A Friendly Dinner

Posted on Tue Dec 19th, 2023 @ 4:48pm by Lieutenant Commander Finnley Keating VII & NVeid tr'Rehu

Mission: Character Development
Location: NVeid's Quarters
2778 words - 5.6 OF Standard Post Measure

Finn looked at the time. Damnit, she quickly crawled out of the jefferies tubes. Time had slipped away as it often had in engineering and she had only five minutes to get to NVeid's for dinner. No time for a wardrobe change, just get this report handed off to O'Connell and get going. Luckily, Sturgis wasn't far and the shift hand off went smoothly as it always had with him. How had she ever run this department without him? She wondered.

The walk to NVeid's took only a couple more minutes, allowing her to arrive a whole sixty seconds ahead of schedule. Finn pressed the chime and waited for a response, entirely unsure of what the evening had in store. The relationship she shared with NVeid had always been somewhat volatile. For one thing, he was a telepath, which was already difficult for Finn to accept. Beyond that he had invaded her personal space and shared memories without her permission. He had showed up unannounced at her home on Earth to confront her about her departure from Starfleet, causing an entire scene. On the other hand, he'd stayed in her quarters one night after she had returned from Rondac and provided a sense of comfort when she needed someone, even though she denied that she needed anyone. Therefore, she had absolutely no idea what to expect of a shared dinner.

True to his word, NVeid had been doing most of the cooking himself despite lacking a permanent cooking unit. He prided himself in his ability even though he wasn't a very good cook when it came to complex dishes. As a surgeon however, he was fairly good at following instructions.

As the chime went he called for his visitor to come in, then arches his eyebrows at her appearance. "If you want to freshen up feel free," he offered, nodding over to the bed and bathroom. He had nothing to hide, his room and his private space were all clean and tidy, how he liked them to be. "Dinner will be a few minutes still, anyway."

"That bad, huh?" Finn chuckled at the comment and walked to the bathroom. He wasn't wrong. Her hair was a bit disheveled and her uniform was scuffed up from crawling all day. "Do you mind I used your replicator?" She asked.

"Not at all, help yourself." He smiled as he gestured towards the replicator with the spoon he was wielding. The apron that protected his clothes was smeared with various colours and substances, showing that he was making an honest effort. "Don't take too long, I'm almost ready." He watched her disappear then returned his attention to his efforts. "I'm attempting a Terran dish," he explained, "I just hope I got it all right."

Finn quickly replicated a pair of jeans and a shirt. "I'm sure it'll be great. I'm starved so I won't be too picky," she said from the other room. "Sorry I came looking like a bit of a mess. Time got away from me so I rushed here straight from engineering without stopping by my quarters." It only took her a minute to slip into the new clothes and fix her hair so that it didn't look like a total rats nest. Then she recycled her worn uniform back in the replicator and walked up to NVeid. "Anything I can do to help?"

"The computer told me that's a hibachi. If you could please turn that pineapple and keep glazing it with the rum sauce? I have the meat ready shortly. The salad and rice are almost ready." As he spoke, he produced a sizeable chunk of beautifully glazed and roasted ham.

"Rum sauce? Now I'm very interested. Though I should warn you, I'm a fairly awful chef. Half the time, I mess up replicated food," she chuckled. "Just throw the rum sauce on it?" Without waiting for a reply, Finn sloshed a sizable amount of the alcohol on the pineapple which resulted in an eruption of flame. "Whoa," she stumbled backwards. "In retrospect, I should have realized that would happen. Your pineapple might be a bit on the charred side now."

"That's alright, it's supposed to get a little singed." He grinned sheepishly. "Use the brush next time?" He pulled up two plates then carved off a chunk of ham before covering it with a few slices of almost coaled pineapple and doused it with more sauce, then added some greens and a nice amount of rice. "Come..." he set the plates on the table then held out a seat for her.

"Thanks," she awkwardly took a seat and picked up a fork. "So what made you decide to make this dish?" Finn poked around at the contents before cutting up some of the pineapple. The ham remained untouched. Through no fault of his own, he'd managed to make one of the few meats that Finn really didn't like. It was partly her own fault at that. She had told him to surprise her.

"I was looking for earth dishes and something tropical. This came up as a suitable combination. Is it not to your liking?" He nodded towards the meat which he had worked so hard to get right.

"Uhh," Finn sighed. "Honestly, I'm sure it's great. I'm just not a fan of ham. Not your fault, I didn't warn you. Sorry."

