Lt Jovenan – Sweden? Never heard of it.
Jovenan
((Holodeck 2, Deck 2, USS Artemis))
They didn’t waste much time before getting onto the work. Just a moment after they had arrived at the holographic kitchen, Vitor already had beans boiling and was now preparing the dough, while Sadar’s pile of various sea creatures were waiting for their turn being turned into the dessert, somehow. Jovenan, too, had acquired a knife and a cutting board, and was in process of chopping vegetables smaller. But before they’d get too far and start using particularly noisy appliances, Jovenan saw an opportunity for some chatting.
Jovenan: ::to Sadar:: Have you relocated to new quarters yet? How’ve you liked it?
Sadar: ::looking up:: Oh, uhh… Y-Yes, I did. Though I, uhh, haven’t exactly ‘unpacked’ yet?
She nodded. Being promoted away from the lower deck had been busy time for her, so she could imagine the Doctor feeling the same.
Silveira: I admit I prefer bigger quarters. I miss the Excalibur dearly, but I have a good amount of History with it. Compared to what I had before, mine are very Spartan now.
Jovenan: I’m still in the process of furnishing my quarters, so don’t be too stressed about it. ::pause:: Hmm, I should probably have started with the dressing. Since it needs to be cooled down.
She stared at the vegetables she had already chopped to smaller pieces. Her recipe consisted of a salad and dressing local to her home region, and of the two parts of it, the dressing needed cooling down before serving, while the salad should be eaten soon after preparing so that the cut vegetables didn’t have the time to start wilting. An inexperienced chef she was, she had started in the wrong order.
Silveira: There’s a fridge there, it depends on how cool it needs to be.
Jovenan looked around. Ah, yes, fridge. That’s what the low-temperature sample storages were colloquially referred to as in the laboratories, and it made sense that the term might originate from similar cooling equipment from the culinary setting. Spotting what looked much like the units in the science departments, she set the cut vegetables aside and proceeded with the vokatos dressing.
Sadar: I think I’m still getting accustomed to the idea of having my own quarters after nine years. The trip to Earth meant that I had to discard basically all furniture that wasn’t considered ‘hands-on luggage’.
Jovenan could understand Sadar well. She had never had a room of her own before the Excal – and even that was actually shared quarters with the other berth open. Be it siblings or roommates, there had always been someone. At first, she had been happy with the newfound freedom, until she realised how lonely she was alone.
However, as much as she wished to concentrate on the conversation, she needed to start with the dressing. And she had run into an impasse.
Jovenan: Vitor, could you give some advice. I’d need to get this vegetable into a paste. ::looks around, then to Silveira:: Which appliance should I use?
She held a dark green vokatos in the air, at the level of her eyes, showing it to the more experienced cook, hoping that he could maybe respond despite being in full work with the hasperats. He tilted his head to his left, likely an indication of direction.
Silveira: There’s a small blender there to your right.
Ah, yes, a blender, that’s… That’s actually not anything she could recognize by name. She looked around, hoping to find something that could be named something like a “blender”, but she had to give in quickly and just look at Vitor with big, confused eyes.
Silveira: That white thing, turn the top to the left and it opens up. ::He turned to Sadar, raising his eyebrow inquisitively:: What are you doing?
Turning again, Jovenan found the device Vitor had indicated. Further inspection revealed sharp blades within, arranged in a manner suggesting that they might rotate at fairly high speed, cutting plant matter until its cohesion was liquid-like. Judging by the size of the device and the estimated torque the device could generate, she judged it would be preferable to insert the vokatos inside only after being cut smaller manually. She returned to her post, sniffing the air, detecting an intoxicatingly delicious smell.
Sadar: I-It’s, uhh, it’s an infusion of sugared roe and honey.
Silveira: I have to say it doesn’t look too pretty, but it's smelling nicely.
Jovenan: It smells very sweet! I love sweet foods, I can’t wait to taste it!
Working with relative haste, Jovenan cut the vokatos in smaller bits before returning to the blender and loading it with the vegetable wedges.
Sadar: I-I’m relieved to hear that. Th-The smell is pretty intense right now, but the taste isn’t as overpowering.
