Come Dine With Me

Posted on 15 May 2009 @ 12:31pm by

3,634 words; about a 18 minute read

Mission: M1: Prepare for Battle
Location: Corridor, XO's Quarters
Timeline: Off-Duty, After Crisis

Elek left his counselor's office and began heading for the diplomatic deck - he wanted to take a proper look round and get his head round his job. He felt at ease, despite the imminent dangers - he knew that, as counselor and diplomat, he would need to stay calm and focused for his shipmates.

He realised that someone had spoken to him as he passed them in the corridor. Turning, he smiled as he saw Lieutenant Rodriguez looking back at him.

"I'm sorry, Lieutenant," he said with a smile on his face. "I was in a complete world of my own."

Mari's tight-lipped smile was amused as she turned, her hair floating back over her shoulders, and said, "Esta bien. I was just trying to get your attention to see if you were in the mood for that dinner yet but if you're too distracted..." The beautiful Latina let her words drift off, the implication left hanging in the air.

Elek got his grin under control, despite his eyes wanting to roam. "Well," he dead-panned, "I *do* have quite a lot going on." Catching the look in the exec's eye, he couldn't help but smile at her. "Actually, that's a complete lie. I have nothing planned."

"Well good!" Mari grinned back, dark eyes sparkling, "Pero no me engañaste por ni un segundo. I wasn't fooled!" then she asked, "Are you ready, then?"

He offered a mock-salute. "Ready to try some strange-sounding new foods, sir!" With a twinkle in his eye, he added, "You've got to admit, I'm good - if I can convince you I'm busy, then I'm surely in the right field as a diplomat. Now, where are your quarters?"

"Ah, but I *did* say that I was not fooled," Mari said very mysteriously, "Pero bueno, my quarters are this way. Follow me. I hope you are bringing your appetite!"

"I sure am, Lieutenant - lead the way!"


{ Lieutenant Rodriguez's quarters}

Elek followed Rodriquez into her quarters and looked around with admiration.

"Very nice," he said approvingly. "They treat the executive officer position well, obviously."

Mari chuckled, eyes sparkling as she said with pride, "Nonsense. I did most of this myself before all this craziness with being attacked began. Vamos, let's have a seat for a bit. I'm not that hungry yet."

Elek sat down on one of the sofas as soon as the exec had done the same.

"So, Lieutenant, how was the rest of your bridge duty, after I left you to it?"

"Please, call me Mari. We are off-duty now. My shift..." she shrugged expressively, "It came, it went. I am still here."

Elek had to laugh at that. "How very philosophical! I'm glad you're less stressed than you were earlier."

The El-Aurian / Betazoid hybrid was tempted to telepathically reach out and "feel" Mari's emotions, but felt that that would somehow be cheating, as if there was some unwritten game in play, and his telepathy would unfairly swing the balance.

He leaned forward, elbows on knees. "Are you feeling calmer now? More relaxed?"

Mari did the same, leaning forward as well, intentionally bringing them that much closer while speculating about the man's intentions, saying, "I am, gracias. Much more relaxed. How are you doing, Counselor? I'm sure there is plenty of stress to your position as well. Are you relaxed?" It was difficult to read what exactly she might mean with the question but if one were to hazard a guess, they might suspect the executive officer could very well be flirting with the man.

Elek's left eyebrow twitched, but his face otherwise remained mildly amused. "I've been able to find ways of dealing with stress over the last few ... centuries that I've been alive. There's very little now that genuinely riles me in that way." His face briefly clouded as he thought back to his first encounter with the CMO, but he brushed that embarrassment aside.

Extremely perceptive and a definite student of human behavior as it was a fascination of hers, Mari's eyes narrowed and her lips pursed but her only comment was a skeptical, "Hmmm..." for a few moments before she decided to add, "Regardless of age or experience, there are those that will fluster and annoy you and push every last button you have with very little effort at all." She was thinking of the captain but she was sure that it would qualify just as well for whatever or whoever he was thinking of as well.

He offered Mari his best smile and couldn't help but admire exactly how beautiful she was. He cleared his throat. "That's part of the reason for working in diplomacy and counseling, I guess. I love talking through issues with people, and resolving them. Not always the most exciting of work, but steady - I'm always in demand that way."

She laughed that tinkling laugh of genuine amusement and grinned as she said, "Si, I bet you are."

