Time for Lunch

Posted on Tue Jun 23rd, 2020 @ 12:27am by Lieutenant John Sandoval & Lieutenant JG Aeryn Jameson
Edited on on Fri Jul 10th, 2020 @ 5:18pm

Mission: Death in Paradise
Location: Deck 5 The Luna Eclipse
Timeline: Sandoval's Second Day aboard, Lunchtime

A Mission Post by Lieutenant JG Aeryn Jameson & Lieutenant John Sandoval
Mission: Death in Paradise
Location: Deck 5 The Luna Eclipse
Timeline: Sandoval's Second Day aboard, Lunchtime
Sat Oct 27th, 2018 @ 9:30am

Aeryn had spent the morning dealing with anything from the mundane to the interesting meeting she’d had with the Pandora’s new Diplomatic Officer. She had to admit she was curious to learn more about him especially as she looked so much like his wife, she could only imagine how hard a distance relationship must be for them. She was walking along Deck 5 considering stopping somewhere for her lunch break when she spotted Sandoval walking in the same direction. Hurrying to catch him up she smiled as she walked up alongside him, “Lieutenant Sandoval fancy seeing you here” she smiled warmly, “I was just thinking about going to the Luna Eclipse for lunch would you like to join me? That’s if you’re free of course.”

John has been exploring Deck 5 on his own lunch break, hoping to find something worth eating. He read a little bit about the offerings of the recreation deck, but still felt overwhelmed, and was happy when Aeryn came up alongside. He hadn't expected to see her for a few more hours, but she was a welcome sight. "I'd love to," he replied, returning her smile. "I'm following you. I've not set foot on this deck yet, and I'm not sure where to go. I've already walked into the gym, a workshop, and a supply closet!"

"The Luna Eclipse is kind of the ten forward of this ship, it's just the place for a quick snack or lunch or simply to sit and have a drink if you're wanting company" she smiled, "I haven't frequented it very often but I fancied a change from replicating the same old thing for me lunch everyday. At least here..." She pointed to the doors up ahead of where they were going, "I can get something different to what I'd normally have. Not that I've got a clue what I fancy at the moment."

"I hear you on that," said John. John motioned towards the door. "After you."

Aeryn nodded and smiled as she walked ahead stepping inside the Luna Eclipse and looking for a table somewhere away from the hustle & bustle.

John followed Aeryn into the room and saw how big, open, and frankly beautiful it was. A relaxing atmosphere with a wonderful view of space. Many officers were having their lunch breaks too, but the place wasn't too full yet. The two selected a table near one of the wide viewports.

"Is there anything in particular here you really like?" John asked. "I mean, I figure I'll have time to try most of the menu, but any recommendations for my first? Or is this like a replimat?"

“Just order what you feel like. I think I fancy....” she skimmed the menu, “I’m going with a good old...what they used to call, Sunday lunch!” She grinned. “How about you?”

“Hmm,” John said. He found it on the menu. It sounded like a lot of food, but he hadn’t had a good meal since he arrived, and he was hungry. “That sounds good. I’ll do the same.” A waiter arrived to take their order and bring iced water. John also ordered a pot of tea, as he was eager to try the Luna Eclipse’s house blend.

“So how long have you been aboard?” asked John. “And what were you doing before this?”

“I’ve been aboard just over a year” she smiled nodding politely to the waiter as their drinks arrived. “Before that I was a Counsellor aboard the USS Wildcat” she pulled the sleeve down on her arm as it crept up revealing one of the newer Borg implants that had sprouted during her brief nanotechnology problem in sickbay. There wasn’t much she could do about the one on the back of her one hand although she did her best to keep that hand out of view as much as possible.

John saw the implants, and waited a moment to measure his response. He could tell she didn't want to reveal it to him; that her sleeve rolled up by accident. John was pretty sure Aeryn knew he noticed. He decided to keep it simple. "Are you alright?" he asked with genuine concern. "I'm no Counselor, but I am very good at listening. Comes with my job, too."

Aeryn paused for a moment, “Sorry I still don’t find it easy having implants” she shrugged her shoulders, “I was liberated from the Borg I still have the implants that couldn’t be removed and those I’ve recently acquired due to a....problem I plan to have removed once I get the chance.” She offered a brief smile, “I don’t like having any implants but there are those that are too intertwined with my body to be able to be removed.”

"We've only just met today," said John. "So please forgive me if this is too forward or presumptuous. But unless they pose risks to your health I don't think you should worry about them. It's like the faux skin on my leg. These implants tell the story of who you are and where you come from. How you've experienced hell but survived and came out stronger."

The waiter came back with their waters and a pot of tea, with two cups. A small tag described the house blend for the day. Rooibos with a variety of dried fruit and spices. "Can I pour you some?" he asked. "When I was in school in London I tried to immerse myself in tea. I couldn't get into the culture as deeply as the locals, but I still love the drink."

“Sure” Aeryn smiled, “Thank you. I guess I should try and accept these implants as part of who I am but given the things I did when I was a Borg...” she paused, “I’ve never been able to face that & I don’t want to.”

"I understand," said John. He poured the tea into the two cups provided. The smell wafting off of them was very pleasant. "Well, I mean, not exactly. I've not experienced that myself, and I don't want to minimize your feelings by claiming I understand them. But I sympathize. Or is it empathize? I always confuse the two," he added with a smile.

