Posted by Commander Tello Anaar (Executive Officer) in Holodeck - Dinner in the Snow (Tag Tello)

Posted by Captain Jennifer Wallace (Commanding Officer) in Holodeck - Dinner in the Snow (Tag Tello)

Posted by Commander Tello Anaar (Executive Officer) in Holodeck - Dinner in the Snow (Tag Tello)
Jennifer listened quietly, tilting her head slightly as Tello spoke. It sounded like Tello’s time in the Academy had been a struggle, particularly in regards to her abilities. She nodded at the question about oddballs. It had felt like she and her own group had been a bunch of oddballs, for one reason or another. Most of them Colony Kids, born and raised far from their “home” planets. “Has it gotten easier since then?” she asked, then gestured towards her head. “Handling all the emotions of the people around you? You don’t have to answer that if you don’t want to, of course.”

Wallace, CO

“I don’t mind. Yes, the frequency of a wash is almost nonexistent now. At least, it has been for the last few years. I’m positive it was bad during my academy years because most of us were teens and a lot of species experience hormone storms during those years.” She finished her mac and cheese and pushed the bowl away. “Everyone there had rough times so I don’t feel picked on when I think back on it. It could have been a lot worse.”

Tello turned a bit in her chair so she could look directly at Wallace. “One Ensign in my beginning year had an unfortunate bodily response when he was nervous—he would burp and fart repeatedly.” She chuckled at the memory. “He was teased relentlessly by most who witnessed it, but he eventually warmed up to our group and became one of the oddballs. He’s since had a few medical procedures and takes a supplement that keeps him calm.” She nodded, “Yes, Frank is a highly respected diplomat now—no joke!”

—Anaar, XO

“Thank the Great Bird of the Galaxy for being able so grow up and become less awkward,” Jennifer said with a small laugh, lifting her glass as if in a toast. Using her spoon to get the last flecks of cheese from her bowl, Jenn glanced up at Tello. “I’ve got desert if you want to stick around. It’s just Ice Cream and technically I replicated it, but it’s fairly tasty. Have you ever noticed how replicated food always tastes odd compared to home-made? Even just replicating the ingredients and baking the meal manually improves it so much.”

“Sorry, that was a tangent,” she realized. “Ah, I’m not very good at being the confident Captain I’m supposed to be,” she grinned sheepishly, but the subject was already changed. “It all seemed so simple in theory, but I guess there’s a big difference between the Command Training course and a real command…” Jenn scratched the back of her neck. “I’m glad burping and farting isn’t one of my nervous tics, though.”

Wallace, CO

Tello erupted with laughter. “I felt so BADLY for Frank!!!! Now you would never know that he had such a bad go of it. He’s very handsome and dignified, but still remembers what it was like to be the awkward kid, so is extremely generous with his positivity. I’ll show you a pic of him sometime.”

She turned back to face the table. “I’m always open for ice cream! I think its one of the greatest inventions ever made.” Truthfully, it was her favorite thing to eat, all flavors and at any time of the day or night.

“As far as you not being the confident Captain you’re supposed to be? I won’t tell anyone if you won’t. It will be our little secret. It takes time to grow into the big chair—some people never do, but I have a good feeling about your abilities.”

—Anaar, XO

“I think I just need to experience an actual… mission. You know, get my feet wet. So far all I’ve done is manage shore leave on the station. I’m looking forward to being able to show myself just what kind of leadership chops I have,” Jenn replied with a hopeful expression on her face. She was grateful for Tello’s words. The confidence and encouragement of others wasn’t required for self-confidence, but it certainly helped!

She got up and walked over to a large chest-freezer and opened up the top, tugging out a small cloth bag and letting the lid of the freezer thud as it fell back down into the closed position. Grabbing a box from the counter, she made her way back to the table and placed her treasures down before Tello. “Okay, this,” she tugged out three tubs, each with about a quart of Ice Cream and put a finger on the first, labeled as ‘moose tracks’, “Is NOT the replicated Ice Cream. It’s from home. Well, my Cousins’ place in southern Canada. Old Ice Cream company that’s been going for nearly 5 centuries, they still make everything natural. Real cows, real cocoa beans, real vanilla. All that. They say it’s way better this way, but I can’t really tell the difference.”

Tello’s eyes grew larger as Wallace revealed the tubs of dessert. “This is like a recurring dream I have…”

“I hope it’s a good dream,” Jenn said with a small wink.

She then put a finger on the second tub, labeled ‘mint chip’. “This one is from Parvok III, the planet where I was raised. The place this program is based on. It’s my favorite. The milk it’s made from isn’t replicated, but the chocolate and mint flavoring are. And the final tub,” she put a finger on the final tub, labeled ‘cookies and cream,’ “Is replicated. I think it’s not as good as the other two, personally, but that’s up to the taster.”

