JP PNPC Laxe Adea and Commodore Nicholotti - What You Don’t Know…

[+ Vitor S. Silveira]

Random encounter with the mother-in-law.  My first thought was "I just have to share this one".

Thank you for this @Genkos Adea an @Kali Nicholotti

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((Second Promenade, Deep Space 224))

Laxe bustled along the promenade at quite the speed; having completed her chores for the day, she was looking forward to getting back to her quarters, getting in the bath and reading a new holo-play she’d been sent. Her head in the clouds, her eyes unfocused and her body on autopilot, she completely missed the fact that where normally there was air, there was now person. 

L.Adea: Ouch.

The sound, along with the force of impact, was what alerted her to the fact that someone had bumped into her. Kali turned, looking down at a Betazoid woman who had found herself on the ground with some concern. In turn, the woman looked up at her and started stammering before the raven-haired command officer could say a word.

Now on her tush, Laxe looked up at the striking woman standing over her. A flash of recognition came over her face as she realised who it was she had bumped into in her blindness. 

L.Adea: Y-y-you’re Commodore Nicholotti!

Used to such things on Ops, but not here on 224, Kali offered a bit of a smile and nodded.

Nicholotti: The one and only, we hope.

She offered a hand to help the woman up. Laxe stood up triumphantly, and brushed the dust off herself with the hem of a scarf.

L.Adea: My son’s spoken about you many times; Genkos? 

At the mention of his name, a warmer smile spread across Kali’s face. So this was his mother - she had to be. While she knew the woman resided on the station, Genkos had never really said much else about her, and Kali was never one to pry. When he was ready to share, he would. In the meantime, chance meetings would lead to conversation.

Nicholotti: Has he now? Hopefully all good. ::Chuckling.:: It is good to meet you finally.

Once the woman was again on her feet, Kali gestured to the side of the thoroughfare to avoid any further incidents or accidents. They didn’t need to hold up traffic as they talked, nor risk running into anyone else. Once to the side, they began again.

L.Adea: And it’s my absolute pleasure to meet my son’s Captain. 

Nicholotti: Everything alright? Hopefully you’re not hurt. I could call medical if you need me to?

L.Adea: No no, if anything it’ll give me a good chance to call my son. ::she beamed:: He’s a doctor you know. How is he doing? You see him more than I do.

Kali smiled. Of course. Every good mother cared more about their children than whatever was happening to them at the moment. She would oblige.

Nicholotti: Things have been a bit chaotic since we’ve taken on the Excalibur, but it’s also given us the opportunity to get closer. 

There really was nothing quite like waking up and seeing him there each morning. It offered her a stable place to begin her days, regardless of what those days brought with them. 

The use of the word closer and the way the woman was smiling; a blush in her cheek, piqued Laxe’s mother senses. She narrowed her eyes at Kalianna and peered into her eyes, looking for something there; affection maybe. She could have just read the woman’s mind, and if they’d been on Betazed she would have, but humans had weird hang-ups about telepathy and “invasions of privacy”.

L.Adea: Closer? Closer how? Are you and my son… you know… ::she whispered:: dating?

Raising an eyebrow, Kali leaned her head to the side slightly. Had Genkos not said anything to the woman in front of her. What had she just walked into. It was true that he’d not said much about his mother, but apparently he hadn’t said much to his mother either.

Whatever quagmire she’d stumbled into, it was too late to back out of now…

Nicholotti: Uh…yes…

Laxe’s dark eyes grew wide, and her whisper rose to an excited shout. Kali was taken so much by surprise, she actually took a step back.

L.Adea: You are?! Why didn’t I know this? My son keeps these things from his own mother! Oh my. ::she gripped Kalianna by the arm with more strength than one might have suspected:: Well you and I are having lunch, my dear, um, Commodore, and I want to know ::she looked Kalianna right in the eyes:: everything.

With her crystalline blues locked on the woman’s dark eyes, Kali realised that she probably wasn’t getting out of lunch. And so she smiled graciously, sliding into ambassadorial mode and letting her mind settle despite the idea that Genkos, however unknowingly, had basically set her up for this. She would have words with him later, perhaps, but for now she would make use of this opportunity. For everything the woman thought she was going to get from Kali, perhaps there was more that Kali would get from her.

Nicholotti: Everything. Right.

Laxe looked around the bustling promenade, but she was just a bit too short to really see over the crowds and gain her bearings. Instead, she looked up at the taller human and hooked her arm into hers.

