Posted by Lieutenant Commander Kiama Naim (Chief Science Officer) in Lounge - Icebreakers and Appetisers (TAG Kiama)

Posted by Lieutenant Junior Grade Namid Argimeau (Scientific Intelligence Officer) in Lounge - Icebreakers and Appetisers (TAG Kiama)

Posted by Lieutenant Kiama Naim (Chief Science Officer) in Lounge - Icebreakers and Appetisers (TAG Kiama)
Posted by… suppressed (5) by the Post Ghost! 👻

(snip)

“Fair enough! Besides, coffee is its own food group.” They grinned, narrowing their eyes in thought. Namid couldn’t say they had the faintest memory of breakfast, beyond the tingling sensation of a freshly burnt tongue. Amusedly shaking their head, they rose to their feet and opened their palm toward the replicator, “after you.”

“It is indeed!” Kiama laughed as she started to lead the way towards the replicators.

“What kind of foods do you like?” Namid wove through the tables and toward the opposite wall where the replicator lay in wait.

— Namid Argimeau, Scientific Intel

“I like all kinds of food. I particularly enjoy trying new things. Though of course there are also those times when I feel like comfort food. Usually that’d be a rich stew or something similarly hearty. And I have a horrible sweet tooth,” Kiama chuckled. Peering at Namid, she asked, “What about you Namid?” Suddenly she felt blood rush to her face and she added quickly. “I hope you don’t mind that I used your first name. If you do, please forgive me. And if you don’t feel free to use mine as well.” Apart from feeling slightly embarrassed about that subconscious slip, Kiama as found that she felt suddenly a little like a shy teenage girl.

~Lt. Naim, CSO

“Stew is—” hearing their given name brought a sudden smile to their lips, swelling their heart with a trace of joy. “No! No.” Namid hurriedly waved their hand, hoping to catch her before the name was lost. “Uhm,” their cheeks went a dark shade of red, “Namid is fine.” They took in a soft breath, leisurely releasing it, “do you prefer Kiama.. or shall we stick with Naim?” Ami didn’t typically stumble, but something about this moment left them tripping over their words.

“Kiama,” she replied with a smile and then leaned impulsively towards Namid and gave them a quick hug.

The hug caught them off guard, but surprise dissipated into a silly grin as they returned the fleeting embrace.

“So,” they continued a moment later. “Stew and sweets, huh? I know I shouldn’t judge people on their food preferences, but I have to say you have pretty solid taste.” There was quiet agreement in their tone suggest they, too, were a fan of hearty dishes. “Are you more of a chocolate person or less conventional sweets?”

— Namid Argimeau, Scientific Intel

“Chocolate and cake or cake like desserts,” Kiama chuckled. “I also like to make those things myself. Which reminds me that I should ask Chef Harv if I might borrow his kitchen again.” Tilting her head, she fell silent and looked thoughtfully at Namid for a moment. Eventually she asked, “Would you mind picking something typical from your culture for me to try?”

~Lt. Naim, CSO

“You bake?” Namid lifted their eyebrows, an impish glint in their eyes. “Do you mind if I join you for a session? I cannot tell a spatula from a whisk, but I can be a great taste tester.” They chuckled, playfully wiggling their eyebrows.

“Absolutely! I’d love your company and a taste tester is always great to have,” Kiama grinned.

“Let me know when you’d like company,” Namid hummed with an innocuous wink, “I’ll keep my taste-testing skills on standby.”

“Perfect,” Kiama grinned. “It’s a date.”

Her question tempered them with nostalgia. Crabcakes by a dying flame, fresh salmon from the nearby waters, and stew whenever the cold crept in. For a moment, they contemplated her question.

“My family loved to cook,” they smiled, “sometimes my Ma drew from Andorian culture or Trill; other times, she stuck close to home. But I do recall stew, fresh fish and game, and seemingly endless loaves of bread.” They chuckled. “So, how about three sisters stew? It’s corn, squash and beans with a protein of your choice. Simple, but hearty and great for a chilly Autumn day.”

