S3 - M4: Revival

[Eli Ferris]

< Katra Station / Promenade >

Sirol gave Zex a calm nod and looked over to the seafood table.
To her, - someone who originated from a planet with no oceans per se, and no naturally occurring liquid water in general - pretty much anything maritime always felt oddly exotic - the food included.
Sirol could not remember ever having tried a larger variety of seafood - not even during her periods on Romulus - therefore she was quite curious and eager to expand her taste palette.

"œWe do not have a deadline, correct?"
She was almost certain the answer would be "˜no', but then again, this was her first Federation ceremony, so she was mentally prepared for surprises.
"œWe could try some of the rich foods in the same manner: Collections of little portion sizes, and then wait a little bit until we have more space and appetite for dessert.
By that we could try as much as possible"¦"

Sie looked at the empty plate in her hands, then at Zex again, giving her a friendly, inviting gesture, quietly encouraging her to pick what she would deem interesting first.

As she heard the familiar voice, Sirol turned around and spotted Lieutenant Ferris.
Curious how causality had them never meet one another during the last months, and today it was already the second time for them to cross paths.
"œJolan Tru, Lieutenant." She returned his greeting in a polite manner, accompanied by a little bow towards him.
There was something about him that felt almost even out of place; in a way she had noticed before... During the speech"¦
She could not yet pinpoint it, but the subtle aura of his mood almost even felt like a low level gravity source, pulling her perception in...

Tilting her head, the scientist looked forth and back between him and Ensign Zex, then down onto the table in front of her.
"œI do not know the names of most of these yet"¦
But as for "˜looking good', I think, these ones here certainly stick out to me"¦"
She pointed at an arrangement of Narutomaki slices, which - with their distinct flower shape and spiral pattern - were the most unique looking food item Sirol spotted among the seafoods.
And the unique and outstanding was both, her vocation and an open challenge alike...
"œ...How about you?" She then added, assuming him as a long(er) term resident most likely to be more familiar with most of those specialties.

"I do well enough, thank you for asking " Eli glanced between the two officers with a smile that almost reached his eyes. He knew Zex and was feeling open to expanding his social circle. It wouldn't do to be consumed with work despite the mounting list of tasks.

"I am always open to trying new foods. I tend to be a little bit more adventurous at least when it comes to my palette." He glanced towards the table as Zex was offering her opinion.

[Promenade - Zex]

"Oh, hay, Eli" she said to the Chief FCO.  "I'm like sweets.  So I think I will like the most" she said.

"Sirol and I, though, are sampling everything first.  A bite of this a bite of that.  The trial and error method" she added with a smile.

"Do you want to join us in our quest?  A 3rd person actually with help us decide which way to go if there is disagreement in our tastes.  What do you think?" the Deltan asked, looking from Sirol to Eli.

"I do enjoy sweets as well. I like a lot of chocolate myself. And I think a little bit of this or that sounds like a prime adventure, as long as it is finished up with something sweet."

< Katra Station / Promenade >

At Zex's remark that she liked sweets, Sirol internally smirked.
She had noticed the Diplomatics Officers fondness of sweets during their first meeting in the Brauhaus Gamma already, and seeing her relishing these sorts of tastes was both, exotic and insightful to the scientist.
As someone who was mostly used to rich and spicy flavours, Sirol appreciated Zex's preferences, as they meant that Sirol could lean about many new flavours through Zex.

Towards Zex's invite towards Lieutenant Ferris, Sirol mirrored Zex's smile, and once more nodded towards him.
"œI second that. Maybe you have some recommendations for us?"
Or maybe you would just like to sit with us? She internally added, wondering as to what was going in within him.
She paused for a moment, then looked at Zex again, and almost even squeezed out a smirk.
"œMaybe we could expose him to Strawberry Milkshake in return, what do you think?"

Eli was grateful for the invite. "Thank you, yes. I will join you on the adventure of flavor." He looked across the table, and took in the various scents and sights of the spread. "I prefer some more spicy elements. I also tend to blend things together." He picked up a plate and brought some grilled meatballs, infused with cheese from the smell, with a sauce, possibly barbecue sauce, slightly warm.

"Something like this. What else?"

[Kirok]

[Promenade - Zex]

The Deltan put on a mock sad face.  "I though the strawberry milkshakes was our thing.  But I do love chocolate.  Perhaps the two could be combined some how" she suggested.

"It that a Swedish meatball?   That's the only name of meatball I know.  How does it taste?" the Deltan asked curiously.

[Sirol]

< Katra Station / Promenade >

Eli was grateful for the invite. "Thank you, yes. I will join you on the adventure of flavor." He looked across the table, and took in the various scents and sights of the spread. "I prefer some more spicy elements. I also tend to blend things together." He picked up a plate and brought some grilled meatballs, infused with cheese from the smell, with a sauce, possibly barbecue sauce, slightly warm.

"Something like this. What else?"

