JP: Lt. Riley Delar, Ensign Andy Monroe & Lt. Geoffrey Teller - Exotic Blends

[Riley Delar]

((The Brew Continuum, Deck 4, USS Veritas))

::After making an absolute mess of the place in his hungover haze this morning, Teller had returned to the shop with cleaning supplies and intended to give the entire place a through going over.  As they were in dock, his duty shift had been largely focused on reports and updates about the ongoing Warp XV core upgrade, and while the project itself was tremendously exciting, the actual day to day work involved at this point was largely tedious minuta that was being handled by the Caitian yard crews.  As he had done all the paperwork he could stomach, Geoff Teller was now whistling a tune to himself and scrubbing off the counter-top, which he’d spread coffee grounds all over.::

Teller:  oO At least it smells great. Oo

::As he ducked under the counter to discover where a number of errant coffee mugs had ended up, he heard the doors of the shop swish open and called out blindly to whoever was there.::

Teller:  Happy to help you, whoever you are, but I just started cleaning the machines out - it’ll be a few minutes till they’re done their cycle.

::Teller emerged from behind the counter and found himself face to face with their newest Security Officer, Ensign Andy Monroe.::

Monroe:  ::waving once to Teller:: Hi, how do, Lieutenant.

Teller:  Good to see you Andy.  While we’re in here, we usually drop ranks - you can call me Geoff if you like, or Chief if you’d prefer.  

Monroe:  ::he smiled softly:: Oh, well then hi, how do, Geoff. Chief. Cheoff. Good to see you as well. Thanks.

Teller:  No problem.  So what brings you by?  Just looking for a decent cuppa?  

Monroe:  Yeah. And a decent man. ::a pause realizing he’d just spoken that thought aloud without quite thinking about it:: a specific one, I mean. Not just in general. Pretty sure I’d already be talking to one if it was in general. oO Just stop talking a second, Andy. Oo A date. Riley Delar, I think. You may have talked to him the other day, maybe.

Teller:  ::chuckling::  Oh right, I nearly forgot - that conversation was before the...vole...fiasco.  Well I’ll be back in business here in just a minute so make yourself comfy.  Replicators over there if you want something to snack on in the meantime.    

Monroe:  I’ll keep that in mind, Cheoff. ::he was, in fact, saying it with a slight attempt to mimic the accent as he got comfortable.::

::As Monroe relaxed into a chair and Teller continued to putter behind the counter, the doors to the shop opened again, admitting Lt. Riley Delar, the Bajoran officer from the Astreaus he’d talked with briefly at the party.   He gave the man a broad smile and a nod.::

::Andy glanced up as Riley walked in sending his own smile over that way.::

Teller:  Come in come in.  I was just telling Mr. Monroe over there that coffee will be just a minute, so feel free to have a chat while I finish cleaning up.  ::Teller snapped his fingers.::  You mentioned knowing Doc Skyfire, right?  You ever try his signature raktajino?  He gave me a bit before he transferred over to the Monty and I’ve been saving it for a special occasion.  Interested?  

:: The Bajoran officer nodded slightly at the mention of the former CMO, and gave a slight nod. There seemed to be an ease about the Veritas officers that came with...what was that word? Camaraderie? Riley smiled softly in return toward Geoff. ::

Riley:  Yes, I did. :: He paused. :: You have some of the good doctor’s raktajino? Yes, please. That stuff is delicious. :: He turned to Andy. :: And I’d highly recommend it.

Monroe:  Well you can color me intrigued by it. Hell yeah.

Teller:  Sounds good.  Gonna have to go dig it out of my store room, you guys make yourself comfortable, I’ll be back in a few minutes.  

::Teller smiled to himself as he headed into the small hydroponics bay he’d built out of a closet in the rear of the room.  He knew exactly where the raktajino had been set aside, but felt that perhaps a few minutes spent looking for it would be...beneficial to his customers.::

::Andy appreciated Teller’s absence, he found he was a much better flirt when he didn’t have an audience for the initial move making. He turned to face Riley properly, leaning just slightly in his general direction::

Monroe: I think this is grounds for a compliment. I think you’re cool beans.

::And that was why he didn’t need an audience. He struggled momentarily not to laugh at himself, just a little embarrassed.::

:: Riley glanced down for a moment at one of the cups that Teller hadn’t yet cleaned up. ::

Riley: Coffee puns? :: He paused, and glanced down at the cup. :: I told you the glass would be a bit small for the both of us, yeah?

Monroe: Sorry, I use humor when I’m nervous. I haven’t actually… been on a date in a while.

Riley: Me either.

:: He glanced down at his hands, slightly embarrassed by his own admission. He hadn’t actually been on a date...like, ever...but today was a day of firsts. The first time he’d actually had a chance to sit down and talk with another officer, from not only another ship but another department. It was such a welcome change from the monotony on DS 17. ::

Monroe: So what’s it like to be a mission specialist, I think you said?

Riley: It’s a mixed bag. Some days you get the really interesting assignments, some days you get really super-seekrit hush-hush “if I told you that I’d have to redact you” things. It depends really on your captain, I’ve found. It’s...both a privilege and a curse, as you have to be mindful when dealing with junior officers who aren’t on the “need to know” list, if you catch my drift.

