Telaran Bloom Tea Part I
Posted on Sat Dec 14th, 2024 @ 6:54am by Lieutenant Narin Valen & Ensign Millicent Ambrose
Edited on on Tue Dec 17th, 2024 @ 10:21pm
2,521 words; about a 13 minute read
Mission:
Episode 16 - Silent Cries
Location: Kashintei Tea House - Promenade - Empok Nor
Timeline: MD003 1200 hrs
Narin pressed the door chime to Ensign Ambrose’s quarters, waiting patiently for an answer. In his hand, he held a small box. Earlier that day, he’d encountered a merchant on the station selling an assortment of teas. Their conversation had reminded him of the promise he’d made to send a daily reminder to drink tea. A promise he’d forgotten amidst the chaos aboard the ship. To make up for it, he purchased one of the teas as a gesture of apology
Millie had been laying on her bed, on her stomach, her knees bent and her feet in the air moving back and forth. She was caught up in reading a book, pausing from time to time, to write some notes upon a pad of paper. She was working on her holo/novel adventure Millie was wanting to get back into. Something adventurous. She was dressed casually, tee shirt, a pair of shorts which hit mid thigh. Pink in color, the same shade as the streaks in her hair which was done up in two loose pigtails. Her feet were bare.
"Hey someone is at the door, anyone want to go get it?" came the call of one of her room mates.
Millie looked up and moved to get off the bed. "I'll get it."
When she answered, Millie froze when the door opened, revealing... "V-V-Valen!?" she stammered out. "Uh.. er... um.. er..." no other words were connecting from her brain to her mouth. Though in the back of her mind there was a voice saying run.. hide.. bathroom! Her feet not obeying, feeling frozen in place.
When the door opened, and he felt her reaction, Narin was caught off guard. Normally, he was prepared, and carefully guarded from sensing others strong emotions, but today he wasn’t quite himself. He could sense her urge to run and hide, which made him take a moment to steady himself.
“Hello, I hope I’m not intruding.” He paused briefly, gathering his thoughts. The lingering effects of that unsettling dream had him off his game. “I just wanted to bring you something,” he held out the small box of tea. “I know I promised to remind you to drink tea every day, and I’ve let that slip with everything that’s been happening.”
Promised to give me a reminder to drink some tea? Millie scoured through her memories as to the times she had met Valen. A furrow formed in the center of her brow, it disappearing when she remembered. She also noted something about Valen. He looked weary. "T-thank you. Uh... you know um.. if you don't mind um waiting for me to get changed, uh, want to go somewhere and uh have some tea? " Millie had been noticing that she seemed to be so hyperfocused on her problems, that there were somethings that she might be missing. Like others having their own troubles. Quietly scoffing at herself. She didn't used to be like this.
“Sure, tea works,” Narin said, and as she mentioned changing, he unconsciously glanced at what she was wearing before quickly catching himself and meeting her eyes again. “I’ll wait here?” he added, glancing down the corridor for a moment, trying to brush off the awkwardness.
"O-okay it won't take me long." Millie moving from the door and into where her clothing was at. Five minutes later, Millie stepped out into the corridor. She had changed into a pair of comfortable but nice looking black slacks, a
light blue blouse, with a pair of black slip on shoes. Her hair was swept back into a loose ponytail.
"Okay lets go, uh.. there is a place we can talk, and drink tea with a great view of the stars. I've not been there before but I saw it when I was er exploring the station. It looked really nice and er uh... peaceful?"
“Before we head out, would you mind if we stopped by my quarters?” Narin asked, glancing at her, then down at his own attire. He motioned toward his uniform with a small smile. Though it was comfortable enough, he figured it wasn’t exactly ideal for shore leave. “I should probably change into something a bit more casual.” he added.
Millie took in Valen's attire then gave a nod. "Yes, something casual would be better." giving a shy smile. "Would probably make you feel a bit more comfortable." okay Millie so far, so good. One step at a time. Concentrate on him, not too concentrated though, you will send yourself back into your rabbit hole.
