It's not about what you eat, but who you eat it with

Posted on 14 Apr 2016 @ 11:51pm by Lieutenant JG Natalya Kirilova & Lieutenant JG Lenaris Marika
Edited on on 16 Apr 2016 @ 9:15pm

1,603 words; about a 8 minute read

Mission: Episode 10 - Symposium
Location: Earth - Hong Kong
Timeline: MD 91
Tags: Marika, Natalya, China, Hong Kong, Dinner, Date

[ON]

Tomorrow was the last day of shore leave, and here Natalya was, making the most of it as the last possibly moment. She'd never been to Hong Kong, but then again, she'd only been to a handful of cities on Earth: Paris, St. Petersburg, and some of the ones near San Francisco. She felt that she would never get used to being around so many people, but the sights and sheer variety of things see and do usually made up for the stress.

At least Natalya was prepared for the heat. She'd visited Southern California on several occasions, and knew that Hong Kong's weather was comparable. It was way more humid though... and wet. Most of the clothes in her wardrobe weren't well suited for such a climate, but Natalya did the best she could with what she had. She wore a grey tank top that matched her eyes, and a white blouse with three-quarter sleeves and fabric so thin it was almost sheer. She also wore her favorite pair of denim jeans, they were skinny and well worn, and had the pant cuffs turned up to show off her ankles. She'd considered wearing sandals, but opted for a pair of thin canvas sneakers instead.

"... so that's when I told him I couldn't take the Ming vase, because it was the property of a Qing." Giggling at her joke, she pushed aside the fish she'd just gutted and washed her hands. "Qing... king..." Giggling some more she twirled to offer her guest a wink. " Would you mind getting the window? I think we could use some air."

She absently gestured towards the nearby wall, which was in fact a series of ceiling high wooden panels that could be twirled and opened. Turning back to the counter she had been working on, she kicked off her shoes and disappeared under it for a moment, coming back out with a basket of vegetables. Taking a moment to enjoy their aroma, she grinned back at Natalya. "You're in for a treat. Cousin Luong gave us veggies from his personal garden."

Natalya chuckled slightly at the joke, but she didn't get the full meaning. She knew a bit about Earth history, but not enough to know that the Qing was a dynastic period in China. She stood up and moved over to the wall panels, and turned a few to let in more air and light. She lingered near them for a moment, breathing in the strange smells of the city outside. Even though it was a Human city, it was quite alien to her.

With her commbadge stashed in her pocket, Natalya had no hope of understanding the conversations around her, but that didn't matter. In a way not knowing added to the experience. She and Marika had the private dining area to themselves, but there were other people in the restaurant that could be seen here and there. Some of the diners did a double take when they saw the Bajoran woman moving about like she owned the place, but the staff all knew who she was, and paid them no mind aside from a few friendly smiles.

"Sounds lovely." Natalya said. She did not often get to have fresh vegetables, or fish. This would definitely be a treat. "You really are family here, aren't you?" Natalya said, seeming a little surprised. "I didn't know you were Chinese."

Marika offered a giggle. "In a sense. When the Chin's came to Bajor, we pretty much adopted them. They became a very important part of our lives. So much we can't imagine our lives without them. Their family has pretty much done the same with us. Which makes me an honorary Chinese girl. Cousin Chen often joked he'd have to marry me and make it an undisputed fact." She offered a grimace and another giggle.

Leaning into the counter, she grabbed an apron, and covered her lilac colored, flower themed traditional style Chinese dress. Wrapping up her hair behind her, she tucked it all in the best she could and tied it up with some chopsticks. "Which of course I kindly remind him would be inappropriate."

She walked to meet Natalya by the 'window' and looked out. "I couldn't tell you why, but there's something about the Chinese culture I've always found... right." Whatever it was, it did seem to have a strong impact on her. Her speech so far had been slower, more focused, her actions more deliberate.

She offered her guest a loving smile, reaching out to squeeze her arm slightly before heading back to the counter and pulling out a very sharp and very large knife.