L.Adea: You’ll have to find us somewhere.

The two moved through the crowded area, weaving through people and avoiding those who weren’t paying attention to where they were going until they reached a small cafe that seemed almost forgotten about. It seemed like just the place to share secrets, and the raven-haired command officer got the impression that this woman thought that there was so much more to the story than there might have been. She wondered, for a moment, if ‘Kos could feel her thoughts as she sent a mild annoyance through the metal bulkheads and deckplates to wherever he might have been, along with a bit of mental laughter. She’d been caught in a trap, but truth be told, her own parents didn’t have a clue about much other than she’d returned from the scar. They didn’t know about the dashing Betazoid doctor that held her affections, nor her own promotion to Commodore, though the latter might have been easy to see in public record.

Nicholotti: This is a nice little place.

Laxe looked over at the neat little tea room that Kalianna had gestured to, and nodded enthusiastically.

L.Adea: As long as they have fruit teas and cake, I am in. 

With a bit of a grin that was a lot less enthusiastic, but every bit as welcoming, Kali allowed the woman to lead the way.

Nicholotti: I’ve not had breakfast yet. 

And who said you couldn’t have cake for breakfast. Kali grinned to herself as they entered the restaurant and were seated. 

They went in and the server seated them without a second glance. Laxe completely ignored the menu and turned to the server. 

L.Adea: I’ll have a glass of ice water, a pot of uttaberry green tea, and the largest slice of the most decadent cake you have. ::she looked over at Kalianna:: When you reach my age, you stop caring about well.. ::she smirked and her black eyes twinkled:: almost everything.

Kali raised an eyebrow. There was definitely more behind the words than what the words contained, but such was the case with so many people. Mothers of sons, however, they were diplomats all on their own. As she glanced up and put in her own order, she prepared herself for what was to come.

Nicholotti: Iced coffee for me, but I’ll have a piece of the cake as well.

Seemed like the right thing to do. When the server had stepped away, Kali turned her attention back to the woman across from her.

 

Nicholotti: So. Mrs Adea…

Laxe’s brows contracted into a frown that Kalianna would have recognised from her son. Had Genkos not told this woman about his parental situation? They must not have been dating for very long, or else they’d been supremely busy with other pursuits to do much family background.

L.Adea: Laxe please; I’ve not been a missus since my ex-husband went to jail.

With a blink and a bit of a deflecting laugh, Kali just shook her head. She couldn’t wait for dinner. Or bedtime. Or…well, he would have to come home at some point, right?

Nicholotti: What is it you’d like to know?

May as well get to the heart of things right? With her best ambassadorial face, she crossed one long leg over the other and sat back comfortably in the chair. Laxe folded one hand over the other and then beamed a wide, completely becoming smile.

L.Adea: Well. I’d like to know everything. But I guess I will settle for first of all knowing how long you’ve been dating. That will determine how long my son will be in the doghouse with me. 

So, that was going to be how it was. It was fencing, but with smiles, sickly sweet, almost innocent, and hiding so much. Genkos might have been able to protect himself, or hide as it might have been, but she wasn’t going to help in any sort of ‘attack’. Besides, it had been some time since she’d been able to dance the dance of diplomacy and politics. As much as Kali had disliked not being in the uniform at the time, there were moments when she missed being that Ambassador.

But like with so many professions in Starfleet, you could take the Ambassador out of the Embassy, but you couldn’t take the diplomatic skill out of the Ambassador.

Nicholotti: Oh, not long. And you understand, we’ve been deployed and…involved in some important changes in the Borderlands.

Laxe arched a gingery eyebrow and smirked knowingly.

L.Adea: Important changes that are classified correct?

Kali nodded ever so slightly. All that was missing were those flowy outfits that she’d always favoured back in that role. 

Nicholotti: My promotion to commodore brought with it a new set of responsibilities, and as Starfleet does, we continue to explore and seek that which we do not know.

L.Adea: Of course you do; ::with a wicked grin:: and how much exploration have you done with Genkos?

Had Kali been anyone else, she might have choked on whatever air she might have been breathing in that moment. As it were, she was no stranger to being hit on the side of the head with such comments, and she met the woman’s wicked smile with one of equal measure before completely deflecting the question.

Nicholotti: As a valued and trusted officer, he’s been involved in every mission in the Borderlands. 

