S2-M4 Keep Your Eyes On The Q

[Kalro Zolarim]

Q House - Kitchen - Pocket Dimension 415

"Can we please make sure whatever we make is gluten free? My skin gets all blotchy when I have too much wheat."

Kalro lunged towards the pantry, quickly grasping items that might prove useful to concocting a dish.  As he did so, he shook his head at Vanessa.

"That would be a tactical error," he said, "we should not cripple our ability to create a flavorful dish by limiting our ingredient choices.  Remember: The meal is not for you."

Salt, Pepper, Sugar.

Legumes.

Canned tunafish.

Canned yams.

A box of something called Kraft Macaroni and Cheese.  He wasn't sure what it was, but it seemed to contain all of the necessary components to cook it already within the box.  What a score!

Zakdorn had some analogues to these products, though others he could only guess about.   He brought armfuls of the products to his team's area, a satisfied look on his features.

[Kinley Garrison]

[The Big Q House, Day 1]
Quinton gave a wide smile at the Shran crew's reactions. They hadn't been expecting this! He basked in the sheer surprise and shock for a moment before realizing that they weren't exactly in the best mood. He would have to diffuse the situation before it got any worst or they would never join in on the fun.

"Now now." Quinton said. "I'll answer all of your questions in time. But let me start with the important ones: You are in a pocket dimension of my own creating and you are safe. The gist here is to play the game and have fun! You Starfleet types are so boring and dry, I thought I'd like to spice up your life!!!"

He smiled again, but that smile turned into a frown when several people asked about the eliminations. "Well, those that get voted off will be returned to your ship, unharmed. However, if you purposefully try to get yourself eliminated, I will put you in the penalty box until the end of this competition."

He surveyed the room. He wanted them to know they were in no true danger, but he sensed that they wouldn't believe that until they were safe back on their ship. He shrugged.

"Anyway, for your first challenge!" he said. With a snap of his fingers, he transported the "cast" and himself into the kitchen. The room was just as large as the living room had been. There were a series of stoves in the center of the room, with counters on opposite walls. At the front of the room was the "pantry," a room that had shelving and refrigerators, that stored fresh meat and produce.

"You will be splitting into two teams to cook a special meal." He pointed at Awen. "You. And...." he pointed at Alyssa. "You!" His gaze fell on the rest of the crew. "These will be the team captains. I have already preassigned all of you to a team." He snapped his fingers again. The wall panels behind him turned to show a two large screens. At the center of each screen was one of the team captains: Awen and Alyssa. On the screens the camera zoomed out to reveal the faces of the different crew assigned to each team captain. Under Awen was: Kalro, Daniel, Leela, Vanessa (NPC) and Kinley; Under Alyssa: Kachina, Casey, Rennan, Murphy (NPC) and Calandra.

"Here are the teams! For this challenge, each team will have 90 seconds in the pantry. After the 90 seconds are up, each team will have 45 minutes to cook me the best meal they can with what they gathered. Team Awen will go first. Ready? Set? Go."

OFF: Tag to Team Awen, soft tag to Team Alyssa

[Q mansion Á¢â,¬"œ Kitchens]
Kinley didn't know much about the ancient entertainment known as "reality TV" besides that time when her first roommate on the Discovery,  Renehan, forced her to watch a marathon of the most inane and pointless show, Keeping up with the Cardassians... er, Kardashians.

That being said, when Quinton plopped them into a huge Kitchen filled with cooking utensils galore, she couldn't help but grin. She loved to cook. Whether or not she was a GOOD cook was another matter entirely, as she tended to ruin most things that had the complex chemical processes of cooking. But hopefully that wouldn't matter.

As soon as Quinton gave the word, she dashed into the kitchen, grabbing some Shiitake mushrooms, oil, seasonings like salt and pepper, and soy sauce for some bacon-flavored mushrooms. The recipe she was thinking of was going to be risky, even for her, but if she had to play this game, she might as well take one. Anyhow, it was for science.... Right?

She turned to her group as they all grabbed their various ingredients. "So, what the heck is the plan, guys?"

