anarhai. The shelf was notable for having a series of paper folded items as a centerpiece. Sprawled out on the top of the shelf almost blending in, was Selena, the purple caracal who was twitching her ears in synch to some pop music playing in the room. The lyrics were from the final hit single from Zandy and Rasshima, which was never given a proper title before Zandy died barely finishing a performance of the song. Disagreements of the most appropriate name were common among the fanbase, with Rasshima typically never offering an opinion despite being a co-writer.
Spoiler: Current section of the song playingShow
VALKYRIA...
If you look into the sky you'll see his wings
VALKYRIA...
His assistance to the soldier, he will bring
A vision…
Of love encompassing all
His lover will lead you with her alluring call
VALKYRIA...
Even if we go against our destiny
VALKYRIA…
Oh how I wish to be free
VALKYRIA…
Even if you're torn from me
When dawn comes the end it will soon be
I love you
With his armor made of light
Soaring in the sky so bright
Ready to go and fight
VALKYRIA
Remember the wings of goodbye!
If you look into the sky you'll see his wings
VALKYRIA...
His assistance to the soldier, he will bring
A vision…
Of love encompassing all
His lover will lead you with her alluring call
VALKYRIA...
Even if we go against our destiny
VALKYRIA…
Oh how I wish to be free
VALKYRIA…
Even if you're torn from me
When dawn comes the end it will soon be
I love you
With his armor made of light
Soaring in the sky so bright
Ready to go and fight
VALKYRIA
Remember the wings of goodbye!
The lighting in the room was surprisingly low, with a gentle blue glow bouncing off the walls. Following the source of the blue glow didn't take long to reveal the source was the rather large semi-spherical glowing blue orb on the ceiling right above the center console. It was not only lit up but was slowly wafting a fog downward, an artifact of a cooling system no doubt. The blue orb was in fact the housing for the 'brain' of Alina's parallel hybrid isolinear/neural circuitry based Class 1 Computer system, typically known as Ziggy.
Alina finally emerged from a door to the left of the entrance where Tess has come in. She was wearing a loose fitted sky blue top with tight cuffs on the arms, short black shorts and tight high heeled boots with knee length stockings under them that rose above the boot (which terminated themselves at her shins) but didn't reach all the way to the shorts. She was finishing the act of putting earrings on when she looked to Tess with a smile, "Hey! You can come in, sit if you want. Replicator is on the other side of the violins." she said as she crossed to the desk, grabbed one of the stubs and scribbled something out rather quickly. She then looked up, and around a bit as if looking for something.
"I'm forgetting something... I know I am..." she crossed over to the center console and nonchalantly placed a hand on it, causing a sudden blue beam to fire up toward Ziggy's 'brain' complete with a clearly programmed in sound effect, "What am I forgetting Ziggy?"
"A general sense of self-reliance." the computer quipped. Unlike when speaking through Alina's communicator as it sometimes did when she was out, here Ziggy's voice (a soft and sultry sounding female voice, betraying the gender neutral reference Alina often gave the machine) spoke through surrounding speakers in the living space, making its presence far more noticeable. The blue sphere also pulsed in light in sync with the speech patterns.
"Ziggy... come on baby..." Alina pleaded with a slight pouting look on her face as she looked up at the sphere.
"Mm.... not a single button on me and you still manage to push the right ones Doctor... you left your latest chapter revision open without saving. Don't worry, I made sure to cover it for you." Ziggy replied.
"Why thank you!" Alina added in a chipper tone as she walked over to Tess. Ziggy didn't waste her active moment (the beam from the console apparently a means to rouse Ziggy from a sleep-like state) though.
"It is lovely to see you again Dr. Cayrne, we never had a chance to speak properly on any of your previous visits since I wasn't locally active. I find your fashion to be appropriately stylish as well." the computer chimed in.
"Appropriately?" Alina wondered out loud.
"For her at least, I don't intend to imply anything of you by that. Incidentally.. nice legs Doctor..." Ziggy said to Alina, almost a bit suggestively. It was a good imitation, but of course Ziggy, lacking any true self-awareness, was merely playing out a personality core shell program that analyzed behaviors and allowed the intelligent system to craft responses that fit the people to whom it spoke.
Alina waved Ziggy off and looked to Tess, "So.. did you have any particular plans or did you just want to chill or something?"
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Tess trailed her arm along the wall as she walked in, looking around at things. Her line of sight trailed on the bookcase of pictures, then turned to Alina. "I suppose that's up to you. You're the one that suggested this after all." Her tone was calm and amiable, though it was clear she had been preoccupied. Tess walked around the console and looked up at the blue dome. "You know what Ziggy, just call me Keth when in private."
