Dinner With The Captain Part 2
Posted on Sat Sep 10, 2016 @ 1:21am by Commodore Michael Aravan & 2nd Lieutenant Gage Aravan & Danielle Mercursi-Mallory & Captain Madelina Weisz & Lieutenant Martha Cusack & Lieutenant Commander Alex Rho & Master Chief Petty Officer Thomas Barnes & Lieutenant JG Lucia Cusack & Spencer Aravan & Piper Aravan & Elsie Cusack
Mission:
An Orion to Die For
Location: The Black Hole
Timeline: MD 1 || 1830 Hours
As he and Danielle mingled, Douglas watched the others arrive, noted whom they 'clumped' with, and considered what those interactions said about those involved in them. Having noticed the Tactical Chief enter with another lady and a younger lady, he frowned in thought. His mind immediately re-played her Dossier for him, and he nodded to himself. He did note that they looked... uncomfortable?... and decided to say hello.
Excusing himself to let Danielle mingle where she would, he moved to where Ms. Cusack sat and smiled. "Good evening, ladies." he greeted. Since he and Martha had met earlier, he added, "It's nice to see you again, Lieutenant." He avoided using her name as that would imply a familiarity they did not have, or rather one that he had not been given permission to use. "These lovely ladies must be your family."
"Evening Lieutenant - and likewise. This is my wife Lucia and our daughter Elsie. If you wish now we're off duty...my name's Martha" Martha replied with a smile.
Lucia smiled. "Oh so you're my boss? Nice to meet you"
"Good evening" Elsie said with a smile.
Douglas smiled. "Guilty as charged." he answered. "Douglas Mallory, at your service. And it's a pleasure to meet both of you." His dark eyes having touched both the wife and daughter as he said that last, now turned to Martha. "I'd reciprocate the introduction by introducing my wife, but she's" he looked over his shoulder, spotted Danielle talking to someone, smiled and motioned a bit "over there, mingling." Turning back, he smiled once more. "How are you two enjoying the ship so far?" he asked Lucia and Elsie.
Elsie was enjoying herself so far. She had already made some friends aboard the Triumphant - she didn't have many on the Nogura so that was a positive change for her.
"I love it here. I've already got a job and some friends." Elsie replied.
Lucia smiled. "Well...our quarters are bigger...and the ship's a lot bigger too. I think I'm going to like it here."
Douglas smiled his normal, warm smile. "I'm glad to hear it, ladies." His eyes held on Elsie for a moment. "A job??" he asked, curious as to what the young woman would be doing. After all, he would be working closely with her mothers; he supposed he should know a bit more about her as well.
Elsie nodded excitedly. She was enjoying the evening so far - although she was prepared to step up and help out if any extra pairs of hands. There were a lot of people present so she was expecting it to potentially be the case she'd be helping.
"Yeah - I'll be working in here. I can't wait!" Elsie replied.
Danielle made her way over to her husband and smiled. "Who are your new friends, Douglas?" she asked him.
Douglas smiled at Elsie; he could hear and see the excitement. "Well, congratulations, Elsie." As Danielle approached, he turned and looked at her, his smile changing as he did. "Ah, hello, Love." he greeted. "This is Lieutenant Martha Cusack, the Chief of Tactical. I will be working with her. And this is her wife, Lucia, and their daughter, Elsie." He turned to the Cusacks. "Ladies, this is my lovely wife, Danielle." As she came alongside of him, he reached out and circled one arm about her waist.
Danielle smiled at the others. "A pleasure," she said. "If I didn't encourage Douglas to mingle, he'd be found hiding behind a PADD."
Douglas gave Danielle a playfully indignant look. "I would not!" he protested in the same playfully indignant tone. "She exaggerates." he told the ladies, eyes glittering with the playful banter. He liked this; it was one of the many things that had attracted him to Danielle in the first place, the ability to give and take with him.
Martha looked at the happy couple before smiling and standing up to greet Danielle properly. She didn't feel it was good manners to stay sat down and greet somebody who was stood up.