[Fala Awen]

[Q House, Kitchens, Day 1]

Awen had to admit that she was relieved to hear that anyone eliminated would be sent back to the ship unharmed; it was certainly a weight off her shoulders. The one thing that worried her a bit was the idea of people being placed in a penalty box if they were perceived to be trying to be eliminated... How was that determined? Were they safe in the penalty box? Quinton hadn't specified.

Frowning slightly, she listened closely as the Q described their first challenge - cooking. It was certainly not a forte of hers, but as part of the Resistance she had helped with the cooking. Of course, their ingredients had been quite limited and they had been limited to campfires and basic cooking supplies - nothing like the kitchens in Q House. Awen glanced around at those on her team; she didn't know them well enough to know who had cooking experience and Q wasn't giving them time to plan first.

She watched as Kalro and Kinley dashed into the pantry, one taking a few basic ingredients as well as canned and boxed, the other taking all fresh ingredients. The Bajoran decided to find a few things as well, moving quickly to the pantry, grabbing a small basket, and glancing around to see what was available. Her eyes were drawn to some brightly colored citrus fruit - oranges and greens and yellows. Picking a few of those up, she then found some cuts of meat, though she wasn't certain what kind. There was also some kind of nuts that could potentially be used as a kind of crust perhaps or add some crunch, a bottle of red wine, something called mole sauce, and some fresh herbs.

Awen took her bounty back to the counter and set out what she had found. Once everyone was back with their choices, she looked over what they had. Hopefully they didn't have to use every single ingredient they brought back - Quinton hadn't said that it was necessary, but who knew?

She turned to her fellow teammates and said, "Alright everyone - we need a plan, quickly, so we can get started with cooking. Who has experience and who has some ideas on what we can make? I did some cooking in the Resistance, but that was mainly meats, herbs, and whatever else we could scrounge up. Perhaps we could use some of the meat I found and make a sauce and some sides to go along with it? I'm open to suggestions, but let's decide quickly..."

OFF: Tag Team Awen, soft tag Team Alyssa

[Leela Kaz]

[Q House, Kitchens, Day 1]

Awen had to admit that she was relieved to hear that anyone eliminated would be sent back to the ship unharmed; it was certainly a weight off her shoulders. The one thing that worried her a bit was the idea of people being placed in a penalty box if they were perceived to be trying to be eliminated... How was that determined? Were they safe in the penalty box? Quinton hadn't specified.

Frowning slightly, she listened closely as the Q described their first challenge - cooking. It was certainly not a forte of hers, but as part of the Resistance she had helped with the cooking. Of course, their ingredients had been quite limited and they had been limited to campfires and basic cooking supplies - nothing like the kitchens in Q House. Awen glanced around at those on her team; she didn't know them well enough to know who had cooking experience and Q wasn't giving them time to plan first.

She watched as Kalro and Kinley dashed into the pantry, one taking a few basic ingredients as well as canned and boxed, the other taking all fresh ingredients. The Bajoran decided to find a few things as well, moving quickly to the pantry, grabbing a small basket, and glancing around to see what was available. Her eyes were drawn to some brightly colored citrus fruit - oranges and greens and yellows. Picking a few of those up, she then found some cuts of meat, though she wasn't certain what kind. There was also some kind of nuts that could potentially be used as a kind of crust perhaps or add some crunch, a bottle of red wine, something called mole sauce, and some fresh herbs.

Awen took her bounty back to the counter and set out what she had found. Once everyone was back with their choices, she looked over what they had. Hopefully they didn't have to use every single ingredient they brought back - Quinton hadn't said that it was necessary, but who knew?

She turned to her fellow teammates and said, "Alright everyone - we need a plan, quickly, so we can get started with cooking. Who has experience and who has some ideas on what we can make? I did some cooking in the Resistance, but that was mainly meats, herbs, and whatever else we could scrounge up. Perhaps we could use some of the meat I found and make a sauce and some sides to go along with it? I'm open to suggestions, but let's decide quickly..."

