Dinner Date or Hostage Negotiation (Part 3)

Posted on Tue Mar 23, 2021 @ 3:52am by Lieutenant JG Ace Cannon & Lieutenant JG Brianthe Oaxaca

1,872 words; about a 9 minute read

Mission: Si vis pacem, para bellum
Location: Giuliani's
Timeline: Day 03, 1800

PREVIOUSLY:

Ace sipped some wine and smiled at Bri. "I'm pleased that you're enjoying yourself."

Nothing more was said as the waitress came back. She smiled at the two of them and asked, "Are you ready to order now? I know you may not because I saw the two of you dancing a moment ago. It was really sweet. You make a cute couple. If I may ask, how long have you two been together?"

Bri didn't like the question. "This is our first date." And might be the last.

NEW:


"Oh!" The waitress replied with a slight blush. "It was none of my business but you both looked so natural together." She cleared her throat lightly and asked, "So, do you need a few more moments before ordering?"

From the look on the waitress' face, Bri almost suggested she go out with Ace, but that would be in very bad taste. "I think I'd like a salad because I want dessert as well." She glanced at the menu. "This one," she said, indicating her choice. "With extra cheese, please."

"Ah, the Orecchiette Carbonara pasta. Extra cheese, yes ma'am. And for you, sir?"

Ace smiled at the waitress, enjoying the interplay between her and Bri. She made a point of saying that she was leaving room for dessert. It is nice to see that she's a woman that is not afraid to indulge herself. Of course, that takes away all my potential comments about her for dessert. Then again, given the start of this date, that was not really going to happen anyways. So, what do we do with her? Do we try and deal with the project or just friend zone her? The concept of a female friend, though, is foreign. "For me, I will have the Vitello Scallopini Rosamarino."

"Very good, sir," the waitress responded before hastily beating a retreat from the table.

Ace chuckled as she left. "Well, that was quite something now, wasn't it?"

"It was definitely something." But Bri wasn't going to say what that something was. "I guess they don't see many couples dancing. Too bad, might be a fun addition."

"Well, there is not a dance floor," Ace responded casually. "This restaurant was built for creating a romantic ambiance." He shrugged nearly apologetically. "Now, if you want to go dancing after dinner, I would be happy to take you. We could work off some of the many calories that we will be ingesting."

Now she was sorry she said anything. "Maybe. Let's get through dessert and then decide. I don't want to be out too late. I'm re-potting in the morning."

Ace was amused at that statement. It was if everything Bri was doing and saying was reinforcing the fact that she was not going to bed with him tonight. Perhaps she did not recognize that Ace had already decided that was going to happen because he now had to sort out how he was going to think of her. "Plants don't dance," he told her in the amused voice. "I do." He then looked her in the eye and asked, "So tell me about these plants you're re-potting. I get the feeling the more I get to know you, the more I will learn about herbology."

"Plants and trees are my life," she replied simply. "I'm working on a more robust tomato plant. We'll see how this batch works when the tomatoes are fully ripe."

"All work and no play makes for a dull person," Ace responded simply and playfully. "I do work but I would never want to become my job. There's so much life out there to experience, whether it is dancing or flying ships or whatever else that strikes a fancy. Certainly you must have hobbies and interests other than plants."

"I like music, and dancing. I actually do both while I'm at work. Plants like music, and they don't care if you dance a bit while you're feeding them." She smiled. "I also enjoy reading, and I enjoy being around trees. Since I can't walk through the woods as often as I'd like, I have an entire level of the arboretum devoted to trees."

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't trees plants?" Ace asked. Then, completely off handedly, he added, "Did you know that you become even more beautiful when you smile? I highly advise you do it frequently."

"In its broadest sense, trees are any plant with a trunk and leaves above the ground, but when you break it down, they differentiate in their canopy architecture, overall shape factor and foliage type. They also need different care." She smiled again. "Thank you. I do tend to smile a lot, depending on the company."

"Well, I'm glad to have seen you smile a great deal and even more so now," Ace told her. Well, we're talking. That's a good thing, right? She seems to be enjoying herself. Maybe a little patience wouldn't kill me? "Since you're so fond of plants, does that make green your favorite color?"

"I do like green, but I'm not sure if it's my favorite color. I also like yellow," she said. She took another meatball as the waitress brought their meals.

"It is a sunny color," Ace replied.

The waitress quickly placed their meals before the diners and said, "If there's anything more that you require, please let me know. Otherwise, enjoy." Before either of them could give an answer, she was gone.

Snickering, Ace said, "You certainly shook her up."

