Dinner Time

[Kairi 0]

“Dinner Time”

A joint log by Lieutenant Senior Grade Kairi Kassem and Lieutenant Junior Grade Aidan Driscol

 

Edited by Aidan

 

 

 

Finally there was time for Aidan to take a break, there wasn't anything he could do at the science station so someone else could take over for now. He was hungry enough to devour a buffalo, or at least a large steak. He looked over to Lieutenant Kassem as he made his way over to the turbo lift. "So, do you have time for a bite now? It doesn't look like we'll be needed here anytime soon."

 

"Sure I'd like that," replied Kairi as she looked up at Aidan. The scientist was right, there wasn't much for them to do at the moment. This was the perfect time to grab something to eat. She soon joined him in the lift.

 

Aidan smiled at his dinner companion. He didn't really know her as he had hardly ever worked with engineering. The only time he had talked to her before was in the gym in between trying not to assault the Chief of Security. When he entered the lift with her he ordered it to deck four and then looked at the doors. He hated being trapped in this thing with someone he didn't really know. "Well, as we agreed on not talking about work, how are you doing?" That was less than perfect but a start he supposed.

 

Kairi smiled back at him. She could feel the tension he was giving off. Was he nervous? "I'm doing really well." She brushed some strands of hair behind her ear. "How are you?"

 

He smiled and shook his head. "I can't complain, could do with more sleep, and food." As soon as the doors of the turbo lift opened he felt his confidence return. Yes, this was much better. He wasn't claustrophobic, it was more about personal space, or lack thereof. "After you, Lieutenant."

 

She stepped out of the lift, waiting for Aidan to join her. "You don't have to call me Lieutenant. Please, call me Kairi."

 

Aidan was by her side in two swift strides and smiled. "Kairi, beautiful name, I'm Aidan, or The Driscol as Shadow calls me." He quickly glanced back in the direction of the science labs which were down the corridor, thinking about all the work that was waiting there for him. But he pushed it from his mind as soon as he turned back to Kairi and together they headed for the mess hall.

 

Kairi giggled as Aidan called himself The Driscol. "It must be fun hanging around Shadow all day." Her gaze also followed his towards the labs, though not for the same reason. She used to frequent those labs. But she soon left that thought behind. That was all in the past. It was time to move on.

 

"Shadow and I have become friends, he sure helps me to see things from a new perspective. And he's very funny in his own way, the other day he was very upset because he thought food made us all mad, because I had said something or someone was driving me nuts." He saw Kairi's look down the corridor and he also caught that her gaze was lingering there slightly longer than his had been.

 

She smiled as she glanced up at him. "Shadow has a very innocent outlook on existence. You should take him to the holodeck to see some classic movies sometime. I think he really enjoys that."

 

At this Aidan raised an eyebrow and shortly stopped to let Kairi enter the mess hall before him. "I had no idea, I certainly shall do that. I happen to like those, too, but don't enjoy watching them all by myself. Shadow and I can go on a date." He chuckled at the thought.

 

Kairi laughed as she entered the mess hall. Looking around, she spotted a perfect table near a window. "How about over there?" she asked as she pointed to the little table.

 

"Wherever you want to sit, let's just get food first, I'm starving." He walked towards the replicators and heard his stomach rumbling with all the delicious smells of food around.

 

She nodded as she followed Aidan. As she stepped to the replicator, she ordered a light caesar salad and a tea. After the food was prepared, Kairi took her seat at the table, waiting on Aidan before she began eating.

 

Aidan chose a steak with fries, a small greek salad and ice tea and followed Kairi to her table of choice. As he sat down he looked at Kairi's food and laughed. "Are you trying to catch your dinner yourself with that? That's not food, that's food for food." Then he almost apologetically looked at his own food. "As you can tell, I'm indeed starving."

 

Kairi giggled as she compared her plate to his. "I really wasn't that hungry," she grinned at him. "I just figured you'd rather have some company, instead of eating alone." Probing the salad with her fork, she finally took a bite.

 

At this Aidan frowned. "Well, yes I do, but I didn't mean to trick you into eating with me or anything. I actually thought you were hungry, too." He started eating his fries, it felt like he hadn't eaten for days, and they were just perfect.

