As Rellir slowly limped into the Embassy Wing kitchens, she was greeted immediately by a cacophony of sound and scents that brought a wan smile to her tired features. The clanking of pots and pans, the low hum of voices and curt statements, the hiss of steam, bubbling of liquid and sizzling of meat was a welcome relief to the memories of the battle that had awoken her from a fitful sleep. She stood still for a moment letting her weight shift until she was leaning against the kitchen door and just watched the controlled chaos of the dance the chefs did next to and around each other as they prepared a midday meal for those members of the starbase that would come down to the Embassy Wing to eat.
“Rellir! Sit! We got a message from some Romulan called Amin to make you sit down if you came into the kitchens.” Thomson said. Thomson was the tall, lanky human who was the only Starfleet enlisted crewmember on the Embassy Wing kitchen staff. Rellir was not surprised that he would be the first to notice her presence. Her smile didn’t fade as she dutifully stole Bragi’s stool and carefully perched onto the edge of it, letting her braced leg hang loosely towards the floor.
At the sound of Thomson’s words, Bragi turned away from his pot of tube grubs (with extra shells!) and clapped his hands in glee. “Story time!” He exclaimed and without a word about Rellir having stolen his stool, he in turn stole Thomson’s, and pulled it over next to Rellir watching her expectantly.
Before Rellir could respond to Bragi, Jaeih pushed into the kitchens, a Romulan style PADD in hand. Her face was pale, her arm was in a sling and her expression tightly controlled as though the mass of bruises on one side of her face would pain her if she spoke or smiled. She wordlessly strode over to Rellir and handed her the PADD, then stepped back, keeping the arm that was in a sling hugged protectively to her chest.
Rellir reluctantly took the PADD from Jaeih and read briefly from the printout on the screen, before closing her eyes in grief and then handing the PADD back to Jaeih. Her voice was low and tight and only broke slightly once as she spoke.
“Let me tell of you the honored dead. His name was Tosr tr'Mivas…”
2 Likes
"That sounds like a Tasty cookie! Did you you just say Frostmass? Isn't that a derogatory way of saying that the Human holiday of Christmas is rather cold, relatively."
A blue tall man with a hop in his step was walking through the door into the embassy kitchen, he was carrying a PADD himself, but this was Federation standard with a nice sleek black finish for style. The Bolian enjoyed black gadgets, he had always coupled senses to each other. That was part of the Bolian empathy, literally smelling fear or tasting happiness. Now it was not that extreme, but this Bolian perceived Black as mystery and enjoyed that quite a lot. His hands moved to flip the cuffs of his white collared shirt. "Time to get baking? Unless, you had a story? I can do voice, yes! Hah! Voice, Rather nice. I'm pretty good. I think. Am I? ...Yes! Most certainly."
He flipped the PADD and showed a picture of some double chocolate chip cookies. It was a human recipe, rather sweet. He knew Romulans weren't that fond of sweetness, but at least it was something a lot of other people enjoyed. Every species has some strange food. Bolians liked food that are basically rotten to others.
"And ... may I call you by your first name?" He nodded at everyone and started counting them, "Bragi, Jaeih, Thomson and ... I do not know the Romulan." His fingers counted on one hand. The index on his other pointed at all of them. "Of course, the most lovely, Miss Rellir."
A blue tall man with a hop in his step was walking through the door into the embassy kitchen, he was carrying a PADD himself, but this was Federation standard with a nice sleek black finish for style. The Bolian enjoyed black gadgets, he had always coupled senses to each other. That was part of the Bolian empathy, literally smelling fear or tasting happiness. Now it was not that extreme, but this Bolian perceived Black as mystery and enjoyed that quite a lot. His hands moved to flip the cuffs of his white collared shirt. "Time to get baking? Unless, you had a story? I can do voice, yes! Hah! Voice, Rather nice. I'm pretty good. I think. Am I? ...Yes! Most certainly."
He flipped the PADD and showed a picture of some double chocolate chip cookies. It was a human recipe, rather sweet. He knew Romulans weren't that fond of sweetness, but at least it was something a lot of other people enjoyed. Every species has some strange food. Bolians liked food that are basically rotten to others.
"And ... may I call you by your first name?" He nodded at everyone and started counting them, "Bragi, Jaeih, Thomson and ... I do not know the Romulan." His fingers counted on one hand. The index on his other pointed at all of them. "Of course, the most lovely, Miss Rellir."
1 Like
“AIEEEEEE! Why is there Gagh in my Larish Pie Filling?!” Screeched the Bajoran Cook.
Rellir stopped speaking and stared at Thomson as Bragi got up with a very big smile and shuffled out of the kitchens. Both Rellir and Thomson watched the door close behind Bragi.
“Is Bragi friends with the supply chief?” Rellir asked.
“Yep.” Thomson grunted as he turned and went back to his current cooking project.
