Call it Curiosity

Posted on Mon Nov 3rd, 2025 @ 9:30pm by Lieutenant Commander Ryan Keel & Aislinn Finnegan
Edited on on Wed Nov 5th, 2025 @ 1:51am

3,372 words; about a 17 minute read

Mission: The Menagerie II
Location: Deck 10 - Maple Leaf Coffee and Pastries

ON:

The morning had started off as normal for Aislinn: wake up, first coffee, get her daughter Róise up and ready for school, drop her off at school and then head into work. She would be the first one to admit that life hadn't exactly panned out the way she wanted it to go but it was what it was, and she was grateful for the small things at the moment.

As she hid behind the counter and sipped on the second coffee of the day while staring blankly ahead, Aislinn contemplated her next moves. She was a Lieutenant on extended personal leave with the option to go back if she wanted but she had also been offered an opportunity to go back to Ireland and further her studies as a research assistant to her professor while she got her PhD. At the same time, Róise really seemed to be settling into the ship life and had already made some friends so why upheave her life again just to go somewhere else?

It was easy to spot the regular customers coming into the cafe and Aislinn had memorised their orders in no time at all: a blueberry muffin and a raktajino for one, a quad shot of coffee in a large mochacinno for another. Everyone was so different, and the short conversations made her enjoy the customer service aspect of it all. One person in particular that she'd only talked to a handful of times was a Lieutenant in purple, and it had been pleasant conversation and nothing more, but he seemed like he'd had some interesting adventures in his lifetime and he had a nice smile too.

She still didn't know his name though. Even though it was a quiet morning, she found herself wondering if he would come in today. The chime of someone coming in broke her out of the trance she was in, prompting her to put the coffee down and stand up straight with a smile on her face. Did she just manifest the Lieutenant in purple coming in or was it a stroke of pure coincidence? "Good morning, Lieutenant. Is it just your normal Raktajino and breakfast muffin again today?"

Keel was surprised, and more than a little touched as he approached the counter, 'you, uh, know my order already?' He supposed it was some sort of gimmick, the Marines had drilled a sense of routine into him after all. 'Or am I just that predictable?' He flashed a grin. 'A raktajino please, a breakfast muffin and some banana bread on the side if you have any?'

"Ooh, now you're living life on the edge with the banana bread," Aislinn laughed as she stepped back to get it for him. "I'd say I'm just good at remembering faces and what they're orderin', is all." She put the slice on to the flat press for a moment and threw a look back his way with a shrug, "I would say I'm good with names too but I can't because I've never managed to get yours yet." Smooth one, Ace.

He raised his eyebrows and chuckled, 'well. I guess we're both at a disadvantage there.' Keel took the opportunity to check Aislinn out as she busied herself with his order, looked away discreetly when she glanced back at him. He decided she had gorgeous eyes. 'Ryan Keel, by the way.' He tapped his chest as he said it, even though she couldn't see the motion. 'Pleased to make your acquaintance.'

So his name was Ryan. She thought for a moment on how to tell him her name as she took the bread out and checked it was perfectly toasted before applying the butter and packaging it up. Seamus has always called her Ace right from the moment they met, and Ash was reserved for her friends. Coming back to the counter, she handed it over, "Aislinn Finnegan. This one's on the house today only because there's no one else here."

'I can't possibly not pay, Aislinn,' Keel replied seriously, hiding the little tingle that went down his spine at hearing her Irish accent. 'But having some company over breakfast would certainly be welcome, if you have the time?' The man didn't want to assume that just because he was the only one in at the moment that she didn't have something better to do.

"Well you have come in towards the end of the morning rush, Ryan," she admitted as she ducked down to pick up her coffee. "And everything is pretty much good to go for day shift, school is in session, so I've got a bit of time to spare for some breakfast." Stepping out from behind the counter, Aislinn brushed her hands on her apron and smoothed out the flour left on her top.

