Setting the Social Calendar

Posted on Fri Jan 1st, 2016 @ 12:08am by Ensign Reva Madhava & Commander Louie Rousseau

* The Academy - Lt. Commander Rousseau’s Office *

“Alan?” Louie called out. “Call Ensign Madhava and have her stop in as soon as she’s free. I have a message that might interest her.”

“Will do,” Lt. Alan Young answered. He sat down at his desk and began sending the message.

Back in Louie’s office, Little Kahuna crept across the desk, stopping near the framed photograph. Reva? Can she come for dinner?

Louie blinked at the spider, thinking in passing that he seemed quite a bit bigger than he did last week. He wondered if it was just Kahuna being sociable or trying to play matchmaker.

“I suspect she and Riley have plans,” he answered.

Hmph. Too bad, you need to get out more, Kahuna sent back, getting a laugh from Louie.

“I will call Des and see if she wants to have you visit and go out if that will make you happy?”

Much.

“Very well.” Louie sent a message and went back to his terminal as he waited for Reva.

A few moments later, Reva hurried into the outer office, nearly sliding to a stop. As she caught her breath, she said, “You said I should hurry, he wants to see me immediately?”

Alan blinked as she burst into the outer office and promptly dropped his padd on the floor. “Hello Reva...Ensign Madhava. Shoot. Excuse me.” Alan dove under his desk to retrieve the padd and raised up, bumping his head on the underside of his desk. “Damn. Oh, sorry.” He crawled out from under the desk, padd in hand, only to find himself eye-to-kneecaps with Reva.

Wincing in sympathy with the various knocks he’d just had, Reva looked at Alan and asked, “You okay?” She was being politely concerned and bent slightly to reach over and touch his head, as if to make sure he hadn’t broken it open like an egg.

He flushed a furious red at her touch. “I..oh..yes, I am.” He dropped the padd on her foot and scrambled to pick it up. Then he stood, almost knocking her down in the process. “Oh...I am so sorry. Yes, Commander Rousseau wants you...I mean he wants to see you.”

Now she winced in pain - the non-sympathetic kind - and mouthed, ‘Ow,’ as he turned away from her slightly. “Okay,” she put a hand on his shoulder, more to hold him at bay than to show support, “Um... let me just get by you to his office then.” She started to move past him, but, somehow, they tangled and tangoed for three steps, just enough to make Louie’s office door open, before they tripped and fell through the doorway. Reva broke Alan’s fall.

Louie jumped to his feet and looked over the desk, taking in the tangle of arms and legs. He smothered a laugh as they began to disentangle. “Are you two alright?”

Still flat on her back, Reva shot an upside-down Louie a glare then scrambled away from Lt. Young and stood. As she brushed herself off, she spied Kahuna on the desk and said, “Hey! He’s grown!”

“A good three inches I think. Getting pushier too. He’s been trying to arrange my social schedule.” Louie laughed. “I think he just wants the big screen all to himself to watch the football game from Earth.”

“Social schedule? Is he arranging dates for you?” Reva laughed and ran a finger along one of Kahuna’s legs.

Kahuna responded by smacking her hand with a leg and saying, Fresh.

“Fiesty too.” Louie looked past Reva to Alan. “That will be all Lieutenant.”

“Oh, yes. Of course.” Alan hurried out of the office.

Hard to get good help these days, Kahuna commented.

Louie had to agree but didn’t say so out loud. “Have a seat Reva. And yes, he suggested I take you to dinner.”

“Me?” Reva looked at Kahuna, “Riley might have been tempted to pull your legs off if Louie had taken you seriously.”

Kahuna turned his backside towards Reva and flicked it upward before crawling forward. Reva lifted a brow and looked at Louie before commenting, “Just wait till his mother sees that. You might get to find out a few words the Admiral taught her.”

“A mind of his own, that’s for sure.” He gently lifted Kahuna and placed him back by the photo. “He likes looking at this picture for some reason.” Louie shrugged. “Anyway, I didn’t summon you here so my assistant could tackle you.”

“I’m glad to hear that,” Reva said, sparing a glance at the photo. “Who is in the photo?”

Louie looked over to the photo and was silent for a second. Then he turned it a bit so she could see. It was him and a young woman with long dark hair. “My wife. She died in 2269.”

“Sorry to hear that, Commander,” Reva said softly. “Besides doing a floor show for you, what did you call me here for?”

