Posted by Cadet Aili McMorran (Scientist) in Side Sim - The Long Awaited Dinner

Posted by Lieutenant Junior Grade Tandra Mika (Incoming Chief Medical Officer) in Side Sim - The Long Awaited Dinner

Posted by Cadet Aili McMorran (Scientist) in Side Sim - The Long Awaited Dinner
Posted by… suppressed (5) by the Post Ghost! 👻

(snip)

Mika grinned. “Oh, so I’ll fall asleep here, huh?” More at ease than Aili, it was a joke, though she decidedly wouldn’t be opposed to that actually happening. “What’s the movie? Or… is it a surprise?”

~ Cadet Tandra Mika, Doctor

Aili continued to ride her wave of her excitement yet feared losing control of her words. “That would be.. acceptable”, she murmered through a sip of her wine. “It’s a classic, at least that’s what my grandpa always used to call it… You’ll see” After her hand lowered to put down her glass, rather than retracting it she leaned in to the table and extended her arm, resting her digits in Tandra’s vicinity.

Cadet Aili McMorran - Science

“Sounds interesting. I can’t wait to see what you pick,” she said, and she placed her own hand near Aili’s, though not quite on, so they weren’t quite holding hands. “On that note, dinner was amazing, thank you. I could never prepare anything quite like that… even if you did just replicate them.” She said, smiling.

~ Cadet Tandra Mika, Doctor

If it weren’t for Aili’s hand having become effectively rooted in place, she would have instinctively drawn it back and finished off her drinkto wet her parching throat. “Aw, thank you”, she reciprocated with grateful eyes, “but I’m sure you’re more than capable. Perhaps we could trial that… next time?”

Cadet Aili McMorran - Science

Tandra laughed and shook her head. “Only if you want to burn down the ship! I come from a family of seamstresses… not so much on the cooking.” She told her. In Tandra’s home, it was her father who usually cooked, even before… But he was never good at it. He did it because her mom had always hated it, and her mom did all the sewing for the family shop.

~ Cadet Tandra Mika, Doctor

A hum hailed from Aili. “Interesting! You’ll have to tell me all about that at some point.” Quite abruptly, she slid her hand forward and over Tandra’s as she began a rather deliberate rise to her feet, still leaning in toward her dining partner. Gently holding onto Tandra’s hand, she lifted it invitingly. “But for now… a film?” she asked, indicating the sofa with her free hand. Despite succeeding in appearing calm and confident -she surprised herself with the degree to which she was- she nervously sucked on her inner lip between utterances.

Cadet Aili McMorran - Science

Tandra nodded, her face flushing slightly as Aili grabbed her hand. Her hand felt warm and a little bit sweaty. She’s still nervous, she thought, and she thought that it was cute that Aili was still so nervous. She headed out to the sofa with Aili, and then sat down.

~ Cadet Tandra Mika, Doctor

After gently guiding Tandra with her slickened hand, Aili set the woman down on the sofa. She buzzed with a warm excitement as Mika followed her lead. “This is my side”, she shared as she sat down herself, her expression naturalistically matching her inner feeling. Keen not to lose her edge, she placed a hand back over Tandra’s, which in turn rested on the surface of the seat in the gap between them. Aili was careful to leave Tandra plenty of space to herself although she certainly hoped- a uniquely anxious and anticipatory kind of hope- that said space would shrink in good time.

A thoughtfully pre-positioned PaDD found its way into Aili’s free hand. Resting it on her curled up legs, she began swiftly swiping away at it. In no time at all, the screen opposite the two woman lit up, first with the typical image of the Starfleet delta and then with the opening frames of a 20th century monochrome movie. “It’s called ‘It’s a Wonderful Life…’”, Aili’s hand tenderly squeezed Tandra’s, “and it brings me to tears every time.” A flash in Aili’s eyes of what seemed like anticipatory watering was quickly followed by a chuckle of light embarrassment.

Cadet Aili McMorran - Science

Tandra followed Aili over to the sofa, pausing in front of it as Aili claimed her side. “Oh, your side, huh? Alright, then,” She said, grinning as Aili sat down. Tandra sat down at a similar time to Aili, keeping their hands together, and their shared hands landed neatly in the space between them. Which was about a foot of space. Maybe less. Tandra hoped it wouldn’t stay that way. “It’s a Wonderful Life, huh? It’s not one I’ve heard of, but I’m sure it’ll be a good one,” Tandra said as the movie began to show on the screen. “You crying… that’s got to be…” A cute sight, she thought. Everything Alili did was cute tonight. Tandra, her mind being the wandering thing it was, decided that Aili could throw up, and Tandra would think it was cute. As soon as she saw the opening frames, she fell silent, and fixed her eyes to the screen as if it were an interesting tricorder reading.

~ Cadet Tandra Mika, Doctor