Posted by Lieutenant Junior Grade Hannah Lori Asimina (Doctor) in Tis the Time of the Season - Crew Christmas Party (open)

Posted by Lieutenant Commander Dr. Royal Sinclair (Chief of Security) in Tis the Time of the Season - Crew Christmas Party (open)

Posted by Captain Dante Knight (Commanding Officer) in Tis the Time of the Season - Crew Christmas Party (open)
Once again that time of (Earth) year had come around. The one where people met with their friends and families where they could and celebrated a fat guy in a red snowsuit climbing down peoples chimneys in the middle of the night to eat their food and leave his junk lying around. Dante knew there was far more to it than that, but that was how a certain Tellarite acquaintance of his called Gruv Skallig had described the Human Christmas to him at one point, and Dante had never been able to get it out of his head in that fashion since.

This year, was a special one to Dante and Natasha. They had Oscar. It was going to be Oscars first Christmas on the Saracen and Dante had decided that this year he was going to invite the crew to a relaxed gathering, provide food and ask people to bring something called a Secret Santa to add to a pile under the tree, and a decoration they could hang on it.

Dante was particularly proud of the tree itself. Natasha had been adamant, she wanted a real tree this year. Not a fake one, not one with fibre-optic lights that would keep Bruce mesmerized for hours, not a replicated one. A real one. She wanted a real Christmas Tree, in space, hundreds of Light Years away from Earth. Dante had found a Ferengi that was peddling something he called authentic Hooman Krispmas Trees and while they kind of looked right, Dante didn’t really want to part with an arm and a leg just to afford it. So he did the next best thing.

Dante had assembled an away team and visited a nearby planet that happened to have a Class M atmosphere and was uninhabited. After some searching and artistic adjustments with a phaser, they had returned to the Saracen with something that resembled a Pine Tree that reached the roof of the cargo bay that Dante was arranging the party in. Mostly decorated with tinsel, Christmas Baubles and lights there was plenty of space for the crew to hand their small special additions.

With the time having arrived for people the gathering to begin, Dante watched as several crew filled tables with foods from all over the Federation, inspected that the Ambrosia Pudding was made correctly and not to Natasha’s recipe, and paused and looked at Bruce. Bruce, Dante and Natasha’s three metre long Asian Monitor Lizard pet had been helping Dante decorate, making sure any of the round christmas baubles that fell on the ground and tried to escape, were rounded up, chewed and convinced never again to escape. That Bruce was wearing a red and green Christmas Sweater had made the lizards efforts to destroy the christmas baubles all that much more satisfying to him, and he was plotting revenge against Babushka, Natasha’s grandmother for having made it for him.

=/\= Nat, it’s Dante. We’re ready here, where are you? I thought you were coming to help decorate love? =/\=

Captain Knight, CO

OOC: Okay everyone, this here is a ‘small’ thread where you can feel free to post, meet other people in the crew and relax a little as these holidays arrive and we may find some peoples posting slows down and some side sims might not be enough to keep green. Feel free to join us, relax and have some fun. This isn’t a serious thread, and you are more than welcome to come enjoy the party and relax.

=/\=Coming baby. I had to requisition a hover sled to get your gifts to the crew there. It’s not like I am a pack mule. You know that right?=/\= Natasha’s tone had an edge to it but how could it not. Dante had spent the past two days working instead of helping her for the annual Christmas party. She had regretted putting her foot down about a real tree. Dante had spent the last week trying to find her one and yet came up empty-handed. Next year she would not groan or roll her eyes when he replicated the perfect tree, at least outwardly.

It wasn’t long after the tree had gone up that the big Scottish Security Chief came in carrying a very large open topped crate. The sound of glass tinking came from inside as he walked across the bay to a bulkhead near the tree. Looking at Knight, he said “I knew you’d forget me, so I bright tha booze and all the fixins’ for traditional Egg Nog, Skipper.” and he winked as he began pulling out bottle after bottle of whiskey… and ingredients.... and glasses… and more whiskey.

