Tiraa watched him closely, her brow remaining quirked. She recognized the drift in his attention for what it was immediately. but it surprised her. She was only half Orion and while she did have the fortune of possessing the pheromones that most (though not all) of the females of her father's species had, her own were weak comparatively because of her mixed blood. Usually, they served to pique interest and keep it on her, but nothing more. While she knew from time to time some men could be much more susceptible to them - either in general or from a certain woman in particular - she had never encountered someone affected like this by her outside of Rallid and he was a special case.
She put a hand on her hip, remaining where she was as she spoke. "The Captain and I came to an agreement over a few particulars, and now I'm here. What about you?"
“Wait-wait-wait….” Morgan said as he regained focus. “I’m sorry, but you’re Orion, aren’t you? That would explain what just happened. I’m usually more mentally disciplined. I let my guard down, and that’s on me. Forgive me, my behavior was out of character for me. As a department leader, I promise to do better. You deserve better as First Officer. Again, I’m sorry. Anyway, the dark eyes mean you’re also Betazoid. Half Orion and half Betazoid? That’s some combination.”
“What about me? Well, I was faculty at Starfleet Academy. I got fed up after the Dominion War. I left Earth looking for something, not quite sure what it was. Sykes and I found each other, we set up a meet and here we are. Propulsion is my main expertise, but I’m a very good engineer and can fix just about anything. Mei-Lin and I work well together and should make a very good team.”
Rathjik… though he didn’t exactly exude cute and cuddly. Tiraa watched his lips move as he spoke. She could feel the mild guilt and shame from his brief lapse, but it hadn’t bothered her in the slightest. Where she usually might have given some distance, the truth was she was now extremely curious. Instead of remaining where she was, she moved closer to him with an easy smile on her beautiful face. “The green skin does usually give it away… the body seals any doubts.”
The words weren’t spoken with pride, they were simply facts of nature. Tiraa knew what she was and she knew what people thought of her, so why pretend to be anything different. She didn’t quite breach the bubble of his personal space but came close to doing so, then looked him up and down more pointedly.
“Starfleet Academy, hm? I have a feeling you made many a cadet ‘hot for professor’.”
Avery felt the tension leave his body and sensed Tiraa’s walls lowering, if not dropped already. He grinned and giggled slightly.
“Wouldn’t you like to know?” he joked. There was confidence in her that he appreciated. He liked a confident woman. A million possibilities ran through his brain in an instant, but Avery knew it just wasn’t possible. She was second in command and he respected the chain of command.
“I’m a professional, Tiraa. Come on, now. I had tenure. There were….occasional opportunities that presented themselves, but there was no way I was going to fuck up my career. I did have relationships outside the Academy, none with cadets or other faculty.” Avery motioned for Tiraa to move with him as they passed the warp core to the rectangular monitor table.
“Don’t get me started on Risa…..or Casperia for that matter. I think I drank enough for the whole planet for the week. But I digress. Look, I am alone, but not lonely. I’m aboard to make friends and prove to myself that I can make a difference. Matter. I’ve never served on a Starship, but maybe this is my way of doing a service. I’m not in it for the money, either. It’s the people. You, Sykes, Mei-Lin, T’Vara. To help each other make a life for ourselves. We can come out better on the other side. That’s why I’m here, Tiraa.”
This man also liked to talk, which was a boon for her as long as it was contained to the ship or herself. She listened and walked with him, unhurried and unbothered. She could feel his interest in her, but could also feel it was guarded; likely some lingering Starfleet compunctions about relationships between colleagues or some such drivel that was really quite useless. They notoriously sucked the enjoyment out of life, so she wasn't really all that surprised.
"Never served on a starship?" Tiraa asked with some surprise after deciding which morsel of information to follow up on. "What did your career look like, then?"
“You’re probably tired of hearing me talk. I get tired of my own voice sometimes. Most of my life I’ve been an academic. School, school , and more school. I was a professor of Engineering for several years at the Academy. Like I said before, I took some time off after the war. I lost friends and colleagues when Earth was attacked. Spent some time with my family. My parents are still alive and I have a younger sister. So I was able to be with them. Tossed around a couple of ideas, like maybe going to teach off world. Like Bajor, Deneva, even the Martian settlements. One thing led to another and I got in touch with Zedd. We were impressed with each other enough that he offered me a position on board Dutchman. Now I’m the caretaker of this sleek, not so new, but sophisticated starship.”
“Not at all. You have a lovely voice; it’s smooth and soothing.” Her response was easy and warm. “Are you looking forward to putting your skills to practical use after so many years?”