Unusual Tastes (Part 2 of 2)

Posted on 05 Dec 2023 @ 11:19pm by Ensign S'Ers-a M'Lyr'Zor & Lieutenant JG Montgomery Vala

3,761 words; about a 19 minute read

Mission: Episode 19 - Tomorrow's Galileo
Location: USS Galileo-A - Deck 2 - Mess Hall
Timeline: MD01 - 1530

Previously, on Unusual Tastes (Part 1)...

"Despite my usual conservatism about human food, it is... good to try new things." The texture of this 'beef' was fairly pleasing, "Even though they seem to be afraid of adding enough seasoning to make this truly enlighten me."

"Not in my experience." Sera retorted, surprising herself. What was it about him that caused her well-crafted guards to fail? "When I was in San Fransisco, there was a part of the city called...China Town, I believe. There was a restaurant there that had the most enticing aroma...the food cooked there was from a region called 'szechuan.' It was quite spicy, and it induced a mild tongue-numbing sensation that was intriguing."

That had been a memory she did not recall often. The events surrounding that day were less than desirable to recollect, but the meal itself was quite palatable. Jiā Cháng Dòu Fù - the dish had managed to take off the chill from her rain soaked clothing, and the Zhu Ye Qing (Szechuan green tea) was the perfect accompaniment to dish.

Raising an eyebrow, he nodded thoughtfully, "Well that is good to know. Perhaps it is something we can request from the chef sometime? I appreciate food that is capable of numbing one's mouth."

He ventured his spoon for another bite of curry, "My experience of human cruisine has, admittedly, been limited to replication for the most-part. My own time at the Academy was... cloistered so I did not see much of San Fransisco."

A memory flashed to mind, causing him to tap his empty water glass in thought as he recollected it, "I will say that during my time at the Daystrom Institute I ate some local food I found at least intriguing. They take all kinds of sea creatures, fish, eel, cephalopods and the like, chop it finely and wrap it in seaweed with rice." It had been quite a strange a dish, but he couldn't knock humans for their ambition. "They serve it sliced and raw, with a strong green paste. It was... unique."

And Now, the Conclusion...

[ON]

"Real...creatures?" Sera blinked. She wanted to embark on a tirade about the barbarism regarding such an act, but she stilled herself before saying anything.

It is simply not how you were raised, nothing more. Remember...Vaik vuhnaya svi' vaik terish (IDIC).

"Oh I couldn't say," Vala had not considered it at the time, "Perhaps? I must admit I am unsure whether humans harvest their oceans for such things in this day and age." He shrugged, "It was certainly prepared to be raw regardless. Yet they have cooked this 'beef' here for a long time I would say. Humans are strange types."

"Indeed." Sera replied as she took another experimental bite of the curry. "Their food is for the most part, inexplicable. However, I am not an appropriate person to make such comparisons. Most things outside of Jian'Kahr are unfamiliar."

He nodded slowly and gave a slightly forlorn sigh, "I was quite an adventurous diner back when I was amongst my people. I have always taken well to a host of different Rihannsu cuisines..." He took another spoon of the dough in cheese to see if it was better than a few minutes previously, "I have tried my hand at constructing replicator recipes for different things but I am not sufficiently adept to get it quite right." He ate the spoonful. It wasn't any better.

"Would you care to try the Tomato soup? It may be more palatable than the cheese dish for you." Sera offered, eyes widening. What exactly was she doing? Reciprocating?

No. No. This was just an exchange. Romulans obviously share food.

But Vulcans do not. You accepted his offering...will he accept yours?

Her inner voice was a treacherous creature that should remain quiet unless spoken to.

"Oh, thank you. I will see what I make of it," he reached over with his spoon and took a small amount, sipping the red liquid cautiously. "It is... acidic. Unusual. I would not think to serve the juice of such a fruit..."

He frowned a little, then broke some bread from the thin stick he had acquired when selecting food. He took another spoon of soup and dripped it onto the crust then ate that. "This is... a slightly more pleasant way to eat it."

Sera observed his actions and looked to the roll that she had taken and raised a brow at it. Montgomery had torn at his stick of bread with no qualms...meanwhile she was going to breaking all kinds of rules if she touched her food.

What does it matter? It's not like the El-Keshtanktil are here to denounce you as V'tosh Ka'Tur and drag you back to Vulcan to be rehabilitated.

Traitorous. However, it was a reasonable point.

Tentatively she reached out and pulled apart the bread, but nothing happened. No alarms sounded, no censures rang out. Sure, perhaps Montgomery might be looking at her rather strangely, but he was Romulan.