Narin nodded and led them down a couple of corridors, followed by a quick turbolift ride to his deck. As they approached the door to his quarters, he turned to her. “You can wait out here if you’d prefer, or you’re welcome to come in,” he said, stopping in front of his door, leaving the choice entirely up to her comfort level.
Inside her mind Millie was in a bit of a war with herself. Part of her wished to stay out in the corridor and wait. The other part though, her innate curiosity, gave her the desire, to getting a read on Valen by looking at his quarters. It was rather strong, outweighing the other voice of caution, she stepped inside to have a look around.
His quarters were a blend of practicality and personal touches, clean and organized. His workstation was neatly arranged with PADDs, a few science-related trinkets, and a model of a starship. Small bookshelf was filled with scientific journals and classic books. The bookshelf also served as a display case for a few unique artifacts from planets he’d visited.
Narin glanced over at her. “Make yourself comfortable, I’ll be right back,” he said, walking into an adjacent room and closing the door behind him. A few minutes later, he emerged from his bedroom, dressed in a soft, well-fitted charcoal gray crewneck t-shirt, paired with slim-fit black trousers. Over the t-shirt, he wore a lightweight, slightly cropped bomber jacket in slate gray. On his feet were sleek, low-profile black sneakers.
"Shall we?" he asked
Millie had gone into the central area, just gazing around taking in the decor and placement of everything. She curbed her desire to take some very close look at what was there on the shelves, after all she was also a polite person. His voice startled her slightly, Millie turning towards Valen. "You look great Lieutenant Valen." her cheeks turning a light shade of pink. "And yes, lets be off to the promenade." turning towards the door and stepped out into the corridor. She could feel her heart pounding, just a little bit, Millie though, was determined to see this through, besides, he didn't make any unseemly advances towards her.
As they went towards the turbolift, Millie drew in a breath before she started a conversation. "Your quarters were rather lovely. And, I noticed a collection of books there."
“Thank you,” he replied as they walked toward the turbolift. “Since neither of us are on duty right now, feel free to call me Narin,” he added as they stepped into the turbolift. Narin chuckled lightly at her remark about his quarters. “I’ve been told before that my quarters don’t feel the warmest mostly due to the lack of personal items, but I guess I prefer the minimalist approach. Keeps things simple.”
As the turbolift started moving he glanced at her. “I enjoy reading and try to make time for it, especially before bed,” Narin said. “Of course, I read plenty of scientific journals, but I also really like diving into fantasy books when I can. It’s a nice escape. How about you? Do you like to read?”
"Y-yes I do like to read." Millie was nervous still but was working on putting herself in a calm frame of mind. She wasn't certain if she will succeed but she was going to make that effort and overcome her trepadations.
They soon arrived at the place for tea, it had a sort of a Japanese teahouse feel to it, there were several planters which had bamboo in them, and soft Japanese music could be heard. A place was found where they could look out towards the stars, ane it was a table set for two. This table was more like the usual tables found. "This is nice." Millie stated.
Narin glanced around the place appreciating the atmosphere with the bamboo planters, the view of the stars beyond the window and the soft Japanese music that played in the background. “Yeah, it really is.” He agreed that the place was nice. Narin waited for her to have a seat, and then took a seat across from her. “How has your shore leave been thus far?” Narin asked as they waited for someone to take their order.
"I've not done anything yet for shore leave." Millie twisting a strand of her hair around her finger, her voice a bit soft. "T-this will be my first doing something while on shore leave." feeling her heart beating rapidly.
A waiter came up to the table, to bring them two menus. Listed upon the menu would be sushi, sashimi and rice bowl with different toppings. This includes some soup as well. "Oh this looks really good, so hard to choose what to eat." Millie looking up from her menu. Millie chose matcha tea, which she really liked.
Narin scanned the menu, his eyes catching on Ujicha. He remembered the distinct flavor from his trips to Kyoto, and without hesitation, he ordered it. Once the server had walked away, he turned his attention back to Millie. “Ujicha, it’s one of my favorites,” he said. Hopeful it would taste just as good as he remembered. “You do have other plans for your shore leave, right?” he asked settling back in the chair.
