You wake up in a panic, your heart is pounding and your forhead is coated in a thin sheen of sweat. As you take a moment to calm yourself and look around your surroundings, you notice your [[room]] is a lot darker than when you fell asleep, suggesting a significant enough amount of time has passed for the overhead light to automatically time out and your blinds to be drawn. If you had to hazard a guess, you would hope [[Desdemona]] closed them when she came to visit and found you asleep.
Weird. You're still sweating, but you dont remember your dream at all. The only thing you do remember were bright flashes of... something. And the feeling of falling.
Whatever. It was probably a stress dream from [[work]], which has definately been dragging you down recently. Thankfully, today is your day off so you can do whatever you want, including trying to get a hopefuly more restful sleep.
[[Go back to sleep, you really need it.|go back to sleep]]
[[You might as well get up now, since youre already so awake.| wander]]Your room is the basic setup: keycard activated door and closet-port, holo-console to the left, vaulted bed-chamber to the right, and a wall of windows behind you looking out on the depressing expanse of nothingness you've been floating through for the last five years. Of course there are personal touches here and there; a vintage poster of your favorite movie above your holo-console, a ratty blanket kept solely for sentimental purposes that barely fits in your bed-chamber, and some completely unnessecary solar lights strung around the perimiter of your room.
You're just thankful you were assigned a single, you're not sure you could have lived with a randomly assigned roommate for half a decade. More, if you're going to be here as long as you fear.
[[Back |wake up]]Desdemona has been your guardian angel your last few years on this ship. When you first boarded, she was cold and condescending to you and the rest of the new recruits, but over time, as you consistantly shoehorned your stupid questions into her long lectures and scathing critiques, she has definately taken a shining to you. She's head of maintenance throughout the whole ship, so you've been working under her since day 1.
[[Back |wake up]]You work as a Engine Room Technician on the ship. You were brought on board as a short term engine maintenance worker, but after proving youself a responsable and competant enough problem solver, you were brought on full time. Occasionally your shifts are scheduled in the MedBay or Labs, but for the most part you're stuck in the sweaty bowels of the ship.
This all sounds very mundane, nothing nightmare worthy, right? Wrong. If only it was a mellow job. You routinely deal with rodents and other pests, broken equipment, stowaways, and lost passangers. How they get into the engine room is beyond you, but it's not like you can do anything to prevent it. Youre just a maintenance technician, afterall.
[[Back |wake up]]You let your head fall back against the GelPillow, and begin to count your breaths. In, out, 1; in, out, 2; in, out, 3; in, 4, fuck. Your mind is wandering again. Aaaaand restart. Hopefully the monotony of this technique will knock you out pretty quickly.
Thankfully, you fall into a fitful sleep what seems like moments after that thought.
[[What was that noise?|des 1]]You climb down from your bed-chamber, a full-body shiver rakes through you as your feet tough the cold metal floor. You pull on a basic jumpsuit from the closet and head out the door.
You realize you didn't have a destination in mind, so now you're just... wandering. You decide that a late lunch might be in order, since you slept through your normal lunch time.
[[So, now youre heading to the dining hall.|des 2]]you wake up from a loud "BANG" coming from the other side of the room, which startles you enough to hit your head on your bed-chamber's cover. The noise //you// make startles the figure sitting at your desk, as they turn around you realize it's Desdemona. You slump down in relief, and wave an arm in greeting.
Des sighs, and says "I can't believe you slept all day.//Again.// You literally did this yesterday, which you shouldn't get used to because Trarie says they can't cover any more Friday shifts. Also, your console's a mess. I deleted some of your old files. Like, seriously? You kept your //application?// All of these are //years// old, Mauri."
"I know... I know I need to clean it out but that's just, so much work." You sigh as you begin to climb down. You look back to her when you reach the ground, but her face is unreadable. Almost... sad? She gets up as you approach, and reaches out her four arms for a hug. You fall into it imediately.
"I'm sorry to say, but I didn't come here for pleasantries. Why don't you take a seat."
[[Well, that doesn't leave much room for arguement.|convo w des]]"so." Des starts as you slump down against the desk, onto the ground. Des sits on the stool, a sleek MagLev disc that looks out of place next to the bulky work surface. She looks down, "About work." You instantly open your mouth to defend yourself: you needed yesterday off, you've been feeling like you're coming down with something lately with how low energy you are, but she stops you before you can get a word out. "You're not in any trouble or anything, I'm just worried about you." //Worried..?// "About what?" You ask. Des won't look you in the eye now, which is concerning in its own right.
