Dinner

Posted on 05 Apr 2014 @ 1:59pm by Major Richard Sharpe & Lieutenant JG Kassi Denterius

1,795 words; about a 9 minute read

Even taking a run hadn't helped calm her nerves down, nor had the hot shower relaxed her. All both had seemed to do was leave her thinking and wondering what she'd gotten herself into. She hadn't been a big fan of Marines, most of the one's she'd met were egotistical asses. Yet this one, he seemed different. Was it because of his brooding ways? Or was it the fact that she'd picked up on something deeper? "Perhaps I should just send him a message and cancel?" She murmured to herself as she paced before her closet.

Spotting her duffle bag in the corner of the closet, she picked it up to move it. After all it did have a couple pairs of shoes still in it, her favorite one's at that. Setting it on the bed to pull out those shoes she also pulled out a couple of pictures, setting the one with her and her best friend since academy days to the side she looked at the next one. It was her and a guy, an old boyfriend and now still a really good friend. She smirked a little knowing if he saw her now fretting about dinner with a guy, he'd give her no peace about it. Sure, she'd had relationships before, but none had really lasted long before they got tired of her putting work first. "Stop being such a chicken, get dressed and go have a good time." She could almost hear Ian saying, as she looked a bit longer at the picture. Setting the picture with the other, she pulled out her white lace up sandels. After looking at them a moment she checked the time.

Great, she'd spent to much time thinking and not enough getting ready. Looking in the closet again, she pulled out a soft, silky, light blue blouse that would match her eyes, and a white knee length skirt. Adding a bit of a curl to her hair and just a touch of makeup, she looked at herself in the mirror once more to give herself another good look. It may just be a dinner with a friend thing, but she still wanted to look good. Another glance to the time told her she needed to leave now or she was really going to be late. And with that, she headed out to try and make it to the lounge on time.

Richard, not being a woman, wasn't fretting anywhere near as much as Kassi was. Not that he knew that of course, because he wasn't psychic. He'd chosen a nice pair of beige slacks and a light blue shirt. He left the top button unfastened, and wore no tie. It was a casual dinner between friends/co-workers, and he didn't want anyone to think he cared about his appearance all that much. He wore a sturdy belt with the SFMC logo on the buckle, and brown suede shoes. After applying some styling to his hair, and deciding that going without beard suppressant made him look a bit more rugged, he headed out the door of his stateroom and waited outside the lounge. He was about five minutes early, because it was traditional for men to be early, and women to be late. Five minutes either side of the agreed time was the customary fashion.

It was such a great thing for that five minute grace period too, as she made her way to the lounge, a slight nip on her lower lip as a look of shyness caught her. Great, now wasn't the time to get shy Kassi, you where the one that asked the damn man out. Walking up to him with soft smile. "Sorry I'm late." She said warmly to Richard as she looked over him some.

"You're not late." Richard replied, kindly. "Women never arrive on time, so you can't be late."

She chuckled softly, hearing that and gave a slight nod towards the lounge. "Shall we?" She asked as a hand smoothed down nerviously over her skirt.

"We might as well, it is why we got all dressed up after all." He smirked, nervously. He led them into the lounge, and took a table in the corner by a window. A waiter came over, and Richard ordered himself an apple cider, beef steak and fries. The waiter then looked at Kassi.

"Grilled chicken, fries and a lemonade." She said to the waiter before turning her attention back to Richard. "Alright, so I have to ask... what made you say yes?" She blurted out with a slightly curious look now.

"Curiosity." He replied. "Wanted to find out why you were being nice to me. You're different from the last Bajoran I had dealings with..."

"Everyone is different, you can't just sum us up because of what we are. Otherwise, I would be sitting here wondering why you are being nice or brooding instead of acting the hard headed ass that most people claim Marines are. I'm nice because that's who I am, you have given me no reason to want to shoot you yet either." She said with a grin as she thought of their earlier run in.

"I'm sure I'll give you hundreds of reasons before too long." Richard smirked and countered. "Besides, it does my 'ego' good to be asked out by a pretty young blonde hottie like you."

