Elias walked into the golden apple for probably the third time this week. He was feeling a bit tired from all the lab work he was doing, so he came here to relax and probably get a few drinks. Walking up to the barkeep, he asked the barkeep for something moderately strong, took it, and sat at the table alone for a while. “Could this day get any worse? Anyways, my shift is over already.”

“The answer is, yes it can” Arwa placed herself in the seat and looked at Elias “You seem to have a thing for getting here a lot, everything okay?”  Arwa smiled softly in his direction.

“I don’t know actually. I mean, work is a bit stressful but manageable, I guess? I usually come here to get a cup of coffee and work upstairs, but from time to time I like to come down and get some drinks. Also, did you hear about that, there is a fair of some kind going on. I might go a little bit later though,” said Elias. “Wait! Isn’t that Cam? Huh?!” Elias started to wave to Cam to come over.

Stepping into the Golden Apple marked a pleasant departure from Cam’s usual spot, ‘Downtime.’ As he entered, his attention was immediately drawn to Elias, the Science Officer he had recently encountered, seated with an unfamiliar woman. Approaching their table with a smile, Cam greeted Elias warmly before extending his hand to the woman, introducing himself, “Hey, I’m Cam. It’s a pleasure to meet you!”

Looking from Elias to Cam, for a brief second Arwa didn’t say anything and then smiled grabbing his hand gently “Arwa, get a seat” She lets go of his hand and looked back at Elias “We already spoke about the fair that is going on. You have not listen to any of my counseling tips to take it easy have you…” Arwa looked a bit annoyed at Elias.

Seated comfortably, Cam opted for his usual Raktajino. As he settled into his seat, he noticed an irritated look from Arwa. Deciding to defuse the tension, he casually asked, “So, Miss Arwa, are you into Science stuff too?”

“Heh,” Elias grinned slightly at what Arwa said. “I’ll take a break, okay? Maybe this fair will give me the sufficient break I need,” said Elias. Turning to Cam, he introduced him to Arwa. “Cam met Lieutenant Arwa el-Imam, deputy director of counseling. Arwa met Lieutenant Junior Grade Cam Solari, a starfighter pilot for Bravo.”

“Right, got to see it before believing it” Arwa pointed it out looking back at Cam “Pleasure to meet you, if you need someone to talk to you can always send me a message” She smiled “But fair warning, don’t ignore my advice or you end up like Elias here, burnout like a candle on its final stretch”

Cam chuckled at Arwa’s clever comment, a mischievous glint in their eyes. With a playful tone, he quipped, “Watch out Elias, I have a feeling she is going to expose you at the exhibit on the promenade.”

“I might as well be her test subject by now.” rolling his eyes, Elias chuckled a little bit. “Anyways, how are the both of you doing? How’s life being a starfighter for Bravo, Cam?” asked Elias.

She placed her hands over each other and leans forward looking at Elias “Exposing is the least of his problems if he doesn’t follow my advice of tuning his workload down” Arwa looked back at Cam for his answer that Elias asked him.

“It’s a whirlwind of speed and excitement,” Cam chuckled, then added, “Definitely more thrilling than my stint in Flight Ops. But the best part is getting to soar through the skies and having a cool Callsign,”

Turning the conversation, he inquired, “How about you? Anything exciting on your end?

“Hmm, I mean, I’m working on a new project? I might with the slightest chance of possibilities present during the colloquium fair!! Maybe that’s why I’m working myself on edge? I don’t know, but the project is definitely interesting and it focuses on Borg artifacts and such. Now now I can’t spoil the surprise if ever,” said Elias, laughing a little bit.

“Aren’t you exhausted with the Borg artifacts by now?” Cam remarked, casually sipping from his Raktajino. “But on a serious note, I genuinely hope you get your chance at the fair,”

“If he was, he would have enough sleep and didn’t show any form of fatigue” Arwa took a sip of her drink “But hey who am I to judge”

Raising her drink “I actually did participate already in the fair, with sort of lecture about behavior in the face of danger”

“Hey, they’re actually interesting, you know! While I may hate paperwork, research is my passion,” said Elias while chuckling.