Shyva'Nahl sits alone in a booth in the far corner of the bar, shaking anxiously. She's sitting with her legs curled up towards her chest as she doodles something on her omnitool.
#Miner'sRespite – August 4, 2014
Aylena is standing behind the bar, typing away on a terminal as no one is asking to be served at the moment.
Zaan'Drassi entered the inn/bar, looking left and right and ringing her hands together a little nervously. In hindsight, it felt wrong to ask the kid out -- not that she herself was too much older, but... "There you are," she mentioned, approaching the booth. Zaan hadn't abandoned any of her equipment at all, satchel of medical supplies still at her side. "I'm, ah, well, I'm not late, am I?"
Shyva'Nahl jumps, not expecting someone to address her. Silly girl, she was waiting for a date, of course someone would adress her. She quickly calms and shakes her head. "N-No, I d-don't think so." she says with a little smile and gesturing to the seat in front of her.
"I, um." Zaan cleared her throat and looked at the offered seat before slowly sliding in to it as facing Shyva. The quarian hoped this wasn't uncomfortable for the both of them the whole time. People would stare -- stare because they were quarians, and stare even more because the two women seemed to fancy each other... "I haven't done this in a long time."
Shyva'Nahl blinks and smiles widely, a little giggle escaping her. "R-Really?" she asks. "T-This is m-my f-first time... e-ever. N-Not sure w-what to do."
"I seem to be at a loss, myself." She chuckled, feeling a little better. Well, they'd figure it out together. "Do they have nutrient paste here?" Zaan asked, sounding skeptical and looking over at that asari.
Shyva'Nahl nods and looks over at Aylena. "T-They do, a-and its fairly g-good stuff. Its a-all I c-can eat here." She looks across at Zaan`Drassi. "Well, all W-WE can e-eat here."
"Very true." She let out something of a sigh, her two fingers drumming along the table between them for a moment. "Do you know what I miss most about being a doctor on the Flotilla?" she asked, not waiting for Shyva to guess. "Surgery. Operating, that is. We take our patients to the clean rooms and cut them open there. I just -- well, it was nice to take the mask off every once in a while. To look the other doctors in the eyes. Breathe real air..." A pause. "Well, technically artificial -- but... different."
Shyva'Nahl blinks, a little surprised by how quickly the conversation set off, and surgery? That's new. "M-My mother a-assists on surgeries. I w-watched o-once but I c-couldn't for long. T-Too s-squeamish, I s-suppose." She sits back, pulling her legs to her side. "Its w-why I p-prefered t-to work with m-my father c-cleaning t-the ship." She looks at the table, a fond smile accross her face. "I w-was the one c-chosen to clean t-the vent s-system as I w-was the smallest..."
Zaan'Drassi smirked, but it was hard to see. She leaned forward some, resting her elbows on the table's surface. "Sanitation is an important thing. Maybe not for the rest of the galaxy, but for us -- I walk through the city sometimes and see so much filth in the alleys and streets and wonder how the humans and turians and everyone else can even stand it at all. They can wade through piles of trash without catching a cold, and we even get one little tear..."
Shyva'Nahl nods, sitting forward a little. "Oh, I k-know. I c-couldn't b-believe my eyes w-when I first l-left the space-port. S-Some just l-leave their trash l-laying around!" she sounds disgusted by it all. "If t-they were in s-suits, they'd u-understand our p-plight. M-Maybe they'd h-hate us l-less too..."
"Things will be different, some day." She shrugged and let out another small sigh, apparently wanting to move away from the disheartening subject. Something a little more date like, maybe. "So, you're, ash, you're how old, exactly?" It was hard to tell, with the masks.
Shyva'Nahl smiles, prefering this topic over the last. "I am t-twenty. M-My birthday is in a m-month." she says, happily enough. "A-And y-you? I t-think y-you mentioned y-you'd been off the f-fleet for t-ten years, right?"
"Thirty," she reluctantly admitted, feeling a little self conscious about her age. Zaan had even considered lying about it, for a moment. "Keelah, I didn't realize -- that's, ah, that's not strange for you, is it?" Them being a decade apart. She shifted uncomfortably in her seat, wringing her hands together again.
