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[licks]

CHARACTERS: Kate Argent & YOU
LOCATION: One of the galleys.
WARNINGS: Caffeine use?
SUMMARY: Coffee without the pretentious cafe and scones.
NOTES: [brackets], 3rd person, past or present tense welcome. IT IS ALL OKAY.



Maybe it's the pacing of the ship. The way things seem to slow down and then hit the wall at a breakneck speed at the drop of a hat. The only thing that someone can rely on is the jumps and that they always happen. Naturally, Kate assumes that as soon as she starts to rely on that -- something will happen to them. Either way, she's settled into life here. It's not perfect, definitely not easy, either, but it's better than some of the cheap science-fiction movies she'd suffered through as a child. That age difference between her and Chris was never easy and never more clear as when she wanted to watch She-Ra and he was more inclined to suggest Mad Max. She's at least grateful for the fact that the temperature here isn't that of a desert.

It's still drastically different than what she had been in the middle of and now that she's been here for a while, she's wondering just how her priorities have shifted. Being pulled away from that influence, having the last thing she remembers of family - of seeing their faces - be the look of disappointment from her brother and the absolute terror of Allison -- it's leaving more than it's usual mark on her. She's more than aware of the fact that her presence is something that's been warned over. Derek's threat might be a few months old, but she's not interested in being airlocked. There's also the thought that things have happened beyond her knowledge, things that she's learned about only because someone unexpected shared the details with her. Knowing that Peter Hale kills her... it's definitely giving her something to think about.

It's drifting in and out of her thoughts this afternoon as she sits in the galley with a cup of coffee. A few jumps back, Kate had been lucky enough to get a few bags of a local grind of coffee from Washington. It actually made her miss the house and all the small pockets of forest that she'd wander through at night. For a while, she's been just making herself a cup at a time. Folding the coffee filters into neat squares, placing them carefully over a metal strainer that fit right into her coffee cup and just letting the boiling water drip through. It's a lot of work, but she had intentions on making this last a while. Except, with another jump behind them and her seeing less and less people getting things in their lockers, she decides to brew a whole pot.

The scent of it is heavy in the air and it's definitely worth sharing the contents of her locker if it lets her smell the brew of it this much. She almost wants to hover near the pot in hopes that it'll cling to her sweater a bit. Either way, she leans against the edge of the counter, the mug in her hands bringing it up to her mouth to blow gently on it before she takes a careful sip. It definitely is true that the less you have of something the more you appreciate it.

Comments

[whywefight]

Her hair still damp from her post workout shower, Shepard eased her way into the room. Lunch had been on her mind, but as soon as she'd caught that coffee scent, she locked onto it like a homing missile. Talk about missing thngs from home -- coffee was one of them.

"That is coffee," Shepard said in a low voice. "I was beginning to think I'd lost my mind and was hallucinating." She offered a slightly lopsided smile as she came to a stop, her hands against the back of a chair. "I don't think we've met. Commander Shepard, SR-2 Normandy."

[licks]

Kate smirked over the edge of the coffee cup. Swallowing, she set the cup down and cleared her throat, "It is coffee. Real coffee and I'm Kate."

Her head nodded over toward the pot still brewing, "If you want to pour a cup, you're welcome to it. I don't think I'll drink the whole thing."

[whywefight]

"Nice to meet you and hell yes," Shepard said appreciatively. "Caffeine deprivation is definitely not one of my favorites. You would think the ship's crew would keep that in stock. The bar looks like it has decent alcohol from what I've seen, but coffee is a staple and keeps the humans, at least, from stabbing each other in the mornings."

She can't speak to aliens and their morning preferences, though, but the caffeine? Yeah. She's been grumpy until she hits the shower every morning and works that out under the spray. Shepard filled her cup, took it black, and sipped it with a sigh. The tang of it was like a blast of home and she leaned back into the counter, visibly relieved and almost blissful.

[licks]

"Of all the things I thought I'd have to adjust to with living in space, I didn't realize it'd be the little things that suck the most."

Decent coffee had been hard to come by, so when the lockers magically gave her some, she hadn't planned on letting it just go to waste. "Of course, I don't think I ever considered I'd have to live in space. My expectations were probably a bit too vague."

[whywefight]

"It does take an adjustment, especially when you're running low on supplies," Shepard said before taking a long sip of coffee. "If there was ever one thing I made sure we weren't low on, it was coffee. When I was reviewing the resupply logs before docking at port, I'd make sure there was enough coffee for a few months just in case. You never know when something will come along to make you need that extra pot."