"Likewise" Martha replied.
Lucia and Elsie both smiled at the Chief of Security's wife. It was nice to see there were quite a few married couples and also other families on the Triumphant.
Lukiz had never been one to mingle with people, finding it hard to make friends and trust people ever since the incident on the Nogura with Hunter and his traitors. Friends had quickly become enemies and that had hurt him - a lot. But he had to at least try, didn't he? The Trill downed the remains of his beverage and requested another before wandering off.
He soon spied Martha Cusack and decided to head over, lingering nearby to make it look like he was involved and ready to chat should they decide to include him. The poor soul found it very awkward these days. Unusual for a Trill.
Martha caught sight of a familiar face out of the corner of her eye. With one free seat spare she felt she should invite her Trill colleague (and former colleague) over to join them.
"Lieutenant - want to come and join us?" Martha asked.
"Um, yeah..." the Trill smiled sheepishly as he took the offered seat. "Thanks," he nodded at the Lieutenant before looking around at those in attendance. He recognized Lucia and assumed the other woman was the pairs daughter. He also recognized the ships Chief of Security. "So... my assistant nearly blew up our slipstream drive earlier..." he dropped out randomly, making conversation.
Martha giggled at Lukiz's random attempt to make conversation whilst Lucia looked over at him with a 'do I know you?' look. To confirm Martha's wife decided to ask him.
"Where do I know you from?" Lucia asked.
"Nogura," Lukiz smiled as he took a sip of his drink. "Left just after the Hunter incident," he told as he recalled the exact same conversation with Martha earlier in the day.
As soon as he said Lucia knew exactly who he was. It was Lukiz Smyth who had served in both Operations and Engineering during his time on the Nogura.
Lucia nodded. "Ah yes of course - how could I forget? It's nice to see you again"
The waiters and waitresses began to approach the tables with PADDs in their hands to take orders while Michael went to the head table and looked at his senior officers mingle and chat with each other. It felt odd to be socializing with them, but he had to get their trust and respect other than to command it. He glanced to the old fashioned clock set to ship time on the wall, then looked towards the door to see if his wife had arrived yet.
Glancing briefly at the Captain, Lukiz smiled before confirming his order with the waiter. A well cooked steak with a cheesy jacket potato and a side order of zucchini. He loved Earth food.
Martha opted for a chicken curry with rice with a side of naan bread and bombay potatoes whilst Lucia went for a carbonara and some garlic bread. Elsie decided on having a pizza with some chips. The three women all had different tastes in cuisine - which made things quite interesting in the Cusack family quarters when it was time to decide what to eat.
Alex's mingling had consisted of a few nods, some smiles, and even a few brief introductions here and there, but not much else. He had managed to find his way to the main table earlier and took a seat that suited him. Unfortunately, the Intelligence Chief had to sacrifice one thing for the rest to work. The chair on the corner left his back exposed to the open room. A shiver ran down his spine and he visibly shook as he remembered what happened to a Farian man who had sat at a table with his back exposed. Even though no one at the Captain's dinner would try to kill him, he hoped, he still lowered his mental shields enough to catch someone sneaking up behind. And it paid off. Alex held up a hand as he sensed someone, possibly the waiter since they were making their rounds, come up. "I'll have a steak, just barely medium rare. And a cup of black coffee," he stated simply.
"I'll take a steak, medium rare, with crushed new potatoes, and a side of peas. Small knob of butter as well please." James said, smiling. "Chicken caesar salad for my wife, with ranch dressing. And three orders of chicken breasts stuffed with cheese and garlic, with leaf green salads." James ordered for his family. They had spoken before they had left, because he wanted to make sure they were happy.
Douglas let Danielle order first, then placed his own order. Marai food was out given that no one here knew how to cook it that he knew of, so he opted for a medium well steak and a loaded baked potato with some mixed vegetables on the side. With the meal, he elected for a non-alcoholic beverage, raspberry iced tea, something he had learned to like while on Earth.