In some ways Natalya couldn't help but find her own life lacking when she listened to Marika. She knew so much about cultures, and seemed to have an intimate familiarity with two of them. Natalya had come from a recently-founded mining colony that didn't really have a culture of its own, and most of the people who lived there were so heterogenous that only families really had any sort of culture in common. Her grandparents had been born in Russia, but had moved to North America by the time her parents were born. It seemed that no one in her extended family showed any interest in settling down or passing on any kind of tradition except for the old tongue.

"I'm guessing that is not a Bajoran dress." Natalya said, returning the smile. Her gaze couldn't help but linger on Marika's curves... it was a very pretty dress and the fabric looked so soft and luxurious. She was half tempted to reach out and return her affections with a gentle caress. But it was best not to distract a lady wielding a very large knife.

With a giggle, Marika threw a few veggies in front of them, and skillfully started chopping them to bits. "Of course not silly. When in China, dress the part or have your extended family poke fun at you." She giggled some more and pointed very vaguely towards the door leading to the rest of the establishment. "That granny of mine can be very persuasive. But to be honest, I love the style of the traditional looking dresses."

Pushing her chopped veggies to the side, the young Bajoran proceeded to take out a fish from the counters refrigerated unit. Staring at it for a moment, she yelled out. "Tā shì xīnxiān de?"

"Wǒ lāo wǒ zìjǐ!" Came the answer from the other side, which seemed to good enough, the satisfied grin on her face substantiating that impression. "Awesome! We get freshly fished trout to boot!" Her eyes sparkled looking back at her guest. "You're in for a treat!"

Natalya's stomach grumbled a bit in reply to that, though probably not loudly enough for Marika to overhear. "Let's hope I can figure out how these work in time to enjoy it." She said, smiling as she awkwardly grasped a set of chopsticks, attempting to lift a clump of sticky white rice from one of the bowls of appetizers already set out. She wondered if they were really also used as hairpins, or if Marika was just being clever.

With a giggle Marika changed to a much smaller and thinner knife and started on the fish. "Don't worry, I'm sure you'll pick it up. If not, I'll just have to feed you." She offered her guest a wink and a sly smile.

Fingers and knife worked in unison, gutting and cleaning the fish with expert precision and time. "When's the last time you had a real non-replicated meal?"

"A whole meal?" Natalya thought for a moment, then suddenly remembered. How could she forget? "A couple months ago. I had a steak dinner at this place in Utopia Planitia on Mars." Best steak she'd ever had. "Sometimes I'm quick enough to get a piece of fresh fruit they serve in the mess, but you know that usually goes pretty quick." She smiled sheepishly as she slowly attempted to raise a clump of rice to her mouth. Some of the rice made it.

"Pretty neat! The real thing can be great from time to time. But then again, my mother always said, it's not about what you eat, but who you eat it with." She giggled some and separated food from waste and washed her hands. "My father usually dropped the last two words for effect." She grinned.

Natalya very nearly choked on the rice. The last thing she'd been expecting from Marika was a double entendre. Or was it? One could never be sure with the Cheshire Cat.

"You are such a character." Natalya said amusingly as she pointed the chopsticks at Marika for effect. "And now I know who you get it from."

Pointing a finger at herself in mock surprised, she quickly changed to another grin and laughed. "You're a rather interesting character yourself you know." She winked, slightly more serious, and offered her host a pear and a small knife. "Cut this while I start cooking the fish."

It was like the Bajoran to always keep her guessing. Was it playful banter, or something more? Natalya didn't really get a chance to mull it over with the task set before her. "Yes ma'am." She said playfully as she picked up the knife and started slicing the pear the way Marika had been cutting some of the other ingredients. Anticipation over enjoying the finished meal soon took over all other considerations.

[OFF]

Lieutenant JG Natalya Kirilova
Chief Engineering Officer
USS Galileo

Ensign Lenaris Marika
Archaeologist/Anthropologist
USS Galileo

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