driftfleet | A Tourist's guide to a February Mingle

Come on, that can't be your real job. You seem far to competent for that.

_{[ No, really, you do. You need to breathe more, but she didn't seem
like the sort to just play coffee gofer either. ]}

Thanks. I hope so too. Do you have any friends from your home here?

I'm a personal assistant for a very powerful woman. It's a very challenging job, but making sure her coffee is perfect is part of that.

[ shrugs ]

I think if I were to just describe it, it wouldn't sound as fulfilling as it is.

[ she's casual talking about her job but when the topic turns to friends, she does the restrained smile thing again ]

And no, no one's shown up yet. But there's always hope? Winn would probably think it was really cool. Alex would get to work trying to figure out how to get us home, and James would probably want to document everything and get in trouble.

_{[ He glanced to her in time to catch the restrained smile, surprised
at how easily she shifts expressions, though he's known for the same thing.
Was talking of home that painful for her? She seemed a sweet girl, one who
valued her friends and family deeply from the basic conversation they've
been sharing. ]}

You'll get home to them.

_{[ It's said softly, but with an assuredness that is undeniable. He
says it like it will happen, that he will make it happen. ]}

[ she smiles warmly ]

Thanks. I will too, and I'll have a good opportunity to make new friends in the interim.

You will too.

_{[ He chuckles. ]}

Don't worry about me. I've never had trouble making friends - or getting into trouble, as it happens.

The coffee maker on the other hand...

Is clearly put here as a test of our worthiness to serve on this vessel.

_{[ That sounded totally legit, right Kara? ]}

[ not in the least. she's entertained ]

Look, you're from like way in the future. I think you'd be excused for not knowing a thing or two about coffee makers.

_{[ He looks at her. ]}

What makes you think we don't have coffee makers in the future?

_{[ They did, but they were more like replicators half the time. Just
poke a button and tada! Coffee. ]}

[ a very serious look ]

Starbucks isn't just going to let the future happen without some sort of corporate coffee revolution. Come on.

_{[ He blinked at her, hand still on the coffee maker like he was
keeping it in place. ]}

What's Starbucks?

You don't have Starbucks? Wow.

They're just a mega popular coffee shop chain. They've kind of revolutionized society's relationship with coffee. I just figured they'd invent something new and evolve with the times.

[ shrugs. who knows ]

Hmmm, well, maybe they didn't make it through some of the socio-economic changes that happened. We still have coffee, but I usually got mine from this place called Brewsky's. They had the best triple espresso shot for the all nighters.

Well, that sounds very useful, especially for a place named after beer. Though come to think of it, I don't know what Starbucks is named after.

Well, it was around the Academy, so it had a sort of double life - bar hangout and place people could come to cram. Just had to go on the right nights of the week.

_{[ His roommate had snored so much and been such a pig - almost
literally - that Brewsky's had been of the best alternatives next to
McCoy's place. ]}

Probably somebody's name. I can't imagine someone coming up with that and going 'yes, that's a brilliant name for a company'.

Their logo is a mermaid? Maybe it has something to do with that. I'd google it if we could, but I don't think it's quite the same here?

[ who knows ]

So how are you finding it so far?

It's cramped, the gray jumpsuit itches, I lack any of my usual resources... but the company isn't so bad, so can't complain to much.

_{[ He smiles at her and through some act of god manages to get the
coffee dispenser working. He totally meant to do it on purpose Kara,
really. ]}

What about you? You doing okay?

Oh, yeah. You're right about the jumpsuits... surely we can do better than that. I miss my sister and my friends, I'm probably extremely fired right now, and I could do with a bit more sunlight, but it's interesting.

[ she's unendingly optimistic ]

_{[ He likes that about her though. Usually he's the most optimistic
one, but it's nice to find his match. ]}

Well, here's hoping the next planet is a resort, right?

I have to work on my tan.

And thanks for the coffee.

Tell me more about your world?

_{[ He cocked his head at that, wondering what there was to say, though
he realized the Earth he knew was probably very different from hers all
things told. ]}

Well, Earth is now United under one government, and we've largely eliminated poverty and many of the social and economical strains that permeated the early twenty-first century. We play host to a number of alien species now, and we are part of the Federation of Planets so we have regular trade with them as well.

It sounds pretty idyllic.

It has its problems still. Every world does in some way. But it's my home, so I think I'm a little biased about it, even if I plan to spend a lot of my life out in space and away from it.

_{[ He touched his arm where the galactic coordinates for Earth were
inked into his skin. ]}

What's twenty-first century Earth like? That's all in the history books for me.

[ she notices the motion and squints a little when he does it, trying to x-ray to see what he's touching 'cause she's a cheater ]

Hm? Oh, well, it's pretty polarized politically. There's kind of a fear culture in a lot of ways. Fear of the unknown, fear of terrorism... but there's good too. It's no kumbaya utopia but we're making progress.

_{[ He smiled at that. ]}

If it turns out anything like the Earth I know now, you'll pull through. It will come with... sacrifices, but you'll pull through. Hopefully you don't have to go through what my version did.

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