Posted by Ensign MJ Shau (Security Officer) in Real food

Posted by Lieutenant Junior Grade Areiana “Areia” Blackford (Chief Medical Officer) in Real food

Posted by Crewman Mike Isekai (Ship’s Cook) in Real food
Posted by… suppressed (1) by the Post Ghost! 👻
<snip>

Finn was glad to see that the restaurant was a hit. It was nice to see the crew getting some time to relax and socialize. He turned back to the cook. “Well, Tennessee whiskey over bourbon actually. You mean to tell me you have something like that behind the bar? You might be my new best friend.”

Lieutenant Commander Grady - XO

Over in the corner there was a discordant note of a couple having an argument.

“I will not be quiet.” The woman hissed back at what must have been her partner who was frantically trying to de-escalate the argument.

– GM Amadeus
USS Chimera

Areiana’s mouth practically watered the moment she spotted the Maid-Rite sitting in front of her. Her eyes lit up as the familiar smell reached her, and she couldn’t help but smile from ear to ear.

“Oh goodness, thank you!” she exclaimed, picking it up eagerly. “This reminds me of home.”

She took a moment to admire it before finally taking a bite, savoring the familiar taste. For a moment, the sterile corridors and humming machinery of the starship seemed to disappear, replaced by memories of home, familiar places, and simpler days.

“I haven’t had one of these in ages,” she said between bites, clearly delighted. “You have no idea how much I needed this. Sometimes it’s the little things that make a ship feel a little less like a ship and a little more like home.”

She chuckled softly and took another bite, looking genuinely happy as she enjoyed the unexpected taste of home. she was about to take another bite when she heard the raised voices. She raised a eyebrow listening

Areiana Blackford

Lieutenant Junior Grade Chief Medical Officer USS Chimera

Mike walked over to the couple “ hey what’s the problem. You both are old enough to know that there is a time and a place and here and now is not the time or place. Look around there are a lot of your senior officers here if I need to, I will get them to talk to you, but that would ruin their meal so either calm down or get out” he said to them

(Mike really gets annoyed when people ruin the mood for everyone else)

Mike Isekai (Ships Cook)

MJ finally spotted Mike as he moved over to deal with a bickering couple. He couldn’t help but smile at the interaction as the man worked to de-escalate the situation. “He would have made a decent security officer.”

With the cook himself busy elsewhere, MJ spotted a woman who seemed to be managing the dining portion of the lounge. “Excuse me, ma’am. Can I just grab a seat anywhere, or are you seating guests as they arrive?”

Ensign MJ Shau - Security Officer - USS Chimera

Lisa saw the young ensign and said “you must be Mr. Shau. Mike said you might make an appearance he put some fresh fish into the smoker this morning it’ll take me a few minutes to prepare your Curda for you just sit anywhere and make yourself comfortable”

Lisa (waitress)
Mike Isekai (Ships Cook)

Before Mike had wandered off to deal with the bickering couple, Finn indicated that he would take his drink neat and then sat back to wait. He glanced over to make sure the situation was not getting too out of hand and nodded to several of the other officers that had made their way to the lounge.

Lieutenant Commander Grady - XO

As Mike was also dealing with the couple bickering, he took the bottle broke the wax seal. I removed the cork. He then poured the golden brown liquid into a nice glass, walked it over to XO and placed it on the table. Then he walked back over to the couple. “ now I suggest that you both leave if you don’t want me to interrupt your superior’s meals to deal with your problem” then he turned back towards the kitchen to make xo his barbecue sandwich with a buttery, toasted bun, freshly chopped onions, and pepper jack cheese.

At this time, Lisa has also entered the kitchen to prepare MJ Curda.

Mike Isekai (Ships Cook)

Areiana watched Mike carefully as he dealt with the couple, finishing the last bite of her sandwich before reaching over and picking up another fry. She chewed slowly, her attention never completely leaving the situation in front of her. She wiped the corner of her mouth with a napkin and leaned back slightly, studying the way Mike handled himself.

He was doing surprisingly well.

There was a calmness to the way he spoke to the couple, even with the obvious tension between them. He didn’t raise his voice or let himself get drawn into their argument. Instead, he kept his tone steady and professional, giving each of them a chance to speak while still making it clear that there were limits to what he would tolerate.

Areiana couldn’t help but be impressed.

He actually has a knack for this.

She took another fry, watching him for another moment. If Mike had ever decided to go through the Academy, she thought he probably could have made a pretty decent officer. Maybe not the loudest or most commanding person in the room, but he seemed to have the kind of patience and level-headedness that mattered when things started getting difficult. He knew when to listen, when to speak, and, more importantly, when not to make a situation worse.

A small smile crossed her face.

She glanced back toward the couple, making sure neither of them was about to do anything that would require her to intervene. For now, they seemed to be settling down, though Areiana wasn’t about to let her guard completely drop. She had learned long ago that people could go from calm to angry again in a matter of seconds.

She folded her napkin and set it beside her plate, casually keeping an eye on the situation.

For the moment, though, Mike had everything under control.

And Areiana was perfectly content to let him handle it.
Areiana Blackford

Lieutenant Junior Grade Chief Medical Officer USS Chimera

“I see you are admiring the way Mike defused that situation as well,” MJ said as he approached Areiana’s table. “He is quite disarming… if a bit unconventional.” He looked away from Mike and met the Chief Medical Officer’s eyes, his expression relaxed. “Mind if I join you? Meals are normally a communal activity, and all the buzz surrounding this restaurant has me taking my meal break a bit earlier than I planned.”

The Security Ensign was average in height but had a broad, muscular build. He had small, neatly trimmed curls on his head, though the sides were cut clean and blended into a short, stubbly beard. MJ also had tanned skin and the traditional Risian marking on his forehead.

MJ hadn’t had much interaction with Lt. Blackford, but he was trying to change that. All the talk with Skye had reinforced his desire to reach out to more of the crew. To make the Chimera more than just a ship.

He pulled out the chair and took a seat, offering the other officer a faint smile. “What did you order? I’ve heard good things, and Mike promised to make me something from my home world when I met him in the corridor. He said I was too skinny.”

Ensign MJ Shau - Security Officer - USS Chimera

Areiana looked up at the ensign with a warm smile, giving a small nod as she listened to him. “Yes, I was just thinking the same thing. He really would have made a good officer,” she said, her voice carrying a hint of admiration. “He seems to have the right temperament for it, too. Sometimes you can just tell when someone has that natural ability to lead.”

She brushed a loose strand of red hair behind her ear before reaching over and pulling the chair out for him. “Here, sit down. You look like you could use a break.”

Once he had a place to sit, Areiana glanced down at the food in front of her and smiled. She picked up the sandwich, turning it slightly as though giving him a better look at it.

“This,” she explained, “is called a Maid-Rite sandwich. It’s a specialty from Iowa. Basically, it’s a loose-meat sandwich. Nothing particularly fancy about it, but it’s one of those foods that’s really popular back home.”

She gave a small laugh, clearly amused by the ensign’s curiosity. “If you’ve never had one before, you’re definitely going to have to try it. It’s one of those things that sounds incredibly simple until you actually taste one. Then you understand why people make such a big deal about them.”

Areiana settled back into her chair, taking another bite before continuing. “I grew up with these, so I guess I’m a little biased. But there’s something comforting about having food from home, especially when you’re stationed so far away from Earth.”

Areiana Blackford

Lieutenant Junior Grade Chief Medical Officer USS Chimera