Heading to a Conference

Posted on Thursday, 9 July 2020 - 2:14am by Lieutenant JG Adrianna Eberhardt

Mission: Operation: Jabberwocky
Location: USS Standing Bear | Mess Hall
Timeline: 2393 - MD 00

{ON:}

Eyelaya walked over to the table where her friend was seated. "Hello!" She said as she plopped down in the empty chair.

Adrianna looked up and smiled. Instead of saying hi, she pointed to the coffee and then held up a finger as if to say 'one minute'. She took a few sips and relaxed into the drink, "morning."

"It is! We've arrived at the starbase and we have leave!" She grinned. "What are you up to this leave."

"To be confirmed/," Adrianna replied, "I may have a date, though I don't have a clue about what, when, where. You?"

"I'm heading to Deep Space 9. There is an Engineering conference there! I'm speaking at it!"

Adrianna paused mid sip, "wow, that's great. You excited?"

"Oh yeah! I've never given a speech before." She grinned. "Do I give out handouts? Oh my gosh! What will I wear? Should I get fake glasses to look smarter?" Her eyes widened. "Want to come?!"

Adrianna took a moment to collate the questions, "No, your uniform, no and maybe." She was one coffee in, and Adrianna needed more for this, "I'm not the best person to ask when it comes to speeches. I've give one or two but they were far from academic. You just need to be you without overwhelming the crowd, at first. Just ensure there's time for questions and then you can go to town."

She smiled. "Um...after the speech you mean?"

Adrianna sighed, rubbing her forehead as if relieving a migraine. First, the expression got lost on 'the management' so everyone thought she was an exotic dancer and now this. It was then she muttered in Italian, "I should stop using idioms, they get lost on people." She then looked back to Eyelaya saying in standard, "it's an expression. It means to 'splurge'. So you keep the speech simple, but the answers to questions as complex as you want."

"Going to town."

"Going to town," Adrianna repeated back.

"Excellent. Let us go to town with our ice cream. I know it's morning but you only ...go to town once?"

"There is no limit on going to town," Adrianna chuckled, "my father used to tell me to go to town at least once a day or you are not alive." She paused, the fond memory seeming odd to her. She quickly added, "sounds better in Italian."

She laughed. "So what do you say to being trapped on a shuttle with me for a while and the conference?"

'Not enough coffee in the world' was probably not the answer Eyelaya was looking for. "Let me double-check what my date has planned. I was also going to check in with a few old friends to see how my family is doing. When do you leave?"

"Tonight actually. We could meet on DS9 if you like when you are done. There is another shuttle going tomorrow."

"I'll let you know," Adrianna smiled, "either way - you call me and tell me how it goes."

She grinned. "I will for sure. Now about that ice cream. What flavours do you want?"

"Neopolitan," Adrianna commented, "with dark chocolate sauce and -" Adrianna didn't know the word. Dammit, what was it. She sounded out some phonetics, trying to remember before giving up with an exacerbated sigh, "green nuts!"

"Pistachios?" She asked. It was the only green nut she knew...well except for an old crazy Orion boyfriend.

"Pistachios. Thank you," Adrianna relaxed before smirking, "sad bit is that in Italian, it's 'pistacchi', so now I'm just kicking myself for not knowing what it was in Standard."

"Well I know only two green nuts. Pistachios and my second ex who was Orion and a big nut."

"I don't think I could date an Orion again for that exact reason," Adrianna teased, "great guys just a bit cuckoo."

"Not all. My friend Everin he's a really nice guy." She stood. "Back with ice cream in a second!"

"Doesn't mean he'd be a great date," Adrianna teased. To be fair, she wasn't choosey. That said, she was happy with her actual date right now: Leopold. "Thank you."

Eyelaya was gone and back with ice cream. She placed them on the table. "So. Who's this new guy?"

Adrianna couldn't help but let her lips smile before she could control herself. "I met him on the base before we first set off. Then we had a second date and have just seen each other in between time. He's different."

"Oh? How?"

Adrianna thought about it a moment, "he's not my usual type. I seem to be a sucker for heartbreak. Never felt like I could fall in love. He makes me feel different--it scares me. I don't know, I'm falling fast and I've only seen him a handful of times. I don't know what's wrong with me."

"You are opening up to love. We all carry wounds my friend and when they start to heal when we find that person that can help us it is a beautiful thing. This is where you shall have to be the bravest."

Adrianna smiled, "everyone seems to be profoundly smarter than me in that department."

She took her friend's hand "I have faith that you will pick up quickly. We all do when it is a...what do human's call? A baptismal by fire."

Adrianna chuckled, "I've not heard that phrase, but it sounds painful." There was something comforting about what was said. It made her feel a little safer knowing she wasn't being a moron. "It's still early yet, but I'm hopeful. Any advice?"

"Be yourself and demand the same from him. But also love yourself. If he does something that is unforgivable trust your instincts."

Adrianna couldn't help but smile at that, "all of my instincts are telling me to shut the hell up and don't let anyone in. Learnt behaviour. I'm getting there."

"Yes well we'll work on that." She smiled. "Well I should get going," She said noticing her ice cream was done. "I want to get there early to do some detective work."

"Let me know if you need anything and I'll let you know if I can make it-if I can't, call me as soon as you're done," Adrianna smiled.

She smiled. "Sounds good!"