Star Trek: Starbase 777 - dich′s-bakery

She moved about the bakery's kitchen, pulling various things out of the oven and putting in new batches. Baking was her passion, and she'd practiced her whole life, so you could say she was pretty efficient.

Baked goods? It just so happened that Niatha was a lover of baked goods, especially the things humans called croissants. Buttery, warm, soft, sometimes crispy and oh so good, mmm. So it was in search of those that she queued at the very back of the line; upon reaching the front she smiled sweetly to the Gorn baker, saying, "Hello there, pardon me. Would you happen to have any croissants~?"

Dich's heart skipped a beat at that beautiful smile. "Umm, yes, I do! How many would you like?" She asked, opening the case, recovering from her gay heart attack.

"Three please!" She smiled back leaning on the counter a little bit. "Do you have them with chocolate in the middle? All melting and warm? I like those."

Dich thought about this. "I don't, but that's a good idea!" She agreed, smiling. "I'll try those soon!" She put three croissants in a box and handed it to the Cardassian.

No chocolate croissants was no matter - Niatha loved the pastries themselves, filled or not. She accepted the box from the grinning Gorn and asked, "Thank you. How much for them?"

"Oh! Um...What do you have on you?" She asked. On a station this diverse, she was prepared to accept any form of currency.

"A few slips of latinum?" She smiled and pulled them out of her pocket.

"Latinum...okay...that's six slips," she calculated, glancing at the pricing chart.

She handed them over with that same pretty smile and took a step backwards afterwards. "Thank you so much! I'll come back, I promise!"

Dich watched her leave with a lovesick expression. "Thanks...see you..." She said with a sigh.

She raised an eyebrow at the expression on the Gorn's face - and may or may not have smirked a little bit seeing her go all gooey like that. "I promise I won't take too long." She teased, winking once if only to drive her up the wall, before trotting out the door.

She went back to the back room to recover, seeing as there was no line.

Nia came running back about a minute later, though, and glanced around the shop for a little bit. Was she looking for something?

At this point, Dich was back behind the register. "Oh! Can I help you, Miss...?" She started, but realized she didn't know her name.

"Niatha. Niatha Chet." She smiled sweetly at the Gorn again. "Erm. Did I leave my... oh!" The Cardassian snatched up a small black pouch which had been left on the counter. "There it is..."

"I'm Dich," She smiled. "Oh, I was wondering who's that was! Glad you got it back!"'

"I'm glad, too. Like I said. I'll be back." The Cardassian winked once again and trotted out the door.

Dich melted at that. This Cardassian was had stolen her heart, she was sure of it.

Jack entered the bakery, he immediately went to see the baked goods they had on display. "ooooo it all looks so delicious."

”Hello there! Dich smiled. “Can I help you two?”

He gestured to Suak. "Why don't you order first? There is just so many good options, it's hard for me to choose."

“Can I have a glazed donut?” Sauk asked, looking at the menu.

”Of course!” The Gorn nodded.

He rubbed his chin for a bit longer before settling on a big gooey browney. He pointed at it as he asked. "Oooo could I please have that delicious looking browney please!"

”You sure can!” She bagged their orders and handed them over. “Federation credits, right?”

"I could use latinum if that's easier? I can pay for both of us either way though." He smiled at the kind baker.

”I take all forms of currency if I can. It’s 13 credits for both,” She informed them.

Sauk pulled out his credit disk.

He placed his hand over Sauks a little dismissively. "Don't worry about that, I'll pay for both of us." He pulled 15 credits out of his pocket, covering both of them aswell as offering a small tip.

“Oh-thanks,” Sauk grinned, putting it back in his pocket. He walked out with Jack to find a table to sit at outside the small shop.

”Have a nice day!” Dich called to the two men.

"You too!" He moved to join Sauk at a table within the bustling promenade. The moment he sat down he took a big bite out of the brownie. He took his time chewing on what was likely the best brownie he had ever had.

“Is it good?” He asked, taking a bite of his donut.

He nodded excitedly. "Its amazing! It's gooey and really tasty. How's yours?" He asked with a smile.

“The perfect donut,” He grinned, taking another bite.

"One of the many perks of being on a station! I hope you get assigned here after you graduate." He smiled realizing Sauk may not be on the station as long as Jack would hope.

Sauk was startled by that realization. He had forgotten that this wouldn’t last forever. “Me too,” He sighed.

"Well atleast we have your Cadet tour! And then it's not too long until you graduate right?" Jack was a bit saddened by the realization that he wouldn't be able to spend as much time as he would've liked with Sauk.

“Yeah! That’s true,” he nodded. “And we can always write each other,”

He smiled warmly. "Absolutely. Plus after you graduate I'm sure we can try and end up in the same place."

“Hopefully,” Sauk said, glad Jack shared his enthusiasm.

He smiled as he finished off his baked treat. "I'm really glad we met. As long as you're here we should keep hanging out."

“Definitely!” Sauk said enthusiastically. He could tell he was in for a long lasting friendship.

He wiped off the crumbs from his uniform. "I think I need to head to work for a bit. Hang out again later?"

“Sure!” He grinned, standing up as well. He had to get to his schoolwork. He may have duties on the station, but he was still a Cadet.

"See you later then, Sawk." Jack waved goodbye and then left to attend to his work.

Sauk chuckled and turned the other way to go to his quarters.

Back at the bakery once more - Niatha had dressed a little more comfortably this time, in a dark blue tank top and jeans and was now looking through the display case...

Dich looked up, saw Nia, and smiled. "Hi!"

"Hey, Dich." The Cardassian smiled and leaned on the counter just a little. Thank goodness the bakery wasn't that full this time of day. "Do you have any quiches? Bacon and onion?"

"Quiches...what are those, again?" She asked sheepishly.

She brought up a picture on her PADD and showed it to her.

"Oh, no, sorry," She said apologetically.

"No worries." She smiled at her, that same pretty crocodile grin. "How are you by the way. Miss me?"

"I'm good. And yeah, a little bit!" She nodded.

"Wonderful. Do you have any sandwiches?" She smiled.

"Yeah, we have some! What did you want?" She inquired, putting on her serving gloves.

"Turkey ham, cheese and bacon - and since I'm here, a side of your company?" Niatha grinned gormlessly.

Dich laughed, ducking her head. "Coming right up, m'lady," She said in a sing-song voice, making the sandwich.

Niatha burst into a giggling fit and sat down at a table watching Dich do her work.

She worked busily at her table behind the counter, laying the ingredients on lovingly.

She opted to move to a table much closer to the counter so that she could watch her work more easily.

"Almost done!" She told Nia, grinning.

"I'll be waiting!" Niatha smiled and blew a kiss her way.

Dich grinned. With the finishing touch of a toothpick through the top, she went around the counter and handed Niatha a tray with her food. "Here you are!"

"It looks beautiful." She smiled up at the Gorn. "Join me? I'm all lonely here by myself..."

Dich giggled. "I really shouldn't....I'm working..."

"Then I'll be here winking at you all shift long." She teased. "How 'bout it."

"Alright, I suppose I can sit," She said with fake annoyance.

"Oh, but I wouldn't wanr to distract you too much," Niatha giggled and laid a hand over her much larger one. "I'll just be here if you want me okay?"

"Okay," Dich grinned, going back behind the counter to serve the next person.

Aella bowed her head (that was appropriate right?) and stepped inside. She had her reservations about Whidbey, but it was clear he was trying to start fresh. "Thank you so much," She thanked him as she looked around the bakery. It was... what do solids call it-- quaint? Lots of different foods on display, most of them she would never be able to taste.

"Hello," Dich grinned, moving to the counter. "What can I get for you two?"

He quickly walked over to look at the foods that the baker had on display. "Hello there Dich." He paused for a moment as he rubbed his chin. "How about some kind of tart for me and a slice of key lime pie if you have it." He turned to Aella. "What do you want?"

Aella followed Whidbey to the display case and looked at all the colourful foods. They looked.... Vibrant? Were they supposed to look appetising? Fun? What was the point in displaying food? "Oh-- Umm.. Rippleberries? Do you have rippleberries?" Aella had zoned out for a moment, completely lost in the colours of all the foods.

Dich began filling Whidbey's order. "I have a rippleberry scone," Dich smiled helpfully. "Does that sound alright to you?"

He shrugged. "hmmmm what kind of pies do you have? I'm not really sure if I'm feeling in a scone kinda mood today."

"Pies....we have chocolate, lemon meringue, and pecan," She informed him.

"Let me get 1 slice of lemon and... one slice of chocolate please Mr Dich." He said with a smile on his face. "I can cover the bill for both of us.*

"Of course," She nodded. "And for you, ma'am?" She said politely, turning to Aella.

