Scouting

Posted on 13 Jun 2024 @ 11:48pm by Lieutenant Commander Joey Geisler & Master Chief Petty Officer Mila Rasputin
Edited on on 14 Jun 2024 @ 12:28am

2,177 words; about a 11 minute read

Mission: Shattered Unity
Location: Various
Timeline: June 19th 1900 Hours

Mila Rasputin, Yeoman to the Black Hawk-B's Captain, sat in Recreation with a deck of cards in her hands. It was the only thing that had survived the original Black Hawk from her poker tournament on Betazed years before. They were shiny and metallic, but flexible and each card back held the same red and gold pattern of a star shaped cross on it while the fronts of each one were embossed with the same foil, each number and letter carefully laid out on it.

She turned the deck over and over in her hands, wondering if she wanted to play at all anymore, or what she wanted. Finally, she tapped her combadge. "Rasputin to Joey Geisler." Maybe her seestra would have some suggestions or an idea that would take her mind off of things.

---

Joey sat in her office looking at the equipment laid out before her. There was still so much to be done, and it felt like there wasn't a lot of time to do it... especially since she was absolutely exhausted. When her combadge chirped, she pressed it, grateful for the distraction. "Geisler here."

"Are you having time to be having talk?" Mila asked.

"For you, I can make time. Name the place, and I'll be on my way," the Intelligence Chief stated.

MIla smiled. "I am being in Recreation," she said.

Joey rose to her feet and grabbed something from her desk to tuck into her pocket. She took a quick look around, then started to tidy things up. "I can be there in five," she stated. "I'll see you then."

The slender brunette smiled, then went to the replicator to get a cup of black tea and currant jam for it, then a tea for her seestra as well.

Once finished, Joey locked her office down and made her way to Recreation. She smiled when she saw Mila and immediately moved over to give her a hug. "It's so good to see you!"

Mila came to her feet and returned the hug with a big smile. "I have been missing you, my seestra," she said warmly before she let her go.

"I missed you, too," she said, gesturing for Mila to sit again, then sat in a chair nearby. "It feels like it's been forever since I've seen you, and yet, it feels like no time has passed at all. How have you been?"

"I am good. It was difficult getting things set up with Task Group, but all is being good now," the other woman said as she sat back down. "I am feeling like we are needing to christian new ship once things settle down." A mischievous gleam entered her eyes.

Joey grinned. "Oh? What exactly do you have in mind?"

"Remember when we were redecorating his Ready Room?" Mila asked with a grin.

The taller woman laughed. "How could forget that? It took some time, but we got it done. Are you suggesting we do something similar to that, or perhaps something a little different?" Joey asked, looking thoughtful as she went over the possibilities in her mind. "Given current events, a little harmless fun might be in order. Perhaps, balloons and water guns?"

"We have done that," Mila reminded her with a slight frown. "Perhaps trick him in holodeck?"

"Something in the holodeck? That makes for endless possibilities," Joey said with a grin.

"Now to be picking one and tricking him into coming," the Yeoman said. "Perhaps we can have something like carnival and we could be dunking him?"

That earned a laugh from the taller woman. She could see the look on her husband's face now. "That certainly is a possibility. I think I can get him to the holodeck easy enough," she said, a smile forming on her lips as she thought back to lunch.

"Perhaps we could make it open to entire ship, but make him star of show," Mila giggled before she sipped her tea.

Joey shook her head. "He definitely wouldn't be comfortable with that. If we do anything, it would be best with a much smaller audience."

"You are being right," the slender brunette said as she thought for a moment. "Why do we not use holo emitters in his Ready Room to hide wading pool where his desk is being? When he is going to sit down, he will end up in it."

"Now that could work. It's harmless enough, and I can make sure he has a clean and dry uniform to put on afterwards," the taller woman said with a grin. "I did just give thought to swapping our bed out with an inflatable pool, but that would require more than just you and I."

Mila laughed. "I am loving it. I will have his desk removed for upgrade as reason it is gone."

"That could work," Joey said. "We're going to have to time things just right with everything going on."

"That will be easy," the Yeoman said. "I am being in control of his schedule."

Joey knew she was right, but as current events had proven, outside influence didn't care for schedules. Still, she would let Mila chose the most opportune time. "As long as you can give me a little advanced notice, we should be okay. His schedule, and mine, don't always match up. In fact, sometimes we have to sneak moments where we're able to."

"Da, I am knowing what that is being like," Mila commiserated. "I am having hard time coordinating with Aidan at times just for simple relaxation."

"Then you understand," Joey said as she settled back a bit. "It's not easy."

"Nyet, it is not, but it is being worth it," the smaller woman said as she sipped her tea. "Are you being hungry or perhaps interested in game?"

The taller woman looked thoughtful. She hadn't been home yet, or been to sleep in nearly forty-eight hours, and she was really starting to feel it. Joey studied the other woman. "Is everything okay?"

It was an odd question, but everyone had been under a lot of stress, including herself. "Da, it is just everything piling up on top of everything and no answers being found."

