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Re: Day 06 [1745 hrs.] Victuals, Visitors and a View

Reply #25 –
[Lt. Cmdr. Natalie Stark | Arboretum| Deck 22 | Vector 03 | USS Theurgy ]Attn: @Fife 
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Despite a bit of tripping over each other, metaphorically, the two Lieutenant Commanders seemed to be getting along. Common ground was there to be had, and the conversation continued to flow. Perhaps not perfectly, but it flowed all the same, with only small pauses and at the worse, short hang ups. For Natalie it was a pleasant surprise. She had met a lot of new people over the past few days, had interviewed more than a few for new positions in the ship. Dr. Aiden Kobol  came most readily to mind, as she'd been asked to make the offer to him of the position of Chief Medical Officer. That meeting had been pleasant enough, but had a formality that this evenings encounter lacked. 

For one, she wasn't offering anything to Cross; Captain Ives and Commander Ducote had handled the transition, the bridge officer test, all of it. For another point, he sought her out, she hadn't summoned him. And unlike the dinner with Dr. Kobol , there evening had continued into a gentle stroll through the Arboretum.  After everything that had happened to her in the past five months, the whole thing had a surreal cast to it. Earning a barking laugh from the Vulcan might very well be the highlight of the evening. Natalie arched an eyebrow high on her forehead in her best impression of Hathev or Cir'Cie, though she failed to keep a smile off of her face. 

"Well, the idea was to change things up, Commander," she chided, with a playful wink, not at all minding the brief contact. Which was, she supposed, rather out of character for the diminutive Ops Chief. She could be quite hands on - with people she knew well and trusted. But she felt at east for the moment, and just smiled at him. Besides, she'd finally picked up on the blushing and was perversely pleased at the result. She clasped her hands behind her back again and swayed a bit on her feet, doing her best to look as innocent as her question had been.

She listened, and made all the appropriate noises at all the right times. A smile quivered around the edges of her lips as she hummed appreciatively, and rolled her shoulders back. He turned the course of the conversation back over to her, and chuckled softly. "Martian food is a lot like Earth food, though, considerably less sea food and more veggies and fruits grown in hydroponic farms," she admitted. "I'd never had crab before coming to the Academy, but apparently San Francisco is covered in places to get something called Cioppino, and it was amazing. Then again, I'd never seen a mango before coming to Earth either." Her smile softened, getting lost in memory for a moment. 

"I'm not sure how exactly he found out, but every year I was there, on my birthday, Boothby would leave a small bowl of mangoes outside my door while I was out at classes. Never caught him at it, but I could tell they came from the tree on the grounds." After all, she'd first met the man under a mango tree. "I had thought they were from some alien world, but they're from the cradle of humanity.

"That doesn't exactly answer your question about Martian cuisine, however. There's a pretty good variety. We even produce our own wine, funnily enough. But where I grew up, you'd find a lot of corn dishes. Squash, beans, and the like. I swear I had frybread or hominy with every meal at home. A lot of sheep dishes as well, because the animal traveled well and was one of the early domesticated breeds to be raised on the planet. Sheep and pig." Seeing some confusion, Natalie laughed a bit. "The area that became Bradbury Point, on lake Bardbury, was originally settled by a large migration of Navajo from the American south west. They picked up and migrated as soon as they could, though man left again, after the Romulan war, to seek a home further from Earth." The last she'd heard, that world, settled by the descendants of some of the first martians, had been on the wrong side of the demilitarized zone.

Pushing that unwanted realization aside, Nat then informed Cross that, " the Navajo picked up a lot of culinary influence from the Spanish and Mexican settlers on Earth. By the time they colonized the part of Mars I eventually grew up in, Taco Tuesday was a tried and true tradition. I think you might like Martian cuisine, Cross. Though I can't in good conscious recommend the Nuevoa French styles of the southern settlements. They make great wine but the food is sorely lacking compared to the real thing."

Re: Day 06 [1745 hrs.] Victuals, Visitors and a View

Reply #26 –
[ Lt. Cmdr. Cross | Arboretum | Deck 22 | Vector 03 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @Brutus
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Cross chuckled as Natalie pointed out that the idea had been to change things up, the Vulcan unable to deny that the Human did have a point, even if she had forced yet another blush from him with her little wink. Cross was surprised at the frequency he found himself with blood rushing to his cheeks, and now began to suspect the ship’s diminutive 2XO was doing it on purpose. The fact that she now had her hands clasped behind her back and was swaying on her feet, looking for all the world like an innocent, only solidified the suspicion, though she refrained from provoking any more displays of embarrassment as he answered her question.

