Kitchen Talk

Posted on 12 Nov 2024 @ 8:19pm by Petty Officer 3rd Class Jeysa Zeror & Nesh Saalm
Edited on on 14 Nov 2024 @ 12:26am

3,403 words; about a 17 minute read

Mission: Episode 20 - Reconstruction
Location: USS Galileo-A - Deck 2, Galley
Timeline: MD06 - 0100hrs

ON:

Having finally being released from the whims of her Captain far too late to catch the end of Gamma shift meal period and far too early to get the Alpha shift meal Jeysa walked into the mess hall in search of a good meal. Perusing the vast menu the replicator had to offer for several minutes nothing immediately took her fancy and she glanced several times over to the door to the galley, it had been a while since she'd cooked herself something and had no real idea what was being kept in the stasis cabinets or cold storage this time but it was certainly worth a look. Submitting to her curiosity she headed inside and began rooting through cupboards.

Nesh had just returned to the galley when she saw that her newly well-ordered layout had been somehow disturbed. Furrowing her brows, she set off to discover just who the unauthorized interloper was and when she did, they were gonna get such an ass--

"Jeysa!" Nesh started, surprise clearly lacing her voice. "What are you doing?"

Jeysa was waist deep in a cold storage chest when a voice called her name, she jolted upright clipping her head on the lid. "Oh hey Nesh." She said before starting to laugh. "What is that outfit?" The Orion woman's white top and black shorts were partially covered over with an apron depicting the extremely well toned bare chest and abs of an Orion male complete with several piercings. Jeysa looked her up and down a few times noting that the spot where apron finished and Nesh's own long green legs took over was almost seamless.

"What? Oh. It's one of my new aprons. I thought is was perfect. As to what I'm doing...just prepping for breakfast. It's a process." She walked over to where Jeysa stood nursing a knot on the back of her head from the deep freezer lid. "Are you hungry? I have some left overs...I usually will put them out for Gamma...they'll eat just about anything at O-dark-30."

"Right now I think I could even eat live gagh but I don't know what I want," Jeysa replied. "Nothing in the replicator took my fancy, thought I'd have a look through your stash and see what I could whip up."

Nesh shrugged. "Help yourself, Jeysa, or...if you trust me, tell me what protein you want and I'll make you something. A Nesh Special."

"You think I don't trust you after all this time." Jeysa feigned offense overly dramatically. "Something with beef maybe, unless you have a few dozen wing slugs we can share?"

"You're kidding, right? I always have wing slugs!" It was said in a triumphant manner as Nesh raced over to one of the walk-ins and opened the insulted door and strode inside of the frosty room filled with all sorts of specialty items that were supplied to ships on the frontier, given the hardships endured in so many other areas. She emerged after a moment with a bag of the specified 'critters' and set to work getting them chopped, seasoned, and breaded appropriately before throwing them into the fryer. "Any particular sauce you want today, Jeysa?"

While Nesh began to prepare the Orion delicacies Jeysa took off her uniform jacket, she quickly stopped her before she had put all of the slugs into the fryer. 'How about a little half and half. You make some Orion style and I'll make some of the Trill twist ones I cooked for Lirha and you when we first met."

"Oh, restrain me why don't you." Nesh quipped with a chuckle, "That sounds like an excellent idea. What do you need for the sauce?"

"Do you have any iraki powder? The lot I used last time was replicated. Wish I had time to marinade it properly but I'll have to work with it." Jeysa replied.

"Um..." Nesh considered Jeysa's question. "I'm not sure, Jeysa..to your right is a large cabinet that holds what seasons I have. I alphabetized them the other day when I couldn't find the crushed red pepper, but there are a lot of spices. To be honest after the first two or so letters I stopped reading." Reaching above her, Nesh pulled down two stainless steel mixing bowels and placed one next to Jeysa.

Jeysa chuckled slightly then began rooting through said cabinet, it took a few moments but she found what she was after. "There another apron around here." She asked as she switched on one of the ovens.

Nesh's green eyes glittered. "Sure. I'll get one for you." She walked around the corner to the line of hooks that now held a number of interesting aprons. Finding a suitable option didn't take long and Nesh quickly returned, holding out the protective garment towards Jeysa. "There you go. It'll give me visuals in case I want to fantasize--" Her eyes went wide. "I mean..." Nesh sighed. "I really need to work on keeping my inner thoughts 'inner.'"