He subconsciously ran a hand across his forehead, grazing the scar that fell there. He only ever became aware of it in situations like this, when he was with someone he found stunningly attractive. *Damnit," he thought, *why did I think it would be a good idea to keep it?*

"But, tell me," he said, "why did you choose the command track?"

"Mmm...I will answer that after you answer me one question," Mari said, rising as she looked at him, "Wine? And no, that is not the question."

Elek was intrigued, and quickly said yes to both.

As she moved gracefully to the replicator to get and bring back two glasses of red wine, Mari asked over her shoulder, "How did you get that scar?" The story of how it was received was much more interesting to her than whatever reason he may have had for keeping the scar. She simply assumed that he had his reasons and left it at that.

The counselor received the wine glass gratefully and cleared his throat. "It was during ... Well, it was quite a while ago. Almost a hundred years, to be precise." He offered a wan smile, as if he recognised the absurdity of that statement - many people struggled to come to terms with El-Aurian longevity. He hoped Mari wasn't one of them. "During the Borg incursion that destroyed my planet. The ship I was serving on arrived back at the homeworld during the attack, and the Borg were able to board us. I got too close to one of the drones and ... well, you can see the effects." He waved absently at his scar. "My other injuries were healed ... I suppose I wanted a reminder of those days. I lost a lot of friends ... and family, and I survived. Kind of my way of remembering them."

Having taken a seat again after handing him the wine, Mari had watched him carefully as he spoke, thoughtfully sipping her own glass of wine. "Many would have wished themselves dead in the place of their loved ones..." Mari commented, leaving the statement open-ended rather than a question of whether he had felt that way himself or not.

He was silent for a moment, then gave a small laugh. He didn't think Mari was convinced, especially after that statement of hers. "Still, enough of this. I'm not often maudlin, and I don't intend to start tonight, when I am in such lovely company!"

Flattered, but definitely not unused to such comments, Mari studied the man's face with a pursed-lip smile and a secretive look about her but said nothing.

Elek looked over at Mari as well and their eyes locked for just a second, then he looked away and put his wine glass down on the table.

There seemed to be a spark of connection there in that second and perhaps the beginnings of something more but Mari's sentiments about the matter were hidden well, disguised in her easygoing, sociable manner. She, too, put her wine glass down and said, "Bueno. Are you ready to eat, then? I was thinking of enlisting your assistance for the cooking portion of tonight's event."

Elek was glad to be on happier topics. "Absolutely. Although, I should warn you, my cooking skills are not my strong point. I once managed to give my fifth wife food poisoning with nothing more than a salad topped with my own dressing." He paused, lost in thought for a moment. "Or was it my seventh wife?" He shrugged. "It could have been both - it wouldn't surprise me. Now, Executive Officer, don't think I didn't notice ... you haven't answered my question yet. What made you decide to go on the command track rather than anything else?"

Mari smirked and glossed over her answer, saying, "I couldn't decide what I wanted to go into, so essentially I chose everything. You can't pin me down, Counselor. If you think you can, I'd like to see you try."

Elek bit back his immediate retort as she rose again and motioned for him to follow her into the kitchen.

"Ahora, what is this about a fifth and seventh wife? This is a story that I must hear," Mari said, amusement in her tone.

He followed her into the kitchen with a stunned expression. *This woman is impossible!* he thought, then shook his head. *I've got to get to know her better.*

"Well," he said, "You don't get to 572 without picking up a few marriages and children along the way. It was ..." He squinted in concentration as he did the math "... 11 at the last count. Marriages, that is. Children, slightly more." He looked casually round the kitchen, then saw that Mari was looking at him. He smiled at her. "Don't worry, I wasn't married to more than one at a time or anything. Now, where can I start cooking? I'd suggest light duties only until I feel a little more adventurous. And I'm getting fed up talking about myself ... tell me something exciting about yourself. If *you've* been married 11 times, we might want to chat about that when we've got a clear schedule."

Mari laughed merrily and shook her head, "There is nada that is exciting about me, Señor Counselor. I'm simply like my name: Mariposa. A butterfly. A free spirit. I go where I please, when I please, and only stay with something so long as it pleases me. Now, aqui is a nice counter for you to begin chopping onions and tomatoes," she said as she replicated both items and handed them to him along with a knife and a chopping board.

