Coming Out Dinner

Posted on Thu Jan 10th, 2019 @ 5:24pm by Lieutenant Commander Mnhei'sahe Dox & Captain Enalia Telvan & Commander Rita Paris & Lieutenant Commander Thex sh'Zoarhi & Lieutenant Asa Dael & Lieutenant Mona Gonadie & Ensign Tathaa & Baroness 2nd Class Schwein von Alcott

Mission: Section 31-B
Location: Ensign Gonadie's Quarters
Timeline: 2396

While this had been in the planning stages for a while now, Mona was still rushing around trying to make sure everything was at least some semblance of perfect. She'd moved all her cushiony cultural furniture to the side and moved in a more Federation standard table and chairs big enough for everyone invited to the dinner party she was hosting and now she was working on preparing all the dishes. She'd checked everyone's profiles just in case and no one had any allergies at least.

But she still worried. Most people found it odd that a race that evolved from birds of paradise would eat a mainstay of eggs, but that was how it was. There were other dishes on the menu, but the main course was something akin to the Earth breakfast burrito, but a lot bigger and a lot more hearty, since the outer shell was cooked directly to the egg. Either way, her guests would be arriving soon and she had a dozen of the large burrito shaped, egg, tomato, and pepper filled bundles in a warmer. She just had to finish making the side dishes now... Stir fried vegetables in a light savory sauce, strips of baked porcine product, and melted white silken cheese to top it all with. All of which were traditional dinner foods from her homeworld.

Meanwhile, Looking in the mirror of her quarters at herself, Lieutenant Junior Grade Melanie Dox couldn't believe that she had gone through with it as she brushed her thick, auburn curls back behind her ears.

Her very pointed, fairly large, very Romulan ears. It had been weeks since she had learned that these ears had been surgically altered as a child by her father in an attempt to make his daughter look more human. And in those few weeks, so much had changed in the young pilots life as she had been uncovering lost memories and working with the ships Chief Medical Officer, Asa Dael.

Her young ElAurian friend spent considerable effort undoing the damage done decades ago. They had reversed genetic damage that was done to her very DNA at the same time her ears had been cropped that restored her blood to its original green hue and this was the final step that Melanie took a bit longer to come to grips with. But it was done.

She poked the edges, flinching slightly at the sensation, still surprised that the restoration technique had been so much more than a simple cosmetic prosthetic. Asa was able to regrow them as if nothing had ever happened.

While there were some people that had their body altered in such ways almost on whim as a fashion statement, this was a much bigger deal to the young part-Romulan young woman and why she had been struggling with the decision. If she did it, that was it to her.

It was only recently that she had began to learn how much of her anxiety and sense of disconnect was linked to the internal idea of what her body was supposed to be compared to what she had lived with for much of her life. And suddenly, she was feeling oddly more complete. At least physically, which she, Rita, Asa and even the impeccably logical SONAK agreed would help her to reconcile some degree of her ongoing internal conflict.

And for the moment, Melanie agreed. It felt extremely good to be physically complete for the first time in her adult life. Of course, now she just had to show the crew. The dinner party was something Mona had been planning for a while, and when Dox mentioned that she was going to be off duty for the day to finally get this done, the enthusiastic Miradonian pilot suggested that it would be a good way to show the crew rather than just showing up for duty with new ears.

The anxious part-Romulan officer generally cringed at social events, but Mona had a way of being very persuasive and talked Dox into it. Talking a deep breath, Dox straightened the tunic of her uniform and left her quarters.

Looking up at the chrono over her stove, Mona rushed to add the last of the spices to the veggies before checking the cheese. It was just getting to the right temperature and soon she'd be able to place it in the warming pot for the center of the table. as for the rest of the food, she'd be placing most of it in two communal bowls for serving and laying out the ten inch egg burritos on individual plates soon.

Checking the oven, some steam escaped, indicating that the Miradonian bacon was just about perfect. Wiping her hands on the yellow chick apron she was wearing, she pulled the baking sheet out and set it on a cooling rack so it could cool and finish the last little bit of cooking while she finished the veggies and cheese.

As she approached Ensign Gonadie's quarters, Dox sighed as her stomach tightened with anxiety. She desperately hoped that she wasn't the first person to arrive as she pressed the chime at the door.

"Come in!" Mona called as she dished up the veggies, looking up to see Dox as the doors opened. "Do you mind giving me a hand in the kitchen real quick? I'm almost done, but it's been a while since I've cooked such a large meal."

"Uh... sure, what do you need?" Dox walked over, happy that Mona hadn't yet made an overtly big deal about her ears. So far, only Doctor Dael has seen her as she performed the procedure aside from crewmembers in the hall that she didn't actually know.

