Testing Language Skills

Posted on Tue Nov 26th, 2024 @ 11:03pm by Lieutenant JG Zai & Lieutenant Adrianna Baciami

1,294 words; about a 6 minute read

Mission: Stars Around the Well
Location: Main Engineering | USS Arcadia
Timeline: While the last of the passengers getting on the shuttles.

ON:

Adrianna stepped into engineering, once again causing a change in atmosphere. She had to admit that it was amusing. She felt like the villain in a movie, where the room gets cold and lights flicker and so on. The fact that there was a smile on her face and not an ounce of malice in her system was almost contradictory to the feeling her presence brought.

It was close to the end of shift and Adrianna poked her head around the door of the engineering office, seeing both Sabastian and Zai there. She grinned and said very quickly in Italian, testing Zai, "hello handsome, can I steal my husband for the evening, please, I'm helping him move in since his ring finger may be aching from last night's tattoo."

Zai laughed. "Sì, naturalmente." He smiled. "Sabastian finished his bridge shift and is down here helping while Fang is playing XO." He paused. "Why is his ring finger hurting? What tattoo?"

"Aww, is his big boy uniform now fitting him, or does he still look like a 'take your child to work day' candidate?" Adrianna gave him a smirk, continuing the conversation in her native tongue, "perhaps because in a give and take world-- wait-- you helped him design mine. Did he not tell you about the full Baciami tradition?"

Zai snorted. "No. He just said he wanted to tattoo a ring on your finger and you said yes and I know he's not that good so I told him if he was going to get all creative it had to be perfect."

"Ah," she nodded, enjoying using her native tongue, "long story short, one of my ancestors was called up to war and he couldn't afford a ring or marriage licence, so they tattooed rings on each other. In the eyes of the family, they were married. Then when he returned from war, and could afford both a ring and marriage licence, they got married properly. It became a tradition, especially amongst those that struggled to get actually married, included my parents who had to cancel their wedding a few times. So, Vance tattooed me... And I tattooed him. I've never tattooed in my life. It's not great, but yes. Married until a wedding. Which, of course, you and Sabastian will be invited to on the family vineyard."

Zai translated for Sabastian and Sabastian smiled. "We'd love to come."

Zai grinned. He walked over to Adrianna and hugged her. "I'm so glad you are happy."

Adrianna grinned and switched to standard for Sabastian's benefit, "so, si, married-ish and moving in. I just have to tell the family. Though someone has arranged a big family call tonight. Hoping for good reasons."

Zai smiled. "Well I'm thrilled for both you and Vance."

"About what?" Anabelle and Fang walked in.

Sabastian stepped back towards the corner putting distance between him and Fang but keeping the wall to his back, almost like a coiled viper.

"It's taken years, but--" Adrianna showed her hand, "just until we're back on Earth and then we'll do it properly."

"What's that?" Annabelle asked.

"A more permanent version of a wedding ring," Adrianna beamed.

"You're married?" She snorted. "Condolences to the poor man."

"Could say the same thing about your man," Adrianna muttered in Italian. It didn't get to Adrianna though, she was too happy. She switched back to standard and her smile returned, "ah, here is the poor man now."

Vance grinned as he came in. "Hey. Party I wasn't invited to?"

Adrianna shook her head, "gawd no, I'm here to pick you up to help you move. It just so happened that Sabastian was here when I came to thank Zai for the ring design. Then those two showed up-- of which one is happy and the other thinks that you are a 'poor man' for being stuck with me, but she doesn't know you like I do-- I know that it's the other way around."

Annabelle looked over between the two. "You...you two are...it's that serious?"

"We've been engaged for," Adrianna thought about it for a moment, "technically two years. Together for three or four in total. In fact, his opening line to me when we met was 'you are my future wife'." Adrianna kept enough hidden for everything to remain kosher in terms of Starfleet retracted reports.

He smiled. "Yup I did."

Annabelle snorted. "You've got to be kidding me. You're not a match. He's too good for you!"

Vance bristled. "Excuse me? Annabelle who the hell do you think you are to say that?"

Adrianna raised a brow, "no, no, Vance, I've got this one. I'm curious." She looked at Annabelle, calm-- dangerously so, "tell me, Lieutenant, what is it that you are basing this off? The fact that when we met, I told you professionally to leave because you were interrupting an off duty lunch meeting just to tease a friend and your boss? Ah, perhaps it's because I threatened engineers after a prank went too far, risking the mental health and physical well being of a senior officer because of a lack of cultural understanding? Perhaps, it's because I keep this ship free of contraband on the lowerdecks making this ship one of the best in the fleet-- volunteering to do so because of my history as an undercover op? Oh, no, better yet, perhaps that is the reason? Reading too many redacted files on me and listening to too many ghost stories about what I did, who I killed and the lengths I went to whilst undercover? I have walked through hell, and used It for my benefit to make me a better officer and to keep you and everyone else safe, without hesitation. So please, tell me, what is it that makes you, a stranger to me, think that you know me enough to make that judgement call. I'm unarmed. I'm surrounded by witnesses. I'm feeling professional today. I won't press charges. I'm curious. Tell me." She perched on the desk, with a smile, showing her palms as if to say that she was surrendering to whatever Annabelle had to say.

"Anna..." Sabastian.

"Zip it before I clip it!" She threw to her brother in law.

Zai snorted.

Annabelle turned to her. "Nobody is good enough for him. You might be hella impressive on paper somewhat loo loo but hey a women should be loo loo but he deserves the best of the best. He deserves to be with someone who will worship the ground he walks on and who will keep him safe an care for him... and...and..." She waved a hand her eyes filling with tears. "What the hell am I bothering with you for." She turned and stormed out.

"Um..." Sabastian said. "Okay....I'm going to check on her." He hurried out.

Adrianna nodded, watching her leave. She'd been taken back by the actual tears. She looked at Vance, "if she only knew the whole truth, perhaps she'd see differently." She stepped over and kissed his cheek before suddenly looking confused and looking around the room, "also, can someone please tell me what 'loo loo' means?"

Fang held up his hand. "Means crazy."

"Aaah," Adrianna nodded, before considering it in context, "then si, I am definitely loo loo." She paused and looked back at Vance, lowering her voice for just his ears, "you obviously mean something to her-- more than a mere friend in her eyes. I don't think it wise that I talk to her, but perhaps you should. I know she's married-- I don't foresee this being that kind of love, but she cares for you."

"Yeah...let's go get me moved."

"Si, I have pizza for tonight," she grinned, "come on, marito mio."

OFF:

 

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