Adrianna and Zai Dirnk after launch

Posted on Sat Nov 2nd, 2024 @ 5:09pm by Lieutenant JG Zai & Lieutenant Adrianna Baciami & Lieutenant Commander Jason Frankley

1,748 words; about a 9 minute read

Mission: Stars Around the Well
Location: Drink Bar | USS Arcadia
Timeline: Shortly after launch

ON:

Zai had finished his duty on the bridge and had worked a few hours in engineering giving himself time to calm down a little from his back and forth with Sabastian. He smiled thinking of the bridge conversation. Suddenly he felt ... alone. He sighed as he headed for the ship lunch room. He was going to have a drink, a non alcoholic one, with Adrianna. He needed one.

Adrianna was already there, nursing an alcohol free Aperol Spritz. She looked up and waved Zai over. She smiled, "welcome back to space... It's a whole lot of darkness with a splash of stars."

He smiled. "Yeah. It's been an eventful day and I'd kill for some hooch but am back on duty after lunch." He ordered a virgin pina colada. "So how was it when I left the bridge."

"Nothing exciting," she replied, "same old ship launch. You know, the Arcadia is only my second ship?"

"Wow. Only second? Well the secret is they all run together no matter how many you've been on." He took a sip of his drink. "God I'm so tired, I miss Sabastian."

"Madonna," she rolled her eyes playfully, "new love." She waved off her joke, "this won't be a long mission. You'll be back before you know it, cucciolo."

"Yeah. I'm worried about Fang though. This isn't him. He's...regressing. I can sense it."

"Different context, but similar sentiment," Adrianna said, "but I'll tell you the same thing I told him: he's not yours. Let him figure this out for himself. I'll keep an eye on him."

She sipped her drink then added, "you missed me hitting him after you left at lunch."

He snorted. "You should have seen him this morning when he walked into my quarters and Sabastian came out in Boxers. I swear the vain on his forehead looked like it was at red alert."

"In his defense," Ade teased, "if I saw that before coffee-- I would need something strong." Adrianna shook her head in amusement, "look, I'm trying to make him realise that he needs to back off, but it's on him. I see so much hurt in his eyes, but, as I said to him: he has no right. When everything is said and done, I do hope that you all-- Sabastian included-- can find a way to move past this. I'm not saying 'be best friends' again, but you understand."

She paused, sipping her drink, "I am wiser and more eloquent in my native tongue."

“This seat taken?”

Adrianna looked up and saw Jason. She looked around the mess hall and saw plenty of free seats. For a brief second, she began to feel fear, anger, disappointment. She quickly pushed them down. “No but there are plenty of other seats, Lieutenant Frankley.”

The man sighed, rolling his eyes, “fine, but let me just ask one question. You've been avoiding me and I need to know.”

Adrianna knew Jason would not make a scene. He'd been given a reprieve after all. She nodded her response.

“Who else did you tell?” He asked, trying to hide a slight growl in his voice.

“The two I told you about and my mother,” she replied, “no-one else.”

He nodded, relaxing a little, which in turn, had Adrianna relaxing, “no-one else?”

She shook her head, looking a little confused, “it's no-one else's business, Jason. What would I gain aside from being able to have a drink with my friend without interruption?” She gestured to Zai.

“Your mum told my mother,” he glared at her a little, “she's not talking to me at the moment.”

Adrianna shrugged, it wasn't her problem, “she'll come around in time.”

Jason was appreciative of the fact that even in front of her friend, she was still not letting slip what happened. He nodded, but couldn't help but shoot out a verbal warning, “don't tell anyone else. I don't deserve it.”

Adrianna shook her head in amusement, before coldly replying, “I suggest you leave Lieutenant. You will not appreciate it if I respond how I am wanting to.”

Jason glared at her and held her gaze for a moment as if daring her, challenging her. After a moment, he let his anger fade, grunting in acknowledgement and leaving. Adrianna turned her attention back to Zai, “sorry, so where were we?”

When the Lieutenant had approached Zai felt her fear, anger, and disappointment.

"Huh."

She raised a brow, "what's that look for?"

"Nothing, I just had a sudden urge to vent him, can't explain it. What's the deal. I sensed a roller-coaster of emotions inside." He grinned. "I'm in a mood please tell me this is someone I should accidently transport into space."

