Drunk Talk

Posted on Tue Oct 22nd, 2024 @ 1:55am by Lieutenant JG Zai & Lieutenant Adrianna Baciami

1,618 words; about a 8 minute read

Mission: Stars Around the Well
Location: Zai's Quarters | USS Arcadia
Timeline: Current

ON:

Having seen Vance and now feeling much better about things, she knew that she had to apologise to Zai. She'd made a fool of herself and she knew that as an empathetic, he would have felt everything. Normally she was very in tune with her emotions, she'd fooled empathy for years whilst undercover, but some things were more difficult to mask. She went to his quarters and sounded the chime. She'd come straight from the bar, but had stopped by her quarters to grab a bottle of wine as a peace offering.

Zai had parted ways with Vance and then had gone to engineering. As was predictable working had cleared his head a bit from the emotions he'd felt, both his and Vance's and Adrianna's. He'd also had his own emotions to deal with in respect to Vance and Fang. In fact it was this little run in that had finally gotten him to open up the sealed envelope that Vance had given him many years ago before all this. He'd pointed out the Klingon General as a necessity to Zai but hadn't told him why. When Vance had been injured it had been enough of a reason to see revenge. Having read what Vance had left and listened and viewed the Data cassette that Vance had left him all that time ago he'd now been dealt a blow that forced him to confront his demons.

He sat staring out the window in his quarters glad that he'd turned the sofa to face it. He was also thankful that his room was on the other side of the docking moors so that he could actually see the stars.

The Chime at his quarters door didn't surprise him. He wasn't ready for visitors but then just hours ago he hadn't been ready to face the truth and now that he'd opened the can of worms, there was no going back. He was starting to learn that in life sometimes you just were not ready but the universe was more then willing to kick you in the butt.

He stood and walked over the door palming the panel. Again he wasn't surprised to see Adrianna. "Come on it." He turned and headed to the sofa a bottle of hooch open and already half gone.

"This is stronger," she held up the bottle, looking at the hooch. It was a simple greeting, but one to try and ease any tensions.

"At this point just mix the two. We'll otherwise survive or not." He shrugged his shoulders. "I'm not sure which one I prefer for myself."

"Madonna, blasphemy," she shook her head, before getting straight to the point, "I'm here to apologise. I've been pushing feelings down for some time-- fooling empaths for years but earlier-- it just all came to the forefront and I just couldn't stop it."

He waved a hand. "No need to apologize. My people believe it's necessary to release the feelings and as empaths it's our honour to share them when they are heavy for the other person." He sighed. "Besides Thank your luck starts that you are feeling what I am. Damn Vance. He always was a better man then he pretended to be. I swear he was a saint in Bad Guy clothing." He motioned.

"Join me. I plan to get plastered."

She nodded, grabbing a cork screw and popping the wine bottle, "si, but there was also a lot you didn't know." The cork popped and she poured a glass for herself, "I've just come back from seeing him. I've given him his stuff back. My quarters felt so empty when I packed up his stuff."

He sighed. "That I can imagine. But you did the right thing. This could be what helps. He's been running from his past, I could sense it. But this will make him confront it and maybe knocks something loose. The fact that you held on so long shows how much you loved him."

She nodded, "I loved him. He was the only man I ever truly loved. I'd been engaged before him, but it was a different kind of love. Merde, I loved Vance so much. Even if he doesn't get his memories back-- he has set the bar for future loves."

"I think you still love him." He sighed. "Let me see if I can get it right. You love him and want him to love you like he did before but part of you doesn't want him to love you cause you don't know if its cause you feel like you owe him or if it's because you feel like it's your penance. Moving on comes with its own set of issues. It could work out and then you'll wonder what the love with Vance was when this worked out so well or it will fizzle and you'll think it's because that one didn't work out. Either way you blame yourself."

He eyed her. "Close? or am I totally projecting my garbage on you."

"Close, but not quite," she nodded, "I'm still in love with him. Part of me always will be. But I have to let go because he isn't him any more and equally, I don't want to get my hopes up. It would be hard to pick up from where we left off-- the first part of our relationship was a total lie. I wasn't Reggimi. Not much of what I told him was true. The most honest I was, was when I almost died on his watch whilst the crew was hazing me. I was high from the paint-- we'd run out of medical supplies and he kept me company and distracted. I probably let too much of my real self slip then, but I don't remember much about it." She paused, "even so-- then there's Jason. He's the first guy to spark an interest. So much wrong and yet it works. I guess I have a type. I want to see where it goes because I finally got to apologise and say good bye to Vance. I feel a sense of relief. I don't know how to describe it. I'm smarter in my native tongue-- I promise."

"You still love him. The question is do you want to give him a chance to love you back as he is now. Do you want to give the two of you a chance. I mean he's in Starfleet."

"I'd want nothing more," she replied, "but he's gone. He's not the same person. He's changed-- his humour is different, he isn't as cocky. It's not him, Zai."

"People change over time. Just because he's changed does that mean that he's not worthy of love?"

"I never said he wasn't worthy of love," she corrected, "he was and still is a very loveable guy. He will make someone very happy one day. I can't sit around and hope it's me though."

He studied her. "But you secretly do." He put an arm around her still very much drunk. "I'm secretly hoping for you too. Call it the hopeless romantic in me."

"You just dislike Jason," she chuckled, shaking her head. Realising she was a fair few drinks behind, she took to downing half the bottle of wine, directly from the bottle. "Madonna, this wine should not be gulped. Where is the grappa that I gave you, Bello?"

He pointed to the small cabinet above the kitchenette sink. "Ovr thr. Lez drink then feaver to sak...no that's not right. Ask."

Adrianna stood up, barely buzzed, "warning: the Italian comes out more with more of this and I've not been drunk since the day I found out Vance had 'died'." She uncorked the grappa and started drinking directly from the bottle before sitting next to him, "gawd, Zai-- Madonna-- merde-- I feel like I am going through a break up and I was not even-- gawd, help me. I want them both-- but I want Vance more. And yet, I cannot have him. I can't. You know-- Vance was the only guy-- the only man that ever saw my tattoos. In fact, he even tattooed me. He even knows what they mean and knows the stories of each one. Hes the only man that didn't care."

He snorted. "You are soooo list..last..lost" He studied the stars. "De say vreything appens for a raisen..risen..reason."

"Mio amico-- sono fregato-- I'm screwed," the alcohol started kicking in, she could feel her barriers coming down, "merde-- I miss him. I've not said that out loud before-- I couldn't. I love him so much. But Zai-- Zai-- Zai--" she tapped him whilst she drank, "Zai, I'm falling hard for Jason. Surely I should try? Vance would want me happy, right? Vance in gone."

"Yes...want you happy...but not gone. Just...lost. We have to find him. Ef ya love some...some person you find them. Look at Fig..fling..Fang. He's been looking for me since we were young." Zai snorted. "Das dictration. Dedrikson. Dedication."

"I never doubted," she chuckled, admitting, I was just being cor... Car...mhmm... I was unsure of intent. But I believe in fate. I believe in destiny. My destiny is to mi ha fottuto per bene." She continued drinking, "gawd knows what karma demon I incazzato-ed."

"W..weway.." He sighed. "Why Can I not derstend ye,..ya...you."

"Drink!" She exclaimed. Clearly they both needed this.

And so it was that the pair drank all night, passing out at around 3am. Neither one sober enough to move, but both drunk enough to look like they were doing yoga whilst drinking bottles. Who needed standard, when you could speak drink?

OFF:

 

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