Dinner Date, Part 1

Posted on Fri Feb 26, 2016 @ 7:27pm by Lieutenant Liam Reynolds & Civilian Thereen Tera

1,306 words; about a 7 minute read

Mission: Pangaea (Wrap up)
Location: Bajoran Gardens
Timeline: MD 11/1900

It had taken Liam a while to find the Bajoran Gardens Friday night. He was glad he had set off deliberately early, as once he had found them they were ridiculously beautiful. And peaceful. So he had wandered around for a while just basking in the serenity of the place before entering the restaurant.

"Good evening, sir." One of the waiters appeared. "Table for…?"

"Two please," he answered.

"Right this way. I will give you one facing the water gardens," he said with a smile.

Liam nodded, content with that idea, and seated himself at the quaint table the man led him to.

"Can I get you a drink while you wait for your...date?" he asked.

Liam smiled. He didn't seem half as nervous as he thought he would be. "I am new at Bajoran cuisine. Perhaps you can suggest something to try?"

The waiter beamed pleased at the notion of educating a new person in the delights of Bajoran food and drink. "Leave it with me," he nodded and walked off.

Thereen Tera breezed through the gardens into the restaurant and nervously smoothed down her skirt. This wasn’t the first time that Tianys had tried to set her up. Usually it ended badly. Rowa’ni just didn’t have the same concepts of relationships and sex that many species of the quadrant did. But this Liam seemed a nice enough guy when they met. She hoped this wouldn’t be another disaster.

Tera frequented the restaurant often and spotted one of her friends at the hostess booth. “Lina,” she smiled. “I’m looking for someone. A young Betazoid man.” She described Liam.

“Ah, yes, Arun just seated him.” Lina looked Tera over and smiled. “New dress?” she asked.

Tera blushed. “Yes,” she said. “None of my old ones seemed…right.” It was a simple, but classy affair, enough of a low, sweetheart neckline to hint, possibly tease, but remain modest, not too short, but showing enough leg. It was a soft pearl grey, nearly blue, complimenting her sapphire eyes, and she had bought low heels to match.

“Very nice. Lucky guy,” Lina said, turning to indicate where they had seated the Betazoid officer.

“Thank you.” Tera strode through the restaurant toward Liam’s table with a shy, awkward smile. Her dark hair was pulled back in a sort of French braid, a tight braid on either side of her head coming together to fall down her back to her shoulders. She pushed a stray strand back behind a delicate ear, brushing her family earring that dangled against the long column of her throat.

“Hello,” she greeted Liam. “I see you found the place okay.”

Liam stood up politely and smiled. "Yes. This is fast becoming a favorite. I wandered round the gardens for a while. So peaceful."

“I agree,” Tera said. “One can almost hear the Prophets.”

"You look very beautiful," he complimented her, indicating the seat opposite and taking his again. It felt odd, doing this again after so long, but he was moving on, he kept telling himself that. The flash of happiness cutting through the nerves from her that washed over him from that compliment was certainly nice.

"My friends loved the wedding gift," he told her. "Thank you again for the expert help there."

“It was no problem,” Tera smiled brightly. “It is what my shop is there for. I am glad they liked the gifts.” She picked up her water to take a sip.

"Pintoen wine." The waiter from before seemed to magically appear to Liam's right. "I took the liberty of bringing an extra glass." He smiled at the lady. The waiter knew her from previous visits. "Madam, a pleasure to see you again." The waiter poured two glasses and set the bottle in the middle of the table.

"Now then," he said smoothly, pulling a small padd out of his pocket. "What can we get for you both this evening?"

Liam leaned forward. "I think the lady should order. My experience with Bajoran food is very limited. To hasparat specifically, and as delicious as that is, I am sure there are lots more things I need to try." The waiter flashed a smile again and Liam sensed genuine happiness at the idea of educating someone new. He definitely liked his job at this restaurant.

"Don't worry about price. You’re getting spoilt," he said to Tera. "Anything you like."

“Oh?” Tera asked, arching an eyebrow with a light laugh. She considered for a moment. “You like hasparat. How about something from the less spicy side of the Bajoran menu,” she said with a chuckle. “Or at least a different spice. How about the damat fowl in ijera sauce,” she told the waiter. She had lowered her voice slightly as she ordered. The waiter just smiled and nodded.

Tera looked to Liam and explained, “Bajoran-Cardassian fusion. It’s not on the menu because it’s still a bit…political, but it is very good. Some complimentary flavors.”

It all sounded very exotic, Liam mused at what she had ordered, and he wasn't worried at trying something new, especially after gamely trying some of Qinee's Ferengi foods. He picked up his glass and took a drink.

"Mmmm," he said. "It’s similar to something back home. Very nice. So," he asked, "how has your week been?"

“A bit busy,” Tera admitted. “There is a coming of age party for a friend of mine’s son, so I was working on something special for him, along with my normal orders and regular business. There is no galactic war yet, so I assume your week went well,” she teased, sipping her wine.

"Ah, well, the opening party thing was interesting." Liam chose his words carefully. He couldn't speak too much about the other delegations really. "I think some of the delegates coming to the summit will keep me busy, let’s just say that! But we are not at galactic war as far as I know. I did, however, get to meet the new Bajoran ambassador this morning," he told her. "You’re setting up your own embassy."

“Are we?” Tera said. “Not under the Federation’s auspices?” she asked. “Most curious. Who is he?” she asked, sipping her wine. “But then I have been away from Bajor for a long time, so I likely wouldn’t know him anyway.”

"You never know. It tends to be a small universe sometimes," Liam stated. "He's called Krell Antos. Seems really serene and was wearing what I assume were religious robes." He couldn't say he knew too much about Bajoran religion. Liam supposed he would be learning more now they had someone setting up a temple, especially on their floor, near his office.

“Krell Antos. Doesn’t ring a bell,” Tera said. “But then I haven’t followed Bajoran religious politics.” She seemed a bit nervous about the subject and seemed relieved when the food arrived.

As the food arrived, a strange but not unlikable smelling spice reached his nose. "So," he asked, "do I just dive in or is there a special way of enjoying this?"

Tera chuckled. She glanced around, seeing a few of the Bajoran patrons giving them looks as the scent of the mix of Bajoran and Cardassian spices assaulted their noses. “I hope you don’t mind getting your fingers dirty,” she smiled. She tore off a piece of the spongey flatbread sourdough that had come on large plates with the platter of food. She used it to grab a bit of the meat and sauce and popped it in her mouth, giving him a smile.

“Like that,” she said with her hand to her mouth to cover her chewing.

TBC

Thereen Tera
Bajoran shop owner
NPC Matthew

Lieutenant Liam Reynolds
CDO, DS5

 

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