"You aren't wrong. I haven't slept in nearly two days," Joey admitted. "There's just been so much going on. I was actually in my office when you reached it, and will have to head back there once I'm finished up here. I'm trying to find those answers you were just talking about."

"You are being in need of sleep," the slender brunette said. "Let your department ferret out answers for a shift."

"Food and sleep, but there's time for both soon enough."

"Come, let me be getting you something to eat," Mila offered as she came to her feet. "The usual?"

Joey shook her head. "What kind of game did you want to play? Pool? Darts?" The taller brunette asked as she rose to her feet. I'm pretty sure that I have a bit more go in me until I can't anymore."

"How about cards?" the Yeoman suggested as she pulled the embossed foil cards out of a pocket.

"Like poker?" She asked, looking towards Mila.

"Da, unless you are preferring other game with standard deck."

Joey hadn't played a game of poker since the game among the crew, and that had been years ago. She and Harvey weren't even together at that point, but it was like riding a bike, right? But, honestly, how fun could it be with only two people? Still, this was Mila, and there wasn't much she wouldn't do for her. "A game of poker sounds good to me," she said before returning to her seat.

MIla smiled and sat down. "With winner taking your husband," she said with a deadpan expression.

"Sure," the taller woman said with a smirk. "If you win, he comes with a wife, two kids and two dogs."

The shorter woman laughed, full and hearty. "Okay, okay," She put her hands up. "Loser is making lunch?"

Joey laughed and extended a hand toward her to shake on it. "Done."

Mila took her hand and gave a firm shake. "Now to do better than I did on Betazed," she said as she pulled the cards from the box and offered them to Joey to shuffle.

The taller brunette accepted the cards and began to shuffle them. "Five card stud," she said, then started dealing five cards face down before each of them. With that done, Joey set the deck down and picked her cards up to arrange them. "Call."

The Yeoman was surprised that Joey picked the game and dealt immediately after shuffling, but in for a strip of latinum, in for lunch. She gathered her cards and looked at them. A pair of five's with a nine high. She frowned, but a pair was a pair. She smiled and laid her cards down. "A pair of fives."

Joey laid her cards on the table and grinned. "Pair of nines. Want to do best of three?"

Mila laughed. "Of course you would be winning. Da. Best of three."

"You can shuffle and deal this time," the Intelligence Chief said as she passed the deck back to her.

The slender brunette took them and shuffled a few times, then dealt each of them five cards. "Same as before," she said as she looked at her cards. "I am calling for lunch."

Joey chewed on the inside of her cheek as she organized her cards a second time. The fates were cruel. She laid her cards down and cracked a grin. There was a whole lot of nothing. In fact, her highest card was a six of spades. "I haven't seen a hand this bad since that time I was groped by a severed one."

Mila looked at her cards, then the ones that Joey laid out. She gave a triumphant smile and laid her cards out, revealing that a ten of diamonds was her high card and the rest were lower and scattered. " I am already tasting Borscht," she said with an evil gleam in her eyes. She gathered the cards up again and offered them to her sister.

The taller woman grinned as she began to shuffle the deck. "This is it," she said, dealing out the last five cards. "One of us provides lunch for the other." That being said, Joey lifted her cards and arranged them before laying them on the table to reveal a nine high.

The Yeoman sighed and flipped her cards over one by one, revealing that her high card was an eight. "So, I am not having Borscht," she said. "I am being okay with that. What are you to be having me make?"

"Nothing," the taller brunette answered. "We can meet up for lunch at Talons as soon as we have a free moment. My treat. Deal?"

"Deal," Mila said with a smile. "You are being too sweet. How are my godchildren being?"

"Growing like weeds and learning more and more every day. They've been with Eden most of today, and I'm assuming Harvey is with them now."

"I am being surprised that you are not rushing home to them instead of playing cards with me," the shorter woman said.

Joey smiled. "I'll get to see them when I get home. Besides, I haven't seen you in a while. Do you honestly think I would miss the opportunity to spend a little time with you?"

"Nyet, but we can be doing this any time, da?"

"Given what's currently going on, I would like to think so, but we just never know. Of course," Joey said with a smile. "If you would prefer we continue this in the future so I can go home, then I will oblige."

"As much as I am liking spending time with you, I am knowing that Alison and Jameson would be loving it more," Mila said with a smile.

Joey sighed. "You're right, and I'm sure Aidan would love to see you, too. We need to do this again very soon. Or maybe the four of us can have dinner together one evening."

"I would be liking that," the other woman said with a smile as she got up to hug Joey.

"So would I," she said as she rose to her feet to embrace Mila. "Tell Aidan and Chow that I said hello."

"I will be doing such," Mila promised. "Chow is missing you. Please be giving my love to my krestniki and the boys as well." Krestniki being Russian for godchildren and Rico and Pequeno and Harvey being the boys.

"You know I will. See you soon," Joey said before she planted a kiss to the shorter woman's cheek and made her way out of recreation with a smile.

Mila watched her seestra go before she gathered her cards up and put them back in the deck, then headed to her and AIdan's quarters with a smile of her own.

 

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