As she brushed off the flour, Keel noticed the wedding ring along side much more beside. Smiling ruefully, he indicated a table just off the path to the counter. 'This is my favourite table to sit at,' he said as he pulled out a chair for her. Aislinn may be married, he thought, but that didn't mean he needed to treat her any differently. 'You can see everyone who walks in for a morning coffee or treat as they make their way to the counter.' Keel shrugged, 'I like making up stories as I watch them - obviously some will be getting more elaborate as I tend to see the same people over and over again.'

Aislinn nodded her thanks as she took the seat and prayed she wouldn't have to leave it or Ryan to go and serve whoever walked in, at least for the next few minutes anyway. "I will admit that there are a few people who've gained an interesting backstory or two over the last couple of months." She leaned in with a grin and a conspiratory look about her, "I mean, there's an Engineer who for sure used to be heir to a massive cattle ranch back on Earth but got run out due to his father getting into wrong business dealings and they came to collect."

'No?' Keel asked incredulously, delighting in her Irish accent, 'that seems very unlucky for him - let's hope the Counsellor has a free schedule for him.' He leaned forward conspiratorially. 'There's a Vulcan female in the Sciences department. Except, she's clearly a Romulan plant,' Keel tapped his nose, 'too emotional for a Vulcan y'see.'

Her eyebrow quirked up at the mention of the Science department but she didn't mention anything about it, "Now that's interesting. Perfect department too, no less. I'll admit that I quite enjoy people watching from time to time." She shrugged and smiled, "It's usually best done in the mornings around 0800 on the main promenade."

'I don't know,' Keel replied with a warm smile, 'here at 0830 is a pretty good place for it as well.' He leaned back and tried a piece of banana cake. 'But if you brought this amazing cake along, I'd be willing to try the Main Promenade at 0800,' Keel grinned.

"Sounds like a plan. I can't take the compliments for the cake, but I can definitely pass them on to the baker," Aislinn nodded. "Call it curiosity, but what made you suddenly have the time to stay and chat today? Usually you seem to be in a bit of a rush whenever you come in."

'No shift today,' Keel replied with a smile, 'plus it's a little more empty so I don't feel awkward taking up space for a bit longer.' He bit back the thought that he was also enjoying her company, and listening to her talk. 'So I decided to dawdle today.' He leaned back in his chair, a satisfied look coming over his face as he drank his raktajino. 'Oh, that's good. Best on the ship, you know. So how did you come to manage a shop on a Galaxy-class starship?'

A multitude of reasons flooded Aislinn but she held back on saying them and opted for the simple reason, fidgeting with her ring for a moment, "A couple of life altering events if I'm being honest," he didn't need to know she was a Lieutenant too, not yet. "I heard a lot about the Astrea and its civilian facilities, including the schools, and I really enjoy dealing with people, so why turn away a good opportunity?"

Noticing the fiddling of her ring, Keel opted not to press too far, knowing his own quiet history in that departement. He smiled and nodded instead, looking in to her warm, inviting eyes, 'why turn down a good opportunity indeed? Astrea seems to be a special ship, I'm learning.'

"I agree, she's better than some I've been on before. Definitely a lot of secrets, that's for sure." Aislinn said as she made the mistake of catching his eye for a moment before looking away with a blush. "Loaded question time: how spontaneous are you?"

He leaned back, chuckled, 'come on, you've seen my routine - everything's pretty much worked out to the second.' Keel shrugged, a little embarrassed, 'I can be a little spontaneous, occasionally. Joining the Marines was a spur of the moment decision. Quitting and heading back to the Academy was another. Just punctuated by a lot of routine in between.'

There went that option of asking him to do something spontaneous. "Oh yes, I didn't even think about the routine you've got," Aislinn chuckled, "I guess old habits die hard when it comes to routine. Some people thrive on it and can't live without it. I don't have a set routine, unfortunately, my life is chaotic enough without it."

