Star Trek: Eventide 777 - dining-area-left

Narrator BOT 18-Dec-21 12:35 AM

To the left-hand side of the ballroom floor sat one part of the dining area, the two situated to either side. Bouquets of white flowers decorated rectangular tabletops and from above hanged décor designed to look like falling snow or floral vines slowly creeping downwards. Candles emanated a soft golden glow which made a pleasant contrast to the dark blue lighting of the hall. Waiters made up of voluntary civilian and Starfleet staff made their way between tables taking orders from the set menu.

Commander Floyd Styre | CMD BOT 18-Dec-21 06:52 PM

Styre moved; aha the tables were fairly empty! He moved to a vacant table tucked away, trying to remain out of sight until someone he knew walked up to him. He sat down and was idle, no food or water; nothing but Styre and his thoughts.

Commander Floyd Styre | CMD BOT 18-Dec-21 07:07 PM

Styre kept his eyes open and looking around. Perhaps Ava would come soon, or maybe even Logan. He shrugged, not seeing either of them. He put his arms on the table and laid his head down, waiting…

Captain Logan Clarke | CMD BOT 18-Dec-21 07:09 PM

Spotting Styre through a crowd of people deciding to sit, Logan was taken aback slightly by how good he looked, a completer turnaround from the messhall the other day. Taking a deep breath to compose himself, he walked over. "Styre... you look brilliant!"

Commander Floyd Styre | CMD BOT 18-Dec-21 07:10 PM

Styre looked up and eyed Logan. His ears twitched once and he smiled slightly. Logan.. oh how he also has looked amazing. Styre stood up and walked over towards Logan, a curtesy nod was given. “Why thank you, sir. You look amazing yourself.” he said, the smile still plastered on his face.

Captain Logan Clarke | CMD BOT 18-Dec-21 07:14 PM

Only just managing to peel his eyes away from Styre's outfit, Logan pointed a thumb behind him to the bar. "Do you want a drink?"

Commander Floyd Styre | CMD BOT 18-Dec-21 07:15 PM

He was about to shake his head. He had always refused alcohol… but he couldn’t deny Logan. He instead gave a quick not. “I would love one.”

Captain Logan Clarke | CMD BOT 18-Dec-21 07:20 PM

"A drink it is!" Logan started to move towards the bar. "Are you enjoying the night so far?"

Commander Floyd Styre | CMD BOT 18-Dec-21 07:22 PM

He stood up from his seat and stood by Logans side. He nodded towards Logan question. “It’s only begun, Captain. But yes, I am enjoying it. Are you, sir?”

Captain Logan Clarke | CMD BOT 18-Dec-21 07:28 PM

"I pretty much got here about two minutes ago, but from what I've seen of it, it already tops any of the previous ones I've been to." He made his way to the #ice-bar. "So what do you want to drink?"

Lt. JG. Wheatley Pendleton | ENG BOT 20-Dec-21 06:54 AM

To the ice bar...

Ensign Hopper Bierstadt | ENG BOT 20-Dec-21 01:26 PM

She came up to the buffet and got herself a plate. She filled it with all the good things she could find: Roast beef, fried shrimp, pickled beets, roast carrots, noodles, sweet bean paste buns, sopapillas, chocolate cake, cheese and crackers. Everything looked so tasty!!! Except the brussel sprouts. Those things could roll off and die in a corner. She put her plate on her wheelchair seat and looked around for a place to sit, settling in an inconspicuous spot in the corner of the seating area, nearest the bar.

Ensign Hopper Bierstadt | ENG BOT 20-Dec-21 01:36 PM

She picked at a piece of rhubarb in her salad, still not able to shake the feeling of un-belonging, despite doing the one thing she knew best how to do! She sighed. Looking around, she spotted some of the engineering staff having a good time in one corner. It looked like they had brought a deck of cards with them. Hop wanted to jump up and join them, but she didn't. A fearful, shy voice at the back of her head said 'They don't want to spend time off-shift with a cadet pretending to be an ensign.' Ouch. She hadn't heard that voice in a few years. She began to eat her salad aggressively and wish she'd brought Zip along. In a few minutes, she only had the massive slice of chocolate cake left to eat, and the anger at her own head-voices had died down a little. She began to look around again. Lieutenant Spikes was at the bar. Maybe she could go bug him? (edited)

Lt. JG. Wheatley Pendleton | ENG BOT 20-Dec-21 01:41 PM

He quietly made his way towards her, tapping her on the shoulder and quickly moving to the other side where he lowered himself a little.

