Booze Buddy

Posted on Mon Oct 7th, 2024 @ 7:18am by Lieutenant Adrianna Baciami & Lieutenant JG Zai

1,863 words; about a 9 minute read

Mission: Stars Around the Well
Location: Mess Hall | USS Arcadia
Timeline: Current

ON:

Having been released from Sickbay Zai felt a renewed hunger. He decided that even though the food was from the same source sickbay food was not as good as mess hall food. Perhaps it was the atmosphere? He wasn't sure but he knew he had gotten his appetite back and for the moment his mind was at peace...of course that could have been due to Engineer Sopal, the Vulcan, who had visited Zai and helped with some meditative techniques. The Vulcan had looked at Zai and instantly known that his thoughts were in turmoil. He may just start attending those Vulcan meditation classes at the rec center.

He sighed as he walked in and looked around. Once again he was hit with the emotions of the hall. The Counselor was amazing at blocking this but he was used to the force now. It used to bug him at the Academy when he first arrived on Earth but now he was used to it.

Zai's eyes zeroed in on the person he had wanted to visit eventually. Now seemed like a great time. He grabbed his tray and some food and then headed over to where Adrianna Baciami was sitting. "Lieutenant, may I join you?"

Adrianna looked up from a PaDD she was reading whilst eating. She gestured to the seat opposite her as she had her mouth full. Swallowing she finally nodded, saying, "si, of course."

He smiled his violet eyes flashing. "Excellent." He placed his tray down and sat down. "I have a proposition for you."

"I am having a lot of those lately," Adrianna looked at him curiously, "go on..."

"I have been told you are the person to see about Grappa...that's the name of your ... alcoholic elixir?"

"My family makes it," she nodded in response, "colloquially referred to as 'rocket fuel'. What is it you want?"

"Well! I happen to be the expert in Engineering Hooch! I was thinking we could trade bottles." He grinned and rubbed his hands.

She raised an eyebrow before shaking her head with a chuckle, "grappa is not a 'hooch'." The word did not sound right on her lips at all, and so she tried to say it a few times, but gave up. "It would hardly be a fair trade, do you not think?"

"Oh come on. You haven't tasted the rocket fuel we produce. How about a taste test...just don't tell Fang about it. He's less then impressed with Engineering hooch. Ito and him have tried to confiscate our still so many times..." He shook his head. "What do you say? Taste first judge later?"

"Fine," she replied, "a taste, but I am difficult to please. A word I learned whilst in London last 'snob'. I am a snob when it comes to my drink."

He snorted. "So am I that is why I produce the best Engineer's Hooch ever!" He paused. "Ohh okay I finally get why people laugh when I call it that. It does sound weird right?"

Adrianna nodded in amusement, "si-- terrible, isn't it? At least I have the excuse of my culture and upbringing. What do you have?" She then reverted in topic slightly, "have you even had grappa before? Hooch, at most will get to 40%, grappa is a minimum of 60. Caught with it, and you'll be up for one hell of an argument with the cap-i-tan or XO. At least if I'm caught with it, my name is on the bottle-- literally."

He laughed. "About the same alcohol content then. No never had it. How about we finish lunch and then grab a drink. We can have a hooch off." He snorted and then laughed. "Might be fun, as for the bottle have you thought about a lesser way to advertise I mean you can use bottles without a label."

"It's only myself and my oldest brother that are in Starfleet," she chuckled, "the rest of my family all work in the winery. I'm an heiress to that fortune. I will not be tamping down my name for anyone-- even if it is just on a bottle." She paused, "if you refer to grappa as 'hooch' one more time, the deal is off." There seemed to be humour in her tone, but she was deadly serious. It was her family pride and joy.

"Alright we'll have a Grappa and hooch off. By the way maybe you can help me come up with a better name for the Engineering brew then hooch. Sound like a plan?"

"I think it is aptly named," Adrianna chuckled, finishing her meal, "you can always shorten it to EBH. Sounds professional and somewhat cryptic enough to keep it under wraps." She looked over to his near empty tray and waited patiently, "we'll head to engineering first, and then my quarters. I have a few types of grappa, so depending on your hooch, you can try a few."

He grinned. "Funny that we have two versions. Mint and one I like to call Bitter sorrow." He shook his head. "Not Engineering but J tube Delta, not used, empty unless there is an emergency, and can only be opened by the Chief Engineer's code...which I know." He grinned. He finished shoveling the food down and a few minutes later looked up with a mischievous grin. "Ready?"

"Intriguing," Adrianna stood up, "please: lead the way. I must say that you have me intrigued."