Sera dipped the edge of the bread into the soup and took a bite. She slowly nodded as she chewed the doughy mouthful. "Yes. I concur. It is more palatable this way."

Sharing food was almost enough to forget their current predicament. Almost. He gave Sera a warm expression and repeated his previous technique, dripping the juiced tomato onto the bread and eating it.

"You know there is something very... pleasing to me about eating with my hands," he mused aloud, "It is something often done amongst Rihannsu. Utensils can be quite cumbersome at times..."

Of course it would be. It did appear that the Romulans, when they had the opportunity to create new traditions upon their exodus from Vulcan, were quite contrarian.

"Vulcans do no touch food with their bare hands. It is considered unhygienic." Sera offered in return as she took another piece of bread and dunked it in the soup. A drop of the red liquid dripped on her lip and chin. Her tongue darted out reflexively to clean her bottom lip and her free hand raised to wipe at her chin. Her actions would have been considered all but scandalous at home...she had no idea what he would think.

Vala tilted his head a little. She was a strange Vulcan indeed. Dropping food was typically not a great issue, but he enjoyed the pantomime of her attempting to deal with it.

"Well you are Vulcan and you are touching food. I suppose we will have to see whether you break out in some virulent disease in the next few hours," he smirked, "If you do you can tell Commander Tarin that I am the responsible party. Encouraging you to use digits for their primeval purpose," he couldn't help but laugh, "barbaric".

"I would do nothing of the sort. I alone made the unsavory decision to eat with my hands. I will endure any of the...repercussions." She looked down at her hand that now had soup smeared on the palm. Ugh. This had been a terrible idea. Picking up a napkin Sera began to fastidiously clean her hand and chin.

He squinted his eyes slightly, scrutinising the Vulcan. There was something oddly compelling about her. Very proper but also seemingly flexible with her own rules. It was... magnetic.

"I was only joking," he took some more bread and repeated his juice dripping ritual, "I am sure you will remain the picture of good health." He ate the en-soupened piece of bread, "Utensils will only get you so far in life I'm afraid."

"Ah." Sera said in response. As he mentioned joking, she was forced to presume his statement was meant to be humorous, but she had no idea what exactly he was being humorous about.

Sera's brows scrunched slightly in consternation as she considered.

"One can always rely upon their...wit and personality? If there comes a point in time that utensils do not satisfy such requirements."

He gave a highly quizzical look, initially managing quite an elongated, "Yeeeees," before wiggling his fingers at her, "But perhaps more immediately one can also rely on their hands in a pinch. If utensils do not suffice that is." He grimaced, explaining inferential humour was awful. He could only blame himself for lightly teasing a Vulcan. "Eating bread with a knife and fork seems... slightly mad to me."

"Have you ever cleaned your fingers with your tongue?" Sera asked, and it certainly was a non-sequitur to a point, let alone grossly inappropriate. "Imagine doing it if you were a touch telepath...it's not so mad if you have complete perspective."

Tongue. The word echoed around his head. Not too long ago he had been sitting in a briefing hearing about the end of the Federation and now he was talking about licking fingers with a highly enigmatic Vulcan. It was a strange existence, that much he knew.

"Ah..." He sounded a little bit awkward, "So it is somewhat..." He searched for a good word, "self-indulgent to lick one's fingers in your case." He nodded, not having considered such an implication before, "Certainly not the kind of thing you'd want to be doing in public I suppose? A... uh... lewd act were another Vulcan to see you."

Sera shut her eyes and dipped her head. This was a most uncomfortable line of discussion. He broke The Silence as if it were no big thing...nonetheless she had to take ownership of her words. She initiated. The onus of responsibility was on her.

"Yes. And we do not speak of such things..." Sera hesitated, and then whispered softly so that only his ears would pick it up. "In public." Fvadt!

Way to go; let him think Vulcans discuss this kind of stuff in private.

"Ah...I mean." Sera could feel the tips of her ears burning in self-consciousness. "I should apologize. This topic of conversation is inappropriate."

It was difficult to not find Sera's external internal struggle highly endearing. Vala tried to project a warm expression, and stifled a smile. She was clearly going through something.

"Well," he began cautiously, "despite appearances," he stroked up the back of one of his ears by way of a gesture, "I am not Vulcan. I do not consider the subject of finger licking particularly sinful."

He couldn't resist a wry smile, "Unless it is being done needlessly of course, then it probably gets filed under seduction," he laughed lightly. "So no offense has been caused."

He took another spoon of Sera's soup and dripped it onto bread. He rather enjoyed this unique method of consumption, even if the tomato juice was not much to his taste. "Rihannsu do not tend to balk at discussing more intimate matters. It marks us apart from Vulcans in that regard I suppose.