Elek willingly picked up the knife and began chopping, wondering how long it would be before he cut himself. "You know, you could just call me Termin. Calling me *Counselor* makes me feel like I'm still on duty." He smirked as he finished his first onion without incident. "A free spirit?" he went on. "I'm intrigued. Something about Starfleet doesn't always lend itself to cadets being free spirits. Or perhaps that's just my judgment coming through."

"No, es verdad," Mari agreed, "However, one might say that I intend to use Starfleet to get what I want, which is my own command, but not on a Starfleet vessel. I wish to be, you might say, a marauder...or a free agent, perhaps...flitting along the edge of the law. Starfleet is good for making contacts. Nada mas."

"You know," Elek said, piling up the chopped onion and moving onto the tomatoes, "I admire your honesty. You're the first person in the fleet who's ever admitted that, and I'll bet there's a few who do consider it."

"Hmm," she nodded, tasting the salsa she'd just made, "Si, seguro," then continued on to rolling enchiladas and placing them in the greased pan she had ready for them to bake in.

He sighed in resignation as the knife cut into his right index finger. He quickly requested a plaster from the replicator and wrapped it round the injured digit. "Told you," he said, rolling his eyes. "Sharp objects are particularly lethal round me. You'd think I'd learn. So, captain of an independent civilian ship ... hmm, intriguing. A butterfly indeed. How long do you give it? In Starfleet, I mean? Tell me if I'm too personal, although you would be offending an injured man." He waved the offending finger.

Laughing that tinkling laugh again, Mari shrugged carelessly as she finished sprinkling cheese over some tostadas, "No se. A few years, maybe less. Until I get bored," she said.

Elek watched her carefully. His mind brushed carelessly past hers and he quickly reined it in. He respected her privacy and would not violate it. He was fascinated by this ... butterfly. In his experience, it was rare to find someone with a short life span to be so genuinely ... free, and he admired her for it. "Is there anything I should be doing about that? Preferably that involves blunt objects. I'd personally be happy just watching." He smiled as he said it.

She was so engrossed in what she was doing that she completely missed his meaning, suddenly looking up at him, her hair hanging down over her shoulders, brushing her face and covering her ears, "Que? You mean about me getting bored? Oh, I suspect there is something that could be done about that," she said mischievously.

Elek smiled. "I guess I misspoke. I meant to say, is there anything I should be doing to help with the cooking? But I think I preferred your meaning."

Giving him a knowing look and a self-assured smile, Mari responded, "As far as the cooking, no. Todo es listo. It just needs to be taken to the table. As for the other...we will see."

"Now *that* I do, most likely without injuring myself. Just call me the Miracle Worker."

Again, Mari gave him an amused look but decided to bite her tongue rather than make another smart remark.

Elek picked up both plates and left the kitchen. Placing them both down on the table, he waited for Mari to sit down before sitting down himself.

*This should be an 'interesting' meal*, he thought with a smile as he sipped from his wine. He sat in companionable silence for a few moments as he savoured his food and the moment.

Watching him as he tried each new food, Mari lazily picked at the things on her own plate before finally asking, "What do you think? Es rico?"

"Es ...? Yes, it's good - *very* good. I like it!" Elek smiled and continued to eat, amazed he had reached nearly middle-age and never tried this food.

Grinning broadly, Mari took another bite of one of her soft-shelled tacos that she had created, somehow making it look graceful and elegant to be eating with her fingers, "Me alegra," she said, "I'm very happy that you like it. It's not too spicy?"

The El-Aurian savoured the food and the company, and they chatted amiably as they ate. He consumed his food quickly, and sighed in contentment as he finished, sitting back in his chair with a sigh. He smiled at Mari's questioning expression. "I like my food," he said simply. "I eat fast, forgive me. I came from a large family, growing up - loads of cousins and family meals. It was usually a case of 'eat your food, or someone else will'."

Mari chuckled with a nod of understanding as she, too, finished up the last of her enchiladas and tostadas, "Si, entiendo," she said.

Watching Mari eat, he asked, "What about you? Large family?"

The Latina woman shrugged and replied, "Depende. If you are talking about immediate family, no. I am an only child. If you are talking about my extended family, si. I have many, many aunts, uncles, and cousins. I learned very quickly as a child how to get what I wanted and where were the best places to hide if I wanted my privacy."

Elek laughed. "I had a Betazoid mother, telepathic siblings and an El-Aurian father who was a famous Listener. I had to accept that my feelings were ... an open book, I guess."

