Lieutenant Commander Timothy Alentonis: My Reputation Precedes Me
Zeph
(( Brew Continnuum -- Port Observation Lounge, Deck 10, USS Chin’toka ))
{{Time stamp: 1850 Hours}}
Tim was busy setting out refreshments for the party, since he knew full well Chythar was going to be at least a little delayed to intercept Mei’konda before he arrived. As such, the usual BC offerings for pastries and snacks were laid out on a list behind the bar with all the intended brew mixes loaded onto an iso-chip near the replicator. Chythar seemed to have thought this out or done it before in some fashion.
The professor, as absent-minded as he was, seemed more dressed for field work than for a scientific endeavor -- a pair of khaki pants and white t-shirt complete with a set of jackboots. His hair was styled with a touch of gel, and the normally visible greyness in his beard was currently concealed by some wash-out brown coloring. He continued to prepare for the party with only ten minutes left to go when he felt a tapping on his shoulder.
Lephi: Excuse me, Doctor Alentonis? I know you're quite busy but I would like to talk to you for a moment if I could.
He turned around and smiled at the owner of the voice, though swallowed roughly when he recognized who it belonged to. He’d made a poor impression of himself with her when they’d first met, and he hoped that wouldn’t come back to bite him.
Alentonis: Hi, Lephi. The comet’s going to be in view shortly.
Lephi: I understand, I'll try to be as quick as possible so you can get back to preparing for the other guests.
Alentonis: Alright. First off, I’d like to apologize for my goofball behavior in engineering when we’d first met. I was a bit too excited at the time about being able to help with the reskarii project and working alongside Rosek that I completely forgot my manners and words. I will be more professional, I swear.
Lephi: Think nothing of it, sir. There was a lot going on that day, and my mind was otherwise occupied. Things have settled down a touch now though, and I think you'll find the atmosphere a little different when you stop by again. Let's do us both a favor and never speak of it again.
He seemed relieved at that, and the tension actually melted away from his shoulders now that he’d gotten that off his chest. He was horrible at first impressions, but was extremely grateful for a chance to make a second impression.
Alentonis: All that said, what can I do for you?
Lephi: Well like I said, I'll get right to it. I hear through the talkative walls of this ship that on top of your high skill in metallurgy, you're also a skilled engraver?
He considered himself competent, at least. “Skilled” might’ve perhaps been an exaggeration and he hadn’t done anything more sophisticated than dog tags for a long time. Though really, only a small handful of people (those he had been on the shuttle with, in particular) would’ve known about this unique skillset of his.
Alentonis: Perhaps. Why so interested?
Lephi's smile widened, and she closed the already short distance between the two of them. Though excitement was etched on her face, she spoke in hushed whispers and kept glancing around perhaps out of nervousness as she spoke..
Lephi: Say a person had a bar of gold-pressed latinum they wanted to have engraved? Could you help them out? I'm asking for a friend.
He considered for a long moment, his mind quickly racing toward all the things that could go horribly wrong with engraving a latinum bar and the potential crime syndicates that could bear down on him should his work be discovered.
Alentonis: Hypothetically, yes. This won’t lead to anything illegal or anything, I hope…?
Lephi: It's nothing like that! I promise. No, I'm going to ::speaks softer:: propose to Elizabeth and I wonder if you might be able to engrave our names on the very first bar of latinum I ever earned?
Again, he seemed to be relieved to hear it. The thought of anything with his handiwork attached being used for such a romantic effort seemed to fill him with a sense of surprise and he replied in an equally hushed whisper.
Alentonis: Yes, I can. Did you want to see drafts of the font used and exact wording before I place it to the bar?
Lephi: Response
Alentonis: Font drafts are the easy part. I can knock one of those out in five minutes. The engraving is the hard part. With latinum, I only get one shot to make it perfect. So whatever the final design will be needs to have your blessing before I take such an action, especially with something so precious.
Lephi: Response
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Lieutenant Commander Timothy Alentonis
Science Officer
USS Chin’toka NCC-97187
O239002CS0