I am Blue Sasha Fierce pt1
Posted on Tue Mar 23rd, 2021 @ 1:44am by Lieutenant Bonnie "Bon-Bon" Durnell & Lieutenant Anna S. Thesia M.D. & Chief Petty Officer Sapphire
Mission:
*CD*
Location: USS Liberty
Timeline: Before the Jungle happened
Later that evening, Sapphire had heated up her cabin enough that she was no longer comfortable, but the fun she was going to have was worth it, and she could manage for a few hours, no doubt about that.
Andorian food graced the table, from ice bore soup to ler filet, a type of fish found in Andoria’s seas. She had selected the least fatty foods, to be more in line with what she thought Bonnie and Anna would find palatable. Andoria had never had a dairy industry, and as such there was no cheese, yoghurt or custard.
Most foods were animal products, nevertheless. Andoria did not have a lot of higher plant life, and the basis of Andoria’s food chains were microscopic algae and undersea bacteria feeding off geothermal energy. As such, Andoria did not have any native vegetables, and those Andorian cuisine had incorporated had only been found and cultivated with the first colonies on other worlds.
After her hangover had slowly worn off, Bonnie spent several hours under a console on deck 17 because someone didn't understand what order the isolinear rods went when they only ever used the chip standard. Because of this the console would only display in Klingon and recite poetry backwards. Which normally would be an interesting thing to behold, but when your head pounded as hers did, after half an hour she was ready to smash it and order a new one. That was until she pulled the right rod. The rest of her time was spent putting everything back in order.
After her shift ended she returned to her quarters and set to work refreshing her mind and preparing for her war dance. She had in her mind stories her papa had shared as well as her history lessons on the subject. There were several ancient cultures from which to choose, but she had one in mind she thought Sapphire might enjoy above all others.
She checked her computer before heading out and saw she would be meeting the new boss the next day. So she made a mental note not to drink too much, and by too much that meant no more than a buzz worth. Just enough to get her mentally prepared for her dance. It never occurred to her, not once, that Sapphire was only attempting to flirt. Nope the Queen of obliviousness had her uniform on, her smile ready and she was going to fulfill her end of the agreement.
She rang the chime and waited patiently.
Anna was already present, and suitably attired in a costume draped with duck feathers, but not much else, and Sapphire opened up wearing similarly skimpy attire. They were both looking forward to the idea of having a good time together.
Anna had briefly considered inviting Jessica, but she wasn’t sure whether Jessica would be happy with the idea, and had to see whether they might develop anything serious before doing so. Bonnie seemed a bit clueless to Anna, but that was fine.
“Good evening”, Sapphire greeted formally, as Bonnie was still wearing her uniform. She was always proper under those circumstances. “Please come in.”
Timid but determined Bonnie entered and immediately spotted the layout of food. Her focus was instantly lost however when she noticed Anna, dressed in a duck costume, feathers bouncing freely. "I didn't realize everyone was going to be in costume." Then her eyes got large. "Oh no, no one else is coming are they? I don't think I can do this with an audience." She was having a mini freak out already and she was barely just inside the door.
“I didn’t invite anyone else, no”, Sapphire said. “This is just for us to enjoy. You like a combination of crazy and sexy, don’t you?”
“That’s a given, Sapphire”, Anna laughed.
Unsure if Sapphire was talking about her or Anna, Bonnie chose the safer route by not really responding. She just pursed her lips together and nodded. She nervously moved over and sat next to Anna. “I didn’t know you were going to go all out with food and everything.” Then she addressed Anna directly, “And I like your costume, though I do hope you don’t attack like the holoducks did. The feathers are pretty. Did you select them yourself?”
“I’ve never attacked anyone in my entire life, I’m sure you’re safe”, Anna smirked. “And yes, but they’re not real feathers. They’re replicated. People were stupid enough to hunt some bird species to extinction because they wanted to use the feathers for decoration. I would never do anything like that.” But that didn’t mean she couldn’t use fake feathers, after all.
Sapphire sat down with them and opened a bottle of a much milder Andorian beverage, dziphan, which went well with food and, while alcoholic, wasn’t nearly as potent as the ale the day before. “Dig in, ladies”, she smiled. “It is best not to dance on an empty stomach.”