 

"Oh no," she placed a hand on his and smiled to reassure him. "You didn't trick me into anything. I really wanted to come. It's a great moment to get to know you better."

 

Aidan grinned. "Well feel free to steal any number of fries, I have yet to meet a woman who claims not to be hungry and actually not steal any of my fries. I hadn't realised you wanted to get to know me better, the first and only time we met I felt like knocking out your friend."

 

Kairi grinned as she took Aidan's suggestion, stealing a fry. "I heard it all worked out though," she said as she popped the french fry into her mouth.

 

"Oh, I certainly don't mind, it's just one more charming thing about women, to some extent that is." He was enjoying this, Kairi had a sense of humour.

 

She smiled as she looked out the viewport. Hundreds of shining stars streaked by. "So beautiful..."

 

Aidan looked out as well. "I have to admit, I probably see stars the way you see warp drives now. In parts, hardly ever in their entire beauty. And most of the time all I see is a bunch of readouts from the sensors anyway. What made someone like you become an engineer, you don't seem the type, if I may say so."

 

Kairi moved her glance from the stars and into Aidan's eyes. "I don't really know. Ever since I was little, I had always been good at taking things apart. I guess I loved it so much I wanted to make a career out of it. How about you?"

 

"My Dad's a marine, I've always been around Starfleet people. Almost became a marine myself, but I had always been a curious kid, like you, taking things apart, just not mechanically but mentally, you know what I mean?"

 

"I do," she smiled back in reply.

 

Thoughtfully Aidan put another fry in his mouth. "Apart from my years at the Academy I've pretty much been doing what I'm doing today. Running around some ship or other trying to solve problems. It's ironic that the Agincourt has become the closest to a home I've ever had. In a way I don't mind much being out here. New things all the time and all."

 

"I don't think any of us would be here if we didn't like the idea of exploring." Kairi took a sip of tea as she continued to look at Aidan. She soon realised she may have been staring, so she glanced back out the viewport.

 

"Very true. One might think you had never seen any stars, or am I that ugly?" He hoped she'd understand he was just teasing her, he just couldn't stop himself, one of the less attractive things about him he assumed.

 

Kairi gave a playful pout as she realised she was caught. "Sorry..."

 

"Nah, don't be sorry for not being able to ignore my stunning beauty." Aidan looked at the young woman sitting across from him and wondered about all the things she must have been through all of her life. It was obvious that she was half Romulan, then she got lost in the Perseus Arm with the rest of them and on top of everything the man she loved had died. Aidan admired how all of this hadn't made her bitter. She was very pleasant to be around with.

 

She giggled a little, her cheeks blushing. She couldn't find the words to respond with.

 

"Sorry, I didn't mean to embarrass you. It's just the way I am, some people call it cocky, those who really know me just call me a dork, because that's really all it is."

 

"No it's alright. I'm used to it," replied Kairi. "I love it when people just be themselves. It's very appealing." She smiled at Aidan.

 

He smiled back and started to wonder if Kairi was flirting with him. After all it had been a while since he had last had the chance to flirt with anybody, so by now he probably wouldn't recognise it if it bit him in the backside. After a moment he dismissed the thought, she was most likely just being nice. "Well, I love being myself."

 

Kairi laughed at that last remark. "Alright, don't overdo it..."

 

Aidan opened his mouth in mock shock. "Overdo it? Me? Never! So, are you done with your rabbit food?"

 

She nodded as she looked down at her plate. "Yeah...Does that mean we have to go back to work?" She frowned.

 

"I would hate to have Colonel Harper track us down, but how about we try out those classic movies in the holodeck before I ask Shadow to come with me? I mean, I would want things to go smoothly on my first date with him after all." Aidan would have loved to stay in the mess hall instead of going back to bridge duty, but this was no time for procrastination.

 

Kairi giggled as she looked at Aidan once more. "I'd like that very much."

 

Aidan slowly got up and took both of their empty plates. "Well, let me return these plates and I'll see you on the bridge in two minutes." He really had enjoyed himself he thought as he walked back to the replicators with the plates, he had a feeling that this might be the beginning of a wonderful friendship