A Side Of Chocolate

Posted on Fri Jan 25th, 2019 @ 5:22am by Mackenzie Bergman
Edited on on Wed Jan 30th, 2019 @ 1:50am

Mission: The First Step...
Location: Dev's Place
Timeline: 2388/08/26 2140 (August 26 2388 9:40pm)

Mackenzie walked into Dev's place and gave a low whistle of appreciation as she looked around to take in all of the sights. This place was absolutely gorgeous, but it wasn't nearly as much as her own place was. Of course, she was incredibly biased, too. "What do you think, Squirt?" She glanced over to Kelly and smiled.

A man with dark brown hair, beard and mustache with blue-grey eyes nodded to them as they came in. "Evening, ladies, and welcome to Dev's Place. Feel free to seat yourselves."

The sound of smoky jazz filled the lounge and a few people who hadn't attended the ceremony or decided to come there directly after the ceremony mingled about, sat at the bar, or sat at tables talking to each other.

"Wow," Kelly said, looking around. "This place is really classy. I love it."

"So, I see." She said in awe. "Let's go find ourselves a table."

Looking around at the amazing layout, Kelly pointed at a table by a window that overlooked lush vegetation. "That looks perfect." Smiling, the petite brunette headed over to the table she had indicated, rubbernecking as she tried to take in everything at once.

Mackenzie followed behind her taking in the sights as they moved along, but she stopped and gasped. "Kelly! Watch out for that chair!" She tried to rush forward to keep her young cousin from tripping over it.

Kelly turned her head and sure enough, she ran into the very chair that Mack had tried to warn her about. Reaching out an arm, she caught the edge of the table, which wobbled in her grip and she watched the floor threaten to greet her face. "Oh crap..."

Mack caught her other arm before she could fall over and helped to reign her in a bit. She frowned. That could have been disastrous for the young cadet. "Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?" She started to look her over, making sure there were no marks anywhere.

"No, I'm fine," Kelly said. "Thanks. Starfleet is trying to kill me before I have a day of classes. First it was the Ariolo Parasitic Infection, then I got sick on wine, now I'm tripping over chairs."

"I need to put you into a plastic bubble to keep you safe." The petite redhead said, helping the young brunette over to the table she chose. "You can't go around getting hurt if you're going to be the best pilot Starfleet has to offer. It just wouldn't work out." She waited for Kelly to settle down before she dared to sit down herself. In case Kelly missed, Mack had to be there to catch her.

Sitting down without breaking anything, Kelly sighed. "Yeah. No, I won't get hurt if I can help it. This place is just so fantastic that I was trying to see everything at once and wasn't watching where I was going. When I finally get to sit at the helm of a starship, rest assured my eyes will be on the sensors at all times."

"Whew..." Mack said, blowing out a relieved breath as she moved over to take her own seat. "For a second there... I thought you might fall off the side of your chair." She grinned and crossed her legs.

Hey!" Kelly squeaked. "I'm not that clumsy. At least I'm not like the Intel instructor. I heard a rumor that he almost fell in the stream on campus his first day."

Mackenzie laughed. "Oh, gosh, Kel. You crack me up. I absolutely love you."

"What?" Kelly asked with an innocent look. "I'm not the one who did it." She reached for a menu. "Let's see what they have to eat here."

Reaching for a menu of her own, Mack opened it as she laughed again. "No, but still. You and the Intel instructor can have an accident prone race. Then again... I don't want you to break your neck."

"Neither do I," Kelly said. "I think I'm ahead of the Intel instructor, but he can get ahead any time he wants. I actually thought about taking Intelligence, but I'm smart enough." She gave a cheeky grin.

"You're damn right you're smart enough. You managed to get into Starfleet, unlike some of us." She pointed out.

"Don't put yourself down, Mack," Kelly chastised her. "It's a grueling selection process. I nearly cracked on one part of a psychological exam that I took. I had to choose between trying to save a friend who was trapped in an area that was filling with plasma, versus sealing the area off so more people wouldn't be killed. They make the tests very real." She shuddered.

