Star Trek: Starbase 777

Outside of Maza's room would be the utter calm and simplicity of a hallway in space. Spaciousness. Hallwayiousness. It would be the evening and late enough that most regular civilians would either be enjoying dinner or doing whatever the hell they wanted because they were adults. This tranquility would be disturbed a shrill scream coming from Maza's door. Loud enough to be heard from the outside despite the locked door. It sounded like a redheaded Denobulan in distress. A peculiar sound for a particular connoisseur. Of...distressed voices.

Copia, meanwhile, was exploring as usual, not really having any reason to be in the civilian corridors, but just taking a stroll, and not really having an end goal in mind right now. She just... Was. And she was taking things really easy. That is, until she was arrested by the shrill scream from one of the doors in the hallway... One that was straight ahead of her and to her left. She immediately approached the door and pressed the doorbell. "Command lieutenant, reporting, what seems to be your ailment?" Copia said. "Repeat, command lieutenant reporting."

After a while, Copia would hear another sound from inside as the door unlocked. "Come in!" The main room of Maza's quarters was candlelit and otherwise without light. Call it intimate. In that same room would be a dining table that already had steaming hot dishes put on it, as well as it being set for two. Maza would be standing near the table, rubbing her hand that appeared to be slightly burned from handling one of the dishes now on the table. She was dressed in a black evening gown and apparently dressed for a romantic evening. She looked confused for a moment when Copia entered her room, but she recovered and smiled.* "I am Red Delight. Or well, Maza. So you are my mystery date? If I had know I would have-" She coughed slightly. "You can eat, right? Please take a seat. Can I get you anything to drink? Or...do you drink?" Apparently, you are now having a date. Surprise!

Copia was surprised when she walked into the quarters to see such beautiful and masterfully crafted scenery for the apparent mystery date. Copia's eyes widened as she took another step inside, looking around, noticing that she was wayyyy overdressed due to being in her uniform. "I... Do not understand, you sounded in distress!" Copia said. But then, she started putting the pieces together in her mind. "Oh--oh...ohhhhhh!" Eagerly, Copia approached Maza and the table she had set up. "You do indeed look beautiful, Maza! I am Lieutenant Copia, command division. It is wonderful to meet you - especially in this setting! And do not worry - I do eat, and I do drink, you have nothing to worry about in that regard. Vulcan spice tea, please! Although... Given my uniform, I am quite overdressed -- or, arguably it could also be considered underdressed - for this surprise date. Please excuse my appearance!" (edited)

The Denobulan woman would simply smile when she saw the expression on Copia's face. She took it as more so a response to how she was looking than the room itself. "Oh, that was nothing. It was from one of the meals from the replicator. I think it is a bit on the fritz and made the dish hotter than it should have." Nothing that Copia was saying gave Maza any pause that there was any kind of miscommunication going on. "Thank you for the compliment. The uniform looks good on you. Spice tea, coming right up." She spoke, before walking to the replicator again to get the tea. Returning with it and sitting down. "And if you think you are overdressed, don't me not stop you from undressing. I still want to eat though." On the table would be many different small dishes placed like a smorgasbord. Something she commented about. "Oh, when I eat I never do so with one large meal. I enjoy smaller dishes. Mixing of flavors. I think I got dishes here from some 20 odd planets. Nothing raw though, never could stomach that. Pick something you like."

Copia smiled and nodded at Maza. Sure, this was a haphazard meal, but Copia didn't mind it - what moreso made her happy was the thought of it all. Maza did this for someone else, that means she cared about a lot of people on the starbase, and was open to wanting to care about even more, Copia included. That really hit her in her soul. "I still see the fruits of your efforts here, no pun intended, and I genuinely thank you for thinking of me in this way! Not many people have ever done this to my knowledge, especially not for me." Copia was about to tear up in happiness when she heard Maza didn't mind on how she looked. "Ah-- thank you! I appreciate that. I do like how this uniform looks on me as well!" Undressing? In this sort of scenario? With a first date? Well - Copia's first date, anyway? She didn't want to go that far, but still wanted to be comfortable. The most Copia did was just slip off her boots and set them aside before taking a seat, cross-legged, at the other end of the table. So many different things to choose from! So many foods, so many flavors! Copia was simply enthralled by it all. "My goodness! You have a veritable plethora of different culinary explorations set out for us! I am honored to join you for it all." Copia picked up the first thing that was closest to her, not really knowing what it was, and took a bite. Immediately, her mouth curled up into a smile, her eyes closed as she savored this new and interesting fruity food. "Mmm! Very delicious choices indeed!"

