Drinks

Posted on Fri Mar 10th, 2017 @ 9:20pm by Lieutenant Mimi & Lieutenant JG Robert Sorenson

1,708 words; about a 9 minute read

Mission: Caught in the Cracks
Location: Mess hall
Timeline: Day after 'Second Meeting' 1600hrs

ON:

[Mess Hall]

Robert sat at a table near the window toying with his glass. Mimi was a few minutes late, probably hung up somewhere, but it meant the past 10min had been agonizing for Robert. After yesterday's awkward (to say the least) re-introduction to Mimi, he really wasn't sure what he wanted to do. Yesterday he'd as much as admitted he'd had a crush on Mimi to to someone else he'd thought, only to discover that it was Mimi he was in fact talking to. She'd thankfully let him down gently, though leaving him a little confused. Girls didn't usually agree to see you again for coffee after they'd shot you down.

Now here he sat, a drink in hand, waiting for Mimi to show up, unsure what to do. He still had feelings for her, that much he knew, but what she truely though he didn't know. Did she like him but didn't want to admit it? Was she just being polite? ~You're doing it again man.~ He chided himself. ~Quit over-thinking things.~

Mimi hurried into ten forward and looked around for Robert, she'd gotten collared on the way there by a crewman from her department and he'd made her late, spying him looking a little nervous if she'd judged his expression properly sat near the widow she headed over. "Sorry I'm late Robert" She said as she dropped down into the seat opposite him.

"It's okay Mimi. A few minutes isn't a big deal, fashionably late I think they call it." Robert stopped playing with his glass. "Can I get you something?"

Mimi smiled while she wrapped her tail around the leg of the chair so no one would step on it or trip over it which had happened before. "Just a tea would do nicely."

"Any specific Tea?" Robert asked her. "There's about 15 different blends in the replicator I found out."

"True." Mimi said and then thought for a second "A Tarkelian tea then."

Going over to the replicator, Robert ordered the specific blend Mimi wanted, and placing his own order, came back with her cup. Setting down in front of her, Robert sat back down before taking a sip from his own glass. "I have to ask. How did you get here from the Carpathia? What are the odds we'd both be reassigned here?"

"Pretty slim but it can happen, the higher ups..." she started to explain using a phrase her sharp hearing had heard a few of her enlisted had used to describe anyone who was in charge "..Decided my skills would be better used here so here they put me."

"With thousands of ship's in the fleet, the chances of us getting reassigned the same place? That's a statistical fluke though some," Robert grinned a little, "Would call it fate." Blushing as he realized what he'd just said, Robert quickly took a sip from his glass.

"Mosti katia, katia." Mimi said, speaking her native language that so far the universal translator couldn't understand.

Not expecting to hear Mimi speak in her native tongue, Robert was taken aback a bit but quickly recovered. The language had a beautiful ring to it and he wanted to hear more. "Haven't a clue what you just said Mimi but it sounded beautiful."

Mimi's blushed a little and her ears twitched, she'd never thought of her native language as beautiful before. "Sorry, sometimes I slip into my native language when I talk."

Robert found himself getting mesmerized by Mimi as they spoke. Her ears seemed to twitch and dance as she spoke. What it meant he had no clue but it just added to her beauty. "It's a beautiful sounding language, just like it's speaker." Robert remarked, not thinking what he was saying.

Mimi cheeks got a little bit more red. "Diolch anda." She replied and then translated it for his benefit "Thank you."

Robert nodded. "I'm sorry about yesterday by the way."

"What do you mean?" Mimi asked, unsure about what he had to apologise for.

Robert blushed again. "I mean what I said yesterday about about how I feel about you. I won't deny what I said. It's true, 100% of it. I do like you, I do find you attractive, and if the stars aligned right, I could see us persuing a relationship of some kind." He paused, blushing furiously now, almost ready to jump out of his skin. "But yesterday isn't how a guy's supposed to do that. If you were a human girl Mimi, I'd probably either have been slapped or something for being so direct."

"Then it is good I am not a human woman Robert." Mimi said with a slight smirk. "But I think I understand what you mean."