He smiled. "I am a person of many talents and I know good liquor. I think I've tried most of it. Fang and I used to work as bartenders during our Academy days. He was always better at the basics and I was the one with the fancy moves and drinks." They bussed their trays and headed out.

Opportunity: that is what Adrianna had. "You've known him for some time, and clearly followed him. I don't know much, but that sounds like more than a mere friendship to me," she mused, "or is it mere coincidence?"

He smiled. "No. Fang saved my life on the first day I entered the Academy, he was a year ahead. I honestly didn't know what I wanted but ended up in Engineering, he graduated ahead of me and we somehow ended up on the same posting." What he didn't say was that he had ensured they that would end up on the same posting. "Then we kind of made a pact to move together, which wasn't easy." He shrugged. "We're good friends. I guess we were instantly drawn to one another. Our history is long and complicated." He cleared his throat. "Fate I guess." He shrugged. "As for more then friendship I guess. Friendship, brotherhood, soulmates whatever you wish to call it." He sighed. "Fang is...important to me in many ways." He shook his head. "Sorry I don't usually turn into a chatty Kathy."

Zai was saved by the opening of the turbo-lift doors. As they entered he changed the topic. "So how long has your family been making the Grappa."

"One hell of a coincidence, but it's sweet," she replied before commenting with a slight warning, "being 'chatty' is often a sign that your skirting around a truth. I'm not someone you can lie to, but I'll drop it unless you give me reason not to. Sense of duty and all that. You understand." She then got back to the topic. All she needed was the warning shot, she, after all , was here for mere alcohol, "anyway-- myself and my brothers would make it the 15 generation working at the family winery."

His eyes widened. "WOW fifteen generations! And has each generation improved on the formula or has it been carried over all this time?"

"The original formula is still the biggest seller," she replied, "but we have some flavoured stuff and proper wine too."

He grinned. "Now I'm looking forward to it more." They arrived at the small J tube entrance. He looked around and tapped in the code. It went red. "Dang. I forgot Ito left. This is Fang so..." He tapped in another code and went green. He snorted. "Seriously, for this too?" Turning to Adri he motioned. "In you go!"

Adrianna cocked her head to the side a little, debating if she should warn Fang and get him to change his passwords. She shook her head, it was only hooch and only for this tube. She nodded and stepped in. Her eyes looked at the set up, she had to admit that she was impressed at the ingenuity.

He grinned. "Now this is magic." He walked over to a small cabinet and opened it. "I'll let you choose one both or both and the new flavour that our Andorian Engineer is trying out. We have Mint and one I like to call Bitter sorrow that is grapefruit infused and the tester is Raspberry called sour candy."

"My apprehensive nature tells me to allow you to give me what you feel is best, as I fear the bar is rather low," she looked at him somewhat apologetically, "let's try your bitter sorrow."

He smiled. "Sounds like a plan." He opened the bottle and then poured a bit in a small tester glass. "Bitter sorrow, named after that someone special."

"Ex fiancée," she smirked, negatively nostalgic. She sipped it and savoured it for a moment. She had a keen pallet when it came to food and drink, Adrianna felt that it was part of her culture to be like it. "Certainly tastes bitter, but I don't get the hint of sorrow," she finally broke her silence, "It's not bad, the smoked after taste really gives it a -- si, ok, I will give you a single bottle of Grappa."

He laughed. "Yes! And I will give you a bottle of each to try." He held out his hand. "Deal?"

"Deal," she replied, "but tread carefully. I'm not getting my ass handed to me because of loose lips. And don't forget," she gestured to the set up, "keep this from the lower decks. They can't handle the weak stuff, let alone this."

He grinned. "Done!" He sighed. "You know what? I'm starting to like you Ms. Grappa. I think this is the start of a hoochnership."

Adrianna groaned and rubbed the bridge of her nose, "don't make me regret it. If you're into Russian standard, my ex's family make it. We're still on good terms, so I have a couple of bottles. I'm not a huge fan, but sometimes you need the regretful burn."

He laughed. "Vodka is something I stay away from. Tried it, not a fan but will keep it in mind." He sighed as he looked at the clock. "Well then. The hallway should be deserted. Let's slip out. I should go home and shower. I swear I can still smell sickbay on myself even though it doesn't have an odor."

"Oh-- it does," she replied following him out, "regret and ethanol." Adrianna then added, "I'll drop some grappa off on my way to shift tomorrow."

"Thanks Booze Buddy!" He grinned. "Enjoy the Engineering hooch!"

Adrianna groaned at the name, "starting to regret this union."

OFF:

 

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