'Is it now?' Keel asked, curious. 'You don't strike me as a chaotic type. The shop is always under control and as clean as can be.' He pressed forward slightly, raktajino forgotten and rapidly cooling on the table. 'Out of curiosity, was there a reason behind asking if I'm a spontaneous person?'

"I'm not the chaotic one, Ryan," Aislinn admitted with a smile as she sipped her coffee, "but I thank you for the compliment on the shop, it's the easy part of my day. And I ask about being spontaneous because there's a dance being held on one of the holodecks in the next couple of days and I need a partner for it. No strings attached. You keen?"

He raised his eyebrows in response. 'Can't say I'm good at dancing. But I'm always keen on good company, Aislinn.' Flashing her a confident smile, he briefly wondered whether her partner would object to his taking her, but as she didn't seem to think it was a problem, then why should he worry?

"Excellent, but please don't think this is attempt at some sort of a pickup line or anything, it's just a night of fun with people and an excuse to dance." She really should've asked if he was seeing anyone before asking him if he wanted to be her plus one to a dance of all things. "There's an old saying from back home: take more chances, dance more dances. Which I think kind of applies here, right?"

'A night of fun with friends sounds like the right prescription after passing through the Expanse,' Keel replied easily, hiding his irrational disappointment that it wasn't quite a date. He did reflect that he was short of friends of any sort aboard Astrea since transferring, and it wouldn't hurt to expand that circle. Particularly as Aislinn seemed more than a little enchanting. So different to Wrenleigh Reed.

"Well then, it's settled. I, uh, do have to tell you something though," Aislinn gave a singular chuckle that was more like a huff as she finished the coffee in front of her. "There'll be someone else joining us that night too." She'd been thinking about how to bring up this subject, so what better segue than now.

'Oh, your partner will be joining us?' Keel responded warmly, feeling he had a better grasp of the situation.

"Oh, you thought that..." Aislinn looked down and back up, replying after a moment. Her partner. Rather than dwell on the past or bring the current conversation to a depressing halt, she laughed slightly and relaxed her shoulders. "I'm referring to my eight year old daughter joining us. I mentioned it to her the other week and she's beyond excited, she loves dancing."

'A daughter,' Keel replied uncertainly, a few things clicking in to place. 'Far be it for me to prevent you spending quality time with your kid - especially seeing as she's so excited about it.' Taking a quick sip of raktajino to cover up his reaction at this unexpected news, 'you must be very close the two of you.'

"Lord knows I'm not her most favourite person when her uncles are around, but for the better part of the time, she's my little sidekick." It wasn't hard to miss the surprise in his voice or how fast the coffee came up. Aislinn nodded her understanding, realising that she'd gone and made things awkward and messed a good thing up by putting herself out there. "I've, um. I've just messed this up, haven't I? I'm sorry," she said in an apologetic tone.

'Nothing to apologise for,' Keel replied lightly, 'it just wasn't where I was expecting the conversation to go. That's all.' He shrugged, 'I guess I'm still caught off guard when people mention having kids having none of my own.' His tone was a little wistful, reflecting on his own failed marriage again. 'I would still like that dance, though.'

It made her smile slightly to realise she hadn't messed it up, "I understand what you mean," She tapped her fingers on the edge of the table absentmindedly and added a little whistfully, "But to be honest, Ryan, and I'm not trying to rub it in when I say this, but having kids is one of the best feelings in the world, even if there are bad days that come with it, and it's something I wouldn't change for the world." It was true, she wouldn't change a thing, except maybe being able to give Róise a sibling.

"But hey, patience is a virtue, right? Good things come to those who wait." She switched up the mood and flashed a bright smile.

'That they do,' Keel replied with a smile. 'So, tell me about her?'

"Her name is Róise," she pronounced it as Roi-sha, "or Rose, and she's a pretty smart kid who takes after me in more ways than I'd like to admit so basically is a mini me. Her favourite activity is reading and non-stop talking about her love of plants, so I'm thinking I'm raising a botanist." Aislinn laughed. "Honestly, there's so much I could say but you'd have to meet her to see for yourself."