[licks]

"Caffeine is the lifeblood of a lot of people," Kate replied. "All that matters is how it comes to us. Soda, coffee, tea - those scary technicolor energy drinks that taste like Sweet Tarts on crack."

Taking a deep breath, she sets her cup down, "What are you a captain of? Something on board or is it just a general title for your ranking."

[whywefight]

"True," she said with a slight smile. "At this point, I'm definitely going to agree with that."

She took another long swallow of coffee.

"I lead the SR-2 Normandy, Systems Alliance vessel. Commander is my general title, though."

[licks]

We'll pretend Kate's writer had put Commander instead of Captain...

"Is that vessel here?" Though, Kate also has another question, that follows pretty quickly, without waiting for reply, "I bet that sort of experience actually helps a lot on board here."

[whywefight]

"I haven't seen her, so I assume she's back in my universe," Shepard said. The shuttle bay didn't house her, that was for sure. Her eyebrows arched a fraction as she considered her words. "I'd like to think my command experience helps. I've seen more than my fair share of action over the last few years. You learn to adapt, survive, and do your best to keep your people safe."

[licks]

Kate nodded, "There's a lot of things out here that aren't what I'm used to. I think any sort of experience with this sort of tech is going to help anyone that isn't familiar. I can wield most weapons, but I'm running on the low tech side of firepower."

[whywefight]

"My galaxy's definitely on the side of high tech," Shepard said. "You need help with anything and I'll be happy to sit down and run through it with you. Might be biotic, but training and experience enough on the technology side of thing to pass that knowledge on."

[licks]

"I'd appreciate that," Kate replied. "Nothing comes to mind right now, of course, but I'm on twelve." Rolling her sleeve up she exposed the tattoo that marked her location and all that other important information.

"Same applies to you; if you need coffee or something."

[whywefight]

"Anytime," Shepard said, reaching to warm her mug with just a little more coffee. She let out a bright laugh at Kate's last comment.

"Careful," she said, her voice teasing, "you feed coffee to a commander and you'll never get rid of them. We're like stray dogs." She flicked a glance at the tattoo and tucked the information away for when it was needed. Shepard raised her own sleeve and flashed her location, returning the gesture.

"Then again, coffee and company in this place is, by far, what keeps us moving," she said, her voice wry.

[licks]

Kate allowed an amused laugh to come from her, "Hey, I don't make offers I don't plan on following through with. If I have coffee to spare, I'll be glad to share it with someone."

[whywefight]

"Then I'd say that'd a decent beginning," Shepard said, smiling. "I wish most things were that easy."

[licks]

"I think on board this ship, things always manage to end up on the side of not easy at all."

[whywefight]

"Just how I'm used to things," she said with a laugh. "Nice to know you can change universes and some things will stay the same."

[target]

It's been a little over a fortnight since his last real fight, and to say he's wound up by that is an understatement. Of course, it'd been his choice to call off his weekly sessions with Derek in the first place. But it'd been prompted by those around him. By the ship itself. Sitting out the issues with the corridors last month, the genetics lab discovery, had been hard to do. But he hadn't had any choice. His limits may have changed since joining the Fraternity back home, but it didn't leave him invincible. Even the wax can't erase months worth of beatings completely.

And so, thanks to a certain pair of women on the ship, Wesley has spent that time looking for a new output for his energy. For his anger. Extra hours spent on the range. Extra shifts to cover the gaps in the gunnery rota. Swimming. Running. Nothing had been enough to fill that gap and sate that need for violence, but it'd at least been enough to tired him out most evenings.

Which is why, this morning, Wesley finds himself heading to the kitchens once again in the search of something to wake himself back up. It's a routine; an uncomfortably familiar one that he hates having fallen in to. But given just where he is, there's fuck all he can do about it. Kate's only given a passing glance at first as he instead opts to duck inside the fridge in search of food. A search that soon goes ignored as the scent of that coffee wakes him up enough for it to actually register with him.

"That sure as fuck isn't the shit they usually stock." The instant crap that he's been surviving on in the absence of energy drinks. Kate, who's your dealer and where can they be found?

[licks]

He enters and she's sure she's seen him before. Maybe at the fights, maybe just around, but she knows that he has a familiar face. Rather than stare, though, she just sips at her coffee and reads the book she has. It's a boring book, but it's at least better than nothing at all. It makes her feel like she has a somewhat normal life. In space.

