Picnic in January, Part II

Posted on Sat 20th Jan, 2018 @ 9:57pm by Commander Paul Graves PsyD & Lieutenant Commander Andrew Eberstark & Lieutenant Commander Alora Baro & Commander Jasmine Collins-Keller & Lieutenant Anjohl Gaden MD & Lieutenant Adam Keller

1,355 words; about a 7 minute read

Mission: A Phaser as Deadly as a Candlestick
Location: Tivoli Gardens, Paul Graves' home
Timeline: 239301.15
Tags: Gaden, Ischemia

Now, the story continues...

Ischemia walked around the outside of the house. She was looking for something herself, but she didn't think this would suit her, nice as it was. That arched window would certainly be a good selling point, and the rock work was very nice, very earthy. She didn't want what Chlamydia had, but she didn't think she wanted this, either. Still, she walked around to the back to see what the house looked like from there.

"Oh, hello, Paul. I didn't expect to see you out here tending the grill yourself," she said, as she spied him near a lovely pool. She walked over and peered in. "Hipporus?" she asked.

For a moment, Paul thought Ischemia was referring to spiced wine, and then he realized she probably meant the fish in the pond. "Hi, Ischemia, good to see you," Paul said as he began removing brisket and sausages from the smoker and setting them into a pan. "I'm not sure what kind of fish that is. I didn't inquire since I won't be doing any fishing."

The brisket was so tender it was almost falling apart as he set it down on the foil and lightly wrapped it. Its aroma made his mouth water. He'd give the meat about thirty minutes to rest before serving it. "I wasn't sure how many of my guests, aside from Jade and her chef, knew what to do with barbecue, so I figured I'd just take care of it myself," he said. "I take it Chlamydia's still not feeling well?"

"Not so much, and for such a good doctor, she's a terrible patient. She's absolutely sure that a little extra rest will take care of everything," the Addams sister said. "Really, a little scan would probably do a lot more good! I've finally gotten her to promise that she'll see someone if she isn't better tomorrow. She sent her regrets on missing your party, though actually, it wouldn't surprise me to see her walk through the door later anyway."

She came over to where he stood by the food. "Those smell quite good. Did you douse them with anything?"

"I did a simple salt and pepper dry rub, and there are a couple of styles of barbecue sauce on the serving table over there," Paul said, gesturing toward a long wooden table nearby. "I don't really like marinating barbecue; to me, the flavor of the meat should speak for itself."

Approaching the front entrance to the house, Andrew could already smell the food that was being prepared in what he assumed was the backyard. Seeing the door halfway open and hearing various conversations happening in the interior, he decided to enter instead of wandering out back. Andrew hesitated at leaving the door as he found it or closing it, but decided to leave it slightly ajar, allowing the proverbial fresh Starbase air in. Moving towards the already almost full table of various dishes, he placed his bowl down next to the others and made his way to the gathering.

"Really, the man is entitled to keep some secrets," Marin was saying to others when she saw Lieutenant Eberstark. In surprise, she said, "Oh, I thought Serena was coming with you?"

Giving a guarded smile in return, Andrew paused in front of the Chef and glanced around to see how many others may have heard the question, "She had some personal commitments to take care of, unfortunately. I'm hoping she'll be able to stop by later, but I'm not making any promises." Changing the subject, he said, "I didn't miss the main course, did I? It smells like Paul is cooking up quite the meal."

Holmes laughed, "No, no one has eaten anything yet. The dining room table in there is so loaded down with food, I'm surprised it hasn't collapsed. It does smell good, doesn't it? He said something about barbecue when he went out the door. Drinks are on the sideboard if you'd care for one. It seems to be self-serve."

Andrew nodded in appreciation, "Thank you. I think I'll indulge myself if you don't mind," making his way to the sideboard.

Jade was looking over Paul's selection of bottles. "Oh, hello there, lieutenant. No Ratzeputz here, I'm afraid. A very nice replicated spring wine, I understand from Alora. I haven't quite made up my mind, however. Maybe a little lemonade. There's a pitcher on the dining table."

Jasmine and Adam had been in the backyard just walking and enjoying the different flowers they found there. "You really should mention this big backyard to Wyatt." Jasmine grinned. "He could probably talk Dr. Graves into a pet."

Adam laughed. "Let's just enjoy the picnic." He put an arm around her as they walked so that he could catch her if she stumbled. Her belly was rather large now and she had begun to walk with a slight waddle. She didn't have the balance she used to have. "These are pretty. Maybe we can plant some of these." Adam pointed to a small cluster flower with pale orange trumpets.

"That's an Angel Trumpet. They're very pretty but they're very poisonous." She shook her head. "Even touching them can make you sick if you aren't careful. But they are very beautiful." They walked away from the plant and Adam was wiping his hands on his jeans.

"Let's go find something to drink. I could use some ice water." Jasmine suggested and the pair walked inside and toward the gathering in the dining room.

In the back yard, Paul finished moving the foil-wrapped barbecue to a cooler to rest and closed the smoker to cut off air flow to the coals. "All done. Would you mind helping me set up a couple of yard games while the meat settles for a bit?" he said to Ischemia. "I've got yard Twister, but I wanted to make sure there were some things Jasmine could play. She's seven or eight months pregnant by now, so Twister would be a bit much for her."

"Sure, what did you have in mind? What's that game the Victorians on Earth used to play where you hit wooden balls through holes, or something?" she asked, expecting he probably knew what she meant. "Do you have that one?"

"Cricket?" Paul asked Ischemia. "I don't have a set, but I could replicate one. Do you know how to play it? I don't."

"Ummm," she replied. "No, not cricket. That's with a board and ... I don't know what else. Brits played that, but I never took much interest. This was different, and a family tradition at the homestead in New York."

Jade wandered out into the yard, glass of lemonade in hand. "Oh, this is nice," she commented. "Do you hire someone to keep your bushes neat and tidy?"

"I hire someone. The hedge trimming I can handle," Paul said, "but I needed someone to take care of the weeding and the lawn mowing until my schedule calms down enough that I can do them myself."

Alora was enjoying the surroundings as she sat on the grass, a cup nearby and her fingers messy from the food called bbq, some human friends had turned her on to it a while back and she could truly appreciate a well done bbq, she didn't eat a lot of meat generally. She listened to the conversations going on around her but not wanting to be rude didn't yet jump in. She did look interestedly at the group discussing a game wondering if there'd be room for one more. Though she couldn't recall what exact sport they might be talking about, earthers seemed to have a lot wherein you had to hit a ball somewhere so it could be any one of a number of things.

"I was thinking of starting up a Twister game," Paul said to Jade and Ischemia. "Twister on a full stomach is not fun, and I figured perhaps we could play it while the meat rests." He glanced at Ischemia. "Then cricket and swimming after lunch?"

"Swimming, definitely," Ischemia replied, "but I hope that doesn't include the fish."

 

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