Cross found himself somehow surprised that Martian food so closely resembled that of Earth. It only made sense, both planets being populated predominately by Humans. The Vulcan did find Stark’s little anecdote about the mangoes rather amusing, the idea of Boothby leaving a small bowl of the delicious fruits for Stark each year seeming very much something the elderly groundskeeper would do. The fact that Stark had thought the Mango tree had been cultivated form some alien world made Cross chuckle anew, casting a warm, amused glance at the Lieutenant Commander beside him.

As Stark continued, talk of the foods she’d had growing up before moving on to early livestock breed of her native planet, Cross found himself feeling somewhat confused, something that Stark seemed to pick up on as she continued. She explained that the Navajo had brought a great deal of Mexican and Spanish influence from Earth, and they had colonized the area that Stark herself had grown up in. As such, Taco Tuesday was apparently a very set tradition. Cross himself was all too familiar with tacos, and he smiled at the Martian woman as she informed him that she thought he would like Martian cuisine, though she didn’t seem as certain about the French-influenced styles of the southern regions.

”You make a rather compelling argument for all things Martian, Commander.” Cross remarked as he cast a sideways grin in Stark’s direction, then decided to add a wink of his own to give the Ops Chief a taste of her own medicine. She may have caught on to his rather annoying trait of blushing extremely easily, but he had noticed that she, too, was rather quick to flush as well, though in her case it was the typical Human red colouring rather than Cross’ customary green. ”And I’ll take your word for the French styles. Even on Earth, I found French cooking not overly to my liking. Delicious food, if a little rich.” Cross turned his head to look at Stark, a look of . ”But they serve such small portions! What good is cooking something so flavourful if you only get two hajari bites of it?” Cross realized he’d begun to grumble and cast a rueful smile in Stark’s direction. ”Sorry if that came out negatively. I love to cook. I just don’t get why tiny portions are a thing, especially in Human cooking. I mean, I can see the hajari Vulcans pulling something like that, but…”

Cross paused and turned to Natalie with a bemused expression. ”I really need to stop saying that, since I am one of those Vulcans now.” Cross’ face coloured again, accompanied once more by the inward cursing. At this rate, the Theurgy’s 2XO was going to think him either flighty or, more likely, insane. ”The transition is taking some… getting used to.” Cross raised his hand in front of him as though studying it as he spoke, then smiled at Natalie, trying to bring himself back to a more cheerful tone. ”Sadly, being biologically Vulcan, the alcohol in the wine won’t do me much good now either, though I’d still love to taste it. Do you happen to remember a name?” Cross’ smile took on a rather teasing element, his pale eyes twinkling mischievously as they peered into Natalie’s. ”Or perhaps we could trade recommendations? You suggest a wine for me, and I could suggest a vintage of kanar for you?” Cross’ tone betrayed his amusement at the suggestion despite his efforts to suppress it, as almost every Human he had previously gotten to try kanar had hated it. ”Though I’ll understand if kanar isn’t to your taste, Natalie. I don’t think I’ve met a Human yet who actually enjoys it. And I’ll admit, it’s certainly an… acquired taste…” Cross shrugged at Natalie and smiled as he clasped his hands behind his back once more as they continued ambling along through the Arboretum.

Kardasi Translations:

Hajari - Fucking

Re: Day 06 [1745 hrs.] Victuals, Visitors and a View

Reply #27 –
[Lt. Cmdr. Natalie Stark | Arboretum| Deck 22 | Vector 03 | USS Theurgy ]Attn: @Fife 
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If pressed, Natalie would utterly deny that any sort of prancing about or preening was done on purpose. She was just naturally placing her hands behind her back, and any twisting about was most assuredly an unconscious act. She would be lying, of course. Even as unobservant as Nat was, she had picked up just enough to realize that the Vulcan did flush a tiny bit whenever she held herself like that, and had purposefully decided to leave her hands behind her back, instead of loose at her sides as more likely to do. You take your fun where you can get it.

It seemed to her that the officer from the Endeavour found her answer informative, and the conversation as a whole enjoyable. A good win in her book. And then he shot her a wink and teased a blush as she realized he was now playing the same game she had been. She bit her lip and glanced away, sucking in a breath and then shrugging. "I'm admittedly biased. Our history has its own ups and downs, just like the rest of humanity. Mars is a wonderful world, but its still undergoing changes two hundred plus years after we started to tame it. I think it's pretty fantastic but you'd have to take a tour to be sure for yourself."

