Post 395: At Times Like This

Stardate: 70816.728
Title: At Times Like This, I Wish I Was Still Just 2 of 8
Author: Ensign Xhian
Scene: Various
Time: Long after Somewhere I belong, and concurrent with Intermission.

For the last couple of weeks Xhian has been worried about his friend Lt.Grace but really hasn't gone to see her due the fact he thinks it wouldn't be appropriate to ask what was wrong.

He hasn't been a member of the crew of the Independence for that long, and the others are basically like a family. He still feels like an outsider of sorts, or at least this is what he tells himself now and again.

The real truth of the matter was that ever since February and Lily befriended him in Seven that day, he has questioned his own logic when it came to interacting with those two in general. He kept these feelings to himself, even as he continued doubting the wisdom of spending time around them.

He'd had this problem before, when he was at the Starfleet Academy. . .with a Cadet Williams in his graduating class. He had the same feelings for her, that was until she one day made him feel very foolish for even thinking someone could have feelings like that for him by laughing in his face and belittling him.

So to get the thoughts of Grace and Lily out of his mind he tried to occupy his thoughts with more of his hobbies and work, but at times this didn't work since most his art books are filled with drawings of both of them, not to mention the first painting he ever made was of Grace and Lily sitting at the bar with him.

Even now as he sits in the garden to be alone with his guitar....he sings a song of love, confusion, and sadness.

He carries with him two boxes made of highly polished silver, each containing some of the jewelry he had made from the gems Zanh had given him, and the burned chips and wires of the ship.

He finished his song and sat there for a moment looking at the boxes. As he strummed his guitar again he thought, *It's inevitable, it will happen again, just get it over with.*

He got up and grabbed his items, and left the Arboretum to go to see February and tell her his feelings.

When he got to her quarters, he knocked on the door but there was no answer. He realized she must still be in Sickbay, and decided to just give the boxes to either Salvek or Zanh to give to the ladies later, knowing that he may not have the bravery to give the gifts to them himself.

Ensign Xhian
Engineering Officer
USS Independence