It wasn't usually first up on meeting someone that she was letting them meet her daughter, but Ryan seemed kind enough. Plus he'd be meeting her anyway if he didn't back out from the dance.

He smiled, 'I look forward to it.' The more he talked to Aislinn, the more he was intrigued by her. A single mother aboard a starship. But with a ring on her finger. Keel wondered at it, but decided he would let it lie for now. 'So between the shop and Róise you must be pretty busy for most of your day.'

"I specifically work the opening shift, so I'm usually finished just before midday, so I have a blissful few hours to myself before Rose finishes school," Aislinn stretched out her arms in front of her before adding, "She's a social butterfly who is always spending time with her friends, so I don't see her usually until dinner time." It felt like the perfect balance and other parents would talk if anything was going wrong.

"I don't think I'm that busy, if I'm being honest, I'm just like anyone else." Aislinn smiled and shrugged slightly. "But how about you?"

'Not as busy as someone with a kid, that's for sure,' Keel chuckled. She had a pretty smile, he decided. 'I mostly get up, collect my morning coffee and treat, then head on shift. After that it's the gym, some reading of briefing materials, then sleep.' He shrugged, 'it's a simple life, and pepper around meeting new people since my transfer and it's quite ... well,' he laughed, 'it sounds quite boring, right?'

"It sounds quite blissful, if I'm being honest," Aislinn replied with a laugh. To have that kind of a routine again was something she craved but there was always the possibility of coming back when Rose was a bit older, so she didn't discount it entirely. "Maybe one day it'll happen for me." She looked up at the time and then back to Ryan, deciding after a full moment of looking at him that he was maybe worth taking a chance on when the time was right.

Catching her staring at him, he blushed a little, then looked where she had caught the time. Damn he thought, Just when things were getting interesting. 'Looks like I have to go,' he said after a long reluctant moment. 'I guess ... you have my name, so you can catch me on ships' comms to give me the details for the dance?' He paused. 'Or, uh, anything else,' Keel added.

Anything else could mean a lot of things. "You can hang around, I don't mind," Aislinn cocked her head to the side with a warm smile. "I was simply checking the time to see how much longer before I can do handover, that's all." Things had definitely started to get interesting, and she hadn't expected it when she woke up this morning. "But if you do have to go, I'm sure I can find the Diplomatic offices and give you the details personally if you wanted?"

'You can come down the Diplomatic Offices, for sure,' Keel replied with a smile. 'I have another appointment in a minute, but I'll make sure to pass your name to the petty who looks after the reception for us.' He looked at her a bit more sheepishly. 'Would you mind if I asked for a raktajino and banana bread to go?'

"Of course," Aislinn replied with a nod and got up to go behind the counter again. The banana bread was still out so it didn't take long before it was toasted and buttered, and the raktajino had just finished being made and pushed across the counter toward Ryan. "As requested, but I don't mind if you come back for a third one if your replicator doesn't do the job."

Quickly considering his waistline, and conceding he'd be fine, Keel took the proffered bread and raktajino. Another one would definitely not hurt. 'Why don't you come find me in a few hours? The replicator definitely won't be able to remake this.'

Aislinn smiled, "It's a deal," She would be wondering for the rest of the day how this all happened and fell into place. "A couple of hours and I'll come find you for coffee, got it."

'Sounds like an excellent plan,' Keel smiled. 'See ya in a while, crocodile.' He lifted his hand in farewell before making towards the door.

His farewell was an expression Aislinn had never heard before and she thought it was wierd but charming as she watched him walk out before turning back to the counter to get wipe the benches down.

OFF

=================

Lieutenant Ryan Keel
Chief Diplomatic Officer
USS Astrea


Aislinn Finnegan
Civillian
USS Astrea

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