Not that either of them would likely get the chance to do so outside of a holosuite. The whole Sol system was off limits, as were most of the neighboring worlds. The core Federation systems would be nigh on impossible to slip into unnoticed in a ship like the Theurgy, or even just a few officers sneaking off for whatever reason. Natalie certainly couldn't go back to Mars, even undercover. They'd be looking for her there, she was sure. Those were thoughts best set aside, however. Instead, she focused on not blushing, and bashing French food. 

"I never really managed to enjoy it either. If I wanted something heavy, I'd just have Italian." Would, and had, many times before. Guilty pleasures were guilty pleasures and a good Fettuccine Alfredo was a large guilty pleasure for the Martian. "Portion size varies from culture to culture and how self conscious you are. A lot of high society types make a bit deal of small platters and the like." She gave a shrug, accenting a figure that had never really bothered with small portions for the sake of having a small portion. She gave him an appraising look when he admitted to enjoying cooking.  It paired well the with the evolving discussion on wines.

"I'll have to do some checking to make sure I get the name right. Chateau Picard is one of the big exports from Earth itself, and there were a few Picard's that settled on Mars. The actually campaigned to rename part of the southern settlement 'Champagne' so they could use that name on the wines made down there, but I know they don't actually use their family name. It is a Martian Champagne mind you, which pisses the actual French off. But it wasn't one of there's. They're just the one with brand recognition." Chuckling a bit, she tucked a few stray hairs back behind her ears and nodded in agreement. 

"I'm not a big drinker, truth be told. I've had a few that I've liked. I enjoy sweet drinks, like the Samarian Sunset, and a singer I knew introduced me to this ruby red that was quite delicious." She was quietly pleased with herself that she didn't tense up when she thought of Rory, and the drinks they'd shared at the hot springs on Theta Eridani IV. A bright point in a dark time. "But Kanar...is very thick." Her tone kind of fell at that point and she gave him an apologetic look. They were cutting back along their circuit, slowly making their way back toward the entrance, though it could not be seen from this point in the large room. "I'm not really sure how I'd take to it. Just seeing it poured into a glass makes me wonder if it wouldn't just get stuck on the way down? Is that a thing that happens?"

Re: Day 06 [1745 hrs.] Victuals, Visitors and a View

Reply #28 –
[ Lt. Cmdr. Cross | Arboretum | Deck 22 | Vector 03 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @Brutus
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Cross was well aware of the fact that Natalie had been trying to coax and tease a reaction out of him, keeping her hands clasped behind her back, those little twists and glances. He was also aware that Natalie had been more than a little successful in that endeavour. And as Cross saw Natalie Stark bite her lip and glance away in response to his wink, he knew that she was on to him playing that same game. It seemed a strange interaction to be having with the Human, not only because Cross was by nature a shy individual, at least when it came to member’s of Stark’s gender, but also due to the fact that she was the ship’s 2XO as well as the fact that he had only met her earlier that very evening. Regardless, Cross had to admit that he was enjoying their little stroll as Natalie admitted that she wasn’t particularly fond of French cuisine either.

Cross listened as Natalie spoke of the development of the wines of Mars, inwardly amused at Natalie’s obvious pride in her home planet and it’s history and development. A part of him was even a tad envious, himself not having any particular home to speak of, no history to contribute to the conversation. Even so, he was happy to listen. The manner in which Stark spoke of her home made Cross wonder if she missed it, unable to return home as she was. He glanced at her as she chuckled, and watched as she reached up at tucked a few errant stands of her long brown hair behind her ear. Probably better not to ask if she missed home. The question might touch on a sore spot, like poking a wound. It would be a shame to spoil what had, for the most part, been a pleasant evening with such a mood-killing topic.

Cross was pulled back to the conversation as Stark admitted that she was not a big drinker, though that she had found a few she had liked over time, and that she generally favoured sweet drink. Cross wrinkled his nose at that, the grimace causing the ridges on his nose to appear to multiply and he chuckled softly. ”I think I’ll leave the sweet drinks for you. I’ve never had much of a sweet tooth myself, which I suppose is for the best now.” Cross gave Natalie a sideways glance, the look in his eyes one of amusement. ”The doctors told me that, while I may not be affected by alcohol and caffeine as much following my correction, sucrose will have the same effect as alcohol would in a Human.” Cross sighed and shook his head slightly before looking at Stark once more with a bemused expression. ”I’ve never been a heavy drinker by any means, but I do miss caffeine.”