"You've been calling out sick a lot more often, you're lethargic and unmotivated at work, and whenever anyone asks you just say you're //'good.'// Which is the biggest load of horse shit I've ever heard. You're struggling, and I want to know how to help you."
You open your mouth, but this time it's not Des stopping any words from coming out. You try again, and the only thing you can get out is a croaky, "Oh."
[["...I think you're right. I haven't been feeling well lately."|talk]]
[["No, I think you're reading too far into this. I'm fine, I've just been feeling... a little more... tired, recently. In any case, aren't you overstepping a bit?"| defend]]As you almost reach the dining hall you run into Desdemona. You see her from down the hall and hunch into youself and turn away in an attempt to make youself unrecognizable, but she still taps your shoulder with one of her hands as she glides past and nods at you, meaning you need to talk later. you sigh, knowing you're going straight to her room after you get food.
You enter the dining hall, grab your tray of Proteins, slowly munch them down, put your tray and leftovers in the composter, and drag youself to Desdemona's room, knowing whatever she needs to say to you probably won't be a very fun conversation. At least you know she won't fire you, she has too much of a soft spot.
[[Knock on her door.|des room 1]]The door slides open, and Des is standing on the other side. She gives you a tight-lipped smile and beckons you in. As you try to slide past her, she wraps you in a tight, four-armed hug. You can never resist her hugs, and you just //melt.// The two of you stay like that for a few minutes, before Des slowly pulls away and says, "I think we need to talk." You feel like your heart just dropped three stories down. You nod slightly as she leads you toward her desk.
[["What is it?"|convo w des]] Des visibly exhales, and slumps against the desk. You look at the ground. "I... I think you're depressed." She says after a minute. You take a few moments to think about it, and, yeah, you decide you think she's right. "Yeah. I think I might be." She looks down at you and says, "Do you... wanna talk about it?" And you can't help but laugh, as this imposing, strong woman looks so out of her element, trying to help //you// of all people. You steel youself, and begin.
"I uh, I've been here for over five years now? I was only supposed to be here for a few months, tops. I'm a traveler, y'know? I like bouncing around. This was supposed to be a short, well payed gig for some pocket money on Agoria B41. Now were lightyears away from that planet and I just kept signing the two year contracts. Three! I've signed it three times now, and I'm stuck here for over a year until it runs out. Of course, you know all of this, because you're the one who gave them to me." She looks a little guilty, which makes you feel bad, becasue it's not like she //knew// you don't stay places long, and this whole situation is your own damn fault for constricting yourself so much.
"Yeah... I know your type. I pegged you as a flight risk the moment I met you. It's why I was so surprised when you signed on. I thought, maybe, you would... end up liking it? The routine, the ship, the people. But I see now that that was naive." She looks down at you, and you give her a soft smile.
"I was... kind of hoping that too. And! Don't get me wrong! I do love the people and the ship, I just, can't keep doing the same thing every day. There's no variety! Where's the adventure! Aside from the stowaways, that is. Those people always give me a good day." Des lets out a chuckle after you say your piece about the stowaways and says, "Yeah, they're always characters, aren't they? Too bad not all of them can get a job offer." She elbows you lightly and you both chuckle.
[["I, uh, suppose I should get some sleep before work..."|stay in]]
[["You're off the clock, right? How would you feel about a drink?"|go out]]
Des sighs after hearing this, but almost like she expected you to deny it. She has been trying to talk to you, presumably about this, for a while now, but every time she tried to corner you, you would manage to slip away when she was distracted. Except for today, obviously.
"Ok. You're right, and I'll drop it. Do kindly remind yourself you are speaking with your boss, and had anyone heard such an... //informal// response there would surely be consequenses. I suppose, thats that then, and I will see you tomorrow?" She seems hesitant adding that last part, and you imediatly regret speaking to her so rudely.
[["Yeah. I'll see you tomorrow. I'm uh, sorry I got so defensive. I think I'm going to get some sleep." |leave]]
[["..."| stay]]You take one last look at Des's dissapointed face before you're alone again, and you decide your best bet is to get some fresh air. Or, well, as fresh as a spaceships recycled oxygen can get. You have a lot to process.