OFF: Tag Team Awen, soft tag Team Alyssa

[Q House - Kitchen]

"I can't believe we're doing this." Leela muttered as the Captain returned with her arms loaded with food. Unfortunately for Leela her first host was a chef so she instantly felt obligated to volunteer that information. Although she had little interest in participating she was beginning to realize that partaking in the experience was the key to get through this. She stepped forward slightly. "My first host was a chef." She said softly. Picking up the meat she looked closely, examining the cut. "Don't fail me now, Nivro." Leela had never actually cooked a moment in her life. She was a child of replicators and had never even consumed real meat.

"I have no idea what this meat is but it's very fatty." She opened the jar and pushed her pinky into the sauce. "Hmmm, sweet and spicy. This should complement the meat nicely. Maybe we cut this into smaller portions and do a small steak and use the sauce for flavor?" She said cautiously, looking around the group for additional input.

[Kachina Filitov]

Bridge

Katcha was still sitting at the helm when there was a flash of light at they appeared in a disturbingly fake building. It reminded Katcha of those awful reality TV shows of the early 21st Century that her Sister-in-Law loved so much. She was about to ask what was going on when the Q spoke.

[The Big Q House, Day 1]
Quinton gave a wide smile at the Shran crew's reactions. They hadn't been expecting this! He basked in the sheer surprise and shock for a moment before realizing that they weren't exactly in the best mood. He would have to diffuse the situation before it got any worst or they would never join in on the fun.

"Now now." Quinton said. "I'll answer all of your questions in time. But let me start with the important ones: You are in a pocket dimension of my own creating and you are safe. The gist here is to play the game and have fun! You Starfleet types are so boring and dry, I thought I'd like to spice up your life!!!"

He smiled again, but that smile turned into a frown when several people asked about the eliminations. "Well, those that get voted off will be returned to your ship, unharmed. However, if you purposefully try to get yourself eliminated, I will put you in the penalty box until the end of this competition."

He surveyed the room. He wanted them to know they were in no true danger, but he sensed that they wouldn't believe that until they were safe back on their ship. He shrugged.

"Anyway, for your first challenge!" he said. With a snap of his fingers, he transported the "cast" and himself into the kitchen. The room was just as large as the living room had been. There were a series of stoves in the center of the room, with counters on opposite walls. At the front of the room was the "pantry," a room that had shelving and refrigerators, that stored fresh meat and produce.

"You will be splitting into two teams to cook a special meal." He pointed at Awen. "You. And...." he pointed at Alyssa. "You!" His gaze fell on the rest of the crew. "These will be the team captains. I have already preassigned all of you to a team." He snapped his fingers again. The wall panels behind him turned to show a two large screens. At the center of each screen was one of the team captains: Awen and Alyssa. On the screens the camera zoomed out to reveal the faces of the different crew assigned to each team captain. Under Awen was: Kalro, Daniel, Leela, Vanessa (NPC) and Kinley; Under Alyssa: Kachina, Casey, Rennan, Murphy (NPC) and Calandra.

"Here are the teams! For this challenge, each team will have 90 seconds in the pantry. After the 90 seconds are up, each team will have 45 minutes to cook me the best meal they can with what they gathered. Team Awen will go first. Ready? Set? Go."

OFF: Tag to Team Awen, soft tag to Team Alyssa

Q House - Kitchen - Pocket Dimension 415

Katcha gave a groan and went over to Alyssa.

"Do you need my help?" She asked, her accent worse than normal. "I vill try and assist but I am useless at kooking. I have even been known to burn replicated food." She finished, hoping to be given an easy task.

[Michael Ferdinand]

[The Q House- Kitchens]
Alyssa had been intently watching what the other team had been gathering when a voice broke her concentration. She turned to face Filitov and noted her concern. "Just grab what you think will make a good meal. We'll figure out our plan of attack when we finish in the pantry."

She was coming up with a plan of her own. Alyssa knew how to play the game, and how to play it dirty to win. When the time came, she would be forming alliances with some of the stronger and weaker members to ensure she would not be evicted. She would have to keep a close eye on the competition to determine who would be the best fit.