Handing off both bowls of stir fried veggies, Mona smiled at her boss and friend. "Take these to the table and set one at either end, then come back and pull the egg wraps from the warmer and set them near the center? You look great, by the way." Turning her attention to the Miradonian bacon, she started moving them to a paper towel lined bowl so that they would soak up the excess grease and be easier to get at.

"Do you think a hundred strips of bacon are enough? I know bacon from my world is a bit narrower than most, but that should be enough, don't you think? And a gallon of melted silky white cheese?" Getting close to throwing her first large dinner party on the USS Hera and considering she literally gave someone an allergic food poisoning the last time she tried a small one, the brightly plumed pilot was a bit nervous and it was starting to show.

Picking up on Mona's own anxiety helped Dox relax a little as she now had a task to focus on, but also wanted to alleviate her friends stress. "Thanks."

She put the bowls on the table as instructed and walked back over to grab the egg wraps. "And Everything smells great. As for the bacon, 100 strips are good for me, but what's everyone else going to eat?"

Mona looked at Melanie in horror and a bit of panic, handing off the egg wraps and the full bowl of bacon. "I... What... That's... All the Miradonian bacon left on the ship..."

That was when the door chime rang, as another guest arrived.

"Come in!" Mona called out, still trying to process things. "Please make yourself at home."

As the door wooshed open, Dox turned to Mona with a awkward smile. "Sorry, Mona. I was just kidding. I'm sure that will be plenty. I love bacon but I couldn't eat quite that much."

Mona sighed with relief as she turned to check on the cheese. "You scared me..."

Arriving with a wide bottle in her hands was Rita Paris, clad in a long sweater dress of pale blue, the old Science department color of the uniforms of her day. The large cowl of the garment allowed her to wear it off one shoulder, lending it an angular look that was casual and comfortable. As with everything everyone on the ship wore, it was perfectly tailored to her form, so it required no belt. On her feet were some cute strappy black ankle boots with a 7cm heel, and her hair was actually brushed up and back in a rather pronounced pompadour.

"So am I to understand that this is a girl's night, and we are being sexist to the men? Because this was totally a shipboard thing back in my day," Rita greeted the assemblage cheerfully as she approaching in those long authoritative strides. Stopping before the entry to the kitchen, the pinup girl of a bygone era struck a pose as she presented the bottle. "I come bearing champagne, which is customary for a celebration on my planet. Synthehol, but I'm a teetotaler. And we can whistle up orange juice for mimosas, but that's kind of a brunch thing, so I didn't want it to clash with the menu."

"Hello, Commander." Dox replied officially out of habit, then blushed awkwardly as she squinshed her face in a tell-tale, embarrassed smile. "Sorry, Rita." She chuckled slightly, trying to relax.

"I's all good, Dox, I'll answer to either of them," Rita grinned. "Starfleet tradition held that most service people were just known by their last names, so you could just as well call me Paris, and I'll know who it is you are addressing."

With a pair of thermal gloves, Mona carried the hot bowl of silken white cheese to the table and placed it in the warming bowl, then turned her attention to Rita, smiling as brightly as she could. "Welcome! Does that need a bucket of ice? Champagne needs ice, right? Does everything look good to you? Serving utensils!" Realizing her lack of preparedness, she headed back into her kitchenette and rummaged around for a nice set of utensils to serve everything with. "At least the table is already set, right?"

Wanting to help and take some of the pressure off of Mona, Dox walked over to the replicator. "I'll get some ice." She leaned away towards the frantic Miradonian, then back to the replicator. "One ice bucket, 18 centimeters deep, half filled with crushed ice, please."

As the bucket and its contents sparked into existence, Dox carried it over to the table.

"Miss Gonadie... Mona?" Rita Paris stepped into the personal space of the fluffed and flustered hostess. "First, thank you for inviting us to your quarters, it was very kind of you and we are honored to be guests. Now, a little advice from an old hand at this?" Placing her hand on the harried hostess' shoulder, Paris made strong eye contact.

"No one is judging whether you are a perfect hostess. We won't be mad if the food is burnt or if the champagne is flat. We're shipmates and friends- we're all here together and we're enjoying one another's company. You have already succeeded, because you could not fail. So relaaaaax," the cheerful commander made a silly face at the plumed pilot, and offered the champagne. "You can chill it in a bucket of ice or stick it in the replicator and replicate it at a colder temperature. The wonders of dinner parties of the future."