"Rippleberry scone sounds good," What was a scone? Aella was just going to have to find out. "Oh and thank you Mr. Whidbey,"Aella thanked him for paying for her. Starfleet people were really kind. Aella did have money from the Founders so she could have paid.

He placed enough latinum to cover everything plus a little tip for Dich on the counter. "Thank you sir." He began walking towards a table with Aella. "Here let's go and grab a seat for the two of us."

She put all the pastries in small paper bags, ringing up their total. She placed the desserts on the counter and took the latinum, placing it in the register.

Aella followed Whidbey to an open table and sat down. "The Fou-- I have an allowance, I will treat you next time," Do not mention the Dominion! Or the Founders! Aella was trying so hard, but it really was hard to teach an old dog new tricks.

He waved his hand. "Spend it on yourself, I was the one who invited you to a meal and thus it's my treat." He raised a slight eyebrow at how she cut herself off from saying founders. Perhaps Starfleet philosophy was rubbing off on her. He decided from this point he'd try his best to be extra nice to her incase it helped sway her.

"Alright, I will not argue, but I will surely make this up to you somehow," Aella gave him a warm smile. "So, what spurred this sudden desire to speak with a Vorta?" Aella's old colours were showing now, she was a Vorta through and through even with the character development.

He shrugged his shoulders lightly. "Eh well I was a bit emotional at the time we first met. I shouldn't have yelled at you in that way so I decided to apologize to you. Personally I try to be nice in general, it's part of my philosophy on life."

"You should be sorry for speaking to the messenger of the Founders like that, you solid." Is what Aella wanted to say, but no, that wasn't right. She had to be good. "I am glad we can put that behind us and have a chat today," Good, she was behaving. "The Founders will be very pleased to know their liaison has been treated so nicely," Noooott the Founders again! Aella quickly realised her mistake after she spoke. ”Actually they want me to explore my free will on this station. So I am conducting research on hobbies. What are your hobbies Mr. Whidbey?"

He made a decision to try and push the conversation towards a topic he thought would make for some intriguing conversation. "Philosophy, I like to read old philosophical texts. Some take on the exstitential while some take on ideas that embody themselves more into our day to day lives."

"Philosophy?" Aella tilted her head, clearly confused. What was exciting about philosophy? There were only two philosophies in the galaxy. Those who believed in the Founders and those who were wrong. Obviously. "What other philosophies are there if not the will of the Founders?"

He shrugged. "Following the will of the founders may perhaps fall under the over arching idea of free will and determinism but overall there are lots of philosophies. There are moral codes such as utilitarianism and ways to help one fulfill a better life such as existentialism." He had a smile on his face clearly this was a topic he liked talking about.

"Tell me more. What sort of philosophies do you enjoy reading about? How could there be room for any other way of thought outside of the Founders and the Dominion? I am very curious," You know, Aella was trying, She really was. She wanted to explore, but at the same time, she still had that Dominion pride ™️

"Well for example one very hotley contested idea is that of free will vs determinism." He moved his hands around gesturing that there was 2 sides. "Free will postulates that out actions are purely our own based on thought." He shifted his hands to the other side. "Meanwhile determinism states that the entire future is allready accounted for and we are simply making decisions that the universe has always intended for us to make."

"That's an easy debate," Aella sat back and smirked. "There is only the Founders. They create everything. Us solids are--“ Nooooo, what did Eshen say? No trying to force Dominion ideology on people! "In the Dominion that is our view. We were bred to believe that the Founders will is the only one." Noiiiice save. Maybe.

He looked at her a little dissapointed that his point hadn't made it fully across. "Here allow me to give you a completely random example. Tell me the very first word that pops into your head right now. Simply the very first word."

"Glory to the Founders and the Dominion," Aella replied immediately. Okay that was many words. Try again. "-- I mean. Ahhh.. Zhimata." Aella said in Dominionese, not quite sure how to translate the phrase to Standard.

He chuckled at her first line but quickly relented, he didn't want to be rude to her. "Zhimata... Im not really sure what that means but it's something. Now why did you chose that word? Was it always willed to be that you would say that word?"

"It means... Friend," Aella explained. "It could mean friend, lover, partner, trusted ally, it has a lot of meanings," Aella said slowly, clearly deep in thought. "Everything I do has been carefully planned by the Founders. There are no surprises in the Dominion.-- I mean... To us they are our gods. I understand humans also have their own gods, correct?"

He nodded. "Some people do still believe in God yes, however I personally do not." He paused for a second to rub his chin. "Even when God was a common belief free will and determinism were debated. Simply many view it as unlikely that God could control everyone's thoughts at all moments. Which is why people do bad things. In your opinion do you think it was you choice to say that word?"

"It was my choice. But my choice was only possible by the will of the Founders. They gave me this free will and have instructed me to use it as I choose. So.. in essence, they decided to let me decide. Does that make sense?" Aella had been speaking Standard for weeks now, but the nuances of the language sometimes alluded her. "And what do you believe?"

He nodded. "That does make sense though the ideas do technically conflict with eachother. By stating that you do have free will proves you believe in free will. Personally I believe in free will, everyone has control over what they do. In our time in this universe we must simply use that free will to better the universe."

"But what if the Dominion is right and the Founders have decided all our fates? Doesn't their ability as shapeshifters make them... Higher, than those without?" Aella definitely deserved an E for effort here, but she couldn't help trying to promote the Founders and the Dominion. At least a little bit,

"Their inane abilities give them more power then us perhaps but they still exist on the same plain of existence as us. Even if they think in somewhat of a hivemind through the link they still have their wills just like we do." Austin smiled at her as if to help his overall message get through.

"Do you think the Founders have free will?" Aella raised an eyebrows, very interested in what this Starfleet officer thought of her gods. "From my experience the Federation has always views them as another alien species, not gods. I will not try and convince you otherwise, but I would like to know how you can look at beings who clearly have abilities that surpass your own and not consider them divine?"

"To me they are the same as any other beings so yes. Enhanced abilities doesn't equal divinity. There are plenty of beings stronger then I am in the universe yet I don't think anyone considers them to be divine." He decided to respond with a question. " Would you not say something as powerful as crystalline entities that have abilities far beyond are own are just as divine?"

"Crystalline entities? Hmm they are not divine. They did not create life," Aella thought for a moment. It was an interesting point though. "The Founders created the Dominion. I do not know of any other entity that have even come close to creating such a cohesive galactic superpower. Well. Aside from the Borg I suppose, but even they yield to the Founders."

He decided to push the arguement. "What of the cardassians or Klingons. They created empires that found themselves capable of defeating the dominion. By that logic the cardassians would be just as divine as the founders. As for creating life even us humans have been doing that for a very very long time."

"Cardassians are inferior, they are irrelavent," Aella sat up and slammed her hand on the table. "I-... I'm sorry--" Shit shit, was all of Eshen's training for naught? Was she really fighting a losing battle? A Vorta with free will... A joke. "I... I-- But they did not engineer their new lifeforms to view them as gods.... Like the Founders did." Aella suddenly got very quiet.

He decided to push his luck even farther. "Do they not? Does a cat not worship its owner as a God? The fact is that humans are capable of manipulating life via evolution just as much. However we choose not to use these powers out of the philosophies of the prime directive."

"Your prime directive is--" Aella caught herself this time. "A noble principal. Something the Dominion respects which is why we signed this Alliance," Nice save. Aella took a few deep breaths to find her centre again. "The Vorta and Jem'hadar were bred for a specific purpose by the Founders. We are not blind to it, in fact, we accept their power over us and it is what makes the Dominion so powerful. You solids-- I mean the Federation values individualism and you are free to have differing opinions. That does not exist in the Dominion."

He raised an eyebrow posing a new possibility for her. "But why must you deny your inane nature? Free will is something that exists within all beings including vorta. Even if up until now you have chosen not to recognize it, it certainly is there. You have the power to make informed decisions on your own. You should keep an open mind towards other morals."

"Other morals... But the only morals are those of the Founders?" Aella was having a crisis internally now. "I do not know if it is possible... For a Vorta," Aella said thoughtfully. Her gaze lowered and she rested her head on her arm. She felt solemn, defeated, /lonely/. "The Founders have decided to make our communications more infrequent so I can explore free will. I have been trying to discover new hobbies, but how can one have hobbies without any ability to appreciate art, taste, see without vision correcting aids?"

Whidbey continued to rub the stubles along his hand. "Well... perhaps you can... you just need to open yourself up more. Perhaps it is your own indoctrination towards the idea that you can appreciate art that keeps you from doing so. Art is a type of experience but to experience it one must have an understanding of their emotions."

"Emotions," Aella sat up and looked at Whidbey. "The Vorta do not experience emotions. Not like solids do," She said in a serious tone. "We only exhibit emotions to.... Deceive those we are talking to. We are not known for being very genuine," She stated, taking a deep breath. She admired what this officer was trying to do, but it would take more to break her out of her mental prison. "It is common knowledge around Starfleet that the Vorta are not to be trusted, you feel the same, don't you?"