[Kachina Filitov]

[The Q House- Kitchens]
Alyssa had been intently watching what the other team had been gathering when a voice broke her concentration. She turned to face Filitov and noted her concern. "Just grab what you think will make a good meal. We'll figure out our plan of attack when we finish in the pantry."

She was coming up with a plan of her own. Alyssa knew how to play the game, and how to play it dirty to win. When the time came, she would be forming alliances with some of the stronger and weaker members to ensure she would not be evicted. She would have to keep a close eye on the competition to determine who would be the best fit.

The Q House- Kitchens

Katcha nodded and joined the melee to grab some food.

After a few seconds, she ended up with a container that held sour cream, some diced beef, assorted vegetables and a bag of rice. She brought them back to Alyssa.

"Ve should be able to make somezing from zis." She said. "My Grandmozzer vos a good kook and I sink zat I remember her recipie for Stroganoff. Should I get started?" She asked. 

[Rennan Protheus]

[The Q House, Kitchen]

Rennan hadn't really said anything when he'd been dragged off the ship, he'd certainly felt nauseous from the dimension change and the effect hadn't worn off yet. The mention of food was enough to make his legs weak, but he managed to hold it together long enough to hear the details of the task.

He followed through as everyone else disappeared into the pantry, he had no idea what to grab. He went for some meat and vegetables, he had no clue as to their identity, he didn't recognise any of it.

Clutching what he'd grabbed he moved out in the allotted time, he managed to get it to the counter dropping the foodstuffs, before throwing up in his mouth. He swallowed hard.

"Yep, I'm fine now." He nodded slowly looking at the first officer.

[Calandra Trilarck]

[ Q House - Kitchen - Pocket Dimension ]
Day 1 - 0 9 5 0 hours...

Vanessa picked up the box of Kraft Macaroni and Cheese and made the face of all faces. "580 mg of sodium. If there was a tactical error made, it was definitely this. Anyone who eats this is going to die of cardiac arrest. Just shove a handful of salt down my throat, why don't you?" She grumbled, looking at the Zakdorn with her mouth's corners pushed down into a frown. In front of her, strewn on the the counter were her ingredients: a grapefruit, Greek yogurt, a pint of ice cream, and a head of lettuce. Setting the box down, she then snatched up a pack of the legumes, "Who are you making dinner for? A rabbit?!" She cried out incredulously. Vanessa's ocean blue eyes stared at her objects and as if by divine inspiration, they widened.

"Oh my Godddd, how could I forget?" Turning behind her, she searched around in the pantry. Dramatically, yanking her objects from the shelves, she brandished a loaf of wheat bread and three avocados. "Avocado toast! It's a 21st century delicacy and became quite a popular dish to photograph. Someone find me sea salt and a toaster and it's on!" She stared daggers at the opposing team before a bright blonde ponytail whipped around as she went to rummage some more.

From across the kitchen, Calandra twitched her nose and lowered her head to keep her snickering quiet. When she had composed herself, the counselor lifted her face to watch the other team work. The captain had stepped in and began formulating a menu with her team. Looking around at her own motley crew: Meadows, Filitov, Powers, Protheus, and Murphy, she wondered what they would come up with. Luckily, Meadows was a mother and in charge of providing for the well being of a child. Filitov carried a few ingredients in her hand, offering to whip up a native dish of her mother country. While she was open to surprises, Powers looked like she would punch someone in the face before making them lunch. Protheus was... well, Protheus was Protheus. The other wildcard was Murphy. As for her, she was completely lost.

Perhaps going home first would be the best case scenario. She could only hope to get away from these people.

A thought dawned on her and while the other team was preparing, she slipped behind her group and made her way over to the Q. She cleared her throat and quirked her head to the side, opening her eyes wider in a pleasant countenance. Angering a Q could land her on a planet all the way across the quadrant as some sort of primordial amoeba. This was delicate. "Quinton, is it?" Her mouth curled up into a forced half-smile, "It seems that my crew was so focused on what the punishment would be if we lost, we completely lost sight of the end-goal. Winning. What do we get if we win?" She turned her head to watch the team as their table was loaded with more and more ingredients.

