As the Lady Requested

Posted on Tue Jul 16th, 2019 @ 12:04am by Ashe Zachariah & Lieutenant Aleksander Voroshilov

Mission: Getting To Know You
Location: Starbase 357
Timeline: Backpost

After an eventful and rather interesting day, both in the negative and positive, it was time for a hard break involving anything Starfleet. After a short and rather ineffective nap, he had spent a surprising amount of time preparing for breakfast, a meal he usually didn't wake up early enough to enjoy. Among his more contraband-esque items was a bottle of high-end champagne he had acquired from the Monte Carlo and a small tin of Beluga Caviar, also acquired from the same location. Both were making the trip with him, he did promise a night of decadence.

Before leaving his quarters he had grabbed a fresh shave and a pressed shirt, jeans of course because this was a breakfast date. Catching his reflection in a passing window he had been rather impressed that this whole in-processing event had done little to dampen his spirits about the night's festivities. Even if it ended with little more than the bottle drained it would still be a good night, craving more of the uncivilized conversation the CO had so rudely interrupted earlier that day.

It was well after midnight, but the lounge was finally closed for business, tidied and ready for business the next morning, with one very exhausted Ashe sitting at one of the tables, her feet up on the chair next to her, a tall glass of something in front of her as she leaned back, her head tipped back, rainbow coloured hair cascading down her back, her eyes closed, clearly just enjoying the moment of relaxation.

As the doors opened, she grimaced ever so slightly at the sound. "Sorry darlin' we're closed for the night, come back tomorrow!" she called without opening her eyes or even looking.

"Even if I'm buying?" Aleksi set the ice bucket on the table, a bottle poking its way out. He may have been a man of few standards, but properly caring for alcohol was something he held somewhat dear. A smile crossed his face, somewhere between pride and troublemaker.

Straightening up and turning to face him, Ashe smiled wearily. "Well, fancy meeting you here," she said with a laugh. "I figured you'd be back in your quarters by now sleeping it off."

"I did say that if you brought that smile I would bring dessert," Aleksi took the seat across from her, "I don't usually get much sleep, and never before two in the morning anyways," He was an insomniac well before the heinous things he had seen in his service, it didn't bother him much, he preferred the late night rather than morning, "I always felt Spanish at heart, eating dinner after the sun goes down always seemed the best time."

"Sleep is completely over rated," Ashe replied as she watched him. "I usually don't get out of here until well after two and I'm always back by seven in time for the end of graveyard." She shrugged slightly. "You just get used to it."

Aleksi raised a brow, "Well, if we're going to stick around here shall I grabbed the glasses? It'd be a shame to let this go warm," he waved towards the bucket, "Or can I convince you to come with me and have breakfast?"

"I see no reason to stay here, especially if the offer is good company, good food and good drink," she replied, standing up. "So, where are we going?"

Aleksi got up with a slight spring in his step, "And ruin the surprise?" Grabbing the buckets handle with his left hand, he offered the other to her, "Never. But I did promise pancakes and other questionably healthful delights."

"Healthful? You know, that doesn't sound particularly delightful to me... In my experience, health and delight rarely go hand in hand," she said as she took his hand, allowing him to lead her out of the lounge and through the ship.

"I agree, and I have scars to prove it," He gave her a wink and a smile as he walked her out onto the docking ring. One of the few nice things about his time in purgatory on the station was the familiarity he gained about the food on board and few places did as nice a crepe, especially this late, than the Pancake Palace run by a Klingon of all people.

His comments made her laugh as they headed through the starbase before finally stopping in front of the Pancake Palace. "Pancakes?" she asked, raising one eyebrow slightly. "That's your plan to impress me?"

"You suggested breakfast if I recall. Besides, there's nothing more decedant than cream cheese crepes with a little bit of caviar," Impressing someone could be complicated, but that introduced so many problems. The real art was in simplicity, "Still trust me?"

"Sure, I mean, I left detailed notes that I was going to be out with you after I finished in the lounge, so if anything happens to me you're the first person they're going to come looking at anyway," Ashe replied cheekily.

"Probably the smartest thing you could have done," He winked before walking her into the diner. It was fairly well decorated for a place about breakfast foods, gourmet as Ulot would emphasize. Pulling out a chair for her in a corner table, he caught the attention of the lone waiter, "I wouldn't trust me either, even if I do have the best candy."

Ashe raised an eyebrow slightly. "My Momma always told me not to take candy from strange men, and you, Sir, are most definitely very strange." She paused for a moment, trying to keep a straight face before leaning toward him. "Lucky for you, I was never much for being a good girl anyway," she said with a wink.

