indicated.
"Cohen?" "Yup." A smile broke across his face, and he shook his head. "We going to be talking in one-word sentences all night?" She smiled in return. "Maybe." "What's with Cohen?" "He seems a little down," Guinan told him. "Since he's one of your staff, I thought you might want to cheer him up." "Isn't that your department?" he asked, but he was already getting up from behind his table.
She took a step back. "Something tells me this might be "man" stuff." ""Man" stuff?" he said with a touch of amusement.
"You know," and she raised her arm in a flexing gesture. ""Man" stuff." "Right," he agreed, flexing in return.
Considering the knack that Guinan had for sweetly strongarming people into doing things, he had a sneaking suspicion he knew who had the stronger muscles.
Walking across the Ten-Forward lounge, he took notice of the way Guinan paced him a couple feet away, only to break off and head in another direction as soon as he got near Cohen. He heard Cohen sigh loudly and knew the tone of it. He'd heaved a sigh or two like that himself.
"Cohen?" he asked.
Cohen looked up at him. "Oh, Lieutenant Commander. Hi." "Hi," Geordi replied, sliding down into the chair opposite. "Call me Geordi.
We're off duty, and we're all friends here." "Geordi," said Cohen uncertainly.
"And I should call you--?" "Cohen." "Oh." Geordi paused a moment. "Something got you down, Cohen?" Cohen raised an eyebrow. It was the sort of subtle face movement that Geordi could not detect. Instead he depended on his ability to read pulse jumps, or the slight tilt of a head that usually accompanied a facial reaction.
"You could tell that?" asked Cohen, impressed.
"Wow. You know, I saw you come in, but you were way over there, and I didn't think you'd even noticed me. How were you able to tell from way over there?" Somehow, Guinan told me wouldn't sound impressive. "Call it a knack," said Geordi. "So... you want to talk about it?" Cohen looked down. "I don't think so.
No. I'd really rather not discuss it." "Okay," said Geordi, and he started to get up.
"I'm so depressed. My life stinks," said Cohen.
Geordi sat back down again.
Cohen stared into his glass, and Geordi said, "You want to elaborate on that?" "Life in general." "Ah." "And women." "Ah," said Geordi, this time with more understanding.
"Look at me, Geordi," said Cohen, and then he quickly amended, "I mean... I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend you..." Geordi laughed. ""Look" isn't a dirty word, Cohen." "Yeah, yeah I know. Look at me, then.
I'm thirty-four years old today, Geordi." "Happy birthday!" said Geordi. "I'm sorry, I should have--" Cohen waved it off. "That's not the point.
I'm thirty-four years old. My hair is thinning. I've put on some weight--look at this. My uniform's getting tight around the waist.
That's embarrassing. And yesterday I broke up with Technician Jackson." "Jackson, huh?" said Geordi. "She's cute. You two were a couple?" He was mildly annoyed with himself. Since his promotion to chief engineer, he'd been a hell of a lot more busy.
He wasn't in the rumor loop as much as he used to be.
"Eight months," said Cohen sadly.
"Eight months down the Jefferies tube. Look at me: I'm wasting my life.
I signed on with Starfleet to explore. All I ever explore is the engine room. I never serve on away teams. I never make any sort of discovery. I'm just... just there. I'm a grunt. Look at what I've got." "Yeah," said Geordi. "Yeah, let's look at what you've got. Look out there," and he pointed out the viewport.
Cohen didn't understand. "What am I supposed to see?" "The stars." "The stars. Great," said Cohen dismally. "So what? What do they have to do with me?" "You live among the stars, Cohen!" said Geordi with enthusiasm. "Do you have any idea what that's like? Centuries ago, people stared up at
"Cohen?" "Yup." A smile broke across his face, and he shook his head. "We going to be talking in one-word sentences all night?" She smiled in return. "Maybe." "What's with Cohen?" "He seems a little down," Guinan told him. "Since he's one of your staff, I thought you might want to cheer him up." "Isn't that your department?" he asked, but he was already getting up from behind his table.
She took a step back. "Something tells me this might be "man" stuff." ""Man" stuff?" he said with a touch of amusement.
"You know," and she raised her arm in a flexing gesture. ""Man" stuff." "Right," he agreed, flexing in return.
Considering the knack that Guinan had for sweetly strongarming people into doing things, he had a sneaking suspicion he knew who had the stronger muscles.
Walking across the Ten-Forward lounge, he took notice of the way Guinan paced him a couple feet away, only to break off and head in another direction as soon as he got near Cohen. He heard Cohen sigh loudly and knew the tone of it. He'd heaved a sigh or two like that himself.
"Cohen?" he asked.
Cohen looked up at him. "Oh, Lieutenant Commander. Hi." "Hi," Geordi replied, sliding down into the chair opposite. "Call me Geordi.
We're off duty, and we're all friends here." "Geordi," said Cohen uncertainly.
"And I should call you--?" "Cohen." "Oh." Geordi paused a moment. "Something got you down, Cohen?" Cohen raised an eyebrow. It was the sort of subtle face movement that Geordi could not detect. Instead he depended on his ability to read pulse jumps, or the slight tilt of a head that usually accompanied a facial reaction.
"You could tell that?" asked Cohen, impressed.
"Wow. You know, I saw you come in, but you were way over there, and I didn't think you'd even noticed me. How were you able to tell from way over there?" Somehow, Guinan told me wouldn't sound impressive. "Call it a knack," said Geordi. "So... you want to talk about it?" Cohen looked down. "I don't think so.
No. I'd really rather not discuss it." "Okay," said Geordi, and he started to get up.
"I'm so depressed. My life stinks," said Cohen.
Geordi sat back down again.
Cohen stared into his glass, and Geordi said, "You want to elaborate on that?" "Life in general." "Ah." "And women." "Ah," said Geordi, this time with more understanding.
"Look at me, Geordi," said Cohen, and then he quickly amended, "I mean... I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend you..." Geordi laughed. ""Look" isn't a dirty word, Cohen." "Yeah, yeah I know. Look at me, then.
I'm thirty-four years old today, Geordi." "Happy birthday!" said Geordi. "I'm sorry, I should have--" Cohen waved it off. "That's not the point.
I'm thirty-four years old. My hair is thinning. I've put on some weight--look at this. My uniform's getting tight around the waist.
That's embarrassing. And yesterday I broke up with Technician Jackson." "Jackson, huh?" said Geordi. "She's cute. You two were a couple?" He was mildly annoyed with himself. Since his promotion to chief engineer, he'd been a hell of a lot more busy.
He wasn't in the rumor loop as much as he used to be.
"Eight months," said Cohen sadly.
"Eight months down the Jefferies tube. Look at me: I'm wasting my life.
I signed on with Starfleet to explore. All I ever explore is the engine room. I never serve on away teams. I never make any sort of discovery. I'm just... just there. I'm a grunt. Look at what I've got." "Yeah," said Geordi. "Yeah, let's look at what you've got. Look out there," and he pointed out the viewport.
Cohen didn't understand. "What am I supposed to see?" "The stars." "The stars. Great," said Cohen dismally. "So what? What do they have to do with me?" "You live among the stars, Cohen!" said Geordi with enthusiasm. "Do you have any idea what that's like? Centuries ago, people stared up at
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