Ensign Hopper Bierstadt | ENG BOT 20-Dec-21 02:26 PM

"Hiiiiii Wheat-Thins!!!" Hop said excitedly, all her hesitation melting away. She gave him a big hug from the side. "I thought I was gonna have to eat this cake all by myself! There's nothing more lonely than chocolate cake all alone! But now I won't have to! Where were you hiding?"

Lt. JG. Wheatley Pendleton | ENG BOT 20-Dec-21 06:30 PM

"Hello, Hop!!" He grinned and hugged her back tightly, careful not to squeeze her too much. "I thought you weren't coming, so I'm really happy to see you in here! I was at the bar, trying to draw something but i couldn't so i went back and saw you!"

Ensign Nolan Swift | MED BOT 21-Dec-21 12:35 PM

Nolan sat down at a table, waiting for Ughaz. “They really did a great job decorating this place,” he said as he picked up a menu. “Well, then. Hm…” He started considering.

Lieutenant Ughaz'udan | TAC BOT 21-Dec-21 12:37 PM

Ughaz'udan peered at the menu, tapping on the ordering PADD before making his order. "I have never seen any winter themed event or gathering." He admitted. "I have experienced snow before but not like this. When that happened my troops and I trudged through forty centimetres of snow to reach our target."

Ensign Nolan Swift | MED BOT 21-Dec-21 12:38 PM

“Oh,” said Nolan, “When was that?” He decided he’d go for some pumpkin pie.

Lieutenant Ughaz'udan | TAC BOT 21-Dec-21 12:39 PM

"My first battle." He replied, "In 2409."

Ensign Nolan Swift | MED BOT 21-Dec-21 12:41 PM

Nolan blinked. “Wait… how old are you again?” He’d read it on his file in the sickbay but it hadn’t stuck in his head.

Lieutenant Ughaz'udan | TAC BOT 21-Dec-21 12:42 PM

"I am two." Ughaz'udan deadpanned as if it were thr most obvious thing in the world.

Ensign Nolan Swift | MED BOT 21-Dec-21 01:40 PM

Nolan nodded. This made sense, considering Ughaz’s race. “Ah, yes. Well, then you still have lots of experiences to make, I guess.” He smiled. He couldn’t really imagine being so young and already grown up. He guessed that Ughaz had so far mostly experienced war and training. And now, dancing. Kind of poetic to think about.

Lieutenant Ughaz'udan | TAC BOT 21-Dec-21 01:49 PM

"I suppose you may be right." He mused. "Many of my people do not live longer than two or three years. I imagine that I shall have much more that I will see and experience in time." His gaze met Nolan's. "Somehow I feel like you'll be teaching me plenty of those things. Who better to learn from in the Federation than a human?"

Ensign Nolan Swift | MED BOT 21-Dec-21 01:55 PM

Nolan laughed in surprise. “I’m not sure if I would make a very good teacher. However, if you have any questions or worries, I shall do my best to answer.” He smiled and then their food arrived, brought by one of the volunteer servers. Nolan said thank you and hummed in contentment. The pie smelled very good. He wondered what Ughaz had ordered and he looked over.

Lieutenant Ughaz'udan | TAC BOT 21-Dec-21 01:58 PM

His order turned out to be some kind of rice baked with cheese, the smell of which was delightful to say the least; warm meltinf cheese, something spicy and tomatoey, and steam wafted off of it ever so gently. The perfect wintertime meal. Hey, maybe he did have some taste in food after all. "You can still teach me a few things - though I suppose in my case many things." He replied, "I have learned that you can learn from even the most seemingly insignificant of people or creatures or events.'