"That sounds far more agreeable than the Vulcan way." Sera quipped, as she looked down at her food. It was a safer place than watching him run his fingertip up the line of his ear.

Why, by Surak had she said that? This whole conversation had gone off the rails through some arbitrary standard that was set during her upbringing.

It was utterly inappropriate...and yet...strangely thrilling. Like she was somehow dabbling with the forbidden.

Sera took another spoonful of the curry.

Vala continued to be fascinated with Sera's somewhat unusual demeanour. A small touch of his ear was enough to drive her eyes away. Did Vulcans have a thing about ears too? They were strange people. Or perhaps Sera was a strange Vulcan. This theory seemed to hold more weight. It was probably why she was so likable.

"As we are on a Starfleet vessel, we do not necessarily have to adhere to the Vulcan way," he said in what he hoped was a reassuring tone, "We are very distant, in time and space," he paused then continued cautiously, "from rules that you do not seem to particularly enjoy following."

Her eyes darted back to his, brows raised in undisguised astonishment. "Such things..." She began, and then halted again. "We are very distant, yes."

It was much easier to agree. Sera was very far from Vulcan. Far enough away for most not to notice her now glaring deficiencies in control. Which was more than evident here in this conversation with an erstwhile cousin of sorts.

"You suggest I not...act Vulcan? How?"

Wait, what? That's not what she meant to say at all.

Looking somewhat confused, Vala attempted to maintain a neutral expression. He felt like he had wandered into a topic that often lived within Sera's head. She was not her usual coherant self. It was rather... unusual. But that had become the flavour of the meal.

"A-Are you asking how I think you might not be acting like a Vulcan?" He cocked his head to one side, "Or how to not act Vulcan?"

"You stated that we did not have to adhere to the Vulcan way. That is the only way I know. How else should we engage. I am...willing to compromise."

I'm willing to do just about anything to continue whatever this is... Sera added silently.

"W-ell," he began, "I did not request you engage in any different behaviours, just to not feel you must... ah... stand on ceremony with me."

He smiled weakly. Whatever this was it was an ideal distraction from the doom of the situation that had been pressing him earlier.

"You ate some bread with your hands, and you told me Vulcans consider finger licking to be indecent. I would say that would characterise you as... acting as you wish."

"You have quite readily called out my divergence...if you were Vulcan I would have been suitably chastised." Strangely emboldened, Sera dipped the tip of her index finger into the soup, and not breaking eye contact brought her fingertip to her lips and sucked the red liquid off the end of her digit.

Take that.

Mouth slightly open, Vala could do nothing but stare as each part of this action unfolded.

Normally it would not move him in the slightest but... he knew, in fact she had told him that this was... well... Vulcans had sensitive fingers.

He blinked and took a deep breath, attempting to centre himself, "Ah..." he arranged his lips into an awkward smile, "Did that... improve the flavour?"

Not at all. Maybe we should offer him some to obtain his evaluation? her inner voice inquired in delight.

Sera's brows raised at her own internal mutiny. What by Surak and The Old Gods was she doing...thinking?!
Just how long had it been since she meditated? Would meditation even help this?

"No. It did not." Sera replied, knowing an apology was in order, but not even knowing how to begin.

I apologize Montgomery. My logic apparently fails me when I am in your company. How exactly would a Rihannsu react to that?

"Oh..." He didn't know how to react, but part of his brain compelled him to slowly reach forward and dip his own finger into the soup, then return it to his mouth.

It all seemed to happen in slow motion. He felt like an outside observer, witnessing these strange events unfold.

He put his finger in his mouth for a few moments, then put his hand down. Surely he had to say something. He cleared his throat a little, "You are right. I... uhm... think I prefer the bread."

Sera watched him intently with unblinkingly as her eyes dilated, her dark blue iris becoming slowly subsumed by fathomless black as Montgomery repeated her poorly thought out foray into 'finger foods.' She watched, enraptured as he slowly sucked the soup off of his finger tip, feeling a most unusual warmth begin to pool low within her.

She tried to swallow against a suddenly dry mouth and reached out to her cup of tea and focused on taking a few sips of the steaming beverage in an attempt to regain some semblance of balance.

"Or a spoon." She replied softly once she felt controlled enough to be able to speak with a 'calm' inflection.

"Well yes. That would be more efficient," he nodded slowly, "I suppose one could do this for thicker paste like food though," he eyed the curry but thought better of it. "I think for liquids a spoon or adding other absorbent food is the wiser course." He smiled awkwardly and allowed silence to fall.

