"Good morning, crewmate Ade!"
Ensign Ade covered a yawn and turned as she poured herself a cup of coffee. Ensign Vex lifted a pseudopod in an approximation of the human gesture for hello. Ade lifted her finger in a half wave as she brought her coffee to her lips to blow on.
"I trust your sleep cycle left you well rested, crewmate Ade?" Vex asked, extending pseudopod to begin serving xerself their morning meal.
Ade bobbed her head from side to side. "A bit of a late night, but it was very nice, thank you," she brought coffee to her lips and sighed happily into her coffee as she took a long sip.
"Was it a late night because of your religious rituals?"
Ade snorted mid sip, spraying coffee across the deck as she choked and coughed, dropping her mug onto the counter hard. "My- what?"
"Forgive me, crewmate Ade, I did not mean to- are you alright?" Vex had been startled by Ade's response and had instinctively raised xer back fins in alarm. Xe reached for napkins to help clean up the spilled coffee. "Apologies if your rituals are personal or a private matter, I did not mean to intrude! I was merely curious as I had thought you were not religious and the rituals of other species fascinate me. I heard your prayer last night through the wall and- Crewmate Ade, you are quite red, did you burn yourself? Are you alright?"
Ade grabbed a fistful of napkins and began mopping her face, hiding the red creeping across it. "Fine! Im fine!" she yelped, voice higher than normal. "Just! I didnt realize you could hear u- me through the wall was all! What- what did you hear?"
"Apologies, I merely heard a thumping from your room and then your exaltations to your, I believe you were calling for your Goddess?"
Vex tilted xer head, looking for the source of the strange, high pitched whine xe started hearing as Ade froze with the napkins over her face. "I apologize if I have caused you distress, crewmate Ade, I truly did not mean to intrude on a sacred ritual, I only-"
"Oh goodness, what happened in here?"
"Ah, Lieutenant Rava!" Vex snapped to attention, recognizing the low, smooth voice, and giving a salute to xer superior. The whining noise was getting louder. They werent scheduled to make another jump any time soon as far as Vex was aware, perhaps the captain had chamged their course and the drives were warming up? "I was making conversation with Ensign Ade, but I appear to have caused her some distress-"
Rava stepped past and crouched to be eye level with Ade, still hiding her face with the napkins. She crossed her lower set of arms and picked up a napkin with one of her upper arms. "Ensign Ade, are you alright?"
"Fine!" Ade yelped. Vex tilted xer head again. The whine seemed to have stopped. Xe would need to put in a note to maintenance to check for any broken machinery in the dining facility.
"Let me see if you're hurt, Ensign?" Rava asked smoothly to the quivering Ade.
Slowly, Ade lowered the napkins from her face, looking up at the Lieutenant. The Lieutenant reached out her napkin and wiped away a trickle of coffee from the bright red Ade's face. Rava didnt seem terribly concerned by the human's seeming ability to change colours and Vex slowly relaxed their fins, reasoning the Lieutenant would know better whether to be worried or not.
Lieutenant Rava let a thumb trace down Ade's cheek and Vex heard a muffled intake of breath as the Lieutenant's pointed nail traced down her skin. "Well, you look fine, Ensign. But you'll need to change into a fresh uniform it seems. Allow me to escort you back to your quarters?"
Vex hadnt thought it possible for the human to redden quite so much, and was shocked to see her turn an even deeper shade of red. "Right! Of course! N- no complaints Lieutenant, thank you!" She managed to yelp, snapping a salute as the Lieutenant stood back to her full 8 foot Kalvarian frame, not counting the smooth horns curving upwards a few inches from her hair.
"Enjoy your morning meal, Ensign Vex," the Lieutenant said, putting a hand against Ade's back and smoothly guiding her towards the exit. "If we arent back before you finish, there is no need to wait. We'll find time for a meal, I'm sure." Vex wasnt quite sure why but crewmate Ade shivered slightly at that but said nothing, staring straight ahead and marching away.
"Very well, apologies again to you, crewmate Ade, and a good morning to you, Lieutenant!" Xe called, saluting as the two of them exited, leaving Vex with the cleaning droid, a cooling puddle of coffee, and a lot more questions