Snip

Dagen blinked, then looked at his dad, then looked out the thin window to see the sprawling station they were docked to. Dagen had visited their power plant. He scratched his head to give him time to think. If it was OP42 he would know all the shops. But this? This was a mostly unknown.

“Sounds like an adventure!” he said. Truly he did like adventures. When he was with his father it was normally out in the bush. With mom, well, it was entirely in the court of what appliance he needed to fix. Note to self. No places that have electronics within touching distance.

“Let me check on the queue for the filters,” he said, stalling. Pulling out his PaDD he quickly tapped out to Bat and Angel. =^= Quick. Need interesting places on the Station to see and eat =^= As a secondary glance he checked the queue. It was at 19. Getting there in good time. Nodding, he typed out more. =^= Deeg, Sebastian, look after the PM lists today. Parents made a surprise visit. Will be on the station. =^=

While he sent that off he had a reply from Angel.
=^= Food establishments:
The Grotto – excellent vegetarian dishes and drinks
Sammies – Terran run. Pasta very nice
The Grease Monkey – Iotian establishment. Specializes in ‘street’ food. Ask for Jimmy.
Deltan – Classy. Upscale. Try to get Manuel as a waiter. He will try pushing tequila.
Blue Spirit – Andorian run. Seafood, Sushi =^=

Bat replied ..
=^= They have a great tropical garden on Deck 5. Lots of walking and seating. They say it’s not holo but you have to wonder. Part live petting zoo. Arcade on Deck 8. Fast Eddies. Deeg and I swear by it. Don’t race with Angel. She says they are illogical, but she plays to win. Space museum on Deck 10. Totally holo but you can choose the theme of what you want to learn about. Deck 4 has an art gallery. =^=

Dagen sent his thanks over. Who knew Angel was big on restaurants and Bat on games? Well, he could see that part. “Lots to see.” He scratched his head. Maybe they could grab some food at one of those places and then take it to the garden to eat. He showed the three the food options. “What do you think?”

Dagen

Reia used this chance to cuddle up to Dagen and look over the food options. For some reason, a long walk appealed to her.

Dagen noted that while dad had told him about the wrist band and the level it was at, whether by omission or by bacon, he had not actually said ‘how’ to change the power level of it. As such as Reia slid in close and he felt that soft heat that always seemed like such a miracle of nature to him, he caught that tickle at the back of his mind that was not pheromones so much as likely a mix of that and the band. For the moment he pushed it to the back, as insistent as it was. Dagen was also cognizant of the filters and his wife’s pheromones. A walk would do them well. Perhaps they could find a little recess somewhere and .. no, Dagen, mind on task. No, Dagen, Reia is not the task. Perhaps the dessert.

“Well it all looks interesting. You know I love my sushi. I don’t know. Is it too early in the morning for a good steak? I seem to remember burning extra calories last night.” she said mischievously forgetting fro a moment that her in-laws were there.

• Reia

To Dagen steak was always better than raw fish no matter how well presented. ‘And this morning’, he nearly inserted in there. Flushing slightly, he caught a half smile from his father and his mother who was innocently looking at what was on the shelves but he knew she was paying utter attention. He squeezed her knee. “So then,” he said, loud enough for everyone to hear. “Seems like we’re looking at either upper or lower crust for this. The Monkey or the Deltan may fit most tastes.” The trouble was he knew his mother would go with the Monkey and his father shoot for the Deltan. Both seemed fine to him. He was about to suggest the Monkey when he glanced at his wife’s cleavage, er, nice dress. “Deltan?”
Dagen

Reia wondered why Dagen didn’t suggest something with massive pieces of protein on platters. That did fit her tastes sometimes as well.

“If that’s the consensus then sure, Deltan it is.”

“Do we need to change?” his father asked. “Our fancy duds are on the liner.”
“He simply loves dressing up for these things. We had dinner with the Captain one night. Stuffy old man,” his mother chimed in.
“Formal. It’s part of the atmosphere,” he replied.
Dagen slipped into the talk. “Doesn’t give any dress code that I can see. We’re all fine.”

She leaned in and brushed Dagen’s cheek with her lips before walking to her in-laws and proceeding to explain a few items on the shelves that she had carefully curated.

His eyes followed Reia as she moved.

“This is about the only thing I really cared about taking from my quarters when moving in. See, that’s a picture of my Gram and Gramps. They raised me after I was about three. And that’s my graduation picture. Wow, I don’t remember half the people there.”

Dagen shook his head. “Nor I, but half is better than my memory of school.”