John reached out and touched the top of Aeryn's hand. "If you ever do want to talk, please feel free to come to me. Sometimes a friend is as useful a listener as a Counsellor, but I know we have a good one of those as well." He sipped his tea. "And I've been enjoying your company. I'm glad I made a new friend when I came to sickbay this morning."

Aeryn smiled warmly, "That's very kind, just be careful as I might just take you up on that offer!" she grinned as she looked at him removing her hand only when the server came with their meals. "Looks absolutely delicious" she nodded her thanks and put her napkin on her lap before politely starting to eat her meal. "So are you still wanting me to show you around later tonight?"

"Absolutely!" John answered. He also lay his napkin on his lap, as it would do no good for a diplomat to have a stained uniform, and began cutting into his roast beef. "I was looking at a diagram of the ship and saw just how large the recreation deck is. Shops, more food, a fitness area. A few holodecks, which are always fun. I have a few programs I need to transfer over. And did I read something about an arcade?" He took a bite, and the meat practically melted in his mouth. "Mmm!"

Aeryn grinned at the look on his face, "Yes there's alsorts of places onboard ship we're quite lucky to have the facilities we have." she took another bite of her roast dinner having chosen gammon & beef for hers she savoured the Gammon as it had always been a favourite of hers. "Where would you like to go tonight? Do you have a preference?"

"Good question." He took another bite, this time of one of his potatoes. "Well, a dinner at the other restaurant seems in order. And then maybe a walk along the shop areas? My last assignment didn't have anything quite like a shopping promenade, and I miss simply walking around storefronts window shopping. Katherine always kept her eyes open for unique things, to wear or display on her desk. She had some good finds over the years."

"Sounds like fun to me!" Aeryn grinned, "If there's one thing I love it's window shopping or just shopping in general I barely go for walks when I'm on my own unless I'm really in need of some fresh air." She took another bite of her food finishing it before continuing. "Are you sure you won't mind bring seen wondering around the ship with a female crew member? You know what gossip is like I don't want to be giving you a bad reputation."

John thought about it for a moment and finished his own meal. "I appreciate your sensitivity to the subject," answered John, "but I don't think it will be a problem. My circle of friends has always been either gender balanced or mostly female. And Katherine and I made the point to never allow jealousy to get between us, especially since we're only together once a year or so." He decided to stop his explanation there. Describing further right now seemed inappropriate. Maybe one day.

"That's fair enough" Aeryn smiled, "I wasn't eluding to anything going on between us other than friendship, after all you are a married man." she politely tucked into the remainder of her lunch not wanting it to go cold politely putting down her knife & fork as she finished off the last of what was on her plate.

John paused. He knew he may have implied more than he meant to, but he didn't think he said anything inappropriate. Then he remembered that he'd read part of Aeryn's file after meeting her in sickbay.

"It occurs to me that you're part Betazoid, right? I apologize in that case for any stray thoughts. My mind went somewhere...else when you asked your question, and from the Betazoid's I worked with before, I understand that some feelings are hard not to sense." He picked up his tea for a final sip. He smiled at a memory. "In grad school, years before getting married, my thesis advisor was a lovely Betazoid woman, and she gave me a stern talking to about the need to control stray thoughts."

"I do my best to try not to pick up on stray thoughts but there are times when they do get past my mental shields" she picked up her glass & sipped her drink before putting the glass back on the table again. "I apologise if I've made you feel awkward it wasn't intended."

"Not a problem," John replied. "I had a similar conversation with Counsellor Kaleri yesterday, actually. It's probably good for me to be a bit more mindful about my, er, mind."

"Just a downside to being friends with a telepath I'm afraid" she grinned, "I'll remember to ramp up my shields a little more for later then you won't have to worry about stray thoughts" she sat back in her seat & relaxed a little her lunch had been quite filling. "You may need to be a little more careful around Krysia, being pregnant can cause problems with controlling empathic & telepathic abilities it's all to do with the hormones plus she's the stronger one being part Drax."

John smiled at that. "Thanks for the warning. I'll probably be working with her on this upcoming mission. Thankfully I'm very disciplined at the negotiating table." His meal and tea, delicious as they were, had been finished and John was quite full and satisfied. "Aeryn, I'm very glad that you ran into me in the corridor today. I enjoyed my meal and I enjoyed sharing it with you. I should probably get back to work though. My staff should be returning to duty in the next few minutes too." He pushed up from his chair. "Shall we walk together back to the lift?"

"By all means" Aeryn nodded, "I have to be getting back to sickbay anyway." She stood & pushed her chair back under the table before heading towards the exit doors with John.

“So I believe we said 1900 hours,” John said as they walked in the corridor. “Does that still work for you? Want to meet where you caught up with me? About here?”

"That sounds great to me." Aeryn smiled warmly. "I'll see you here at 7pm."

They turned one left down a corridor whose turbolift brought John closer to his office, but Aeryn kept going straight toward another. The Diplomatic team still had much to do. But lunch, and the promise of a good dinner, lifted John’s spirits a bit. He’d get a lot done this afternoon, and his officers would see him happier than he was earlier.

OFF