Kassi couldn't help but to blush again now as she lifted her glass for a drink. "I'm sure before to long you will have all sorts of woman asking you out. That one that was talking to you at the get together seemed interested in you." Don't you know she was glad when the waiter came over to set the food down before each of them before moving on to give them space.

Richard smirked. "She's already got a partner." He said. "I checked."

Well didn't that cause a slight eye roll and smirk. "Why does that not surprise me." She said teasingly, of course, part of that was to cover up any other thoughts that flickered in her mind. After all, just dinner between friends, right? "That last Bajoran must have really hurt you... for you to have the reactions you do." Their was a curiousity in her voice.. but she also wasn't sure about pushing this topic with him.

"I'm not ready to talk about that." He said, firmly. He really wasn't. Richard couldn't bring himself to discuss... him. Even thinking about that man made him feel a pang of pain in his chest. He simply wasn't ready.

And that closed that topic quickly, as Kassi knew enough not to push the man. After all pushing wasn't the way to get to know someone, that and she had her own secrets. "Alright, you pick the subject." She said as she watched him though the veil of slightly lowered lashes as she looked to her food to cut a bite.

Richard attacked his own dinner with polite gusto. He was surprisingly hungry. "Oh, I don't know. Tell me a bit about yourself." He really had no idea what to talk about. The bit about Bajorans really had been a conversation killer.

Kassi thought for a few. If she asked him why he picked the Marines, he would in turn likely ask her why she chose the career she did. And then after listening to both tell the usual boring story they would be back to square one. Finally, after a moment she blurted out. "What's your favorite colour?"

"Blue." He replied, simply. "How about you?"

"Purple." She said before taking another bite. That was a short and to the point conversation. "Hobbies? Besides brooding and pondering shooting sweet innocent females." She said in hopes to tease him some once more.

Richard narrowed his eyes at her. "I tend to read when I want to relax, or I spend time on the holodeck with my weapons collection. I collect weapons from Earth's history. Its fascinating, and I learn to use them." He then took a bite of his steak. "What interests do you have, besides annoying marines?"

"Reading, most anything that involves being creative, and anything that involves being active in the holodeck." She said with a little shrug. "Although annoying marines seems to be my new favorite one." She said with a playful little look in her eyes, rather enjoying getting reactions from him.

"Oh really?" Richard asked, as he dipped his fries into mayonnaise. "Don't you think that's a little... dangerous?"

"Maybe I like to live... dangerously..?" She was enjoying herself, something that surprised her. Why, she wasn't sure. Of course it could be because she hadn't wanted to give people on this ship a chance yet. Maybe she should? Hmm, that was something she would think about later for now though she wanted to live for the moment... and was having fun.

"Well, you picked the right place for it. A ship of the line, headed into who knows what." Richard said, as he finished his dinner. "Certainly a place where you have to live for today, as tomorrow might not come."

"New ship, new people and even a Marine to pick on.... maybe I should stop being such a hermit and give this ship a chance." She said softly as she leaned back a little in her chair and looked at him. One hand wrapping around that glass as she lifted it for a drink.

"Less of the picking on, you." He smirked. "I might bite back."

"Is that a threat or a promise?" She said with a soft chuckle, Kassi still wasn't sure where this boldness came from today, unless it was because she'd been settling in more with her work and starting to feel more at ease with this place.

"My, you're very flirty, aren't you?" Richard grinned, actually coming out of his shell slightly. He needed to be careful here, if he got too close, and something happened to her, he'd be in pain again - and avoiding pain was natural.

"Not usually, there is just something about you." She said with a slight shrug, a hint of a blush, and nip on her lower lip. Fingers reached to wrap around her glass a moment, not really needing another drink, more for something to sidetrack herself with. Amazingly enough she couldn't exactly figure out what it was about him... she'd never had a thing for Marines, of course she'd never spent time with them either. Of course he was easy on the eyes, but then she wasn't one that went totally by looks either. Their was just something about him.... something more to him...

- To be continued... dun dun dun! -

1st Lieutenant Richard Sharpe
MXO

LtJG. Kassi Denterius
Asst. COps

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