Shyva'Nahl hums, then taps her mask. "I d-don't think so..." she finally says. "M-My parents a-are about t-that far apart." She says, tucking her legs under her. "T-They d-don't think its w-weird. W-Why should I?"
Zaan nodded slowly, clearing her throat again. Some things had to be said so that they could stay out of the way for the future. It might have been uncomfortable, but... "And your, ah, your interest in women?"
Shyva'Nahl nods with a nervous chuckle. "U-u-um... Y-yes, I'm interested in... W-women..." She mumbles. "I h-have when i n-noticed I w-was looking at the w-women on my ship m/more than the men a-and seeing what I l-liked." She admits. "B-but my parents d-don't know."
"Ah, good," she mentioned, leaning forward even more and reaching across the table to take one of Shyva's hands comfortingly. "I'm just making sure we're on the same page. But you, ah, you may not want to tell them you're dating a thirty year old exiled woman just yet. Or -- or, well, that you went on a date with one." They weren't exactly "dating" just yet.
Shyva'Nahl nods, letting her take her hand. "I wouldn't e-even if I c-could." She says, reassuringly. "T-they're still out of r-range of any c-comm-bouys."
She nodded, looking down at their hands for just a moment. "What do you like to do?" Zaan asked, trying at small talk. "Other than clean things, I mean."
Shyva'Nahl hums and glances at her omnitool. "I, u-um... I l-like to d-draw, h-honestly." she says, looking back at the other quarian. "Its a h-hobby of mine. I'm n-not v-very good at it..."
Shyva'Nahl blinks. Not many people want to see her art, but she nods hesitently. "U-Um... o-okay..." she says, nervously as she opens her omnitool. She slides through a few files before opening up a picture. Its of the view out of the observation deck on the Tesleya. There's a beautifully drawn picture of one of the bigger ships as her ship passed it, done in marvelous detail. It could be a photo if not for some tell tail signs that its just a digital painting.
She blinked slowly then looked back up at her date again before focusing on the picture once more. "You're a little modest," Zaan mentioned, standing all of a sudden. She let go of Shyva's hand and moved around to the other side of the booth. "Scoot over."
Shyva'Nahl lets out the feintest eep as Zaan moves to her side of the booth, taken off guard. She scoots over a little for the other Quarian, unsure of her intentions.
"There, this is easier." She sat rather close to Shyva, twisting slightly to face her and putting one hand on her arm. "Show me more."
Shyva'Nahl starts to shake a little nervously. "U-Um... o-okay." she mumbles then starts to flick through more. There's a scenery one of a hallway on her ship, then one of two older Quarians on a couch, then one of a maskless Quarian looking in the mirror. All of them are very good, but some still have the rough edges around them.
"You don't give yourself enough credit," she told the other woman, smirking some. Zaan leaned back in to the booth and nodded slowly. "You're very talented."
Shyva'Nahl blushes furiously and looks away. "I'm n-not t-that great..." she mumbles, rubbing her upper arm nervously.
"You're being modest again," she said. "Or maybe just insecure. I don't take an interest in untalented women. You're gifted. Trust me -- I'm a doctor." She chuckled.
Shyva'Nahl looks at Zaan again, looking her over. She certainly did have a nice body. "U-Um... a-about that..." she mumbles. "...w-why me?"
"I told you," she mentioned. "The stutter's cute. And I don't see very many quarian women around here. Do you?" She seemed to notice Shyva looking her up and down and did the same.
Shyva'Nahl shrugs a little, looking down. "J-Just cause there isn't m-many options d-doesn't mean you HAVE t-to make one..." she mumbles, looking at Zaan again. "I w-want to know if y-you want to d-date me j-just because I'm q-quarian, or b-because I'm S-shyva."
"I don't know Shyva very well, yet," she admitted, sensing her insecurities. There was a pause, and Zaan took her hand again, smoothing her thumb over the woman's palm. "But I would like to."
