LtCmdr. Dakora - Fuzzy
Travis
((Faaht M’aiQ’s Wingery - Rylar District - Cait))
As Talos and Addison went to work on the first round of wings, he’d initiated a game of two truths and a lie.
Dakora: As a kid, I wanted to be an architect. ::He raised a finger.::I was once dressed down for calling Admiral Quinn Reynolds “M’am.” ::He raised another finger.:: Annnd… I’ve recently discovered that I’m a son of the Sixth House of Betazed.
He let his fist hang in the air for a moment with all three fingers raised before lowering it.
MacKenzie: Starting off easy? ::chewing on the last bit of taknar:: You’re not a son of the Sixth House.
The Caitian waiter came to take one platter while replacing it with another.
Server: These are wings of the fenza – a bird native to Trill. They are tossed in a boysenberry chili sauce.
He studied her face as she tucked into the wing, which was coated in a nearly black sauce. Eventually, she re-emerged, seemingly unscathed.
MacKenzie: It’s good – a little deceptive, though…
Talos picked up one of the darkly sauced wings, deciding to go all-in and risk a full bite. He found himself agreeing with Addison’s assessment.
Dakora: Those are interesting. ::He wiped his hands on a napkin before raising his gaze to meet hers, a wry grin forming on his face.:: You’re wrong by the way. About the lie.
MacKenzie: Bullshit. There’s no way you’re Betazoid royalty.
He took a decent pull of the beer, setting it down with a shrug.
Dakora: Hey, no one’s more surprised than me. ::He splayed his hands in front of him.:: I guess they hid and/or destroyed a bunch of the familial records when the Dominion invaded Betazed to protect the noble lines. They recently found some previously lost records– that’s what that trip to Amity I took a while back was all about.
She shook her head dismissively.
MacKenzie: Well now I’ve really seen it all. ::tossing the cleaned wing down on the platter:: What a dumb game.
Talos grinned and shook his head, returning to his beer once more. He had his work cut out for him, with the two pitchers they needed to get through. He hoped she’d develop a taste for the stuff.
He dropped the last of the boysin-berry Fenza wings onto his platter, which was now beginning to resemble some kind of macabre avian graveyard and looked across the table at his red-headed CO.
Dakora: Alright, you’re up. Two-truths and a lie… would you rather, whatever you’re feeling. Dealer’s choice. Just something to distract me from my increasingly burning mouth.
oO Spin the bottle… FMK… you know whatever. Oo
Smirking at his internal joke, he waited for her reply.
MacKenzie: Response
Raising an eyebrow, Talos responded as he topped off both of their glasses from the pitcher of beer.
Dakora: Not sure why, but I’m feeling option 2, here.
MacKenzie: Response
He chuckled to himself.
Dakora: I learn something new every day...
He laughed, but it was cut short as the waiter arrived with yet another round. The duo continued on like this for a while, waging valiant war against a variety of different spices and unusual types of wing, until, at long last, the final round was upon them.
Somehow, they’d managed to nearly exhaust the two pitchers of beer and while Talos was feeling more than a little loose, he really hoped Addison had assisted him with some of that, but the details were fuzzy at the moment.
A loud gong sounded and hushed murmurs fell over the other diners. Apparently, this was something of a big deal here.
Waiter: Congratulations, you have made it to the final round. ::He purred.:: You have fought valiantly to this point. But now you must face the ultimate challenge. ::He lifted the domed cover off of the platter.:: Wings of the Caitian chuck-chook tossed in a V’rrow pepper sauce, a plant that only bears fruit once every decade. ::He bared a toothy grin.:: As spicy as it is rare, I assure you.
Talos eyed the wings on the platter with a mixture of trepidation and determination. The sauce was such a bright, iridescent orange that it almost looked like it was glowing.
He wiped a bead of sweat from his brow, risking a glance across the table to Addison.
Dakora: Well, ::Sarcastically.:: It’s been a pleasure serving with you. I request the full torpedo thing for my funeral please…
MacKenzie: Response
Unable to stall any longer, he hefted a wing from the plate, did the little cheers routine he and Addison had developed, and took a bite.
Hell. The Great Fire. Gre’thor.
Talos wasn’t sure if he believed in any of those places before, but now he was fairly certain he’d tasted something from there.
His mouth, lips, tongue even his NOSE somehow felt like it was actively on fire.
Dakora: Oh. ::He Huffed.:: I can’t like that…
His words barely made sense as he grabbed his glass and tossed a big gulp of beer down the hatch.
Staring down at the plate, he couldn’t imagine eating two more of those each, but he also couldn’t imagine coming this close and giving up.
MacKenzie: Response
TAG/TBC
LtCmdr. Talos Dakora
Chief Intelligence Officer
USS Artemis-A
O238811CD0