She reclined a bit in her seat, which like all of the chairs around the table seemed to have been a replicated model. More akin to a lounge seat than what someone would expect at a dining table. "I would say that if nobody ever did something like this for you, you are hanging around the wrong people." She took a bite of something that looked like a purple root vegetable. "Or not enough Denobulans. A big family means a big table and plenty of food, if available." Maza did not seem to have been bothered by the amount of undressing. "If you find it comfortable there are some slippers for guests at the door, but you do you." Maza continued to eat from her own dishes, clearly finding it more normal than her guest. Still, she seemed to be amused by her mirth. "If I may ask, do you have an idea how sensitive your taste is? On the... three dishes from the right side to the middle. The red ones. Both are...I belive both are spicy Bolian curry. Different kinds though. One is slightly sweeter. Can you taste a difference?"

Copia simply marveled at this display - she was humbled and quite tickled that Maza could do something so nice for someone else, especially since Copia was an android! She felt so included and loved, unlike anything she had been before. "You seem to be correct. I do not have Denobulan heritage. Perhaps this will be a pleasant awakening for me!" When Maza mentioned that there were slippers at the door, Copia glanced over. Oh! She completely missed those! Whoopsie! Copia reached over and grabbed a pair before slipping them on and returning to the table. Copia continued to chow down on the delicacies at the table, simply mesmerized by the array of tastes, practically having tried multiple bits from different dishes before Maza even brought it up. "Mmm! My... mmm! My taste sensors are quite new to these dishes. I do have a heightened sensitivity there, but I am simply fascinated by the harmonious stimulus that these tastes impose upon my taste sensors! I do not get to eat often, either... This is, in the colloquialism, a real treat." Before she went back to munching on a few bits from the dishes, her eyes closing again as she let the flavors just soak into her. Copia was having a blast!

"Androids have a heritage? I...hmm, you have to forgive me. It is not often I have conversed with an android. There is not anything as advanced as you are on the colony I lived." Maza spoke, seeming to be genuine in her unfamiliarity but also eager to do get a fresh perspective. She would also smirk at the android returning with the slippers. Android did not get sweaty feet or something like that, right? Enjoying the food while Copia explained her sensations, Maza would take a moment to let her own internal gears work for a moment. The metaphorical kind though. "You... do not get to eat? Is there like...someone keeping you from eating? Don't you have a say in such matters? Or do you simply not allow yourself to feel such pleasures? I would not know what to do with my life without my creature comforts."

Copia continued munching for a minute before... GULP! She swallowed what she was eating. "Mmm! Absolutely! My heritage is from Earth! I am unsure if you are familiar or not with my creator. Former Lieutenant Tobias Ulrich, science officer? He raised me on Earth. I... miss him. He is such an incredible man. He taught me everything I know currently about organization, critical thinking, and communication in a professional environment. I used to serve as his secretary for his home business. He is currently a career coach and consultant for prospective Starfleet enlistees. You should meet him sometime!" Then Copia realized she was going on a ramble. She quickly stopped, not wanting to bore Maza with too many of those details. She found herself curious at Maza's smirk when she returned with slippers - perhaps she thought Maza had a policy that included wearing slippers around the place. But judging by her reaction, maybe not? Copia promptly slid the slippers off, but kept them close by and set them down beside her. Maza as a person was simply wondrous for Copia. Maza had so many new things to show Copia, and so many new experiences. "Oh, yes, I do get to eat! Although, it's not very often. As an android, I do not require food to survive. But Tobias, whenever he made a flamboyant meal for himself, urged me to eat with him, so as to not leave me out. And he encouraged me to try new foods while on duty in Starfleet. This is the start of something wonderful in my culinary journey!" And with that, Copia took another few foods into her mouth, her eyes shutting involuntarily as a response of just how damn amazing that food was! She practically melted, she was in a sort of haven right now! Especially with Maza!

[D] The two had a wonderful date, talking and eating together, before Copia went out and continued her day.