Tom, now with a Silven Surprise in hand, placed his order as he passed the waiter. Just as he finished, he spotted the woman he encountered in the corridor earlier and approached her. "Lieutenant Cusack!" Tom said with a smile, greeting the Tactical Chief. "It's good to see you again. How are the new quarters working out?"
Martha looked up at the familiar voice she heard calling out her name - sure enough it was Thomas Barnes who she had randomly met in the corridor earlier that day. Martha thought was nice to see him again.
Martha smiled. "They're great thank you Chief - everything's just as we hoped. Here's my family - Lucia my wife and our daughter Elsie."
"A pleasure to meet you both," he greeted them, nodding his head rather than extending a friendly hand. He still had several others in the room to greet, so he wouldn't stay long. "Let me know if there's anything else you need for your quarters, and I'll get it taken care of." WIth a smile and another nod, Tom dismissed himself so he could mingle with the other officers.
After a bit, Michael sat down at the table he had been standing by and went to tap his combadge, only to realize he hadn't brought it with him. He could use the terminal by the bar to contact Spencer, but figured she had gotten distracted by the kids and wouldn't be coming. When a waitress approached him, he ordered a Warp Core Breach and declined to get anything to eat. So far, no one had approached him and he was disappointed, but often times, the Captain of a ship was unapproachable.
When he got the smoky bowl, he took a large drink of the potent mixture of liquors and sat back to wonder if this had been a good idea or not. The rest of the senior officers were mingling with each other, which was a good thing and he was content to see that they were taking the time to get to know each other. He felt the warmth of the drink flow down his throat and spread out once it hit his empty stomach and closed his eyes to enjoy it for the time being.
Lucy smiled as she saw the Captain sitting alone, and made her way over to him. "Captain Aravan? Lucy Racktor. I wanted to meet you, and introduce myself." She said.
"Please, call me Michael," the Captain said. "I'm sorry I didn't get a chance to speak more with you earlier. How are you liking the ship so far?"
"Thank you, Michael." She replied. "So far, I'm liking it very much. It's a very large ship, and very comfortable as well. I hope to see much more of it over the coming weeks, of course. I also wanted to offer my services if needed; I've always been a mother of sorts of the Roughnecks. They're a good group. I know my James was very impressed with your brother, Gage. Not that he tells me, but I know these things."
"Your services?" Michael asked, wondering what the Marine's wife was offering.
"Partly as a Liaison between marines and Starfleet, if needs be, and also as a civilian counselor. I'm fully qualified, and I like to help people. It's something that's just built into who I am, I guess." Lucy explained.
"We could always use another counselor," Michael said. "With fifteen hundred civilians on the ship and another two thousand officers, our counseling department often finds itself swamped. Send your qualifications to my Executive Officer, Commander Weisz and I'll authorize it."
Lucy nodded. "Thank you Captain. I must confess, I am grateful for the chance to be of more use to the ship. I love being a Marine's Wife, and a mother, but sometimes, I need more, if that makes sense?"
"It does," Michael said. "I couldn't see myself sitting idle. I think you'll find yourself with your hands full on the ship."
Spencer knew she was late, but trying to get the blonde haired, blue eyed baby in her arms awake was harder than she'd thought it would be. Now she found herself hoping her husband wouldn't be too upset for being more than fashionably late as she'd hoped to be. The former Commander was dressed casually in a pair of jeans, a white t-shirt, black blazer and a pair of black heels on her feet. Pausing just inside the doors of The Black Hole, she looked around to search for the very familiar faces of her family.
Michael spotted his wife enter with their son a moment later and held up and arm to wave to her. "Lucy, this is my wife Spencer and our son Michael Junior," he said.
Spencer spotted him just before he began to wave her over and smiled, making her way in that direction. When she closed the distance, she lowered her head to press a kiss to her husband's cheek, then smiled at him. "I know I'm late, and I'm sorry." she said before she looked to Lucy. "Hello, Lucy. It's nice to meet you."
