Splash
Posted on Mon Nov 18th, 2024 @ 8:26pm by Jynx & Lieutenant Adrianna Baciami
779 words; about a 4 minute read
Mission:
Stars Around the Well
Location: Pool
Usually, in the middle of the night, nobody was ever here. Jynx liked that best. From first thing in the morning till late afternoon she was surrounded by people. It could become exhausting, hearing complaints all day. Especially those who took offence to their names being wrong on a cup of coffee.
She’d love to see them try to manage with an alien language thrown at them at warp speed as the ordered weird and wonderful varieties of coffee. They always got what they ordered in the end. Well, almost always. Sometimes.
Alone she dived into the pool, swimming underwater where she could imagine it was a vast ocean full of promise and wonder. Far away from espressos and caramel lattes…. Nope, here there was just her and the imaginary ocean.
And as she swam her wet brown hair changed colour from roots to tips, becoming turquoise as her eyes did the same. Indulging in her playful spirit as she made full use of the freedom of the entire pool to herself, able to last far longer than a human could without coming up for air. And indeed her range of motion underwater was more akin to an aquatic species than… well, whatever she was.
At one point when she did surface. she suddenly realised someone else was there, in the water just beside the diving board.
“Sorry,” she apologised as she swam to the edge, beginning to climb out. Use of the ship facilities was a bit of a grey area for her as a civilian, which was why she always sneaked in when it was usually empty. That way her boss wouldn’t be able to get her in trouble. Because he sure was never gonna fill out the official requests.
Adrianna raised a brow and waved her off, "don't be silly. You are not hurting anyone. If anyone says anything, direct them to me. The ship is all of ours."
Jynx smiled, diving straight back in before resurfacing almost exactly in front of where the woman she remembered now was called Adrianna, stood. “Thanks. This is like my favourite place but Mr Klein doesn’t really agree with personal time. I can stay over that side if you want to swim laps or whatever.”
"He sounds like a cazzone," Adrianna chuckled, "don't worry. I have finished my laps. I'm about to get out. You're Jynx, right?"
Jynx winced, “did I mess up your coffee order?” It was, in truth, a fairly safe bet.
"I don't think so," Adrianna responded honestly, "you didn't even spell my name wrong. No, I'm ex Intel. Knowing people comes as a habit. Plus, I never forget someone who can make a good coffee."
“I’m not that good,” she confided, “it’s just putting the right stuff in the machine and it does the rest.”
Adrianna shrugged, "if you say so. But I still believe it's got something to do with you. Do not sell yourself short."
“That’s easy to do when you are five foot nothing,” Jynx laughed as she ducked under the water for a moment before resurfacing. “What was that word? Cazzone? I don’t know that one.”
"Sorry-- I cuss worse than a Romulan and to combat it, I cuss in my native tongue-- people think it's just a slip up, but how much more professional does it sound to call someone a cazzone instead of a dickhead?" Adrianna chuckled.
That word Jynx had learned in her time amongst humans and she laughed aloud, even though she would never dare say it to him in any language. “I guess it does sound better,” she agreed. “I guess though I’ve known way worse than him. He is usually all … what was that phrase Billy used…. Bark no bite?”
Usually.
"Ah," Adrianna nodded her understanding, "there was a time when people like that used to scare me. Then I started biting back. Soon silenced the bark."
Jynx was about to say something when she noticed the time, her eyes widening when she realised she had been here way longer than she had intended. “I’m gonna be late. Coffee can’t make itself! Nice seeing you, thanks for not kicking me out.”
With a friendly wave she climbed out the pool, the air immediately seeming cooler. She grabbed her bag from the bench and headed for the showers with a towel draped over her shoulders for warmth. If she was quick, she’d make it to work on time.
"I'll see you soon, no doubt," Adrianna smiled, "let me know if you need help with your boss. I like watching men cry."
That, Jynx absolutely believed.