Shyva'Nahl looks from her hands back to Zaan, a tiny smile forming. "S-So... its n-not just b-because I'm a q-quarian?" she asks, then smirks.
"I'd be lying if I said it wasn't a nice bonus," the doctor confessed. "But no." She smiled, too, and it showed in her eyes.
Shyva'Nahl smiles a little wider, calming down a little. "T-That's... t-that's a-actually rather r-reassuring..." she mumbles, closing her hand around Zaan's palm. "I w-was a l-little scared t-that you w-were getting into t-this for the wrong reasons..."
"It's a date," she said. "Not a one night stand. To tell you the truth, I... I don't have very many friends, believe it or not. When I'm not working or seeing patients, I'm just -- well, I'm alone, really."
Shyva'Nahl blinks and tilts her head. "T-That's... well." she says, then smiles. "V-Very similar t-to me. I, um... I d-don't like t-to be around m-many people a-at a time..." she mumbles, looking down. "I o-only h-have one friend h-here, and s-she's on Omega r-right now..."
Shyva'Nahl nods slowly. "S-She is a m-merc, y-yes. B-But she used t-to live there." she says, looking back at Zaan. "S-She's helping a f-friend with s-something. She s-says she'll be b-back soon though."
"One can only hope." Another look down at where their hands are still being held. "I, ah -- well, I wish I knew what there was to do around the city. This must be a terrible first date so far. I'm not very fun."
Shyva'Nahl huffs in amusement, looking at the door. "T-there's nothing n-nice out there." she grumps, then shudders. "J-Just... h-horrible people. I l-like it in here. Its n-nice."
Aylena has just finished serving another patron before she gets back to her terminal. She does glance at the quarians, and decide to make her way over. "Good evening," she says as she's within earshot of the two. "I've noticed you two have been sitting here for a while. Is there anything I can get for you?"
Shyva'Nahl eeps and jumps at Aylena's suddent adressing of the two. "O-Oh, h-hi." she mumbles. "Um... c-Can I h-have a fruit j-juice? M-My usual p-please."
"I, ah -- well, do you want anything?" A look at Shyva. "I'll be buying. Maybe a bottle of turian wine?" She glanced to he date again. "Oh, nonsense -- come on, have a drink. It's just wine. Maybe one of the better vintages?"
Shyva'Nahl shakes her head. "N-No, thank y-you. I d-don't drink a-alcohol." she looks back at Aylena. "J-Just the j-juice for me."
Aylena nods, again, and makes her way over to the bar, and around. She returns a little later with the orders, placing the bottles on the table. "Please come by the bar if you'd like to order anything else," she says with a smile. "We generally don't do table service, but I thought I'd make an exception."
Shyva'Nahl smiles at Aylena as she takes her juice. "T-Thank you, Aylena." she says before taking out her super fun looking swirly straw, and dropping it into the juice.
Aylena returns the smile. "You're welcome," she says. "I hope you two enjoy yourselves." She lingers for a few more seconds before making her way back to the bar.
"We will. Thank you," she said sincerely enough, watching the woman float away. Well, at least asari didn't discriminate when it came to women dating. Maybe that's why so many alien women aspired to find asari wives. A look at Shyva and then her straw and she let out a small laugh. "That's adorable."
"I think so," Zaan answered, reaching for the bottle and turning it over in her hands to inspect the label.
Shyva'Nahl takes one long sip and smiles. "W-Well... I a-always f-found regular s-straws too boring." she says as she looks at Zaan's drink. "I'm n-not sure why a-anyone w-would drink alcohol..."
"You've never had it," she answered, popping it open with a bit of struggle. She was a doctor, dammit, not a... wine opener person. "The stronger stuff is abysmal. Never try turian spirits. But wine is delicate. Sort of sweet. Almost like fruit juice." She smirked again. "I think you'd like it."
Shyva'Nahl shakes her head and sips her fruit juice. "N-No thanks. I'd r-rather j-just have this." she says, followed by another sip. Mmmm, fruity. Must have been berries, judging by the darker colour of the drink. "I d-don't really g-get the allure of a-alcohol. It c-changes people."