When the coffee is mentioned, she's amused. Leaning back in the chair she's seated in, she lets out a low laugh, "No, it definitely is not."

There's a slight nod of her head, mostly a lift with her chin, "Help yourself to a cup."

[target]

"So, what, you go around offering your secret stash to complete strangers?" Though it isn't a complaint. Far from it, given his grin, even as he turns his back to Kate to work on getting himself a cup. It may be more sugar than coffee, but it's black, strong, and enough to get him by for now.

Opting out of finding himself a chair, Wesley hops up on to the counter, sanitation be damned as he ends up with muddied boots pressed against the edge of the metal. It leaves him back to the wall and an unobstructed view of the kitchen. He may not have been attacked (manticore and training aside) since arriving on the ship, but he still isn't ready to let that side of his training slip. He can't risk it.

"Wesley." It's as much of an introduction as he'll ever give, his gaze slipping briefly back toward Kate. She's not a face he's seen on the network yet, but he knows by now that he can't assume it means she's a new arrival. There's been too many people seeping out of the woodwork recently for that.

[licks]

"Kate," she offers her name, between sips of coffee. "And I got three pounds of it a few jumps back. I know I'm not going to finish it all myself before it goes stale. I figured I could share some of it. This generous offering is just a portion of it."

Leaning back in her chair, she sets the cup down and lifts her chin up toward him, "Have you been on board a while?" She asks as she tries to place him, tries to figure out where she might've seen him.

[wigs]

[Schedules are a big part of Effie's life. Setting them, making sure people adhere to them, following them herself -- being on time is an integral part of her job and of her as a person. Despite this, the early mornings and the expectation to be constantly bright and ready sometimes take their toll on her.

Caffeine is the extra push Effie relies on to get through her day, and needless to say, the ship doesn't exactly provide in that area. At least, not on the level she's used to. The look she gives Kate and her pot of genuine coffee is not a little jealous. Still, a lady remains polite and civilized despite being without real coffee for several months.]

Goodness, that smells delicious.

[licks]

[Kate lifts a brow in curiosity at the woman that enters the galley. She's never seen her around before, but that doesn't mean much around here. People come and go pretty easily. When she makes the comment about the coffee, Kate gestures toward the pot.]

Help yourself, I brewed the pot to share. I think if I have another cup, I'll be floating out of here.

[wigs]

Well... [A beat of polite hesitation. Of course she wants a cup, but she doesn't want to seem over-eager.] I suppose it would be a shame for the rest of it to go to waste.

[She goes ahead and pours herself a cup, closing her eyes in appreciation as she takes the first sip.] I hope whatever's running this ship isn't playing favorites. I've certainly never found quality coffee grinds in my locker before.

[The comment is made off-handedly, obviously not malicious.]

[licks]

[Kate offers a small laugh of amusement.] Trust me, I wasn't expecting it either, but I wasn't about to look a gift locker in the combination.

[Kate's been pretty lucky with what she's been given, though she'd feel better if she knew who was doing it and why.]

Have you gotten anything interesting since arriving?

[wigs]

Oh, a few sets of clothing and several wigs. [She waves a hand above her head -- she's wearing a pale blue wig today, a bit tamer than her usual.] Though they're getting a bit threadbare.

[They aren't, really. She's been cycling through them more often than she would back home, but she's slowly starting to accept that the standard of living is different here. Still, it doesn't mean she has to like it.]

[licks]

[Kate offers a pleasant smile.]

You seem to be doing well with them. [She gives a small nod upward, gesturing to the wig.] It goes well with your outfit.

[wigs]

Why, thank you. I try to look presentable despite the circumstances we're in. [She beams. If only she can live off of compliments.] The limited wardrobe choices are a challenge, but I make do.

[licks]

Have you considered trying to find the items that have been left behind by those that aren't here anymore? You might luck out and find something you like.

[wigs]

Secondhand items? [Effie wrinkles her nose at that, but beggars can't be choosers.] I suppose so. Some people here are bound to have passable taste in fashion.

[licks]

[Kate shrugs.] Hey, you never know where the things in our lockers come from anyway, and you might just luck out.

[wigs]

I certainly hope so.

[Her hand suddenly flies to her mouth, the action a bit too theatrical for the situation.]

Oh, dear. Where are my manners? My name is Effie Trinket -- I should have introduced myself earlier.

[licks]

Kate. [She offers her name and lifts her coffee mug in acknowledgment.]