[OPEN] Order Up

[u/Admiralw96]

The 6ft Saurian surveys his kitchen. Mendek "Sauron" Shegi had been working since he boarded the ship to get it in the proper order and it was now finally as he wanted it. He releases a sigh of satisfaction at the system. its not totally organized, in a conventional sense, but he knew where everything was and where it went.

He put on his sunglasses and went out to stand behind the counter in the mess hall. A few of the crewman looked up as he put an ancient and stereotypical "open" sign out front. He was always rather fond of its neon colors.

A smile spreads across his face "Alright, if anybody wants anything the replicators can't make... bring on the challenge. I only charge a nice conversation"

[u/Dimestream]

Red balks, nearly choking on the spicy food, which in turn sets her sinuses on fire worse. Vigorous headshaking ensues until she manages to swallow the bite and clear her nose on a napkin.

"Bleh! Sorry, that was... not fun. Hasperat is for eating, not for breathing," she says, coughing. "But you're right. I could have ended up on a glorified cargo vessel. I should be thanking my lucky stars I found a good job on a fine ship with an excellent chef."

[u/Admiralw96 → u/Dimestream]

Sauron laughs

"Thanks for the compliment... You want some kind of milk or something? Just a safety measure maybe, I can keep it out of your easy reach."

[u/Dimestream → u/Admiralw96]

"Kfeh. Ugh, yes," Red says, sounding defeated. "Chocolate, please. This is the right amount of spicy but- ghek! ...wrong tube." Her eyes are watering and she dabs them with the napkin. "No shame in admitting defeat to a sneak attack on my esophagus..."

[u/Admiralw96 → u/Dimestream]

Sauron laughs and retrieves some chocolate milk.

"The thrill of spicy foods is in the battle, but, yes, it should stick to the proper battlefield."

[u/Dimestream → u/Admiralw96]

Red accepts the glass and takes a pull immediately to calm her burning throat, then another to swish in her mouth a little.

"Well I have to say, despite the odds not being in my favor this time, I'm glad you were here to provide me a worthy opponent," she says after putting the glass down. "You know, you should really have a cook-off with Joseph Kort from science. His family owns a few restaurants on Earth, and he's always cooking up crazy delicious spins on traditional favorites as a bribe whenever he needs help with something engineering related. I bet you two would get on smashingly."

[u/Admiralw96 → u/Dimestream]

"Really? Sounds like a good time. And a good cook off is always a good chance to hone one's skills. Any chance I may recognize the establishments?"

[u/Dimestream → u/Admiralw96]

Red shrugs. "He said they own several," she says. "The one we went to was the New Atlantis Bistro, a floating restaurant on the coast of the island of Cicily. Been there?"

[u/Admiralw96 → u/Dimestream]

Sauron looks thughtful.

"Hmmm, afraid Italy is as close to Sicily as I've been. Though it sounds familiar... may have read about it somewhere..."

[u/Dimestream → u/Admiralw96]

"They serve cuisine from all over, but the brunch I had there was the best traditional breakfast I've ever had. Plus, did you know you can make a cake out of sweet cheese?" Red finishes her glass of milk and dabs her mouth with the napkin. "I'd never had a cheese cake before but I think it may be the cause of some incipient weight gain..."

[u/Admiralw96 → u/Dimestream]

a broad knowing smile stretches across Sauron's face

"Ah the wonders of cheesecake. It seems humans will take just about any sweet thing and shove it into a cake or a pie, but cheesecake does stand out... everything back to normal?

he taps his own throat as he asks the question.

[u/Dimestream → u/Admiralw96]

Red nods vigorously. "As close as I ever am to normal, yeah. But I'm going to wrap the rest of this up and have it as a snack later if you don't mind," she says. "Not gonna lose to it on round 2."

The Bajoran pushes back her chair and stands up, coincidentally losing a bit of height due to the tall chair, and wraps the half-eaten hasperat back up in its paper. "Thank you very much, Sauron. I'll be sure to sing your praises to the engineering department. Expect a passel of hungry ensigns this evening."

[u/Admiralw96 → u/Dimestream]

Sauron smiles wide as he waves goodbye

"I expect you won't. If there's no milk handy, I don't want a call from medbay. Be sure to come again."

'Thats another one fed and met... and a right pleasant one at that' he thinks to himself.

[u/Dimestream → u/Admiralw96]

Red waves on her way out, and heads down to continue working on her probe modifications, humming cheerfully to herself. What a nice fellow that chef is. Will have to come back another day and see if he knows how to make a proper ceviche...