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Dinner with the XO (Kord)

Posted March 9, 2019, 11:16 p.m. by Lieutenant Commander Kord (XO) (David Bennett)

Posted by Lieutenant Commander Kord (XO) in Dinner with the XO (Kord)

Posted by Lieutenant Tiastri Ezial (Chief Engineer) in Dinner with the XO (Kord)

Posted by Lieutenant Commander Kord (XO) in Dinner with the XO (Kord)
Posted by… suppressed (3) by the Post Ghost! 👻

SNIP

Tia smiled and took the spoon. She served herself a decent portion and set the spoon back in the dish so he could reach for it easily. “There is no reason to worry about customs or protocols with me, Kord.” She smiled and looked at him. “There are many other times in your job where I am sure you have to be prim and proper. But here you can relax. Short of flinging the food to the walls or ceiling in ‘celebration’, or complaint, of the food,” she laughed softly, “you can relax here. I promise. Maybe you can teach me what you usually do at meal time.” She wanted to make him feel less stressed and the idea of learning other species’ customs made her hope she could learn more about him.

Tia

“As I usually eat alone I don’t do much other than eat in silence. I know that’s a boring answer but it’s the one I have.” Kord said taking a bite.

  • Kord

“Well… seee…” Tia smiled and winked with a nod. “I usually eat alone and in silence as well. It’s not a boring answer. It’s the truth, right? So see, we aren’t so different after all.” She took another bite to allow him a moment to taste the food without pressure. After another bite and a sip of her juice, she nodded to the plate before him. “Do you like it? I know it’s not for everyone, so you certainly won’t hurt my feelings if you prefer something else.” There wasn’t a hint of hurt or pity in her voice. She was sincere in her offer to make him something else. She didn’t often had visitors, much less rank officers, so she wanted to make him feel as comfortable as possible in her quarters.

Tia

“This is actually good.” Kord said taking another bite.

There were a few moments of silence as he ate.

“I wouldn’t say we aren’t so different, but it’s nice to have similar habits. So, what about me has drawn your attentions? What is it that had piqued your curiosity?” he asked genuinely curious.

  • Kord

A breath she didn’t realize she had been holding, released and she relaxed. “I’m glad you like it. I honestly had been worried.”

When he asked what piqued hey curiosity, she merely shrugged at first. “I don’t think it’s any one or two things I could say. I guess just the fact you didn’t dismiss me out of hand when I faultered , nor did you berate me when I got overly bold and sassy. But most of all…I think it’s because you said ‘yes’.” A soft blush rose on her cheeks again as she looked down at her plate a moment before long back up. “I guess I figured you dined with senior officers, or perhaps a partner or companion. So I had actually braced myself for an overly polite decline the invite.”

Something dawned on her then and she rested her hand from where she’d been absently pushing her dinner around. “Why did you say, yes, Kord?” She didn’t realize she’s used his name with no title, this time.

Tia
CE

Kord ears tilted back slightly for a moment.

“I had no reason to decline the invitation. There were no other obligations pressing for my attention. Also, it’s a rare occasion for me to get such a personal invitation. I was intrigued and wanted to know if the intent was business, personal, ambition, or pleasure.”

If the answer seemed a little awkward, Kord was oblivious to it.

  • Kord

Tia nodded, “Fair enough, though I can certainly assure you that ambition hadn’t crossed my mind. Pleasure, certainly… It’s always nicer to dine with someone else. Business… well, if we talk about the ship, I suppose that would work as well. As for personal, I won’t lie and say that putting that makeshift bomb together with you wasn’t exciting.” She took a deep breath and smiled, “I like you, Kord. And while I know it’s probably not proper and won’t go beyond occasional dinners, yes… it was personal as well.” She wasn’t sure where her boldness came from, but it felt good. But then the ‘boldness’ hit her and she looked swiftly back at her plate and took another bite as crimson not only touched her cheeks, but rose up to the tips of her ears as well.

Tia

Kord smiled warmly. He was flattered.

“You like me? But you know nothing about me beyond my race being all but extinct, I can make bombs that rip sub-space asunder, and that, perhaps, I’m a lot older than what you may be used to.”

  • Kord

She looked up at him and shrugged. “I know you care enough about the people on this ship that you made a bomb. I don’t know how to make your race being nearly extinct a better thing for you. But I know you are unique in your own ways. Whether it’s your race, or your personality, or just the fact that I don’t feel crazy young and inexperienced around you. You had confidence in me with enough conviction to field promote me. That meant a lot to me. And from what I’ve learned about you, that’s not something you toss around lightly.”

Tia set her fork down and looked at him. “Ok, so there is an age gap.”

Kord was taking a drink when she mentioned age gap and nearly choked. He tried to suppress it though a couple of drops managed to find their way down his chin.

“If that’s a problem, then I understand. But it won’t affect that I consider you not just my XO but also my friend. I’m not some ‘straight from the Academy’ child with some starry eyed crush on her Commanding Officer. And I hope I get to know you better.” To her credit, she wasn’t swooning, being seductive or whining. She was merely stating that she felt a connection… and even if he didn’t, she was willing to accept that as well. “I’m sorry if that was too forward. But you ‘did’ ask.” She tried to laugh and lighten the mood.

Tia

Kord coughed politely into his napkin and smiled.

“The age gap isn’t a problem for me, I can’t let it be a problem if I’m going to have any chance at a somewhat normal social life even for a very brief time. However, when others find out how wide that gap actually is, they usually decide to keep the relationship strictly professional.”

Kord appreciated her matter of fact attitude. He’d been around too long to care about keeping unnecessary secrets anymore.

  • Kord

She had to clench her jaw to keep from giggling when the mention of the age gap had nearly made him choke. “Well… Since you brought it up… How big is the gap? 3000 years?” Her voice remained steady and calm as if 3000 was the same as five. Tia had thrown the number out there willy-nilly, but had remembered enough about time travel anomalies that after she said it, she half wondered if he’d say ‘yes’. She had no plans on running, regardless his answer, though. But he’d brought it up so now she was curious.

Tia
CE

Kord looked at her appraisingly for a moment.

“In a round number? Try over forty thousand Terran standard years.” Kord said then observed Tia’s reaction.

  • Kord

Bump


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