You make your way to the Gardens, which despite the name is nothing more than a viewing area at the top of the ship with potted plants scattered around, forming a sort of plant-maze. Even though it's no botanical garden, it's better than nothing and you often come up here to be alone with youself. //Surely you couldn't have depression,// you think. You wind youself toward the left most corner of the viewing deck, where you sit down and begin watching the orbits of whatever solar system you're currently passing by. You yearn to be down there, on one of those planets, maybe unexplored maybe packed with all of the latest technologies, either way would be better than another year plus on this ship. It's not like you have a choice, though. You signed the contract, and you have a year left. At least it pays well. The pay has been what's keeping you here, you tell youself. Not the excitement from finding an occasional stowaway, not your friends and co-workers, not Des. Next year, you're gone.
[[You're gone.]]"Yes?" She says after you fail to respond.
"I'm sorry. That wasn't fair of me to say. I understand you're just trying to look out for me, and I appreciate that. I think it's only fair I tell you now, then, that once this contract is up, I'm actually leaving this time." She looks like she's about to say something snarky in response, but after looking at you for a long moment she reconsiders. " You're serious this time." She says at last. You nod.
"Huh. I thought I had you hooked, with the pay and the people." "You... did. But, I... I fell out of love with it. I'm obviously here for the rest of the year and then some, and I may even try to hitch a ride on my way back from Trantora C9..." You get a full snort from that one, "Hitch a ride, eh? Don't you remember how you got in this mess to begin with?" You give a soft smile and say, "Who knows, maybe after a nice long break I'd be interested in this kind of work again. Who knows what I'll be into after Trantora." You stay like this for a few moments, laughing at the absurdity of it all, before Des stands up and pokes you, saying, "Ok. Come on. I'm getting hungry again. Care to join?"
[["sure."|dhall]]
[["Ughhhh, no more dining hall food, please, it gets worse every day."|resturaunt]]Des laughs a bit, but it sounds hollow, sorrowful. "Mauri, you've slept so much already today, and you slept all of yesterday. Why don't we watch something? Or take a walk?" Now it's your turn to laugh. "How do you know what I did yesterday? Trarie took my shift." "You have //friends// that //care about you,// you know. Me, being one of them." She looks a bit sad as she tries to joke with you. "Heh, yeah..." You trail off a bit awkwardly.
[["A walk sounds really nice right about now."|walk w des]]
[["I could go for a rom-com, honestly. Something... mindless."|movie w des]]"A drink sounds... perfect, right now, actually." You smile, "Well, I know just the place then." You grab her hand and lead her to the elevator, where you bring her one floor up, to your favorite bar.
You and the bartender are old friends, and you mouth, 'two usuals,' at her, to which she nods and begins on your drinks. Des follows you to the bar, where you both sit and begin idle conversation. Soon enough, your drinks are slid down to you, two strong smelling hard liquors. Des looks a but surprised by yourdrink of choice, and you say, "What, not expecting a little woman like me to like a strong drink?" And smirk a bit as you take a little sip. She laughs, and you realize just how much you enjoy her company.
After a few hours and more than a few drinks, Des leans close enough to you that you can smell the alcohol on her breath and says, "Wanna get out of here?"
[["yeah."| des room]]You're deep in thought, or rather, fantasy, when you notice the lights of the viewing deck flicking off and on, a sure sign that this part of the ship is closing for the night soon.
You slowly pick youself up and make your way back to your room, where you will have no idea what to do when you get there. It's such a stifling environment, you feel like you can't even hear youself think through the thick, stagnant air. You make it off the viewing deck, and decide you aren't ready to go back to your room. Rather, you wander aimlesly through halls you've only ever glanced down, and eventually you find yourself on Desdemona's floor.
[[It's almost like your subconcious is trying to tell you something. |Appologize]]
[[Keep walking, you have nothing to say to her.|go to ur room]]You knock on the door, not fully knowing what to expect. You //were// incredibly rude, and you wouldn't be surprized if she didn't even open the door. As you ruminate in your self pity, the door slides open and you are faced with a nonplussed Desdemona. "Hi. One sec." She motions you in, as you slide past her she flips a phone up to her ear from its previous position by her side. She resumes what sounds like a heated conversation with the other side, and you sit down on the edge of the bed, careful not to mess up her array of blankets.
"Yes. Yeah. No. //Yes,// we will have the reports in by Monday. //No,// you //will not// call about this issue again. I have appologized for the situation and offered compensation, now you may either accept our terms or kindly leave us alone. Yes. Thank you, goodbye."
