Posted by Commander Roman Alden (First Officer & Chief Science Officer) in Side sim: Valentine’s Day with Roman and Rand

Posted by Ensign Rand Farquharson (Yeoman First Class) in Side sim: Valentine’s Day with Roman and Rand

Posted by Commander Roman Alden (First Officer & Chief Science Officer) in Side sim: Valentine’s Day with Roman and Rand

(snip)

Her compliment made him smile again. He was glad she liked them. He set his napkin in his own lap, and then picked up a fork and tried a bite. It was pretty good, he was relieved to find out. He had taste tested during the cooking process, of course, but he was still worried about how the final dish would turn out. But it was fine. He took another bite and then looked up at Rand, watching her reaction to the food. “I thought I’d do something you’d like. We could eat before the dance.”

~ Roman

Rand took a bite and hummed her delight at the food. It was very good. So he did cook himself. Other than the lopsided pie crust Rand assumed he’d cooked this before. It wasn’t a hard dish unless you were going for ‘pretty.’ “It’s delicious, thank you for making it.” Rand was quiet for several minutes, enjoying the food. Breakfast had consisted of tea. She’d skipped everything else that day, too busy with the extra work and she had opted to see Nibbles instead of lunch. She cautioned herself to eat slow so she didn’t either upset her stomach eating too fast, or be so full she got tired. It never occurred to her that she should factor her anxiety into it. She paused picking up her drink and the whole atmosphere struck her. Someone else might find the whole thing cheesey, but Rand felt…loved and a little spoiled.

Rand

Roman smiled at her again as he ate more of his own. Breakfast for him was also tea. And he’d skipped lunch trying to rush through his work so he could leave early. He was glad he’d done it. It wasn’t like he’d never skipped lunch before, and this was worth it. Besides, the shepherd’s pie had turned out well. He just needed to not eat so much he was too tired and sluggish to dance well. It was cheesy if you asked Roman. Having cushions for the chairs that weren’t shaped like hearts would’ve helped. At least Rand seemed happy with it, that’s what mattered. “Thank you. I’m glad everything turned out well.”

~ Roman

The cushions were over the top, and that is what convinced Rand he meant for it to be cheesey. Just to add a bit of silliness to help her relax. Rand didn’t think about it too much, but Roman seemed to have a way of making things easier for her when he was around. Rand smiled, “It did. Thank you, this was a wonderful surprise after such a busy day.” Rand managed to finish most of the plate. The pie hadn’t been overly dense, but she didn’t want to be sluggish. She would save the rest. It was good. She set her fork down and her napkin next to her plate. One more bite and she’d be stuffed.

Rand

“You’re welcome,” he said, clearly happy she liked it. Roman finished his entire serving of the pie. When they were both done, he stood and started stacking the dishes on the tray they’d come up on. He checked the time, 1845. He’d expected dinner to take about that long. “Once you’re ready, we should get ready for the dance.” And then he could give her the little gift when she came back. That seemed like a good plan.

~ Roman

Rand stood, intending to help clear the meal but Roman was quick. She nodded, “I probably need half an hour.” Rand returned to her quarters, Randy was waiting for her. “Chop chop, into the shower, I haven’t got all night.” Rand shook her head and grinned. The shower was wonderful but not nearly long enough. The gym had been thoroughly scrubbed and a lot of that ended up on the crew who had been cleaning. The hot water was heavenly on tense muscles. She was carrying tension in her shoulders that she hadn’t been aware of. But she didn’t have time to indulge.

Wrapped in a robe, Randy, using gentle pressure, pushed her down into a chair. It was a little like being prepped for costume for a performance, but Randy had always loved playing with her hair, ever since they were kids. And he kept up a non-stop chatter the whole time. Her long wet tresses soon turned into a beautiful crown of braided red gold, held in place by bobby pins topped with metal filigree roses. Yellow, lavender, white and pink dotted through the braid, but no red or orange. “They will blend in with your hair, we can’t have that,” Randy declared. He teased a few curly tendrils out to frame her face, put some lightly tinted lip-gloss on her lips and declared her done. “You don’t need cosmetics, Sweet, you’re beautiful as is.”

Her dress was a lovely satin and lace piece in a deep hunter green. Off the shoulder, the dress was pleated around her waist and framed her torso, curving up and around her shoulders. The top had a beautiful lace design that looked like ivy chasing across her delicate skin. From the pleated and cinched waist the dress flared out to a stunning asymmetrical skirt. Falling just below her knees in the front the back faired and flowed to the floor in the back. The hem accented with the same lace as the neckline and dotted with sequins. Gold satin heeled sandals slipped onto her feet. (https://imgur.com/a/s8rYFnT)

Randy appeared from the bathroom, white silk shirt, the finest high quality wool tartan wrapped around his waist and slipped up and over his right shoulder and held in place by a pin of the clan crest. His black calf high boots shone like black glass. He took Rand’s hand and spun her once. “You look amazing, Miranda.” He kissed her cheek. “If Alden doesn’t stop breathing when he sees you, there’s something wrong with him.” He picked up a small box, kissed her cheek again and left. He had his own date to go pick up.

Rand