"As a whole..." He paused for a second. "Yes, I do not trust the governance of the dominion. However I do think i am capable of trusting you. Though I must admit I would be a tad fearful of your betrayel if it wasn't for this deeper conversation. It will be a process to learn to fully trust you but I do believe I can. You are a intriguing person, Aella." He lingered on the conversation with a small smile.

Aella. He said her name. Maybe he could be trusted. "As you should be, you should be concerned that I may betray you, I am a Vorta," That was her instinct speaking again. "But thank you. Mr Whidbey. Thank you so much. Philosophy of solids is very interesting. I will continue to explore hobbies and leisure activities."

He nodded to her. "I am happy to talk about philosophy any time..." He paused for a second. "I have a question for you, why do you call things for the solids. As though you are not a 'solid' aswell, aren't you?"

"Solids," Aella began. She hadn't really thought about it. That's what the Founders called them. "I don't really know what else to call you non shapeshifting lifeforms outside of the Dominion," Aella explained. "Yes I am a solid too, but the Founders refer to any non shapeshifting lifeform who do not serve them as solids.... perhaps it sounds derogatory, but it is how I was 'raised' as you-- non Dominion species say."

He wrinkled his eyebrow. "You non shape-shifting lifeforms?" He frowned. "You still say it as though you are not also one of us, if you want to explore free will, you should also be trying to explore flaws within the dominion, should you not?"

"There are no flaws in the Dominion you--!" Aella stopped herself before she got too out of control and took a deep breath. "I have been genetically programmed to worship the Founders as my gods. I an afraid that unlike.... other non Dominion species I cannot simple go against my gods. Humans from all generations have challenged their gods, debated their existence. Unfortunately we Dominion are incapable of such freedom of thought."

No queue - not surprising this time of night. He ordered a warm chocolate muffin and munched on it as he made his way to a seat. Mmm, peach bits in chocolate were simply too good...

3

[D] Nolan had merely wanted to pick up some cake and head back out, but when he spotted Lizard (he never could remember names) at one of the tables, he decided to approach. “Hey,” he said in his naturally soft voice, and asked, “Can I sit?”

Nolan might've forgotten his name, but Ughaz'udan hadn't. How could he have? "Ensign Swift. Yes, you may." He then yawned and swallowed a bite of warm, sweet muffin. Mmm. Delicious. "We haven't spoken in a while."

With a smile, Nolan slipped into the seat opposite Lizard. “We really haven’t.” Truly, he hadn’t seen him since the ball. And maybe that was for the better, since usually seeing Nolan meant having to go to the sickbay. “How have you been?” He looked at the muffin in the Lieutenant’s hand. “What are you having?”

11:20

“Also,” he added in his usual clumsy manner, “Call me Nolan. We danced. I think we’re past ranks.” Hypocritical because he’d forgotten Lizard’s name? Maybe. Just maybe.

"Ughaz'udan. And yes, we did." The Jem'hadar reminded him gently. Gently for Ughaz'udan, anyway. "The Gorn that runs this bakery makes excellent chocolate peach muffins. I thought I may as well give one a try." Then his head canted ever so slightly to the side, as if studying the pink-haired human. "How have you been?"

Ughaz! He had to remember that! Damn him and his forgetfulness when it came to names. Nolan smiled, reminded of how much the Jem’Hadar enjoyed peach flavor — of all things! It was a bit funny. Cute almost. “Good, so far,” he said with a nod, “The shift on the Eventide was stressful, of course… Borg and all. However, I like to think me and the Swiss doctor handled the situation quite well.” He looked at Ughaz and the muffin before him and he felt like the Jem’Hadar had turned a little more sociable since he’d last seen him. “I trust the muffin is to your liking. Maybe I should try one as well. I wanted to pick up carrot cake, but on second thought…”

"You won't like food you do not try." He quipped. A surprisingly sagely answer from someone who didn't think much.

“Guess you’re right!” Nolan ordered a chocolate peach muffin and then returned his attention to Ughaz again. “It seems like you’ve settled in on the station, Ughaz. Good to see. Any new friends?” His voice was soft and friendly.

"Virana the bartender. Aella the Dominion envoy. Eshenn the diplomatic liaison." He commented. Not many, but he didn't need very many friends or so he thought.

“I know none of them well.” He smiled, as though that didn’t matter at all, but rather was a good thing. Like he was looking forward to meeting them— “Or, I think I saw the Vorta in sickbay, getting glasses… But I could be wrong.” He shrugged. “Anyways, it’s good to see you’re making friends. Did you and the Dominion envoy chat a little about the Dominion and such?” Nolan didn’t really know a lot about the Dominion. He’d never been good at history back at the Academy. However, he wanted to hear of Ughaz’s wellbeing.

"Somewhat - though nowadays she seems intent on being my friend. Possibly more." He recalled with a thoughtful hum. His interactions with Aella certainly seemed to be going that way, or so he'd judged. "She seems genuinely interested in me - unusual for a Vorta to a Jem'hadar."

“More than a friend,” he said with raised eyebrows. “Well, that’s indeed interesting to hear. And do you have similar intentions?” He studied Ughaz’s expression.

"Her? No. Not at the moment. I feel that we are simply not close enough." He stated flatly. "Virana, however? Perhaps."

Nolan’s eyebrows inched even closer to his hairline. “You’ve got a crush on Virana?” Okay, maybe not his most sensible moment, but he was genuinely surprised. He hadn’t been sure whether Jem’Hadar were capable of, well, romantic interest in people.

"Not a crush. More of... I would not mind having her in my life as more than a friend." He replied. "I am still figuring out the laws and intricacies of attraction for myself."

“Okay. Wow.” He took a moment to process that information, then he blinked and said, “Well, I really hope it all works out for you!” He smiled. “I’d love that for you!” He meant it, good-natured as he was.

"Do you." Ughaz'udan seemed somewhat perplexed. Swift barely even knew him - except for the ball of course, but that was another matter. "Thank you, Sw- Nolan. Thank you. It is much appreciated." Following a long pause - an embarrassed pause he added, "I only wish I knew how and where to begin." (edited)

Nolan grinned a little — it made him look even more boyish than he already did. “Need relationship advice?”, he asked, trying not to sound teasing. On the contrary; he’d love to help a friend out, and this was likely the first time Ughaz had even so much as considered romantic feelings, so it was nothing to be teasing about!

"You seem filled with glee at the idea. But yes, I might. In fact I do." He sounded so uncomfortable admitting that; maybe he simply didn't usually admit that he needed help, not often at least.

“Well, I’m not over-qualified,” he admitted himself. Maybe mutual admitting would put the Jem’Hadar at ease, “But I’m open for questions!”

"I don't know where to begin." The poor Jem'hadar's head hit the table with a light thump; half out of exasperation and half from actual tiredness. "I have been picking where we occasionally meet so far - but I am not certain what to do beyond that."

Nolan gave the lizard man a sympathetic look. “Oof. Well, that already sounds pretty good. What about flirting?” It was usually where to start, right?

"Don't really know how." He replied dully. "Is it strictly necessary?"

Nolan shrugged. “I mean… it kinda helps get the point across. You see, when I like someone, I compliment them to let them know that I like and appreciate them. I talk to them, make sure I know how they are, make sure we spend time together… Well, that’s kind of the foundations of a friendship.” He smiled. “You know. Kinda what we have.” He moved on, “Now, if you have a romantic interest, your compliments turn into flirting. You know, when you don’t just tell someone they look nice, but they look… very attractive. You know, personal things.”

"Compliments but... focusing on her appealing traits." Ughaz'udan blinked.

“Kinda, yeah. Flirting usually includes being suggestive.” He shrugged again. “When you have feeling for someone, you usually wish to be close to them. It’s important to tell the person about those feelings. Let them know you wanna be closer… Well, maybe don’t kick the door in and ask to take them to bed; but you know what I mean. Going on dates is the first step of course. Then, more romantic dates… like dinner.” He trailed off.

"Invite her to dinner - but take things slowly." He interpreted.

“Pretty much.” He nodded. “Though, concerning that thing about taking it slow, well… It also depends on the couple. I think you should maybe talk about how slow you want it to take. Who knows, maybe she wouldn’t mind moving in with you right now, maybe she’d rather go on a few more relaxed dates before taking the next step. Just… be honest. About what you want, what you feel. And listen to her, what she wants and feels. Those are like, the basics!”

"Fair enough. I shall give that a try... whether or not I succeed, I suppose I'll see." He remarked dryly. "Thank you. Nolan."

Nolan nodded with a small smile. “You’re welcome.” His muffin arrived. “Oh, and another thing! Flirting, it may… include physical contact. You know, people who like each other usually like to be touchy feely about it.” He picked up the muffin and bit into it.

