Posted by… suppressed (3) by the Post Ghost! 👻
SNIP

OOC: If you want we can explore this further, or when ever you want skip forward a few hours to diner :D

There were plenty who were ready to help take over if he truly got reassigned, but she was glad when he didn’t pursue the idea. Stepping back as he mentioned the panel, she realized they had both switched back to ‘work’ mode. Taking the panel from him and leaning it against the opposite wall, she nodded at his assessment. “Well, let’s make sure it’s all tight and working and I think we can manage one more section before end of shift, if they aren’t any worse than this.”

They spent the remainder of the shift working on the panel and replacing the bolts. By the time shift was over, they had nearly finished the second junction. Marking it for the next time they had time, they cleaned up and ended up back in Engineering by the time the next group of engineers was arriving. They nodded niceties and went their separate ways. Kristi put the gear away and went to give passdown to the computer and oncoming shift, so they could monitor the power in that area and notify her if anything strange happened. Mike went to his office to do his shift report.

Kristi was looking forward to dinner and her mind kept wandering. It took her twice as long to make the passdown before heading for the hall and her quarters to get cleaned up.

Kristi
Engineer

((Your choice to end, or put dinner here and just change heading… or make new thread))

OOC: Here’s as good place as any to continue…

IC:

USS Viking - Deck 12 Kitchen

“What I wouldn’t give for my mom’s spice rack.” Mike sighed as he looked at the cupboard in the USS Viking’s kitchen where he was prepairing the meal for Kristi and himself. He tried replicating different herbs but the screwy replicators on board USS Viking, the ones that made almost every dish taste different and weird made things very hard and complicated. He was trying to impress a girl with his cooking, so naturally he wanted things to be perfect indeed.

He was glad she requested something simple, like chicken. He’d probably try to impress her more with some kind of lobster or Beef Wellington. Well he was still doing a three course menu, and the ship’s kitchen didn’t have all that much to offer. Luckily almost every meat tasted like chicken.

Since Mike’s quarters didn’t come with a kitchen, just the standard replicator, he cooked where a stove could be found. The price to pay to use it was small as well. He had to cook a larger batch, so crew members coming to the lounge could also benefit from his cooking. A change indeed from the usual hotdogs, hamburgers and french fries.
On todays menu they could also find Garlic soup with toasted bread , Chicken with cheese sauce and steamed vegetables on the side. For desert however, he only had ingredients for the two of them, but that required almost no preparations fortunately.

After taking enough for the two and checking the time, he was glad he still had about 15 minutes. Knowing Kristi, she would arrive at 6pm sharp. Just enough to prepair everything and things not to get cold.

– 15 minutes later–

Mike was back in his quarters and setting up the table for two. It was 6pm and everything was ready. But as he started to wait, his hands started to get sweaty. He kept wondering if he did everything right or if he forgot anything. Seconds started to strech, and they seemed more like minutes....

Lt. Mike Stone, CE

Kristi was near frantic. She had had to go back to engineering to explain a report from earlier in the day. Not wanting to answer questions why she was dressed up, she had put her uniform back on. Now, at six, she was in her room frantically tossing her uniform onto her bed and changing ‘back’ into her dinner clothes. She hadn’t wanted Mike to see her in uniform, cause he always did. She wanted to look nice for him tonight.

It was nearly ten after when she arrived, breathless and on the verge of tears thinking that he had given up on her and thought she had stood him up. She smoothed her hands down her outfit (*) once more before palming the chime. The blue two piece outfit was a pair of leggings tucked into black akle boots and a one sleeve form fitting top that showed her figure off well. Her hair was loose down her back with a single barette holding it off her face. She then held her breath and waited…

Kristi
Engineer

https://maethrashade.freeforums.net/thread/367/kristi-outfits?page=1&scrollTo=2158 Blue leggings with skirt and top

When the chime rang, Mike broke the record for the fastest 10m dash. The door itself seemed to open up much slower then usual, and Mike’s brain did an overtime, until....

She came into his view. If he had 100 thoughts a second before, worrying why she was late, if something happened to her, if she got cold feet, maybe forgot…
Now his brain stopped all processes and just wanted to take in the sight before him. Like an old 14400 bit modem, his brain first memorised her head, those fiery red hair, open breathing lips, red cheeks. Went down to her sholders, the blue dress she wore. He checked out her legs, and all down to her black boots. His head dropped a bit lower still, until he noticed his boots as well, and realised he was still in his uniform. So busy with his cooking, and later with worry, he forgot to change.

”...... wow, you look stunning....” Invite her in already, stupid His brain though. Mike awkwardly sidestepped from the door and motioned her inside, never taking the look from her.

“Do come in. Uh, please excuse me for just a moment, I didn’t get to change out of the uniform yet…”

He motioned her to the chair next to the table, set for two then quickly disappeared into the bathroom with jeans and regular shirt under his arms. Even though the soup was getting cold, he knew he had to get out of his uniform. She saw him in it daily, and he was her boss while he was on duty.

“Hi, I ummm… it’s ok,” she stammered and he motioned to the chair and rushed from the room.

Faster then Klingon’s trigger finger, he was out of the uniform, and in his casuals. “Here we go....” He said to himself in the mirror, then went back into the main room.

