A Watched Pot Never Boils

Posted on Saturday, 16 May 2020 - 4:41pm by Crewman Leopold Eberhardt & Lieutenant JG Adrianna Eberhardt

Mission: Operation: Recall
Location: Beta III Orbital Station
Timeline: Unspecified

Standing at the observation area of Beta III Orbital Station's small promenade which felt more like a small veranda, the slender built man stood looking out at the stars. He raised his frosted mug containing a reddish-brown carbonated beverage, toasting to them and the voyages ahead. He was alone for the time being which was not too uncommon for considering most individuals tended to avoid him whether they intentionally did so or not was still a bit of an unknown to him. He took a swig of the reddish-brown substance and smiled, setting down the mug on a nearby vacant table. "Aller Anfang ist schwer" he muttered to himself in his borrowed tongue. It was an older expression that meant the beginning of something new was always difficult or hard. It was a true statement form his life's experience, but he also knew that this new start was a fresh one for him.

He continued to look out at the stars and the planet that the station orbited. It was a beautiful planet at least from up here looking down upon it. He was quietly reflecting how much he had given up in such a short amount of time, but it was all necessary. It was needed, even if it meant he may never see his family again. He would carry them with him always and would never forget where he came from for better or for worse.

Baciami straightened her uniform and sighed internally. Impatience was on the verge of coming to the forefront of her mind. It was time for the mind to be occupied and the reoccurring nightmares to feel too exhausted to play. It was time for the new adventure. The Italian Earth woman stepped up next to him looking out. She dropped her duffel to her feet and tried to spot the direction of 'home'. It was a dumb game she played with herself but somehow held comfort to an otherwise gut-wrenching feeling of hiraeth.

Leopold was not entirely startled by the woman, but he was a bit lost in his thoughts to realize she was there until he saw something moving out of the corner of his eyes. He turned and saw a woman standing there. He observed for a moment, noticing her duffel bag and the uniform. "You must be waiting on a starship too," he said trying to make conversation. "I think mine has been delayed a bit, hopefully, nothing problematic" he added nervously.

"That may be my fault," she chuckled slightly, looking up to the taller man, her accent thick, "I seem to curse these things. Every ship I have been on is always late. Must be a very well planned coincidence." She looked him over, "which ship are you waiting on?"

He scratched the few reddish-blonde hairs on his chin, a juvenile attempt at growing a beard had resulted in a trail of scruff flowing down from his sideburns and cumulating on his chin like a goat. His success at attracting a lover had left him questioning whether or not the growth of facial hair was the right direction or entirely misguided advice he had received. He chuckled at the woman's sense of humor and quickly swept his lopsided hair from his eyes and cocked his head slightly. "Well, then I think I'll just call you my bad luck charm" he replied, meaning nothing malicious. "I am Crewman Leopold Eberhardt and I think I am waiting for a starship. My orders to report initially said USS Fontana, but it is behind schedule."

"Well, not only am I your bad luck charm, but I am also your bad penny," she smirked before returning the introduction, "Petty Officer Adrianna Baciami, I'll be joining on the USS Fontana." It was a 'small world', but it was nice to meet someone already. It wasn't that Adrianna was nervous about new people, she just liked to ensure her own safety. Her own past had inbuilt that into her very being, so this was a good start - hell, he didn't look armed.

Oh yes he thought to himself very pleased that he had met a fellow shipmate and one that was also enlisted. Though they definitely were of different departments. "I'm in engineering," he said to Adrianna. "Will you be working in Intelligence?" he asked her noticing the uniform that she had on.

Adrianna nodded and smiled. The man now had her full attention, now knowing that he'd be part of the crew she was on, "Si, that's right. I am sure we will be working closely because my idea of DIY stays with cooking not shelving." The woman knew she was teasing, maybe even flirting, but it was a good way to break the ice.

He sliced the air with his hand in a dismissive gesture. "I suspect you are plenty capable fixing things" he said with a small smile. "I ended up in engineering, but tinkering around with warp cores and conduits is not my area of interest nor where I do most my work. You will more than likely find me on the lower decks and in the laboratories and workshops rather than in Main Engineering" he stated. "I can lend a hand if necessary, but I won't be making Chief Engineer any time soon, enlisted aside."

Adrianna had an internal self dialogue questioning where her jokey comment had been taken the wrong way. Finally her inner self decided to try once more, "well, you know, I'd much prefer a familiar and friendly face in my quarters." She tilted her head a little to the side, her slightly curled hair, falling to that direction, bouncing.

Is she coming on to me? he pondered. It was not like he was without his moments of cleaning up nicely. He had dated in the past, but there was no band nor engagement ring on his finger. He was more used to being chosen out of necessity rather than by choice. "I think I may reconsider you being a bad luck charm because I'm starting to feel very lucky that I'm standing here right now" he replied.