More things to remember... alright then. He would try - but why did there need to be so much unnecessary nuance and detail to relationships? Why did this need to be so hard? Ugh. "Alright." He replied. "I'll bear that in mind. As to yourself, since we are still discussing attraction and relationships - has anyone caught your interest?"

Nolan shifted in his seat and then looked away as he chewed on the muffin. Well, he’d thought about it. Back when Ughaz and him had danced… But never mind that. He looked back at Ughaz and shook his head, swallowing down the muffin. “Nobody, no. These muffins have caught my interest, though!” He smiled slightly. “Thanks for the recommendation.”

"You are welcome - and I hope that you do find someone of interest. You deserve it." Ughaz'udan began to stand and clear his bag; he'd been done for a while anyway. "I will see you around - hopefully not in sickbay. I would hate to have a repeat of our first encounter."

Nolan chuckled and blushed slightly at Ughaz’s compliment. “It wasn’t that bad.” Just as he said that, his combadge made a noise, telling him he was needed in sickbay. “Ah, speaking of it — I have to run. See you, Ughaz! Good luck with Virana!”

"Thank you. Till next time." Ughaz'udan simply waved and trotted out the door.

Nolan rushed to sickbay, chocolate crumbs around his mouth and peach flavor on his tongue.

The gorn baker sat stood behind the counter, adjusting her pastieres with gloved hands.

The water in a bottle began to slowly ripple and quiver as the footstops of a hulking being were no doubt audible and felt as they entered. The eight-foot-seven Gorn grunted, before pausing as he observed any of his kin behind the counter, albeit wearing... Oh no, she must have been indoctrinated by the humans, and with it, stepped closer to her. Silver orbs, slitted pupils, measured her like he would an unworthy, dishonorable combatant, before proceeding to rumble out in the language of his people- which sounded akin to a mass of hissing, snarling, rumbling growls and trills. Quite odd, but at least it made palpable sense for the most part. [G]: "Can you speak our mother tongue, Gorn? Or have you been taken in and corrupted by the Humans?" Wearing his diplomatic outfit, the Gorn donned no shoes, having also opted to not take gloves, as neither of them fit onto his large, oversized frame. But for now, Rozadas studied her, watched her, even as that crest of spines running along the top of his dinosaurian head was no doubt spooky and odd. Still, for now, he examined her, waiting for her response, but keeping his senses open at any time...

Dich was very, very startled. She felt naked in her flowy dress all of the sudden. [G] "Ye-yes sir, I can..." *She stuttered, shocked. Another Gorn, on this station!

And the water didn't at all ripple or quiver while Khayl'sh, the great Klingon warrior, stepped into the bar, as aggressively as she may have stomped, it was nothing compared to the massive Gorn who had just entered, she stood more than 3 feet beneath him, just standing in front would certainly be a blind spot for the lizard. But something struck her, an actual Gorn, one who wears a uniform of the KDF liason force, similar to her own. Wait just a moment... IS THIS AN ATTEMPT AT REPLACING HER!!! Well... Not like that would inherently be a bad thing on her part, she would be able to return to Qo'noS, which would be good. Regardless, she was annoyed at the circumstance and approached the Gorn, very annoyed by his simple appearance here. "Who sent you? Are you supposed to be a replacement for me? Why was I not informed of this beforehand?! Who are you?!?" Her tone became increasingly aggressive towards the diplomatic officer, and accusatory as well. And impatiently waited for a response from him.

Blink! The Gorn found himself wondering at the other Gorn's response, and just as he was about to reply, came the marching of booted feet. Turning his head slowly and having to actually crane down due to her lacking height, Khayl'sh was certainly... Odd. Especially when she bore a similar uniform to himself, and it didn't take two and two to put together that she was likely the other liaison officer mentioned in the report. Oh, this was definitely a surprise. Bending his knees down as much as he could, this was clearly a gest based on her height, but still, the Gorn was no doubt an oddity. Rozadas studied her, examined her, waited to think on what to say precisely in this situation. Qo'noS was no doubt somewhere he wanted to be be too, unironically unaware of their similar thoughts at the moment. "Rozadas, Diplomatic Liaison of the Klingon Defense Forces... And I am likely here to help you, if judging from our orders." A roll of the arms, a shrug, even, and then the Gorn, Rozadas, refocused his gaze onto the smaller Gorn. Tilting his head to the side, he pointed with a three-fingered hand at her food products with great interest. Were they some kind of breaded meat, because if so, Rozadaswas heavily interested. Temporarily taking his focus off the irate height-challenged Klingon. "What are those?"

"K-kolaches?" She stuttered, very concerned about the two angry, loud people in her bakery.

Khayl'sh releases a scoff at the information she was told by Rozadas, nobody tells her anything on this warrior-forsaken junkpile of a station, or she just hadn't read her report for the day yet, either way, she was certain that this wasn't her fault, likely ignorant of the real situation, despite that, she was going to try and make the best of the scenario. On the bright side, Khayl'sh assumes that this lizard would prove a good warrior, someone to converse with better than the Starfleet personnel of the station, one that she could relate to to a greater extent. "Nobody seems to tell me anything at this rate... goddamned politicking on the homeworld..." She grumbles to herself, only barely loud enough so that Rozadas could hear her, clearly not wanting to address him directly. The short Klingon did not like being just ignored by the fellow officer, but there was little that she could do to force him lest she stabbed him in the back with her d'k tahg, but she figured that wouldn't be the best of first impressions for the two of them. "May I ask for a proper introduction? I am Khayl'sh, daughter of K'Emir, leader of my own house, a member of the Order of the Batleth, recipient of the Star of Kahless. But this means little, I ask of you to enjoy a meal with me, my aggressive introduction aside, I've been told I should act with more tact and cordiality on my stay at the station."

Sauk ordered himself a croissant and sat down at a table.

He entered the bakery, out of simple curiosity. He’d never seen a bakery before, he knew it made food, but that was it. He kind of just stood there, looking around, a bit out of place.

"Hello! Welcome! What can I get for you?" The Gorn baker asked, smiling at her newest customer.

He looked over at the baker, maybe he shouldn’t of entered, what would he do? Why was he freaking out now? Should he be freaking out? “Um… I… I don’t know, I simply wanted to know what a bakery is like. I haven’t eaten before, so I don’t really know how this works? Or how food does for that matter, or what a bakery- Oh, I apologize, I’m being rude aren’t I….”

"No, not at all! Would you like to try something?" Dich asked, donning her plastic gloves and walking over to the case of pastries."I can give you some recommendations,"

”I… Um… sure?” He was panicking, he had no clue how to eat what if he injured himself some how? “How does someone pick what to eat anyways? Do they do specific things for specific situations?”

"It's typically just...what they feel like eating in the moment. Certain foods are fore certain times, yes, but sometimes you can break those rules. For you, I'm going to suggest a golana melon cookie," Dich said, opening the case and gesturing to a pale green wafer.

”A cookie? It looks… interesting. How does it work?”

The gorn giggled slightly. "You put it in your mouth, and you use your teeth to grind it up," She explained.

Meanwhile, Sauk was watching all this go down with high fascination.

He frowned “And what would one do after that? Does it get absorbed?”

"You use your throat to swallow," She said. "Should I get you a cookie?"

”Sure…? I’m not entirely confident I understand the art of eating however, but I might as well try” He decided with a nod

"Okie-doke!" She took a cookie from the case, wrapped it in a napkin, and handed it to the man. "Be sure not to eat the napkin."

By this point, Sauk had already decided he wanted to befriend this man. He just had to hope he'd come over to him...

Two looked down at it for a while, before trying the described process. After eating it a strange expression crossed his face

Screw this, he was going to talk to this guy. "Hello there!" Sauk smiled, finishing his croissant and approaching Two. "I'm Sauk Tral, either name works, what's yours?"

“I’m… I’m Two…” He sounded confused and somewhat awestruck when he responded, still trying to figure out the strange sensation in his mouth

"You alright?" Sauk asked, tilting his head. Was this...a good decision? He had wanted this interaction...why was he second guessing himself?

”I’m…. I… I feel…. Error, I am incapable of currently forming words to describe this….” Cookies were so… So strange… They seemed to… Pop, I’m a non harmful way. Was this what tasting is?

"Hah, yeah, Dich is a really good cook," Sauk nodded. Was this guy...okay? He was Borg, it looked like. "So, er, Two, are you new here?"

”I… Yes I recently arrived here… Yesterday?” he responded, then turned to Dich “May… May I try another food…?”

"Sure!" She nodded. "I have a pretty good rippleberry tart, or perhaps your new friend can give you a recommendation?"

”Hm, good idea. What do you recommend Sauk?” He seemed to be recovering his ability to speak normally

"Oh, uh, the takka berry pie is pretty great," Sauk said, thinking for a second. "She's also correct on the rippleberry tart, it's good,"

”Could I try both…? Eating is such an interesting experience” he asked, surely it’d be fine?