“I got a request in today from the station’s school,” Louie replied. “A request for a tour by one of the science classes. They are younger so it won’t be too complicated. Maybe have a couple of the cadets give them a short view of what it’s like to be here if you could arrange that, then show them around? You are free to bring them into some of the classes if you like. I’ll be in my morning class that day.”

“Me?” She echoed herself from a moment ago. “Show kids around?” She wanted to ask, ‘are you fucking with me?’

Which is just what Kahuna picked up on: He is not fucking with you. That is part of the problem. I fear he has forgotten how to--

“Kahuna!” Reva drowned out the rest of the spider’s thought. She was already a deeper shade of green than when she’d come in the door.

Louie turned a stern look towards Kahuna. “That’s enough out of you, young man.” He looked back to Reva and sighed aloud. “My apologies. He’s been spending time with Cy and ...well….you get the idea. As for the kids, their teacher will be here to oversee them, they just need you to explain things.”

“To kids?” She winced, again. “Um... I can pick the cadets who are to help me, yes?” Already, she was thinking that Chance and Eli shouldn’t be allowed to pass up on this chance.

“Of course. They don’t have to do anything extensive. Given the age group, short is likely better. Bring them into my classroom once the cadets are done. I can give them a short ‘official’ overview as well.” Louie shrugged. “Shouldn’t take too long altogether.”

“Okay,” she nodded. “How young are we talking about? Real young or pre-teen or teenager?” She feared the teenagers the most; she’d found that they often had the fewest filters on their mouths and thoughts.

“Elementary age, eight or nine I’d guess. The age when they’ll still call you ma’am and be thrilled with anything you have to tell them.” Louie smiled. “Which cadets will you use?”

“Ah... Eli and Chance would be thrilled, I’m sure. Perhaps Tenahn Vor, too, if he’s around,” she answered easily. Eight or nine, she could handle kids that age; or, at least, she believed she could.

“Good enough. I’ll forward on the particulars to you in a bit. I’m sure you’ll do fine.” He watched Kahuna briefly and satisfied he was not in any danger, looked back to Reva. “How’s it going working with Cy?”

“Just fine. He’s... entertaining at times. Working with the cadets is great. I like seeing what ideas they have, though some of the them, like Chance, aren’t exactly going to be our engineers of the future.”

“Chance’s imagination will, however, serve him well in his chosen field. He’s decided on Intel as Eli did. Did he tell you?”

“They didn’t, but I haven’t seen much of them in the past few days. Intel, huh? Those two do have a flair about them.”

“Well, we’ll see what they have to say once Nico is back and the three of them have gone out into the field.” Louie smiled once more. “They will either be on top of the world or begging to transfer into the quartermaster’s unit.”

She shared his smile. “Did you need anything else from me?”

Kahuna shifted, making it obvious he was looking from one to the other. He looked at Louie and thought, I have a suggestion.

Louie shot a glance at Reva, then focused on Kahuna. “I may regret asking, but what is it?”

“Hang on,” Reva said, impulsively leaning forward and touching Kahuna. She gasped, “Kahuna! Don’t say that! That is not a suggestion!” Shaking her head, she looked at Louie and said, “Perhaps Cyrus needs supervision when he’s with Kahuna.”

Louie rolled his eyes. “I can only imagine.” His console beeped and he glanced at it. “Good news Kahuna. You’re staying with Des tonight, so watch your tongue. Well, your mental one anyway. As for you Reva, I’d advise caution on your way out?”

“Trust me, I’ll be as careful as I can as I navigate the Young obstacle course,” she said as she stood. “Want me to take Kahuna with me, since I’ll see Desta at home?”

“If you wish, certainly. Thank you. I’ll see you tomorrow, Reva.” Louie lifted the spider and passed him over to Reva. “Don’t forget the game is on tomorrow evening Kahuna. I’ll pick you up before then.”

Don’t forget to stock up on hissing roaches! Kahuna reminded the man; to Reva, he said, The roaches are wonderfully tasty and snap when I bite into them.

“Oh. Yum,” Reva managed, giving Louie a disgusted look even as she let Kahuna climb to a good vantage point on her shoulder. “See you later, Dean Rousseau.”

He waved as Reva exited his office, then sat looking at the photograph. Finally, he rose and turned off the lights. Once he stepped out the door, he ordered it locked and informed Alan that he was out for the night. He had somewhere to be.

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Ensign Reva Madhava
Kahuna the Mouthy
Lt. Commander Louie Rousseau