"Why do you think I failed?" Mack asked softly.

"Did you ever think about re-applying?" Kelly asked her.

Mackenzie shook her head. "No. I'm too old for all of that now. Besides... I wouldn't have the salon anymore if I did that, and I happen to love what I do."

"Speaking of, can you put me in for a style and soak in a hot tub in a couple days?" Kelly asked her. "I'll let you know a day before."

"I can do that. It's under twenty-four hour surveillance, so make sure you spread the word and let the cadets know. I'd really hate for them to try to sneak in and discover security waiting for them by the time they get out."

"I will," Kelly said before glancing at the menu. "They have real meat here! Oh wow...I love this place. A shame I have to be with an adult to get in. I want a double bacon cob'lat burger with onion rings and a strawberry shake."

"I'll let you eat your weird food. I'm getting steak. The mooing kind. From Earth. That eats grass." Mack said. "With fries and a choc... vanilla shake."

"You can have chocolate," Kelly said. "I promised to be good." She looked at the dessert menu and bit her lips to suppress a whimper that slipped out. "They have Ktarian chocolate puffs..."

"I'll get a chocolate one so you can have a few sips. I didn't see you with any chocolate earlier today, so I'm sure you can get away with it." She flagged a waiter down, and when one came over, she placed their order and turned back to Kelly once he was on his way. "So... tell a bit more about this crush you mentioned."

"Did I mention a crush?" Kelly asked, looking a bit confused. Between the stress, the argument, her medical treatments, classes and getting sick, she didn't remember mentioning anything about a crush.

"Er... now that you ask, I don't remember." Mack replied a little sheepishly. "It's been a pretty long day as I'm sure you can agree."

"Or are you a mind reader, too?" Kelly asked. "I do have someone that I kind of like."

"I'm definitely not a mind reader. Tell me about this person." She said as she leaned back her chair.

"She's my roommate," Kelly said. "Fresh faced, no need for make up, in great shape...and pretty clueless about the fact that I like her. I even told her that I'd date her. I think she thought I meant if I was a guy, though."

"Huh... I suppose it's a possibility that she thought that. If you ask me, perhaps, you should wait it out and see where things go? I mean... maybe she's a bit confused and doesn't know what she actually wants."

"Or she's totally clueless," Kelly said. "At any rate, after that, she introduced me to some of her friends."

"Be careful, Kel. You have to watch for people who don't know what they want and hide behind others. I don't want you to end up getting hurt." The redhead said just as their milkshakes were dropped off, and then the waiter was off again.

"Papa always told me if I wanted something, to go for it," Kelly said, taking her strawberry shake and taking a sip. "How am I going to get what I want if I back off at the first sign of someone hiding?"

Mack took a ship of her shake, then offered it over to Kelly. "All I want is for you to be careful, sweetheart. Pursue it, but be careful."

"Careful is my middle name," Kelly beamed, wondering if Mack would buy it for a second as she accepted the shake and took a sip before handing it back.

"Mmm... I'll try to believe that." She said, taking her sweet goodness back to sip it again. "If you have anything you ever need to talk about regarding this, whether it be venting... the need for advice... anything, my door is always open to you."

"Okay..you're female," Kelly said. "I need some advice. A stranger..a friend..whatever...approaches you and compliments you in a way that's pretty obvious without being obnoxious. What do you do?"

"I accept the compliment graciously and thank them."

"What if they said that they'd date you after that?" Kelly wanted to know.

Mack looked thoughtful for a minute. "Well... if someone told me they wanted to date me after they'd just given me a compliment, I would take it just for what it was. Interest."

"That's what I'd think, too," she said after a moment. "Gwen didn't say anything when I told her that."

"Nothing? At all?" She looked absolutely shocked.

Kelly shook her head and looked down. "Nothing. Then she introduced me to some of her friends."

"Do you get the feeling she's interested in you?"

"I have no idea," Kelly said. "I wish I knew one way or another."

"Bring her to the salon. Maybe she's just a bit high strung. If she's relaxed, then maybe you'll be able to get some kind of response out of her." Mack offered.

