The Coffee and Pastry Table

Taral81424

[Starbase Bravo - Meeting Room A]
[Day 03 - 0830 Hours]

The previous morning, Commodore Juliet St. Clair made a point to get coffee at the specialty cafe Brew on the promenade. There had been enough time, and she wanted to try something made by the hands of a real specialist coffee expert. But at the first briefing, she saw that the event planners had indeed put tables with coffee and pastries for anyone to take. She'd sampled one after the Gradin Belt presentation and it was quite good. Not to the standards of Brew, but better than a lot of cups she'd had at this sort of function.

So on the third day of the conference, she arrived early at the meeting room and took a coffee there. She needed to be on-hand to join Admiral Thrace near the podium when the meeting began, but for now she could enjoy a coffee and mill about with anyone else who was keen enough to stake out the good seats.

Mason

Mason had skipped the coffee shop on the promenade this morning, instead opting to head directly to the TF93 briefing room and grab a good seat. He'd noted the day before that a lot of the briefings had coffee and pastries laid on so he took a gamble, planning on grabbing a little something to hold himself over until lunch.

When he arrived though, he realised he wasn't the only one who'd had the same idea. The blue-haired commodore from the other day was already there, coffee in hand.

"Ma'am," he nodded as he collected a coffee and a couple of the tiny little pastries. Sugar-rush in a bite, they'd be gone in seconds. Coming up to stand next to her, he tried not to loom and looked about the meeting room. "Starting to fill up."

Taral81424

"Good morning, Commander," Juliet said, holding both her coffee and a small plate containing a croissant. "It is indeed filling up. People really want to see Admiral Thrace's presentation." She took a sip of her coffee and smiled. "How was your evening?"

Mason

"Quieter than the one before," he admitted, taking a sip of the coffee. He sighed in contentment as the bitter liquid touched his soul. No matter what else happened, at least there was coffee. It was a constant he'd built his life on. The situation could hit the fan around him, but that first coffee was sacred.

"Just a few drinks, chatting with friends new and old. That's what I like about these things," he smiled down at her. She really was tiny compared to him. Well, compared to anyone really. "How about you? Good evening or did you have one of those fancy higher-up things to go to?"

Taral81424

Juliet grinned at his answer, and his implication about fancy higher-up events. "No, evening was quiet. Dinner with a random group of officers. I bumped into my former Strategic Operations Advisor and her XO, so I hope to have a meal with them later. The I closed the night with a drink with my Yeoman." She gestured to the human woman in her late twenties who was helping make sure the presentations were properly sorted.

"I think they're planning a flag officers' dinner for later in the week, but I've not heard details. Those can be fun though, Mr. Mason."

Mason

He followed her gesture to where a delicate looking woman with dark hair was wrangling proceedings for the briefing. She had the appearance and manner of the professionally organised.

"I wouldn't know," he smiled at the Commodore's comment. Really, what did she do to her hair to get it that colour? She was human, at least he thought she was, and the last time he checked, blue wasn't a common color for them. "One day I hope to find out though."

Taral81424

She tucked that bit of information away. An ambitious officer was always useful to have on side. Starfleet needed the best, and an upcoming prospective CO like Raan Mason, who hadn't yet been assigned a ship or even a Task Force, should be cultivated.

"Well, I hope you're here in the afternoon. I'm giving the presentation on the Klingon theatre. You might learn something useful."

Mason

He nodded as he took another sip of coffee. A little too warm still.

"I plan to be," he replied, half watching a group of newcomers as they approached the coffee table. Taking a half step, he angled his stance subtly to present the width of his back to them and stop them trampling the smaller commodore in their rush to get to the pastries.

"So far TF93 seems to be the best fit for me. But, I assume the powers that be will put me where they see fit. But," he grinned, a slight edge of teasing in his voice. "I'm fairly up to date with info on the klingons..."

Taral81424

"Are you, now?" Juliet said with a smirk, her own tone matching his. "Well, I don't want to waste your time if you don't think you'll learn anything," she teased, "but I think you'll hear something you didn't know before." It helped that she knew that some of what was in her briefing had been highly compartmentalized until recently. The odds of him knowing every single thing in her briefing were virtually nil. "And I'm willing to put my money where my mouth is, so to speak."

Mason

His eyebrow shot up. He'd expected a polite slap-down for his tone... diplomatically, of course... but instead, she'd met him toe to toe. Although, given her rank and the little he'd been able to read about her in the public access files, he shouldn't have been surprised.

"Really now? What did you have in mind?"

Taral81424

"Hmmmm..." she made a show of thinking hard. "If I win, you join me for a session at the Emerald Fern spa before Osiris ends. I'm going to want another treatment from them anyway. What do you have in mind if you win?"

Mason

A spa. He blinked. Okay, he hadn't seen that one coming. With a small chuckle, he nodded. "Deal. A spa session if you win. If I win..."

He was forced to think quickly. It couldn't be anything too dangerous or difficult, nor anything that would push the commodore out of her comfort zone. Too much anyway.

"A ballroom dancing lesson," he plucked out of the air, the words out of his mouth before his brain even decided on them. "I promise not to step on your toes," he added with a wink.

Taral81424

She arched an eyebrow and pursed her lips. Ballroom dancing wasn't something she'd had any experience in. But she recognized the suggestion for what it was. Something he was at least interested in, but that he suspected would push her comfort zone just a bit. Exactly as she had done to him.

"Deal." She offered her hand to seal the bet.

Mason

"Deal." A smile curved his lips and he shook her hand. Like the rest of her, her hand was tiny and delicate, so he was careful not to crush her fingers. "Well, I guess I should go get a good seat. Make sure I listen carefully."

Taral81424

"You'd better," she replied. "Saying you didn't learn anything because you weren't paying attention doesn't count." She winked, finished her last bite of croissant and mouthful of coffee, and set gave her empty dishes to passing server. She then found a spot to wait for the last few pieces of the briefing to fall into place before they began. On her way, she stopped and whispered into Ai's ear a request to send to her PADD the profile of Commander Raan Mason.