A Night Out

Posted on Sun Feb 23rd, 2020 @ 8:27pm by Fleet Captain Torilla Yamaguchi & Crumm Widdy

Mission: Mission 3: Quantum of Solace
Location: Various Locations - Starbase 400
Timeline: 2000Hrs - August 6th, 2388

Lt Commander Torilla Yamaguchi often took her work home with her and tonight would be no exception, she tended to be a workaholic but that was to be expected after raising three children to adulthood, two of them had left home and the third was maturing rapidly and she knew the day would soon arrive when she would bid farewell to her last child as Rachael would soon leave the next, leaving Torilla with more free time than ever before but all of that was years away and she was still helping Rachael cope with recent
events.

What had happened to Rachael had been a shock, she had not expected her daughter to go into full bloom of her psionic abilities so quickly or had she expected them to be quite so powerful, her Eldest, Elizabeth had manifested about the same age but her abilities were not half as strong as Rachael who was almost on par with Torilla herself and she knew it too.

She walked through the door of the lounge as she took a moment to adjust the strap that went over her shoulder which held her bag, it was also locked with a small padlock which had a six-digit numeric lock on it, because it contained work-related items and her position as Chief of Strategic Operations meant that the goods within were quite valuable, especially in the wrong hands.

The last time someone tried stealing her handbag, the human male who tried it was a petty thief but he also tried beating it out of her, needless to say, the fight was so one-sided in her favor that he never had a chance to even get close to her as she simply disarmed him and rather than break limbs, she decided to be merciful and arrest him instead, all this did was to make him attracted to her, the idea disgusted her as she was happily spoken for.

She was happily married, thank you and she had the babies to prove it as she went over to the bar, she raised an eyebrow as she found herself face to face with the Bolian owner of the establishment, this for her was a surprise.
"Evening." she greeted him.

One of Crumm Widdy's favorite pastimes was meeting new and interesting people. Before his arrival at Starbase 400, he had spent years traveling the stars which allowed him to encounter countless beings of countless species. Now he set up shop aboard a station which housed thousands and served as a transit hub for thousands more. It was unusual if Crumm did not meet several new people daily. Today was no different as a dark-complected and attractive Starfleet Officer saddled up to his bar.

"Good evening, Commander. Welcome to the Skyline Lounge. I am Crumm Widdy; owner and proprietor." Crumm was thrilled to have another of Starbase 400's senior staff frequent his establishment. He handed his new customer a menu PADD with a grand smile. He noticed the shape of her ears as they poked through the mound of luscious hair atop her head and immediately recognized her as a Halanan. "Please take your time and look over the menu. If it's a taste of home you're looking for, I have a modest selection of Halananian dishes." Crumm leaned back and proudly folded his arms, his smile never wavering. "I spent a short amount of time on New Halanan some years ago. I would have like to have stayed longer, but it allowed me to sample the most popular of your species' cuisine."

Torilla couldn't help but smile as she received her copy of the menu as she
looked at him, a gregarious smile on her face. "Tell me something... how in
space did you get your hands on Vhreen?" she inquired. "It's almost unheard of being found off the homeworld?" she commented evenly. "Mmm... I simply must have some of that..."

"I feel I must be completely honest, Commander. My Vhreen is completely replicated, but I am confident you will not be able to tell the difference." Crumm held up a finger, indicating he would be absent for only a moment.

When he returned, he placed a sizable portion of Vhreen in front of Torilla. Crumm stood back and waited to gauge her reaction.

Torilla smiled. "Its been a while since I've had a big meal..."

"I hope you find it to your liking. I was able to learn one chef's interpretation of the dish, but as I understand it, Vhreen can be prepared in several ways." Crumm placed a fresh glass next to the plate and filled it with Bolian tonic water. He awaited the verdict. "Enjoy, Commander."