Walking over to Alina now and standing directly across from her she now directly addressed her. "Really, I just want to talk. We can go somewhere and talk if you prefer, but I just want to discuss stuff." She let that sentence hang for a sentence and then continued. "Unless, that is, you'd prefer distraction from matters at hand." She waited for a response with hands drawn behind her back, the long and draping sleeves of her purple robes dangling with them.
"I know some good places around the station now that I've accomplished that little goal of mine. Or we could just hit up the holodeck if that's a kind of distraction you'd prefer." Her little goal was in reference to Tess, then Keth's, decision to walk through every deck of the station after resigning from Starfleet. Many nooks and crannies were found during that time that Tess kept in mind for different situations.
"Or, again, we could just sit and talk. Just giving options." With this last sentence Tess let her eyes focus on Alina's face since the lighting was low. It wasn't often she was able to examine people's faces in such detail.
Walking over to Alina now and standing directly across from her she now directly addressed her. "Really, I just want to talk. We can go somewhere and talk if you prefer, but I just want to discuss stuff." She let that sentence hang for a sentence and then continued. "Unless, that is, you'd prefer distraction from matters at hand." She waited for a response with hands drawn behind her back, the long and draping sleeves of her purple robes dangling with them.
"I know some good places around the station now that I've accomplished that little goal of mine. Or we could just hit up the holodeck if that's a kind of distraction you'd prefer." Her little goal was in reference to Tess, then Keth's, decision to walk through every deck of the station after resigning from Starfleet. Many nooks and crannies were found during that time that Tess kept in mind for different situations.
"Or, again, we could just sit and talk. Just giving options." With this last sentence Tess let her eyes focus on Alina's face since the lighting was low. It wasn't often she was able to examine people's faces in such detail.
Alina leaned on the console a bit, thinking a bit. The low light helped to accent the faint light in her eyes, a side effect of the augmented visual perception she experiences through synesthesia.
Though the purpose of the technology is to provide extra visual channels and access beyond eyesight, the eyes were still the primary visual channel, and the workings of the eyes and how they interact with the brain were responsible for processing the updated signals from the sensory catalyst. The end result of this, for many in the trail, was that there was extra-visual feedback into main vision as an artifact of second sight (and perhaps third sight, but all current testers are still not at full maturation of that level of the technology). So in low light, and only then, Alina's eyes could be seen to have a faint digital green slow to them that shifted around. It made it more clear than ever how many things she is perceiving and seeing at any given moment. Her mind had become so used to dealing with all that extra information that for her it was so commonplace to perceive things that would confuse or bother others, which was the source of her issues with people still using a centuries old 2D interface, however much of a staple they may be.
"I'm not against seeing your secret spots.. I want us to have some fun... but we can talk about stuff too. Partly this is a way to help us both escape the pressures of our issues, but also maybe find way to contextualize them maybe?" she said, more rhetorically than anything. She was also acquiescing some, she did need to talk more about her side of things but she could see her friend had some issues too. She wasn't going to just leave her to be silent.
"Come on, you show me something fun while we discuss things, and then I can pick something.. we'll bounce around the station crashing all the modes!" she exclaimed with a smile.
Though the purpose of the technology is to provide extra visual channels and access beyond eyesight, the eyes were still the primary visual channel, and the workings of the eyes and how they interact with the brain were responsible for processing the updated signals from the sensory catalyst. The end result of this, for many in the trail, was that there was extra-visual feedback into main vision as an artifact of second sight (and perhaps third sight, but all current testers are still not at full maturation of that level of the technology). So in low light, and only then, Alina's eyes could be seen to have a faint digital green slow to them that shifted around. It made it more clear than ever how many things she is perceiving and seeing at any given moment. Her mind had become so used to dealing with all that extra information that for her it was so commonplace to perceive things that would confuse or bother others, which was the source of her issues with people still using a centuries old 2D interface, however much of a staple they may be.
"I'm not against seeing your secret spots.. I want us to have some fun... but we can talk about stuff too. Partly this is a way to help us both escape the pressures of our issues, but also maybe find way to contextualize them maybe?" she said, more rhetorically than anything. She was also acquiescing some, she did need to talk more about her side of things but she could see her friend had some issues too. She wasn't going to just leave her to be silent.
"Come on, you show me something fun while we discuss things, and then I can pick something.. we'll bounce around the station crashing all the modes!" she exclaimed with a smile.