Posted by Captain Dira Myqian (Commanding Officer) in CO’s Quarters- The Captain’s Table

Posted by Captain Dira Myqian (Commanding Officer) in CO’s Quarters- The Captain’s Table

Posted by Lieutenant Corinne Dalton (Scientist) in CO’s Quarters- The Captain’s Table
Posted by… suppressed (28) by the Post Ghost! 👻
She had been thinking about this for awhile- well, soon after she had received her fourth pip- and finally things seemed settled enough that she felt she could pull this off.

The idea was simple and a long standing tradition on many ships: the Captain invited various members of the crew without preference for rank or position. The idea was for people to get to know each other better and for her as the commanding officer to stay in tune with what was happening on her ship. But this was more than work talk, this was a chance for her to show more of who she was, to pull off that mask of authority a little more than she usually felt she could.

So an invite went out to a small group, inviting them to dine with her in her quarters. Casual. No uniforms and a distinct instruction to leave rank at the door where they could. She understood that not everyone was comfortable with dropping all pretences, but she did want people to try.

The spacious quarters were completely tidy (she was not advertising her ability to be a slob) and there was a large dining area with a living area behind it nestled against a span of windows. To the left of the sofa and chairs was her work area. To the right side of the suite were doors to the bedroom and the washroom.

It was obvious that Dira Myqian was a woman who liked comfort, who revelled in the simple luxuries she could grant herself in her life. Soft blankets, beautiful scents, warm candlelight, calming music, delicious but simple foods. Evidence of it permeated her quarters and it was clear that even though she had moved in to these quarters not all that long ago, she’d made the effort to make her quarters a place of refuge.

A large soft rug spread out under the sitting area and she’d managed to affix sheer cotton drapes around her windows, despite not needing to block the light (or the view). There was shelves of books, unlit candles, and trinkets from her travels. And beside the standard desk setup offered her was an old wooden trunk, closed and possibly locked. A fake potted shrub sat in another corner and she had a large crystal vase filled with flowers and greenery in a riot of colours.

The dining table was set for dinner, with plain white plates and simple cutlery and glassware. A table was set up to the side and served a buffet table, with covered dishes slowly being set out as she moved from the replicator to the dining area. Could she cook? Yes, to a point. But on this scale and when she had guests Dira wasn’t going to risk it. She did, however, have a couple items for which she tossed the ingredients together herself that were nostalgic of her mixed upbringing on a busy colony.

The invite said dinner was at 1900 hours and at 1840, Dira was getting things ready, not in any rush. Spinning on the ball of her foot, her sleeveless maxi dress swished about her ankles, the teal and dark purple sheer fabric flaring out from the darker blue lining. With a deep-V and a slit to one knee, Dira felt relaxed and like herself. Were there nerves? Sure, a few, but those were expected and she knew what to do with them. She stepped in time to the soft but upbeat instrumental music currently playing. It was a take on Earth jazz but with a little extra Hallian percussion fun.

OOC: Okay, so anyone whose character would enjoy a gathering like this, you’re more than welcome to join in!

Captain Myqian, CO

Drake dressed himself in a dark blue blazer, white shirt, and black jeans. As always, he brought his combadge in his jacket pocket. Just in case. A dinner with the Captain wasn’t his typical place to be, but he thought given their last conversation it might be wise to make himself more comfortable among the senior staff. Hell, among the staff. He came to the door for Dira’s quarters, pausing and heavily weighing the option to cut and run. But he pressed the door chime.

-Drake Marshall

Dira stepped over with a smile and opened the door. “Drake! Come on in,” she said, stepping to the side. “I realize now that I should have just said the door was open and for people to come on in. But I don’t know, that might be a step too far for some,” she said with a chuckle. It was one thing to have a casual dinner with the captain, but quite another to just walk in as if you did so all the time. She could see how some might be uneasy about such a prospect.

Captain Myqian, CO

Navale had received the invite and was excited. She enjoyed socializing and meeting people and just listening to and participating in the seemingly random topics people brought up at such occasions. She wore black satin with a chiffon overlay palazzo pants with a black and silver accented wrap shirt. The side of the wrap was secured with a small clear crystal jeweled clasp that was the only ‘jewelry’ she wore other than her combadge. She left her hair down, rather than pulled back for work and eagerly made her way to the captain’s quarters. The door was open, and she did a little bounce on the balls of her feet before she entered. “Good evening Captain, Commander,” she greeted.