The selection of food looked appetizing to Bonnie who immediately took a drink of her alcohol. She was nervous for reasons she could not explain out loud. This was a moment for her to be seen, to make friends and to show off her knowledge of history. This was everything she was going to be right out there on display and to top it off she would be nude. Or at least mostly nude as her war paint would act as a sort of clothing.
She dug into the fish, it was warm and flavorful in her mouth. As she chewed she looked around Sapphire's quarters. There was the depiction of the taking of Minithis Thirith, but there were other things too. Things she had not noticed before. There was some weaponry including some Klingon blades, a war ax and noticeably a kite shield. She swallowed, "I didn't notice those before. Where did you… um get them?" She pointed at the weapons.
“The shield and the axe are my go-to gear when I’m adventuring on the holodeck”, Sapphire said. “The Klingon weapons I got during the war. I served with a Klingon crew for a while. Fun and exciting times.”
"I bet. And is all of this food native to Andoria?" She really was focused on the axe and shield but didn't want to out right ask for permission. So instead she decided to get to know Sapphire and Anna with 20 questions.
“Yes, though I’m a horrible cook, so I had to replicate all these dishes”, Sapphire admitted. “These ice bores would traditionally be put into the dish alive. They have a phenomenal metabolism, and the heat they create would then boil the entire dish, killing them in the process.”
“That’s horrible!” Anna complained.
“Well, we don’t do that anymore”, Sapphire said. At least she didn’t, she knew there were some hide-bound traditionalists who still used this ancient technique.
"Yeah I agree with Anna. I don't think I could handle eating live or almost live food. But I do find other cultures and their traditions fascinating." She took a bite of the ice bore soup, swished it in her mouth for a moment. It wasn't great but it also wasn't bad, just different.
She swallowed, a slight grimace as it went down, prominent on her face. She then turned to Anna, "It's not bad." She forced a smile then changed tact. "So, Anna, do you plan on dancing too?" She swallowed her drink, emptying her glass. That's one.
“The way I understand it, Sapphire was hoping to share this dance with you”, Anna said. “But I’m going to enjoy the show.” She enjoyed the food, but then she was always happy to try something new, and rarely found anything to eat she didn’t like.
“Oh. Is… is that the way you want it to be Sapphire? And is this soup supposed to be cold?” She sipped another bite of the soup. Her mind churned at how she would begin the dance, let alone attempt to dance with another.
“It is, and it is”, Sapphire said. “But I can warm it up for you, if you prefer that? I tried to present as authentic an Andorian meal as I can, despite having grown up among non-Andorians who mostly liked Andorian food for its fatty meats.”
“No, that’s okay. It’s just like an Earth soup. I think they call it Borche or something. It’s tomato soup only it’s cold. It’s not bad, just different. And different can be good, right?” She realized her glass was empty and her food almost gone.
“Can I get another glass?” This drink wasn’t hitting as hard as the one she had the other night. She surmised it might be the food or the drink but either way her mind was telling her it needed more in order to relax and get comfortable in her own skin.
Sapphire refilled their glasses, as all three of them proved to have a healthy thirst and appetite. She was amazed by how much Anna could eat, and still maintain that figure. Or was it just now that she ate this much? “I enjoy difference, life is short and it’s best to get as many fun experiences as you can before it’s over.”
Nodding in agreement, Bonnie looked about the space and began calculating steps. The living room should be large enough, though they may have to move a table or two so she didn't fall and break something. And she was going to need time. Time alone in the bathroom to psych herself up for the costume change. She absentmindedly reached for her spoon, instead grabbing a fork, dipped it into her soup bowl and came up empty. Upon sticking into her mouth she snapped back to reality, realizing her mistake and correcting it hopefully before anyone noticed.
Sapphire held out a plate of smoked blubber to Bonnie, saying, “Try some of that, dip it in the soup. It’s got a smoky and salty flavour. Personally, my favourite snack in the whole universe.” Of course she had noticed but she wasn’t going to make a big deal out of it. She was getting used to Bonnie’s ways, and her engineering proficiency and complete change of behaviour when she was in her element had impressed her earlier that day.
