Posted by Kate O’Neill in Mess Hall - Let’s do lunch

Posted by Lieutenant Commander DaVinci Colter (Chief Intelligence Officer) in Mess Hall - Let’s do lunch

Posted by Kate O’Neill in Mess Hall - Let’s do lunch
SNIP

After taking his own seat, the CIO asked in a conversational tome, “So, physiologically speaking, how similar are our species. I’d hate to have you try a dish or drink pnly to find out that it might be deadly for you. That might put a bit of a dampener on our meal.”

“Well,” she looked at Colter as if pondering his words. “You know that is a valid question and one I don’t have an immediate answer to. I am going to say I should be fine based on Boja eating and drinking here during her concealment from Sussianna Prime. I am also going to say that it is a risk I am willing to take. I am not sure how long it will take Boja to decide what she wants her future to look like. After about six hours though I get a bit hangry. You wouldn’t like me hangry so,” she patted the table once as if making a decree like a judge with a gavel, “let’s see if you can make me pleasant with a little koli.” It was then she let out a long laugh.

He had a million questions he’d like answered in an attempt to ascertain whether Kavia and her people were a threat. She said she was here to help Satreya, be he was well aware of how many times in the past lives were lost, civilizations destoyed by someone that offered to help. Havia’s appearance in the conference room had seemed just a wee bit too coincidental. . .

Colter (CIO)

“I’m betting though that you don’t know what koli is,” she crossed her arms over her chest. “This dinner thing might be more interesting than I thought,” Kavia smiled at him.

Kavia

DaVinci smiled back. “The only koli I am familiar with is an ethnic group of peoples from India, on Earth. I’m hoping you aren’t referring to them as a meal. You don’t appear to be the cannibalistic type. And Satreya has never shown any signs of that type of dietary habit.”

Kavia looked at him as if he were crazy and then broke out laughing. “I see the power of words could actually be more deadly than a bullet in this case,” she smiled at the handsome man across from her. “No Koli is a bird. A flightless bird with pink and purple feathers but is pretty much a domestic meat staple. It has wings but really cant fly like a regular bird. It sorta just uses it to take off in case a predator comes or to get to higher places. Oh, and it makes a clucking like sound.” Kavia tucked her hands up under her armpits and made a sound imitating the animal. “Bahk bahk bahk,” she said a few times and then put her hands down. “So since I can pretty much guarantee you don’t have Koli now maybe you could order for me,” she asked.

As their conversation continued, he found it increasingly difficult to main his focus on gathering information. Kavia was a charming conversationalist. The fact that she was also pleasing to the eye didn’t help matters any, either.

After about ten minutes with this Colter, Kavia hoped Boja took a long time deciding what she wanted to do about her future. Since Kavia got paid by the hours she spent on the 36 hours a day away for missions like this, it was more than just a bonus she was having a good time. Secretly Kavia would have done it for free it she knew she would be having this much fun. Thier conversations looped and turned so fast even she had a hard time figuring out how they got from Koli as the main foodstuff to winter activities. “Oh, and we have these bubbles you get in during winter. They have a gyroscopic center so you don’t get sick but they launch you off the top of a mountain. You lean to the left and the right to move but if you hit something the force field around the bubble protects the person inside. It is so much fun. The trick is getting to the bottom of the hill with the fastest time.”

He tried to refocus with some success. “The technology used to send yourself and Satreya here, you said at first you were unable to transport non-living matter, things like clothing and such?”

“Yeah, it was a mess. Ever travel with a crotchety four hundred-plus–year-old diplomat pulled out of retirement?” Kavia shuddered. “There was a reason the Ministry issued black sunglasses there for a while and it wasn’t because we were always traveling during the day. Can I get some more of this…,” she circled her plate with her finger. “Whatever it is it is amazing,” she commented forking up the last of it. “Unless you have something better? Your food here is pretty extraordinary.”

“It’s a shame that part got figured out.”

Colter (CIO)

“Depends on the company,” she winked back. “There have been times that algorithm is not placed in the formula,” she giggled. “Sometimes it is a graduation hazing. Other times it is a malfunction,” she drew out the last word as if it were a joke. “Besides there is more than one way to get someone naked without using technology. You can just ask,” she said and then she spun in her seat following a waiter. “Oh god what was that. I can get one of those things,” she looked back at Colter almost pleadingly. She had already eaten the equivalent of two main courses but the dessert passing them looked too yummy to pass up or wait until the end of the meal.