"That's a good idea, Mack," Kelly said, perking up. "Do you have hot tubs for two?" She asked with a sly grin.

"It will fit about eight."

"The other six will have to wait their turn," Kelly said before taking another sip of her shake.

A minute later, their waitress arrived and served them both. "If you need anything else, let me know. My name is Tiana," she said before heading off again.

"I'll book it full when you want it. Just let me know what time." Mackenzie said after thanking their waitress. She grabbed her knife and fork, then began cutting into her steak.

Kelly picked up her sandwich and took a big bite. Chewing and swallowing, she took a sip of her strawberry shake. "Deliscious!" she exclaimed. "I don't want you losing money, though. Besides, I don't think you'd want to have to clean the tub if things go...happy."

Her eyes shot to her cousin. It couldn't be written on her features anymore plainly if someone had done it with a permanent marker. Mack was clearly stunned, shocked... "You would do that after what I told you earlier?"

"Mack, I'm joking," Kelly said. "Would you rather I go back to being pissed?"

"No, but here's the deal. If things do start to go that way, and you can't make it somewhere that has a bed, then I'm going to hire you for a day so you can clean it. Deal?"

Kelly's mouth fell open and she actually blushed. "Done!" she said before Mack could back out of it. "Her name is Gwen Morgan. Make sure to add her to my appointment time, and I'll pay you back as soon as I get my credit allotment for it."

"Don't worry about that. You're family." Mack said. "It might be better, in the event things get... happy... that you take it outside of the tub. I'll be there to let you in. The doors are on a timer, so once you leave, they'll lock and neither of you will be able to get back inside. Just make sure you're both back by curfew."

Kelly smiled and leaned across the table to give Mack a kiss on the cheek. "You are awesome, Mack. I'm glad you're also understanding. I doubt anything will happen, but I really appreciate you looking out for me."

Mackenzie smiled. "It's my job to look out for you, Kel, and I'm glad I could help out." Part of her hoped that she'd at the very least try to return the favor where she was concerned.

"When I get settled in and find a place to perform, you have guaranteed free tickets to all the shows that I plan on putting on here at the campus," Kelly said. "I've been working on a new set of songs that no one has heard yet, too."

"I'll be there with bells on." She said with a smile. "I'm looking forward to it, too."

"You should hear Gwen sing, too," Kelly said. "She can match up almost any song I have with lyrics. She's amazing and her lyrics stir the soul." Her eyes looked off in the distance for a moment and a soft smile crossed her lips.

Mackenzie smiled. Her cousin seemed to have it back. "I'll hear it just as soon as you guys find a place to play regularly. Right in the front."

"I would expect nothing less," Kelly said. "Now let's eat and relax until curfew."

"You got it, kiddo." Mack said, smiling over at her. She was so grateful she'd asked Kelly to stop... given her a better understanding, but she knew the young cadet was likely a bit upset about not being told the truth sooner. Sadly, there just didn't seem like a good time to do so before the ceremony without it setting the tone for the rest of the day.

Digging into her cob'lat burger and onion rings, Kelly smiled. "I did get to meet some new cadets, though. Sito Jondar and Phoebe Cavendish. Sito thinks he's the galaxy's gift to everyone in the form of awesome and Phoebe was so quiet that you could hear a fly fart."

The redhead sitting across from her blinked, looking right at her. "Kel... did you just..." She burst out laughing.

"What?" Kelly asked guilelessly as she nibbled on an onion ring.

"Maybe she's shy?" Mack asked.

"Maybe she was the balance to Sito's stunning personality," Kelly said. "It must be at least on setting three."

"Strong personalities normally are."

"Sadly, I didn't get any more one on one time with Gwen after that," Kelly said. "The trip to your salon won't give her an escape, though. If she takes me up on it."

"I'm sure she will. Who wouldn't want to go to a salon that's all expenses paid?" Mack asked, taking another bite of her food.

"Someone who may be reluctant to be alone with someone who said she's sexy and would date her," Kelly retorted after taking another drink of her milkshake.