Her smile softened as Kiama sensed Namid’s emotions. “That sounds delicious and as far the protein goes … maybe some chicken?” she pondered.

“I cannot say we’ve used chicken before,” they wrinkled their nose, somewhat amazed by the thought. “But that’s even more a reason to give it a try!”

A few minutes later, they posed the same question: “Would you mind choosing something special to you for me to try?”

— Namid Argimeau, scientific intel

“Of course,” Kiama nodded and then it was her turn to become pensive and a little nostalgic even as she thought of the countless hours she had spend in the kitchen with Reenan. After a few moments she said, “I’d suggest the hearty pie Reenan often made in the colder months. It has a flaky crust and is filled with different vegetables from Betazed. Including something that is very similar to potatoes. It also has some ground meat in it. And the whole filling is mixed with a rich, creamy sauce. Does that sound like something you’d like?”

~Lt. Naim, CSO

Namid was simple in matters of telepathy, but it didn’t take profound emapthy to appreciate the flicker of nostalgia passing through her features. And when the words fell from her tongue, they could’ve sworn they felt the sentiment behind them. It left them wondering who Reenan was and what other fond memories they shared. But, they swept the thought away in favour for Reenan’s creamy, pot-pie sounding dish.

“Reenan’s pie sounds divine,” their stomach rumbled at the thought of it. “Shall we get these replicated an dig in?”

— Namid Argimeau, Scientific Intel

“Yes,” Kiama nodded and laughed softly, her nose wrinkling slightly as she did. Turning towards the replicator she ordered the pie for Namid and a glass of sparkling water with a little rhubarb juice for herself. She then took a step away so that Namid could order the stew and something to drink for themself.

Namid hummed, securing both Kiama’s stew and a cup of Tumeric hot chocolate. They meandered forward, curling their fingers around the tray’s edges, and turned to Kiama. “Ready when you are,” they nodded.

Once they both had the trays in hand, Kiama led the way back to their table where she sat the plate down in front of Namid’s chair and the glass in front of her own. After putting the tray aside, she settled back down; automatically and as always with prefect posture.

Namid followed suit and relinquished the tray onto Kiama’s before moving to take a seat. When they settled, it was with a similar poise infected by years of artistic neglect. But their wavering posture couldn’t shake the endearing smile plastered to their dark lips. Instead, it fueled it with a comical reminder of what life had been like before Starfleet.

“What is your favourite place you have ever been to? And where would you like to go you haven’t been to yet,” Kiama asked curiously as she raised her glass and took a sip.

~Lt. Naim, CSO

“Hvanthe II,” Namid hummed after a second’s deliberation. “Not many people live there, mostly farmers and merchants, but the community bustles with life. Markets, seasonal festivities, events for just about everything — it’s a neat colony.” They closed their eyes, drumming tattooed fingers against the table in thought. “My father and I spent a couple of months there. While he rehearsed and did his actorly thing, I explored. I’m not sure whether it was my ten-year-old charm or the colonists’ pity that awarded me fresh fruit and countless stories; but, some of my best memories were born there.”

Namid eyed the mug, a sentimental smile flickering across their lips. “Including this. My father worked late one night, and I was the kind of child who refused to go to sleep alone. Y’know… monsters and all.” They chuckled. “So, I pulled on my slippers and went to visit one of the elders, a woman I’d come to know as ‘Big M’. She convinced me that this drink – ‘elixir’, she called it – would protect me from all the things that went bump in the night. Of course, I believed her.” They took a sip of their ‘elixir’ and smiled. “Maybe a part of me still does.”

“Anyway, Hvanthe II for favourite place and…” they clicked their tongue in a failed attempt to subdue their blush “…I wouldn’t mind visiting the Tenaran Ice Cliffs on Trill or Mount Tar’Hana on Vulcan.”

“Now that I’ve rambled your ear off,” Namid grinned. “What is your favourite place? And where would you like to visit?”

— Namid Argimeau, Scientific Intel