"Well, I won't pressure you," she answered, pouring herself a glass and taking out a straw of her own. It was rather plain -- nothing as fun or creative as Shyva's.
Shyva'Nahl sips her drink, looking at the wine. "S-So, w-where do you w-work down here?" she asks, referring to Aite, of course. "A-Are you still a d-doctor?"
"I'm still a doctor," she confirmed, smirking again. "My job isn't as fulfilling here as it was back on the Flotilla. Patients trust me less. But I make do. I suppose they can't be blamed. Not entirely."
Shyva'Nahl tilts her head at Zaan, a frown on her face. "Its b-because you're a q-quarian, isn't i-it." she says, rather flatly.
Zaan only nodded, looking at Shyva for a long moment. She wanted to change the subject again, but didn't know how. "I like your suit," she complimented, looking her up and down again. Zaan reached over slightly to adjust the woman's hood. "It's cute."
Shyva'Nahl blinks and giggles slightly, "t-thank y-you." she says. "Its b-been in my f-family for a-ages. Y-Yours is a little o-odd though. I-Is the coat a-attached to it?"
"Yes, I, ah -- well, I thought it was distinctive, at least. I know it isn't very flashy, but when you're dealing with people all day..." She shrugged again. "So, is this a date? Or... would you say that we're dating?"
Shyva'Nahl looks over Zaan's suit again, finding the combo of coat and suit interesting. "U-Um... d-date..." she thinks, then shrugs. "I d-don't know. N-Never been on a d-date." Though, with her hand still on Zaan's, and her body not shaking as much, she's certainly warmed up to the Quarian. Though, saving her life certainly helped.
Shyva'Nahl tilts her head at Zaan, a small smile creeping over her face. "Y-You want a second date?" she asks, feeling a little giddy.
"And a third, maybe," she admitted, chuckling. Her fingers intertwined with Shyva's so they weren't simply holding hands anymore. "Fourth, fifth. We'll see how it goes."
Shyva'Nahl feels a little more excited. "Y-You really d-do like m-me then." she says, holding her hand softly.
"Just a little," the doctor teased, looking around again. "So, any ideas on how to spend this night, or are you fine just sitting?"
Shyva'Nahl smiles and leans against Zaan`Drassi. "I'm f-fine just s-sitting." she says with a smile. "G-Get to know y-you a little better."
Shyva'Nahl "Weeelll..." she says, before sipping her drink. "W-What other a-anatomy d-do you work w-with?" she asks. "O-Other than Q-quarian, I mean."
"Of all the questions," she chuckled. "Humans, turians, asari. I've always been curious, but I couldn't ever dabble on the Flotilla -- no aliens around. Krogan and Salarians are complex, but I hardly ever receive them as patients."
Shyva'Nahl nods slowly. "H-How did you e-end up l-learning a-about them?" she asks. "T-Text books? S-Stuff like that?"
"I'd always been curious," she admitted. "I read about them on the Flotilla. It wasn't until two years ago that I started treating them. After my exile, I mean. You'd he surprised -- humans aren't too different from us, and they're nearly identical to asari."
Shyva'Nahl hums, finishing her drink. "R-Really? I c-can't really see that. I t-thought we'd b-be more like T-Turians inside." she muses, stroking one of Zaan's hands, feeling a little something for her. "I c-canm'
C-Can't imagine w-working with s-so much b-blood and g-gore..." she says, followed by a shudder. "E-Even thinking about it g-gives me the c-creeps."
"I've always enjoyed it," she admitted, perhaps a bit morbidly. "But it's not for everyone, true." Zaan looked down at where her hand was being stroked for a long moment. It'd been a while. Years, even, since she's been in a situation like this. And with a quarian so young... She did her best to return the gesture, fingers sliding up and past Shyva's wrist some to gently tickle her forearm in a comforting way.
Shyva'Nahl smiles at the sensation. It wasn't every day she let her guard down, but if Zaan was willing to save her life, pay for her room, then ask her out? That put some real points in her book. "Y-You m-mean that a-as in you're interested in w-what makes u-us tick, right?" she asks.