Adrianna shook her head, "it's fine. Really. If you are going to vent anyone, at least let it be the cadet in my department-- he is like a toddler. He asks 'why' every two minutes."

"In engineering you'd rather they ask why then press random buttons, trust me." He sighed. "I'm going to eventually get the full story. I just better be in a coma when that happens otherwise...oops my finger slipped."

Adrianna chuckled, "in my department -- there's no 'whys' just do. Especially if I'm the one ordering a cadet to do something basic. If I give you a basic order, as your superior, don't question why. It's not difficult."

She paused, realising Zai was being serious. She reached over and placed a hand on Zai's arm, "everything is fine. Jason did something embarrassing-- he's just mortified. That's all. He's taken an ego hit and he's a bit mad. Can't blame him."

He gave a nod. "I get it. I'll back off for now." He sighed. "Can I ask you a favour? With respect your adopted brother?"

Adrianna nodded her appreciation of Zai dropping the topic. She smiled and sipped her drink, "I'll hear the favour before I decide on whether I will do it."

"Just be patient with him, even when he's being like he is with me. The reason I tolerate it and Sabastian does to an extent is because I know the history and having mind melded with me Sabastian does too." He sighed. "So Fang never talks about this, he didn't even tell me as Zai but when we were kids, when he knew me as Xingtian he told me. On Capella each Tier has wife. Fang's father did not, he had seven mistresses. Fang's mother was the seventh mistress and the way he's being with me is the way his father was with his mother but...somewhat more aggressive. Fang swore he'd never be that but I think he's regressing and I sense that it's eating him inside. I'm trying to get him to go to the counselor but he's not seeing me as me he's seeing me as something that belongs to him right now, he knows it, he's fighting it he's angry with himself disgusted but maybe if you talk to him."

"Don't worry," Adrianna smiled, "I can see the pain and understand his conflict. I'm already seeing what you're telling me. He's an easy man to read. Call it experience from reading people whilst undercover, but I can see it. I'm keeping an eye on it. But I want you to know, I will not intervene between you two. I have enough drama of my own to last a life time. I am here for both of you, though. I always will be. It doesn't mean that you can't talk to me about stuff. I just won't be offering advice and so on."

He smiled. "I understand." He paused. "Can I admit something to you?"

"I feel like even if I say no, you will still tell me," she had a playful glint in her eyes.

"I'm falling hard for Sabastian. We did an empathy link today, not something that empaths like to do but it's where we scan one another's emotions and sincerity only done on rare occasions by any empath. I think that this is for real, I want Sabastian, for a life time."

"There is a story on Earth, and there are versions on other planets too," she smiled, looking a little nostalgic, knowing that she'd heard the story from Vance, "before we are even thought of being conceived, we are one soul. The soul is then broken in half. When we become physical entities, the souls are almost magnetized-- destined to find each other and be whole again." She paused, sipping her drink before continuing, "what you are feeling, right now, is that pull."

He smiled. "Yes my people have it too it's our goal through the soul readers to find that person and Sab...I think he's that for me." He sighed. "Do you feel that way about Vance?"

A smile crossed her lips and she was silent for a moment, "Even when he was 'dead', I was always drawn back to him. Memories of him would interrupt moments with Jason because they are quite alike in a few respects." She sighed, "I never stopped loving Vance. It took me the equivalent of eight days of knowing him in person to know that I would give up Starfleet for him. Well, five conscious days, 3 days are a little fuzzy because of blood loss. But he knew the second her met me. I don't know if that was him joking with me, because I literally saved his life at a poker game, but I'd like to think that we were meant for each other."

She shook her head, "were." She sighed, "if fate so chooses, I'd happily change were to are."

He took her hand. "I really hope you two can find your way back to one another."

She smiled, "even if we don't-- I regret nothing. He set the standard for me, and I wouldn't settle for anything less than what I had with Vance." Her eyes wandered over to Jason, who was sitting alone and evidently sulking. She sighed and returned her gaze back to Zai, "just not yet. I'm still too hung up on hope."

"Hope is a powerful thing." He sighed. "Okay let's get out of here. I'm walking you back to your department."

She smiled and finished her drink, "if my mother dies, and I'm still single and she's not got any grandchildren-- just know that she will haunt me. I won't be going insane-- she will genuinely haunt me." She chuckled, standing up.

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