"Of course! Give me a second..." She gathered both, cutting Two a slice of pie and a piece of tart, putting them on a small plate this time.

At this point, Sauk had already decided he would cover Two's tab, this man was just so pure.

Two seemed super excited, a smile was on his face. He didn’t even bother attempting to hide his feelings at this point.

She handed him the pastries. "Enjoy!"

He ate both of them, the pastries, his joy growing “I can’t believe I never tried eating before this! It’s incredible!”

Sauk laughed. "Yeah, there's tons of different foods out there," He grinned. "Food from all cultures for every occasion. Huh, that sounds like a slogan of some kind,"

”How much food is there? Is there much variety? Different types of tastes?” He would probably explode if he was any more happy

"Yup! Stick with me and I'll guide you through a world of flavor," Sauk smiled, gesturing with his hands. Maybe he'd made a friend! That would be great! He really only had Jack and Eshen... maybe Cecil...

1

”I have no clue how flavour works but it’s exciting!” He declared in his attempt at a response

"Well, flavor is just the stuff you taste. I'm not quite sure how it 'works' either,"

”Maybe someone will have to research that! The effect is absolutely mystifying to the point my brain barely comprehended what was occurring! Was the first time you ate like that?” Two obviously doesn’t realize that most people don’t remember the first time they ate something

"Um, probably the same, but I was very little," Sauk said good-naturedly. "Most species have to eat to survive,"

”Little? You were smaller originally?” Two was confused yet again by simple things, how could someone have been small and then not small?

"Well, most species grow. When I was born, I had to be small so I could fit in my mother...well...perhaps a doctor would be better to explain this. Or an article of some kind," Sauk said awkwardly.

”Why did someone eat you?! That is completely illogical and absolutely horrifying!” two exclaimed

"Reproduction is a funny thing; basically, before I existed, I grew some in my mother, and then I was developed enough to be alive," Sauk said, he was NOT the right person for this conversation, but he would try, he would try his hardest.

”I have no clue what any of that means but okay!” he shrugged

Sauk let out a sigh of relief. "So, Mr. Two, what brings you to the station?"

”I was ordered to come here by the captain of the ship that found me, he never really explained why, but I’m supposed to attempt to communicate with as many people as possible. And maybe get a job?” he explained to Sauk

"Oh, sounds pretty fun! Do I need to sign something to say you talked to me?" Sauk joked, nudging Two gently.

He didn’t understand the joke “I presume no? Captain Handrahan never said anything about signatures, at least not that I can recall….”

"It was just a joke, buddy," Sauk grinned.

”Joke? Ah! Like this?” He casually took off his, obviously robotic, left arm

3

Sauk laughed out loud, seeing that the arm was robotic. "Yep, perfect!" He grinned at Two.

”Haha” he quite literally said the word as he smiled

This. Man. Sauk wanted to be his best friend. He had the tiniest circle of friends... "So, have you met anyone other than me so far?"

”Only two others, Renakir and Hsarr. Doctors are kind of confusing” he informed Sauk “My main issue is that talking to people is somewhat difficult”

Lilian orders a sub sandwich and finds a table by the windows.

[D] After a truly awful time in The Tubes™️ Cecil was ready for this day to be over. He sighed as he strolled over towards the bakery, maybe some sweets would cheer him up. As it stood, he was pretty much living off of live taspar eggs so a change in diet was more than welcome to this poor ensign. His eyes briefly scanned the area for an open table, but there was none. There was an open seat however. Someone he had never met before-- wait wasn't she the CSO of the Eventide? Cecil walked towards the table and placed his PADD down. "Hello, may I sit here?" He asked in a polite tone.

"Hm? Oh, not at all. It's good to meet you ensign." Lilian offered him a smile.

Cecil smiled back at her and plopped his little butt in the seat. "I don't believe we've met. Ensign Ratana Nalas, exobiology, but you can just call me Cecil," Cecil greeted her fondly with a friendly wave. If he was right and she did work on the Eventide then maybe she could put in a good word for him about coming aboard for the next away mission.

“It’s good to meat you Ratana. I’m Lieutenant Lillian So, chief of science on the Eventide, and anthropologist slash archeologist.”

He said Cecil was okay-- well it makes sense the Lieutenant would just call him by his Bajoran family name. It was what was on file and what he was obligated to say when meeting a superior officer. Would it be too late to ask for his name to be changed to Nalas Za'ari? Maybe. "I have never been on the Eventide, I assume that is where you mainly work? I was stationed on Deep Space Nine after the academy so I've never had any experience on a ship."

"Yes, there's where my office and quarters are. Oh sorry, you said you liked Cecil right? You could probably get Lieutenant Dagis or some ops officer to make that change. Probably." She furrowed her brow a bit, unsure of if that's actually true.

She lived on the Eventide?! Cecil really didn't know much about the Eventide or her crew, in fact he was embarrassed to say he never really bothered to learn the ship's basic specs. He rested his elbows on the table and leaned forward. "Yeah, Cecil please-- And I don't know if I could get my name changed I mean... Cecil is just a nickname, all my paperwork is under my Bajoran name," Cecil's voice was soft with a hint of hesitation when he said the words 'Bajoran name'. Despite all that had happened in the past few weeks he was still on the fence about being perceived as Bajoran. "Anyway-- could I ask you something about the Eventide?"

Interesting, he doesn't like his Bajoran name. "Yeah sure, ask away."

"Would it be weird for me to ask if I could join in the next away mission?" Here he goes, might as well ask flat out. "I'm an exobiologist so I think being onboard would really benefit the crew especially if we encounter and strange microbes or amoebas," Cecil always joked that his job was just staring at amoebas under a microscope, but this is where that would come in handy! Who else was going to save the crew if a giant macrovirus runs rampant on the ship? Obvious you needed an exobiologist there!

"Well, I think we already have a couple, but ultimately I'd be okay with it. You should probably clear it with Lieutenant Lhai'Ivek if you're usually stationed on station though."

"I will ask her!" Cecil's face lit up at the idea of finally being able to go on an away mission. He had dreamed about this for a while and it was evident he was ecstatic about the opportunity. "What's it like on the ship?"

"It's small, but I rather like it if I'm honest. I don't really know how to describe it other than that if I'm honset."

"I would really like to go on an away mission! I promise I won't disappoint you!" Cecil said with an overflowing amount of enthusiasm. "And, thank you so much Lieutenant," Cecil stood up and grabbed his PADD.

"Yeah, don't worry! I look forward to seeing you then."

Cecil gave the lieutenant a wave before zooming off, now he had two things to do. Request a name change --- and request permission to be assigned to the Eventide during the next away mission!

After her monthly meeting with the Founders, Aella was excited to return to her civilian every day lifestyle. Today she decided to dress in some attire popular on earth in the 21st century. She had a pleated mini skirt with the tallest heels she could find. She paired this all with a frilly crop top that showed off her shoulders. She wore some small hoop earrings on the tops of her ears because that's APPARENTLY where Vorta wear earrings. Her short hair was already growing long again, but she still couldn't tie it back. Clipping it to the side with colourful hairpins did the trick though. She strolled to the bakery and stood in front of the display case, pondering what to order. She had taken that pill given to her by that strange Bajoran-Cardassian boy Nalas, she was eager to try tasting something.

2

Dich was in the kitchen of the bakery working on a new treat: a lemon tart with a kaferian apple glaze. There was, however, a bell on the counter for customers to ring to get her attention.

Aella could smell the lemon in the air. She was unfamiliar with the scent and pretty much everything in the display case, but she could only assume it was delicious. Her eyes caught sight of the bell on the counter and she sashayed over to give it a ring.

Dich's ear-holes caught the sound of the sharp ring of the bell, and our large, cuddly Gorn baker wiped her hands on a towel and emerged, wearing a flowy, pale blue dress that reached to her shins. "Hi! Welcome, how can I help you?"

"Hello, again," Aella said immediately recognising the kind looking Gorn baker. She always found it interesting they had a Gorn baker on the station, the Federation was truly s very progressive society. The Dominion also had a lot of diversity, well, okay maybe not but changelings were super diverse. "umm well I was wondering if there's anything you could recommend. Like seasonal specials? Something like Rippleberries," Decisions, they were always hard for her, but hopefully this nice Gorn remembered her and would have an idea of what a Vorta may like.

"Rippleberries? I have a Rippleberry-jam filled donut if you'd like to try," Dich said after considering for a second. "Does that work for you? If not, I'm sure you could find something else you'll like." Dich had many different goods, all of them equally delicious, and she took pride in her deserts and savory breads.