Turning her head back to face the Q, she licked her bottom lip in anticipation of his response. From across the room, she heard Vanessa call out, "I found the cilantro!" and it took everything in her power to keep from smacking herself on the forehead. Blinking a few times, she slapped on a smile and folded her hands, letting them rest in front of her.

[Daniel Howell]

[Main Engineering]

Leela was late, not that that was anything uncommon. She entered the engine room with her tea in hand. She overheard the announcement from the captain and approached Dan as the teams dispersed for their assignments. "Sounds like we've had some company this morning. Hopefully he stays the hell out of the engine room." Leela said with a chuckle as she took a sip. "So whats on our agenda today?" She asked.

Main Engineering - Day 1 - Close to 0900
Howell had completed his task of co-coordinating teams and was about to walk off to assist Beta team when Leela arrived into engineering. She spoke of the Q incident following by asking what was on the agenda, to which Dan replied, "Mornin Leela, indeed someone from the Q continuum this morning who's decided to... well... be a Q I guess. We've currently been tasked to give an overview-"

[The Q House- Pocket Dimension 415, Day 1]
In a moment, he transported himself and select members of the Shran crew into a large house. He gave them a moment to survey their surroundings before explaining. "Welcome, to the house!" he said, "Over the next few days, we will be playing a game of Big Brother, Q Edition. Your every move will be monitored. There will be challenges. You will be given the opportunity to record your feelings about the other contestants via confessionals. At the end of each day, you will be responsible for voting off one of your fellow coworkers until only one remains. The last man standing wins!"

OFF: Tag all

Day 1 - Pocket Dimension 415 - Hours Unknown
Howell was interrupted by the ship dropping out of Warp. He turned to face the warp core and made his way over to the Warp Diagnostic Terminal What the hell? He thought to himself. Just as he went to pull up a chart of the engines, the Q's face appeared on the screen, sending Dan into a complete state of confusion - but before he could react, a bright, blinding flash blasted for a microsecond, scrambling his senses. By the time he gathered himself, he'd been transported. Where to, he had no clue other than some house. There was many other crew members, including the Captain and Leela, who'd also been transported. His instincts had completely taken over him - as they always seemed to in said situations, so he started to look around, trying to look for clues as to where they were or why, sadly to no success.

The Q then explained to them what they would be doing over the next few days. "Are you serious..." Dan mumbled to himself, rubbing the back of his head in confusion for a moment, unsure if anyone else had heard him.

[Q House, Kitchens, Day 1]

Awen had to admit that she was relieved to hear that anyone eliminated would be sent back to the ship unharmed; it was certainly a weight off her shoulders. The one thing that worried her a bit was the idea of people being placed in a penalty box if they were perceived to be trying to be eliminated... How was that determined? Were they safe in the penalty box? Quinton hadn't specified.

Frowning slightly, she listened closely as the Q described their first challenge - cooking. It was certainly not a forte of hers, but as part of the Resistance she had helped with the cooking. Of course, their ingredients had been quite limited and they had been limited to campfires and basic cooking supplies - nothing like the kitchens in Q House. Awen glanced around at those on her team; she didn't know them well enough to know who had cooking experience and Q wasn't giving them time to plan first.

She watched as Kalro and Kinley dashed into the pantry, one taking a few basic ingredients as well as canned and boxed, the other taking all fresh ingredients. The Bajoran decided to find a few things as well, moving quickly to the pantry, grabbing a small basket, and glancing around to see what was available. Her eyes were drawn to some brightly colored citrus fruit - oranges and greens and yellows. Picking a few of those up, she then found some cuts of meat, though she wasn't certain what kind. There was also some kind of nuts that could potentially be used as a kind of crust perhaps or add some crunch, a bottle of red wine, something called mole sauce, and some fresh herbs.

Awen took her bounty back to the counter and set out what she had found. Once everyone was back with their choices, she looked over what they had. Hopefully they didn't have to use every single ingredient they brought back - Quinton hadn't said that it was necessary, but who knew?