Jeysa slipped the apron over her head and was in the process of tying it off when she realised just what was on it and why Nesh had mentioned fantasizing. It was just as garish as the one Nesh wore, representing the torso of a Trill woman, replete with spots in all the right places and a very oversized set of breasts with the nipples barely covered by only light brown circles. "Nesh...." She said. "you pick this on purpose?"

Clapping her hand over her mouth to smother the laughter that was threatening to escape, Nesh looked Jeysa up and down. "I got it in a variety pack. It was meant to be funny but somehow looking at the thing on you..." Her voice trailed off and she swallowed. "You want the Klingon one, instead?"

Thinking about it for a moment Jeysa eventually shook her head, "This will do nicely, they're a little larger than mine but otherwise it's a good representation." She didn't fail to notice how flustered Nesh had been over the last minute.

"My thought exactly!" Of course then her eyes widened, realizing she was essentially agreeing with Jeysa that the apron's rack was more substantial than hers...good grief. A smart thing would be to move on. Yes. She focused her attention on the still empty bowel and began grabbing at some of the more common ingredients to begin the sauce.

"So...ah...how is work treating you? Is Tarin settling down any?"

"I wish. I tried to talk with her and suggest that she take a break every now and then next thing I know I'm climbing up a volcano on the holodeck at 0200hrs." Jeysa said and turned her attention to her own mixing bowl after washing her hands, adding the iraki powder and a few other ingredients into the bowl and adding a water to mix it into a thinnish paste. "When my shift ended I hit the holodeck before I'd even gone to my quarters, my haboosian bathes program for a massage to soothe my aching body, especially my feet."

Nesh made an inarticulate sound at Jeysa's reply. "That's...wow. Talking about failing upwards. Remind me to never offer up any ideas for the crew. I mean, I will if it's important, but I guess I have to do so with the understanding that it will lead to personal suffering." She reached over to the frying basket and gave it a good shake. The slugs were coming along nicely. "Was your holodeck experience restorative then...I'm guessing so if you're here for slugs. Nothing fills the gullet quite like sauced wing-slugs. Yum!"

"Maybe I picked them because you found me snooping around in here, I know you liked the ones I made for you and Lirha." Jeysa dunked the portion of wing slugs she'd stopped Nesh putting into the fryer into her paste and gave them a good coating before putting them onto a tray and into the oven.

"Who am I to judge the rationale behind such decisions. All I know is that in this particular instance your decision for wing-slugs was a superior one." She continued to watch the bubbling slugs until some nebulous timeframe that meant the critter bites were perfectly cooked. Pulling the fry basked out of the oil, Nesh hooked it on the catch at the back of the deep fryer to let the breaded bites to drain for a moment. The sauce was almost ready and the slugs were moments away from being dunked.

"Mine will need ten minutes or so," Jeysa moved over to the fryer and examined Nesh's. "Smells good."

"No worries. I like them a little cooled down, anyway. Makes the sensation of them sliding down my throat all the more satisfying." Nesh smiled as she turned and leaned against the counter to watch Jeysa. She really was a quite lovely woman. How had she never noticed such a thing before?

"Are you missing having Lirha around?" Jeysa asked, she took a step back from the fryer and faced Nesh too.

The smile slipped just a little. Lirha. The successful sister. The one that got their act together. Nesh had always existed in that shadow. "Our relationship was...complicated, at times. I'm somewhat relieved to be on my own, to be honest. She was always trying to protect me from everything."

"I have these memories...she...she didn't want to see me - in the future? I just don't know...I really got clobbered the other day. The kitchen was a mess; I had put off cleaning...again. But looking back, I'm not sure why I would have done that. It's imperative to keep the kitchen spotless to reduce risk of food-borne illness."

"Did you let Allyndra or one of the others check you out or did you stubbornly refuse to think you may have got hurt?" Jeysa asked not happy that her friend may have been injured.

"Haha...no. I wasn't bleeding...and there was only a small lump..." She reached up and gingerly touched the knot on the back of her head that was still quite tender. "Do...do you feel any different? I don't know much of what's been going on lately mission-wise...but everyone seems a little on edge."