Pausing, she purposefully skipped over the only picture of her with her mother. She would be glad to discuss that subject at length another time. In the center of the middle shelf was a large wedding picture.

“And, of course, this is your handsome son.”

• Marishka

“Men are dashing when they are dressed up.” She shrugged. “Or down. Where was that taken?” she asked. “It does look .. Earth-ey. I never quite understand the .. blue sky. But it does look deliciously warm.”

Reia thought for a few seconds not quite remembering herself.

“Someplace tropical on Earth. I don’t quite remember to be honest.”

Dagen’s mother moved her hand dismissively. “That is the problem with virtual things. They don’t stick in the mind as much as actually being there. Same with watching holos.” She paused. “Unless it’s a good running holo-opera. Ongoing tale. There’s a good Trill one I watch, a period piece. Lords and Ladies of Laurelin. Quite the steamy tale.” She waved her hand as though to cool her cheeks.

Meanwhile Dagen was on the PaDD making a quick reservation at the Deltan. It was early in the day, or at least ‘Station Day’ so didn’t expect a run on the place. Still it never hurt to be sure. He saw the confirmation come in. “We’re set,” he said quietly to his father.
- Dagen

“Well, if we’re all set, I’m ready when you are.”

Reia was feeling a little caged and felt the need for movement of any kind but, she was already dressed and there were other people in the room so a walk with the in-laws would have to do.

• Reia

Dagen stood. “A bit of a walk to let the bacon settle on the way. There’s some nice shops we can pass along the way.” With that Dagen was utterly unsure but figured there had to be and who knows, they might find them nice. Better than OP42 anyway. Moving over to join Reia he put his arm around her waist and gave her a smile and a squeeze. “The filters should be easily fixed before we get back,” he whispered.

They moved out in a bit of a cluster. Dagen took the time on the slow semi-tour to wax poetic on the Genesis and different features that it had, mainly things behind the bulkheads. His dad seemed interested, but his mother shifted closer to Reia to talk about her dress and fashion and shoes and her trials with any and all computers. But eventually they got to the tube exiting the ship and onto the more expansive station promenade where they could spread out a little more.
Dagen

Reia knew that Dagen could go on for quite some time about the inner workings of the Genesis. She didn’t tune him out completely but the conversation between Dagen and his dad because a comforting background for her while she spoke with his mother explaining her reasons for this fabric over that fabric. Why some things worked better in the heat of the climate in her home land of Australia. Even the thought of fine Trill wool made her melt. She was glad to see the expansive station before them. A change of scenery was good for the soul.

“Which way do we go again?”

• Reia

Dagen honestly didn’t have a clue. He didn’t really look. The station promenade was on a kind of oval, he knew so eventually they’d get back around and see everything. If they got the right level. “Let’s just keep going. We’ll wind around eventually.” His dad raised a brow and a glance. “And we’ll find a ‘you are here’ display in time to get our bearings.” That was the nice thing about not just having been on a ship for this long - that it was an enclosed space and he could get to know it well - and that he was an engineer where he would know it more intimately, but he had been associated with building the Manhattan. Being outside of that familiar space was .. unusual. Perhaps that was why he liked just being on the ship.

Sure enough, when they came to it they found they were two levels down from it. They took a lift up. Transparent aluminum bulkheads to one side and above them giving them an ample view of the planet below and the ships of various sizes moving slowly about. Starships. Transports. Worker Bees. Shuttles. He slowed down to watch them. “Dagen, restaurant?” his father urged. “You did this sort of thing when you were six.”

Breaking out from his watching, he coughed. “Uh, sorry. I think it is just around the bend here.” Whether by plan or by fortune, indeed it was. A broad doorway of darker metal was emblazoned by a small plaque with silver lettering saying ‘The Deltan’. A podium was outside and a ‘doorman’ stood behind it wearing a suit just shy of a formal tuxedo. He was pale skinned and bald of early middle years.

“May I help you?” he said in what sounded to be a thick European accent that didn’t seem entirely ‘Earth like’.
“Reservations under Thor?” Dagen said, inwardly crossing his fingers.
With a tap on the podium a screen lit up. “Yessss,” he said slowly, then glanced at them each in turn as though assessing and counting. “We have you here.”
“Uh, Manuel has been recommended to us. Would he be available to serve us?”
A brow came up. “Not many ask for him.” Dagen flashed a glance at Reia and did a real quick shrug of ‘ummmm’. “However it can be done. Please follow me.”
- Dagen