She turned to her fellow teammates and said, "Alright everyone - we need a plan, quickly, so we can get started with cooking. Who has experience and who has some ideas on what we can make? I did some cooking in the Resistance, but that was mainly meats, herbs, and whatever else we could scrounge up. Perhaps we could use some of the meat I found and make a sauce and some sides to go along with it? I'm open to suggestions, but let's decide quickly..."

OFF: Tag Team Awen, soft tag Team Alyssa

Day 1 - Kitchens - Hours Unknown
Dan wasn't in a particularly good mood by the time their first challenge, but he was still high spirited. The entire concept seemed very out of the ordinary, even for a Q, but he knew they were unpredictable after all. Thankfully the 21st Century was an era that interested Howell quite a lot and as such he knew quite a lot on the reality TV shows of the era. Cooking wasn't one of Dan's fortes, but he knew a little bit.

The Q had assigned him to the Captains team, which was an interesting situation, since he hadn't really gotten to know her. As the first task started, Dan along with everyone else strolled to the pantry and picked a few things up, jars, pots, some sauces etc. He then gathered with everyone else to reply to the Captain "I've got some cooking experience, not a lot, but I get by. Been a while though."

[Casey Power]

Reality Show Dimension 415

"You may not all know me," he announced to the gathering crowd of housemates, "Lieutenant, junior grade.  Kalro Zolarim.  Security and Tactical officer.   I recognize crewman Power from her personnel file.  A recent transfer, if I recall?  I know Commander Garrison.  And I'm glad to see you here, Counselor.  I think if anyone can best prepare us to maneuver through this incident, it is you."

[Q House - Pocket Dimension 415]

"Right you are, Lieutenant, I came aboard at the Starbase. Good to meet you all. So far not lovin' the Welcome Wagon." She waved her hands to encompass their new surroundings. Although it might not have been the most traditional setting for a meet and greet, Casey felt that she'd likely remember this one for a long time. As the Sec/Tac officer continued speaking, her eyes shifted from him to the Counselor as he addressed her. From a tactical perspective it would indeed be an advantage to have someone with a background in psychology on your side; all the better for reading and anticipating the enemy.

Around her the crew had begun to gravitate toward each other, forming small groups comprised of several individuals who spoke amongst themselves. There were others, the Captain included, who had questions of their own to put to the so far unforthcoming Q. However Casey's attention was drawn to a blonde woman in science colours, who seemed quite familiar with the Counselor.

Her brow arched at the exchange. The inane prattle about sonic tans, her wince-inducing laugh and the way the Counselor shut down her quiet challenge, both potentially entertaining to watch play out but also beyond irritating to be stuck with. For twenty four hours a day. In the same house.

And finally, Quinton began to speak of his grand plan and the houserules. At least, she conceded, the losers would be returned safely to the ship. At the mention of challenges she perked up a tad, the idea of competing in physical tests appealing to her inner competitor. Even if she was offended by the premise of the whole charade she could potentially occupy herself.

Alas, no, that was not to be. Cooking was not Casey's forté. She could replicate a decent protein shake and could list every pale ale that Ireland had produced in the last century, but she did not cook. She scowled and crossed her arms tightly against her chest.

"Does he even eat!?" She asked aloud, her tone quite petulant as she stepped forward to get a closer look at the screens on the wall panels. Her eyes narrowed as the team selections flashed by, and she thanked whatever gods appropriate that she wasn't on the same team as the horrid half-tanned science creature.

[Q House - Kitchens - Pocket Dimension 415]

The games had begun. She watched as the Captain's team flung themselves into the pantry with aplomb, looking to her like some consumed contestants on a supermarket sweep. She moved toward Commander Meadows, her team captain, and the officer she recognised from his brief visit to the Bridge earlier. He was looking a little peaky and had an armful of veggies. Another team member soon joined them; a lieutenant, flight officer if memory served, who was suggesting a dish that her grandmother used to cook. Following a recipe was probably the most logical course of action.