"I will come up with something, I don't intend on hiding out in my quarters here. Though, I will enjoy having some time to myself in private quarters." Millie giving a slight laugh. "Not that I mind sharing, its just sometimes I just need quiet moments." she reached out and played with the glass of water that had been brought over, slowly making it rotate bit by bit, watching the play of the light upon its faceted glass surface.
Narin nodded in understanding. “I completely get it. Having your own space and time, even if it is for just for a short time, makes all the difference. I remember how thrilled I was when I finally got my own quarters. As you probably noticed, I’m a bit particular about how I keep them,” he added with a smile.
"And your quarters are very lovely indeed. I-it flows with uh... er what was it called. Feng Shui? That is important, right?" She couldn't help but notice that Valen was attractive, Millie was trying not to think about that though, trying not to. Which made Millie gnaw on her lower lip, in nervousness. Gosh what a smile. finding herself sneaking a look at Valen's smile.
Narin had been around her a few times now, and that sense of nervousness always seemed to be there. He couldn't quite figure out what was causing it, completely oblivious to the fact that she might find him attractive and that could be the reason behind it.
“Yes, Feng Shui,” Narin nodded in agreement. “The first time someone told me my quarters had it, I had to look it up,” he chuckled. “But once I did, I had to agree with their assessment. It keeps me focused and helps me think. Plus, it helps my quarters from becoming a science lab.”
"its something I am planning on trying, well the best I can in my quarters. At the very least where I sleep." Millie glanced out towards the stars and also caught Valen's reflection in the glass as well. He looked surreal with the stars in the dark velvet of space and the stars giving a sort of etherealness to him. She needed to focus on something other than how handsome he was, she remembered that he seemed to be troubled about.
"So... what has been interrupting your sleep? You look like you've not been able to sleep much" Millie feeling a little bit awkward in asking this but, she did notice the signs.
He hadn’t realized his lack of sleep was that noticeable. Before he could respond, the server returned with their tea. Narin thanked them, then turned his attention back to her. “I’m not sure,” he sighed. “I woke up screaming, but I can’t remember why. I assume I had a dream, but no matter how hard I try, I can’t seem to recall any of it.”
"That most certainly would cause lack of sleep." Millie thanked the waiter and also had ordered her food, Kaiseki which had soup, rice, fish and some grilled beef. For dessert, Doriyaki sweet bean paste between two small pancakes. " I can hardly wait to enjoy this food."
"Indeed, it does," Narin replied, rubbing his eyes briefly before realizing he hadn’t ordered any food. Just tea. "Your food looks really good," he added, picking up his cup and taking a sip. "Looks like I forgot to order food," he admitted with a grin.
Millie waved the waiter back so that Valen could get some food ordered.
He returned, and Millie stated, "My friend would like some food as well." giving a little bit of a smile towards Valen.
The waiter nodded. "I do apologize for not asking what you wished to have with your tea."
Narin ordered a Miso Soup with rice, along with matcha and hojicha brownies for dessert. After the waiter left, he glanced over at Millie. “Thanks for that. I’m not sure where my head was,” he admitted, looking away, a bit embarrassed.
After a second or two he looked back. “Please don’t wait for my food. Enjoy yours.”
"Oh oh thank you, though, I would feel more comfortable in waiting until your food arrived. And will make it to where I don't singe my tongue, its not a pleasant sensation." Millie was trying hard to not focus upon how handsome Valen was. there is more to him, than just a pretty face. feeling a bit frustrated with herself.
"Ah, good point. You probably should wait. A medical emergency over tea might be a bit much," Narin replied with a smile. Just as he was about to shift the conversation, the waiter arrived with his miso soup and dessert. Narin thanked them as they placed the dishes on the table before quietly stepping away.
A Joint Post By
Ensign Millicent Ambrose
Engineering Officer, USS Pioneer
Lieutenant Narin Valen
Assistant Chief Science Officer, USS Pioneer
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