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 Chief Petty Officer Sam Nazarian (Host of Florence’s) in Gamma Tiltium IV- Tropical Chemistry
Posted by… suppressed (4) by the Post Ghost! 👻

(snips)

Navale reached out for a different dish and took a bite. Her mouth puckered at the taste and she shivered slightly. Nope she didn’t like that. “What about you, Sam? How do you think we can create that community on the Ogawa?”

Lt. Huzzen, Engineer

Sam made a mental note of the dish she tried and had a good guess what part she might not have liked. He dragged a bit of meat through a rather interesting sauce on the plate and then carefully popped it in is mouth before it dripped everywhere. It gave him time to think over the question and nod, even as he felt so-so about the sauce. It was missing something.

“I think so,” he said at length. “The key, though, would be to try to create our own version of it, rather than a facsimile of something that we’ve always known. Sometimes it’s important to recognize that cultivating the feeling can create something that fundamentally looks different to what you’re used to. As long as we’re open to it perhaps surprising us, then I think it’s very possible.”

~Sam, Host of Florence’s

Navale continued to try the various dishes. Even if they weren’t to her liking she enjoyed the experience of trying new things. “I think that is very astute. Too many times people are trying to recreate the past rather than embracing the present.”

Lt. Huzzen, Engineer

He flashed her a grin. “And I have to say I’ve never been so happy to embrace the present. It’s been quite the wonderful surprise.”

Navale winked, “A partner in crime helps.”

Sam speared some sort of fried dough ball that he had dipped in a creamy sauce and popped it into his mouth. It was crunchy on the outside and the interior was filled with a ground meat that burst with a bunch of flavours, including heat. It wasn’t so spicy that it was inedible, but the kick was noticeable. The creamy sauce cooled the heat to a more pleasant tingle. “Ohhh, if you like heat, this one is really good. I think I detect a spicy pod they often use in some regional recipes of hasperat, plus a Ktarian herb not unlike oregano.”

~Sam, Host of Florence’s

Navale selected one and dipped it in the sauce. She popped the bite in her mouth and took a moment to savor it and really experience the flavors. “Oh, that’s sassy. Not too much but quick and sudden. I like it.”

He nodded. “Exactly.”

She took a sip of her drink. “I head this saying once. The past is over, the future doesn’t exist. All we have is right now. And that is why it is a present.”

Lt. Huzzen, Engineer

He burst out laughing, his entire face lit up. “Oh, I love that!” Sam waggled his finger at her. “I didn’t take you for a cheesy pun person, but I’m so glad to be corrected. And it might have been cheesy, but it’s also delightful.”

~Sam, Host of Florence’s

Navale paused, her head tipped to the side, setting her fork down. “Oh… naming the current time ‘present’ wasn’t intentional? Well now I feel silly. I thought it was a wonderfully insightful thought of early humans. It’s just coincidence then?”

Lt. Huzzen, Engineer

He grinned. “It’s a play on words. Present meaning right now. But being in the present moment is a gift. Present, gift. That’s the pun in the saying. So yes, very intentional. Which is why it’s so clever.”

Sam leaned forward, taking in her eyes and lovely face for a moment. “What sort of things do you find amusing? I am always curious about different cultures and how they play with or avoid humour.”

~Sam, Host of Florence’s

“I find everything amuzing,” Navale smirked but then looked at him seriously. “I don’t remember a lot of laughter when I was a kid. Life was too serious, too dismal. I remember my mom trying to making me laugh, but her smile never reached her eyes. I don’t know about all my culture, but in the shanty town I grew up in, there wasn’t a lot to laugh or smile about.”

Sam listened, taking in not just what she was saying, but her expressions as well.

She took a sip of her drink. “So now I find humor in everything, especially the bad stuff because it is too easy to fall back into that mind set. And life is a lot more fun that way.”

Lt. Huzzen, Engineer

“You have a great laugh,” Sam said.

Navale grinned, “Why thank you, Sam.” She picked up her drink taking a long sip of the delicious concoction.

“I think a good goal would be to get you to laugh as much as possible,” he said, sipping form his own drink. He wasn’t a comedian by any stretch, but he liked the idea of being able to get Navale to laugh on a regular basis. She deserved that as much as she did the opportunity to smile.

~Sam, Host of Florence’s

She swallowed her drink quickly as a ping of surprise hopped inside her, and she shook her head. “That isn’t a goal for you, Sam. I am the only one responsible for my happiness. However, laughter shared between friends is a priceless gift.”

Lt. Huzzen, Engineer