A long trip begins

Posted on Wed May 18th, 2016 @ 4:43pm by Captain Liarra Von & Colonel S'er'in'e
Edited on on Thu Jun 2nd, 2016 @ 11:31pm

Mission: The Art of Survival
Location: Shuttlecraft
Timeline: Current

S'er'in'e had set the autopilot and for the last few hours had been deep in reading so to not disturb the Captain in her preparations for meeting the Admiral. As time went on though so too did the awareness the food would soon be required. He placed his book on the side console as he replicated cutlery, plates, glasses and assorted mats and placed them on the table. He was unsure as to what the Captain would like to eat and so researched typical Trill meals for the time of eating.

Of the times he has interacted with the Captain he felt that he'd put her in a position of uncertainty, she bowed the first time they met to return his own, the hesitant hand shake, the taking of the bags earlier. There seemed to be much about his ways she didn't understand and this trip may provide the time to enlighten each other as to the ways and customs of the species. He knew it was perhaps hard for the Captain to learn of his ways in light of commanding a station with tens of thousands of people on board, he was no different and nothing special over the others, his only difference being he was heavier and taller than nearly all on board.

He wondered if she was open to learning so that she could more comfortably interact with him, he didn't want to make her uncomfortable when dealing with him which for a while he felt his ways had done exactly that, made her uncomfortable.

S'er'in'e had finished setting the table with multiple heaters to keep food hot, only problem was that S'er'in'e did what he did with Samanthia, made multiple meals for a wider range of selection. 3 starters, 2 mains and 3 desserts all of trill origin spread across the table with his own large fish meal opposite in front of the chair he'd occupy. Once set, he walked to her door.

***Knock Knock***

"Captain, dinner is served." He spoke through the door hoping he was not interrupting her too much.

One of the great benefits to taking a larger shuttle was the personal bunk. While it was not overly spacious, especially compared to the commanding officer's suite on the station, it still offered an amount of privacy that was rarely available on shuttle trips. Liarra had retired to the bunk some time ago to review her notes for the conference. There was going to be a lot to cover, and with the station having become the front lines, she was going to have to cover most of it. Quinn was easy enough to work with, but the entire Eleventh Fleet brass were going to be there, along with a number of task group commanders. She needed to be ready, if for no other reason than to plead her case as to why Starbase 332 remained so strategically important.

Von was lost in her thoughts when she heard the knock on the door. There was only one other person it could have been, at least under any understandable circumstances, so she didn't bother to check to see who it was. "What can I do for you, Colonel?"

"I have prepared a meal should you wish to join me. I was not sure what you would like thus prepared a selection for you to choose from." S'er'in'e replied through the door not wanting to disturb any more than necessary.

It hadn't occurred to Liarra until that moment that she had been growing hungry. It happened more often than she could count where she was lost in her work and didn't notice until late that her stomach was growling. She called back through the door, "That sounds great, Colonel. Thank you." Putting aside her notes Von stood and stretched before opening the door. "What sort of selection do we have choose from this evening?" she asked of the Caitian once she was able to make eye contact.

S'er'in'e explained as best he could, even going so far as having trouble speaking the names of the dishes prepared on the table. As he presented they were laid on the table ready for her, he mentioned the he did not know what she would like hence the selection. His own meal consisted of a fish dish. "I hope that is acceptable."

Liarra struggled to keep herself from giggling out of respect to her officer. She wasn't sure what she expected for dinner, but a large array of dishes from her homeworld, many she remembered having to make while working in her parents' restaurant, was the last thing she expected. "Colonel, you really didn't have to go to this much effort. All of this is more than acceptable. But I appreciate the sentiment. It's not often that I see Trill dishes away from the homeworld, especially out this far." She studied the selections, impressed by not only the wide range of dishes, but also the quantity. She spotted the fish that he had prepared for himself, which paled in comparison to the rest of the food in front of her. "I hope you're going to help me with all of this. I don't think I can eat this much food on my own."

"As you wish." S'er'in'e replied as he pulled out the chair for her. As he understood the custom was performed. "Would you like something to drink?" He offered as he waited.

"Water is fine, thank you," Von replied, taking a seat in the offered chair. "Do you go to this much effort for every meal?"

Gathering a pitcher of water and glasses S'er'in'e set them on the table. "You will have to ask my Mate. Caitians would eat more than this in a given meal because of our needs, to non Caitians I can understand how this may seem a lot." He then seated himself.

"I would imagine that you could build up quite the appetite, Colonel. I have to say, this is quite the interesting selection of Trill cuisine. Some of these dishes are even served together," Liarra said with a smirk. "Have you had Trill food before, or did you just research recipes?"

"Research. I did not know what you would like and the computer suggested they would compliment each other in a pleasing manner." S'er'in'e spoke as he laid the napkin in his lap, obviously it was much larger that normal just like his cutlery and tablewear. "Captain, if I may." Once again using the permission card. "I have noticed you have been uneasy, or apprehensive around me in the few times we have interacted. Is it something I have done that I am unaware of or doing wrong without realising it?"

Liarra was surprised by the question, though she shouldn't have been. It was probably pretty obvious that she was somewhat timid around him, though not for the obvious reasons. "Colonel, it's nothing that you have done. It's not anything that you haven't done. It's just..." She trailed off while collecting her thoughts. "It's just that all the attention, the bowing, taking my bags, making me dinner that you though I would find pleasing. Sometimes I feel like you are going beyond what I would consider typical between too officers who hardly know each other. Maybe it's just me feeling like you are encroaching on my independence. Maybe it's just you trying to be overly friendly. For all I know it's just stress getting the better of me. But sometimes, it just makes me feel a little uncomfortable. I can't really place my finger on why, but it does. I don't know if any of that makes any sense."

Part of him was sorry for asking but at least he now knew. "I can not help the bowing, I am required to do it by Caste however, it is a cultural requirement but for the rest I will bear what you have said in mind." It was not the first time that this had happened, he doubted it would be the last. He just knew now that perhaps the Captain was one of those people now and though there may be as a result of this, some unease, it would pass in time.

"I'm sorry, Colonel. I don't mean it as a disrespect. It's just something I'm not very used to experiencing. Where I come from, we don't have castes, and men and women are treated as equals." Liarra grew quiet, afraid that she was insulting his culture. That wasn't her intention, but she wasn't always the best with words.

S'er'in'e fell silent for long moments, unsure what to say lest he make the situation worse, silence he knew wasn't helping either. "It is quite all right Captain." S'er'in'e spoke. That was not the case but he would have said it even still, he'd made her uncomfortable with his ways, even unintentionally and it was going to be a long three day trip to Cestus yet. Von was not the first, wont be the last.