"Hearing that we somehow wound up in the future and that almost all of us were dead in that future has everyone a little on edge yeah. Knowing that something we did or didn't do caused that future. Everyone is questioning their actions hoping something they did wasn't the catalyst." Jeysa's eyes roamed down Nesh's long smooth green legs as she spoke.

"I didn't know all that." Nesh frowned slightly. Sometimes living Starfleet adjacent sucked. She was the last to learn anything...official that is. She actually learned so much interesting information working in the mess hall...

"However, what I do know..." The Orion gave a dramatic pause for effect before continuing. "On Vulcan Cuisine night, you won't believe what I saw...The conn officer...Darius, he came in with that new Vulcan ChEng...Sera? I can't even begin with her last name. Anyway, so they came in together, and she walked through the buffet line putting all sorts of food on his plate. Vulcans don't do that, like ever. Then, he grabbed her ass! They are totally screwing each other, I just know it." Take that, Starfleet. Nesh might be consigned the periphery on this ship, but her ability come into possession of the really important information...scuttlebutt, was rather exemplary.

"He does seem a little more sprightly than usual," Jeysa remarked quite surprised that the man had taken up with a Vulcan woman. "I guess we know why now.

"He's an idiot." Nesh easily replied while stepping forward to check on how the slugs were resting. "He obviously never heard of one of the most important proverbs out there! "Never bet against a rich Ferengi, Never eat with a hungry Klingon, Never trust a Romulan, and Never ever f--k a Vulcan." Laughing at the perfect use of the quote she had heard bantered about growing up, Nesh continued, "Vulcans play for keeps, at least from what I've been told...I'll keep you updated. "

The wing slugs were ready. She proficiently dumped the basket into the bowl holding the sauce, and began tossing the fried-to-perfection bites until the coating reached optimum coverage.

"And never ask a Trill woman how far down her spots go." Jeysa said with a chuckle.

Nesh's eyes involuntarily darted down Jeysa's body to her feet, and then catching herself quickly returned them to her face. "You forget we bunked together? They go all the way down!" Giving the Trill woman an impish grin, she continued, "However, I will have to add that to the quote. Have wars been started over that question, do you think?"

"A few hands getting slapped away from trying to take a look maybe but no wars, at least I hope." Jeysa replied, she noticed the quick dart back and forth of Nesh's eyes, they'd both seen the other in various states of dress before but today they were both paying somewhat more attention. Many a person had wanted to know the answer to that particular question. She opened the oven briefly to check her own batch of wing slugs. "Nearly ready."

"Shame. A war started over the beauty of a woman?" Nesh sighed at the romance of it all. Unable to take the temptation anymore, she reached into the bowl of sauced deep-fried wing-slugs and popped a bite into her mouth and began to chew.

"Mmm...Ah hab outdun m'self..." She added with her mouth still half full of the crispy, gooey delight. "Here, try a bite!" Nesh reached in and pulled out another saucy piece with her fingers and held it out before Jeysa's mouth for her to take.

Before she had even thought about it Jeysa found herself leaning forward and taking the wing slug and a chunk of Nesh's fingers straight into her mouth. Wing slugs were an acquired taste and were cooked a myriad of ways and Nesh's was excellent. "mmhhh, very good." She said after a few moments chewing.

Nesh's eyes honed in Jeysa's mouth as she rather eagerly took the bite from her fingers without a bit of a fight. "This cooking thing is all coming together for me...No one threatened to call the health department on me with week--whatever the health department is. Glad you like it. I added some lemon pepper to the sauce this time...thought it gave it a bit of brightness on the tongue." Nesh replied while licking the sauce off of her fingers. "What about yours...close to being done?"

"Nearly, just enough time to eat all of yours first." Jeysa said and grabbed another wing slug of Nesh's.

"Well then we best get eating. Want me to feed you another one? So you can keep cooking?" Nesh picked up another saucy bite and began to advance it closer to Jeysa's mouth in a hopping manner - like the bite was a tiny, tasty rabbit.

Jeysa couldn't help but start laughing. "If it was anyone but you this would be so weird." When she finally stopped laughing she opened her mouth and accepted the wing slug.

"Yeah...weird." Nesh chimed as her cheeks flushed slightly as Jeysa took the second bite from her finger tips. This...this was kind a hot. "I could say it's some sort of Orion cooking experience, but I'd be full of it."