Cross grinned broadly at Natalie’s comment about kanar, and found that he couldn’t prevent himself from laughing at both the comment itself, and the apologetic look that she gave him as she spoke it. ”Yes, kanar is much more viscous than most drinks, though I can’t say that I’ve ever heard of it getting… stuck on the way down, did you say?” Cross chuckled, shaking his head and giving Stark an amused sidelong glance. ”I’ve been drinking kanar for some time, Natalie, and I’ve never once had it try to lodge itself in my throat. It may be thicker than your Samarian Sunset, but it’s still liquid.” Cross nudge Natalie with his shoulder as he teased the Human, chuckling softly. ”When I was on Earth, before I went to the Academy, I once heard someone say that if you ate a watermelon seed, a watermelon might grow in your stomach.” Cross grinned at his companion. ”Were I a better Vulcan, I might point out that your worry about kanar is illogical, just as the fear of the watermelon seed is. Since I’m not a very good Vulcan, I’ll just say don’t knock it ‘til you’ve tried it.” Cross gazed at Natalie in silence for a moment, studying the Human and trying not to think about how pretty she was, lest he blush again. ”If you ever decide you’d like to try it, let me know. I’ll replicate you a good vintage.”

Re: Day 06 [1745 hrs.] Victuals, Visitors and a View

Reply #29 –
[Lt. Cmdr. Natalie Stark | Arboretum| Deck 22 | Vector 03 | USS Theurgy ]Attn: @Fife 
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Her actions with the newcomer were more than a bit out of character. She was not, by nature a flirt. Case in point, she had utterly missed the way Vanya had been flirting with her, right up before the Romulan made it abundantly obvious - only to be interrupted by summons to the bridge, and what would become a horrifying battle whose aftermath they were going to be dealing with for some time. An event that had shelved any further discussions, to say the least. Contrast that with the evenings playful nature, and Natalie couldn't say why she allowed it to happen as it was. Perhaps in part it was all the reminiscing about home. Perhaps it was because Cross had sought her out, had made the first overture. Perhaps the emotional Vulcan was simply easy to get along with, for not knowing all there was to know about Natalie Stark, and being new enough to not yet have a working relationship to contrast against. Or maybe she was just tired, and decided to try being a bit different for once. The only person that might be able to suss it all out was Counselor Hathev, and Natalie was not going to go make an appointment with her to over analyze why Nat had decided to let her  guard down for a change. 

Beside, she was enjoying herself, and letting her curiosity take the lead for the evening wasn't the worse thing she could have done, by any means or stretch of the imagination. Thus she watched Cross, as he thought about drinks, and replied to her own queries and imparted a bit of knowledge that she had somehow failed to discern in all her years. It must have shown on her face as her eyebrows shot up on her forehead and she did a slow blink of surprise. "I have to admit that this is news to me, com - Cross," she almost used his rank, that's how surprised she was, but caught herself,  smiling at him. "I shall have to keep that in mind in the future. In case I ever need to get a Vulcan tipsy to get out of a tight spot. Not that I can really imaging being in such a situation." It might be quite amusing. And I wonder why I never noticed this with Vanya? Surely, her programming...

That was a train of thought best left untouched for the moment, or so Natalie decided. One of the joys of loosing oneself in conversation with another was not dwelling on friends that weren't around, that you were trying not to worry about. "I'm sorry to hear about the caffeine," his tone had her readily confessing her sympathies. "I live off coffee. Though I'm sure your Dr. Kobol  would say that I've been indulging in too much of it lately. Our Dr. Kobol , I suppose I should say." With time her thinking would change, and there would be no 'your' just 'our'. It had happened before, after all. The teasing resumed swiftly though, as they discussed the viscosity of Kanar, a conversation that she never dreamed she would have - certainly not with someone whom wasn't a Cardassian.

"Well, fair. It does look like it might though. Reminds me of an overly sticky looking cough syrup," another confession, the Ops Officer rolling with the gentle nudge from the taller man easily enough. "Should I ever find myself feeling quite that adventurous however, I promise I'll let you know and we can see how that particular libatious experiment goes." she was using big words again, a realization that came after she slung out 'libatious' in a conversation. Recovering ground quickly from that, she noted, "I had heard about the water melon seed bit though. Mom told me that once, much to Daddy's annoyance. She thought it was right funny until I stopped eating the fruit for a whole month for fear that I might miss a seed by accident and turn my stomach in to a miniature garden."

