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

Posted by Lieutenant Commander Alexis Kane (Assistant Chief Medical Officer) 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… suppressed (13) by the Post Ghost! 👻

(snip)

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.

Navale chuckled quietly at his playfulness, and eyed the blowtorch with feigned suspicion.

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.

Navale laughed fully. “Oh so now we are partners in crime? This is serious.” She shaded her eyes as she looked around. “I’ll keep a look out.”

“See, I knew you’d have my back,” he said with a smirk.

“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.”

Taking the spoon, Navale served herself a decent portion of the rice and then passed him the spoon. “Well it smells great. I can’t wait to try it.”

“Well, that is promising then,” he said with a grin as he spooned some rice onto his plate and then set the rice bowl to the side with its cover firmly replaced.

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

“I’m glad you had fun planning the whole thing. That’s part of the enjoyment isn’t it? Or it is for me. Planning the details and how they fit together.” She grinned, “And I’m flattered you were willing to go to such trouble.”

Lt. Huzzen, Engineer

“A little bit of column A, a little of B. But honestly mostly B.” He gazed at her for a moment. “I just think it’s nice to do something extravagant now and again. It’s sort of what you were saying about remembering to be awed by something as simple as a sunset. Sometimes it’s good to go out of our way to be surprised by something so that we remember we can be surprised. Besides, you’re more than worth the effort,” he added with a wink.

Navale’s cheeks turned a deeper shade of pink under her lite makeup. “Why Sam, that’s such a lovely thing to say.” She held his gaze for a moment, “You, and not just your food, are a wonderful surprise.”

Taking the metal spatula, Sam cut a portion of the charred fish for them both and slid each onto their plates. With the vegetables in the rice, it was a complete dish, but he also pulled out a small jar and flicked open a spout in the lid. “Here,” he said, handing her the jar. “It’s a lemon-coconut sauce. The rice dish is made with coconut milk, so it should all go together.”

~Sam, Host of Florence’s

Navale took the jar and sniffed at the spout. Her gaze turned quizzical, and then she very carefully drizzled the sauce over the whole dish. She wasn’t sure how much would be ideal, so she opted for less to begin with. She handed the jar back to him, and picked up her fork. “Well, I’m too excited to wait. I’m going to try it.” The fish flaked off at just a light touch of her fork, and she added some of the rice to it and then lifted the whole thing to her mouth. The aroma already had her mouth watering.

“Absolutely! Don’t let it go cold after all my fire charring,” he teased, drizzling a moderate amount of the sauce.

The very first taste was like a little party between the flavors and textures. Her eyes closed and she moaned softly at how good it was.

Lt. Huzzen, Engineer

He watched her delight and grinned. Just what he hoped. He took his own perfectly concocted bite and ate, sighing at the perfectness of it all. The entire dish was a study in contrasting and complimentary flavours and textures. Tart and sweet, crispy and soft, rich and bright. Everything came together in perfect balance. The sun continued to set, but the lanterns around them glowed. At least the breeze was still warm for the moment. “This… this right here,” he said softly, shifting his gaze to her. “You, the setting, the food. I think no matter what I’ll always remember this moment. How perfect it is.”

~Sam, Host of Florence’s

Navale set her fork down and took a sip of the punch, all while contemplating him. “I like that about you, Sam. Not a lot of people can see that. They look for perfection, they constantly reach for every moment to be perfection, rather than experiencing the joy of perfect moments. Whatever comes before or after doesn’t change it.”

He smiled at her, not feeling the need to add anything to qualify her comments further.

“This moment is perfect.” She glanced around as she spoke, “The food, the sunset, the beach,” then her eyes landed on him, “but mostly you. I’m really glad we are here.”

Lt. Huzzen, Engineer

Nothing could be better than a series of perfect moments, each their one delicious memory. They had had one perfect moment and he thought he might be able to create another one. Or maybe it would fall flat. But Sam was okay with that risk. He set down his form and shifted around their makeshift table. Eyes still fixed on Navale, he reached out and let his fingers brush her cheek, sliding slowly towards her jaw. “I think we could have another perfect moment just now, and to do so, I’d like to kiss you, if that’s okay.” But he hoped by his tone she’d know that it was also okay if she wasn’t. He was in no hurry to evolve anything in any particular direction.

~Sam, Host of Florence’s

Navale let her eyes flutter closed for a moment and savor the feel of his hand against her cheek. He could feel the flush heat her skin beneath his palm. Sam needn’t worry. Navale was more than comfortable telling him no if that was her answer. She opened her eyes to stare into his. She rested a hand against his chest, “Oh, I am very okay with that.”

Lt. Huzzen, Engineer

The smile hit his eyes first, crinkling them at the corners. “Wonderful,” he breathed, leaning in. Sam pressed his lips against hers, his hand still on her cheek, his fingertips cupping her jaw. First kisses weren’t the end all and be all, but he intended to savour this one.

~Sam, Host of Florence’s

First kisses weren’t the definitive detail, but they were highly significant. Navlae leaned toward him, her head tipping into his hand just slightly right before their lips met. Navale was not shy, nor was she brash. She savored the warm thrill that chased down her spine and settled in her stomach, the warmth of his nearness, and the wonder of the closeness.

Lt. Huzzen, Engineer

Encouraged, Sam kissed her with tenderness, not rushing or encouraging them to intensify the kiss, but he could feel the undercurrent of energy between them. When he did pull back and opened his eyes, he took her in with slight wonder. “Hmmm, I don’t want to be over-confident, but I think that might be another perfect moment to add to our collection,” her said, brushing loose strands of her hair back and tucking them behind her ear.

~Sam, Host of Florence’s

Navale’s soft eyes searched his face with a hint of flushed curiosity and delighted wonder. Her gentle smile crinkled the corners of her eyes. “Well,” she said quietly, “let’s not end it just yet.” She closed the small distance between them. There was no rush to intensify things, just letting the moment linger a bit longer and savoring it.

Lt. Huzzen, Engineer

He smiled as he kissed her again, this time deepening the kiss but keeping it relaxed. He was enjoying the taste of her, the remnant of punch he could detect. His free arm slipped around to her back, holding her gently.

~Sam, Host of Florence’s

She could taste the lingering flavor of coconut and grinned. A little sigh escaped aa his arm slipped around her, and Sam felt her body relax. Navale shifted closer, relaxing into him, her fingers feathered through the hair on the base of his neck.

Lt. Cmdr. Kane, AMO

For a little while, he just enjoyed this, enjoyed her. There were definitely moments when part of his brain wanted to escalate the intimacy, but he restrained himself. Even if it was what she wanted, he had a special surprise and didn’t want to miss out on the moment because they were… distracted.

Eventually, he pulled his lips from hers and rested his forehead against Navale’s. “Who needs the wine?” he said with a throaty chuckle.

~Sam, Host of Florence’s

Navale hummed softly while she caught her breath. “Not me, you are intoxicating enough, Sam.” Her fingers trailed across the back of his neck, over his shoulder, and down to rest against his chest.

Lt. Huzzen, Engineer