Tiraa stood patiently and listened to him. He bounced around faster than a rathjik fleeing from a predator; it was endearing in a certain way. Removing that, his words were mildly concerning to her. What kind of operation was Zedd running here if this man couldn't replicate some clothes? One manicured brow lifted slowly and her full lips pursed for the briefest of moments.

"Of course you can replicate what you need, Avery. That isn't a problem." If it was a problem, Zedd would need to deal with it. "Just be conservative about it for a while, and we'll get you anything fancier down the line, hm?" She smiled.

“Thanks for that. I brought a few necessities with me. I don’t need a lot. Rotate through the handful of outfits I brought along with me. As long as I can keep what I have clean, and some work clothes, l will be just fine,” Morgan replied. He suddenly found himself having a hard time concentrating. Tiraa was Orion, and Morgan could feel the pheromones coming from her. “I….have to get the maintenance log from the computer…..tell me….” Avery steadied himself on the nearby workstation. He took a deep breath and continued. “Where did you come from…I mean how did end up on Dutchman?”

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.