"Well... you'll never know if you don't ask." She said.

"I'm going to have to whack her with a spanner, if that's the case," Kelly said.

Mack cocked her head to the side. "Honey... if you want to see to it that you have a chance, try not to whack her with anything. It would get the opposite effect. I'm almost certain about that."

"It's an expression, Mack. I point blank told her that she was cute, beautiful, sexy and that I would date her. There's clueless, and then there's sheer naivety."

"It sounds like poor Gwen has that in abundance." She said. "Did you ever take a second to think that maybe she's a virgin and doesn't see herself as any kind of sexual being?"

"Oh my..." Kelly's mind took off in a momentary fantasy before she got her thoughts under control. "Still, you don't have to be sexualized in order to understand the concepts of beauty when someone calls you beautiful."

Mackenzie nodded her head. "Like you said, though. It could be a simple case of being naive."

"Or she doesn't want to acknowledge that another female is interested in her," Kelly pointed out. "I'm going to find out one way or another, though. Subtle isn't working out too well, and I don't think she would respond well to me pushing her up against a wall and kissing her while feeling her up."

The redheaded woman closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She was extremely supportive of her cousin and everything she did in life, but there were some things that were sacred, and what she just said fell into that category. "Find a middle ground, Kel." She needed to figure out a way to scrub her brain of the mental images her cousin planted there.

"That's what I'm trying to do," Kelly said. "Maybe the spa will help give me that opening. No innuendo intended."

Mackenzie mentally groaned. What was she going to do with her? "It's possible. Ask her if she wants to go, but make sure she's aware that it's just the two of you. I don't want to have a lot of people there while I'm not."

"Oh, I don't plan on inviting anyone else," Kelly said as she finished her onion rings. "They can book their own appointments."

"Indeed they can. That's what it's there for." Mack said, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear. "I think this might help her loosen up a bit."

"That's the plan," Kelly said. "What about flowers?"

"Flowers will work, and I'll take care of dinner for you both, too." The redhead said, finishing off the last of her steak. "I'll get it from here so there won't be a need to eat any of that replicated junk. We'll have to put off our dinner for the following night, but that's okay. This is for a good cause."

"Really?" Kelly asked, looking surprised and pleased at the same time. "You'd do all that just so I could have some alone time with her, including closing the salon?"

"Of course. How does nineteen hundred sound? We close at sixteen hundred hours, so it will give me time to set up, and you both time to spend with one another before curfew."

"That sounds absolutely perfect," Kelly said. "Thank you, Mack. I owe you two."

Mack shook her head. "You don't owe me anything, Kel. I'm just trying to help you out the only way I can."

"You're still totally awesome," she said. "And I love you for being here with me at Magellan. I thought I was going to be lonely and missing my family. Not that I don't miss Papa and Mom, but having you here makes it less lonely."

"You're so stinking cute, Kelly, and incredibly sweet." She said. "I love you, too, you know, and I'm glad I make things less lonely for you. But, have no fear, you'll be seeing your Mom and Dad before you know it."

"I really wish they could have been here for the ceremony," Kelly said. "Seeing it in a holo just isn't the same." She paused, her emotions swelling up in her and she felt her eyes get moist.

"Aww... honey." Mack said, getting to her feet to move over and embrace her. "They wanted to be here, too, but things just didn't line up right. I guarantee you they'll be here just as soon as the wormhole opens up again."

Returning the hug, Kelly did her best not to sniffle. Then her eyes landed on the chocolate shake that Mack had temporarily abandoned and her hand reached for it before she even realized what she was doing as the cold glass met the warm skin of her hand. "Umm...I know." Thoughts of the cold chocolatey delight sliding down her throat was almost overpowering, but she forced herself to release it with an effort of will. "They'll be here and I can fill them in personally. I'm keeping personal logs and composing letters for them, too."

Turning to see her shake moving across the table, the redhead woman laughed and shook her head. It was only about half full. "Go ahead and have the rest of it. I don't think you've gone over your limit yet."

