Afternoon Break

Posted on Thu 16th Nov, 2017 @ 2:12am by Lieutenant Thomas Maynard

1,265 words; about a 6 minute read

Mission: A Phaser as Deadly as a Candlestick
Location: Orchids & Jazz, Deck 600
Timeline: MD 1, 1320

Swaying slightly to the smooth jazz sounds of the Cymbidiums, her usual three-piece combo, Jade finished wiping down the highly-polished wooden bar. Only a couple of women, taking a break from shopping, were still having sandwiches there. Observing the slight slowing of the mid-day crowds, she was thinking of taking a break herself when an officer walked in and took a seat in front of her.

"Good afternoon," she greeted him and smiled. "Are you hoping for lunch or a drink?"

"Afternoon," Thomas smiled. "A drink please, do you do snacks?"

"That all depends on what you think a snack is," she laughed. "Our chef has a variety of deserts available at this time of day, or she could make a cup of paella, the day's soup, and half of any sandwich for you. I can offer you a bowl of complimentary cashews," she pushed a nearby bowl toward him, "or you can tell me what you think would be a great snack, and I can see if we can produce it."

Thomas continued to smile, "Cashews! I haven't had them for so long!" He grabbed a couple and started eating them, "Sorry, I got a bit excited there. Dessert sounds nice, what would you recommend? Alongside some whisky if you have some."

"Of course! The finest Jack Daniel's Tennessee whiskey, still made to exacting standards and filtered by the Lincoln County process. As for dessert," Jade looked at him thoughtfully. "Yes, you look like a traditional man. We have New England Cranberry Pie, Washington's Cherry Pie or Lemon Custard Pie, all from the 1940s." It was a little strange to talk about serving a dessert from 450 years in the past. Jade had done the research, and Marin had experimented with the recipes. Whether they were anything like the original taste, there was no one around to say.

"Orrrr ... you could go forward about 60 years and have Death by Chocolate. That's entirely Chef Holmes's creation, even though the name goes back to the early 21st century. So, what'll it be? After all the cashews you can eat," Jade laughed, refilling the bowl for him.

"JD is sounding good with me. I would go with death by chocolate, but the lemon custard pie does sound delightful. So we will go with that," he smiled, having some more cashews. "How long have you been in this place?"

Sending the order to the kitchen on her BarPADD took only seconds, and then she answered his question. "If you mean in this particular incarnation of Orchids & Jazz, about a year. If you mean how long have I owned Orchids & Jazz ... that's closer to a decade, here and there." Jade set a Jack Daniels in front of the lieutenant and held out her hand. "Jade Lantz, owner of said place."

"Ahhhh," Thomas said, shaking her hand. "A lovely place you have here!" He took a sip of the Jack Daniels, which slipped down his throat nicely, warming it as it went. "Very nice! So how many incarnations have there been?"

"Now you're testing my memory, aren't you?" Jade laughed. "Let's see ... Kepler Station was first, then USS Protector. I think ... yes, USS Regent, and then Starbase Protector. Now Vanguard. Five versions, of one kind or another. And before that, there was a club on Earth, but it had a different name, and I had a partner then." She smiled slightly, "Good times. So, what's your story, if you'd care to share it."

Jenna brought his dessert from the kitchen. "This was ready, so I thought I'd bring it over." She set the lemon custard on the counter in front of the lieutenant. Since he was the only one at the bar, there was no question to whom it belonged. Smiling, she went on her way.

"Five versions is a lot for a business, but I'm glad it still exists, otherwise I wouldn't be tucking into this fine lemon custard pie right now," he smiled, taking a spoonful. "Beautiful! My story isn't great, to be fair. I started out as an Infiltration Specialist and worked my way through the ranks. I have a son," he grimaced slightly. "He must be 21 now." He ate another spoonful. "Hmm, what about you? Any children?" he attempted to switch the subject.

"No, not at this point in history. You could say Orchids & Jazz is my child. It takes all my time. Most of my staff has been with me through the majority of those moves, so they are very much my family," Jade said, moving on quickly.

"I'm glad you like the pie. Marin is a fabulous and creative chef, a wonderful find from last year, actually. You must try all her desserts, but," she smiled, "not on the same day!" She was tempted to ask about his son, but she could tell he wasn't open on that subject, and anyway, ... she didn't want to leave the door open to her on life.

"You're the department head, aren't you? I expect you were quite good at your job all along the way, or you wouldn't be here, now."

"I will make sure I come down at least once a week just for the dessert! And yes I am the department head," He slightly shrugged his shoulders, "When I was younger, yes I was good, but the years are going by, and my desire for it all is waning. I guess someone somewhere still sees me as good enough."

"Colonel Drake is a pretty good judge of these things. You wouldn't be here if he didn't think you were the best in the quadrant," Jade assured him. She wondered about the sadness in him, and the dark edge of his otherwise blue aura. Not a complicated man, but a sad one. "Perhaps it's time to try something new - climb Mt. Everest on the holodeck, or maybe you're more a swim the the sharks sort of person?"

"Heh, yeah good point." He contemplated what Jade said. He smiled at her, "Last time I went on a holodeck, I got stuck with some 8 ft creature who threatened to eat me... Not sure I would want to go there again," he let out a rare laugh. "I would prefer to climb up a dormant volcano. That would be amazing."

Lantz was amazed at how a laugh and a smile transformed his face. He looked friendlier, younger, and happier, of course, but it also gave a spark and light to both his eyes and his aura. "You should do that more often, Lieutenant. It looks good on you." She patted his hand which was lying next to his empty glass. "If you ever want a mountain climbing companion, I'm pretty good at belaying. Would you like a refill, or is it back to business for you?" She removed his empty plate and utensils to the container underneath the bar for recycling later.

He glanced down at Jade's hand as she patted it and he smiled at her, "Thank you. And is that an offer to be a mountain climbing companion or a volcano climbing companion. And a refill would be nice. I will have one more then I will shoot off."

Jade set a new glass in front of him shortly, and answered with a smile, "Whatever you're climbing will be fine ... as long as the volcano is extinct."

"But a dormant volcano would be much more fun. Still, it would be nice to have a climbing companion," he smiled, quickly taking the glass and drinking it. "Thank you Miss Lantz. I will be back to take you climbing!"

 

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