Lt. Huzzen, Engineer

“Navale,” Myqian said, with a wide smile. “I’m glad you could make it. Come make yourself comfortable. And please, call me Dira, if you feel like it.” She knew this option might scale according to rank as to how comfortable people would be, but she was curious to see who would take up the option.

Captain Myqian, CO

Navale grinned and took her up on the offer, “Thank you for the invite, Dira. I’m excited to get out for an evening.”

The door slid open and hulking figure in a bright blue collard shirt with three buttons and a red ‘16’ emblazoned on the back and blue jeans came in carrying a two wine bottles in one hand. “Evenin’ everyone.” the XO said and walked in and set the wine on a table. “So when’s the food ready? I’m starving.” and he smiled.

Sinclair, XO

“Good to see you, Commander,” Huzzen greeted, though she was tempted to ask if he had found anymore forgotten lunches, but she refrained.

“nope. No rank tonight. It’s Royal.” and he smiled at the diminutive Engineer.

Drake chuckled at the XO’s entrance. He wasn’t sure he’d ever met Sinclair before, but the man certainly made an impression. He greeted both of the other arrivals as they moved into the Captain’s quarters. The light and casual tone let him relax from worrying about being the most junior person in the room.

-Drake Marshall

Dira grinned. “Dinner will be ready soon. Just grabbing a couple more dishes. “If anyone has any allergies, let me know now, please. I forgot to ask. Rookie dinner host mistake. And while there are doctors in this room, it would be really embarrassing for my first Captain’s Table.”

Captain Myqian, CO

Drake waved his hand, a small signal that he had no such problems. He thought it was amusing that Dira was insecure about hosting a dinner, of all things.

“No allergies for me.” Navale walked over to the other occupant, Drake, she thought she heard Dira say. She offered her hand, “Don’t think we’ve met before. I’m Navale, engineering.”

Lt. Huzzen, Engineer

Royal walked over to the Surgical Chief and held out his hand. “Doctor, a pleasure.” he said in his rumbling Scottish brogue. “Sorry I haven’t had the chance to sit down with you yet. Maybe we can remedy that in the next few days.”

Sinclair, XO

Drake shook the XO’s hand. “Any time. Well, almost anytime.” He chuckled.

-Drake Marshall

“It’s a date.” Royal said with a laugh. “You settling in okay? Haven’t gotten lost yet, have you?” he asked with a friendly smile.

“Is there anything I can do to assist, Dira,” Navale asked. “Idle hands and all that.”

Lt. Huzzen, Engineer

Dira planted her hands on her hips and looked at the serving table. “Uhh, yes, actually. If you could replicate appropriate serving utensils for the food, that would be great.”

“No problem,” Navale smiled and moved over to the replicator and started requesting items.

She knew Royal was going, but this was something she had to do for herself, so until about half an hour ago Cori wasn’t even sure she’d attend. In the end, she decided she would go and now here she was standing at the captain’s door in white wide-legged linen pants and a sleeveless sapphire top that hugged her body. Her raven hair had a braid on either side of her head that merged in the back. Tapping the chime, she bounced nervously on the balls of her feet.

~Corinne Dalton

Moving to the door, Dira beamed and stepped to the side. “Oh, I’m so glad you decided to come,” she said, gesturing to Dalton to come on in.

“Navale, Drake, this is Corinne Dalton, a new member of our crew, and she goes by Cori,” Dira said, glancing at Cori to make sure that was accurate for this context.

Captain Myqian, CO

Dalton nodded and took a steadying breath.

“Nice to meet you, Cori,” Navale waved from the replicator.

Lt. Huzzen, Engineer

Royal looked and smiled. “Hey, Cori.” he said with a wave from across the room where he stood with the new ER doctor. “Have you met Dr. Marshall, the ER specialist?”

Sinclair, XO

She couldn’t help the smile that she returned and moved over to join him and the doctor. “No, I haven’t. It’s nice to meet you,” Cori said.

~Corinne Dalton

“It’s very nice to meet you.” Drake smiled. “It seems like our XO has been doing his homework on who’s who.”

Royal grinned. “Well… some of our crew require a bit more attention than others.” and he winked at Cori as he turned away so Drake wouldn’t see it.

