"A Short Drink and a Long Chat"

Posted on Mon Aug 19th, 2013 @ 10:29pm by Captain Torilla Yamaguchi & Lieutenant JG Aidan Murphy

2,520 words; about a 13 minute read

Mission: Mission 84 - Blockade
Location: Outside Crums Establishment - Starbase 400
Timeline: The Night before the Fleet departs Starbase 400

"A Short Drink and a Long Chat"

Lt Commander Torilla Yamaguchi
Chief Strategic Operations Officer
Starbase 400
-
Commanding Officer
USS Venator

***** Outside Crums Establishment - Starbase 400 *****

Lt Commander Torilla Yamaguchi liked hot environments
as much as the rest of her family did which was not at
all, she truly hated them with an intense passion, she
was much more at home on Earth's most southern
continent of Antarctica or most of Andorians Northern
plains.

She could be found more at home wearing a heavy
jacket then as little as possible, she was forty years
old and the effects of three pregnancies were obvious
to herself and everyone around her as she had nursed
three children herself but she was still able to turn heads
and was still lovely to look at and admire from far, if she
did say so herself, Torilla had her moments of vanity but
she was entitled.

She was stopping in for a quick meal before getting back
to the desert recipes she had promised the owner of the
establishment when she heard a male voice talking, and
whats more he was talking to her.

She turned herself. "I'm Sorry Lieutenant... What?" she
inquired.

It was Aidan's day off, which meant he was visiting his usual haunts on the promenade - 'making the rounds' as he liked to call it - before he would eventually end up at Cumm's for a late night in the company of his new Bolian friend. He'd been standing outside talking with a fellow officer before that friend sauntered off, and he got distracted in a communicator conversation with another. He sat himself on a bench nearby and didn't find reason to move, even after the conversation had ended. He'd been perusing a PADD when he glanced up and saw something he liked. He wondered for a split second if he'd offended her, or if she'd simply not heard him, before repeating himself. "I said, I'd like to take those ample nacelles for a few rounds at warp speed." He drawled in his Irish brogue, smiling sweetly even as he indiscreetly looked her over. "I mean..damn, you wear the uniform well, lady."

Torilla chuckled softly. "Well I try." she responded evenly, her Halanian accent
coming out, it sounded like a cross between German and English. "My husband would find your compliment amusing but you're safe..." she
smiled. "Besides... I don't get many compliments these days..." she commented as she regarded him.

Just then the turbolift door and a young girl appeared, the child smiled as she came over to Torilla. "Oh hey Mom... fancy meeting you here.."

"Yeah, tell me about it... your old mother does know how to get out of the office from time to time." Yamaguchi replied to the child who shared many of her looks, except much younger.

As Aidan watched the situation unfold, he exhaled a long sigh. If this woman had a child, there was a great possibility that she was taken. Normally these things were much easier, but it had seemed that since his arrival to Starbase 400, he had been experiencing greater degrees of failure in the romance department. If you could call it that.

"Oh. my apologies sir." Rachael addressed the male officer. "I'm Rachael Yamaguchi.." as she shook hands with him.

"Hello Rachael," he greeted, offering a smile that was only forced a little as he shook her hand. He tolerated children, enough said.

"Well... such is life." Torilla commented. "Rachael... isn't Paul waiting for you?"

"Yep... well I'd best be off.... got things to do and things to beat up and all that.... later." and with that, the child turned and departed into the crowd, leaving the older woman to turn her head. "So... Lieutenant, what were you saying about my eyes?"

As Rachael made off, Aidan sank back against the bench and turned his attention back to her mum. He hadn't expected her to continue to engage him, let alone encourage. "I was saying yours are the most gorgeous I've seen this side of the quadrant." He finished it with a smile, then seemed to hesitate with a thought before getting to his feet. "I'm sorry, I had no idea you were a mum." he said, his apology sounding slightly forced. "Doesn't mean I can't buy you a drink." He approached and offered her a hand. "LtJg Aidan Murphy, and what may I call you..other than beautiful, of course."