Monroe: ::nodding, genuinely intrigued despite the next words out of his mouth:: Am I on your “need to know” list? Because I think you’re on mine now. I like mysterious. ::playful wink::

:: The Bajoran leaned back and studied Andy for a long moment. Without readily knowing what the physique would look like beneath a Starfleet uniform, he had a pretty good idea based on what information he could find in the LCARS database. There was something about those eyes that was irresistible, but he didn’t have the faintest idea how to even begin to issue a compliment. His awkward charm of trying to pretend he had all the experience in the world was probably going to fail horribly like a flat souffle. ::

Riley: Something about those eyes will be watching me forever.

::Andy glanced up a second, trying to stop the blush a little too late. He’d gotten compliments before, but usually the eyes weren’t the first thing people mentioned when looking at him.::

Monroe: Forever, huh?

Riley: Let’s just say I’ve been thinking about today...about you...a latte…

::The security officer was absolutely delighted by the pun, unable to hold back the laugh. Though it was a touch closer to a giggle of sorts if he was honest with himself about it. Mostly just thrilled to know he’d been thinking about him a bit, too.::

Monroe: Like your coffee tall and blond, then, I suppose?

::Returning from the store room after what he felt was the longest delay he could justify, Teller found the two young men giving one another a significant look.  Noticing that the infuser was blinking cheerily that it had completed its cleaning cycle and was ready to go, Teller began assembling the raktajino and was immediately struck by the heady aroma of the extremely powerful brew.  Just as he was pouring the drinks, his comm badge chirped.::

Loupaz:  =/\= Loupaz to Teller - Chief, you’re needed in Engineering.  Yard needs you to sign off on a few things.  =/\=

Teller:   =/\= Understood, I’ll be back down in a few minutes - you want a coffee?  I’m up in the shop.  =/\=

Loupaz:   =/\=  ::laughing:: No thanks Chief, my heart hasn’t stopped racing since the last one.  See you in a few.  Loupaz out.   =/\=

::Teller looked over to the two men and wasn’t entirely sure they realized he was in the room.  They were clearly hitting it off and Teller was happy to see the two finding some happiness, however brief it’d be.  Teller delivered the coffee to the table with a flourish, then started heading for the door.::

Teller:  Sorry gents but it looks like I’ve got to run.  I’ve left everything setup back there if you’d like anything else.  

::Andy shot a grateful smile to Teller and made a quiet hand motion of “thank you” in ASL whether or not he knew that’s what it was.::

Riley: Alright.

::With a small wink towards Monroe, Teller headed into the hallway towards Engineering, before stopping and turning back to the door controls for the shop.  With a smirk and a few quick taps, the door was locked from the outside and the display changed to a helpful sign.::

Closed Temporarily For Private Function

::Teller resumed whistling as he headed back down to Engineering, content he’d done what he could to buy the two a small measure of privacy.::

::For a few seconds after Teller left, Andy bit his bottom lip, thinking. And then tried the coffee, that was part of this, after all. Found himself just a bit surprised by how immediately strong it was::

Monroe: Oh damn, that’s good. That’d definitely wake someone up, y’know.

:: Riley had a sip of his drink as well, managing a slight nod at Andy’s joke. It was a terrible coffee-based pun, but at the same time he felt oddly attracted to the security officer. If it was true attraction, they may not be able to explore it fully. ::

Riley: Dr. Skyfire says this is real raktajino, not the Federation’s attempt at replicating it. Recipe was brought back from Q’nos.

::Andy leaned forward slightly, resting a hand on the counter between them a little.::

Monroe: So, this might be a bit unorthodox, is it okay if we cut the usual type of small talk a bit? It’s great, but I find you don’t really get to know people the way I like to. ::a hopeful smile. He was trying not to be too much up front.::

:: Riley’s brow furrowed slightly. He didn’t know what to make of the request, as he was still new to Terran methods of flirtation. There was a giant gap in his practical experience in the art. So, he nodded slightly and had another sip of his coffee. ::

Riley: Alright. How do you normally get to know people?JP:  Lt. Riley Delar, Ensign Andy Monroe & Lt. Geoffrey Teller - Exotic Blends

Monroe: Let’s see ::he had to think for a minute what he wanted to go with:: tell me… something about you that you don’t really tell people often. Doesn’t have to be serious, can be anything, just lesser known things.

Riley: I’ve...never actually been on a date before. This is my first.

Monroe: Really? Well now I feel kinda special. ‘Specially cause you were the one to technically ask me. ::minor shoulder shimmy, pleased.:: But, ah, would you say it’s a good date?

Riley: I would. ::Riley smiled and tentatively put his hand on top of Andy's while staring into his intoxicating eyes.::   Best date I've ever had. Coffee’s good too.

END
===
Lieutenant Riley Delar
Mission Specialist
USS Astraeus NCC-70652
O239002CS0

&

Ensign Andy Monroe
Security
USS Veritas
V239604AM0

&

Lieutenant Geoffrey Teller
Chief Barista
USS Veritas - NCC 95035
Capt. R. Rahman, Commanding
V239509GT0