But the more she thought about it, the more it niggled at her. "Perhaps we should make him something truly bizarre. I mean, who knows what kind of taste a Q has? He might appreciate something as colourful as his horrific suit ensemble."

[Kinley Garrison]

[Q House, Kitchens, Day 1]

Awen had to admit that she was relieved to hear that anyone eliminated would be sent back to the ship unharmed; it was certainly a weight off her shoulders. The one thing that worried her a bit was the idea of people being placed in a penalty box if they were perceived to be trying to be eliminated... How was that determined? Were they safe in the penalty box? Quinton hadn't specified.

Frowning slightly, she listened closely as the Q described their first challenge - cooking. It was certainly not a forte of hers, but as part of the Resistance, she had helped with the cooking. Of course, their ingredients had been quite limited and they had been limited to campfires and basic cooking supplies - nothing like the kitchens in Q House. Awen glanced around at those on her team; she didn't know them well enough to know who had cooking experience and Q wasn't giving them time to plan first.

She watched as Kalro and Kinley dashed into the pantry, one taking a few basic ingredients as well as canned and boxed, the other taking all fresh ingredients. The Bajoran decided to find a few things as well, moving quickly to the pantry, grabbing a small basket, and glancing around to see what was available. Her eyes were drawn to some brightly colored citrus fruit - oranges and greens and yellows. Picking a few of those up, she then found some cuts of meat, though she wasn't certain what kind. There was also some kind of nuts that could potentially be used as a kind of crust perhaps or add some crunch, a bottle of red wine, something called mole sauce, and some fresh herbs.

Awen took her bounty back to the counter and set out what she had found. Once everyone was back with their choices, she looked over what they had. Hopefully, they didn't have to use every single ingredient they brought back - Quinton hadn't said that it was necessary, but who knew?

She turned to her fellow teammates and said, "Alright everyone - we need a plan, quickly, so we can get started with cooking. Who has experience and who has some ideas on what we can make? I did some cooking in the Resistance, but that was mainly meats, herbs, and whatever else we could scrounge up. Perhaps we could use some of the meat I found and make a sauce and some sides to go along with it? I'm open to suggestions, but let's decide quickly..."

OFF: Tag Team Awen, soft tag Team Alyssa

[Q mansion Á¢â,¬"œ Kitchen]
"I'm thinking of making Mushroom bacon for a salad and maybe if there's time, some cupcakes. I don't know. It's the only thing I've made that HASN'T caught on fire or gotten ruined in some fashion. It's a pretty easy recipe, I think." She explained with a sheepish grin to the captain before starting to rummage through the drawers, filled with every known cooking utensil she could think of. Time was wasting here, and with all the utensils, she couldn't see a cooking sheet for the life of her. "does anyone see a cooking sheet, she yelled as the others got to business.

[Confessional room]

Suddenly, Kinley was transported to a room where Quinton was sitting across her, grinning with that cocky smirk she was coming to be annoyed with. "Oh, don't worry. You're not losing any time here! For the record, time doesn't quite... exist, as you know it in that punily linear way you mortals think it as. Anyhow," he said, sitting down across from her. "So, what're your thoughts on everything? Quite fun, don't you think? You can be completely honest here"

Kinley didn't quite know just what to say. She certainly wasn't sure if there was an audience here or not. For all she knew, this was prime time entertainment for the whole Q Continuum. It was highly possible. "Um, I'm having fun with all this. I love to cook," She paused for a moment as she squirmed at the slightly uncomfortable truth. "I'm ... not the best at it though. I've had to force myself to not watch the Food Holonetwork. Spares the explosions for Engineering to fix. Hopefully, that's not going to happen with the others here."

Quinton grinned mischievously "You'll find out. I know all the possible eventualities, so I can't exactly give you any spoilers. Good luck."

With that note, she found herself in the position she was, as if nothing had happened, and still no baking sheet in sight. "Does anyone see that blasted baking sheet?"

[Fala Awen]

[Q House, Kitchens, Day 1, 0950]

Awen listened as her teammates spoke up with their ideas and surveyed the food items they'd brought. They needed to get started on the actual cooking portion of the competition - some foods would take longer to cook than others. Knowing she needed to take charge, she considered what each person said they could do and came up with a plan.