"It's a pleasure, Spencer. I've been looking forward to meeting you, discuss how our husbands are so dedicated to their jobs and so on. My husband is the new Marine CO aboard." She said, holding out her hand to Spencer.
"I'm the former Executive Officer of the ship, and was just as dedicated to the job as my husband is. I retired early for medical reasons sadly, and there's not a day that goes by lately that I don't miss it," the blonde haired woman admitted. "But, what's done is done, and my health is more important." She pushed that line of thought out of her mind entirely. "How do you like the Triumphant so far? Are you having trouble finding your way around?"
"So far, not so much. I haven't been able to see much of the ship, what with getting the kids settled." Lucy said. "I can understand missing the job. Before I met James, I was a cook, and a trainee counselor. I've since taken full qualifications, but never practiced full time, mostly because the opportunity never arose. Travelling with the Roughnecks has been...busy."
"For me, it's been non-stop since I joined the Academy, which is where I met Michael. He was a couple years ahead of me, though. Aside from graduating, meeting him was the best thing that's happened to me," Spencer said with a smile as she settled down next to her husband, then she took note of what he was drinking. "Don't plan on being conscious very long, do you?"
Michael smiled and looked at his drink. "It's okay," he said. "I'm off duty and I took a hypospray of detox before I came so I could drink and mingle at the same time."
"Smart, and that pleases me. I'm not too keep on the idea of having to drag you back to our quarters and try to get you into bed. We've been down that road before before you were made a Captain. I still have flashbacks," Spencer said with a laugh.
Douglas had been so engrossed in ensuring that he did not present the impression of being aloof and unapproachable as some Security Chiefs tended to be that he had failed to notice that he had not greeted their host. Dekotah would have smacked him in the head for such an oversight! Come to think of it, so would his mother! He glanced at Danielle and then the others. "Ladies, would you please excuse my wife and I? We have not yet greeted the host."
"He's going to forget his head next," Danielle said with a wink at the ladies.
"Of course. Lovely to meet you - hope we can catch up again at some point" Martha replied with a smile.
Lucia and Elsie both giggled at Danielle's comment although Martha's more restrained sense of humour meant she didn't find it as funny as her wife and daughter.
After excusing themselves from the Cusack family, Douglas led his wife over to where the captain and his wife sat. Stopping before them, he smiled. "Good evening, Captain, Ma'am." he greeted. "I apologize that we haven't come over sooner, but may I introduce my wife Danielle." He then did the reverse, giving Danielle their names.
Michael smiled at his Chief of Security and his wife. "A pleasure," he said. "As we're off duty, call me Michael. This is my wife, Spencer."
"It's a pleasure to meet you both," Danielle said. "It's rare that a Captain has dinner with his senior staff." She cast a glance at her husband and back again.
The door to the kitchen swung open with enough force to cause it to bang into the wall behind it, but there wasn't a sign of anyone moving through it... at least not right away. From around the bar, a little girl appeared wearing a frilly red dress with her jet black curly locks pulled up into pigtails. She stopped and allowed her crystal blue eyes to look over all those present. The toddler had attended these types of functions before, but never had she been allowed to run amok like she was about to. No, her parents normally kept her on a very short leash. Not tonight, though. Tonight... she was going mingle among the grown ups.
From where she stood, she noticed someone who interested her. Ava let out a laugh and ran toward the man. She came to a halt by the Intel Chief and settled down on his foot, then wrapped her arms around his leg. "Walk!" she giggled, hooking her legs together.
Alex had been keeping his mind open to the emotions around him since he had sat down. It started out mainly for personal protection reasons, but he had begun to enjoy the happy, relaxed feelings. He had taken a drink of his coffee and was setting the cup back down when he felt some unusual emotions coming towards him. He smiled as the only way he could describe it would be joy, excitement, and freedom all hopped up on five cups of espresso. The Intel Chief looked around, but didn't see anyone. Then he felt a weight on his foot and two little arms around his leg. He looked down and laughed. "Well, little one, it's not too many people that can sneak up on me. Congratulations." He scooted his chair back and looked down at the toddler. "Walk, huh. Where would you like to go?" he asked standing.