"Me? I just answered her question," Bri said. "Not my fault if we didn't live up to her fantasy. It's more your fault for being her ideal romantic hero," she teased.

Ace laughed at that. "Well, I didn't really hear you complaining about that dance or song." He gave Bri a wink and then cut some of his veal, placed it on his fork and ate it. The savory food melted in his mouth. "This is delicious," he told Bri.

"It's a very nice restaurant," she said, taking a bite of her salad. She was pleased that it wasn't mostly lettuce. Everything so far had been excellent. At least with the restaurant. She would definitely come back, but not when the waitress was on duty. She didn't want the awkward questions.

"And the company?" Ace prompted, curiously.

She raised an eyebrow and with an impish twinkle in her eye replied, "Not as bad I I thought it would be."

"Mmmm," Ace replied thoughtfully. "Dare I ask how bad that you thought that this would be?"

"You can ask. It doesn't mean I will answer," she replied, turning her attention to her salad.

Laughing, Ace asked, "Alright, how bad did you expect this to be?"

She raised her glass and took another sip. "That I will reserve for another time. The night is back on an even keel, I'd like to leave it that way."

"I like the thought of another time," Ace admitted. However, he wondered exactly what that meant after he said it. He took a sip of his wine. "So, you left home because you wanted something more and then headed to the academy," he repeated, remembering her history. "So why Starfleet? I mean, you could have become a botanist anywhere."

"I didn't join Starfleet immediately," she said. "But I realized it was an excellent opportunity to travel and learn about plant species on other worlds. It's one thing to read about them, another to see them in their native habitat."

"So, what did you do before Starfleet?" Ace asked before taking another bite of his meal.

"I traveled, got to know the galaxy a bit. I kept gravitating to planets and plants, though. Here I have ten decks to play with. Alanna have talked a bit about creating a garden on Pangaea." She ate another meatball, then focused on her salad.

"Are you going to use the seeds that you got on the beanstalk here or there?"

"I don't plan on planting the beans right now, but I want to plant the white tree runners to see if they'll grow here," she said.

"You're not concerned they might take over the station?" Ace asked, concerned. "I'd rather not have to use a machete to pull you out from being suffocated."

She shook her head. "The beanstalk might, but not the trees. They weren't that large. They remind me of aspen trees with their runners." She smiled impishly. "I'll simply keep cutting them back. It works for a lot of species."

Ace wondered what she was getting at there. There was definite innuendo and he was not certain that he liked it. He took another bite of his meal and then a large swallow of his wine before responding. "Then again, by such pruning, you may not fully know what the species is capable of."

"Sometimes, in nature, where not all have to flourish. But on a station like this?" She shook her head. "I find that many things thrive when you keep them from growing wild."

Raising an eyebrow, Ace asked interested, "Oh, really?" So, is she saying that she wants me to commit to being her only guy. She might be worth it, but damn, that wouldn't be easy! But she's SOOOOO hot!

"I've been working with plants for a number of years. Roses especially do well when you keep them trimmed," she replied.

"You have to be careful with roses. They may prick you," Ace replied, enjoying getting back into innuendos with Bri. She played that game well, he reflected.

She thought of a line from Merchant of Venice. "If you prick us, do we not bleed?" But that would NOT be a good thing to say to Ace. "Some pricks are worth the pain."

Interesting choice of words. So, are you saying that I'm worth your time or are you saying that you want me to prick you because you're in dire need of it. This requires some exploration. "If the proper TLC is given, there should be no pain," he told Bri with a Cheshire grin.

She took a sip of her wine before responding. "On the contrary, when roses start to wilt it's better to simply cut them off."

"But the thorns remain to prick and the flower shall bloom again." Ace grinned wider. He was definitely enjoying this game with Bri.

"The thorns aren't there for the roses. Their job is to protect the blossoms from invaders."

"And yet they cannot protect everything. For example, certain animals, like deer, have been known to eat the thorns and rabbits nibble around them. And one being cautious, may yet pluck the flower." He sighed pleasantly.

That was an interesting answer. "So, now you're a doe?" she asked. "As in doe, a deer?"

"No, just a deer," he replied with a grin. "So, you still want dessert?"

With poor timing, the waitress returned, "How are the two of you doing? Is everything to your satisfaction?" Even in the dark light, the two diners could see that the waitress was turning pink under her collar.

TO BE CONTINUED


Lieutenant JG Ace Cannon
Assistant Chief Operations Officer and Lounge Lizard

and

Lieutenant JG Brianthe Oaxaca
Assistant Chief Science Officer

 

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