Mona took a deep breath and tried to relax, running one hand over the plumage on her head. "Sorry... The last time I tried this, I sent someone to sickbay because of an allergy to hot peppers so I'm just really worried and nervous is all. On the bright side, I think everything is done and ready." Holding up a handful of serving-ware, Mona smiled as best she could up at the Starfleet bombshell.

"I'm not allergic to anything I know of, and everything smells absolutely delicious. So, yes. Thank you for the invitation." Dox smiled without the awkward anxiety which was slowly starting to go away. "Anything else you need me to grab?"

"Well you're the guest of honor..." As Mona thought of what might be missing, her cuckoo clock went off, chirping five times. "Ah! Drinks! I don't have any Miradonian drinks prepared! I knew I was forgetting something."

"No, no, no. No 'guest of honor'. Dox whispered to Gonadie.

"You have a cuckoo clock!" Paris crossed the room to stare up at the small clockwork birdhouse on the wall with a clock in it's face, her face a display of radiant cheer at the nostalgic artifact of her homeworld. "These are classic Earth kitsch! How did you come across one?"

"It was kind of a gag gift from my boyfriend at the Academy, actually." Setting the serving-ware around to the various dishes, Mona joined Rita at the antique clock. "His father carried on the tradition of building them and he got me one for graduation. It was made in a place called Swissyland, I think. We drank a lot together, which is why it reminded me..."

"It's delightful. I should think the Swiss would be very proud to know that one of their greatest cultural exports survives into the 25th century. And is enjoyed by an avian from another world, no less. Bridging cultural gaps by seeking common ground," Rita shook her head. "So is that breakfast food I smell, Mona?"

"Actually, it's traditional Miradonian dinner from the area I'm from. Roasted or stir fried vegetables, baked strips of meats, and egg wraps filled with roasted hot peppers and tomatoes. I'm told it is quite similar to Earth breakfasts though... Especially the bacon. But you'll likely not find a breakfast burrito as hearty as a Miradonian egg wrap!" Beaming with pride, Mona motioned to the stack of forearm sized bundles. "And be sure to smother them in the cheese too! That's the best part!"

Smiling and inhaling deeply, Dox replied. "Well, I can't wait for everyone to get here. It all smells wonderful. Although everything that smells good smells that much better to me lately. Still getting used to the body chemistry changes. But I think I'm going to have to work out twice as long in the morning after this."

The door chimed again as another guest arrived.

"Come in!" Mona called again.

Stepping through the door was Thex and Tathaa both wearing a copy of the purple dress Thex had worn for her dinner with the captain. Both gave a polite smile as they stepped into the room Thex handing over a bottle of andorian wine they had brought as a gift. " Thank you for the invite Mona." Thex said politely.

Smiling at the arrival of the ships Engineer and new partner that she had yet to meet socially, Dox was trying to contain her embarrassment. Blushing, her face turned green as her mind raced. 'Brilliant. You're the only idiot that thought to wear her UNIFORM to a casual dinner, but you also totally forgot to bring anything with you. Just perfect!' She thought, chastising herself.

"Thank you for coming. You both look lovely. Does this need to be put on ice? Andorian wine is supposed to be chilled, right?" Looking down at the bottle, Mona was pretty sure it was supposed to be served cold... "I'll put it on ice just in case."

On her way to the kitchen, the brightly plumed pilot poked Melanie in the ribs and whispered to her. "In my bedroom's nest, there's a present for you. I hope it fits. It's made of fabrics and feathers from my world."

Even more embarrassed by Mona's efforts, Dox whispered back. "Fvah, really? Mona, seriously. You didn't have to..." Then she stopped herself, not wanting to let her own insecurity ruin Mona's gift or upset the equally nervous Miradonian. "khnai'ra... um... thank you, I mean." The nervous part-Romulan tended to slip into her native tounge when her social anxiety was ramping up and tried correcting herself.

"Uh..." Dox turned to the room and spoke, "I'll be... um... I'll be right back. Excuse me."

To say that Mona's room was designed for an avian species would be putting it lightly. The standard dresser was there... But all of her clothes were hung on perches above it well out of reach of normal humanoids. As for the bed, it looked more like a bird's nest than a bed, being a large round basket filled with padding and pillows, slightly canted to the side. There was even a swing over top of it. Sitting in the entryway of the nest though, was a large colorful box which contained Melanie's present.

Taking in the room for a moment, she couldn't help but think it was somehow perfect. It just felt like an extension of Mona and Dox smiled as she finally brought her attention to the box. As she slowly opened it up, she gasped, putting a hand up over her mouth as tears welled up in the shy pilots eyes.