Ava beamed up at him and held on tight. "Dis way," she said, pointing toward the dance floor. There wasn't anyone out there presently, but the music was going. "We dance, 'kay?"
Alex started laughing. "I'm not much of a dancer. Besides, I don't even know your name. What do your parents call you?" He thought it best to try to learn who the raven haired little bundle energy belonged to first.
"Dat way," Ava said, pointing to the table her parents, the Captain and a blonde haired woman, were settled at with a couple other people.
Alex looked to where she was pointing. The Captain, he thought. "Well, far be it from me to dance with a young lady without asking her father first." He smiled down at Ava. "Do you want to stay where you are or do you want to walk beside me?" he asked.
Ava got up from Alex's foot, poking her tongue out as she concentrated to keep from falling, then turned toward the table her parents were settled at. She looked as though she was bracing herself for something, then leaned out. "Daddy!" the little girl bellowed, trying to get his attention from where she stood with Alex. "You... c'mere!"
Michael heard the sound of his daughter bellowing and excused himself as he stood up to look for the little girl. He spotted the Intelligence Chief looking down at something and headed his way until he was close enough to see Ava clinging to the man's leg. "Ava Paige, what are you doing clinging to Mister Rho's leg?"
Alex laughed. "It's okay, Captain. She isn't doing any harm. She ran over, took a seat on my foot, and wanted to go dance. I thought it best to find her parents. Only, I didn't realize it was you." Alex reached down to pick up Ava. "Ava, is it now? Well, I'm glad to have met you. But I think you're mommy and daddy might rather have you with them." Alex handed the toddler to the Captain.
As much as the little girl adored her father, she didn't want to go to him. She wanted to mingle like the adults were doing, and being in her father's arms meant the party would be over. She leaned away from Michael and toward Alex. "No, Daddy! Ava's stayin'. You play wif Mikey now."
Michael laughed and looked at Rho. "You wouldn't mind a dance with her, would you Mister Rho?" he asked as he shook his head. "She's always favored Intel types. She has a little stuffed weasel named Spooky, too."
"No, not all, Captain. And please, call me Alex," he said. He brought Ava back to his side, resting her on his hip. "So you like Intel and even have your own little Spooky, huh? I like Intel, too. I think you and I will get along just great. So, shall we dance?"
"Okay, Alex. Call me Michael," the Captain. "Ava, be nice to Mister Alex, okay?"
"'kay, Daddy." Ava said, smiling at Alex. "Spooky is home sleepin' like a good Spooky."
"Michael it is then, sir. Uh," he said, catching himself, "Michael." Alex laughed at his mistake and turned to Ava. "That's something, Spooky going to bed before you. I bet you usually go to bed at the same time." He turned his gaze back to Michael. "I'll make sure she's just fine, Michael. And I'm sure she'll be good."
Michael gave a laugh that could be considered evil by some and it could easily be imagined that he had a mustache and goatee with a gleam in in his eyes. "It's you I'm worried about Alex. I know she's in good hands...and I'm sure you are."
Alex looked sideways at Michael, "Very good, then...we're both in good hands." He nodded to the Captain and turned towards the dance floor. There was still no one there, despite the music playing. And it didn't matter. "Are you ready for a dance with a full grown Spooky?" Alex weaved his way through the crowds with Ava balanced on his hip.
"Yesh," the black haired, blue eyed little girl said as she nodded her head for emphasis. She wrapped a little arm around the back of his neck and allowed herself to be carried out to the dance floor. Ava had escaped from daycare on more than one occasion in the past... maybe she'd find a new way to make it happen in the future.