The tell-tale //thump// of her phone landing beside you prompts you to look at the thrower, who is snarling at the bed. You stand up, and are about to appologize for inturupting when Des sits next to where you're standing, pulls you back onto the bed, and lets out a heaving sigh. Now you're really speachless. She's never been this informal before, sure you two hug, but she hugs everyone. She starts before you can, "I'm glad you stopped by, I was still thinking about our conversation. I'm... Sorry. I should have brought it up more tactfully. I didn't, and I offended you. And, for the record, there's nothing wrong with it. Being depressed, I mean." She looks down, and you try to follow her gaze, but your eyes are drawn to her figiting hands, knotting and unknotting themselves in a methodical universal sign of distress. This is the most unsure you've ever seen her, and you realize just how hard this conversation must be for her, the stoic "hardass" hired specifically to keep this ship and everyone on it in line. You suddenly don't know what to say. Maybe you are depressed? Why is Des so... solemn about this? Did you fuck this up worse than you thought?
No. You came here to appologize, and appologize you will do.
"I... I just came to appologize. I acted incredibly unprofessionally because I was uncomfortable, and the truth is I'd never thought about it before. You took me by surprise and... I'm sorry. I was really rude." You start strong, with eye contact and everything, but you slowly peter out toward the end, and find youself awkwardly petting and watching her top-most blanket.
"well. How about this, we both say it's ok, and then we go find something to take out mind off of it." You look up at her, and she has a small smile on her face. This makes you smile too. "Y-yeah. That sounds nice. Did you have something in mind?" She nods, stands, and offers you a hand. Wordlessly, you take it, and she leads you down the hallway.
[["Where are we going?"|bar]]
She was in the wrong, not you. You have been nothing but a perfect employee, no no-shows and allowing ample time for vacation requests. Who is //she// to accuse //you// of anything? Whatever. It doesn't really matter. You should probably try to get some more sleep before your shift tomorrow, before seeing Des again.
You reach your room fairly quickly, you're only a few floors down, and imediately change back into your softest sleepsuit. Of course now that you're ready to go to bed, you can't even imagine falling asleep. You take a seat at your desk and pull up some old folders on your console. Outdated. Outdated. Defunct. Broken Link. Outdated. You fling the whole thing into the trash and start going through another. And another. Before you realize it your console starts its automatic cooldown timer, meaning you unintentionally wasted four hours cleaning your files.
//That's as good a sign as any//, you think, as you start climbing into your bed-chamber. And now begins the long process of falling asleep. And then the long process of your shift tomorrow. Then socializing, then sleep again. All of this sounds exhausting, but evidently not enough to put you to sleep. Instead, you feel guilty for thinking of the future like that. Like, some stupid game where you're stuck in this loop until, you don't know, //something// happens to break it.
And that's how you fall asleep. You kind of hope you don't wake up. You start heading to the dining hall, which you know will be a fairly uneventful meal. You each grab your trays and respective foods and sit across from each other. Des says, "So. What's up with that space food, eh?" And it's the saddest joke you've ever heard, let alone from her. You can't help the disgusting cackle you release, and instantly slap your hands over your mouth as you wait for Des's response. Only, she's too shocked from hearing a completely different side of you to say anything, let alone defend her stupid joke. And suddenly she laughing, a strong belly laugh you've heard many times before, often at naive new recruits' stupid questions. And now you're laughing, and youre both laughing, and you have never felt this type of pure, giddy stupidness you feel right now.
You both finish your gross dining hall food before beginning to wander the halls again. "So... Wanna go back to my room?"
[["yeah, that sounds nice."| des room]]
[["I uh, think I better get some sleep before my shift tomorrow. Ill see you later?"| sleep]]This startles her enough to let out a full belly laugh, and she says, "Ok, ok. That's fair, it is pretty bad. I know a cheap grill a few floors down, if that sounds appealing?" "That sounds perfect, actually." You smile, and let her pull you to your feet.
As you're heading down to this grill, Des slyly wiggles her hand into yours, and you do nothing to stop or protest it.
The grill is surprisingly nice for a cheap resturaunt, and you two sit at a far corner table for a little privacy. You both order food and drinks and continue your trivial conversation until they arive, at which point you notice that this is real meat, which is quite a rare sight on a research vessel like this. Des smiles at you knowingly, and says, "Remember when we stopped over Gradja D7 to drop some researchers and their work? We ended up picking up a //whoooole// ton of meat as some under the table payment for... some... research." You are very surprised to hear about the slightly less legal dealings of this ship, but Des isn't bothered in the slightest so you decide to let it go.
