A New Home, A New Roommate
Posted on Thu Dec 19th, 2024 @ 4:21pm by Ensign Millicent Ambrose & Ensign Astrid Renfield
Edited on on Sat Dec 21st, 2024 @ 11:59pm
3,708 words; about a 19 minute read
Mission:
Episode 16 - Silent Cries
Location: The Quarters of Millicent Ambrose and Astrid Renfield - Deck 3 - USS Pioneer
Timeline: MD002 1800
Astrid had finally been given the green light to move aboard the Pioneer. She quickly packed up and tidied her guest quarters on the station, then, with a backpack on her back and a duffle bag slung over her shoulder, she headed toward her new home.
She had been informed that she’d have a roommate, Ensign Millicent Ambrose, and couldn’t help but wonder what Millicent was like and whether they’d get along. Astrid had lived with roommates before, with mixed results. Her last roommate on the USS Van Atreides had been pleasant enough, but they hadn’t become close. Probably because they had a habit of leaving dishes everywhere after meals, which irked Astrid. She hoped her new roommate wouldn’t do the same.
After a short walk, she arrived at the door to her new quarters and, not wanting to barge in, she rang the door chime and waited patiently.
Milie had found out that the room-mates that she had previously had been transfered while she had been wandering around the station, she was informed as such and had gone to see what her new room was like. it was now just for two individuals. Of which she found different. The chime on the door of the new quarters came as a surprise to Millie and she opened it up.
"Oh hello, I was just checking out my new quarters. I'm Millicent Ambrose, are you going to be my new er room mate?" stepping back to let this new person inside. "I just got word that my quarters have been changed while I was out on the station. I've not even unpacked my things as of yet." nodding towards the duffle she had plus a smaller one.
Astrid smiled at the woman who greeted her at the door. "Hello, I’m Astrid," she said, immediately noticing the purple streaks in her hair, which suited Millicent perfectly. Glancing down at the PADD in her hand to double check the room number, she confirmed she was at the right door. Astrid turned her attention back to Millicent. "Looks like we’re roommates," she added with a friendly grin.
"So just to give you fair warning, I work on Gamma shift so.. hopefully that won't cause you and trouble. when it comes to sleep schedule." getting the herbal tea for Astrid,going to the small table to have a seat and enjoy her tea. "I've not been on the ship for too long, just a matter of months."
Astrid was in middle of putting her duffle bag down when she heard about the Gamma shift for Millicent. She frowned looking over at the other woman she had just met and without hesitation said. “Well, that’s really going to mess with our cuddling time, but we’ll make it work.” She waited a few seconds before smiling at Millicent in hopes of conveying that she was simply kidding about cuddle time.
It took Millie a moment or two before she realized that Astrid was kidding. "What no popcorn and watching a movie?" deciding to add her own tease. "And i was so looking forward to it." giving a giggle. Already it looked like Astrid was going to be a fun room mate.
Setting her backpack down beside her duffle bag, Astrid took a moment to look around the common area. The quarters were standard Starfleet issue, a bit bare and in need of some personal touches, but that could wait. Looking toward Millicent, who was seated at the table, Astrid approached with smile. “You know, you might need to take me out for a fancy dinner before we get to the ‘movie and chill’ part.” Seeing the second cup of tea Millicent had placed on the table, Astrid’s smile grew. “Is that for me?” she asked.
Millie paused and looked down at the tea, blinked for a moment, "Yes it is and you didn't ask for tea did you. For
some reason I thought you wanted some tea. I am so sorry." her face turning beet red. Then Millie laughed. "Its been crazy as of late."
Astrid smiled taking a seat across from Millicent. “I didn’t, but it’s like you could read my mind. Already taking care of me,” she said. She slipped off her favorite casual ankle-high boots, which went perfectly with her outfit: a pair of black leggings and a forest-green, long-sleeve tunic top. Her hair pulled back into a ponytail. “Do you usually drink herbal tea?” she asked.
"I do drink herbal tea, but I also drink Earl Grey tea with a spot of milk too. Depends on my mood. On occasions I drink coffee but its something I don't do often. Teas to me are much better. Then there is the occasional hot chocolate..." Miliie paused to take a sip of her tea, enjoying the minty flavor of the peppermint tea.
