Sweet and spice

Posted on 19 Feb 2019 @ 3:53am by Lieutenant Commander Iria Taltos & Captain Edward Bolingbroke (Dec-Jan 2389 - TRNSFR After Gorn War)
Edited on on 19 Feb 2019 @ 11:55am

Mission: Ka Hakaka Maikaʻi - The Good Fight
Location: lounge
Timeline: After Aubrey's Keys

[ON]

[Lounge]

Iria had been busy with work and side projects but she was never to busy she couldn't set aside time to do something fun and unexpected. She sent off a dinner invitation to Edward saying she would like to make him dinner (in three days from the time the invitation was received and confirmed, -- if it was acceptable) and had spent the last two evenings getting it ready.

The table was set with two main dishes for dinner, homemade lasagna and her family's secret recipe for stuffed pepper steak. There was a loaf of pepper cheese bread as well as salad and for dessert there were chocolate chip cookies. Iria set down the butter dish and knife for the bread and looked towards the doorway. She really hoped he would enjoy it but if not well she would at least know what not to cook in the future if there was future interaction. She enjoyed his company and humor in either case. Iria also figured he could use the break in routine after he had lost some men during the previous battle with the Gorn. Since this was casual she was wearing a wine red shirt, and black pants, with comfortable flat soled sandals, her hair was held back with a black ribbon woven into her braid.

Bolingbroke had been pleasantly surprised by the invitation, it seemed a long time since they had met on the holosuite and taken the old Bentley out for a spin.

It seemed a little strange, the ship had just fought a battle, was soon to be heading into a war zone and yet there was something appealing about just having dinner with somebody.

He arrived on time, dressed casually in a pair of corduroy pants and a check shirt. He found Taltos setting up one of the tables by the forward windows.

"I say, that's quite a spread you've laid on!" He said with a broad smile

Iria smiled up at him, "Well I wasn't sure which dish you would like so made a bit of everything that I have confidence in," she was slightly embarrassed but she wasn't backing down. Besides it was better to have extra than not enough. Iria stood still a moment as she regarded him, "Though if you don't like any of these it's okay I can get something from the replicators."

"I'm a Marine, there's food, it's not from a ration pack, I don't have to catch it kill it and cook it myself. What's not to like?" He grinned.

Iria grinned a bit cheekily, "Well if my cooking is in comparison to a ration pack I will have to practice more."

"I'll get something to go with it" He went over to the bar and a few moments later came back with a bottle of wine and two glasses "A BarRolo, good hearty Italian red, plenty of body." He looked at the label "Not the greatest year, but should go well with the steak and lasagna." He set the glasses down, took a seat and poured the wine and held out the glasses. "Cheers"

Iria blinked at him a moment than sat down carefully, she gave a more cheeky grin, "I will take your word for it, I don't know anything about wine." She accepted the glass he offered her, "Cheers."

Bolingbroek smiled and took a sip. "Hmmm, not so bad. Got a cellar full of the stuff back home at Creedmoor. Family has been collecting it for generations. Great Grandfather was a bit of a wine connoisseur, half of it's probably too valuable to drink now" He chuckled "I don't bother with all that vintage stuff, just drink what I like."

He topped up the glasses and looked at the food "Well, where do we start?"

"That depends on your taste, the lasagna is filled with cheese and a ground beef sauce, the steaks are stuffed with peppers onions and few other things. They compliment each other well." Iria said lightly. She readied a plate with a small helping of each main dish and offered it to him. "You can help yourself to the bread as you like."

Bolingbroke accepted the plate, added some salad and tore off a chunk of the bread. He tried the lasagna first. "That's very good" He smiled and tucked in to the rest of the plate

Iria made up her own plate as he started to dig in, his compliment on the lasagna, made her smile relieved that he seemed to enjoy it as he dug into the other items on his plate with what she affectionately would term gusto.

She couldn't help but smile as she tucked into her own plate of lasagna, steak, salad. "I made it like I would for family which is a bit spicier than usual but if you would prefer a less heated version next time I don't mind easing up to suit your taste buds."

"No no, spicy is good" Bolingbroke smiled, trying the pepper steak. "Not really one for bland, I like flavorful food, especially homemade" He took some more wine. "Thank you for inviting me to dinner"

"Well I am glad I didn't burn your taste buds, My brothers add extra tobasco and a spice that is Cajan in make called Nu Nu's spice. It adds an extra kick to most things. I only put one dash of each for the sauce for the lasagna and a pinch alone to the pepper steak marinade. My brothers say it isn't enough so they add extra." She shook her head softly, "Happy to have someone to cook for, thank you for joining me."

"The heat and flavor are just right" Bolingbroke smiled, digging in again "Most of us find something to add to the combat rations to jazz them up a bit. I'll have to find some of the Nu Nu spice."

Iria smiled brightly, "I have a few unopened containers of Nu Nu's spice I can give them to you if you want, just remember a little goes a long way. Otherwise if you think you'll need more than the two unopened ones I'm offering, I can give you the contact details of the the merchant I buy my spices from."

"Thank you, but luckily I don't have to eat ration packs too often" He smiled "Maybe just a little bag to start with."

Bolingbroke took another drink of the wine. "I'm glad you came on aboard the Hawaii when you did," he said. "Those that survived the destruction of the Wyoming were treated very badly by the Gorn."

Iria nodded, "Yeah lucky break, for me." She shook her head head ruefully, "I don't think I would have been as lucky as the survivors." She didn't have a very high tolerance for pain but she was more stubborn than average.

"I saw some of the survivors that got transferred to other ships, they looked like they'd seen hell." It was very sobering to think that fate had been kind to her to have her chosen to join the Command staff when they'd visited the Hawaii before the battle called them back leaving her behind working with the Hawaii's engineering teams. She counted herself lucky indeed.

Iria had taken a shine to a few people on the Hawaii and she hoped that in the next meetings they would still be willing to see her as a friend, if not possibly more. It was a matter of timing then it was in the air what would be next.

"They had a very grim time over there." Bolingbroke nodded "But thankfully you avoided that. Now, let's talk about arranging another drive in the Bentley..."


[OFF]

Edward Bolingbroke Capt SFMC
BMSOC/CC

Iria Taltos, Lt SF
ACHENG