Sinclair, CoS

Bruce came scampering up to the COS like a human child. The metal deck plating though was causing more mobility issues for Bruce than he cared to admit. Instead of being able to stop as he scampered across the floor towards Sinclair’s box, Bruce careened into the side causing more tinkling of the glass inside. The large box Sinclair was unpacking had to hold something of value for him in it. He hoped it was one of those meat and cheese platters that seemed to show up every time someone entered the Knight’s quarters. Not only was it yummy but each person knew to slice the meats and only use crackers that were round. Round was his favorite shape. It also permitted things to roll off the plates when they were jostled about. With Sinclair being a male that also meant he probably didn’t bring some kind of pudding, veggie tray, or dip. Not having a true opposable thumb meant dipping was problematic for a snack hungry lizard.

Seeing the contents however, caused Bruce to lock eyes on Sinclair. A slow deliberate tongue flick followed. Dude what is this. Where are the sausages? Where is the beef? I thought for sure you would be bringing pepperoni, salami, and meat. You know I just died inside right. Not the small death but the soul-crushing my life is over kinda death. Look around us dude. We are standing in the threshold of a woman’s grazing snack hell. Carrots and celery and broccoli oh my. Cauliflower and peppers and mini tomatoes oh my. Why? Why have you resigned us to this. You....you were someone I thought was going to pull through for us. Instead, you have killed my heart buddy. Bruce’s monologue was a silent one since no one but his family and at times that Kalani chick could seem to understand. Still, Sinclair had to know or at least sense his disappointment with the contents of the box.

Looking at his father Bruce let out a huge squawk. The sound was familiar to those close to the Knights. It was the sound many would recognize as sounding like a velociraptor call. This was appropriate because like his primordial brethren, Bruce was mad. Come out to the hangar. We will have a few snacks. We will have a few laughs. Dad I am starving and there is only rabbit food. Hell, I would be happy to eat the rabbit that brought the food but there is not even that. Where’s mom? I’m telling, he belted out a few more squawks before heading back to the tree. With the way the ornaments were falling off, someone had to man the area around it. All the round ornaments were his by law since they were round. If he left his spot too long, he would miss it when one fell and not have a chance to catch it before a human stuck it back on the tree.

Hannah arrived to the party, expecting to be late since the dish she had made to share took longer to make than she remembered. The table with food was not hard to find. Hannah had made her mother’s roasted nut roast. On Catawba they were not vegetarians, but meat was not something that had been in huge supply at times so they would often have nuts as a source of protein. And, Hannah knew, that many species frowned upon eating meat. So she’d made this, it reminded her of home, and if no one else liked it she’d happily take it home with her. (https://pescetarian.kitchen/christmas-nut-roast-recipe/).

She’d brought an ornament, they’d never decorated a tree at home, but it was a tradition she enjoyed since the first one she’d seen at the Academy. The ornament she brought was a model of a Behemoth from home. It looked similar to an ankylosaur from Earth. Except instead of scales it was covered in fur and long hair trailing off the end of the tail. She approached the tree to hang the ornament and come feet to nose with Bruce. She looked down at the 3 meter lizard, and totally undaunted she knelt down and observed him and the ornaments he was catching. “You’re king of the ship aren’t you?” she asked in her strange accent. Hannah stood back up hanging the image of the Behemoth higher than the lizard’s reach. She nodded to a couple of medical staff she knew speaking to a few of them.
Lt. jg Asimina, Doctor

Bruce looked at Hannah and flicked out his tongue long and quick. His eyes took in everything. Unfortunately, the woman did not bring the two things in the world that endeared him to someone: snack food or a ball. Glancing at the ornament he looked back at her wondering why she had not understood that as the king of the ship and the first son of the captain certain things were due him. Namely, a gift that was round and preferably bounced. He had no problem that she had put something on the tree. His issue was that there was nothing under the tree.

Reaching up with his hind foot, Bruce dug a toenail into the collar of the red and green knitted monstrosity his mother had shoved him into. The first-year Natasha had brought out the horrible sweater it had been a pure battle of wills between him and the wool; however, like all good battles after a time, a ceasefire was drawn. The peace accords, verbally stated by his dad two years ago, indicated that when the sweater was on his body food would be provided along with copious ball tossing. So far all he had gotten was a large pine smelling plant in the hangar. Another tongue flick showed how Bruce was quickly becoming bored with the event.

Bruce the starving and presentless lizard