“I enjoy a good cup of coffee in the morning, and sometimes I’ll have one or two more if I’m stuck in engineering working on a problem,” Astrid said with a smile. “But I’ve learned the hard way that if I drink it too late, I won’t be sleeping that night.” She grabbed her drink from the table and took a sip. “Aside from your love for tea and our cuddle time, is there anything else I should know about you as my new roommate?”
"Wait, you are in engineering? So am I!" giving a light laugh. "Guess you wouldn't have known that, 'cause well we're on shore leave right now." motioning towards her casual outfit, which consisted of a pair of dark blue shorts which ended at her knees, a black tank top with blue lettering upon it that said 'only good vibes here'. She was barefoot, and her hair was loose about her shoulders.
"Lets see, I like to read, and I play golf from time to time in the holo-suite. It is more fun in the great outdoors but hey can't always find a golf course." giving a shrug.
"Ensign Astrid Renfield, Quantum Slipstream Specialist, at your service," Astrid said officially introduced herself to Millicent. Taking a sip of her drink, she added, "I’ve never tried golf myself. My hobbies are more about taking things apart, figuring out how they work, and trying to improve them." Growing up on a mining colony, she didn’t have much chance to play outside or use a holodeck, so tinkering with mechanical equipment became both a hobby and a passion.
"I do like doing things like that. When I was younger, my mother came home one day to find me tinkering with he vacuum. I had taken it apart to see how it worked then put it back together. Instead of being angry she realized I had a skill so sent me to my grandfather's fix it shop where we got what seemed to be brokern, working again. I loved that very much. That is how I ended up meeting some folks from the town who had relatives in StarFleet. And I wanted to do more."
“Sounds like we’ve got a lot in common already! It will be nice to have someone who understands that excitement of taking things apart.” Astrid said with a huge grin.
Milie just stared at Astrid for a few long moments, her mouth opening into an 'O', eye slowly blinking. "Holey Moley, you are an engineer as well?!! That is fantastic! I am thinking that this is going to be working out rather well." An ear to ear grin appeared. "This, wow!" words just not coming out, due to her excitement.
Astrid grinned. “I have to say, I’m pretty happy with this setup too. Definitely off to a better start than my last roommate situation.” She took another sip of her tea before glancing over. “So, is there anyone special in your life?” she asked with a curious smile.
Millie was in mid sip when Astrid asked about a special someone, barely managing to keep from inhailing her tea. She shot a glance towards Astrid, eyes rather wide.
"That is quite the question." lowering her cup, Millie gave a wry grimace. "For the time being, I've been out of the dating game by choice. It has terrified me to get back into it. Even the thought of starting a relationship terrifies me, as in, a close relationship with someone."
Picking up her tea cup once more Millie leaned back in her chair, "For awhile I've even been afraid to start up new friendships, before I arrived on the Pioneer. This getting to know each other." motioning between them with her index finger. "And my not running away or hiding under my covers means I have been making progress." Millie had a half serious-half joking expression in her eyes.
Astrid nodded thoughtfully. “Progress is progress, right?” she said, pausing as she thought on her own struggles with friendships and relationships. “Honestly, I get it. Machines are way easier to deal with. You know what to expect.” She smiled before taking another sip of her drink. “For what it’s worth, if we end up becoming friends, or rather when we become friends, you can at least count on the fact that I’m not going anywhere. Roommates and all.”
Millie smiled at that. "I like the sound of that. I do hope that we become friends, there is a good chance that we will. And i am determined to repair some friendships that I in some aspect hurt. I need to see if they want to reconnect." Millie looking down at her cup of tea as if to see a future being predicted there. "I do hope they will forgive me for pushing them away." the corners of her mouth turning downwards.
“If you take the time to reach out and try to mend those friendships, I bet they’ll be open to it,” Astrid said with a reassuring smile. “Sometimes, you just have to take the leap. And if it doesn’t work out, at least you’ll know you gave it your best shot.”
Millie had lifted her eyes back to look at Astrid, "Since we are on Empok Nor, I will be contacting them. I need to do something to get rid of this feeling of strong guilt." she drew in a breath then let it out slowly. "But enough of that subject, need to change to something else, like... what sort of room mates you and I have had in the past."
“That sounds like a solid plan.” She looked back at Millicent. “As for roommates, I’ve had the whole spectrum. Some were neat freaks; some were complete slobs. One roommate lived in the holodeck and was never around, which honestly wasn’t too bad. What about you?”
