===== Corridor party, SB Kinsi ===== ~ This is the place, stand up ... Right now! ... Check it!~ sounded a loud voice around the place. Shane paused dancing for a while, took of his straw hat and wiped the sweat from his face. Everywhere around him was the party flaming ... humanoids and other aliens dancing differently but still in an alike pattern ... One could say that the party was a success. The music was aloud, place for dancing was wide and there were no bugging security guys annoying folks around. Well, some tried, but ended either driven away by some emotional Klingons or dancing among the crowd. Never ... never underestimate the power of a mob ... The only bug in this whole story was the lack of drinks ... there was no replicator in the area. Luckily, someone discovered few crates full of lemonade and they were just served for free. If the crate's owner knew about that ... was an another story. You can surely imagine the chaos around those crates ... and that was exactly the space where Shane was heading to. Athena had followed the calming stranger until she felt better. Once she did felt better she thought the stranger looked familiar but couldn't think why he did. Her thoughts began to stray as she heard the thrum of drums coming from somewhere. It was as though the beat was calling to her and drawing her in, but soon the beat was met with other noises that held her attention as well. As Athena came upon the raucous party she became still and watched all of the activity. There was a group of Klingons dancing near by and Athena began to move to another corner to get away from the ear-searing pain of the klingon stomping that occurred in their dancing. She kept a tight grip on her blanket as she moved uneasily through the crowd. Elsie thought is was marvelous at how quickly Maggie had gotten them to the party. She began to rock to the beat of the music and then started rhythmically stepping into the crowd until she was a part of the dancing masses. Maggie sighed a long and happy sigh and beamed a smile to everyone as she looked around at the wild crowd. As one song died, another replaced it not that most of the dancers noticed the drop in beat. In the distance she could see Elsie in her indigo dress. Someone bumped into Athena and she fell to the floor. She wanted to cry in the sea of legs that was as thick as a forest. Fear of being trampled by all those feet prompted her to scurry across the floor on her knees. Her fingers were stepped on a couple of time and her toes too before she was finally seeing a glimmer of light. It was then that someone tripped over her and her body fell into a crate. The corner of the crate caught Athena high on her cheek bone just under her eye. She dive to the safety of the corner not far from the crate and pulled her blanket that she had been dragging along with her into her arms as she began to watch the party with blurry eyes. ~ I am raving, i am raving ... ~ Shane made his way towards the drink crate slowly but steadily. It looked like a third of all the present people had the same thought as Shane and were on their way for the drinks as well. His SSF combat training was now an advantage ... twice or thrice he had to 'pacify' a too enthusiastic creature in front of him. Taking several blows as well, he arrived at the crate a bit battered, but happy about the drinks. He took four bottles (to have decent supply), turned around and made his retreat. On his way to the nearest corner, he noticed how two woman, dancing nearby, staring a bit at him. He was not sure about their intentions ... {maybe they're after my drinks!} he thought and strengthened his grip. Particularly one of the two woman was dressed very sexy ... her clothes were more revealing then hiding ... but Shane had to admit that it was an ideal outfit for such a party ... Maggie recognized the young man she had spoken to earlier and nudged Elsie in the ribs. "Look!" she shouted above the noise "There's that nice young man I told you about...the one who knows all those equation things." Elsie nodded and bopped along following Maggie's lead. The music stopped for a fraction of a second and began again a semitone lower but with the same beat. ~Get off your shirts and wait for further instructions~ the DJ shouted. Maggie copied him... almost in time moving through the throng towards the young man who seemed to have a private supply of lemonade. She saw him take a long drink from a bottle. ~ I've got one message for the next decade. ~ she shouted in mime with the DJ ~Move Your~....hello again," She beamed at the young man and eyed the bottles he held. Athena watched as several people reached into the crate and pulled out some drinks and she was beginning to get thirsty when she noticed a familiar face. As it seemed to be getting more and more crowded she felt as though she were being pushed into further into the corner if that was possible. Athena didn't want to be smashed again so she began to follow Shane and see if he would let her have a drink. She smiled at the two women who were talking to Shane when she reached them and then asked, "May I have one of those drinks, please, Shane." Shane looked at the two woman suspiciously. Sure, he remembered talking to one of them earlier, but now was her outfit very different. Her revealing clothes had just the effect they were supposed to have and now even that Maggie got off her shirt ... the effect was stronger. But Shane never forgot the primary directive of an SSF officer ... 