Whatcha Got Cookin'?

Posted on Mon 3rd Sep, 2018 @ 2:00pm by Eddie Hunt

1,107 words; about a 6 minute read

Mission: Oblivion
Location: Deck 1553, Hunt's Fortune
Timeline: MD 14, 1515

Typically, Marin didn't eat food prepared by others. She knew what was in the things she cooked, but she couldn't verify contents of anything except what came out of a replicator, and most of the time, she preferred not to eat that. However, she'd come to Hunt's Fortune with the express goal of eating what was laid out on their buffet table, after ascertaining that the food was kept at the right temperature, which it was. She'd contributed some of the wonderful desserts, through Jade, so she concentrated on the things that weren't her concoctions.

Now that she'd experimented with the contents of the buffet, she went in search of the casino's owner. She eventually found him leaning against a wall near the blackjack tables.

"Are you holding up the wall, or is it supporting you?" she asked the tired-looking owner.

"I like to think a bit of both," Eddie joked. "I thought four hours sleep would be enough to get me through, but somewhere I miscalculated." He laughed as he thought about himself just falling asleep against the wall.

"There are stimtabs, you know. I don't carry any around, or I'd offer you one," Holmes said. "Instead, I'll offer conversation about your buffet. Even the desserts I didn't contribute aren't bad, so congratulations. My stomach thanks you for not including too many Klingon and Ferengi dishes, though I'm sure they'll be missed by those who favor them. What are you doing about a chef for your regular kitchen, now that you're open?"

"Any conversation right now will be enough to keep me up, and one about food will certainly keep me up for longer," Eddie smiled, before gracefully pushing away from the wall. "I appreciate the congrats from a chef of your calibre. They might be missed, but there's places they can go nearby if they really wanted that kind of food. Currently, I've only got contracted chefs in from a company, but the job is open. I saw someone that I was interested in, his name is Joseph Granger." He waited for an opinion, hoping that the name rang some bells. Or maybe he was just hoping for a point in the right direction. He wasn't too sure what exactly he wanted apart from sleep. He didn't dare even think about the awards evening that was coming up soon.

"That name sounds familiar ... Irish? Scots? Something like that? Laughs frequently?" she hazarded. "Maybe worked on a ship that docked here a while back?"

"Oh, I thought I knew that name. I think he may have served on the USS Hermes with my brother! Thanks for jogging my memory. My brother used to tell me he was a great chef and had a wonderful personality. Maybe if I get him in for a chat and some test runs, you can come along and, well, judge?" Eddie suggested.

"I'd be happy to help you out with technique and food quality," Marin smiled. "Personality, you're on your own. If he doesn't work out, I can probably find someone who will. I have many contacts in the business. You didn't do too badly for yourself for this momentous event. You might want to remove the lobster frittata from the table, however. Even this less expensive version shouldn't be sitting out so long, and you really can't keep it fresh enough on a buffet."

"That would be amazing. I think with personality, I can judge. I mean, the staff around this place ain't too bad eh?" Eddie let out a laugh. "Thanks for the compliment, and I will get someone on that right away!" Eddie said, gesturing a member of staff and quickly speaking to them. They both watched as the staff member took the lobster frittata from the table. "How long have you been working for Jade now?"

"Almost since she opened here. Right place, right time sort of deal. She made me an offer that was impossible to refuse, and she's pretty easy going. If I do certain things her way, she gives me the run of the kitchen and how things are done there. It's working well." She watched the casino traffic for a couple of minutes, as quiet fell between them.

Out of the blue, she said softly, "I knew your brother."

Eddie was taken aback by Marin saying that. "A lot of people here did." He wasn't sure what else to say, so waited to see what Marin would say.

Feeling she needed to say more, the chef went on. "The first time I met him, he came into the kitchen to compliment me on a meal. The kitchen was two steps short of a disaster," she gave a wry smile. "I was as close to losing it as I think I've been in my entire career. He walked in and had us all laughing in a very short time. I've thought about it often, and I still don't know what he said or did that caused all of us to change our attitudes.

"The thing I liked most about him was that he was kind. I never saw him say or do anything unkind to anyone, no matter their status. That's so rare in any of the species I know." She glanced at him, wondering if he had that same trait. She hadn't had a chance to find out yet. "Was it something in the way you two grew up that made him so compassionate?"

"He was kind. Sometimes too kind," Eddie paused and thought about what he wanted to say. "My, our Mother always detested Zach. I never knew why, but maybe he did. Everything he did was to prove her wrong. He seemed to be the opposite of what she was like. Whether that was a coincidence or not remains to be seen."

Marin nodded, though she couldn't understand a mother detesting her own child ... but then she wasn't a mother, so maybe she just didn't understand motherhood. "Then I think it was her loss that she didn't know him." She looked into his eyes. "And you, Mr. Hunt? Are you kind at all?"

"Hmm, if you ask me then I would always say yes. If you asked people that knew me, then I don't know what they would say. Maybe the answer is that my heart is always in the right place, even if the result isn't so kind on some people; but then it is kind on others," he said, pondering on the question still. "I will ask you that in a couple of months from now and see what you think I am."

"Fair enough," Marin agreed.

 

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