Having loaded the vegetables into the appliance, Jovenan closed the cover, judging that overspilling might otherwise occur, before switching it on. Initially, she was startled by the fairly loud sound the blender emitted, however detecting no indication of significant danger, she calmed and continued to operate the device.
After the contents were of desired consistency, she terminated the process and separated the container from its engine and power source, pouring the contents to a cup. Mixing seed oil, a few drops of simulias koval extract and salt into the paste, she soon had a decent start for a dressing to be let cool down in the fridge. The vokatos would lose some of their natural bitterness in no time.
Silveira: See why I like a big kitchen. This way the three of us can work and not be on the other's way.
The dressing in the fridge, Jovenan could return to the salad itself. What Vitor had said was indeed correct; not once had she needed to watch out for any of them or give space.
Jovenan: Yes. There are so many sharp or hot objects that I’d be more afraid if we had to work around each other.
Sadar: I-I agree… It’s certainly, uhh, less stressful than I’d figured it would be.
Silveira: Have any of you visited Bajor?
Jovenan paused cutting the vegetables for a moment to rub her shoulder. It bore a reminder of the fiasco at the Rakantha Province in form of a small, red mark. It would likely fade away with one or two more dermal regenerator treatments, but she wished some of her colleagues had been as lucky.
Jovenan: Not before this shore leave, no.
Sadar: N-No, I haven’t. I passed through DS9 on my way from my home system, but I wasn’t here long enough to go planetside.
Silveira: Last time I was here… Damn… It was almost three years ago… Time flies…
Jovenan nodded solemnly. She had had the chance to visit so many places in the past three years. First the Academy excursions to various locales and planets, then the service duties in the Borderlands, on Deep Space 224, Meranuge, Paulson Nebula, all the way up to alternate Betazed and the historical Romulus and the CloQ’s realm. It was amazing how much she had seen in that time, and how much more hectic her life had become. That’s what she had wished for when leaving the stagnant world of Rubicun, but it nevertheless took its toll. If it weren’t for the moment like this, she might have broken herself.
Among cutting the vegetables, Jovenan peeked at Vitor. He seemed to have much more jovial thoughts, and even swung a spoon in his hand, smiling widely.
Silveira: You know, next time we have to see this Chef from Earth that I know. I have a feeling you are both going to like him. He’s Swedish.
Huh?
Sadar: ‘See’? ::confused expression:: Wh-Why would you ‘see’ a chef? For tutoring?
A Swedish chef? Jovenan remembered that the Swedish people were one of the nations on Earth, and they lived in an area in the European Alliance, partially in the Arctic. She remembered a human telling her in the University that the Edo resembled the Swedes very much in the looks and behaviour, though Jovenan never saw the similarity. She had tried learning more of them, but soon lost any interest in the topic. The surrounding countries were more interesting from a planetary scientist’s viewpoint.
Jovenan: Is he a friend of yours?
Silveira: Response
Vitor’s explanation surprised Jovenan, and judging by Sadar’s expression, she wasn’t familiar with the concept either. It had been a part poorly covered in the selective courses Jovenan had taken in the University in order to pass better as a human.
Sadar: ::surprised expression:: Huh… I never considered that. I-In that case, I’d be interested to see it as well.
Jovenan: Likewise. It sounds fascinating, though I’m not sure if I understand the humour. And if Swedish is considered difficult to understand and silly, why wasn’t it translated?
Silveira/Sadar: Response
Jovenan nodded without lifting her eyes from the cutting board. She was behind her two companions in finishing her dish, and she didn’t want to hold them back. Perhaps if she had been subjected to fictional chefs from childhood, she’d be more proficient in the art.
Jovenan: We didn’t have anything like that. The most material aimed at children involved teaching them the importance of obeying the law and treating others well.
Silveira/Sadar: Response
Jovenan: Is the Swedish chef from whom you found interest in cooking? You’re like a professional! Where did you learn it?
Silveira/Sadar: Response
TAG/TBC
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Lieutenant Jovenan
Chief Science Officer
USS Artemis-A
E239911J11