Using her fork, she reached out and cautiously took the sixteen centimeter piece of what looked like fatty meat. It sort of wilted on her fork, amusing Bonnie straight away. As she pulled it back towards her plate, she jiggled her fork up and down causing the blubber to wiggle about in fashion. She couldn’t help but giggle. “Looks like... “
Sapphire giggled, taking a piece for herself and cutting it into small pieces, which she then put into the soup. “Best not to dwell on that. At least my antennae aren’t that flabby.”
“And if they ever are, and you’ll find yourself unable to control their motion, you know where to come”, Anna said. “And I promise, I won’t slice and dice them, even though what I do best is cut, as a surgeon.”
It was chewy, even for smoked meat. The flavour was good, but it made Bonnie immediately think the real thing would be drier, more stiff. Perhaps the replicator was not up working as it should. Uh oh, that meant it might make her costume wrong. She immediately ran through different scenarios involving wrong or broken pieces, disproportionate and warped objects. Even if it was the wrong color she would feel devastated. “Um, maybe I should have a look at your replicator, just to be sure it’s working okay. You never know.” She started to stand, half a glass left already.
Sapphire shook her head. “No, no, it’s meant to be like that. It’s the fatty layer under the skin from a virilas, an animal sort of like a cross between seal and a whale, deep diving but able to come onto land. And for the purpose of insulation, they’ve got a thick fatty layer. The replicator does a good job with them, too. They taste amazing.”
She coughed, “Blubber. Just straight up the fatty insulating deposits of a mammal, blubber?” She smacked her lips and downed the rest of her drink. That’s two. “Tastes good, despite that it’s pure fat, I suppose. New things, right Anna?” She coughed again and asked for another round despite already feeling tipsy. The buzz was going over wonderfully.
“I like fatty foods”, Anna said. “It supports my high metabolism.”
Sapphire nodded. “I’m the same way, but I think for different reasons.” She filled their glasses again. “Just don’t give me any caffeine. You would not like the results.”
Smiling, Bonnie said “My papa used to say something similar about me.” She sat back and took another bite of her blubber. It really wasn’t bad despite her initial misgivings. “So, when we are done eating, and everything is cleaned up; will you allow me to use your bedroom and replicator to change into my costume?”
“I thought the deal was a naked war dance, why do you need a costume?” Anna wondered.
“Well, um, authenticity I suppose?.” She stated as both a question and an answer. “The people I will be portraying in my wardance were considered painted people, but in reality they did wear pieces of armor and furs upon their head and shoulders. Mostly though, it was the tattoos and the woad they rode into battle with that made them such a menacing force.” She sipped on her third cup of alcohol, wondering when it would begin kicking in. As it stood, she was barely feeling any different.
“But we’re just having fun, you don’t have to worry about that”, Sapphire said. “I mean, you can if you want but you make this sound like you’re agonising over it, make it sound like work.”
“No, nothing like that. I just… I just want to do it right, okay. I take history very seriously. I think it comes from growing up in a history museum as your playground, I suppose.” She shrugged. “And believe me, I think it will be really fun.” She finished the last bite from her plate and downed the third glass of alcohol, her senses already starting to tingle.
“Then I’m excited to see what you’ve come up with”, Sapphire smiled. Elaborate was good, right?
“Do you need help putting it on?” Anna asked.
“Um, maybe. My back will be the most difficult part. Are you willing to help?” She began stacking her dishes and cutlery together so that she could more easily help with the cleanup process. She mentally reminded herself to check the floor for lost boots before moving around the floor.
“Do you think I’d have chosen to become a doctor if I didn’t like helping people?” Anna grinned. “But yes. Of course I am willing to help you.” She thought it was a bit of a silly question.
“Oh, leave the clean-up to me”, Sapphire said. “I can do that while you’re getting ready.”
Bonnie looked at Sapphire in a, my papa didn’t teach me to be disrespectful, sort of way. “Are you sure? It’s really no trouble.” She was also half-heartedly avoiding the war-dance on another level.
“I’m sure, just go”, Sapphire smiled. She started clearing up by also popping some more of the food into her mouth. Of course, with a body like hers, and her activities, she needed the calories.
“Oh, okay.” Bonnie stood, the sudden rush of the alcohol to her head causing her face to flush and her eyes to blur. She blinked, feeling the woozieness envelop her, she was ready. Pushing her chair in, she eyed the bedroom, checked the floor and then moved out of the dining area sluggishly. Sapphire served the best drinks.
TBC