"You're not even going to try it?" The disappointment was very much visible on his face. He had tried so hard to make a proper meal, since he usually just used the replicator as it was generally just him.

Finn made a noise of frustration before cutting off a chunk and bringing it to her mouth with trepidation. "Screw it," she sighed and took the bite. Her mouth contorted into an awkward smile as she tried her best to not offend NVeid. "For ham, it's good, really. I just dislike ham as much as I did last time I tried it, apparently."

"Oh..." the Romulan hybrid smiled a little awkwardly, though he senses her utter dislike with ease. "Would you like me to get you something else? I'd hate for you to starve..."

"Nah, I won't starve. The pineapple is great," Finn smiled and continued to dig into the pineapple portion of the meal as a somewhat awkward silence fell. "So how was your day?" She made an attempt at light conversation. "Anything fun happening in medical these days?"

"When I am not needed as a surgeon, I spend my time on immunological research," he answered, "or study alien surgical techniques to help make our current procedures safer and more efficient. What about you?"

"Same old same old really," Finn shrugged. "Plenty of work to be hard with what you all put the Athena through," she smiled and took a sip from her glass. "I spent most of my day repairing fuel lines and recalibrating systems that had broken, but I'm enjoying it so I can't complain."

"You are a true ship surgeon," NVeid chuckled as he started to gather up the plates, "at least, from my point of view as a fellow surgeon. What would you like for dessert?"

"I guess, sort of," Finn replied with a slightly confused look. Her job was nothing like medical, but she could see where the analogy came from. It was just so foreign for her to think of the two as anything alike since she hated medical so much. "Uhhh, brownie sundae?" She suggested for dessert. Nothing was better than a hot brownie with vanilla ice cream on top.

"Chocolate for you, vanilla for me then," he smiled as he retrieved the desired desserts from the replicator. He caught her confused look bur took a while to respond to it. "Fixing an engine is much like fixing a person," he explained his statement, "you perform a kind of surgery to return a piece of equipment to a functional state." He set the plate in front of her then sat down again. "Yes...no chocolate for the Betazoid. I wish I could eat it, it smells divine."

"You can't eat chocolate?" She asked, suddenly feeling bad for eating a forbidden dish in front of him, but also confused. How could anyone be allergic to anything so delicious?

He shook his head. "No, I discovered it the hard way, sadly, after I arrived on the ship that rescued me. I have to make do with the smell." He gave her an encouraging smile. "All the more reason for you to enjoy it Finn. Don't feel guilty, enjoy it for both of us? I can't miss that which I don't know."

"Somehow I always forget that you can tell what I"m feeling..." Finn took a bite of the dessert. It was a delicious mix of opposites. A warm brownie and cold ice cream, chocolate and vanilla, nothing was better.

"And somehow I always need to remind you. Not alerting you that I do, however, feels dishonest." He savoured his own dessert and smiled. "And I feel in our... Relationship, of friendship that is, honesty on my part is paramount. Wouldn't you agree?"

"Honesty is always paramount. Well, mostly. I mean unless you have to lie to uncover a conspiracy or something," she chuckled lightly and continued her dessert. "So what do you normally eat? Assuming it's not ham and pineapple."

"Usually simple things, that requires little replication time." He shrugged. "Dire circumstances meant that I had to take the time I had, which was precious little, to eat so I'm not a big eater as it is. I have come to enjoy Earth dishes though, and I am open to food from other cultures. I rather enjoy a simple pasta and I am fond of something called mashed potatoes? What about you?"

"Pasta is good. I eat a pretty wide variety of stuff. Tacos are one of my favorites, but I'm guessing you remember that from the time we had lunch ni the mess hall," Finn chuckled at the memory of NVeid eating a taco months prior. "I also like sushi, pasta...George makes some really good cajun food. If you haven't tried that, I recommend it."

"Ill have to find George then." The Romulan hybrid paused. "I have met him right? I... can't remember." He cast his friend a somewhat sheepish look. "I'm getting old," he chuckled.

Finn raised an eyebrow for a moment. "You're joking right?" She asked, unable to tell by his expression alone.

NVeid slowly shook his head. "I'm not," he answered seriously, "the Methis virus affected me too and I find some memories are... missing. Perhaps suppressed somehow, at worst gone forever. I had issues with my telepathy and my memory, but not nearly as bad as some. Please indulge me? Perhaps it will stir something."