"I never did well with nice girls anyways," Aleksi smiled as the waiter came over. Without missing a beat he turned to the man and ordered double of some dish that Ulot had made for him before along with his cream cheese crepes and the largest kitchen knife they had. The young man was confused, but assured Aleksi that he would infact retrieve the requested items. Aleksi turned back to his date, "I find them so concerned about all the wrong things."

"Well, you have to admit they have grounds to be concerned, I mean, if someone like YOU walked into my bar and asked for something with a sharp knife on the side, I'd probably raise an eyebrow as well, right before I put you out the door and onto your ass in the corridor." She grinned as she looked at him.

"And they would miss all the fun. Although you have a point about men like me," He pulled the bottle out of the bucket, removing the cage from the top. The waiter arrived nervously with two glasses and a knife. Grabbing the knife, Alexi laid it on the seam of the bottle, "We only feel most alive when we're living irresponsibly," Sliding the blade up the bottle he struck the neck, sending the cork flying, "Of course, having my ass kicked by you would still be worth it."

"Oh, so you say now," Ashe replied with a grin. "But rest assured, the Klingons taught my a lot more than how to eat Gagh and store blood wine."

"They taught me the that pain isn't as bad as I assumed it would be," Watching the liquid dribble around the broken neck, he poured two glasses. Handing her the first glass he held up his glass, "To late nights we won't forget!"

With a laugh, she held her glass up to his. "Let's just hope they're unforgettable for the right reasons," she said with a wink before taking a sip. "Mmm... not bad..."

"The best I could get past security," Which security he didn't mention. He had taken a little vacation to the Monte Carlo before deciding that he would in fact return to the fleet. When he did leave it had been with some extra cargo, "As for the reasons, that remains to be seen."

"So how is it that someone with your..." she broke off, taking a sip as she contemplated her words, "history? Ended up here on a ship like this? Surely you should be off somewhere saving the universe one shiny Sovereign class at a time?"

"Saving the universe? Darling, I'm the villian of the story," Taking a sip of the bubbles, he let the statement linger, "This vessel is the punchline of a joke that started the moment my team was extracted from some backwater on the fringe of the Federation."

Ashe raised an eyebrow slightly. "I see," she said coolly. "Well, that's the thing with jokes, isn't it?" she paused, taking a sip of her drink. "Sometimes they just really aren't all that funny."

“Jokes decided by committee rarely are,” As the waiter delivered the crepes Aleksi debated just how honest he should be, “The Captain took some small pity, most vessels that I approached didn’t want anything to do with me. I suppose that my capabilities can overcome some darkness in the past,” Opening the tin he placed a small spoonful of caviar on two of the crepes, “For the lady.”

"Caviar and champagne, you really are going all out aren't you?" she asked teasingly. "What next? Red roses, romantic music and dancing under the moonlight?"

"I can request the music, but my dancing is atrocious and roses are a bit hard to come by at this time of night," A smile spread across his face, taking one of the pastries.

"That's okay, I'd much rather a bowl of popcorn, a dark room and a horror movie any day," Ashe replied with a grin as she cut into her crepe with a fork.

Horror, no genre was both so ludicrous yet so accurate, "Sounds like a much better way to spend and evening," Taking a bite of his dish he leaned forward a little, "Your turn, how did you end up on the Astraea?"

Finishing her first bite, Ashe let her shoulders drop a little, closing her eyes and savouring the taste. "Okay, you're right, this is quite incredible," she said with an appreciative smile. "Honestly, I asked for it. I needed a change of pace, new faces, new scenery, a new bar. They say change is as good as a holiday, right?"

Aleksi beamed at the reaction, topping off both their glasses, "Depends on what the change is. Compared to a Klingon Freighter, I can see that. Compared to quiet piece of coast, that remains to be seen," He took up his glass, "But you make a good case for it."

"Quiet piece of coast?" she shook her head quickly. "I doubt there's any such place that could reel me in... I am definitely a cabin in the mountains overlooking a lake kind of girl. Somewhere with snow, and a roaring fire for solitude."

"Lots of land, not another person in sight," Alexi chuckled, "Clothes optional."

"Pretty much, that'd be how I'd spend my time. The peace and quiet is a nice change from the constant noise and chaos of being in a bar for eighteen hours a day," she said with an easy smile.

"You say that, but you'd want excitement at some point. I have a feeling you couldn't sit around too long without and adventure," He took another bite of the pancake, "Of course, I've been wrong before. Something about pretty women just fogs my mind a little."

