[Observation Deck]Just as her mother had done for her in her youth, Naira had spent the afternoon massaging sweet almond oil into her scalp and the cloud of thick coils that hung about her head. She intricately wove silk ribbons and strands of pearls into her dark hair. To complete her outfit, she wore a simple off-shoulder mermaid dress in a pale cream to match.
On her arm hung the young Trill nurse Leesill as the two of them had made their way around the room. Her new friend grabbed yet another drink off a passing tray as a waiter walked by and she once more attempted to hand it to the Orion.
"I've already told you, No, I won't be drinking tonight." She said calmly as she gently pushed her friend's hand away.
"Suit yourself then, I will just have to drink it myself" Leesill giggled and brought the glass of champagne back to her own lips.
Naira leaned in to ask, "Haven't you had enough for the both of us yet?"
"Perhaps..." Said the other woman with a coy look upon her face.
Briefly she teased the other woman about the possibility of having to personally escort her friend back to her quarters just to make sure she safely made it to her room that night. Then, a silence came over the crowd around them as the admiral took to the stage.
After Kirok got confirmation, he stepped on stage and when directly to the podium. "Ladies and Gentlemen. Thank you all for attending this gathering today. We are here both to gather in friendship but also to witness something quite remarkable, the grand opening of a stable passage to the Delta Quadrant" Kirok said.
"Since the return of Voyager from the Delta Quadrant, Star Fleet has been working on a way to access it. So I find it acceptable that members of the flag ship accomplished a goal that others could not achieve. And without further adieu, I would like to introduce James Hawke and T'Ra Jones who led the Away Team who finally solved this mystery" the half Vulcan added and then stepped away from the podium.
The two of them untangled their arms to applaud.
"We received a communique from Starbase Columbus
Naira had missed whatever it was that Leesill had tried to whisper in her ear as she had been hanging on every word.