Ensign Nolan Swift | MED BOT 21-Dec-21 02:02 PM

“That’s true!” Nolan nodded enthusiastically and the smile on his lips remained. He started eating his pie. It was delightful! And as he saw Ughaz order he thought that maybe the Jem’Hadar would make a good cook if he had such good taste in food. He’d propose the idea later. “You know, I think learning is always mutual. We learn from each other, don’t we? I envy you, for example,” he admitted with a faint blush, “You seem like someone who’s unafraid to speak their mind and very… well, strong and strong spirited.”

Lieutenant Ughaz'udan | TAC BOT 21-Dec-21 02:04 PM

"A Jem'hadar must be both. A leader must be both." He replied, characteristically deadpan as always. "It is what I was born to be." Ughaz'udan canted his head to the side for a moment, studying the human intently before guessing, "You find those traits appealing."

Ensign Nolan Swift | MED BOT 21-Dec-21 02:08 PM

Nolan blushed visibly now. Did he? What did Ughaz mean by appealing? “Uh,” he started, “Well, I find those traits… necessarily in some situations. And I find that I sometimes lack them. I’m not very strong. I’m just…” He hesitated and then shrugged. It was not something he was ashamed of, just a universal truth. “…soft.”

Lieutenant Ughaz'udan | TAC BOT 21-Dec-21 02:12 PM

"So?" He questioned, deadpan.

Ensign Nolan Swift | MED BOT 21-Dec-21 02:14 PM

Nolan looked up at him, frowning. He would have expected a Jem’Hadar to find all kinds of things that were wrong with being soft. “So what?” he asked, confused as to why Ughaz seemed to be missing the point.

Lieutenant Ughaz'udan | TAC BOT 21-Dec-21 02:15 PM

"You act as if telling me this brings you down in my eyes." He replied. "Is this the case?"

Ensign Nolan Swift | MED BOT 21-Dec-21 02:18 PM

“Well,” Nolan looked at him, “Is it? You tell me.”

Lieutenant Ughaz'udan | TAC BOT 21-Dec-21 02:21 PM

"The one who ordered me to stay away from combat, knowing that it would be of great distress to me and order me to stay by it or pay for it, and who has been so patient in trying to tell me to move on to trying new things considers himself soft." Ughaz'udan made a short, low bark of laughter. "I find that funny. You are strong. You simply cannot see it." (edited)

Ensign Nolan Swift | MED BOT 21-Dec-21 02:25 PM

Nolan stared at him for a second. “I…” He wasn’t sure what to say honestly. Ughaz’s words touched him. “Thank you,” he said, his tone gentle, and a smile spread on his lips. “That’s kind of you to say.”

Lieutenant Ughaz'udan | TAC BOT 21-Dec-21 02:29 PM

"I state what is only plain to me. It is a shame it is not plain to you." Ughaz'udan stated following another spoonful of cheesy, spicy rice. "I have learned that strength of spirit and strength can both be taught. Perhaps you might like me to help you - consider it thanks for taking me this far." Dark blue eyes gleamed for the briefest of moments.

Ensign Nolan Swift | MED BOT 21-Dec-21 02:31 PM

Nolan considered this invitation for a second. Honestly, he kind of liked Ughaz. He seemed much more intelligent and considerate than one might think on first glance. “Sure,” he said and added with a chuckle, “As long as you go easy on me.”

Lieutenant Ughaz'udan | TAC BOT 21-Dec-21 02:40 PM

"You're asking a Jem'hadar to make things easy for you." He deadpanned with a snort of amusement. "You see! You are strong. But fine. I shall try. Though I give no guarantees."

Ensign Nolan Swift | MED BOT 21-Dec-21 03:48 PM

Nolan laughed delicately at being called strong. Maybe Ughaz was right and he wasn’t so delicate after all. “Fine,” he said humorously and took another forkful of pie. “Hey, Ughaz?” He looked at the blue eyes, framed by brown scales, and frown slightly. “How come you’re only two years old and already a Lieutenant?” Now that he was sure he liked the Jem’Hadar and wanted to befriend him, he desired to know more about his backstory.