Ashe shook her head. "Maybe I would get bored and need excitement again, maybe I wouldn't, who knows?" She shrugged slightly. "Either way, it would definitely be a nice change from the usual chaos I deal with wouldn't it?" she said with a smile.

Leaning in a little, his smile grew, "Chaos has its own beauty, like a Jackson Pollock. But you may be right, with the correct company you may not need to go adventure hunting," He took another sip of the champagne, "Perhaps you could make your own."

"Oh, no shortage of chaos if I decide to make my own," Ashe replied with a wink before taking another bite of her crepe. "My mother always told me that if she had a son, I'd be the kind of girl she'd be warning him about!"

"Then your the sort of woman I like," Dolling out a few more spoonfuls of caviar he chuckled, "I tended to ignore my parents, they weren't quite happy with my choice of gallivanting around the galaxy."

"My parents are very traditional. The women stay home and be the happy little wives and raise the babies while the men go off to war." Ashe grimaced at the comment as it was spoken. "I can wield a rifle and swing a mean right hook, why should I miss out?"

"There's no reason you shouldn't if that's what you want," While hardly a pleasant thing, he could see the appeal to breaking ones shackles. Taking another sip of champagne he sighed a little, "Mine were cowards, not wanting any of us to go off outside their fictional cocoon, especially after losing a few children to the world outside their secure reality."

Ashe laughed and shook her head. "I guess parents are mostly the same all over," she said with a shrug before finishing off the last of her crepes. "Never satisfied with anything."

"Their heart is generally in the right place, but most humans are resistant to change," Sipping his champagne he let it sit on his tongue briefly, his mind taking a brief trip to another time. Swallowing the liquid he chuckled, "And generally don't want to admit they may be mistaken."

"That's because humans are stupid dumb panicky animals, especially when they're fueled by mass human hysteria. I mean, they really could, as an entire species, learn a thing or two from others. Like, sometimes things really are just illogical, and today can be a good day to die!" Ashe shot back quickly.

"Even those species have their problems. Vulcans are arrogant, Klingons are bullheaded," Aleksi laughed sitting back, having experienced the latter more than he ever wanted to, "Though we could learn something from the bluntness of both species. I think we could all get along better we stated our intentions outright."

"Really?" Ashe challenged, raising one eyebrow slightly. "Go on then," she challenged with a grin. "Let's hear your intentions."

"I never thought you'd ask," He grinned back, his smile devious, "Finish this bottle, have a wonderful discussion free of inhibition, and hopefully leave the door open for date number three. If I'm charming enough maybe end up in my quarters, but if this ends with a nice little peck on the cheek I'll consider myself the luckiest man on the Astraea."

"Well, you aren't half forward are you?" she said with a grin. "So, finish the bottle comes first huh? I have to say, you'd make a lousy bar keep, my glass has been empty for a while three minutes and you've not offered me a refill yet."

"My apologies to the lady, I just happened to be lost in those eyes of yours. At least your parents gave you that," Alesksi fulfilled his obligation for the night, topping her glass, then his, "It's only fair that you know what my end goal is, after all you're my dance partner and lord knows I need all the help I can get."

"Oh, really?" Ashe asked with a laugh, picking up her glass and taking a sip. "You really are a very curious creature Aleksi," she said as she watched him. "Your behaviors are very much at odds with what I perceived your persona to be."

"I live to be curious," Aleksi replied with a smile, taking his glass in hand. It's true, he could have skirted around his intentions and had he no intentions of meeting with her again he would have, "And how did you perceive me? Please tell me I was some dastardly knave."

"Smoother than silk, charming and, yes, most definitely dastardly. The kind of man who would come in, say all the right things, sweep a girl off her feet and be gone before sunrise, never to be seen or heard from again." She smirked. "I have no doubt you have a trail of broken hearts all across the universe. Where Aleksi goes, trouble will follow."

"The trail exists, though it's shorter than you'd think. I've certainly charmed women into my web with a drink and a wink, but they're rarely worth a long term pursuit. I would like to see you beyond tonight," He was rather pleased with the description, especially coming from someone who knew people so well, "And trouble sometimes finds me, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't the cause of most of it. Though, if I'm lucky, trouble with rainbow hair may ensnare me on this cruise."

"Well you'll have to be REAL lucky for that," Ashe replied with a smile. "Now, how about we finish that bottle and take a walk? The starbase is peaceful at this time of night."

Pouring out the last few drops he set the empty bottle back into the bucket. Lifting the glass in a toast, a charming smile on his lips, “Here’s to Lady Luck then.”