The ship's doctor had arrived around the time Dox went to change, wearing ..a dress? The young El-Aurian had decided pants were for work hours and was sporting an ankle length white shift dress that would have fit in anywhere from ancient Rome to modern starfleet. They had flips flops on just long enough to enter the room, whereupon the doctor elected to go barefoot and bring their offering of nanda juice, a fruity type if beverage common on Bajor that was almost, but non totally, unlike orange juice.

After a couple of minutes, the door to Mona's bedroom hissed open and Melanie very slowly stepped out. She had a broad but nervous smile on her face and she hoped nobody could tell she had just been crying. Gone was her crimson uniform as the redheaded Romulan was now wearing a brilliant, high necked green dress. The material shimmered with a faint pearlescence in the pattern of faint scales it was made of as it criss-crossed in an x below her waist flaring out along the floor at her feet. Across her right shoulder, the deep green material flowed over her side like a mid length cape that was edged with feathers that gradated from the green of the dress to a teal and ending at a bright lavender. The same feathering trimmed the sides of the dresses neck and the hem at the bottom.

She stood there for a moment, fidgeting like an excited child, looking down at herself and feeling pretty for the first time in a decade.

Mona was the first to notice, finally pulling off her yellow chick apron to uncover the pink and yellow dress made of similar material to Melanie's underneath. "You look absolutely stunning. I'm so glad it fits you so well."

Blushing even harder, Melanie but her bottom lip, smiling up at Mona. "Khnai'ra... sorry... Thank you. Thank you so much."

Springing to their feet, Asa rushed over to Dox, huge smile in place, and asked "So, um, are you too pretty to hug? Because you look AMAZING!"

Smiling awkwardly, Dox shuffled on her feet. "Yes, Asa. Hugs are allowed." She chuckled and opened her arms. "You look great too. Everyone looks great."

Permission granted, the enthusiastic physician pounced and gave a huge bear hug to Dox, beaming with happiness for their friend and happy to celebrate her personal journey.

"Thanks... now administer some oxygen, Doctor." Melanie laughed as she talked during the enthusiastic hug returning it.

"Why Miss Dox, as I live and breathe," The Commander emerged from the bathroom where she'd been during Dox's debut, and struck three strikes of a slow clap. "Green is your color, and I'm just gonna be the one to say it- your ears really complement the waves of your hair. It's got an elegance to it that is quite delightful to behold. I daresay you have officially come into your own, my friend." Taking in the room, Paris expanded on the thought.

"Doctor! That look is so timeless, well chosen. And I approve of the courteous and comfortable footwear. Thex! Tathaa! That dress looks equally as stunning on both of you, and matching is definitely a couples convention where I come from. Mona, you look dazzling and your quarters are lovely and welcoming. Ladies and persons of the Hera, I propose a toast." Paris grabbed a glass of water off the table from one of the place settings and held it aloft, extending it towards the nervous young woman who hated being the center of attention.

"To Miss Melanie Dox, the USS Hera's resident Romulan, and 'Hotshot' pilot. Here's to our friend, on the first day of the rest of her life."

"To Dox!" Asa cheered, enthusiastically supporting their friend on her debut.

Tags for comnents-

Feeling her still newly restored ears get hot as her face went flush, Dox rolled her eyes but couldn't help but smile broadly at the gesture and the sincerity of it. "Good thing green is my color since I'm pretty sure my face matches the dress right now." She said, laughing nervously as she spoke. "Thank you, everyone."

Feeling herself getting a little emotional again, Dox needed to say a little more. "I don't think I would have been able to... take these steps anywhere else in the galaxy... with any other crew."

"Nonsense," Mona insisted. "With as lovely as you are, any proper crew would have welcomed you with open arms."

Not about to bring her friend down, Melanie smiled gratefully without elaborating on how miserable her last two starbase assignments had been. Instead, she simply replied with a sincere "Thanks."

That was when the door chimed once more. "Come in!" called Mona again, this time a bit closer to the door and finally a bit more relaxed.

As the door wooshed open, it revealed the Baroness Schwein von Alcott, dressed in a white pants suit with a variation of her tasseled shoulderpads that had a capelet over her right shoulder. Cradled in one arm, she carried a bottle of Romulan ale lined with silver and gold filigree. "Sorry I'm late. I had a hard time picking out something to wear. Would you believe I don't own a single dress?"

"I didn't either until literally five minutes ago." Melanie replied with a smile, welcoming Schwein in and eyeballing the bottle of Romulan Ale as a very welcome addition to help calm her overactive nerves. Then gesturing down at the dress she was still amazed at, continued. "Mona got this for me. I'm still kind of in shock, but I love it."