"You mean it?" Kelly asked as she snatched the shake like it was about to be transported beyond her reach if she didn't react. "Thank.." she took a sip and sighed in relief. "...you!"

Mack grinned down at her before she moved over to the table and took her seat again. "You're welcome, sweetheart. I don't think it's going to hurt you."

Taking another big gulp of it, Kelly set it down on the table. "That was so good," she said. "I wish I could come in here more often. Then again, I wish there was another place on campus for the cadets other than the mess hall or replimats." She shuddered.

"I can bring you in here."

"Yeah, but I don't want to take advantage of you," Kelly said. "You just sacrificed the rest of your milkshake for me, arranging to give me special treatment at the salon, getting me and Gwen dinner...You're bending over for me."

"You're not taking advantage of me if it's something I want to do, Kel." Mack stated. "And I wouldn't call it bending over. I'd call it helping."

"Fair enough," Kelly agreed. "If there's ever something that I can do for you that doesn't go against what I believe in, let me know."

"I will, sweetheart. We're family, and family looks out for each other. It's my job to see to it that you're happy, healthy, and well taken care of."

Kelly smiled. "I wouldn't say it's your job," she said. "It's what family does for each other."

"Well... I made it my job." She smiled.

"Will you accept private violin performances as payment?" Kelly asked. "I could really use a guinea pig...I mean, a neutral observer with a fine ear for talent."

Mack laughed. "I can be your guinea pig, and I do accept."

Kelly grinned and giggled. "Thank you, Mack, and I was kidding. You've heard me play and I trust you to be honest enough to tell me if I suck or not. Do you remember that PADD that Papa first got me when I told him I wanted to do something different with my music?"

"You're welcome, kiddo." She said with a smile. "I do remember that PADD. Why do you ask?"

"I still have it and use it to compose the digital part of my music," Kelly said. "It looks like it's seen three quadrants worth of use and I've wiped it dozens of times to re-use."

"I didn't think you'd get rid of it considering it's something your Dad gave you. I brought the teddy bear Daddy gave me. He's sitting on my bed as we speak."

"Aww..that's adorable," Kelly said.

The waitress returned. "Would you ladies like to order dessert or a refill on your milkshakes?"

Mack looked up at the waitress and shook her head. "No, thank you. If I try to eat anything else, I'm pretty sure I'll explode." She looked to the young brunette sitting across from her. "How about you, Kel?"

"No, thank you," Kelly said. "The meal was delicious."

The waitress set a small PADD on the table with a smile and headed off again.

Kelly looked at her cousin. "This evening didn't start out that well, but it turned awesome."

"It did turn out well, and I'm glad you stopped." Mackenzie said, reaching for the PADD to sign it and authorize said credits to be pulled from her account. Kelly had it made with having family on Sapientia with her, and while she'd be making her own soon enough, Mack would help her out along the way. "Thank you for being my date this evening, Miss Khan."

"You're quite welcome, Miss Bergman," Kelly replied. "I'm glad that I stopped, too. I have a hard time sleeping when I'm upset and tomorrow is going to be a big day."

"I didn't want us to leave on those terms, and I meant it. One day at a time, kiddo. Do you want to take anything with you to go?"

"Go where?" Kelly asked, looking confused.

"Back to your place, of course." Mack replied.

"Oh! No, thank you," Kelly said. "We have small replicators for drinks and snacks there. I don't know how they'd react to me bringing food in."

"That's true. I didn't even think about that, and I certainly don't want to get you into any trouble." She said, stretching her arms above her head with a groan. "There's still time before you have to go back, too. I have zero idea what we can do to kill a bit more time, but I don't like the idea of you sitting in the dorms not doing anything, either."

"We can wander around campus," Kelly said. "Or I can play some of my new music that I'm working on for you."

"That sounds absolutely perfect. Let's go." She rose to her feet and hooked arms with her cousin once more, then headed out for a evening of the best violin music anywhere.


Mackenzie Bergman
Owner: White Lotus Salon and Spa
Magellan Station

&

Cadet Freshman Kelly Khan
Flight
Magellan Campus