And the Door Revolves Again

Posted on Wed Feb 18, 2015 @ 4:35pm by Commander Caleb Ryan & Civilian Aleczandra Naqiis-Ryan & Civilian 'Key Holder' Yolanthe Ibalin

2,065 words; about a 10 minute read

Mission: Eye of the Beholder
Location: The Box of Delights
Timeline: MD 1/1800

Caleb’s first day had been rather busier than he had expected. Meeting the captain, situational briefings on some fairly serious business involving a genocidal Starfleet captain…it was quite a start to the new job. By the time Caleb was able to pull his head above the water of meetings and introductions he realized he had missed lunch. Faced with a computer database full of options, Caleb turned off his computer and decided the safest bet was to just ask.

“Ensign Mayhew,” the tall Security Chief said as he approached the front desk.

The perky blonde looked up with her wide blue eyes and smiled at the handsome older man. “Yes, Chief?” she said, eager to please the new boss.

Caleb fiddled with the wedding band still on his finger as he settled his black Stetson on his head. “Ah’m off,” he told her. “Got any place ya recommend to eat?”

“Well, sir, the Box is fairly popular, and you can’t come through DS5 without stopping in,” Mayhew smiled.

“The Box?”

“The Box of Delights. It’s on Promenade 2. You can’t miss it. Big sign.”

“The Box…of Delights?” Caleb sounded more skeptical by the minute. “And just…what kind of establishment is this?”

Mayhew laughed. “Oh, I understand!” she said. “It’s not what you’re thinking! Trust me!” She fluttered long lashes at him.

Caleb nodded. “Sure. Is it…a safe place for my daughter?” he asked.

“You have a daughter?” Mayhew said with surprise.

“Aleczandra, yes. She’s sixteen.”

Jessica nodded. “Shouldn’t be a problem, sir,” she assured him.

Caleb nodded and straightened up. “Thank ya, Ensign,” he said, heading through the doors and out into the corridor. He was still a bit wary, but he did want to touch base with Aleczandra, see how she was settling in, and he hadn’t had a chance to do that all morning.

Caleb tapped his comm badge and spoke, “Zandy.” The badge chirped and then he heard the connection.

“Yeah?” came Aleczandra’s voice.

“Good afternoon to you, too, Bear,” Caleb said, amused, as he stepped into the lift. “Ya eaten yet?”

“Not really,” Zandra replied.

“Want ta have dinner with your old man?”

“I can think of worse things,” she replied. “But all our stuff is still packed up and I haven’t gone shopping for groceries.”

“How does the Box of Delights sound?” Caleb asked. “Ah’ve heard it’s the place. Ah’ll stop by an’ change an’ we can go.”

“I’ll meet you there,” Zandra said. “I’m already at the Promenade doing some shopping.”

Aleczandra was waiting for him outside the Box when Caleb arrived.

“So I thought you might finally getting me that stripper I’ve always wanted for my birthday,” Aleczandra said with a smirk, pushing back her rainbow hair. “Then I realized it isn’t my birthday.”

Caleb chuckled. “No, no strippers,” he warned. He gave his daughter a look.

“What?” Zandra asked.

“You’re just…growin’ up so fast,” Caleb said, adjusting the Stetson on his head and tucking his black button up shirt into his jeans.

Zandra rolled her eyes. “C’mon. I’m starving.” She led the way into the restaurant.

Yolanthe had been taking a trip around the floor of The Box on the excuse she was rounding up glasses, but she enjoyed meeting her customers. Two new ones arrived, a young woman with a man in a hat trailing behind. Handing off her tray to a passing waiter, she took the drinks menu in return and headed over.

"Welcome to The Box of Delights. Can I show you a table, or would you prefer a seat at the bar?" she asked the young woman.

“Table would be fine,” Caleb spoke before Aleczandra could. He removed his Stetson politely for the woman.

Zandra gave her father an annoyed look and turned back to the tall, purple woman. “Yes, a table,” she said, pushing back her rainbow colored hair. She inspected the woman frankly. She didn’t think she’d seen an alien of this kind before.

"Right this way," Yolanthe led them back to the booths and seated them there, where it was somewhat quieter, and handed over the menu. "Everything is actual hand grown, brewed, distilled, and crafted. It’s real alcohol and other substances that may be intoxicating based on your physiology. No wishing it away like synthehol." She gave Zandra a smile. "So make sure you read the menu to check, and don't let your boy here take anything he can't handle."

Caleb frowned. “My daughter won’t be havin’ any alcohol,” he said. “She’s underage.” He scowled a bit. “Do ya make it a practice ta serve minors here?” he asked warily. Maybe he should get the Marshals to look more closely at this place.

“Dad, don’t make a scene!” Aleczandra said with embarrassment. “Sorry,” she told the alien hostess. “He sometimes doesn’t remember when he’s off duty,” she said, pointedly looking at her father. “And a Bolian fizz will be just fine for me,” she said, ordering a fruity, non-alcoholic soft drink. “And a beer for him.” She glanced at the menu. “The stout.”

“Ah can order my own drink, Zandy.”

Zandra stuck her tongue out at him and grinned cheekily.

"Not where I come from you can't." Yolanthe was turning a pretty shade of blue, amused at the exchange. "And before you get your panties in a twist, sweetie, there is no legal drinking age here. Age of majority is so varied its unenforceable. I see someone who looks old enough to take responsibility for herself and others, it’s up to her to decide if she wants to or not."

“Not when it’s my daughter,” Caleb shot back. “She’s not old enough to do that yet—“

“Dad!” Aleczandra exclaimed, interrupting him, scowling.

“Sorry, Bear,” Caleb apologized, “but you’re still too young.”