There it is. Adrianna giggled and tucked astray lock of hair behind her ear, "well that is good to here." The woman looked back out to the stars a moment, thinking. Screw it, she thought, "My guess is that the ship will be late enough for us to enjoy a coffee, if you are done with your current drink that is."

"YES!" he shouted with thunderous enthusiasm. He looked at her and blushed. "It has been too long since I have had anyone ask to have coffee with them. I am not used to people approaching me" he explained. He picked up his mug and took the final few sips. "Birch beer" he said identifying what he had been drinking.

Adrianna was a little startled, but he was funny, "same here don't worry." After regaining composure from laughing she said, "I'm more a grappa and wine person."

"Pilsners, Bocks, Stouts, Lagers, whatever the beer or ale is, I'm happy to become acquainted with it" he said as he approached a table and pulled out a seat for her. "Though I doubt coming aboard staggering drunk will be too appealing to the Captain and Executive Officer. I think we will stick to coffee" he replied as he signaled one of the wait staff over towards them.

Chivalry clearly hadn't died with this one, at that was a blessing. Though, Adrianna knew herself and her self destructive ways. "I mean, I wouldn't tell," she teased, "it's expensive to get me drunk, so I just make my own grappa. Rarely drink the actual stuff. Prefer a clear head. Plus, I prefer to drink with company. Except coffee- if I don't drink it, you'll need a translator."

"Oh bless the universal translator, because we'd be rightfully screwed without it" he said with a deep guttural chuckle. "I'm not from Earth, but I speak a bit of an Earth tongue" he stated. "My accent is probably not that appealing" he added. It had a bit of a Germanic sound to it, but distinctively sharp and strangely foreign.

"You're accent isn't bad," she hit his arm playfully, "either way pre coffee, the universal translator is my best friend and the closest thing I have to a long term relationship." Adrianna tease before ordering a black coffee for herself, "I must admit, with your accent, you could have fooled me. Where are you from?"

He fumbled a bit with what to say. She's in intelligence he reminded himself, pointing it out that any lie he made here would come back to bite him in the ass. He wanted to just blurt out some random world she may or may not have heard of. It would at least buy him some time. Instead, he took a more direct route. "I do not want to tell you because I do not want you to leave without getting to know me first" he replied. "Believe me, where I am from I don't blame people for staying clear of me."

Adrianna narrowed her eyes a little but soon relaxed and smirked. A spark lit up her eyes. The woman made a come hitcher motion and leant in a little whispering, "they make movies about the place I'm from, everyone thinks it's fake, but it's real. It takes a lot to scare me."

"Adrianna, I am Ekosian. I was born and raised on Ekos" he said and he did so in a tone that made it very clear that he was not proud of that fact. "You may know it as M43 Alpha IV" he added shaking his head. "This is when most people just walk away and avoid me."

"Those that leave are not worth your time," Adrianna offered a genuine smile. The woman was un phased. She knew of the place, but the man was Starfleet, he like her, had chosen a better life, "my hands aren't the cleanest, my history is merky, but either way, I wouldn't leave - I have a coffee on the way."

"Two coffees" he said to the waiter who arrived. "I'll have a medium roast with some cream, no sugar or any sweetener" he said and looked at Adrianna. "How about you, what's your preference?"

"Strong and black, please," she replied. Once the waiter left she asked, "surprised I didn't leave?"

He nodded "Yes, but pleasantly so" the Ekosian responded. "I might actually have a chance at getting to know someone. That would be a first in quite some time."

"Then it will be you that leaves," Adrianna had a somewhat dark ember to the tone of her voice though her eyes somehow kept the works playful.

"Nein," he replied swiftly. "It will be unlikely that I leave, at least not any time soon. My plans are to be stationed on the Standing Bear for as long as I am needed and maybe if I'm lucky I'll make rank. Being a Crewman is not how I wish to stay for too long."

"I meant leave this table, right now," she chuckled. The woman looked over as a waiter brought their drinked. She wrapped her fingers round it, somehow still not climatised to the not Italian weather. Adrianna inhaled the caffeine and took a sip before continuing," it's good though that you're looking to find 'home'."

He shrugged "Ah well yes. I suppose that I am trying to find a new home at least, the old one was nothing to write home about" he said shaking his head. He took a sip of coffee and sighed. "Between the xenophobia, the continuous conflicts, and potential genocide that my people have been toying with over the years, I was glad to get out while I could. There's nothing but misinformation and propaganda on Ekos. The media are slaves to the Neu Reich, they filter through transmissions and block those that don't conform to their 'high standards' and 'Ekosian family values'" he said bitterly.