"Baroness von Alcott, good to see you!" Paris called out from the table where she was hovering, trying not to be intrusive yet social. "Sayyyyyy, that looks like a mighty fancy bottle, there. Is Romulan Ale still contraband in the Federation these days?"

Grinning, she handed the bottle over to Melanie to deal with. "Thankfully, after the Dominion War the ban was mostly lifted, though it's still exceedingly hard to get the good ales. And you don't get anything much finer than a bottle of fifty year old Praetor Select. I heard congratulations were in order in more than one way, so I figured now was a good time to make a gift of it, ja?"

"More than one way?" Mona eyed Schwein suspiciously. "Do you know something we don't?"

"Just what rumor tells me," Schwein replied innocently.

Having opened the bottle, the young part-Romulan in the stunning green dress inhaled deeply. Growing up on a smuggling ship that traded mostly IN Romulan ale gave her a nose for the good stuff. And as always, the Baroness had brought the good stuff.

Once more the door chimed, but this time the tone was a bit different for some reason. Looking around curiously, Mona decided to answer the door personally, pressing the door controls to manually open them. As they whooshed open they revealed the bright red uniform of the Captain standing there, hands clasped behind her back. "Captain! I... What brings you here?"

Smiling politely, Enalia took a half step into the room. "Sorry, I don't mean to interrupt. I need to give Lieutenant Dox something and the computer said she was here."

At the main table, Dox was pouring out glasses of the Romulan Ale the Baroness had provided when she froze momentarily at the Captain mentioning her by name.

Placing the bottle down, she turned to face her Commanding Officer at attention, wishing she had kept her uniform on and fighting down the ever present knot of anxiety in her stomach that was tightening back up. "Yes, Captain. What can I do for you?"

“Calm down, Dox- she’s here casually even if she is wearing her uniform and you are going to spook her being stiff and formal. This is why she doesn't mingle with the crew. Just be respectful and friendly and welcome her,” Paris whispered, although despite the distance between them Melanie could hear her just fine, she realized.

The somewhat improved hearing being a welcome side effect of the restored ears, Dox did her level best to relax and she loosened her posture a bit.

Stepping over towards Melanie, Enalia pulled a small black box out from behind her back. "I normally have a uniform to pin these on, but I guess I'll just hand these to you." Opening the box, the spotted captain revealed two solid pips, offering the box and contents to the Romulan pilot. "Due to your impressive service over the course of the last mission, I hereby promote you to full Lieutenant, effective immediately."

"Uh..." Dox's jaw dropped open for a moment as she looked at the Captain, then down to the box with the pips of a full Lieutenant that she slowly took in her hands. "I... I don't..." Realizing she was rambling, Dox took a breath to re-center herself.

"Thank you, Captain." Dox had been taken completely by surprised and was still stunned by what had just happened but still had Rita Paris' whisper from moments ago rattling in her brain. "Um... I'm... I'm honored, thank you. I also am... I'm really glad Schwein brought the good stuff. Would you like some, Captain."

Then the nervous knot in her stomach snapped loose with a surprising light chuckle. "I want some. Would you like some?"

"My wife has tacos waiting for dinner tonight..." Enalia paused, weighing the odds of Maica being upset. "But one celebratory drink won't hurt."

Smiling, Dox handed Captain Telvan one of the glasses, still trying to process what had just happened. She stood silently for a moment just staring at the rank pips shining in the small box in her hands.

The andorian engineer at smiled at Dox as she offered her a hug. "Congratulations Melanie you've earned it."

Dael was beaming with happiness for Melanie, they knew the escape from the worldship would not have been possible without her, and Melanie had paid a high personal price on the last mission, she deserve all the happiness the universe could offer.

Snapped out of her momentary daze, the freshly minted full Lieutenant turned to Thex and returned the offered hug. "Thanks."

“I offered the first toast, Miss Dox. Perhaps it should fall to you to offer this one… perhaps a bit of your native color…?" Paris offered, as always hoping that she was nudging at the appropriate times and encouraging the officers beneath her to reach and achieve. In this case, Dox certainly cursed enough in Romulan, perhaps she could cheer as well.

Picking up a glass of Romulan ale, Dox turned with a slight, playful smirk towards Rita Paris, then took a light breath. Holding her glass aloft, she spoke to the assembly of her fellow officers. "Ssiun na d'kunhri nnea na rrhiet Hera, rham daehlen u'rham shikaen, rhanne khnai'ra."

Letting the breath out, she repeated the toast in Federation Stanbdard. "For the grand crew of the Starship Hera, my friends and my new family, I thank you."

After that heartfelt speech, there wasn't a dry eye in the house.