Work Text:
Mixers were too frequent, Lindsey decided, itching to get back to the drawings scrawled on graph paper, half-formulated equations in the margins, as she dealt with too many brown-nosing wannabe engineers on the make.
"You look like a woman with heavy thoughts on her mind," came the voice of a man nearly at her elbow. Turning her attention out, she saw a man of pale hair and the most amazing blue eyes twinkling in amusement. She started to question his nerve, but his lips parted on more words and she held back her umbrage. "In fact, I'd bet you would much rather be working than having to play meet and greet like this. I know I would."
Maybe it was that flat admission, or perhaps it was the way he was looking at her as a human being, not a potential trophy, that made her answer him. "I've got schematics to be working through, proving I can make my ideas cost effective."
"Engineer?" he questioned with the look of a man who had nearly had his fill of such.
"Not like that bunch," she said dismissively, a wave toward the yammerheads trying to talk their way into funding without showing why they could justify it. "I'm going to revolutionize deep-sea work, if they'd just give me the damn time to do my work!"
His blue eyes fell on her, weighing, measuring what they saw. She almost demanded, again, just who in hell he was, and why he was wasting her time, when he seemed to reach a decision and held his hand out.
"Names Virgil Brigman, but everyone calls me 'Bud'." He waited until she reached out, and they shook with a firm strength on both sides. She liked that in a man, when they gave her the benefit of not treating her like a lily that would wilt. "You get that revolution rolling, I'd be keen to hear it, ma'am. I'm looking to see a way to make my job work better, and have less accidents along the way."
She gave him a look to see if he was just networking, or if he meant it, and the sincerity of both his face and his voice said he truly meant it. "Lindsey," she offered him in turn, wondering if maybe getting a crew chief, for he had to be, involved might not be the best way after all to sell her project to the bigwigs. "Would a mobile, deep-sea platform base for working closer to the source strike you as safer?"
He considered, and she found that that, the willing consideration and true thought creasing his eyes and mouth, stamped him as a good ally to keep. "I can see how it might, depending. You have plans?"
Lindsey just nodded, and then smiled. Maybe this meet and greet hadn't been a complete waste after all.