"Well my room mates were, occupied with their scholastics which wasn't all that bad. We were a mix from the different deparments. One was in science, she was studying to be a botanist so she had some plants in pots in the room. Another was wanting to be a helmsman, and the other one, she was in medical. At times she would ask some of us to er be helpful in her studying. Then the helmsman student wanted to have us join in her simulations for practice. It was a unique set up for the dorm. At times there were some piles of clothing onthe floor that did get picked up."
“I promise not to leave piles of clothes on the floor,” Astrid said with a grin. She wasn’t a neat freak, but she did expect common spaces to be kept clean. "I might bring work home every now and then,” she added with a small shrug. “Can’t help it. It’s just how I’m wired.”
"If you do, you do. Its not going to bother me at all. I will be working on some of the things I like to do, one of them being leather working. I guess we'll both be having a sort of work area to do our own hobbies. Sounds like this will end up being a pretty decent set up." Millie grinning from ear to ear.
“Leather working?” Astrid asked, glancing at Millicent with curiosity. “What all does that involve?”
"It all depends on the project. I have made scabbards for daggers and longer blades. I have made pouches to hold something in it. But I work with leather that has been prepared, to make various items. It requires stitching, using rivets to keep it together. I have actually made myself a pair of moccasins for me to wear, and added the bead work to it. Here I can show you." Millie going over her storage area and pulled out a pair of dark brown moccasins. Upon the tongue of the moccasin, was the image of a thunderbird done with beads.
Astrid listened with interest as Millicent described her leatherworking projects. “You must have a lot of patience and skill to create all that.” She commented as she watched Millicent bring out the moccasins. She took a moment to examine them. “These are amazing.” She said looking over the image of a thunderbird done with beads. “It’s like wearable art.” Looking up at Millicent, she asked with a grin. “Do you have a pair in my size?”
"I can make you a pair." Millie giving a huge smile. "All I need to do is get a tracing of your feet, and then go from there. Plus what color do you want your moccasins to be? And do you want a design on it as well?"
Millie had a sparkle in her eyes as this was something she enjoyed a lot, and making a pair for her new roomie, that was a sheer compliment.
“Really? That would be amazing!” she said as excitement filled her face. She considered the color and design for a moment. “How about a pair of white moccasins with a starburst design? Maybe make the starburst gold?”
"That sounds rather lovely." Millie exclaimed, already seeing the design in her mind. " Some fringe as well? Or without fringe?" pulling out some paper and a pencil to sketch a design and then to trace both of Astrid's bare feet.
"Hmm....let's do it without." Astrid replied.
"Okay, no fringe." Millie stated, unfolding some paper large enough to get a pattern made of Astrid's feet. "If you'll stand here, I can get a trace made." kneeling on the floor with pencil in hand, ready for Astrid. "Hopefully you are not ticklish on your feet, as it might tickle a bit when I do the tracing." looking up with a grin.
"Luckily for you, my feet aren’t ticklish," Astrid said with a smile, following the instructions and stepping onto the paper. She looking down as she positioned herself. "But I do have other ticklish spots… and no, you’re not allowed to find out where they are."
"I don't intend on finding out where they are, and I am not going to say anything where mine are. This is a no tickle zone." Millie announced, then a chuckle. It wasn't too long until with great accuracy, Millie got Astrid's feet traced. "I am looking forward to this very much."
"A no-tickle zone, huh? I can live with that," she replied. As Millie carefully traced her feet, Astrid watched with curiosity. "You know, I’m looking forward to this too. I’ve never had anything custom-made before." she said.
"To me there is just something special when someone makes something custom made, and also congratulations, you are also the first person on this ship that I'll be making something for." Millie looking up towards Astrid, her face lit up just beaming.
“Oh, maybe I shouldn’t wear them then,” Astrid teased. “What if you become a famous leatherworker and they end up being worth a fortune?”
Millie gave out a gasp, "Astrid really?" then she laughed. "Nah i don't plan on becoming a famous leather worker. however you better wear them. They will be made for you to wear, and not be set on a shelf to just look pretty." giving a wink. She was done with the tracing. "Now I will take that pattern and go from there." Millie grinning from ear to ear.