Torilla looked at the dish as she inhaled the scent, instantly her mouth began to water as she smiled, she gently lifted her spoon as she helped herself to a spoonful, she then closed her eyes as she savored the experience of having a rare dish she had not had in what was far far too long. "Mmm... wow... Yes.. just like the original article."

She lifted the glass and took a sip. "My compliments," she added but she left out where the compliments were going as she felt it would not do to insult the owner of the establishment. "I've not had this dish in far too long. My thanks."

Crumm clasped his hands in appreciation. "I'm am pleased you are enjoying it." He returned the PADD to the Commander and highlighted the desert section. "Please, make a selection. My treat!" He leaned in closely to Torilla and cupped his voice with the back of his hand. "And don't worry about my desserts affecting your figure. I've modified my replicators to reduce fat and calorie content without compromising flavor." He offered a wink and smile.

Yamaguchi smiled as she glanced over the dessert menu, she had not treated herself to a large desert in a very long time but then she never truly needed to worry about her figure much, nevertheless, she blushed a dark shade of brown. "Mmm... the Triton Sundae looks lovely... please and thank you."

Crumm retreated to his bank of replicators. He busily punched in the command and stood back as a shimmer of light emanated from the device. He returned to Torilla with a heaping helping of what could only be described as gluttonous decadence. "This is one of my favorites, Commander. It was a pleasant surprise when I first sampled it."

"Mmm..." Yamaguchi smiled as she regarded the Bolian before her as she looked at the desert. "That's going to take me a while to eat... fortunately. I skipped lunch..."

"Pace yourself," Crumm said with a giggle. "And don't feel the need to finish on my account. I will bear you no ill will if you were to throw in the towel. It is rather...massive."

Yamaguchi took in the sight of the larger than average desert as she smiled.
"Tell me... Mr. Crumm, do you have any Halanan deserts? by any chances..." but before he could answer, she lifted a spoon and took a bite.

Her face turned into a mask of bliss. "Mmmm...."

Crumm considered Torilla's query. He accessed the recesses of his memory and realized he had never sampled a dessert dish while on New Halanan. A wave of mild shame washed over him. "This is quite embarrassing, Commander. I'm afraid I do not have any desserts from your world." However, he was true to his word that he'd make any culinary absence disappear. "If you would be willing to assist, I would be very grateful if you could help expand my menu to include anything from your world that I might be missing. Especially the desserts."

Yamaguchi raised an eyebrow as she regarded him. "Well... I tell you what I can do... since you are a respectable business owner and you are honest... which I find very refreshing by the way. I'll provide you with some recipes from my world... trouble is... you'll be charging your customers for the food."

"Yes, that is correct." Crumm's expression changed slightly as he regarded the Commander's statement and attempted to gauge the turn the conversation had just taken.

"I will want to be paid for the recipes... Those you decide to use and because you are honest, I won't charge you for my time...but I will charge you for the recipe's... including one that I modified from an old german dish called Baumkuchen..." she explained.

Crumm considered Torilla's offer and, while not at all inappropriate, it was unexpected. He figured a Ferengi to drive a hard bargain, but not a Starfleet Officer. Still, she was in the right in her request as Crumm did serve to profit from this arrangement. "You have yourself a deal, Commander. I can only assume you are equally honest and will charge me fairly." Crumm smiled as a deal was on the verge of being sealed. He extended his hand for a shake while preparing a PADD with another. Business opportunities never wait after all.

"Of course," she responded with a smile as she shook his hand while managing to avoid the Triton Sundae. "Besides.. nobody else has a dessert list as you do," she added. "I'll bring the list by tomorrow when I get off watch.."

"I appreciate your assistance, Commander. In addition to your fee, I'll be sure any recipes you submit are available to you free of charge." Crumm was pleased this was to be a mutually beneficial arrangement and had no problems throwing in a little extra.

Yamaguchi smiled, this was turning into a very good night. "Excellent," she responded with a cheerful smile as she turned her attention to the desert before her, as she lifted her spoon she decided to finish eating her food before it melted away to nothing.