The Way to a Blue Fish's Heart...

[theoniongirl]

Who: Blue Fish crew and visitors
Broadcast: Maybe some accidental, but not overall
Action: The Blue Fish kitchen
When: All Day, Feb. 7


[It had been a rough month for a lot of the Blue Fish crew. From blenders to family members and lost friends and blocked credits, they'd been soldiering on through a lot. And while Jilly was new enough to have skirted by most of the drama, she was keenly aware of the underlying stress of her crewmates. She wants to help.

Sometimes, though, words aren't enough...and so she sets about taking advantage of her augment to the best of her ability. For the past month she's been collecting recipes from the datary and experimenting with the supplies provided by the Atroma. And, in the days leading up to the 7th, she quietly recruits Beverly for a pair of extra hands with some Station grocery shopping and behind-the-scenes planning.

It's not announced, but on such a small ship it's hard to miss that something is going on that day. Forgoing her usual trip to the Station for job hunting and people watching, Jilly gets up extra early and sets the kitchen in motion. Recipes are taped up on the cabinets, ingredients are gathered, and so begins a marathon of food.]

[Between the combined forces of Jilly and Beverly, the two "cooks" for the Blue Fish will be setting out food all day as a bit of a much needed holiday for their crew (and any visitors who stop by). Volunteer as a taste-tester, grab food on the run, help clean dishes between baking bouts, or simply sit and relax with your crew mates. Food therapy is a go.]

Comments

[dancingmd]

Amanda...

[Amanda is long dead in Beverly's world but there she got to live a full and happy life with Sarek. And he... how devastated he must be, when it already ate at him so much that he never told her how he truly felt about her.]

I knew Sarek. And Ambassador Spock as well, but... I knew Sarek better, probably more than he ever would have wanted me to know, for I saw the depths of his pain, everything that Vulcans try so hard to control.

[universal_charm]

_{[ Kirk nodded quietly. ]}

I only saw a little, through a mind meld I shared with Old Spock, and I can't imagine what it must be like for them, having to star their entire race over. From updates we've gotten they're doing well though.

_{[ He looked to her, rubbing the back of his neck briefly. ]}

And that, Doctor, is why I hate time travel, among other things.

[dancingmd]

I don't know a Starfleet officer who doesn't, to be honest.

[Standing, she picks up the tricorder again and resumes her scanning.]

But it sounds as if you have suffered worse than most. I'm sorry for that.

[universal_charm]

_{[ He shook his head. ]}

Don't be. My life hasn't been easy, but it made me what I am. I'm sorry for what happened to Vulcan, for Pike's death, for the people that died because of Khan and Marcus, for the mistakes I made, but I wouldn't choose to be anything other than myself. So now all that's left is walking forward with my head high and being better than I was before.

_{[ His fists clench against his thighs for a moment before he relaxes them. ]}

Hope I just live up to your expectations of Jim Kirk.

[dancingmd]

You don't have to. You're not him, you're you, and you have your own triumphs and failures and life to live. Whatever expectations I have, they're my problem, not yours.

[Not so big on the destiny, this one. Besides, selfishly, she's simply relieved to have another member of the Federation here, even if he is from a parallel universe.]

[universal_charm]

_{[ He smiles at her gratefully for that, as selfishly happy as she is to have someone else from the Fleet to talk to, even if they might be separated by realities and years. It was a little bit of home, and that was all that mattered. ]}

So, tell me what it's like in the future - how far have you guys gotten out in the universe?

[dancingmd]

Well, the Federation itself is about 8,000 light years across, with over 150 member planets. We have made contact with the Gamma Quadrant and since I've been serving on the Enterprise we've made perhaps... twenty-five first contacts.

[universal_charm]

_{[ There's a moment as he imagines those new figures, a please smile curling his lips. The Federation would certainly make strides, wouldn't it? That he would be helping it reach that expanse, well... it filled him with a sense of pride. ]}

Sounds like you and yours have been doing good work then. Though I should count myself lucky to have you aboard here. I had to admit, it's... easier with someone Fleet here, even if we don't come from the same time-frame.

[dancingmd]

Don't I know it. I haven't seen another Starfleet officer in over six months and Julian... Dr. Bashir was only here for a couple of months. Otherwise, there hasn't been anyone else. So selfish as it might be, I was very pleased to see you.

[universal_charm]

_{[ He almost winced when she told him that. He couldn't imagine being away from anyone he knew - really knew - for that long. But the way it sounded he might be in for that kind of long haul. But, as they had both just said, they weren't quite all alone anymore. There were shared experiences between them, even years apart, and it was enough. ]}

All right, doctor, how am I looking?

_{[ Bring it back around before they got weepy on each other. ]}

And before you prescribe anything, I should probably mention I have allergies.

