Forced Romance

Posted on Thursday, 3 December 2020 - 4:18pm by Lieutenant JG Adrianna Eberhardt

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Finishing at the bar, dropping a package off for the family, Adrianna looked around to see that for Rome, there were a lot of Starfleet officers. It was unnerving. A tall man, about Adrianna's age, slid over and smiled, "do you like a man in uniform?"

"Only the uniform that means I get a drink," she replied, not even giving him eye contact.

He chuckled and gestured to the barkeep who moved rather quickly, and almost looked scared to be serving a drink to a Baciami. "You appear to have a reputation," the officer pointed out.

Adrianna couldn't help but smirk a little, "what is it you want?"

"A conversation, a drink, maybe a dance if you'll let me make a fool of myself," he replied.

Adrianna finally looked to the officer and ran her eyes up and down him. The uniform colour suggested he was maybe an engineer, maybe science. She always got them confused. "one conversation, one drink, and of course, for my own amusement, I'll watch you dance."

"Dan," he introduced himself.

"Spawn of Satan," the barkeep muttered in Italian before Adrianna could reply.

Adrianna shot the barkeep a murderous look and was about to pull a weapon, but thought better of it. Here she was outnumbered by Starfleet officers, who would no doubt, find her at fault. "What did he say?" Dan asked, interrupting her making mental notes of ways in which to murder the man.

"He said he's out of grappa," she replied with a fake chuckle, "I gave him a nasty look because it's my family that makes the grappa he sells."

"I've been told not to drink grappa, it's said to be dangerous," Dan chuckled, "if your family sell it, does that make then dangerous too?"

"Depends on whether or not you break my heart," she flirted, trying to rid the scent.

He smiled and leaned in close, whispering,with a hand round her waist, seemingly getting flietaciously close, "I know who you are, Adrianna Baciami, I'm your way out."

Adrianna giggled as if into it, but subtly she withdrew a small dagger, putting it purposefully but not enough to break skin, on his crotch, "take a few steps back lieutenant and at the very least, buy me a few drinks first." She knew she was expecting Starfleet to send someone, but this was odd.

The man took a step back, happy to be guarding his most prized possession at times, "happily. Won't you join me?" He gestured to a booth.

Adrianna looked him up and down again, "fine, but you best make it worth my time."

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Adrianna blinked a few times, trying to erase her first meet with Intel. For the most part, it brought back mixed feelings of regret and joy. Later it would cause heartbreak, but that would be a story her file would showcase in large letters" Abandoned mission due to conflict of interest."

To leave the mission of getting Adrianna out of Baciami life and into Starfleet, claiming a conflict, when in actuality, he'd got a promotion. Ego had taken him from her. She had fallen in love, thought she was loved back, but instead, discarded for a boost.

The woman knew Leopold wasn't like that. As she waited for him, now done with her rather dramatic meeting, the woman considered how her boyfriend had shown no fear, only love and concern. He wouldn't abandon her for ego, in fact, he'd stay, maybe even compromise. They may have been in love, but it was too soon to consider that future. She couldn't deny she liked the idea of long term. It was one of the reasons she wanted her mother to meet him.

Perhaps time would tell.