Posted by Lieutenant Navale Huzzen (Engineer) in Gamma Tiltium IV- Tropical Chemistry

Posted by Chief Petty Officer Sam Nazarian (Host of Florence’s) in Gamma Tiltium IV- Tropical Chemistry

Posted by Lieutenant Navale Huzzen (Engineer) in Gamma Tiltium IV- Tropical Chemistry
Posted by… suppressed (7) by the Post Ghost! 👻

(snip)

He grinned, holding her gaze for a moment before he opened the thermos and poured them some punch. It was a vibrant red colour but smelled faintly of citrus and pineapple.

Reaching into the cooler, he pulled out another container. “So, last time I gave you coconut shrimp. A beach dinner almost requires seafood, so I thought I’d play off another old favourite.” He opened the container and used to fork to lift a modest-sized, disc-shaped breaded object. “It’s a crab cake. Fresh, local crab with lemon, a touch of dijon mustard, tarragon and a bit of green onion.”

“Mmm, well it smells delicious, I can’t wait to try it.” Navale gazed at him for a long moment. He didn’t order this. He cooked and packed it himself. That was, in her opinion, the sweetest thing ever.

He lifted his punch glass. “So, what should we toast to?”

~Sam, Host of Florence’s

Navale lifted her glass and swirled the punch just a little. “Hmmmm,” she gazed back at him, her eyes dancing over a flirtatious smile, “How about to shared adventures.”

Lt. Huzzen, Engineer

He grinned. “I like it,” he said, tipping his glass towards her. “To shared adventures.” Sam sipped the punch that was sweet, but not overly so, and was balanced by something citrus plus something on the drier side. It was like having a nice fruity wine but without the alcohol.

Navale tapped her glass gently to his and then took a sip. A little shiver raced over her tongue at the sweet and not quite sour flavors. She took a second slightly larger sip just to enjoy it. “That’s different. I like it.”

He watched her reaction for a moment and then smiled.

Setting his glass down, he cut into the crab cake and took a bite. The breading was still crunchy, though not as much as it would have been if they had only just been cooked. It was a pleasant bite and he was glad he had opted for this as the starter. “I have this really vivid memory of eating crab cakes on the coast when I was a teenager. My dad and I just hanging out. He’s not the most talkative man, but sometimes you can catch him in a moment of unguardedness and he just tells you things.”

~Sam, Host of Florence’s

While he spoke, Navale cut a piece of the crab cake and tried it. The flavor was amazing, the texture was a little weird. It wasn’t bad exactly, just weird.

“Oh? So did he spill all the secrets?” She asked with a grin.

Lt. Huzzen, Engineer

He chuckled. “Well, no. Though I will say that when these moments with him happened after I became an adult, there was usually at least a little alcohol involved and he seemed more willing to talk about stuff. It helped put his relationship with my mother into better context since I didn’t see her all that much.” Sam shrugged. “I think it helps me as an adult now reframe how I might have seen the situation growing up.”

~Sam, Host of Florence’s

“I can see that. Time and experience can help us understand details that seemed very one sided as a child.” She took a small sip of her punch. “Now here is the part where I decide if I’m going to be nosy or change the subject. Do I ask what that situation was because you brought it up and I want you to know I’m interested in what you are saying, or do I change the subject so you don’t think I’m rudely nosy for someone who barely knows you just yet?” She looked over at him and set a hand on his arm. “So I’ll go with leaving it up to you, and to not feel bad about whatever choice you make.”

Lt. Huzzen, Engineer

He gazed at her, even as he felt the warmth of her hand seeping into his skin. “It’s not a difficult thing and I don’t mind sharing.” Sam chuckled. “Sometimes I forget people don’t know, but essentially, my mother is half-Betazoid and comes from a long line of women who like to wander the galaxy. She met my dad on Earth, they had me, and when I was ten we moved to Betazed. She decided to explore her spiritual practices and it became less conducive to a life with a partner and child. After a couple years there, they decided to separate but there was no animosity. She joined a monastery and still lives there actually. My dad and I moved back to Earth after they split and lived with his parents. My dad was assigned to Starbase 1 and when I wasn’t in school I helped my grandparents run their mercantile that sells goods by artisans like my grandmother.” Sam grinned. “I had quite the eclectic upbringing, all told.”

Navale nodded, “I remember you telling me about your mother and her wisdom, and your grandparents. It can’t have been easy as a child though to be away from your parents and know they weren’t together when they had been.”

Sam nodded a little. “There were a few years as a teenager when I was pretty angry with her. Her decisions felt selfish to me. As I got older though, I could see things differently, understand a bit better. We have a decent relationship, but I don’t get to see her very often, so it’s hard sometimes.”

“I’m glad you were able to get that different perspective,” Navale reflected. “Distance can make things hard.”

“What about you? Anything about your family you feel comfortable sharing?”

~Sam, Host of Florence’s

Navale took another bite of the crab cake. It was still a weird texture. “Well most of my life it was just me and my mom. My dad did really well, took care of me and mom. He ran one of the mining stations. I remember him coming home every night and tossing me in the air as he spun me around, and my mom pushing him away telling him he was dirty and to take a shower before he kissed her. He’d laugh and haul her into his arms anyway, and she would have this love sick look on her face.”

