"Wow, how does someone miss the second highest ranking person on the entire station?"
"Oh my gosh." **She laughs.** "That shouldn't be funny but i can't help myself. I have personally been a vegatarian for about twenty years now. When i was in the academy i had a study group that was all Vulcans and then me. It was quite an interesting six years. But i picked up several habits, including vegatarianism and calto. But hey, it wasn't bad; me and my partner won the Vulcan Science prize in '66"
"This is maybe the third time. It hasn't been here for very long, but I make it a mission to know every shop that springs up on my station."
"I must say," he said with a smile, "mine is not looking too bad either."
Will took a sip, and took a moment to savor it before continuing. "I want to thank you," he said. "I haven't had the chance to just... sit and talk for a long time."
Will and Julia walked into the lightly populated establishment, and took a seat at one of the vacated tables and began to peruse the menu. A few minutes later, a waitress made her way over to them.
"What can I get 'ya?" she asked with a smile.
"That sounds great," he said. At the waitress' query, he simply answered, "I'll have the same, thank you."
As the waitress left to fulfill their orders, Will turned his attention back to Julia. "The biggest reason I like this place? They don't even know I'm in Starfleet. It's the one place where I'm not just some fleet admiral."
"They're civilians, and they don't involve themselves in Starfleet affairs. I've also never told them, so I don't expect them to know. Or at least, if they do know, they don't bring it up, which is just as fine by me."
"Oh, don't get me wrong, I enjoy my share of meat, but yeah, a salad sounded good. Not to mention, it reminded me of a little debacle we had back on the Mississippi, when I was the assistant medical officer there. One of the security officers had apparently crossed the galley chef, and so the chef comes to me, asking for the most potent but quickly-dispersing laxative I could find."
Will couldn't help but laugh at the memory. "But it turned out that the security officer and the captain had identical salads, and the chef, in a rush, accidentally laced the captain's food instead!"
"Personally," he said, leaning in closer, "I can't work around Vulcans for too long in one sitting. Their emotionless demeanor just... gets to me."
"I promise not to tell Vorak your secret." **She laughs.** "I've actually heard a lot of people say that. Since they know i have a long history with Vulcans. But i... i just got used to it and almost came to admire... no... respect, yeah thats a much better word, respect it. However, there were times that i barely tolerated it." **She leans in very close and whispers** "One time me and another friend, a Bolian, got the idea to moon our least favorite professor. So after we did it my study group overheard me telling a different friend about the incident. Well long story short, it took me almost two hours to ecplain why an individual would want to anonomously display their behind to another person. But, I don't think they ever truly got it."
"Yeah, thats as close as you are going to get to a compliment. So how often do you come to this little place" **She looks around** "It's quite charming."
"I need to work on that. I didn't even know this little place existed."
**She takes a moment to look in his eyes.** "I would have to agree Will, thank you. I think that i may be having one of the best days in years."
**Julia raised her glass towards Will and smiles.** "... the future" **She takes a sip and sets the glass down.** "My future is looking brighter and brighter by the minute."
"Oh, can i just get some kind of salad, whatever you have. Maybe something Vulcan. They may not be big on taste but leave it to vegatarians to make an amazing salad."
"Oh, and Will, will you share a bottle of wine with me?"
**Julia looks down.** "Well, i'm still in uniform. So i think they may know i am. But they probably just assume not to bring it up. So Will, are you a vegatarian or did a salad just sound good?"
"I can't imagine any one of them has truly figured it out yet. A Vulcan will trounce me up and down at theoretical physics and calculations, but tell them a joke and they're dumbfounded. I used to tell some of the best ones to my Academy roommate, who happened to hail from Vulcan as well, and he could never get it. It's one of the things I liked best about him, he was a constant source of amusement. He often called me 'intriguing', which he ensured me was a compliment."
"I think it's time for that toast," Will said, retrieving the bottle of wine that had been delivered. He set the two glasses next to one another, and grasping the bottle tightly, popped the cork.
He poured both glasses about half full, and handed one to Julia. "Here's to..." he began, thinking for a moment, "...the future."
It wasn't until that moment that Karelia realized what was happening between them. "Well," he said, clearing his throat and looking around, "it looks like they're about to close up. Would you like me to walk you to your quarters?"
"What a gentleman. I would love that Will." **She had known Will for years but she was beginning to see him in a completely different light. Up until now she had only thought of him as a colleague but now, now she was starting to see him as something much more.**
**They begin to head out, walking dangerously close, and thank the waitress for her help.**
Rellek's Quarters