Zandra glared at him and then turned to Yolanthe. “Whiskey, neat, and a pint of that lager for a chaser,” she said, turning back to her father and daring him to say otherwise, pushing her rainbow hair behind her ear. “Eve took me out when I was fourteen and deliberately got me smashed,” she said. “She said I needed to know what it was like and how to deal with it. I can handle myself.”

Caleb stared at his daughter. “Ah’ll kill her.”

Zandra snorted. “Like you could,” she smirked.

Caleb knew that was probably true.

"One stout and one whisky plus chaser coming up then." Yolanthe sent the order to the bar, knowing that Pelin would start the stout for her. "It'll be a couple of minutes for the stout. It can't be rushed. Can I get you guys anything else?"

Caleb glared a bit at Aleczandra and then at the hostess before taking a breath. “We’ll look at the menu, thanks,” he told the alien woman.

Aleczandra just smirked and picked up the menu, looking over the items available. It was a pretty good and broad selection. She liked that.

Yolanthe returned with a tray of glasses and put the stout down in front of Caleb and the whiskey with its chaser in front of his daughter. Then she produced the PADD for the payment thumb print and offered it to Aleczandra "Unfortunately, sweetie, responsibility cuts both ways."

Aleczandra blinked. “What?” she asked, looking over at her father.

Caleb just smirked and sipped his stout. “Ya get an allowance,” he reminded her.

Zandra pouted and pressed her thumb print to the PADD, paying for the drinks.

“Ah’ll get dinner,” Caleb promised. “Ah’ll have the garlic an’ mushroom steak, with the baked potato, sour cream,” he ordered.

“Not planning on kissing anyone anytime soon, huh?” Zandra teased her father.

There was a bit of an awkward silence and Zandra lowered her head, her rainbow hair hiding her face a bit as she stared at the menu. “Sorry.”

“It’s all right, Bear,” Caleb said quietly.

“I’ll have the salmon Cesar salad,” Zandra ordered, handing back the menu.

“Ah’ll keep this for dessert after,” Caleb said, putting his menu PADD aside. “Thank ya,” he told Yolanthe.

Yolanthe smiled, amused at the whole situation, and turned a bright azure all over. "No problem. Your food will be along shortly, and if you need anything more, just ask. I'll be around, but if you can't stop me, there's Vedra," she pointed to a brunette who could have caused a shuttle crash in a powered down shuttle bay, "or Blake," she pointed to a young man with hair to his waist waiting on a table a little way away, who was so good looking that the women at the table were practically drooling. "They'll take good care of you."

Aleczandra stared at Vedra and Blake. “Damn…” the teen murmured.

Caleb appraised Vedra as well, but quickly pulled his mind off that track. It had been two years since he’d had female companionship. He didn’t need to start tempting himself.

“Thank ya,” Caleb said to Yolanthe, and kicked Zandra under the table.

“Ow!” the teen yelped, glaring at her father, who smiled mock-innocently.

“Ah’m curious, though,” Caleb said, turning back to the proprietress. “Ah don’t think Ah’ve met your species before.”

Yolanthe wasn't surprised. "I'm a Bokkai, from the ass end of the Alpha quadrant. We don't get out much." The blue took on a hint of peach and then grey before settling back to violet. "This place is about as far from home as I can get."

“It’s about as far from home as anyone can get,” Caleb said with a chuckle. “Seems like ya went from one ass cheek ta the other,” he smiled at the alien woman. “How do ya find it here?” he asked. “Ah’m new myself, so still learnin’ my way around.”

"Well, it’s not quiet," Yolanthe allowed. "Bombs, hostage takings, sieges, assassinations, spatial anomalies, and your friendly neighborhood racists all make this a happy place to be. Planning to stay?"

Caleb raised an eyebrow. “That was the plan,” he said, giving an amused smile. “Guess Ah’m the lawman sent ta clean up this town,” he chuckled, lounging back, one arm over the back of his chair. “Caleb Ryan, Chief of Security,” he introduced himself, standing as one should in the presence of a lady and offering his large hand.

Zandra sighed. “Now you’ve gone and got him all cowboy,” she told Yolanthe with a smirk, twirling her rainbow hair around a finger.

"New head of Security." She took his hand. He was the same height as her, and in a man who wasn't Tharek she found it slightly uncanny. But still, the new security chief...the Bokkai turned cotton candy pink from head to toe, even her hair. "So pleased to make your acquaintance. And I do hope you stay."

“Well, no plans ta go anytime soon,” Caleb smiled. “That’s quite the trick, the color change. Ah can’t decide which one looks best on ya,” he complimented with a smile and a tip of the hat he wasn’t currently wearing.

“Ugh.” Zandra poked her finger down her throat and made gagging noises.

"Flattery will get you everywhere." The pink gave way to baby blue. She extracted her hand. "I'll let you enjoy your drinks. Give my best to Duquesne and Trellis."

Caleb gave a smile and a little bow of the head, not seating himself again until she had gone before looking over at his daughter, who was giving him a look.

“What?” he asked.

“You were flirting.”

“Ah was not. Ah was being polite.”

Zandra scowled, feeling a surge of jealousy inside of her. In retaliation, she picked up her whiskey and tossed it back.

And immediately ended up hacking up a lung. It hadn’t gotten any better since Eve had poured a bottle down her throat at fourteen.

“Easy, easy,” Caleb said, struggling between laughing and concern as he reached over to pound her back. “Maybe somethin’ a little easier,” he pointed out.

Aleczandra felt so foolish and looked around in embarrassment.

FIN

A JP by

Yolanthe Ibalin
Owner
The Box of Delights

Lt. Cmdr. Caleb Ryan
Chief of Security

Aleczandra Naqiis-Ryan
Civilian
NPC Caleb Ryan

 

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