EXETERRPG: (1 - 0700) Starlight lounge Manager Michele Rossini and BMU Manager Trixie Bell

[Mark Howard]

Mission: Space was cool before it mattered

Day: 1

Stardate: 2446.04.25

(USS Exeter - Bean me up! - Civ. Michele Rossini and Civ. Trixie Bell -
0700)

Michele, pronounced Mi-ke-le, was a proud man of deep Italian heritage. His
family had owned one of the best Trattorias in Rome since before Italy was
even a unified country. Since he had joined the Exeter as a civilian crew
member overseeing the Starlight Lounge, he did his best to add a delicious
and exciting Italian flair to the cuisine and ambience of the lounge. To
help distinguish it from the other two main thoroughfares of the
affectionately named “Rec. Deck”. Still, even with his deep love for the
land of his birth, he couldn’t help but find himself gravitating to the
sugary, sweet, and way too many calories of the coffees served at Bean me
up! Somewhere he knew that every time he took a sip of the pumpkin spice
latte, somewhere back on Earth his Nona would be spinning in her grave, if
she were dead.

“Ciao Bella,” He said with a smile, calling her beautiful rather than
trying to riff on her last name. “I’ll have the usual again today Trixie.”

He wasn’t the biggest fan of the purple uniform, and usually he did his
best to find excuses to take it off. He wasn’t a big fan of the rules. But
given he wanted to bring his family’s carbonara to the entire galaxy,
whatever he could to do convert the celestial masses to traditional and
authentic italian cuisine, he would do. Even if it meant wearing an ugly
uniform.

“Ciao Bello” Trixie called across the bar. There were those in her life who
were dismissive of her chosen career, labelling her ‘a simple coffee
pourer.’ To which Trixie took extreme exception, she was on her feet, all
day most days, remembering the individual favourites for dozens if not
hundreds of people, and knew by their first footstep across her threshold
if it was a double caramel fluffy morning or a double espresso, with no
chatter. Michele was one of her favourite customers, being the manager of
the Starlight lounge, they worked quite closely together.

“How is the foot traffic this morning?”

Trixie was a ball of energy, as was her norm for this time of day. “It is
busy today, quiet days for the staff mean busy days for the civvies.” She
started making his drink, pumping the caramel syrup as she filled the
machine with fresh coffee grounds, and wiped the nozzle to clean the steam
jets.

“I would try and make it easier for you, but people don’t really gravitate
to the starlight lounge for breakfast, even with the omelet bar. Even with
the bacon station. They much rather come here, grab your coffee to go, and
then go to the Starlight. I almost wonder if you are drugging them to make
them so loyal. To make me so loyal.” He said with a laugh.

“It’s the little bit of lurve that goes into every cup.” She said with a
wide eyed smile. Truly she loved this part of the day, seeing people come
in, and after a few sips, most left with a smile, and a spring in their
step, it was exhilarating.

“My nonna, she would not be pleased to see me drinking this coffee.
Italians, we are very prejudiced against other cultures' food and drink.
Chinese potstickers had to be called ravioli, because it was better to give
it an Italian name than let it stand on its own. Mankind discovered warp
drive before Rome had more than one Starbucks. Yet here I am lured by the
siren song of your coffee.”

“We all have our nuances and prejudices, regardless of how tiny and
insignificant.” She poured the espresso into the mug and then picked up the
steamed milk. “How is Nonna? Is she taking it easy after her hip? You’ll
pass on my love won’t you.?” Her and Mikele talked most days, and she felt
that she knew some of his family as if they were her own. ‘Nonna’ had a
certain place in Trixie’s heart.

“Taking it easy, hardly. She is still hand rolling pasta every day. Even if
my parents won’t let her in the restaurant’s kitchen, she is just rolling
them at home and giving them to the neighbors. ‘Nonna non dovete lavorare
cosi,’ we tell her, you are working too much. But she says that she will
take it easy when she is dead.”

“Aww. she is such a sweetie.” She finished his drink and passed it over,
having written his name on a paper napkin with a heart as the dot over the
‘i’. There was nothing romantic between them, but Trixie had always found
that the tiny touches, like a smile for the customer that looked like they
needed it, or leaving the ones alone that just wanted ‘a cup of coffee
dammit’ and taking both with simple grace and a warm, clean shop. “Speaking
of busy…reminds me…you’re in for a dinner rush. Quieter days make for
exciting evenings, and your new menu is a draw. I count…four that will
reserve a table for two and two bookings for four, so you have sixteen
dinner covers already.” she winked.

“We’ll be full before we know it. I like it when we are out in the middle
of nowhere. Might be boring for the crew but gives us more to do. Like my
nonna, I need to be doing something. Would be nice if we had a house band,
but holo emitters are at least letting us get a good program going. A nice
norcina with some nice music, una bella pasta, una bella donna, ti aiuta
avere una bella notte.”

Trixie didn’t speak much italian, but she’d picked up enough to understand
Michele’s lapse into his home language.

“You coming in any time soon, I’ll save you the best table.”

“I promise I will, even if it’s a lunch. So long as a place as fancy as
yours allows tables for one, I don’t have anybody who’d take a girl like me
to a place like yours.” She winked.

"Nonsense. I'll find you that person. Even un bel'amico."

“So, how is that niece of yours? She is scrumptious, I’d kill for hair like
hers.”

"Bianca. She's a heart breaker. 7 years old and five ex boyfriends."

“Girl after my own heart. Treat ‘em mean keep ‘em kean” Trixie said with a
smile.

"Allora, I need to run, but thank you for the coffee. Arrivaderci
bellisima."

“Arrivederci e buona giornata” She called as he turned to leave. Genuinely
fond of him as a friend, she turned to the next customer on this crazy busy
morning.

(Reply none)

(Posted by Will and Mark)
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