_{[ A lot of them. He knew it had to be an endless headache for Bones that his Captain couldn't be treated with a fair number of medicines. ]}

[dancingmd]

[Yes. Feelings, we can avoid those for now.]

You're perfectly healthy, no side effects from the... implant.

[Augment seems particularly not a good thing to say in this case.]

But for future reference, what sort of allergies? I presume you mean to certain medications?

[universal_charm]

_{[ He's thankful for the tactful response. Seems Beverely has a somewhat better beside manner than Bones - or maybe that's just when he's with him. ]}

A lot of medication, actually. My, ah... transfusion unfortunately did not take care of that particular part of my physiology.

[dancingmd]

[Beverly nods, then looks around for a moment. Ah! Here we are! She picks up a pad of paper and a pen and hands them to Kirk.]

Maybe it'll just be easiest then if you would write them all down for me?

[universal_charm]

_{[ He takes it and recalls a familiar dance he had gone through with his own ship's doctor. Though he doubted she had the skills of Beverely, it was nice to have back ups, just in case. ]}

It's going to be quite the list, and I'm not sure Bones has managed to test them all. From what I've experienced, it's safe to assume I'll suffer some kind of side-effect from anything you give me that isn't pretty generic.

[dancingmd]

We'll figure something out. I've been collecting medicinal plants as we've gone along, so we can test those, see if we can't work out alternatives for you.

[universal_charm]

Mmm, maybe. Who knows, right? Thankfully, I haven't really required much medicine since... everything happened. But better to be prepared since we never know what we'll meet out there.

_{[ He gives her a charming, lop-sided grin, exuberant at the prospect of seeing new sights even if it wasn't exactly the way he thought he would. ]}

[dancingmd]

[She grins back. The truth of the matter is, if she hadn’t been forcibly brought here, and if she knew she would definitely return home one day, she’d be utterly thrilled by the opportunities out here for exploration. So to see someone else who is excited by the potential for discovery is wonderful.]

I’m glad to see you haven’t lost your sense of adventure at least.

[universal_charm]

_{[ Sure they had been forced her, but he liked to look at the silver linings when he could find them. Thinking to much on the more dour aspects wouldn't help any, and as was the job of any captain - well, he couldn't panic and had to keep the morale up. Maybe it was only for himself now, but right now that was almost all that mattered. ]}

It's going to take more than a little kidnapping to knock that out of me. I'd be a poor excuse for a Star Fleet captain if it did.

[dancingmd]

It'll certainly make for an interesting report when we return. Can't say I've heard of anyone getting put on an intergalactic reality television show before.

[universal_charm]

_{[ He groaned. ]}

Right, I keep forgetting about that.

_{[ He hates writing reports. Can you tell, Bev? He snorted, though, shaking his head. ]}

Odds are they don't even believe me, or if they do I spend the next since months in a debriefing.

_{[ He says it like he's been through it far to recently to want to go back through it again. ]}

[dancingmd]

[Beverly is a little surprised at that - it's never crossed her mind that she wouldn't be believed. Maybe not by higher ups, but by Jean-Luc would certainly take her account seriously. After all, he lived a whole lifetime in another world without the crew realizing it.

Though... She hopes it doesn't come to that, for her.]

You'd be amazed, at the seemingly impossible things Starfleet command has to learn to accept.

[universal_charm]

_{[ Oh the brass as had to swallow a lot. A planet disappearing. Marcus betraying them. Khan playing them. Smoothing over the fact a secret Star Fleet militarized ship crashed into and destroyed part of San Francisco and killed thousands. But somehow he didn't see them accepting the idea he was kidnapped for a reality show. It was just that one step to far that would make them balk and toss him off. ]}

Somehow, I don't think they'll swallow "kidnapped for a reality show".

[dancingmd]

[Oh Kirk. You have so many absurd things in store for you.]

Well, they accepted when my captain was transplanted to Sherwood Forest, turned into Robin Hood with rest of the senior staff becoming his Merry Men and we had to rescue Maid Marian before we could go home. This is hardly more ridiculous sounding than that.

[universal_charm]

_{[ That's not as comforting as you think, Beverely. He's had more than enough already as far as he's concerned. But maybe if they're the fun kind of absurd, and maybe the beautiful/handsome kind...}

_{He blinked at her for a second, not sure if he had heard right before he burst out laughing at the imagery. He substituted Pike for her captain, having never seen him, and him and his own crew for the men, but still... ]}

I have a feeling, though, that I'm the one who paves the way for the admiralty to just accept that and move on.

..Did they have to wear tights?

[dancingmd]

[Grinning:] Tights, tunics, feathers in our caps, the whole nine yards.