"Ahhh," Mari said, her eyes dancing with amusement, "I am from Costa Rica. There is no hiding of feelings where I am from, either, but that has nothing to do with telepathy or Listening."

He leaned back and stretched in his chair. "I was fortunate - I inherited the telepathy and the Listener gene. I kind of feel that I've failed on that one tonight, though. Been talking about myself too much." A cheeky grin spread across his face. "I always like to ask this question. Tell me something completely random about yourself - something that defines your character, or at least part of it, that we haven't discussed already tonight."

That made Mari pause and think, her chest rising and falling slowly with each breath as she searched for just the right thing to tell him about, "Something that defines my character...pues...when I was in primary school, I was known as the defender of the weak, the bully of bullies...I suppose that still fits to some extent..."

Elek was intrigued. "Interesting. You're still passionate about defending the weak? Would you say that being part of Starfleet gives you an ability to do that over a wider scale?" He smiled. "I'm not psycho-analysing you, I promise."

Laughing, Mari shook her head, "I doubt you could if you tried. Starfleet...as I told you...is a means to an end...that end could be any number of things. Starfleet is a world of opportunity. I just have to decide which opportunity I want to take."

Elek decided to tactfully change the subject. He would have loved to continue, but that would have been for a professional setting, and under different circumstances. "Do you enjoy being out here?" He gestured towards the window. "Amongst the stars? Is that home to you, would you say?"

A shadow passed across her otherwise lovely features and Mari said with a shake of her head, "No, it's not home, but it will have to do."

Elek didn't need his telepathy to know he had struck a nerve, and briefly considered how best to proceed. "For me, Betazed is my homeworld. So was El-Auria, before the Borg. Space is, in a way, an extension of that for me. I'm comfortable with it. It ... fits. Where would you say your ... ideal place would be?" He could tell that he would have to be very careful how he followed this conversation.

For the first time during either of their exchanges so far, between this one and the previous one, Mari showed a bit of vulnerability and sadness around her eyes and mouth as she shrugged and shook her head, saying, "No se. I don't know. I don't think I've found it yet."

"Sounds like you're looking for ... something," Elek said quietly. He didn't want to push her away, but felt he might be seeing part of Mari's true, inner self.

"Si, es cierto," Mari nodded and shrugged, "Maybe when I finally find it, I'll be able to settle down..."

Elek returned the shrug. "There's a lot to be said for settling down." He smiled and added, "Depending on how you define 'Settling down', though. You live as long as I have, and you'll see that 'settling down' can just be a euphamism for 'change'. It's how you handle the change that's important - positively or negatively."

"And what kinds of changes do you propose that I effect, Counselor?" Mari asked with a bit of a smile, putting up at least a bit of the wall that had been up previously.

Elek smiled brightly, picking up on the barrier. "Well, that's your choice, Mari. It's always your choice. It's important to keep that in your mind. That, and my name is Termin. Feel free to call me that - or my friends call me Ter. Feel free to call me that as well."

"Ter..." Mari said, finally, enjoying how it rolled off her tongue, "Bueno, I suppose I can manage to call you that."

He inclined his head. "Good," he said. "Let me take these plates away. It's the least I can do."

Sitting back with a nod to watch him in appreciation, Mari said, "Esta bien. Go ahead."

He stacked up the plates and cutlery and moved into the kitchen, feeling very content. To be fair, that was his usual state of being, but this was contentment for a different reason - he had found someone he could ... connect with. A person who was beautiful, to be sure, but was a good, beautiful person - and with depths that he was interested in finding out about.

He smiled to himself in the privacy of the kitchen.

Calling to him and breaking his reverie, Mari asked, "What would you like to do now? Unless you have other plans, that is..."

"No plans," he called back, wiping his hands on a towel. He walked back to Mari. "I'm off-shift now for the rest of the evening. Did you have anything in mind?" He smiled, mischief on his mind but trying to keep a neutral face.

There was something she saw in his eyes and she smiled mischievously back at him as she rose and said, "No, but somehow I think you do."

Elek was amused, and curious. "Well, if I hadn't come round for dinner, I'd be in the holodeck, exercising, then reading in my quarters. I'd hate to miss out on the first part anyway."

Smirking, Mari said, "Well then, I suppose we could always 'exercise' in the holodeck together," she paused as she rose and cocked her head, giving him a coquetish glance, "Listo?"



Lieutenant (JG) Termin Elek

Lieutenant Mariposa

 

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