Sera had reacted... unusually to all this. He couldn't quite work out why he had mimicked her actions moments before. It was compulsive, like a deep part of his brain felt the need to experiment. He shook his head ever so slightly. It had been a day.

Sera tilted her head and mentally took apart what he had just said to her. She had commented regarding the spoon, and Montgomery apparently did not see her discomfort--which was optimal, obviously--but that only made her internal turmoil worse. For now besides the sensation that still continued to pool deep within her she was faced with uncertainty.

None of her innate reactions were normal, let alone logical. Was this yet another undiscovered after affect from Viruk's death? The healers had been clear they thought her desire to return to Starfleet to be foolhardy at best.

Sera decided it was best to extricate herself from this self-inflicted mess. Montgomery no doubt did not understand her irrational behavior, and he should be able to consume his food in peace.

She opened her mouth to excuse herself, but something...strange occurred. She asked a question instead.

"Montgomery, do you have a mate?"

Vala had taken a little more curry on his spoon, and was busy considering how best to drip it on some bread after his successful attempts with the soup, when Sera's question screamed through his mind.

He froze, the bread he was holding dropped lightly onto the table in front of him.

No one had asked him that. That question. Or anything remotely close to it since the small room with the bright light at Starfleet Intelligence decades prior.

He made a small sound as his brain violently descended into civil war. One part trying to wrest control of his body back in order to regain a semblance of composure, another part wildly considering appropriate deflections, another figuring out ways to cautiously proceed, and a small part chipping away the layers of defences that stood to be compromised by the various aberrations of the day so far.

"M-Mate?" He finally said, slowly rearranging his features into an acceptable visage, "No. Not have I mean. I did. Ailhun. Once but we... she is no more." He stared into the middle distance. "H-Hobus," his dry voice cracked as he lied.

The small sound he made clued her in that perhaps he was in some type of distress. Sera grew concerned as she realized that her question was rather forward, and would be considered rude by Vulcan standards. Did Romulans feel the same way?

When he finally did answer her, his voice took on a wavering tone, and the answer...

"My apologies. My inquiry was invasive and impolite." Sera responded, internally chastising her foolishness. "I grieve with thee."

He cleared his throat. "It is a perfectly n-normal question," he blinked a couple of times, his brain cooperating once more, "I should not be so sensitive. It is... innocuous. I..." He sighed, "Some things never truly die."

"That is illogi-..." Sera caught herself before she completed the retort that all too easily slipped from her lips. Montgomery was obviously in distress. His cadence and tone of voice change and the sureness of words had faltered.

"It was very personal question, and my asking it was quite thoughtless and demonstrated a distinct lapse in control."

He shook his head, "I said earlier, Rihannsu do not balk at discussing intimate matters. It is so," he looked into her eyes, "You were not to know and it is a question that... people ask people."

He slightly inclined his head in a small bow, "I should be grateful someone wishes to take such an interest in my life. Friends are in short supply for a Rihannsu in the Federation." Particularly the one they had found themselves transported to...

Sera wanted to ask him why no one would want to know anything more about him, but she had enough sense to not pepper him with further questions on that particular subject. Causing him distress was the the exact opposite emotional response she wanted to incite in him.

That thought gave Sera pause. What did she want to incite in him?

Well...since you asked...

"Nirsh." Sera said emphatically, realizing it belatedly that she had uttered the word of censure aloud.

"I would find it...acceptable to learn more about you...if...you would like?" The words poured out of her mouth in a rushed rate variance to cover her unseemly outburst. A part of her wondered if she had just made everything worse.

Her logic was outright broken when it came to interacting with this male.

He had been raised to believe that Vulcans were the antithesis of Rihannsu, yet here he sat with one whose small quirks were most pleasant.

He thought he would struggle to smile, but one came easily. He nodded, "I would be happy to oblige you Sera, and I hope you will find it acceptable to allow me to learn more about you..." He raised an eyebrow slightly at his own clumsy wording, "...in the future. Perhaps we can have dinner again? Or spend time together outside of the mess hall?"

"I would find it most agreeable to engage with you further, Montgomery." Sera readily responded, and for a moment none of the turmoil that existed outside of this small table mattered.

He gazed into her eyes for a moment, they were an unusually stunning sort of blue, "Excellent," he said a little more wistfully than he had intended, "Soon? As duty allows."

"As duty allows, yes."

Vala gave a smile then stretched slightly, "Wonderful," he slid his tray back towards him and stood up, "I will be in touch.""


[OFF]

--

LTJG Montgomery Vala
Deputy Science Officer
USS Galileo-A

&

Ensign S'Ers-a M'Lyr'Zor
Deputy Engineering Officer
USS Galileo-A

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