And We Danced (Masquerade Overflow!)

[thespaceopera]

The Captcha is upon us, but the party isn't over! Feel free to continue your threads here, start new ones, and continue the dance party!

- Original Mingle
- OOC Post

[[OOC: Wait for Sections! Sections are up! Feel free to use the section prompts or make your own! We'd also advise against just linking back to your original mingle post for the sake of players with slower computers.]]

Comments

[universal_charm]

<sub>[ He grins fiercely, taking his card and keeping his smile in place though he does not start with the best of hands. He might not have the best poker face when it comes to emotional situations, but poker he can handle. You didn't last long against the boys at the bar growing up if you didn't.

When it comes time to show, he is not the person with the least points, but neither is he the most. Not bad for a first round. ]</sub>

[dancingmd]

[Beverly, on the other hand, does terribly with her hand. She isn't quite in last place, but might as well be. She takes it all in stride, her expression remaining serene throughout the hand.]

That's one pancake for you I guess.

[universal_charm]

Don't worry. I'm sure you'll earn a few of your own soon enough.

_{[ He grinned brilliantly, obviously enjoying himself, but this was the sort of thing he excelled at - being social, playing games, flirting, making friends. ]}

[dancingmd]

[The dealer deals out the next hand and Beverly examines it carefully before choosing three to discard and pass on to the next player. She raises an eyebrow at Kirk.]

So what's your poison? Chocolate chip? Blueberry? Or are you a more a traditional man?

[universal_charm]

_{[ He takes them up and considers, choosing his own to discard. It was a worse hand then before, but he didn't think he would have the worst. Certainly nowhere near the best, but he didn't think he would get totally shaken down. ]}

You just can't beat a good buttermilk pancake with maple syrup. You only have to use that other stuff to hide the fact you can't do buttermilk right. They're like little flavor bandaids.

[dancingmd]

[Beverly laughs.]

Flavor bandaids, hmm? I can think of more than a few people that would take issue to that.

[She places one of her cards into the central pool to be tallied.]

Fortunately for you, I'm not one of them. If I'm being perfectly honest, I have shamefully simple tastes for someone who is supposed to be an explorer.

[universal_charm]

_{[ He laughed softly, setting his out, this time not winning much of anything, but he had not set out for that in the first place honestly. ]}

To be honest, I'm much the same. I like my fresh fruits and vegetables - and my pancakes. I guess... things as they come, you know?

[dancingmd]

Mmm.

[It makes her think of those breakfasts with Jean-Luc, how they both thought the other wanted complicated, exotic meals, when all they both wanted was coffee and croissants.]

I think...Sometimes I think there's an unspoken expectation of us, as members of Starfleet, that our tastes in every day life - food, fashion, music, whatever - always be reflective of our core as explorers. As if somehow wanting pancakes in the morning instead of Bolian soufflé makes you not as good of an officer.

[universal_charm]

_{[ He chuckled, running his thumb across his cards idly. ]}

Yeah, I think I know what you mean. I didn't grow up with anything fancy, and fancy and exotic doesn't mean good. Sometimes it's the simple, home-grown things that taste the best, really hit you where you need it.

Besides, at the end of the day, it's not the food I really remember - it's the people at the table.

[dancingmd]

[Didn't grow up with anything fancy - she won't ask, because she doubts he wants to talk about Tarsus any more than she wants to talk about Avarda, especially not in this situation, but she does wonder if this Kirk lived through that massacre as well or if the massacre even happened.]

I feel the same way. The people are what's most important.

[She doesn't really miss coffee and croissants in the morning, she misses Picard, just as she misses Deanna, not the chocolate fudge sundaes, or her grandmother, not vegetable soup.]

[universal_charm]

_{[ No, he did not. He had not talked about it in a long time, but what he meant in that moment was his uncle's farm. The man had not been wealthy, and that had never bothered him really. He had been fine with simplicity. It had been other things that made him sour on the experience. ]}

Good food is made better with good conversation, right?

[dancingmd]

Exactly.

[And with that, she's proclaimed the winner of this round and she gleefully points a finger at Kirk.]

And a pancake for me!

[universal_charm]

_{[ He clicked his tongue, but he didn't actually seem all that upset with the outcome. He just chuckled and made a hashmark in the air. ]}

One pancake to Bev. Think it's to early to invest in an apron?

[dancingmd]

Oh, I don’t see why not.

[Grin.]

[universal_charm]

My my, someone is confident. Or do you just want to see me in an apron?

[dancingmd]

Maybe. Captain Kirk in an apron is not something too many people get to see, you know.

[universal_charm]

Hmmm, so you just want a story to take back to your time, don't you? 'I remember this time I saw Captain Kirk in an apron!'. You'll get a few drinks out of that one, I'm sure.

[dancingmd]

If only I could have the holoimages to prove it! I’d be the talk of the Enterprise.

[universal_charm]

Maybe if you ask nicely and win enough points off me you can trade your pancakes for a picture.

[dancingmd]

[She laughs again.] Oh, pancakes for a picture? It’d be a good deal - if I could get the picture home with me.

[universal_charm]

We're Star Fleet. Our job is to solve problems, isn't it?

[dancingmd]

[She tilts her head, a small frown forming on her face.]

Not always, no. Though if I could bring photos from here... that would be nice. I don't want to forget.

[universal_charm]

_{[ He sighed, shaking his head slightly at that answer. He knew they didn't stick their noses in everything, but they were problem solvers, of a sort. He maintained, in his heart, that they were there not only to explore, but to help where they could. He knew the higher ups still disapproved of what he had done on Nibu, but he would never feel sorry for that no matter what they might say. ]}

Yes, it would be nice, wouldn't it? Especially since... well, there's no chance of us meeting outside of this, is there?

[dancingmd]

I wouldn't say no chance at all but... it's highly unlikely, yes.

[universal_charm]

_{[ He purses his lips slightly. ]}

I do hope I make it long enough to meet you in my universe.