Rellir looked at Rix the Bolian and raised an eyebrow at the blue man as he walked in, and she wondered how many conversations he could carry on at once -- including, possibly, with himself. Thomson nodded to Rix having been warned of the Bolian's potential arrival into the kitchens.
"I fear you have missed today's storytime." Rellir said to Rix as Jaeih nodded politely to the Bolian and headed out of the kitchens. "There is some time, however, to give you a tour of the kitchens and learn what you know about cooking with real food, as I promised." Rellir said as she stepped out of the way just in time to be missed by the Bajoran Cook who paused and looked at Rix and said a little to loudly and angerily, "HELLO." Then the Bajoran barrelled out the door after Bragi.
Rellir watched in amusement as the Bajoran left and then focused her attention back on the Bolian. "What cooking experience did you say you have?" She asked him.
Rellir stopped speaking and stared at Thomson as Bragi got up with a very big smile and shuffled out of the kitchens. Both Rellir and Thomson watched the door close behind Bragi.
“Is Bragi friends with the supply chief?” Rellir asked.
“Yep.” Thomson grunted as he turned and went back to his current cooking project.
Rellir looked at Rix the Bolian and raised an eyebrow at the blue man as he walked in, and she wondered how many conversations he could carry on at once -- including, possibly, with himself. Thomson nodded to Rix having been warned of the Bolian's potential arrival into the kitchens.
"I fear you have missed today's storytime." Rellir said to Rix as Jaeih nodded politely to the Bolian and headed out of the kitchens. "There is some time, however, to give you a tour of the kitchens and learn what you know about cooking with real food, as I promised." Rellir said as she stepped out of the way just in time to be missed by the Bajoran Cook who paused and looked at Rix and said a little to loudly and angerily, "HELLO." Then the Bajoran barrelled out the door after Bragi.
Rellir watched in amusement as the Bajoran left and then focused her attention back on the Bolian. "What cooking experience did you say you have?" She asked him.
1 Like
Rix waved at the Bajoran cook softly and smiled. "Hello." The Bolian softly spoke over his lips that were formed into a smile. He enjoyed conversations even if it was with others that were rather aggressive in nature. Rix's hand had turned into grabbed his PADD by now and walked back over towards his initial conversation partner. His lips parted in a soft prolonged 'M' sound as he thought.
"...I make a lot of meat and as you know ...cookies. I like those things, they make people smile." His eyes almost seemed to glow as the words came from him. It had been a while to work with a team and now he might learn something new, that was something the man always enjoyed. "So ... What do you make, Miss? It must be nice, yes. Certainly. Quite nice, can you Imagine? Yes, I can! Hah! Oh, that must be a great recipe. Right? I do hope so. Yes, I'm sure!"
"...I make a lot of meat and as you know ...cookies. I like those things, they make people smile." His eyes almost seemed to glow as the words came from him. It had been a while to work with a team and now he might learn something new, that was something the man always enjoyed. "So ... What do you make, Miss? It must be nice, yes. Certainly. Quite nice, can you Imagine? Yes, I can! Hah! Oh, that must be a great recipe. Right? I do hope so. Yes, I'm sure!"
Rellir stood up and let the Universal Translator catch up to the Bolian's verbal onslaught. Finally, she smiled slightly and motioned for the Bolian to follow her and she responded to his questions as she walked around the kitchens.
"I specialize in Rihannsu cuisine. Thomson, who is the tall, dark-skinned human by the boiling pot, specializes in human and Andorian foods; Bragi, who ran out the door earlier, specializes in Klingon and Ferengi food and the Bajoran who chased him specializes in Bajoran food. We used to have a Vulcan Chef but he was shot and killed last year during a freighter incident." She pauses and her expression gets a little darker as though recalling the incident.
After getting her emotions back under control she snaps at Thomson, "Thomson! Have we hired a new Vulcan yet?"
Thomson turned away from his cooking pot, and wiped his hands on his long white half-apron. "Yeah, but he's waitin' for your approval." He pointed over to a stack of Federation-style PADDS sitting in the corner. "His name's Sankesdi. Old guy. To old to fight, but makes one heluva Plomeek Soup. He even stared down Bragi and Bragi won't go near his food. I got no idea why."
Rellir snorted quietly. "Good. I approve." She made no move towards the PADDS and only motioned vaguely in Thomson's direction before turning back to Rix.
"The difference between us, Rix, as I recall, is that you use replicators for your recipes. And that is why you are down here, is it not? To learn to work with real food?" She motions towards a series of ovens lining the wall opposite the racks of pots and pans and shiney utensils. "The ovens are there, the stove is near thomson, and the grill is on that end." She waves to the corner that the Bajoran had shrieked in earlier.
"What do you wish to try your hand at first?" She finally asked.
