Personal Log: First Morning

[Tae'Lynn Dran 0]

"Computer, time?"

"It is currently 5:28 station time."

Was it really just two minutes since the last time she checked the clock? She adjusted the fit of her uniform top, again. Dran was just fidgeting now and she knew it. She woke up well before her alarm and was too nervous to get back to sleep. She had tried using the time to get caught up on the latest mission reports. Advanced aliens? Null space? It was too early to make heads or tails of this. So, the Ensign had set herself to more mundane preparations. 

She looked over her hair, again. Loose was more comfortable but a pulled back style was the practical choice. But then her ears were quite visible. Not that she minded this except the inevitable assumptions that she was Vulcan. Then she would scowl at the remark. Then they would ask if she was Romulan. More scowling would ensue. Not how she really wanted to make a first impression. Tae'Lynn had settled on a bun accented with braided locks. The added flair was not typical for Vulcans or Romulans so maybe that would confuse people long enough to get past such questions. Maybe down would be better?

Her father's words came back to her. "You'll make a lovely corpse if you keep up like that." It was his subtle way of saying she was primping too much in front of the mirror and not tending to more important things. No, the hair was fine. The uniform was fine. The mirror was the only problem at the moment. That, and the clock. 5:43. She sighed.

The waiting was too much. Gathering her things Dran exited the quarters into the corridor outside. A few others were also up and possibly heading to and from their own shifts. She moved with the flow to the closest turbolift. One of the others called for the Commerce Decks and it seemed just as good of a place to kill some time as wandering the halls outside the science labs. 

Tae'Lynn was surprised at the bustle of activity this early. While she was pacing in her room others had already gotten their day underway. Shops were open, travelers moving here and there, and lines forming at what must have been the better places to grab a morning meal. Personally she was craving a serving of Kava but she'd not seen the like since leaving home.

An older Romulan gentleman working a small stand did have some interesting fruits and juices. She smiled at the man as he made his recommendations on the freshest picks. He seemed somewhat confused by the smile but still eagerly bundled her purchases up for her. Maybe Romulans didn't smile either? She realized what little contact she'd had with this other cousin race of her own.

The simulated night on the station was now breaking into day. The activity around her grew as people hurried to finish what business they had before heading off to Alpha shift. Dran could have poked around the shops all day but she too would need to make her way back up soon. As she did so, for the first time she noticed the large green space down below the center of the Commerce Decks. The virtual morning sun was lighting the area up. Trees and grass, actual life was growing down below. Her heart skipped a beat. The botanist in her wanted to change directions and head right down to explore. 

Right, first thing after her shift... a stroll through the park!