The memory was only slightly bittersweet, and Nat chalked that up to progress. The duo rounded the bend and found themselves not quite back where they started, but walking up on that point. They'd managed to discuss almost nothing of any serious import related to their jobs on the little walk about, and make their way through the Arboretum. Sighing softly, for it was clear that things were wrapping up, Natalie opined, "It really is a shame that I never really tried this place out before things went to hell on this ship. I'm quite glad it's escaped serious damage. It'll be a popular retreat for all sorts of folks trying all sorts of drinks, I imagine." Nat flashed a wane smile at Cross now, knowing they were reaching the natural conclusion for the night, both with matters still to attend to (or so she assumed). "This was nice, Commander. I'm quite...happy you decided to stop by and introduce yourself. I can only hope that whichever new staff member I get introduced to next, the meeting is just as pleasant."
 

Re: Day 06 [1745 hrs.] Victuals, Visitors and a View

Reply #30 –
[ Lt. Cmdr. Cross | Arboretum | Deck 22 | Vector 03 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @Brutus
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Cross grinned as Stark admitted that his little admission about sucrose was news to her, the former hybrid chuckling as she went on to commiserate over the loss of the glorious benefits of caffeine. The Human admitted to having a dependency on coffee herself, the confession prompting Cross to direct a warm smile in her direction. She added that Doctor Kobol  might say that she indulged in the beverage too much as of late, the comment forcing another chuckle from the Vulcan. ”In my experience, if we listened to doctors all the time, we wouldn’t have any fun.” Cross ignored her little slip of using the term “your doctor”, the woman catching herself and correcting herself. It was an easy enough mistake to make, the crews of the various ships being so freshly integrated. He imagined it would take some getting sued to for the old Theurgy crew, seeing so many of their comrades replaced with fresh faces that they didn’t know.

Stark maintained that kanar did look like it might stick in a person’s throat, despite Cross’ firm assurance that he had never had it happen to him, going so far as to claim it looked like overly sticky cough syrup. Cross laughed, suspecting based on her words that Stark would never actually agree to try the beverage. She did assure him that, should she ever decide to try it, she would let him know and they would see how that experiment went. Cross smiled by way of reply, chuckling in his head as he decided he wasn’t going to hold his breath.

Natalie went on to admit that she had heard of the urban legend about watermelon seeds, and admitted that her mother had told her that very thing when she was younger. Apparently the young Natalie Stark had stopped eating watermelon for a whole month for fear that she would miss a seed and turn into a walking melon farm.

As they rounded a bend in the path they found themselves approaching the place they had begun their wanderings. Cross found himself slightly disappointed that their encounter would likely soon be coming to a close, the Vulcan having enjoyed Starks company, teasing and all. He found himself nodding agreement as Natalie stated that she was glad the Arboretum hadn’t been damaged in the various encounters the Theurgy had undergone in the previous months, mentioning that it was a shame she hadn’t come her before now. As she commented that the evening had been nice, and that she was happy he had stopped to introduce himself, Cross found himself returning her smile. ”I’m glad I did too, Commander.” Cross replied, mirroring her return to the use of rank. ”I’ve enjoyed our walk, and your company. Thank you for a very pleasant evening.” The statement sounded almost too formal to Cross’ ears, the words having an all-too-Vulcan ring to them. He fought the makings of a grimace at the thought, putting on a smile instead. ”Perhaps we can do it again sometime. From what you’ve said, you’ve got a lot of lost time in the Arboretum to make up for.” Cross pulled up short just inside the doors which would lead them to the corridors outside, clasping his hands behind his back as he came to a stop. ”I think I’ll stay for a few minutes before I head by to my quarters, and all the reports that are waiting for me there.” Cross informed her with an almost impish grin. ”Goodnight Natalie. I hope you enjoy the rest of your evening.’ Cross remembered that she had addressed him as Commander a moment before, and so added the word ”Ma’am” for good measure, the words spoken with a slight smile and a nod of the head.

As they parted ways, Cross allowed himself a moment to watch the retreating figure of the ship’s 2XO. After the manner in which she had been taunting him throughout their time together, twisting herself this way and that and holding her body in a manner to make him blush, Cross thought there would be little harm in allowing himself to admire Natalie’s figure as she exited the Arboretum. The Vulcan certainly appreciated the view, a slight smile playing across his lips as she disappeared from view and the doors hissed shut.

”Careful Cross…” The Vulcan murmured to himself with a slight shake of the head. ”She’s a senior officer.” Chuckling to himself, Cross turned and glanced about the Arboretum once more, taking one last deep breath in through his nose to savour the scent of the greenery and foliage a moment longer, then turned and strode out the doors and into the corridors beyond, off to face the reports and paperwork that awaited him in his quarters.

-FIN
 
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