Aella always liked this bakery, it was one of the few places on this station that actually had fresh Rippleberries. How they obtained them all the way from the Gamma Quadrant she will never know. "A Rippleberry doughnut does sound good. Is there any tea you would recommend with it? I want to try tasting new foods. What's popular on your world?"

Her world...hmm. See, that was a problem, because our Gorn baker had grown up Deep In The Heart of Texas. So the most popular tea was Kirkland's sweet tea. "I'm not quite sure, I didn't grow up there," Dich admitted, putting gloves on her claw-hands and putting the donut in a pastry bag. "Just one?"

"Oh, well, what about wherever you're from? I'd love to try things from alien worlds," Aella said with much curiosity. She watched as the Gorn baker picked out one of the doughnuts and nodded. "Just one for now," If this tasted good she would definitely come back for more!

"Umm...sweet tea, where I'm from," Dich admitted with a shrug. Southern Americans had very strange tastes, and sweet tea was like nectar to those living in Texas, at least. She handed Aella the bag. "Three slips, please,"

"Sweet tea? Yes I'll try that," Aella said with a bright smile. She had no idea where they had sweet tea but she was definitely down to try it. Aella rummaged through her purse for her money before pulling out three slips of latinum. The Founders had increased her allowance, and she was glad they did. She loved eating out, even if she was alone. She took the bag and handed the money to the Gorn.

"Alright..." Dich happened to have a bottle of sweet tea in a fridge below the counter. She pulled it out and handed it to the Vorta, taking the money.

Aella gave the gorn a bright smile as she took the bottle of sweet tea. "Thank you so much!"Aella was very grateful and made a mental note to tell the Founders about this eating establishment. Perhaps they would come and partake in the activities of solids. Not eating, but they could come for the atmosphere.

Once again Niatha trotted through the door after her duties were done for the day, this time in search of a good chocolate muffin - and very, very possibly her favorite baking Gorn in the universe. Very. Emphasis on very...

3

Dich was at the counter for once, setting a batch of mini cherry pies in the display case. She heard footsteps and looked up to see her favorite Cardassian in the universe. "Niatha! Hello, what can I get you?" She asked in a cheerful tone.

Perfect! Just the big, scaly girl she wanted to see. Niatha smiled sweetly up at her saying, "Could I have two of your best chocolate muffins and a hot chocolate, pretty please?" Her smile became somewhat mischievous. "...possibly with a shot of your company? Been a while since we last talked..."

"You're right, it has! Business has been slow-" Dich glanced around at the scattering of Customers Who Were There. "So I don't see why not," She agreed, pulling on a pair of sanitary serving gloves, getting two muffins out of the display case, and starting a cup of hot chocolate. "Coming right up."

"Take your time, I'm not going anywhere." Niatha smiled and leaned on the counter waiting for her order. She'd dressed down for the occasion, swapping to a tank top paired with a pair of running shorts. Maybe she wanted to go running and have her chocolate goodies afterward? "Slow? I can't imagine - your work is simply so delicious I can't fathom why your business remains slow..."

"Ah, but not everyone has the devastating sweet tooth that you have," Dich teased, placing the two muffins in a small purple pastry box with a cursive D on the top. Meanwhile, as the hot cocoa brewed, she got a small tub of marshmallows and cinnamon sticks, offering both for the Cardassian to put in her drink.

"My sweet tooth is not devastating! Yeesh!" Niatha laughed. "First time I ever hear anyone call it that. Devastating, really!" She accepted the box and continued to lean on the counter and grin.

"Well, Nia, I see you more than I see any of my other regular customers," Dich said with a shrug in a matter-of-fact voice. "What would you like in your cocoa?" She asked Niatha.

"Just marshmallows. Never found myself growing into the cinnamon sticks..." She remarked. "Well, of course I come back so often considering the food and drinks are reasonable and the owner's the most awesome Gorn I know... and is growing rather attached to me, don't you try and hide it. I see no reason to stop any of that."

Dich would've blushed had she been warm-blooded. "I see," She replied, plopping a couple marshmallows in the cup and handing it to Niatha. "I'm not trying to hide anything, by the way," She added. "Will that be all?"

"That'll be all! How much?" Niatha smiled and accepted the cup. Lifting it to her nose she savored the smell of sweet, warm chocolate - admittedly almost an addiction for her.

"For you, with my brand new friends and family discount-" That she totally didn't make up just now... "Three slips."

Nia produced her payment from her pocket and slid them across with a smile, making sure to lightly brush her fingers across the Gorn's knuckles when she collected them. "Thank you - but I think I also ordered... the other thing?"

"Hmm?" Dich looked puzzled a second before she remembered. "Oh! Right," She laughed. "Lead the way to a table," She instructed, gesturing at the many empty tables in the small bakery.

Niatha picked the quietest one in the corner, isolated from most of the other patrons, a good place for them to talk at any rate, at which to enjoy her chocolate treats - and possibly be chocolate sweet to Dich too knowing her. "Work's been slow, you say." She said.

"Yes, I haven't gotten many customers lately," Dich nodded. "I suppose handmade pastries that cost money are redundant when you have a replicator that can make all of the things I sell, easy as pie," She shrugged, though her tone betrayed a hint of disappointment; running a bakery had been a long-time goal of Dich's.

"Aww." She reached out, placing a hand on the Gorn's much more muscular arm and squeezing once. "But you have quality. Replicated stuff simply isn't the same. Ever wonder why I keep coming back?"

"I thought it was for me!" Dich joked. "I suppose you're right, but many people don't realize that I make all these pastries by hand, and even create my own recipes. A replicator can't innovate."

"Well, I do come for you. You're so sweet for a Gorn, y'know that. I heard they're normally pretty fierce." Niatha giggled and squeezed her arm again. "Which isn't to say that you're a bad Gorn. I like you."

"Oh." Dich blinked her big, white eyes a couple times. "I like you, too," She grinned, glancing but not drawing attention to Niatha's arm on hers.

"See? How sweet you are." She smiled. "Even if you look a little bit like a crocodile when you smile. No, really, you do..."

"I can't help it!" Dich protested, laughing.

"Still. I like that look." She smirked and patted her arm.

"I like that look," Dich fired back, pointing at...Niatha. Just Niatha.

"You like me? Little old plain me? Cardassian me with no makeup?" She joked leaning across the table towards the Gorn, fingers laced together. "In that case I'm curious - why haven't you asked me out yet?"

Dich blinked. Well. That answered that question- Niatha really was flirting with her. "Umm...well..." She didn't really have a good answer for that. "I..."

"Yeaaaaaah?" Grinning she leaned even closer to the Gorn. "Cat got your tongue?"

"I don't know," Dich blurted, burying her head in her hands to hide her shame. "I wasn't sure if you were flirting or just talked to everyone like this!"

"Oh, Dich." The Cardassian reached over and rubbed her arm. "Well, now you do know - but the question is, what'll you now do about it?"

"Umm....okay," Dich said, taking a deep breath. "Niatha...do you....want to...." Go on a date? Be her girlfriend? "go...do something....not platonically?" Perfect.

"Aha! There we are." Nia smirked. "Yes, I would like to. Where and when, and what would you like me to wear?"

Wait, too many decisions. "Umm, tomorrow, the coffee shop, where whatever you want?"

"I'd say that sounds like a rather splendid plan." Niatha grinned. "Have you ever had somebody special, by the way? In that sense?"

"Umm, I had a girlfriend once in high school, but I haven't spoken to her in....gosh, I don't know how long..." Dich answered. "Why do you ask?"

"Just curious. No worries." She smiled up at her and patted her arm. "Say. I'm free tonight, once I'm done with my workout routine later..." She then winked - the implications were obvious enough.

"Uh...sure!" Dich nodded. "That works too!" Wow, okay, things were Happening™️, lesbian behavior in the bakery.

"Just get me on comms. I'll be available - especially for you." She winked.

"Alright," Dich said in a flustered voice.

Too much and too hot for the Gorn to handle? Maybe - but Niatha didn't really care. Somehow the thought of seeing the much bigger, much more fierce-looking crocodile-like lady in front of her flustered and blushy was absolutely hilarious... and endearing, too. "See you." She replied sweetly. "No dressing up required..."

"Alright...yeah...see you," She smiled, sighing happily.

The Cardassian smirked and scampered out of the bakery after, evidently excited for the evening ahead of her...

Watching her go, Dich stood and let out a little giggle, going back behind the register, where she leaned against the counter with a dopey smile on her face.

Dich popped out of the kitchen at the sound of footsteps. Ooh, new customers, ones she hadn't met before! A boy with pointed ears and Klingon ridges, and beside him, someone who resembled a Bajoran, but wasn't, fully. "Hello, Welcome!"