Astrid laughed. "Alright, alright, I promise I’ll wear them." Once Millicent finished tracing, Astrid returned to her seat and settled in comfortably. She looked at Millicent with a playful smile. "But if you do become famous, I hope you’ll remember your very first model."
"I will definitely be doing so. You are in fact, rather memorable." Millie standing up and putting the pattern in a safe spot. She walked back to the table and realized that her peppermint tea had gone cold, that didn't matter to her though, taking a seat at the table to finish it.
"Now I have a question for you. Do you have someone special in your life? In all fairness you asked me." Millie giving a laugh.
“Memorable, huh?” Astrid said with a playful wink at Millie.
She chuckled softly, leaning back in her chair. “Fair enough for you to ask,” she said with a small smile. “No, I don’t have anyone special in my life. Not in a romantic way, at least. Relationships are already complicated, and being in Starfleet doesn’t make them any easier. I guess I prefer to keep things simple. No attachments. No extra complications.”
"Yeah those complications can be just a bit... messy at times." Abi responded with a ittle bit of a wince. Her thoughts drifting towards her past relationship. "You never know if someone who you thought so perfect is instead an insidious individual, who wants to be controlling." the last part having a slight growl at the end.
“Yeah, messy is definitely the word for it.” She replied, picking up on Millicent’s tone. “I’m sorry you had to go through something like that. It’s hard when someone turns out to be so different from who you thought they were.”
"Well it threw me for a loop that is for certain. Made me not trust my own judgement, not even where getting to know people and I pushed away some good friends of which I really need to get in contact with. It made me a horrible person." Millie giving out a huff at her own actions. " I have gone into counseling, and I feel I am starting to come out of my dark place. My other room mates I didn't talk to them much if at all above a whisper."
“I can’t even imagine how hard that must have been, Millie,” she said softly. “But the fact that you’ve recognized it, sought counseling, and are working to reconnect with people says a lot about your strength."
"I am regaining it. " Millie giving a shrug. "have you met with the Chief Engineer? Elen Diari? She's really nice and I love working with her. She isn't the run of the mill sort of person. When I first met her I had no idea that she was the Chief. It made me relax and she gave me an opportunity to work Gamma shift and I liked that very much." having a fond smile thinking about Elen.
Astrid nodded. “Yes, I’ve had the chance to meet El. She’s already decided that my nickname is Trid,” She laughed. “Though I’m not entirely sure it’ll catch on.”
"Well she may continue to call you that. Did you have a nickname when you were going to academy? I didn't have one, not that I knew of." Millie finishing up her tea. A thought occured to her, pulling out her padd and put in a search of the meaning of Astrid's name and her own.
"Astrid, a couple of meanings to your name. Divinely Beautiful, or another is- Blessed by the Gods. Mine is- Millicent, strong in work." she lowered her padd to look at Astrid. "I don't think we really need nicknames do we? Though I do shorten my name to Millie. "
“Divinely beautiful and blessed by the gods? I’ll take it.” Astrid said with a laugh. “And strong in work fits you perfectly." Astrid thought for a moment. "You’re right, I don’t think we really need nicknames. But if El keeps calling me Trid, I might just roll with it. I kind of like it."
"Trid doesn't sound too bad in truth. Elen as I said, she does have a way to help a person feel at peace. Just something about her that is so down to Earth. And I like it." Millie's eyes crinkling up with a smile. She gave a little bit of a stretch, "I may get myself a nap to keep myself upon my gamma shift schedule, even if we are on shoreleave. " covering her yawn behind her hand. She was feeling tired, and a nap sounded lovely, especially being in new quarters with a new room mate.
She watched as Millie stretched and yawn, Trid smiled. “A nap sounds like a solid plan. Get some rest, and I'll unpack and settle in. Don't worry, I’ll keep quiet."
"I think I will be able to sleep with you moving about. I am already glad that we are room-mates." Millie wandering towards her bed, her barefeet not making any sound, she pulled back her covers, and crawled into her bed pulling them up to her neck and turned to lay on her right side. It wasn't long before Millie fell asleep, her breathing was one of someone going into slumber.
"I’m glad we’re roommates too." Astrid said watching Millie leave for her bed. She looked over to her bag. "Time to settle in."
A Joint Post By
Ensign Millicent Ambrose
Engineering Officer, USS Pioneer
Ensign Astrid Renfield
Quantum Slipstream Specialist, USS Pioneer
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