After a very filling meal and a few drinks to wash it down, you and Des brings up the topic of getting out of there.
"The night is still young, and I'd love to continue this outing elsewhere, if you would." She smiles hopefully, and it takes all of your self control not to kiss her in that moment.
[["That sounds splendid."|movie or something]]"You'll see." She tries to wink at you, and you get the sentiment, but it looks a little awkward seeing as she only blinked her primary left eye, and not the seconday as well. It's a bit disconcerting to see, for some reason that's surprisingly hard to describe.
After a few twists and turns and a trip down an elevator you've never seen before, you make it to what looks like, and what you're hoping is, a very nice bar. Des catches the bartender's eye as you walk in and gives a slight nod, and he gets straight to work on a couple of drinks. She sits you down in a plush booth and slides in across from you, flashing you a very self satisfied smile. A bit smug, but who are you to complain when she's this hot and also //taking you out to dinner.//
After a few minutes of increasingly less awkward conversation, the bartender saunters over with two fruity smelling drinks and a pair of menus. This is when you realize just how out of place you are; compared to the intricate scenery, your shabby jumpsuit quivers and you feel like every single stain and patch is on full display. Thankfully, you and Des seem to be one of two pairs of people in the bar and the others haven't even glanced in your direction. You decide on something close to a burger and Des simply orders more alcohol. Which isn't a bad idea, you think, as you take another sip of your cocktail. It's light and refreshing, exactly what you needed tonight, to make up for whatever heavy and depressing shit went down before this.
The food and drinks are really nice, and you and Des enjoy some real conversation, while taking your minds off of your earlier one. A few hours later, and even though neither of you are //super// drunk, the bartender cuts you off. Des takes this as a good sign to leave, and offers you her hand again.
"Wanna... watch a movie? or something?"
[["Sure!"|movie or something]]
[["I'm uh, kinda wiped, I'm sorry. Some other time?"|kiss and sleep]]
Des positively beams, and you are struck by the realization that you have managed to befriend the hardest heart on the ship, and you wouldn't have it any other way. You more firmly hold her hand and smile back up at her.
[["I think a movie would be really fun, I have a few in my room if you like rom-coms?"|movie w des]]
[["I'm a little burnt out on movies. Did you have anything else in mind?"| night w des ;)]]She smiles, a small but genuine one, and says, "Of course. Any time. Just let me know when you're in the mood, yeah?" You catch yourself nodding, and say, "Yeah. Maybe tomorrow? If you're off after 7:00?"
"It's a date." She smiles.
"That it is! Thank you for the wonderful time tonight, Des."
"Thank //you!//" She leans forward, like shes about to kiss you, //but that would be silly, right? Des doesn't want to kiss you,// but thinks better of it. She takes a moment before asking, "Can I, kiss you?" And you think your hear skips a beat. You lean forward and up, and thankfully Des isn't as oblivious as you would be, and she leans down a bit to let your lips touch. Her lips are a lot softer than you thought they would be, and you're pleasantly surprized. Like a true lady, Des walks you all the way to your door, before wishing you a goodnight and trying to kiss you on the cheek. You make it a full kiss though, and you can tell Des is pleasantly surprised now.
//A good night, indeed.//As you and Des begin down the hall, chatting about destinations, you feel her snaking one of her seconday hands into yours. You decide against saying anything, instead choosing to simply exist in that moment. It's the best you've felt about being youself in a long time. Eventually you both settle on the bottom viewing deck, which is a small room only accessable through the engine room for employee use only. It's one of your favorite perks of your job, you think.
You're walking through the twisting rows of complex machinery when Des slows a bit and says, "Hey, have you ever seen the back deck?" "No?" You respond in confusion. You've seen the blueprints for the ship, there's nothing called the 'back deck.' But Des only smiles, turns you around, and leads you to a door you've never noticed before. "Normally there's a backup carburetor in front of this, but we decided to trash it for parts 'cus we have, like, two more. So we were moving it, and I found this!" She opens it excitedly, and you look in to find a long ladder leading down. Des starts climbing down and motions you after her.
It's... a long way down. After a few minutes of descending, you begin to see a faint blue-ish glow illuminating the room you're entering. As you both step off the ladder, you look around in wonder. It's almost exactly like the bottom deck, except smaller and cevery inch is covered with bioluminescent plants. Looking around, the brightest thing that catches your eye is Desdemona's smile, and something clicks.