Kavia

DaVinci opened his mouth to respond to comment about getting naked when the conversation took a sudden turn. He looked at the tray the passing waiter was carrying and laughed. “A banana split?? You do want to take a walk on the wild side, don’t you?”

“Is it poisonous,” she looked at him with a half smile. “How good is that chef of yours?” Taking a large sip of the beverage given to her she wrinkled up her nose feeling the bubbles tingle her sinuses. “We have this dish at home made from the buffereel. The darn thing is deadly and one bite can kill you but there are these trained chefs that know exactly how to slice the meat so you don’t die. A dinner not for the faint of heart. I have never tried it. I have never thought one should die for your dinner but if your bananas are worth the risk then I place my trust in your hands. There are easier ways to kill someone don’t you think. Order me up one,” she winked at Colter.

He ordered a split the next time the waiter passed and then desctibed the frozen dessert to his dinner date. “On the botto of the tray is a fruit called a banana, split in half, hence the name. Then there’s three scoops of frozen cream called ice cream, usually each is a dfferent flavor. One vanilla, one chocolate, and one strawberry. On top of that, you can add a variety of different syrups. One is almost always hot fudge, the others usually–strawberry, caramel, cherry, or my pertsonal favorite–pineapple. Throw some nuts and whipped cream on top of that, then top the whole thing off with cherries.”

“Well that is a bit anitclimatic but,” Kavia stopped immediately as the dessert was laid down in front of her.

The waiter returned a moment later with a large banana split topped with hot fudge, strawberry and of course, pineapple. Included were two spoons.

“God this looks amazing,” she grabbed a spoon and dug in. Not necessarily unladylike but more with the zeal of someone who had only eaten bread and water for the past six months.

“I do have to warn you, as delicious as this is, you need to eat it slowly.”

Kavia stopped the dessert laden spoon mere inches from her lips waiting for Colter to finish speaking.

” Otherwise, you’ll get something we can ‘brain freeze’ and trust me, it’s not pleasant. Think of the worst pain you’ve ever felt and multiply by 10 and place it at the front of your skull.”

DaVinci was enjoying himself as well and didn’t want this evening to end with Kavia feeling like her head was about to explode. . . .

Colter (CIO)

“I just travelled from another universe on a wing and a prayer. I think I will live on the wild side as you say,” Kavia paused a second and then playfull put the spoon in her mouth. Her face instantly took on an expression of pure pleasure. Her shoulders dropped and she completely slouched in the chair. “Dis is a wanana wit,” she said putting a hand over her mouth to stop him for seeing her eat but desperately needing to relay how good this tasted. “Wow my ahd it is ood.”

DaVinci could do nothing but laugh at the sight of her pure ecstasy. . .

Kavia tried to remember her manners. They were sharing so it would not be polite to shift the dish more to her side of the table. Still, that was harder than protecting that pompous government official six months ago during the riots in Alabamaia City. Both took all her skills and patience.

He reached over and plucked a single cherry from one of the mounds of whipped cream. “I’m perfectly content getting your cherry. . . ah, getting A cherry.”

Ten minutes later even Kavia had to admit she was full. She had eaten something called a cheeseburger with fries, a plate of peel and eat shrimp, something Colter called nachos before the dessert. Kavia never worried or claimed she loved the veggies like most women when they were around men. Leaning back in her seat she sized Colter up. The had a lot of fun and could have more when they got a few things out in the open.

“So you and I both know your dashing Captain isn’t gonna want me roaming about your ship like I own it based on my Woman Scout promise. So does that mean you have babysitting duties or are you shipping me off to some room after this,” Kavia asked him directly.

Kavia

“I wouldn’t call it ‘babysitting’. If things continue in the exciting and enjoyable fashion they are, calling me your babysitter could make things really awkward. I’d like to think of it more as being your. . . . escort. Trust me, if I were to ship you off to some room, it would be comfortable, and you wouldn’t be alone,” he replied with a twinkle in his eye.

“Of course, some areas of the ship will be restricted for you, but I’d be more than happy to show you un-restricted areas such as Sickbay, some of the science labs, the holodeck, or personal quarters?”

Colter (CIO)