"You two swim together all the time. By all accounts, you're probably the next closest friend George has besides myself and Mason. You came with George to confront me after my capture...anything ringing a bell?" She asked, confused and concerned over NVeid's lost memories. George would be so sad to find out his friend not longer remembered him.

He did remember swimming with someone, but he knew that wasn't the only one. "I should speak with George then," he concluded, "it's rather troublesome to forget one's friends." He cast her a sad look. "Especially if one already has such few friends to begin with." Which was true, he didn't have that many friends all around, let alone on the ship itself.

"Or pretend that you didn't lose the memories and just start hanging out with him again?" Finn suggested. "You're a telepath right? Can't you just read his mind for the memories or you lost or something?"

"Not without his permission, that's unethical and as you know...those ethics are extremely important than me. They define me. But I do think I will seek him out again, and I will he honest with him." The horror on his face ,at the very idea of just reading someone's mind without permission, was genuine. "Meanwhile.... would you like some coffee?"

"Oh, right, sorry, I always forget that," Finn replied. "My default is to think telepaths can read your mind all the time and that they do, and sure, I'll take a coffee. Black, with a splash of mint cream please."

Nodding, he got up to get two cups of coffee, one with mint cream, the other plain black. "I can," he admitted, "I can read your thoughts when I want to but I won't until I have absolute need, or you do. While a telepath, remember what I told you...how I was shunned for this ability. Feared, even. I learned to hide it, and control it. Feelings I can't shut out, but thoughts I can."

"Right," Finn said, accepting the cup of coffee and suddenly feeling bad for how she had reacted to him when they had first met. She had never liked telepaths either, because their mere presence almost felt like an intrusion of privacy on her thoughts. "I'm sorry you had to go through that."

"It is what it is. Now there are different circumstances that make me feel isolated. I'm sure you noticed that I don't have a great many friends." He shrugged. "I feel respected as a surgeon, but not by all. There are still those that request a different surgeon. I have to respect that choice, but I don't have to like the reason. Thankfully it only concerns a few, on this part. And the chief medical officer is aware of it as well." He smiled at her. "It makes me more grateful for the few friends that I do have."

"Seriously? That's ridiculous. I mean, I get not liking medical. We all know that I avoid your realm of the ship as much as I possibly can, but I can't imagine refusing someone outright based on prejudice." Finn replied, a hint of anger in her voice.

"Prejudice will always happen," NVeid muttered, "wherever we are. Just look at the Cardassians, didn't we treat them with the same mistrust even though the war is over?"

"Thats fair I guess," Finn nodded solemnly and then silently sipped on her coffee.

"Some things need time," the Romulan mused, "and we deal with it the best way we can, even if it hurts." He smiled at her over the brim of his mug. "And we appreciate the friends we do have. Situations like this make me appreciate such things even more because in times of need, you learn who your true friends are."

Finn cocked in head in slight confusion. "Why is it that you consider me a friend anyway? For a long time I avoided you at all costs. I only really started to turn around when you stayed that one night after I returned from Rondac and even then I wasn't exactly the friendliest person to you. It seems to me like you should be seeking out better friends." She half smiled, but in truth she felt guilty for having claimed the title of friendship but having been such a poor friend.

"I don't know," he answered honestly, "yes you avoided me but you never treated me poorly... And there's something about you that draws me to you. A kind of connection perhaps..."

Finn arched an eyebrow, unsure of what 'connection' NVeid had felt. She had been grateful for his presence during those first days after Rondac, but he had also been stubborn in almost every interaction. Then again, she was stubborn too. "You have George too, he's a better friend than I am and you two were close," Finn stood. "It's getting late and I should head home, but what are you doing tomorrow evening? I could have George meet us at the pool after shift. Maybe together we can get your memory of him back." She placed her coffee cup back on the replicator to recycle and headed towards the door.

"Don't sell yourself short Finn," NVeid said, walking with her. "I don't have plans for tomorrow evening so barring unforeseen emergencies I can meet you in the pool." As the door slid aside to allow her exit, he reached out and lightly touched her arm. "I believe, had the roles been reversed after Rondac, you would have been there for me too."

Finn merely nodded, unsure of how she actually would have reacted had the tables been turned, but she had no desire to discuss it further either. "Have a good night, NVeid. Thanks for dinner." Finn gave a half waive before walking out the door.