Robert breathed a small sigh of relief. His face wasn't as red as before but still a bit noticeable. "Thank you Mimi. " Putting down his glass, Robert leaned forward a little. "Would it be impolite of me to ask what your species customs are?"

"It is not no." Mimi put her glass down "I am not really familiar with my own species' customs, I was only a young teenager when the Klingons..."

Robert paused. He could see a look that he guessed was a flash of pain cross her face. "They attacked your family?"

"They attacked the colony my species had and killed pretty much everyone they found, I was trying to escape with my family when I got separated and then trapped under some debris."

"I couldn't get free and no one found me... Klingon or Nekomi. Till after it got dark and a woman from starfleet found me, my foster mother."

Robert nodded. What can you say to a story like that? Reaching out, he touched Mimi's hand. It was more meant as a gesture of care then anything but he felt a slight tingle anyways at the touch. "I'll be honest. I don't what to say. I can't imagine what you went through but it sounds horrible."

The tiny patches of fur on the back the back of Mimi's hand stood on end. "Hopefully my story will have a happy ending like all those stories she used to teach me english, I'll find my species' homeworld and see if any of my family survived."

Giving her hand a gentle squeeze, Robert looked the young lady in the eyes. "Someday you will Mimi. If your colony is near federation space, your homeworld can't be that far away."

"Maybe, but Mother told me it took us a long time to get from the homeworld to the colony."

"There's a lot of things we don't know Mimi. But I think in time you will find your family and your people." ~Hopefully with me at your side.~ Robert thought, before dismissing that as wishfull thinking on his part. ~Mimi's not even said she's interested so don't go getting any ideas bucko.~

"Hopefully." Mimi said, the chances of a federation ship finding her homeworld was pretty slim but it being a ship that she was assigned to was even slimmer, but it could happen. "What about you, you've heard about me now it's your turn."

Reluctantly letting go of Mimi's hand, Robert took a sip from his glass. "My story is nowhere near exciting. I'm a starfleet brat, only child. Mom was a Chief petty officer so we moved between ships a lot. Never met my father, Mom would never say why he wasn't around. I just assumed he wasn't intertested in me and her. It happens." He shrugged. "Entered Starfleet when I was old enough. Not top shelf material but I did well enough to wrangle a ship when I graduated." He took another sip. "Not exactly the best at interacting with women, as you've probably seen."

"Probably better than I am at talking to men." Mimi said with a small smile "I have only been around people other than my own species for 11 years. And for almost half that I was learning to speak english, get over probably never seeing my own species again and learning about this new life."

"Having seen how you interact with others Mimi, I'd never have guessed that. Maybe a little rough around the edges but even some of us who've grown up in the Federation have troubles. Just look at me."

"You seem to be doing ok with me." Mimi said smiling again.

"Thank you for the vote of confidence Mimi." Robert said, leaning back in his chair. He needed to change the subject or he knew he was going to do something stupid, like go over the table and kiss Mimi, something that would most likely destroy any chance he had of anything between them. But oh how seductive she looked, ears gently twitching, that graceful look and her voice as she spoke. "So how does operations compare coming from the Carpathia?"

Mimi was a little surprised by the change of subject but went with it. "There's a lot more to handle, the Tokyo is a bit bigger than a Dilligent so I have a good two times the amount of staff, not to mention demands on resources."

"Engineering is lot larger too. With seven of us on the diligent, the Tokyo's department is closer to 40 now, and lots of specialists. I feel lost in the crowd some days."

Mimi nodded "I know what you mean, sometimes it feels like you can't walk even 20 meters down a corridor without seeing someone else."

"They weren't kidding when they called these things small towns in space." Robert remarked. "At least I don't have a roommate. That I don't miss."

Mimi laughed, the quarters on Armitage class were a little tight so Ensigns shared quarters while everyone higher got their own. "Rank has its privileges."

"True. And I'm no longer an Ensign so I rate my own quarters." Taking a final sip from his glass, Robert put it down on the table with some finality. "I shouldn't keep you Mimi. It's been good to see you again."

"You too Robert." Mimi drank the little that remained in her cup.

Robert stood to leave. Giving Mimi's hand a gentle squeeze before he left the table, he smiled at her. "See you around." And with that he left.

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