Torilla smiled as she looked at the younger officer. "Torilla." she smiled. "Lt Commander Torilla Yamaguchi, Chief Strategic Operations Officer for the base." she responded. "I actually have three kids and my husband is on another assignment." she had known many interesting souls over the years and this one sounded like he was eager and bright but also something of a lone wolf.

She smiled. "Of course you can buy me a drink..."

"He's a lucky man, but I'm sure he knows that." Aidan said, putting an arm around her as he lead her into Crumm's. He was grinning a bit, considering it a small victory that she said yes. "Chief Strategic Ops Officer you said? Gorgeous and brilliant, no wonder you're married. Tell me more." he said, genuinely interested, even if she was off the market.

Torilla nodded as she looked at him but she was also equal to him to height and similar in mass as well except she was sure she was heavier. "Well... whats to tell?" she inquired. "My other two children are at the academy and will be graduating soon, my eldest is a forth year student and my second is graduating in two years time, assuming he survives married life.." she explained.

"Well I wish him the best of luck in that." Aidan commented wryly as they reached a table. He gestured for her to have a seat and then took one of his own. "But you've told me a lot about your children and nothing about you."

Torilla selected a chair as she regarded him. "Indeed but that's because I tend to keep to myself, my training, raising Rachael and my assignment takes up a great deal of my time." she explained.

"With all of that, how do you have time for any fun?"he asked, arching a brow at her as one of Crumm's holo-waitresses approached. Aidan allowed Torilla to order first. He would likely have his usual, which the waitresses knew already.

"Fun?" Torilla inquired as she looked at him, despite the fact she was at least ten years older then he was. "I manage to relax as best as I can... when I get time... which isn't often.." she explained. "combat training helps" she added with a smile.

"So you're a fighter?" he asked, a brow arched as he looked at her with intrigue. She could probably have him on his back in seconds, a fact which had it's appeal, of course. "That's an interesting way to relax. What kind of combat training do you do?"

Torilla smiled, she was a telepath though not as strong as a Betazoid or an Ullian but she had caught his thought of him having her on her back, the idea made her smile as she also recalled how much she missed her husband's company. "Usually mixed martial arts... but sometimes... I fight for the thrill of combat as my children could tell you..."

"Are you training your children too then? You must be a very cool mom." The compliment was genuine, of course, and delivered with a smile. Before the conversation continued, one of Crumm's holographic Orion girls approached to deliver their drinks. "Thanks." he said with a nod, then scooped up his whiskey and had a measurable gulp.

"I do train my children, I believe its important for them to be able to defend themselves and not call for help when someone throws a punch." she explained. "My eldest found this out last year, her ex-boyfriend tried to take things from her she was not prepared to part with and he smacked her around for it." she sipped her drink. "she broke both his arms and legs for him. personally, had her father been there, he would not have stopped with a simple beating." she then smiled. "Rachael, whom you met earlier is more talented then either of her siblings..."

"Well good for her then!" Aidan chuckled when Torilla described her eldest daughter's experience with a boyfriend. "And I can't disagree on the importance of being able to defend oneself." he said, giving her an obvious once over. "I'm sure you could break a few limbs yourself if the wrong guy tried anything." He raised his drink, reminding himself to back off as this one was married.

Torilla chuckled as she grinned at him, clearly catching his eye roaming over her figure but then after raising three children, she had an impressive figure if she did say so herself. "Oh easily.." she responded. "I was wearing my workout clothing while taking a stroll and three men wanted a few minutes of my time, I said no, they pushed the matter and I broke two of them."

Aidan inhaled sharply with a grimace, but it was all in jest of course. "Ouch. Remind me to keep on your good side, love." He said with a smile as he fidgeted with his glass. "So, tell me about this husband of yours. In addition to being damn lucky, he must be a remarkable man."

"Well Jake Yamaguchi is a good man, gentle... he doesn't raise his voice or shout at people, doesn't intimidate or try to bluster or bluff... he will look at you and speak his mind... he will say it to your face and he's very honest, he also never hides behind the rank." she explained. "He gave me three lovely children and a hell of a marriage...."