"Alright, everyone will help with prep, but our main cooks will be Kinley, Leela, and Dan. The three of you tell the rest of us what you need and what we can assist with. We'll need the meat to be cooked enough, but not done too early otherwise it'll be cold. Kalro, why don't you assist Kinley...Vanessa (NPC) can assist Leela, and I'll assist Daniel. Leela's group will be working on the meat, Kinley's on possibly a dessert or sides, and Daniel's on sauces and garnish," Awen said loud enough for her team to hear but not the others. Normally she wouldn't have addressed them by first name, but time was working against them.

Hearing Kinley call for a baking sheet, Awen's dark eyes surveyed the kitchen until she found a thin cabinet. Smiling slightly, she pulled out two baking sheets and took them to Kinley, "Here you go... Do you think cupcakes would be done in time? If not, you may want to choose something else. Daniel and I may be able to help as well, once we get the sauces sorted."

Awen saw Daniel was close by and extended her hand, "We don't have much time for pleasantries right now, but glad to have you with us. Did you have anything in mind? Perhaps we could use the sauce I found and add in some wine, maybe citrus, or something else to improve it? We'll need to get started regardless...and perhaps we can assist Kinley's group if we're in a good position with what we're doing."

The Bajoran was doing her best to appear confident, but truthfully she wasn't sure how this competition would play out. It was certainly a way to get to know her new crew better, in a sense, though she wasn't sure how often cooking would come into play. Perhaps it was part of what Quinton wanted from them though - teamwork. It was difficult to say at this point, but they needed to get moving.

OFF: Tag Team Awen! (slightly more specific tags to Kinley & Daniel, but the whole team has been tagged)

[Non-Playing Character 2]

[The Q House-Kitchens]
Quinton was delighted to see all of the teams working together so eagerly. The way that team Awen had stormed through the pantry and the different ideas that they were throwing out amused him greatly, but nothing more than the idea of mushroom bacon. He had tried bacon on two separate occasions and regarded it as a heart attack strip even though he wasn't succeptable to such trivial matters.

He smiled warmly at Calandra when she asked him what the grand prize was."You're right, I haven't told you what you'd win." he said. "Why, you'll win.... Well I can't tell you right now, but it'll be magnificent."

He gave Calandra a pat on the back and then turned to face the pantry. His hazel eyes watched as the final members of team Awen left the pantry and began prepping their food. "Alright Team Alyssa, go for it."

The Russian woman and the Betazoid were the first done. He was impressed with their speed and their tenacity at being the first ones on the team back from the pantry. He would keep an eye on them, however, and if they were doing too well, he would correct it as he saw fit.

[90 seconds later]
"Alright everyone. Your forty-five minutes start now. Good luck, and don't *beep* it up." Quinton had purposefully tried to use adult language, but when he did so, an audible beep took the place of his word- another fun quirk of his in the pocket dimension.

[Michael Ferdinand]

[The Q House-Kitchens]
"I like your thinking Powers." Alyssa replied. "I have an idea."

Quinton had called for Alyssa's team to go. Alyssa sprinted for the pantry, shoving those on Team Awen who were still heading back to their stations out of her way. If Quinton wanted them to play his game, she would full heatedly oblige.

The pantry was huge, much bigger than Alyssa had expected. The refrigerators had meat from several different worlds: Flanks from Earth, Gagh from Qo'nos, etc. She opened the sliding glass door and grabbed two chicken breasts and put them in her basket. She grabbed some dough from the non-meat fridge, flinging it beside the breast. She collected produce, cheese, and barbaque sauce. She loved herself a good barbaque chicken pizza, but eating it and making it were two different things. This wouldn't be just any pizza, it would be the strangest concoction that she had ever made.

When Quinton called for the cooking to start, Alyssa turned to her team. "Filitov, start working on your Strogonoff. Let me know when it's almost done. Protheus, grill the meats, all of them. Powers, work on the produce. Calandra and I will work on the garnish. Let's make it happen.