"Exactly," she enthused, sounding quite happy that Shyva had read her so easily. "A person is... people are like ships. You need to have all of the working parts to make them fly, and sometimes you have to fix things to keep it running. I suppose I'm something of an engineer, just... for living things?"
Shyva'Nahl nods, understandingly. "Of c-course. T-That's what m-my mother always taught m-me. I s-still can't stand it though." she says, shuddering. "B-Blood and g-guts s-should not s-see the light of d-day... t-this is why I prefer t-to c-clean things. N-Nobody g-gets hurt."
"Maybe," she answered. "But sometimes you can't fix someone without cutting them open. Or putting them back together."
Shyva'Nahl sighs and nods, a bit hesitently. "T-That's one of my b-biggest fears..." she admits, looking down. "N-Needing an o-operation... w-what if I d-don't wake up f-from the anesthesia...?"
She laughed and gave Shyva's hand a bit of a squeeze, leaning in to the younger woman a little more fully. "Cute," she remarked, chuckling still.
Shyva'Nahl blinks and looks at Zaan, a little uneasy. "...you... y-you think t-that's cute...?" she asks. Its one of her biggest fears and she thinks its cute? That's... not cool...
"You'd wake up," Zaan promised, hoping to reassure the girl. "The real fear would be not having enough of it. There have been surgeries before where the patient could feel everything but couldn't react or let his doctors know. It wears off, eventually. But, ah, that's -- that's probably not helping, I'm sorry." She cleared her throat. "Sorry."
Shyva'Nahl starts to shake a little nervously. "aaaand t-that's another f-fear on t-the list..." she says, her voice quivering.
Zaan frowned at herself, feeling a little guilty now. She set her drink down and placed her hand over the one that Shyva was using to hold on to her with, starting to apologize. "I didn't mean to scare you," she said. "I'm not very gods at this, like I said. Let's talk about something else."
Shyva'Nahl closes her eyes and takes a few long, deep breaths. "O-Okay... okay..." she mumbles, calming down a little. "P-Panic a-averted..." She opens her eyes and looks at Zaan again. "P-Please... I'm p-prone to p-panic a-attacks..."
"Oh, I -- I didn't know," she answered, swallowing hard. "I, ah..." A look around, and her shoulders slumped a little.
Shyva'Nahl takes another deep breath and pets Zaan's hand. "N-Now y-you know." she says, smiling a little.
Shyva'Nahl nods in agreement, then goes back to stroking her knuckle. "T-They're h-hard to a-avoid, but e-every little h-helps."
She chuckled, looking down again. "You're rather touchy, aren't you?" Zaan teased. That level of public display of affection usually didn't occur on the first date. But the doctor didn't seem to mind it.
Shyva'Nahl blinks, sitting back a little. "T-Touchy?" she asks, then tilts her head. "L-Like s-sensative?" she looks down and sighs. "Y-yes... t-that's true, unfortunately..."
She smirked. "That, too." There was a bleep from her omnitool, and she blinked before looking at it. "Ah -- bosh'tet," the doctor grumbled. "I'm sorry, I -- it's -- well, I'm on call."
Shyva'Nahl lets go of Zaan, looking a little confused. "Y-You scheduled a d-date while you're on c-call?" she asks, then smiles. "T-That was silly."
"Or I'll text," she promised, feeling as if she should peck the other woman on the cheek, though that's rather impossible. Zaan instead cups the side of her helmet for a moment and smooths a thumb over her mask before slowly standing. "I had fun."
Shyva'Nahl smiles behind it, but not returning the gesture, that'd be weird. Instead, she hugs the other quarian. "I d-did too, t-thank y-you so much."
She nodded, returning the hug. "Hold on to this for me," Zaan said, sliding the bottle to her. "You don't have to drink it. Just take it up. Insurance, you know -- so we can see each other again." She stuffed her hands in to the pockets of her coat. "I'll call you," she promised, taking a few steps back and then turning to waddle away.