Alex could have stopped at the edge, but didn't. He could have stopped about five meters into it, but he didn't. He had decided to help the toddler make a fun memory of the evening she was allowed to hang out with the grown ups. So Alex walked out to the center of the dance floor. "Tell me, Ava, when you dance with daddy, does he hold you or does he let you stand on his feet?"
"The feets," the toddler replied, wiggling to get down.
"Okay then," he replied. Alex put the little girl down and let her step onto his feet. He held out his hands, palm up, so she could grab his fingers. "Ava, I want you to listen to the music. But not the music you can hear with your ears. This music isn't fit for our dance. Close your eyes and listen to the music in your mind as you think of a princess at a ball. That's good dancing music for a toddler."
Ava stepped up on Alex's feet and took hold of his fingers, then closed her eyes as instructed. She wasn't really going to be the one moving, though, and that was only because she couldn't control the much larger feet beneath her own.
From the table she was settled at, Spencer turned her attention to the dance floor and smiled. It seemed her little girl had no trouble making friends wherever she went. Since she was so young right now, though, there wasn't too much cause for concern, but as Ava got older, her mother would be more cautious about such things. Besides... there wasn't anywhere on the ship a person could hide to get away from her if her daughter ever got hurt.
Alex ended up closing his eyes, too, which may not have been the best thing to do. He heard music in his head alright, from several years ago. A memory crept in from that time and he could see her. Clearly. A smile tugged at the corner of his lips. Seconds later, he opened his eyes and locked the memory back where he kept it because he knew what would come next. Damned deep cover assignment!, he thought. He looked down at Ava and slowed to a stop. "I think it's time that we get you back to mommy and daddy. The food will be coming soon, anyway."
"'kay!" Ava said, gripping his finger and trying to tug him over to the table her parents were settled at.
Spencer smiled. "Looks like Ava's made herself a new friend."
Alex smiled and chuckled. "I guess I'm a full grown, real life Spooky. That's a great little girl you two have there."
"Thank you," Michael said. "She's obviously targeted you for special treatment, Alex. If I were you, I'd surrender now."
The Intel Chief laughed. "Targeted me, huh? Well, what kind of Intelligence officer would I be if I didn't put up a bit of a 'fight' before surrendering?" He smiled again, "Thank you for the opportunity to help her make a fun memory, Michael."
"You're welcome," the Captain said. "I may make these dinners a weekly thing. It seems to be going well and I like to see everyone interacting. You've also made my little girls night."
Alex turned to look around. "It does seem to be going well," he said. "The interaction would help the staff on several levels. And weekly dinners...that might be good. Time to wind down and such. Oh, and you're welcome. It was nothing really."
"It'll also take the stigma away from the Intel department if you're seen socializing," Michael pointed out. "For now, I'll let you get back to it." He looked at his daughter. "Is Mister Alex free to go, Ava?"
Ava turned her blue eyed gaze to her Dad, then looked back up at Alex before she climbed onto her mother's lap with a pout. "'kay," she said softly.
Spencer wrapped her arms around her daughter and looked up at Alex with a smile. "Thank you, Mister Rho. You enjoy the rest of your evening, and I'll keep her out of your hair."
"You're welcome, ma'am." He faced Michael. "Captain." And with a nod headed back to his table. He was right that it would take the stigma away from the Intelligence Department. But Alex wasn't sure if he really wanted that stigma gone. There was something to be said about living in the shadows. Arriving back to where he was before the dance, he sat down. The dance. He smiled. That dance. He shook his head, clearing out those old, dusty cobwebs, and waited for his slightly under medium rare steak.
Meanwhile, Tom had finished his mingling, and his cocktail. After returning to the bar for a refresh, he returned to the table he'd claimed earlier. His companion, the seemingly uncomfortable Executive Officer, was nowhere to be seen. While he'd hoped she would return, he knew dinner was about to be served, and he was certainly ready to eat.
Maddy, who was working on her second zombie, had done a little mingling of her own. She watched as Tom settled down once again, then found herself wondering if she should approach him a second time. Sadly, she chose not to simply because she felt her presence made him uncomfortable. It was likely for the best anyway. He wasn't the only one who felt that way around her, and he likely wouldn't be the last, either.
