Dinner for Two

Posted on Sat Aug 8th, 2015 @ 10:58pm by Lieutenant Daln Hadren & Staff Warrant Officer Nexi

Mission: The New Sydney Fiasco
Location: Hadren's Quarters

The lighting was subdued, but substantial enough to allow Daln to see Nexi, and Nexi to see him. His table was set with a candle, dishes of food ready to be served on the two plates, and a bottle of wine from his family's own 'vineyards', though the Hadren family didn't just use one type of fruit, but several different kinds, even some from trees.

Daln himself was dressed in black slacks and button down shirt of a deep shade of blue that was bright, but not eye-watering. He blew out a breath as he waited for Nexi. Maybe he should have put on some Betazoid harp music.

Nexi approachd Daln's quarters nervously. She'd never been on a date before. Well, not for her own enjoyment, anyway. Anytime she'd been with a guy, it was usually as a decoy or to get information or to knock the guy out to get something from him, and sometimes she was outright paid for sex, so the concept to dating for mutual enjoyment was something entirely new for her. During a rare lucid moment while helping Nexi with her hair, Aewia had suggested that Nexi just be herself, but Nexi wasn't sure who that was anymore. It had become so easy for her to be whatever she needed for a job that she had forgotten how to just be herself and she suddenly found herself terrified that Daln may not like who she was.

But for as much as Aewia suggested that Nexi be herself, she managed to get the Bekkian woman out of her trademark leather jacket and heavy boots and into a nice, dressy shirt. it had lace on it, EW! Nexi didn't feel comfortable in this thing at all, but Aewia had sworn up and down that Nexi looked beautiful in it, the shirt's deep plum color accentuating the flame-like sheen in her auburn curls. she stood outside the door to Daln's quarters for what seemed like forever, tugging uncomfortably at the form fitting shirt, but eventually she worked up the courage and rang the chime.

"Come in," came Daln's voice. As she came in, Daln grinned. "You're gorgeous." Then he frowned. "I didn't think you the type to wear lace."

"I'm not," Nexi said with a frown. "Don't usually do this sort of thing, so I had to get help; Aewia said it'd look nice..." She looked nice, but she was also clearly uncomfortable in the shirt. Not that it was physically uncomfortable; the fabric was soft, the lace wasn't itchy, and though it was form fitting it was flattering and she had worn skimpier outfits without any discomfort. This shirt just wasn't her and she didn't like wearing it! Without any hesitation, she strode over to Daln's replicator, taking off the hated shirt as she went. She had a tank top under the shirt, so it wasn't like she was flashing Daln, but she couldn't stand to wear that damned thing any longer. She replicated a simple, form fitting, long sleeve black shirt and slipped it on. When she was done, she turned to look at Daln with a crooked grin and tossed the lacey shirt at him. "Here, I bet it'd look better on you than it did me."

Daln chuckled once and went to toss it on the pile of dirty clothes in his hamper. Coming back, he said, "I don't think I'm the lace type either. Would you like to eat now?" His face blanked for a second. "I forgot." He went into the bedroom again and brought out a vase of Andorian glitterling flowers. "These are for you."

"Thanks," Nexi said awkwardly, taking the flowers and holding them at arms' length like they might bite her. "What do I do with them?"

Daln's smile faded. "They...brighten your quarters with color and smell nice." His disappointment was palpable. He really was trying to woo her, but he was a nice guy and the humans had a saying: Nice guys finish last.

"Ummm, thanks...." Nexi was still holding the flowers awkwardly, wondering what she was supposed to do with them right now, 'cause she sure as hell wasn't going to spend her whole evening holding these damned flowers. Eventually, she settled for setting them on the table. "Look, I don't know what you've heard about me, but... I've never done anything like this before. Until recently, I've been a slave. I was given enough freedom to work off my price, but that didn't exactly leave a whole lot of time for doing stuff like this. I ain't all lacey and flowery. I start bar brawls for fun, I like getting dirty working on my ship, I enjoy the craftsmanship of a finely honed blade... Beer, not wine, and I'm perfectly happy with a bland bowl of stew. I don't know what you were expecting, but I don't think I can be it, not if I'm supposed to be myself," Nexi confessed candidly.