Calm, measured, and precisely what she needed to say without giving anything away. Besides, the exploratory exploits of Kali and Kos were for their minds and souls, and not for anyone else. 

Laxe threw her head back in a drain of a laugh, and patted Kalianna gently on the hand.

L.Adea: Relax, Kalianna. Do you mind if I call you Kalianna? I’m afraid I’m not a ‘fleeter so fancy titles mean nothing to me. I am, however, dating a Starfleet scientist so ::her eyes and shoulders flicked upwards coquettishly:: I’m not completely ignorant.

Did she have a choice? Kali shook her head.

Nicholotti: Of course not. 

Before more could be said, the server returned with drinks and two of the most opulent looking slices of cake that she’d ever laid eyes on. The cake itself was layered and of obvious variety of flavors and the white icing had clearly been carefully placed and piped in a very particular manner. The cake as a whole must have been quite the piece, when it had been whole.

Kali nodded a thanks to the server as they once again retreated and she picked up her fork.

L.Adea: Well this looks obscene. Tuck in!

And she did so, with quite the gusto and with little regard for manners or crumbs.

Nicholotti: Indeed. So…Starfleet science eh?

Time to turn the tables…or attempt it anyways. If anything, Kali could deflect. Laxe narrowed her eyes; was this woman trying to play her?

L.Adea: Yes, Rumi; a geneticist. He was on the Gorkon with my son, that’s how we met. But then he transferred here when Genkos moved to your little ship. The one that families aren’t allowed on ::she raised an eyebrow:: unless, of course, they’re part of the crew.

Focusing on the cake, Kali was absolutely not going to argue that fact. Now that they were on the Excalibur, things were different and rules were somewhat more expansive. Families were permitted, and children were aboard, but this was one lunch she wasn’t excited about repeating often.

Nicholotti:  Indeed.

But that didn’t give her what she wanted, so Kali wasn’t entirely surprised when the idea was pushed further.

L.Adea: Speaking of which, will you and Genkos be starting a family, or do you have one of your own already?

That was a question she’d asked herself over the years; children and family and circumstance, and how it all fit into being a commanding officer, or an ambassador, or even whatever she was when she’d returned from the Scar what seemed like a lifetime ago. Kali offered the woman a genuine smile.

Nicholotti: I quite like our little family as it is. Nova and Toto keep us busy enough.

Another bite of cake ended that line of thought. The future was always in motion, but again, some things were for discussions that did not include the woman who was on the other side of the table from her. 

L.Adea: Oh I don’t know; that new ship of yours is rather large. More room for… families.

Nicholotti: I am sure. Perhaps next time we are here I can arrange a tour.

Deflection level pro. Kali was bound and determined to build a bridge without giving too much away. Such was how things worked in the diplomatic world, and what was your partner’s mother, but a political connection of sorts.

Defeated, Laxe shrugged. This woman was very good; almost good enough for her little Genkos. But if she hurt him, Commodore or not, Laxe would end her.

L.Adea: Oh, could you? That would be divine.

Before either of them seemed to realise, the cake was gone. Time, it seemed, flew when you were having fun, or conversing with one who required a certain level of verbal sparring. It felt good though, to use some skills she’d not really put to use for some time, and hopefully the whole thing would leave a good impression in the woman’s mind. Still, she’d have a few choice thoughts for Genkos later that night.

Nicholotti: It would be my pleasure.

Laxe stood up, which didn’t really make much difference to her height, brushed herself down and threw another shawl over her shoulder. Inclining her head, she bade goodbye to Genkos’ newest flame.  She would be having words about glaring omissions in his letters home.

L.Adea: Well I think I’ve kept you long enough, a busy Commodore like you must have lots to occupy yourself. ::she grinned:: Well, apart from my son that is…

And with that she was gone in a flash of scarves, shawls and crumbs.

Kali smiled in the veritable silence that followed, shaking her head to herself and letting the memory of the chance meeting settle into her mind. As she took the last sip of her drink, now alone, she decided then and there of the trouble, the chaos, and whatever else may yet come.

He was worth it.

END

–

Laxe Adea

Meddling Betazoid Mother

As simmed by:

Commander Genkos Adea MD

Second Officer & Chief Medical Officer

USS Excalibur-A

G239502GS0 

 

&

Commodore Kalianna Nicholotti

Commanding Officer

USS Excalibur - A

R238605KN0

[+ Yalu]

I was coming here to do the same!  Great sim, @Genkos Adea @Kali Nicholotti!