Her gaze turned out to the sea watching the waves. “He died in a mining accident when I was four. Everything changed after that. The mining company compensated my mom for his loss.” No amount of money could do that though, “but it didn’t last long. We ended up having to move to a shack in the shanty town outside the capitol within a year. Mom took on a job as unskilled labor in the ship yards. She only had a primary education. Before Dad died, she ran a preschool for the other mining families’ kids, but there wasn’t any money to be made that way without the degree.”

Navale looked back at Sam with a tiny smile. “She was amazing though. She was always positive. She never complained about how things changed or how hard things were after Dad died. She always made things fun and special, even when we didn’t have enough.”

Lt. Cmdr. Kane, AMO

Sam ate his crab cake while she talked, taking in all these details she was willing to share. He gave her a soft smile. “When you’re young, that sense of magic is a real gift. I’m glad you were able to have that, despite everything. And I’m sorry about your dad, though I’m glad you have good memories of him.”

Navale grinned teasingly, “He was amazing. It’s not really fair of me though, he is this bigger than life person to me. Every girl’s perfect fairytale father. I have to remember not to compare the men in my life to him.”

The corners of his eyes crinkled as he smirked. “I shall try not to fall too short of expectations.” She was joking, but Sam also knew that even in subtle ways, these expectations stuck with people. It didn’t bother him though. In his mind he wasn’t even trying to compete with a dad man. He was just going to be himself and enjoy the time he spent with Navale.

Navale laughed softly. “You’ll be fine. I’m not looking for a dad. Though the men who showed interest in my mom when I was really young,” she shook her head and blew out a low whistle, “I as cruel, I’m ashamed to say. But,” she held up a finger, “if I ever do ‘settle down’ I want what my mom had with my dad. Laughter and fun and a lot of love.”

He grinned. “I think you should never settle for less.”

“Will you get to see her anytime soon?” he said.

~Sam, Host of Florence’s

“I hope so. I send back everything I can to her, so she could get out of the Shanty town. She still works the ship yard, though I wish she wouldn’t. She said she needs to work or she would be totally alone.” Navale took the last of her crabcake. “I’ve told her to date, but every time she says no. That my dad was it for her.”

Lt. Huzzen, Engineer

Sam nodded as he lifted his glass of punch to take a sip. “For some people, there is no one else. Ever. And that’s okay. But it’s important to find community, no matter what you think that might look like. Companionship doesn’t always have to be romantic though. That’s the part people can forget. But it can also get complicated when the people you meet want more than you believe yourself able to give. My father’s experiences after my mother certainly have run the gamut. He almost got married too, once. I keep bugging him to get out there again too,” he said with a grin.

“I think that is why she keeps working. For that community. She still has friends from before my dad died, but it’s not the same I guess. My mom has fought and struggled with the people she works with in a way she didn’t with the others. She doesn’t want to lose that, so she keeps working.”

Sam nodded. “It’s understandable, for sure.”

Sam reached over and tapped the closed cooler. “What do you think? Ready for our main course?”

~Sam, Host of Florence’s

Navale grinned, “Oh yes, I’m quite ready. What’s next?” She picked up her glass and took a sip of the punch, letting the flavors dance over her tongue.

Lt. Huzzen, Engineer

With a grin, Sam reached into the bag and pulled out what looked like an engineering tool, but Navale might recognize as a small blowtorch. He waggled his brows at her as he sat it up right on their table, enjoying keeping her guessing.

He then reached into the cooler and first pulled out a container wrapped in a thermal bag, a spoon, and a metal spatula. Next came a fairly shallow container with a metal top. He inverted it, pulled the glass base off and set the base carefully on the sand upright, away from them. Now resting in the metal lid was some sort of fish that appeared to have been lightly charred. “Since we can’t have a fire out here, I had to improvise. The fish is precooked, but…” He reached for the blowtorch and released the safety mechanism. Then he gently depressed a button in the handle and fire spat out of the metal nozzle. He turned a dial on the side with his other hand until the flame softened by at least half.

“Is it still cooking if I’m only gently reheating?” he asked with a smirk, passing the flame over the fish until the skin started to sizzle and crisp up. In a well choreographed set of motions, Sam grabbed the spatula and flipped the fish before passing the flame over the other side. A few passes and that was done and Sam turned off the blowtorch and set it in the sand to cool.

“So this is a pretty simple dish. Most cultures that do fish have some version of this,” he said as he grabbed the thermal bag and pulled out a dish. The lid came off revealing a steaming dish of rice, vegetables and probably herbs. He handed her the spoon and held the rice dish near her plate for her. “Grab what you like. I’ll cut us some fish after I put the rice away.”

He chuckled. “You know, when I started planning this meal, I swear it only got this complicated because of the nature preserve, but I have to admit that the operations officer in me loved the logistics of this whole night. It’s been while since I’ve had to do anything like this.”

~Sam, Host of Florence’s