Daln grinned. "A woman who enjoys beer more than wine? I am not about to start a brawl, being a security chief, but the rest of it sounds fun. And nothing is wrong with enjoying good food. I didn't know what to expect, and that was the fun of it. If you don't like flowers, that's fine. I'm new here, and I don't know much about anyone. But I'm willing to learn. That is part of dating. Learning about each other."

"I'm fine with all that, just no more flowers," Nexi said, casting a wary glance over to the glittery flowers. "I'm sure they're nice and all, but... I guess I just don't see the point in it. I mean, shouldn't they still be in the ground where they can keep growing?" Nexi took a seat at the table, a clear indication that she was willing to see where this date went.

Daln shrugged and sat down. "Sure. No more flowers. Do you want me to kill the music too?" he asked teasingly.

Nexi shrugged as she reached for the bottle of wine on the table, pausing when she noticed it had 'Hadren' on the label. "It's not really doing anything for me, but it's not putting me off either. If you like it, I ain't gonna make you turn it off," Nexi said, pouring herself a glass of wine. She preferred beer and stronger spirits to wine, but she wasn't going to turn down free booze either. And concepts like decorum, table etiquette, and chivalry were all lost on her, hence why she hadn't waited for Daln to pour the wine for her. As she brought the glass to her lips, she did pause to inhale the scent of it. Since it was a Hadren wine, she'd give it a real chance rather than downing it quickly to get a buzz. She smelled hints of fruits other than traditional grapes, but it didn't smell 'fruity' or pretentious. It was rich and earthy. She didn't know the 'correct' terms to describe it, but she kinda liked it so far. A cautious sip evoked an appreciative hum.

"Mmm, this reminds me of this..." Nexi paused for another sip as if to help recall a memory, "a primitive brew of this colony in the Badlands. I was waiting at a bar for a contact to give me the details of a smuggling drop I was to pick up, and the locals had this concoction that was so good. This reminds me of it." Yeah, definitely not chugging this one.

Daln grinned. "Yeah, my family makes wines, but wines made from fruits other than grapes. Earth does make a lot of grape wines, some from other fruits, but the vast majority are grape. This one is made from uttaberries, Earth blackberries, and a very little of Bajoran kava. There's some other spices in it, but those are the base. We also make something called mead and something else like it. Mead is a 'beer' made from honey on Earth, but we altered it quite a bit. It's sweet and we add fruit and spices. Then we make something else with honey and kava. It's hard not to get drunk on that one because it's so good," he said with a smile. Taking a bite of his food he wondered if he should bring out the kava ale.

"Mead! That's what they called it. Don't know what all was in it, but this is taking me right back there..." After appreciative another sip, Nexi put the wine down and started on her meal, focusing mainly on the soup since it was something she recognized. After a moment, she paused, then looked over at him like she wanted to ask him something, then thought better of it and kept eating.

Daln picked up on the barest trace of the thought, wondering what it was about. "What?" he asked wiping his mouth.

Nexi opened her mouth to speak, but she found her voice was not immediately forthcoming. She'd never struggled with whether she should ask something or not, but she was finding it difficult to put together her thoughts on the matter. Eventually, she sighed and hung her head slightly. "What's it like to have a family?" she asked, her voice shaking a bit. She'd thought about asking Aewia, but she wasn't always coherent enough for that kind of conversation, not to mention she had trouble remembering a lot, AND her parents were now dead... It just wasn't something Nexi could ask Aewia.

TO BE CONTINUED

Lt Daln Hadren
Chief Sec/Tac Officer
USS Hera

Nexi
Infiltration Specialist
USS Hera