"It definitely doesn't match any Orion traditions I have experienced before." Jeysa said licking her lips slightly after devouring the slug.

Nesh repeated the post slug feeding finger cleaning ritual, but lingered on sucking the pad of her thumb, looking far away for a moment. "Something changed...didn't it? Things feel different since the system's test; I feel different. You're really lovely, you know that?"

"Are you sure you only took a little bump to the head?" Jeysa asked. There were definitely a few subtle changes in the Orion, she'd never shown this much interest in her.

"Well...I don't know. I wasn't bleeding when I got up...I don't just mean my head. Things feel the same to you, then?" Nesh shrugged in a 'what can you do?' manner. Feeling rather self-conscious suddenly she reached into the bowel and popped another bite of wing-slug into her mouth.

"Everything feels the same to me." Jeysa replied. "I still think Tarin is a hard ass, I still miss your sister being around, I still like wing slugs." She took a bite of another after she finished.

"Oh. Okay. So everything is still the same..." Nesh felt slightly self-conscious now, considering what she had revealed to Jeysa. Maybe she really should go to sickbay, after all. "Your slugs are scorching...I can smell it."

Jeysa turned and opened the oven to take a look, "They're definitely cooked now." She said and pulled them out. The Wing slugs were nicely charred on the top but still soft underneath. "A few moments to cool and they'll be perfect."

"They smell delicious...but I'm a sucker for wing-slugs." Nesh leaned against the counter and watched Jeysa supply the finishing touches to her batch of slugs with anticipation.

Moving the slugs to a plate Jeysa sprinkled a little more iraki powder onto them then offered the plate to Nesh. "Voila, wing slugs ala Trill."

Nesh took the plate with relish and leaned down to inhale the smell of the baked slug bites. "Mmm...smells good!" With her free hand, she reached out and grabbed one of the still hot bites and put the whole bite in her mouth and began to chew experimentally.

The piece exploded in her mouth, and Nesh was rewarded with a tangy sweetness that was an unusual pairing for wing-slugs but in this instance worked really well. "Damn, Jeysa. These are good! If you find this whole Starfleet thing doesn't work out for you, we could always buy a food stall on DS9 or something and sell wing-slugs a million ways!"

"That sounds like it could be fun." Jeysa picked up a wing slug of her own and chomped down on it enjoying the sweet taste with just a subtle hint of sourness. "mmmhhh perfect."

Eating commenced in earnest. Nesh alternated between the two recipes, and got Jeysa and herself a glass of chilled water for in-between bites. The conversation naturally entered into a lull, but as stomachs grew full and hungers became satiated, Nesh said, "This sure beats my first choice of leftovers for lunch. You can drop in anytime, Jeysa. However, be warned, if it's close to mealtime you may get drafted."

Jeysa scoffed slightly. "I have enough trouble keeping up with everything Tarin wants from me sometimes, never mind trying to help cook for over 60 people."

"I think you have it harder. Tarin is scary." 'I wonder what she'd be like in bed. Ha! She looks like a man-eater.' Nesh sputtered. What the hell was going on with her?! "I'm serious, Jeysa. I've seen your work schedule. If you ever miss a mealtime, come see me. I'll take care of you."

Jeysa smiled, she slipped off the apron Nesh had picked for her. "I know you will, you're a great friend Nesh." She put the apron back on the hook before coming in for a hug.

Nesh wrapped her arms around Jeysa's upper arms, bringing her in for a quick hug. However, right before she pulled away, she leaned her head and gave Jeysa a gentle peck on the side of her cheek before pulling away. "I'll take great friend. Have a good night, Jeysa."

This wasn't their first hug and Nesh was a great hugger but the kiss was definitely unexpected. Her mauve coloured lips were warm and soft and despite the brief contact Jeysa's skin goose bumped. "Good night Nesh." She said when they separated. Part of her wanted to stay longer but more parts thought it'd be a bad idea, somewhat reluctantly she headed for the door.

OFF:

Nesh Saalm
Sous Chef
USS Galileo-A
[PNPC played by S'Ers-a M'Lyr'Zor]

&

PO3 Jeysa Zeror
Yeoman
USS Galileo-A
[PNPC Mimi]

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