[["Des, you didn't... grow these, did you?"|gaaaaay]]You and Des heat to your room to decide on a movie, and you can't wait to impress her with all of your vintage rom-coms. You have ones from as far back as when they were laser-etched into flat discs aptly named Compact Discs, and even have a vintage disc reader and projector to watch them. Of course, if you really wanted to you could try to hook up the disc reader to your console and use the built in projection technology, but where would the fun in that be?
After a few minutes of joking debate, the two of you decide on one about a man persuading a woman to join him as his fake fiance on a very important business trip. It's as silly and light hearted as you were hoping for, and as entertaining as Des expected. After the credits scrolled down the wall, the two of you lay in your bed-chamber in silence, staring up at your bland ceiling. After a moment or two, Des turns to face you. "Thank you for the wonderful night, even though I know it wasn't exactly what you were hoping for, poor conversation and all, but I think we managed to turn it around."
You turn to face her as well, and now the two of your faces are mere inches apart. "No, thank //you// for- for- everything. You really, just... turned my whole day around. I-" Before you could finish the thought, she cuts you off with a quick kiss.
She leans back after a short moment, and her face is stricken. "I- I'm so sorry, that was completely uncalled for, I can't believe I jus-" Then it's your turn to cut her of. "Oh, yeah of course! I can think of a few things... I have some board games in my room if we wanna head back up there?" She beams, and you can't take your eye off of her. "Yeah, board games... that sounds nice."
As you're approaching her room, arm in arm, walking and talking about meaningless topics, she slows her pace to almost a crawl and says, "Oh. Wait. You didn't mean board games." You smile up at her and say, "No, that wasn't what I was originally thinking, but it was a good suggestion nontheless. I was thinking something more along the lines of..." As you trail off you reach up on your tip toes in an obvious invitation for a kiss. Thankfully, Des picks up on this suggestion very quickly, and leans down to close the gap.
You share a slow kiss in the hallway, thankfull only feet from Des' door, which she takes full advatage of by backing you into her room while still kissing.
You think your night is only going to get better from here.
You have never seen Desdemona blush before, and she is the prettiest shade of blue. Almost a perfect match to her plants.
"Yeah. I, uh, did. I guess I've got a bit of a green thumb, huh?"
"It seems so. Did you know that a lot of these grow on my home planet? This one is called a Sorialis, but im sure you already knew that." Des looks surprised at that and says, "I uh, actually didn't. I dont know anything about these plants aside from they're very pretty and grow well in no light."
"Hmm, Well. I can tell you a bit about them when were down here next?"
"Why not now?" Des asks, genuinely curious about her plants. Her sincerity is adorable, but you had other things in mind, and you let her know that by gingerly taking her cheeks between your hands and leading her down to your hight. She says a breathy, "Oh," and you kiss the girl.She leads the two of you back to her room with little chatter, opting instead for efficiency over leisure. You're not quite sure why, but as you reach her door she stops you with an arm and asks, "Can I kiss you?"
You're too shocked to respond verbally, instead responding physically, by wrapping your arms around her shoulders and kissing her, //hard.// She looks a bit shocked at this, but soon leans in, kissing back strongly.
You soon realize you two are still leaning on her door in the hallway and bring this to her attention. To which she responds by simply opening the door and picking you up bridal style, which you don't think you could complain about even if you tried.
A perfect ending to a lovely night.She smiles, a small but genuine one, and says, "Of course. That's a good idea, I should probably get some too. I'll see you tomorrow?" You nod and Des smiles.
"Wonderful. I uh, hope you feel a bit more like youself tomorrow, hope that sleep does you some good. If you ever find your bed-chamber is too uncomfortable, I can help hook you up with a real bad, like mine. But don't tell your coworkers I'm playing favorites, they'll never let me live it down." She smiles wider and you can't help but laugh. "Des, I'm pretty sure there isn't a soul on this ship that doesn't know that were friends."
"Friends, haha, yeah... would you like me to walk you to your room?"
"That would be very nice, than you."
After a silent yet amiable walk, Des returns you to your room. "Sleep well, I'll see you tomorrow." She gives you a short hug, waves, and begins heading to her room.
"Good night!" You respond after her receeding form.
For some reason, you're excited for work tomorrow for the first time in a long time.