"I specialize in Rihannsu cuisine. Thomson, who is the tall, dark-skinned human by the boiling pot, specializes in human and Andorian foods; Bragi, who ran out the door earlier, specializes in Klingon and Ferengi food and the Bajoran who chased him specializes in Bajoran food. We used to have a Vulcan Chef but he was shot and killed last year during a freighter incident." She pauses and her expression gets a little darker as though recalling the incident.
After getting her emotions back under control she snaps at Thomson, "Thomson! Have we hired a new Vulcan yet?"
Thomson turned away from his cooking pot, and wiped his hands on his long white half-apron. "Yeah, but he's waitin' for your approval." He pointed over to a stack of Federation-style PADDS sitting in the corner. "His name's Sankesdi. Old guy. To old to fight, but makes one heluva Plomeek Soup. He even stared down Bragi and Bragi won't go near his food. I got no idea why."
Rellir snorted quietly. "Good. I approve." She made no move towards the PADDS and only motioned vaguely in Thomson's direction before turning back to Rix.
"The difference between us, Rix, as I recall, is that you use replicators for your recipes. And that is why you are down here, is it not? To learn to work with real food?" She motions towards a series of ovens lining the wall opposite the racks of pots and pans and shiney utensils. "The ovens are there, the stove is near thomson, and the grill is on that end." She waves to the corner that the Bajoran had shrieked in earlier.
"What do you wish to try your hand at first?" She finally asked.
"Ah! Such cultural diversity in one cantina? Should I call this a cantina? No, this is more of a bar, like my mothers place. Oh, she made the best Bajoran food. Was it Bajoran? Or just Bolian with a twist? Maybe a bit vulcan. What about Human with a decaying and Vulcan twist. No ...Perhaps Ferengi after all. It could be just Bolian, then again. Yes, it was Bolian." His lips were like an overloaded phaser turret, firing word salvo's as if they were in the middle of the kobayashi maru. Not that a Romulan would know what that was.
"I do not merely use replicators, my mother taught me how to make the most simple Bolian food. Put a piece of meat in a box for a month. Scrap of the white aaaand you are done." He gave a content nod. Bolian food was easy, slow cooking as they called it. Or mostly fermenting.
His hands leaned on the counter top near him and sighed. "I want to ... hm, I want to learn about making something romulan. I know it sounds odd, but perhaps that ...makes me more cultural attractive to that side of our station. ... You must remember our whole ...shoulder ....situation....problem....yep."
"I do not merely use replicators, my mother taught me how to make the most simple Bolian food. Put a piece of meat in a box for a month. Scrap of the white aaaand you are done." He gave a content nod. Bolian food was easy, slow cooking as they called it. Or mostly fermenting.
His hands leaned on the counter top near him and sighed. "I want to ... hm, I want to learn about making something romulan. I know it sounds odd, but perhaps that ...makes me more cultural attractive to that side of our station. ... You must remember our whole ...shoulder ....situation....problem....yep."
5 Likes
Rellir smiles in amusement. "Rihannsu? Very well then. To become in good standing with the crew of the Anarhai you must learn to cook viinerine, and to become in good standing with the D'Ishae, learn to bake D'Hael. The commander of the Lyret prefers Mollusks, and the commander of the Llair mh'Aerrh prefers sauted Hlai. Which commander is it that you are having a particular issue with? All of the crews love Sail-back pie and we have discovered that thing which crosses racial boundaries and conquers all wars -- fresh Osol Twists." She paused and waited, wondering what the Bolian would choose to cook.
3 Likes
The Bolians lips softly parted, yet he was unsure what to say. In a flash of utter contemplation, brilliance for him, he said nothing and merely rubbed the ridges he hand on his chin. It was a sensitive part of a Bolians physique, many did not know that. A lot of nerve endings, like fingers for Humans. A softly sigh later, his ice blue eyes stared up. "I want to learn what you like, Rellir ...I mean, Commander telaitra ...That's how you pronounce it, right?" Rix was a man of many talents, yet the tongue of Romulans was not one of them. His body moved forward and leaned on the counter near to them. It was lovely to just speak with people about trivial things, instead of the endless talk off war.
1 Like
Rellir was momentarily astounded at the lack of words. The Bolian was silent. Not only was the Bolian silent, he was silent for at least a good, long minute. Save for the fact that he was moving, she might have checked for a pulse, but then he spoke. She tapped at the back of her left ear, trying to adjust her universal translator, uncertain she had heard the blue creature's words correctly. When they finally registered, she frowned.
"Baked D'Hael. You must learn to cook Baked D'Hael. I know how difficult the commander of the D'Ishae can be. In fact, let me go and retreive the ingredients myself!" She fled the kitchen.
"Baked D'Hael. You must learn to cook Baked D'Hael. I know how difficult the commander of the D'Ishae can be. In fact, let me go and retreive the ingredients myself!" She fled the kitchen.
2 Likes