His hand lingers on his freshly kissed cheek as Chekov wanders back to his quarters in a daze. Keying in his code he is surprised to find Scotty and Keenser in his quarter's playing cards. Pavel glances at the room number half expecting to be in the wrong room but finds it correct. They pause their game to stare at him swaying in the middle of the doorway. Scotty smiles "There you are laddie we've been wondering where you had got to"
Chekov stares at them confused. Scotty and Keenser exchange a look. "Dinae no one tell you we were to be rooming with ya" asked Scotty. Chekov shakes his head numbly. "They cannae do nothing right the idiots " says the Scotsman muttering a few choice words under his breath.
The three of them share an awkward smile that somehow manages to dissipate the tension in the room. A thought suddenly occurs to Scotty as he eyes the skinny lad. "Have you eaten yet laddie? 'Cos we've got plenty of sandwiches" he says grinning. Indeed the room is full of various snack boxes and plates of food all of it unhealthy and some of it alien.
Chekov refuses politely for he is too worked up to eat anything let alone one of the stirring deep-fried tentacles innocently offered by the Engineer. A sharp eye peers at his pale face and the lipstick mark on his face. A smirk spreads across the older man's face. "Aren't yer a wee bit young to be getting up to mischief with the lasses?" he asks, his hand pointing to the green mark on Pavel's red cheeks. The embarrassed youth struggles to answer unable to explain exactly what had occurred between him and the brainy T'qellla.
Fortunately for him he doesn't have to. For Keenser nearly knocks over a half full bottle of Iron-Bruin the process of trying to use the distraction of Chekov's arrival as an opportunity to sneak a glance over at Scotty's cards, saving Chekov from any more questions in the process. Pulling his cards closer to his chest Scotty taps Keenser on the nose, which causes him to growl at the engineer. "Keep that up and I'll cut you off" he warns while waving for Chekov to come join them.
They fumble around, hastily shoving the mess of snacks and empty wrappers out of the way so he can sit down in his formally clean room. Tucking his legs beneath the low table that belonged to Chekov's now dead roommate he takes a seat beside the engineers and is dealt into their game.
As they play Pavel finds himself loosing more credits than usual, for his thoughts are elsewhere dreaming of a long eared beauty. Though well aware that his rapidly developing feelings are impractical and reciprocation improbable he can't help but hope to see her again.
An idea begins to form in the back of his mind as he shuffles the deck of cards lazily. Maybe First Officer Spock would be able to offer him some of his expertise …
