Posted by Civilian Sair Songz (Counselor) in Officer’s Mess- Dinner with the Captain

Posted by Civilian Char’les Harv (Officer’s Mess Chef) in Officer’s Mess- Dinner with the Captain

Posted by Civilian Sair Songz (Counselor) in Officer’s Mess- Dinner with the Captain
Posted by… suppressed (2) by the Post Ghost! 👻

(snip)

Her light brown eyes watched his retreating form for the second time this evening but this time she was pleasantly mystified. The man was certainly unpredictable, even if the call had meant a certain outcome. With a small snort to herself, and ignoring the looks form the others in the mess that had been watching the evening unfold with probably far too curious eyes, Sair went about finishing her food, not wanting to waste the chef’s efforts.

When she felt done, Sair simply gathered the plates and moved over to the kitchen, poking her head in even though she felt like she was intruding on Harv’s territory. “Here, I’d thought I’d help. Feel the least I can do,” Sair said.

~Sair Songz, CNS

The Chef was busy tending to a large pot of something and didn’t look up. He just said “Set it on the cart outside. And the thanks was you ate the food. The rest is unnecessary.” in a gruff tone.

Harv

“Perhaps,” Songz said softly and turned to remove herself from the kitchen. But she paused and turned back to Harv, a hesitant expression on her face. “I’ve heard that you have an open policy in the Officer’s Mess, that all are welcome. But I don’t feel welcome here, Chef. Words matter for my people. What we call a place, matters. If you wish people who are not officers to feel welcome to eat here, might I suggest you consider a new name for this space? Something that doesn’t exclude a huge portion of the people on this ship. I’m not Starfleet and people keep saying it doesn’t matter because my role make me a member of the senior staff. But it does matter, because I am Kobliad and I am a member of an exchange program. I’m not a citizen of the Federation and I still feel very much like a guest here, and on my world guests absolutely do not interfere in another person’s space. It is a huge sign of disrespect. Maybe how I feel will change in the future, but that day is not today.”

Harv paused in his efforts and looked at her. The look was critical, but not judgemental. “Everyone is welcome here, and everyone knows that. And I’m pretty sure since you said you know that.. you know that. But if that’s how you feel, maybe the effort to feel more comfortable falls to you, rather than trying to make things you around how you expect them to be. Adjust perceptions, Doc… not reality. Makes life a hell of a lot easier. Tust me. Now if ya don’t mind, I got work to do.”

Perhaps to him it sounded like wisdom, but he had just completely discarded what she had said. But more than that was the fact that Sair hadn’t asked anyone for anything around here. Even Cochrane’s offer to have her parents here for the time her mother had left had been entirely his own idea. This thing she asked of Harv had been the first time she had asked for something since she had all but exiled herself from her world and it felt like a slap in the face. She had already left everything behind and she was trying to carve out a place for herself here. Her jaw tightened even as she tried to push the feelings down. “Sure, because why should anyone else have to be burdened with adapting to me at all? It’s my problem, got it. Don’t worry Chef, I won’t disturb you again.”

~Sair Songz, CNS

Harv looked at her and said “You just suggested that the entire ship should change to fit your sensibilities of what is proper. A change that <only> you have an issue with. Now, if you had come in here and said ‘Hey Chef, I’m feeling homesick. Can we have a night of whatever-planet-you-are-from cuisine in here?’ I woulda had no issue. But no. You asked that we change the name of the place. A name, by the way, that has existed on ships for millenia in a whole lotta species. A name that not only has a tradition, but that also makes this place special in how the ship uses it.”

He pulled the long spoon from the pit and set it aside, wiping his hands on a towel. “Doc, did you know that almost every single ship in world fleets have an Officer’s Mess? And did you know that in almost every single one of those ships, only officers can eat there? And that the food is better than the other places on board? And that it’s almost always one of the few, if not the only, place to get real food a lot of times? It’s a privilege of rank and such, and nobody bats an eye. Tradition and all that.” He leaned against the counter and crossed his arms. “Thats why this place is kinda special. The crew and staff decided at some point community is more important than tradition. But I get you may not have known that… or maybe thats a difference in culture or something, I dunno. But I do know your asking the wrong person. If ya want it changed, go ask the Captain. That’d be his call, not mine. I’m just labor… not management. Later, Doc. I got s#!t to do.” and he turned his back on her, picked up the spoon, and went back to cooking.

She gave him a bow of her head and slipped back out, setting the dishes on the cart and headed for the door, the tail of her magenta black embroidered wrap top swinging against her thigh.

~Sair Songz, CNS

Harv

Harv