“Forgive me. I realized I never introduced myself. I’m Leichnik.” He held out a hand. “Right!” Rao quickly looked for a place to put down her glass to free her hand before taking his, “Pleasure to meet you.” She tried not to laugh at the ridiculousness of such a formality. “Now that we’ve been formally acquainted; why don’t I introduce you to some people who work closely with the Academy. I’m sure they’d love to pick a fresh cadet’s brain.” He handed her back her glass, his fingers gliding past her fingers to her arm to guide her towards a particular group of well dressed individuals. “Sure, of course.” Rao took a large sip of the rich liquid to help loosen up a bit. She’d barely finished swallowing when she noticed people around her looking up followed by a large presence looming nearby. Tilting her head back she smiled at a familiar blond man, “Hey.” Leichnik’s hand immediately fell from her arm as Rao continued talking to her date, “Did you finish your greetings already?” Seeing that Leichnik was still standing there she quickly gestured between the two. “Leichnik this is Marcus. Marcus this is Leichnik; he was going to introduce me to some being affiliated with the Academy.”
“Good evening, Marcus. Nice to see you grace us with a date. Is it a special occasion?” Leichnik asked, appraising the pair while Rao helped herself to a few more snacks.
…
Zletka landed in the chair with a soft ‘thunk’; grateful Vinaa had styled her hair lest a few strands might have fallen lose. Running her fingers over the fabric of her dress she basked in the sudden reprieve from the constant barrage of strangers’ thoughts and emotions. Her gaze flicked to him as she listened, her momentary understanding growing with limited distraction. She had to agree with him though. It certainly wasn’t Romulus…or Betazed. Rising from her seat she stood at the edge, resting her arms on the railing to take in the view. Watching him quietly she noted the way his smile contorted his features. “Marcus invited her and yes, she is capable enough in most situations.” Her voice was naturally lower as opposed to the higher pitches common in terran females. “Am I your respective affair for the remainder of the event or solely the next six or so minutes?”
Leave a Reply