Eshen's Klingon senses registered even more smells than Comet did. It was a bit overwhelming, to be honest, but given the amount of pain Eshen was in at any given moment, he was used to tolerating uncomfortable sensations. Not to mention his Vulcan ears were keener than a human's, too. It'd never really come up, but Eshen related to Renakir quite a lot when it came to alien biology lending itself badly to human-based environments, but what would he do about it? Tell everyone to shut up and stop being smelly when he was having a bad day? No, it was simply a matter of mentally going through ten different Vulcan emotional regulation techniques in ten seconds. He smiled amiably at the Gorn (despite the sudden flashback he just had of the absolutely wild encounter he'd last had with a Gorn in the tubes - he assumed most Gorn weren't like that and that one guy was just bizarre) and replied, "Hello, my dear! I've heard of this fine establishment from many reliable sources and have come to sample its delights for myself!" (edited)

Comet looked around, somewhat impressed by the small cafe. And the pastries...they wanted to try them all. It was very quaint, almost homely, and it reminded Comet of their father's kitchen. They inhaled, then exhaled quietly. "Hello! Uh- what he said!" They nodded at the... Gorn baker. Wonderful! Diversity win!

"Oh, well, tell your reliable sources I say thanks!" Dich grinned. "Do you know what you want, or do you want to try a couple samples first?"

"My tastes are incredibly varied. I'm afraid I'll need a little help narrowing it down; perhaps my friend here can assist me?" Eshen said, turning to Comet.

Comet looked somewhat startled. For one, Eshen had called them his friend, which was a very important thing but they played it off very cool, in their opinion. "Well, perhaps my friend would like to try something with ingredients from my home planet?" They suggested. "Anything like that here?"

Dich nodded.

"Bajoran baked goods? Wonderful! I can take notes for my boyfriend later." Any opportunity to say that word, he'd take it. "I've heard of a... Milaberry biscuit? Do you have that?"

3

Ooh, a milaberry biscuit would be wonderful right now. They had been their favorite food growing up. "If so, go ahead and get two for me," They chimed in.

"Coming right up," Dich nodded, cutting a small piece of one for Eshen and bagging two for Comet. "Here you are," She said, setting the piece on a napkin and placing it on the counter.

"Oh, do you do -" Eshen looked down at his hand, where he'd been holding his empty coffee styro-cup the whole time. With expert precision, he yeeted it across the room into the nearest open bin. "Score! Anyway, do you do jumja tea as well?"

"Tea...I'm more of a baker, but I'm sure you could get something decent from the replicator. I could use it to make just the tea bags, if you wanted," Dich shrugged..

It didn't show behind his polite smile, but Eshen was disgusted. He was revolted. He dedicated his entire life to his lords and saviours Surak and Kah'less, and this is the thanks he got? "Replicator tea? No thanks. Might as well just drink boiled lacroix!" He joked. "We'll take that to go, I think; Comet is new here, I'm taking them on a tour. These smell delicious, though - I'll be sure to give this place a good review on Shelp." That brand name was one letter away from causing a court martial. (edited)

4

"Alright. Sorry again," Dich nodded, putting two more biscuits in the bag and placing it on the counter. "Your total comes to eight slips,"

Comet reached for their wallet, then realized that their skirt didn't have pockets. Fuck.

Eshen splashed his cash, then collected his purchases. "It's alright, you probably haven't gotten your allowance yet anyway. Shall we depart?"

"We shall!" Comet said with a grin, grateful for Eshen. Hey, maybe they should voice that. "Thanks for paying, anyway,"

"No problem!" Eshen started walking out of the shop back to #food-court-promenade.

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Lillian finished her meal, and decided to swing by the bookstore. Maybe she could get a nice gift for Anna. She always liked books.

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Ken walked in and took a seat at one of the tables, laying his hands on it and looking at Mika to see if she was going to order straight away or wait and order later.

Namika ordered right away. Coffee with sugar, no milk. Then, she sat down with him. “You having anything?”, she asked.

"Later. I have no rush." He said with a small smile as he leaned back in his seat. "So, how are you finding the station thus far, Mika?"

“Interesting. To be honest, it’s quite a… calm assignment. I get to fly a few shuttles here on the station from time to time, but other than that the Eventide has been docked for now, so I’m just kind of… enjoying life, I guess.” She laughed a little. “And meeting new people, which at least helps me keep myself busy.”

"Meeting new people, yet here you are sitting in a bakery with me. How ironic." He said with a small chuckle as he ordered himself a glass of ginger ale. He was here to enjoy himself after all. Enjoy himself with an old friend.

“Well, yes. Meet new people and reunite with old friends, I suppose,” she said with a small smile, pushing her glasses into place once again. “Ginger ale? I should have known you’re an extravagant guy,” she joked.

"I enjoy a good drink." He said with a slight shrug as he took a sip from his drink, leaning back in his seat as he looked over to Mika.

“You know, I don’t think we’ve ever done this before,” noted Namika. She took a sip of her coffee. “Just sat around together and talked, I mean. We always had some sort of social reason, we never did it just for the sake of it.”

"Indeed. There is a first for everything, I suppose." He said with a slight smile as he raised his glass for Mika. "To future sitting and talking then. I would enjoy if we did it more often." He said as he smile grew warmer in nature.

“Me too, I think,” replied Mika, raising her coffee cup to his glass. “Maybe this means I’ll finally get to know you a little better.”

"Perhaps. We will see what the future holds." He said with a smile as he took a sip from his ale, looking at the woman before him in a rather kind manner - pretty unique for his normal stance.

Namika took a long sip of coffee before putting the cup back down. “You know,” she said, biting her lower lip, “I’m not sure if I should tell you this, since… Well, she should probably tell you yourself. But…” She looked at him, cutting off her own sentence. And then she said, “You know what, forget it. Forget I said anything. How’s the ale?”

"You know I will now try to uncover what you wanted to say, right? Mind of a scientist and all? I am sure Ava told you that before." He said with a small chuckle as he drank some of his ale. "And the ale is fine, thank you for asking."

Namika huffed in amusement, looking down into her cup of coffee. She didn’t say anything else, though. Maybe she was lost in thought, maybe she was just waiting for him to ask a question, or carry the conversation. She wondered why Ava and him had reduced contact… It was probably nothing. Ava would have told her, right? Whatever.

"I'm waiting." He said plainly as he took a sip from his drink, looking at Mika as he raised his eyebrow slightly, keeping his eyes on her as he let the silence settle in once more.

She looked up. “I’m not gonna tell you. Or at least you’ll have to try harder than that.”

"Tell me and I'll tell you where I live." He said with a tiny smile. He knew all too well that Mika had been trying to find out for months now, and yet to no avail.

“I’m not Ava, you know. I won’t give away information just to get a head start on solving the mystery that is Doctor Richards,” she said, raising an eyebrow at him. “Here’s a different deal. I tell you, and you tell me the most embarrassing memory you have.” With that, she took s smug sip of coffee.

"Very well." He said with a soft smile, giving a nod as he took a sip from his ale.

“Okay. Don’t tell her I told you, because I think she really should tell you this herself,” she started, holding her cup in both hands and making eye contact. “But Ava will be transferring to this starbase.” And that was that.

"Really?" He said as he raised his eyebrow, an amused smile on his face. "Well then, that surely is interesting." He looked at his glass for a moment before taking a sip. "I'm curious if Mike is still in her custody. It would be quite nice to see him again."

“Mike?”, Namika blinked. “Oh, you mean your cat. Yes, I think she’s bringing him… But now don’t try to distract from the topic.” She smirked a little. “You promised me your most embarrassing memory, Doctor.”

"Alright, alright." He said with a small chuckle before he looked up at Mika. "When I was a little kid, I lived alongside the Danish coastline; a rocky coast, big waves, lots of birds. It was rather nice there. Anyways, I remember my sister pushing me into the water, and when I tried to climb out of the sea I kept on slipping on those rocks and fell back into the water. I did not break anything, but it took me a good 40 minutes to get out of the sea that day."

While he spoke, Namika held eye contact. Finally, she smiled and tilted her head slightly. “Well, I believe that gives me one great story about you and the information that you grew up in Denmark,” she said. “Were you born there too? Sounds like a beautiful country.”

"And raised, yes. As of this moment my home still lies within Scandinavia. It is rather difficult to leave that place once you've been there." He said with a small chuckle as he took one final sip out of his glass of ale.

Namika sipped on her coffee. “I should visit sometime. Though I’m not very used to cold climate to be honest. Peru is nice and warm almost all year ‘round,” she noted.

"Well, you decided to go with humiliation opposed to location, so I am afraid your visit will have to wait." He said with a tiny smirk, looking at Mika with a light sparkle in his eyes.

“I’ll get that location out of you soon enough,” she replied with a small huff of laughter. Then, she put some latinum on the table and stood up. “You see, Doctor, I’m just simply not as pushy as Ava. It was nice talking to you. I’ll see you soon, I think.” And with that, she turned to leave, since they had both finished their drinks.