Lt. Mike Stone, CE

Kristi smiled and listened to the rustling in the other room. She had never been in his quarters so she found herself wandering around the room instead. Beside the couch she slipped her boots off. She didn’t wear shoes in her own quarters, like most. And she didn’t want to insult him wearing them in his room in case he preferred otherwise. So when he came out, he would find her barefoot, the leggings stopping at her ankles, with her back to the majority of the room as she admired the view out the window and the small shelf of personal items before her. Her hands were lightly clasped before her like a child trying to keep from touching what they shouldn’t.

Kristi
Engineer

OOC: It’s actualy second time she’s here. First one was when they both fixed faulty wiring that prevented Mike to get a good nights sleep a while ago. ((actually remembered after I posted hehehe))

IC:

“I think this should be a bit better.” He said as he came into the room. “To be honest, there’s not much else I got apart from the uniforms. Not many replicators are online, but I’m sure you know all about that.”
Noticing she was barefooted now, he asked: “Won’t you feel cold without any shoes? I got some slippers under the bed, if you’d like them.”

He will fetch them for her, if she asked.

“Will you join me, the soup I made should still be warm enough?”

Lt. Mike Stone, CE

Turning she looked at him a moment. “I like it,” Kristi said about the outfit. “It suits you.” At the comment about her feet, she shook her head and smiled. “No, it’s all right. You don’t keep it any colder in here than my own room.”

Nodding at the invitation, she moved towards the table and took the seat he had offered. “It looks good, Mike…” She smiled and waited for him to sit before she took a spoonful to try.

Kristi

“I never asked you, if you’re allergic to anything.” He said sitting down opposite of her. A date ending in sickbay would mean a disaster for him. If she was, he was sure her BIO would say something. As a CE he read every BIO report of his engineers, when they took a position on the ship. Of course over the years he read 500 and more as the crew rotated quite frequently here. Getting things mixed up would be easy.

“Nope,” she said and took a taste of the soup. The soup was amazing. It had cooled off just enough to be enjoyable without having to get past the ‘burning tongue’ phase. “The soup is really good. It doesn’t taste replicated,” she looked up smiling and tilted her head slightly. “Unless you have the only ‘real’ functioning replicator on board. In which case I may have to either report you or blackmail you into fixing mine.” Kristi laughed hoping he would take it as a joke.

He tried the soup himself. Parsley is missing. He instantly thought, but he didn’t find anything similar in the replicator to really replace it. Other then that… it was good.

He watched as Kristi tried the soup as well, and guessed that she was just as nervous as he was.

“Um… you know what we talked about earlier today. That I trust you and that.” He began, “I really do, unlike any other person here. And I don’t want to have any secrets that might later become a problem. There’s one more thing related to my ..you know side mission here… When they put me here I got a whole new BIO together with age and everything. What I’m saying is I’m not really 27 years old like it said, but a bit older. I’m 34. Just wanted that out of the way.” He said a bit uncomfortably.

That ment over 10 years of difference in age. Although he was sure, she was fine with that, it was still something he didn’t want to be a secret. With his looks he could easily pass as much younger then he was.

Lt. Mike Stone, CE

As he made apologies and divulged the lies, she reached a hand across to him and laid it on his. “Mike… it’s ok. I know you trust me and I trust you. You don’t have to tell me anything you don’t want to. And nothing you tell me will make me feel different. All right?” In the back of her mind was a lump suddenly that he was married with a family on some station or planet, being protected cause of the mission he was on. Her voice cracked slightly as she tried to make a quick joke of it. “Though if you are married with a family, I may have to be a bit disappointed.” Her laughter at the end was a bit shaky and she covered it up with pulling her hand back and taking another sip of the soup. “Did you honestly make it in the kitchen?” She tried to change the subject.

She didn’t care if he lied about his age, his background or even that he was half Klingon on his mother’s side. But it was the looming fear of someone, or someones out there that made her chest tighten with dread and a touch of jealousy. But better to know now, right?

Kristi

“I don’t think you need to worry about anyone else in my life. There were a few… interests, but it never developed into anything worth mentioning. There are only two more secrets I can think of.... and no, i don’t have a working replicator but man I would earn a fortune if i had. First secret is.. that while I did make this in our kitchen, half the ingredients are replicated. A while back I found a few things worth replicating. If our kitchen staff would actually bother to experiment a bit, I’m sure we’d have much more diverse selection. ” He shrugged. “I don’t really bother cooking just for one. There’s rarely enough time as it is. But tonight was an exception.” He smiled. Then leaned forward and whispered. “The last secret is… that desert is 100% pure organic, no replicator what so ever. Just don’t ask how I got it, or I won’t let you have any.”

He grinned. “So you got any secrets as well?”

Lt. Mike Stone, CE

Kristi relaxed. He wasn’t married… it relieved her on a surprising level. As he made comment to two more secrets, she paused in her eating, waiting for the other shoe to drop. But when the confessions were about the food, she couldn’t help but laugh. “Well, maybe we should ask the Captain to promote you to head chef, instead… great cover, yes?” She laughed and nodded to the dessert. “Oh, that sounds too good to give up and risk not eating. So I give you my word.”

His query about her secrets made her think. Didn’t everyone have them? Her’s were from before the fleet and not something she was willing to mention.She felt her face slip slightly then realized it and smiled once more. But this time she couldn’t help but grin mischievously. “I have managed to make my replicator spit out a fairly decent chocolate ice cream. But you can’t tell anyone or I won’t share,” she tossed his own threat back at him with a laugh and finished up her soup.

Kristi