"He sounds like a fine man." Aidan said, oddly bringing his own family to mind - specifically his absent father and alcoholic stepfather. "And no doubt a wonderful father to those three lovely children." he smiled a bit. "I can see you're happy with him, and I can honestly say I am happy for you then." Happiness had been difficult to find, in Aidan's case..but he didn't spend a lot of time mourning that fact as he tended to live very much in the moment. And for the present moment, he was content.

Torilla raised an eyebrow as she regarded him, clearly he had caught her attention with that statement. "Aiden, you hardly know anything about me but... that statement tells me a lot right there..." she paused. "all of my rather sizeable family are close... I'm the last Unal... my bloodline will continue through my children..." she admitted. "You aren't close with your family?"

He smiled, taking her words as complimentary, even if he didn't know what his statement told her. "I am..relatively close with my stepsister, whom I love enough to say with confidence that I would die for her. The rest of my family, not so much. It's been years since I've seen my mum. My stepfather and I have never quite seen eye-to-eye, and I rather prefer it that way." His brow furrowed as he pondered his situation briefly - he tended not to even bring it to mind, because loneliness nagged at him when he did. Then, as if shrugging the thought off, he raised his glass and swallowed a gulp of whiskey. "This," he said, gesturing to their surroundings. "Starfleet, all of this..this is my family now."

Torilla nodded as she raised her glass in response. "Fair enough." she responded. "My family is large. I have seven siblings in all, all on my husbands side and they all think of me as blood despite they are human and I'm Halanian, I've never known that sort of inclusion without hesitation or reservation." she sighed. "I'm sorry you don't get along with yours."

"Meh." Aidan shrugged. "I'm sort of done being sorry over it. It is what it is. One day, hopefully, I will have a family of my own and that void will be filled. In the meantime I'm content to focus on having a career."

Torilla looked across at the other officer. "Are you trying to seek her out?" she inquired. "A word to the wise if I may?" she inquired.

Aidan thought about it, and decided that he supposed he was trying to seek her out. He gave Torilla a nod, then. "By all means..though, I wouldn't call myself too wise." he said with a hint of a smirk, bringing his drink to his lips.

"Wisdom has nothing to do with it, its simply a matter of chance... if you believe that she's out there then you'll find her, the key is to not look for her."
she explained. "Let her... come to you."

"Well she better hurry up. I can't wait around forever." he said with a smile.

Torilla raised an eyebrow as a smile graced her lips as she sipped her drink as a rather attractive Bolian woman came by, she was wearing medical teal and wore a skirt which showcased her muscular legs, Torilla indicated her with her glass. "perhaps her, the Bolian I mean.."

Aidan leaned to his left to look around Torilla as the woman passed by, taking an ample and unscrupulous look at her behind and those long, blue legs. He nodded in approval as his gaze shifted back to Torilla. "I could dream at least." he said, then seemed to battle with a thought. "Or I could go talk to her.."

Torilla smiled at him as she chuckled gently. "Go on... you might find her enticing or... downright repulsive." she lifted her drink as she clanked it against his. "To the manly art of wenching." she noticed the Bolian was now at the bar. "So... go talk to her..." she added with a knowing smile. "Before I do."
as she gave the handsome Bolian the once over. "A bit small for my tastes... but..." and with that she gave the Bolian a sultry look.

Aidan laughed out loud as Torilla joked about going to talk to her herself and furthered the humor by giving the woman a very obvious once-over. "Fair enough, you've talked me into it." He said, raising his glass. "It's been a pleasure my dear lady. Until we meet again." He said with a slight dip of his head as he stood from his seat, finding he felt a little buzzed from the bit of whiskey he'd downed over the duration of their short conversation. He just couldn't drink these days like he used to. With a final look at Torilla, Aidan sauntered off toward the bar, thankful to see there was an empty seat beside his intended target.

Torilla smiled as she tapped her glass against his. "Good Hunting... " and with that she settled in to finish her drink alone and once she had polished it off, she smiled as she departed the lounge.

***** Here's where the fun begins - Anakin Skywalker *****

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