'Trust no one ... especially NO woman in a bra in front of you,' so he took a moment to reply. It was just that moment when Athena arrived and asked him for a bottle of the limonade as well. {All want the bottles!} he thought and took a step back ... like protecting his liquid treasures from a band of robbers. But well ... Shane was a man ... and man are usually deceived by the tricks woman usually use ... and Shane was no exception ... He shrugged a bit: "Its really not that good stuff ladies. Its too sweet and the bubbles inside are very poor ... almost not worth of trying ..." he said in the fool's hope that he will persuade the woman to leave him with his bottles alone ... Maggie stood still and experienced a strange sensation of being almost the only stationary figure in the throng. It was almost like dropping out of Warp. She beamed a smile at Shane. "As long as its a drink I really don't mind about bubbles " she told him, an expectant look on her face. Athena beamed a large smile at Shane and took a sip of the drink. After she swallowed she licked her lips and then watched the liquid swirl around in the green glass bottle. She held her thumb over the opening and shook the drink and then bit her lip as she watched all the bubbly action. He retook his step back and looked at the three remaining bottles. With a hidden sigh he slowly handed Athena a bottle and turned to the two other woman. "May ... May I offer you a drink?" he said slowly. From the corner of his eyes he watched Athena who seemed be very glad about the bottle ... almost a child's gladness about a new toy. ~ Last night a little angel, came ...~ sounded the song. To be honest ... a great deal of the present creatures .... humans or aliens paid no real attention to the particular song ... nor the rhythm the song had. Most of them moved just their own genuine way ... totally independently from the actual music. Maggie accepted the offered bottle graciously, opened the top and glugged down four gulps. She stopped, gasped and squeezing her eyes tight shut, waited for the fizzing effect to pass. Elsie twirled to the music her skirt flaring out around her legs before her gaze came to rest on Shane as his drinks. Being a lady Elsie replied, "I'll just have a sip of yours, Sweetie." Elsie took a big swig from one of the bottles Shane was holding and gave it back from him to hold. Shane looked at the three ladies drinking the limonade with obvious passion and tried not to focus much on the lady with the bra on her upper parts only. He caught a look from her and instinctively looked an another direction. Maggie grinned to herself. {Ah...He's shy...who would think it?} Only now realizing how battered Athena looked like he did a step closer to her and said in a nurse like tone: "Athena, my dear, what's up with you? " Shaking his head he added: "You look terrible ..." (Well ... DON'T try to say such words to your wife ... never ever! ) Maggie looked down at the dark haired woman and raised her eyebrows in surprised recognition. "Why its that woman who was playing hide and seek with the children...is she OK?" Athena pull her blue blanket up to cover her bruised face. Shyly she responded, "Someone knocked me into the crate." She buried more of her face into the blanket. Elsie rocked to the music and then peered at Athena upon hearing Maggie's question. "She seems a little backward to me," she said and then continued to bop along to the beat. She slowed down a bit and took another swallow from the drink Shane was holding before returning it to his waiting hand yet again. Three ladies there ... one or two quite ready for anything and what our dear Shane did? Right, he just shrugged and his thoughts went back to the woman of his own ... Rangi. Surely was she waiting somewhere for him ... and that's the place he wanted to be at exactly. Throwing his chances away he just dropped all bottles on the floor and looking at the woman he said: "Time to go ladies, duty calls" Yeah, it was a cliche ... but it fit! Waving to Athena he added: "Be more carefully dear, I don't want to be the one who has to explain to the Colonel why is his favorite counselor is all bruised ..." Maggie looked in surprise at the young man's sudden departure but her mood was happy, she had a drink in her hand, the party was in full throw and the night was young. "See you again," she called but her voice was lost in the beat. Elsie grabbed up her drink and said, "See ya around Sweetie," as she danced into the throng of people. Athena watched them all and started to move away from the party, but she was uncertain where to go. She started walking down one of the darkened corridors. She sat down in a corner and drank the rest of the liquid in her bottle. She felt something poking her side and pulled out a shinny object from her pocket. She flipped it over and over in her hand and finally poked at its center. Upon hearing a small chirp Athena said, "Hello." A confused voice responded, "Umm... Hello." The only thing Athena could think to say was, "Is the colonel around?" The question was inspired by the thoughts that Shane had placed in her head. She cuddled into her blanket and waited for a reply. =/\= End Log =/\= LtCmdr Shane Guzman XO USS Chimera & Lt. Athena Wellington Counselor USS Chimera & Maggie Clarke NPC apb: Rangi & Elsie Openhimer NPC apb: Athena