"At least you're here now," she touch his arm in an attempt to soothe him, "and, I, so far, think you'll do fine." Adrianna let her hand linger before pulling away upon realising it was still there. She curled her fingers back round the mug, warming them up.

"I'm single" he replied bluntly. "If that is of any interest to you, but you already know I'm not with anyone. Sorry, I don't know why I felt the need to say any of that" he added.

"I assumed," she corrected, giggling, "but now I know." She considered his question. Was it of interest to her? She took a long sip of coffee hoping the nectar would bring forth answers of the philosophical pondering. He wasn't bad looking, was chivalrous, seemed nice with a good sense of humour. "It would not not be of interest," the Italian struggled with with last word. Her tongue just struggled with the phonetics together.

He smiled and took another sip of coffee. "It is going to be a good while until the starship arrives. I heard the latest report was it was looming around old Romulan space and was going to the Triangle Sector" he explained. "Might be a few more days even. That could give us time to get to know one another quite well."

Adrianna blushed a little and looked down to her coffee. "That is very forward," the Italian commented, wondering if the euphemism or innuendo had only been made because of an odd language gap.

"I didn't mean any offense if I have offended you" Leopold replied. "I would be happy to meet you for breakfast, lunch, and dinner as long as the wait takes, just to get some coffee or beer" he added. "If you're interested in seeing more of me?"

"I'm not offended," Adrianna looked up then admitted, "I think a loss in translation gave the wrong impression of events." That felt somewhat mortifying to admit so she quickly proceeded to brush a stray lock of hair behind her ear as she said, "it would be nice to have company for a change."

He nodded "I would like that. I doubt we are only ones here waiting for fur the Fontana" he surmised. "Maybe we will find some more of our shipmates?"

"Even if we don't," she paused, finding the words, "at least we have the one familiar face."

Leopold finished off the coffee and smiled. "This is true" he replied. "How soon until we see one another again? I don't want you to get too much of me too quickly."

Adrianna snorted in amusement, "you will easily find that you get sick of me before I of you." The woman then finished her own drink, "I've been cooped up for a week or two, without much outside life a part from the occasional bar visit. So I'm happy to have the social change. I must say though, most men wait 48 hours before asking for a second date." Adrianna teased him. He'd clearly had an eager street, the man appeared to be an open book about his virgin-like eagerness.

"I have never been the patient type" he replied with a small awkward smile. "At least that is what others say about me. I have a high impulse, but I blame being Ekosian for some of that. It was always acts now on my planet" he explained. "I have been trying to become more laid back and easy going. I also have a tendency to keep things in when I really should express my emotions in a healthier way" he added. "Not that I do anything or anything. I just flew things simmer too long."

Adrianna nodded, listening, and taking what he had said on board. After a few moments, she decided to reply simply, "I'm a hot-headed, strong-willed Italian that seems to follow the stereotypes created. I choose to only let things out to those I trust, but I do not trust easily. I tried being laid back - it didn't get me anywhere. I like that you have no filter and that you are not patient. Hell, if you were to ask to see me for an actual date tonight, I would probably say yes and not even question that you'd want a follow up breakfast date. If you want something, you damn well take it. I'm not going to judge you for it, if you don't judge me in return. I feel that is a fair deal." All the cards were on the table. The conversation was open to interpretation, but something in her made her feel confident in being this level of open, even if she did sport a poker face as listing off her speech.

Well damn he thought to himself. This was the sort of woman his mother warned him about. The ones who did not quite know 'their place' in Ekosian society, but it was the type of Personality that he was most drawn to. He liked people who bucked the system and smashed expectations. Leopold stood from the table and approached the seated woman, kicking the back legs of her chair out from underneath her, causing the chair to quickly incline backwards. Of course he caught it and didn't let her crash to the floor.

Leopold leaned in and kissed the woman. It wasn't half assed either. He legitimately went all in for it and when he was finished he pulled her chair back up allowing it to level. "It's a date. Tonight right here, 19:00 sharp."

The Petty Officer's cheeks flushed bright red and she was left speechless. Initially her hand had gone for a small dagger on her person, but had refrained when he had kissed her. Adrianna's heart beat out of her chest. For a woman normally so closed off and cold, that had many a-time been called heartless, inhumane and coldblooded, she was now feeling like a teenage girl that had been kissed for the first time. The attitude the man had displayed was something she had rarely seen, but had never seen in this context. The woman needed someone to balance her personality, to allow her to unfold and crack the exterior shell. Her mouth fell open and she went to say something but nothing cohesive could be formed. Instead she just blinked. A moment passed and she finally managed a small, somewhat breathless smile and a nod in response to his rhetoric.