After all... the redhead had been burned twice in the past, both of which played a huge role in who she'd become now. Engaged to two men, years apart, only to have them both walk out on her before they could even set a date. It was time for her to face facts. She just wasn't meant to be involved with anyone outside of her uniform. Commander Madelina Weisz. That's who she was now, and that's who she was going to be for the rest of her life. She quickly finished off her second drink and grabbed a napkin, then reached for a pen. After quickly jotting down a note, she instructed one of the three waitresses working the event to bring it to the Captain before she made her way toward the exit.
Douglas noticed the Executive Officer leaving and wondered if he should try to talk to her. She looked as if she wanted to be left alone. Well, to him she looked more as if she was resigned to that state. ~Should one of us try talking to her?~ he asked, telepathically, indicating the Executive Officer with the same telepathy.
Danielle shook her head. "She probably has duties to take care of," she said. "You remember what you made your XO do in the past."
Tom looked up from his seat and saw that the red-headed XO was on her way out of the room. A look around told him no one else was leaving, much less considering leaving. No one was moving to intercept her, and if something were amiss, surely another department head would be close behind her.
No, something wasn't right. Tom rose from his chair and briskly walked, but did not run, to catch up to her. "Leaving so soon, Maddy?" he asked, trying out the woman's name. Commander still wanted to roll off his tongue, but he did manage to get her name out without stumbling.
When she heard her name being called, she immediately recognized who the voice belonged to. A momentary look of surprise crossed her features before she pushed them aside and turned to look toward Tom with a smile. "I am. I prefer more... solitary surroundings, and since I made an appearance, it's time for me to return to my quarters and spend some time going over mission details... or the lack of them. You should enjoy yourself, though. Dance, drink, eat until you feel like you're going to explode," she said, studying the man in front of her. "Or... you could skip all of that and come with me."
Tom looked back into the room. In terms of social preference, Tom would have preferred to stay. Something, however, drove him to chase down the Executive Officer, and he had to know why. Dinner would have to wait as well. "Only if you wouldn't mind the company," Tom said with a smile, realizing he still held a drink in his hand. He certainly wouldn't take it out into the corridor.
Maddy couldn't help but grin. She hadn't expected Tom to take her up on her offer, but now that he had, there would be little chance she'd let him back out. "If there's anyone you'd like to say goodbye to, or perhaps, grab your food to go, now would be the time to do it. You won't be returning for a while."
"What about your dinner?" Asked Thomas. "Did you order something?"
"I'll eat something later," the redhead assured him. She decided to give him one last out. It was up to him whether he took it or not. "You can stay and eat, then if you decide you still want to see what I've got in store for you... deck twenty-two, room zero-zero-one."
Tom sincerely wondered if she was trying to get rid of him. His trademark smile faltered just slightly, and his left eyebrow arched minutely while his mind calcuated his options. Finally, he said, "I think I'd like to go with you." The offered room number had nothing to do with his decision, rather it was her mysterious nature that drew him to her.
Maddy wasn't trying to get rid of him, but she was trying to offer him one last out. Now... it was too late for the Senior Chief. The redhead had woven her web, and captured her prey. "Oh, you can keep smiling, Tom. In fact... I don't think you'll stop smiling for quite some time." With that being said, she gave him a smile of her own and made her way out of The Black Hole, but not after gesturing for him to follow her.
And his smile morphed into a bit of an awkward one. Was he doing the right thing? He'd find out soon. Tom took that difficult step forward and followed the Executive Officer out of the room.
Soon the food, all real, fresh and succulent was served by the friendly wait staff of The Black Hole, the meals all large and served with a variety of sides. The sound of utensils and light conversations drifted out of the restaurant and the evening progressed until it the meal came to an end.
Michael came to his feet and raised his glass. "To everyone that attended, I thank you. I look forward to serving with every one of you now and in the future. To the Triumphant!"