Jenn sat down, looking at Tello with anticipation. “Which one do you want to try?”

Wallace, CO and lover of Ice Cream

Eager to begin the tasting contest, Anaar tapped the cookies and cream. “Let’s try them from what should be worst to best, as far as the ingredients are concerned, and lets see if I agree.” This was the best contest she’d ever been asked to judge. The only thing that could make it better was if a large, well muscled and very attractive man was feeding it to her.

As she waited for Jenn to open the container, she picked back up on the previous conversation. “I understand what you mean about needing an assignment. Simply deciding what rotation the crew needs to follow on R&R isn’t a test of leadership. It’s more clerical than anything else.”

—Anaar, XO who really believes in the power of ice cream

Jenn parceled out a small scoop of the requested flavor into two small ice-cream bowls, then sat down again and handed Tello a spoon and one of the cups. “Taste Test,” she said with a cheesy grin.

“I’m glad I’m not alone in that opinion. Ah well, I’m sure a few days or weeks or whatever will pass, we’ll head back to the station for a re-supply, and they’ll give us a real mission that will allow the two of us to properly wet our toes in our new jobs. At least it won’t be a trial by fire where we have to adjust to the ship and crew while also being under stress. By the time we’re in a stressful situation, this crew will be fairly comfortable with us!”

Wallace, CO

Tello made a face like she’d heard something terrible, then looked at Wallace. “You probably shouldn’t have said that…the part about trial by fire…you might have jinxed us.” Then she took a spoonful of the ice cream and ate it. “Mmmmm, this tastes normal to me…yummy!”

—Anaar, XO

Jenn laughed, giving Tello a shrug before taking a spoonful of her ice cream. “It is pretty good,” she agreed, lingering on the flavour for a few moments. “I don’t believe in jinxes. Either things go wrong or they don’t, and words we say beforehand don’t have any impact on that. If we end up in a stressful situation, it won’t be because I made a joke about it.”

Wallace, CO

Anaar gave her a nod, hoping she was right and realized in that moment she was more superstitious than her Captain. So far, Tello was of the opinion that she and Wallace were a good fit. They were enough alike to get along but had differences that would compliment the other when it came to leadership. “So you aren’t superstitious, but do you believe in bad luck?”

—Anaar, XO

“Not really,” Jenn shrugged, taking another bite of her ice cream. “Things don’t happen randomly. There’s no god up there rolling dice to determine the fate of our lives. If someone’s mired in unfortunate situations, it’s just because they and other people have made decisions that have led them to those situations. I don’t really believe in bad luck or good luck, in regards to people’s lives. To me it’s all just good timing and bad timing and random chance.”

Wallace, XO

So, the Captain didn’t believe God—any God. That was another difference between them. “What if I had called luck, karma? Do you at least believe in you reap what you sow?”

—Anaar, XO

“Only in that what we do can effect how people perceive and treat us. You reap what you sow in a way because your actions affect other people, and their actions can in turn affect you.” Jennifer replied with a shrug. “Karma seems to me a dance around the fact that people will tend to treat you the way you treat them.”

Wallace, CO

Was this just semantics or did the two of them really have such differing beliefs? “Alright, perhaps we should table that particular discussion for another time. I’d like some time to think about what you’ve said.” She dipped her spoon into the ice cream from Wallace’s home planet. It was better than the stuff from the replicator. “Oh my, this is better and I didn’t think that was possible. I thought replicated ice cream was the best thing ever.”

—Anaar, XO

Jennifer nodded. She didn’t talk about her opinions on the matter of luck, karma, and deities very often, so it was an interesting conversation. She grinned as Tello ate the second Ice Cream, nodding enthusiastically. “I know, right? Like, you think that the replicated stuff is good, but then you try the real stuff and it’s so rich and creamy. I think it’s the variation in milk crystals that gives it that creamy, cold taste, but I’m not sure.”

“If I believed in a god, it would be because of the existence of ice cream,” she chuckled, taking a bite of her cold treat.

Wallace, CO

“We have four Dieties on Betazed, but I don’t believe any of them were involved with the creation of ice cream.” Tello had made short work of the two scoops they’d already tasted. With a sense of something special being about to happen, she dipped her spoon into the very real scoop that was left.

—Anaar

“Ice cream is too good for deities,” Jenn laughed, picking up a spoonful of the third ice cream. Her favorite. “Mmmmm.... that’s some good stuff.”

Wallace, CO