Lt. JG. Ava Lopez | SCI BOT 21-Dec-21 07:03 PM

Ava looked at the menu for a long moment. Longer than necessary. She already knew she wanted the potato gratin which was sold in small portions in cups. However, she wanted to give Emin and Austin some time to talk. They seemed like they needed it.

Lt. JG. Ava Lopez | SCI BOT 21-Dec-21 08:33 PM

She got her gratin and took it back to the bar.

Lieutenant Ughaz'udan | TAC BOT 21-Dec-21 09:30 PM

Nolan laughed delicately at being called strong. Maybe Ughaz was right and he wasn’t so delicate after all. “Fine,” he said humorously and took another forkful of pie. “Hey, Ughaz?” He looked at the blue eyes, framed by brown scales, and frown slightly. “How come you’re only two years old and already a Lieutenant?” Now that he was sure he liked the Jem’Hadar and wanted to befriend him, he desired to know more about his backstory.

@Ensign Nolan Swift | MED (@peachfuzz) - jump "Back home I would've been third in command of my own unit of soldiers." He clarified. "Our ranks work somewhat differently to yours - perhaps Starfleet wished to give me something I was familiar with.'

Ensign Nolan Swift | MED BOT 21-Dec-21 09:34 PM

“I see,” Nolan nodded and finished his pie. “It’s really late,” he said, “I should probably head to bed. However, I’ve really enjoyed this with you.” He smiled. “We should meet up again soon!”

Lieutenant Ughaz'udan | TAC BOT 21-Dec-21 09:39 PM

"Simply let me know of a reasonable time and I will be there." He promised. Appointments at least he could keep with no issues.

Ensign Nolan Swift | MED BOT 21-Dec-21 09:40 PM

Nolan nodded as he got up. “I’ll send a message to your PADD. See you soon, Ughaz!” Then, he left towards the entrance.

Ensign Hopper Bierstadt | ENG BOT 22-Dec-21 02:54 AM

“Aha! I knew you liked to draw! You can always pick out the drawers. I was actually… thinking of not coming.” She admitted, punching holes in the icing on her cake with her fork.

Lt. JG. Wheatley Pendleton | ENG BOT 22-Dec-21 02:55 AM

"I actually.. came here hoping to see you around." He blushed deeply, staring at the ceiling as a messy attempt to hide his reddened face. "I've always wanted to come to a ball like this, and since we're here, erm- Maybe.... We could dance? I-I can carry you around if you want to! But if you'd like to, o-of course- Erm- Yeah!" Please help the poor man. He's so nervous.

Ensign Hopper Bierstadt | ENG BOT 22-Dec-21 03:02 AM

She was surprised, momentarily narrowing her eyes at him. It wasn’t that she didn’t trust him, but being carried around by someone else was not something she had ever been very keen on. She rarely leg anyone move her around. But then again, this was Wheatley. He was pretty trustworthy, right? “You sure you wanna drag me around? I’m about as useless as a rag doll without these things.” She poked her crutches, and they slid down the table, clattering loudly on the floor.

Lt. JG. Wheatley Pendleton | ENG BOT 22-Dec-21 03:11 AM

"Oh! Well- Of course you can get those! And i know for sure that you're not useless, even without your crutches or wheelchair." He pat her shoulder. "But if you're not in the exact mood for it, too, that's alright."

Ensign Hopper Bierstadt | ENG BOT 22-Dec-21 03:21 AM

“Nah, I don’t mind! It’s a special night, after all. But just this once, kay?” She replied, lifting an eyebrow.

Lt. JG. Wheatley Pendleton | ENG BOT 22-Dec-21 09:31 PM

"That's fair enough." He chuckled a little, rubbing his head.

Ensign Hopper Bierstadt | ENG BOT 23-Dec-21 02:06 AM

She got her legs clear of the table, then held her hands out to Wheatley. “Ready?” She asked with a smile.

Lt. JG. Wheatley Pendleton | ENG BOT 23-Dec-21 02:12 AM

"Ready." Wheatley took her hands and lifted her up as carefully as possible, his face getting redder by the minute. Hell, even his ears were beet red! He looked hilarious.