"I have no doubt that you will." He said with a soft smile, leaning back in his seat. "I will see you around, miss Grey."

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In crept Liam, stepping lightly through the dark bakery, the usual light purple tones of the shop appearing a lot more menacing in the dark. He swung behind the counter, slid open the door…and grinned. Tarts, cookies, pies, cupcakes…ripe for the taking. He grabbed a Spice Tea Cookie first and bit into it.

Inside the bakery, Liam cursed under his breath. “Shit,” He hissed, then held his breath, praying to God, the Prophets, Surak, and Reman Turbo Jesus that no one had heard him.

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He just looked in, tryed to smell something. He smelled a somewhat strange smell, who got weakend by the smell of backery goods. The caitian decided to wait a second, hidden behind a wall, to make sure what the other persons, if there even was another person, plans were.

Was he in the clear? Had all four deities answered his prayer? He laughed with relief and grabbed another dessert, a jumja-sap tart. Munching without a care, he hopped up and sat his grubby little booty on top of the counter. Poor Dich would have to disinfect everything.

He eppeared behind the stranger."Excuse me!? What are you doing here?"The caitian looked at the jumja-sap tart, the other one was eating."Apart from stealing, I mean!"

“I’m not stealing, I’m sampling without permission! Me and the Gorn who run the place are like this-” the crossed his fingers and held them up for T’kata to see. “-She won’t care!” He protested. Shit, he was trapped, wasn’t he? Curse you, God, the Prophets, Surak, and Reman Turbo Jesus!

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His ear twitched, and he set on his questioning face."Oh, yeah sure. That is so deffinitly not stealing!"He meant sarcastically, shacking his head in disbelief."Besides if you are, that close."Does the same thing the stranger did with his fingers."Why are you sneaking around in Dich's bakery like that"He would a wait an answer and then he would plan further action.

“Because people like you are going to twist everything and make me out to be a criminal!” He pointed out. It was really quite obvious. He took another defiant bite of jumja-tart, glaring at the Catian. Stupid Starfleet.

"I never made you out to be a criminal."After a short while of thinking."Fine, maybe I jumped on assumptions there. But what else am I suppossed to believe?"He knew, he had to arrest him anyway just for the assumption of stealing. And he was very worryed about the fact that it felt like every civillian was off to some crime, at this point. Or at least most of them, he encountered were."You have to come with me!"He demanded.

“Which is exactly what I was avoiding, dumbass!” Liam shot back. Wait- the jefferies tubes! Maybe he could make a run for it-

There was no jefferies tubes access in the bakery. Because it’s a fucking bakery.

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The caitian just looked at him."You are comming with me!"He tryed to put, the stranger hands behind his back. So he could lead him out better.

“THIS IS CRUELTY, YOU’LL BE HEARING FROM MY LAWYER!” He howled, protesting, but was clearly no match for this Catian’s strength. So all he really accomplished was hurt the Catian’s ears.

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The caitian, was getting kinda annoyed by the screaming."It is only if I do it without reasoning. Right now, I am pretty sure I am allowed to do that, well unless you want the handcuffs."The caitian shrugged his shoulders, before he lead the stranger in the #deleted-channel.

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[D] Today Aella was testing out some new foods. She had a bit of money from the Founders alone with a list Nalas had been so kind to arrange for her. Today she wore a dark purple dress with long frilly sleeves and a pair of sandals with fuzzy pom poms on the top. Of course she had her glasses on too, she couldn't see anything without those and her long purple hair was perfectly straightened and draped nicely over her shoulders. "Croissant, matcha frappe, and caramell tart!" Aella ordered, placing some latinum on the counter to pay for her order. She was pretty excited to try new foods, even if the cafe was a bit crowded that day. Once her food was ready, she took her tray and made her way to the first open table she saw.

While other Starfleet officers might have relished in their downtime, Avril couldn't seem to sit still. So much so that she had gone to her quarters to try and read, only to end up the bakery. She was in casual clothes, as casual as a rather stylish button up shirt and a pair of dress pants could've been. She was a little distracted by the atmosphere of the bakery to notice that there was someone in front of her carrying a tray of food. Fortunately she just managed to miss them, nudging the person, which could've been a lot worse. She would've apologised but she completely blanked on the matter and approached the counter. "What would you recommend?" She asked, her snow white eyebrow raising in a rather uncharacteristic manner for Andorian people. After some waiting she placed a latinum chip down on the counter. Once whatever she had ordered was given to her she began to leave. But as she did, she spotted the person from before, the one she almost bowled over. Figuring that she actually forgot to apologise she went over and sat by her. "Sorry, by the way. I forgot to apologise, I've had a very busy day."

Vara was next to enter into the room, and oh boy was she a stylish cat. Wearing a lovely white and gold tux as she walked forward to examine the various foods and smiled as she looked to Aella with a small smile. “Well hello Little Miss Vorta, ain’t you a cutie pie? What do you recommend?” She said before turning to look at Avril. “And a hello to you my Andorian friend, isn’t blue in season tonight.” She said with a charming smile as she looked at the foods. “Mhm….tasty…”

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Aella was non the wiser to the Andorian who nearly ran into her as her focus was on making sure she tried all the foods that that silly Bajoran scientist had recommended for her. It was only when she sat down that she noticed the Andorian was making her way over to her location. "It's alright," She responded when the Andorian apologised. Aella waved her hand and shook her head. "You're welcome to sit here if you'd like," Friends, that was right, Aella was here to make friends. The winter ball was coming up soon and she wanted to practice her people skills. She had locked herself in her room for the past week perfecting her report to the Founders, especially when she heard there was another Vorta serving amongst Starfleet officers. Apparently he was a scientist, but Aella wanted to prepare notes for him. Right as Aella was mixing up her frappe, a second person approached her. This one addressed her as 'Little Miss Vorta', how sweet. Aella tilted her head and pushed her hair behind one of her frilly ears. "Why hello there," She said with a soft tone, fluttering her eyelashes. "Hmm, I can't really recommend anything because well, I am a Vorta. We do not have a sense of taste. Well, not naturally anyway," Aella explained to the stranger. "And my name is Aella, Aella 5, Dominion Liaison and official speaker for the Founders," She said proudly, holding her chin high like she was a queen addressing her subjects. "And who might you two be?"

"Like on that space station? Way back when, sometime in the 24th century, I remember something to do with the dominion from my history class... buh! Anyway, sorry, getting side-tracked. I'm Avril, it's not as interesting as other Andorian names, but hey, it's what you make of it." Avril winked at Aella and smirked, leaning back in the chair and resting her hands on the back of her head. She took a deep breath in and reached a hand down to her pastry and brought it to her mouth. It was, as any pastry was, relatively tasty. Maybe Avril had just gotten used to replicated food, there was just something about reassembled proteins that hit the spot for her. Granted, there were other things she had yet to actually try, surely things that are replicated taste different to the legitimate thing. But Avril could just not be that much into confections.

Vara smiled as she looked around the room and turned to Aella with a tilt of her shades. Giving a small laugh. “Official speaker for the founders? That’s quite a fancy little title for a cutie like you, sure you can handle it?” She said with a flirty grin. “Kidding of course, you lot are quite good at your jobs. I stole from a Vorta once, quite the hard job.” She smiled as she made a order for some food and lent on the wall of the bakery. “Why hello Avril, you are looking very blue today.”

"It is nice to meet you Avril. Pretty name. Hmm what space station? Deep Space Nine? The station is kinda ugly though, I never liked Cardassian architecture. 777 is much prettier!" Aella said in a flirty tone, fluttering her eyelashes as she said it. Right on brand for her species, Aella was flirty and liked to interact with strangers. "I mean, my name is Aella, very different from other Vorta names, but it's because I chose it myself," Aella said proudly with a big grin on her face. "Of course I can," Aella giggled, tossing her hair back and taking a sip of her matcha frappe. It was pretty good and she was already thinking of what to write for her 'food diary' for Nalas. The conversation with the other two was going well until-- "You WHAT?" Aella accidentally slammed her drink down on the table harder than expected when Vara mentioned stealing from a Vorta.

A few seconds later Aella got a ping on her PADD. Oh it was silly Nalas! She quickly typed up a reply before looking up at the two others with her. "Oh I gotta meet up with another friend, I'll catch you two later?" Aella grabbed her frappe and her croissant and gave the two a wave before bolting out the door!

"Oh, sure. Hope you have fun." Avril smiled as she gently ate little nibbles of her pastry. Even if her new friend left, she'd still relax. Or at least try to. She wondered if the other Andorian had experience relaxing. Avril, for one, couldn't seem to relax, there wasn't a calm bone in her body. Figured as much, as someone in the command division. "I don't think I got your name? Bluey. Mind enlightening me?" Avril joked, patting the area of the table across from her. @Maggie┊Vara

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