Cori tried to hide the flush, but her pale cheeks warmed slightly. It wasn’t exactly common knowledge that her and Royal had a connection, a common past, especially given that only a select few knew Cori’s true origins on this ship.

OOC: Last call for anyone wanting to join in. :)
IC:
Dira grabbed another dish (a layered sort of salad that was less greens and more other vegetables and some sort of cooked grain) and set it on the table. “Okay, I think that’s us ready. There are beverages you can also help yourself to. There is supplied by Royal, and we have a pitcher of water on the table, and you are more than welcome to replicate anything else you want to drink. This is a very casual set-up, so by all means help yourselves and sit where you like at the table.” Fortunate for her that she had opted to get a table that could expand when she moved into these quarters after her promotion. She could host more people, but it didn’t take up such a big footprint and frankly was less surface area for her to leave her clutter.

Captain Myqian, CO

Drake looked to Royal and Corinne. “I guess we should talk over dinner then.” He laughed lightly and hoped that Dira hadn’t pushed herself too far outside her comfort zone for this.

-Drake Marshall

“Indeed,” Dalton said as she moved over to the food table and grabbed a plate. There were an array of foods, some comfort style, some that looked fancier. Some she could identify as being Human in some fashion, but others were unknown to her. “This is kind of an exciting palate experiment,” she said, tossing a grin in Myqian’s direction.

~Corinne Dalton

Dira laughed. “Good. I’m glad you can have fun with it.” She moved over and pointed to a trio of dishes. “These are from Betazoid. The green bits are oskoids. Very much loved on Betazed, but can be an acquired taste. But the seafood is all from Vega. I grew up in the coastal community near the capital and the beauty of a colony like Vega is that it is such a blend of cultures. You take a dish form one culture and it has been reimagined a dozen ways over the years.” But there were salads, a pasta looking dish and also some sort of roasted meat in a sauce along with some spiced rice.

Captain Myqian, CO

Drake opted to go tapas style and try a little of everything. “I can hardly boil water, so all due praise to the chef.” He smiled at Dira, feeling slightly odd not in uniform or in scrubs. “It all looks delicious so I’m not even going to try and decide anything.”

-Drake

Myqian laughed. “I don’t deserve too much praise- you can thank my replicator.”

Royal followed suit and took a plate with a bit of everything. He took a seat next to Cori and said “It all looks great. Thanks for doing this, Dira.”

Royal

“Well, I’m just glad you were all willing to attend. I’ve missed being able to have real conversations with the people on this ship and so I figured I was going to have to find a way to make that happen.” There was no ‘head’ of the table, so Dira took the first spot free closest to her. She had a sampling of dishes as well, but only a few, with the idea that she would pace herself.

Captain Myqian, CO

“I was surprised to be invited.” He knew that he and Dira had gotten along well in her office but he hadn’t thought they’d gotten on so well that he’d end up on her dinner party guest list.

-Dr Drake Marshall

“You and me both.” Royal said with a grin. “I figured that she would be looking for ways to fire me already.”

Sinclair, XO

Drake smiled back. “Given I still have a job, it must be pretty damn hard to fire someone. When I first met Captain Taylor, I’m pretty sure she wanted to fire me out a torpedo tube. Off to a better start with Captain Myqian.”

-Drake

Dira laughed. “Well it helps that we had already had conversations before my promotion and I’ve seen you in action.” She shrugged. “I always valued being able to socialize with my fellow shipmates. Honestly, I would happily have anyone at the table with me that is was willing o be here, but I know there is a barrier for some that is hard to get past. I figure it was easier to start with people I’ve had interactions with and go from there.”

Captain Myqian, CO

Cori cut off a bit of the saucy roasted meat and dragged it through the spicy rice. Popping it into her mouth, her eyes widened slightly and she smiled, even as she chewed and reached for her water. It was hotter than she was expecting, but not in an unpleasant way. Clearly picking up on her momentary discomfort, Dira handed her a roll and Cori laughed. “Right, water is bad. I should know that,” she said, taking the roll and tearing off a bite.

“If you were to pick a cuisine to try that you weren’t terribly familiar with, what would you pick? And yes, I’m looking for suggestions for my continued palate experiments.”

~Corinne Dalton

“Hmmm, well, it depends on how adventurous you are and how sensitive your palate is. But Bajoran cuisine has a lot of variety. Some spiciness, depending on the region, but its got a lot to offer I think,” Dira said.

Captain Myqian, CO

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