Sirol's eyes followed his gaze as he was metaphorically scanning the food items for something to his liking.
As he seemingly found something suitable, she nodded and looked at the item he picked.
She herself was a person of spicy flavours too - to say the least.
After all, the cuisine of her home region on Remus had been rumoured to burn off tongues of unsuspecting foreigners"¦

"œThat smells"¦ Pleasing"¦
What is the name of this specialty?"

[Promenade - Zex]

The Deltan put on a mock sad face.  "I though the strawberry milkshakes was our thing.  But I do love chocolate.  Perhaps the two could be combined some how" she suggested.

"It that a Swedish meatball?   That's the only name of meatball I know.  How does it taste?" the Deltan asked curiously.

As Zex mentioned the term "˜our thing', a second of mixed feelings ran through her mind. Our thing indicated a certain level of familiarity - like "˜insider' things friends shared"¦ A concept Sirol actually liked"¦ Having friends to share designated preferences with"¦
Her reaction though startled the scientist for a moment.
Sirol did not immediately pick up on the joke; trusting her eyes more than her innate instincts, and interpreting Zex's face as genuine sadness.

Slightly confused and a tad worried she looked at the other.
"œI"¦ Apologise"¦
I was not aware we had"¦ Our own food item"¦"
Sirol gave Zex an apologetic look, then tilted her head at the Diplomatics Officer, willing to instead try out chocolate as a substitute.

[Eli Ferris]

[Promenade - Zex]

The Deltan put on a mock sad face.  "I though the strawberry milkshakes was our thing.  But I do love chocolate.  Perhaps the two could be combined some how" she suggested.

"It that a Swedish meatball?   That's the only name of meatball I know.  How does it taste?" the Deltan asked curiously.

"A chocolate meatball?" Eli cocked an eyebrow towards Zex, both intrigued and uncertain. He certainly had his odd flavor combinations, chocolate and potato crisps among them. He preferred a mix of savory and sweet and found that BBQ sauce from some of Earth's regions could blend meats in a beautiful layered taste.

"I suppose, though I prefer a more savory sauce with the meat. The North American region of Earth has a nice variety of barbeque sauces. But, I always like adding my own seasoning."

< Katra Station / Promenade >

Sirol's eyes followed his gaze as he was metaphorically scanning the food items for something to his liking.
As he seemingly found something suitable, she nodded and looked at the item he picked.
She herself was a person of spicy flavours too - to say the least.
After all, the cuisine of her home region on Remus had been rumoured to burn off tongues of unsuspecting foreigners"¦

"œThat smells"¦ Pleasing"¦
What is the name of this specialty?"

As Zex mentioned the term "˜our thing', a second of mixed feelings ran through her mind. Our thing indicated a certain level of familiarity - like "˜insider' things friends shared"¦ A concept Sirol actually liked"¦ Having friends to share designated preferences with"¦
Her reaction though startled the scientist for a moment.
Sirol did not immediately pick up on the joke; trusting her eyes more than her innate instincts, and interpreting Zex's face as genuine sadness.

Slightly confused and a tad worried she looked at the other.
"œI"¦ Apologise"¦
I was not aware we had"¦ Our own food item"¦"
Sirol gave Zex an apologetic look, then tilted her head at the Diplomatics Officer, willing to instead try out chocolate as a substitute.

"These are barbecue meatballs, though you can find any number of sauces in the databases of Earth dishes. It is a very long list, even with the fragmented records."

He gave a knowing smile to Sirol. "I have spent far to long trying to sort out the perfect combination with chocolate and other dishes. I have found that chocolate and strawberry combine well together."

[Kirok]

[Promenade - Zex]

Zex sampled all of the various types of food.  "Mmm.  There all good" she said.  But then he com badge buzzed and her services were requested.  "Sorry, duty calls" she said before leaving the small group.

[Sirol]

< Katra Station / Promenade >

At the mention of a chocolate Meatball and Lieutenant Ferris' reaction, Sirol raised one eyebrow. After all, on many occasions, different; complementary tastes tended to go really well with one another, so Sirol would not easily dismiss the chance to try it...
"œConsidering the variety of sweet/spicy menus, or even sweet/sour, I would certainly be willing to give it a try. For science."
She explained in an easy-going tone.

Leaning a little forward, she nodded towards his following explanation though and picked one of the Meatballs, and tried it. So far, she liked it"¦ The texture was a tad"¦ Inconsistent compared to the replicated menus she had gotten used to over the last couple of weeks, but all in all, it was a handy little rich snack. She made a mental note to do further research about dips to go with various sorts of Meatballs, hoping to find the best possible balls for her taste palette.

As Zex had to excuse herself, Sirol did a slow, polite bow towards her new roommate.
"œI hope it is nothing negative."
Offering her bow of finger food to the other, she then added.
"œTake these for the way."

[Kirok]

< Katra Station / Promenade >

Zex returned the small bow.  Slowly learning Sirol's habits.  Then smiled.

"I'll find out when I get up there" she replied.  She accepted the bowl.  "Thanks, I'll catch up with you two later" she added before heading out of the room.