LtJG Jovenan – You’ll never stop worrying about your family
Jovenan
((Hiro’s Quarters, Deck 5, USS Artemis))
It had taken Jovenan a few minutes to dress up and find Hiro’s new quarters. She had been very pleased that Hiro had invited her to spend some time together, forcing her out of her own, lonely quarters. Often she had found herself standing behind a door, gathering her courage to ring the bell, but knowing who waited her behind that door, she chimed it without hesitation. The door opened soon, Hiro behind it.
Jones: Hey! Thanks for coming! Please come in.
Unsure of what would the appropriate greeting in this situation be, Jovenan opted to smile and give Hiro a quick wave of hand.
Jovenan: No, thank you for inviting me, brother! You’ve saved me from boredom this evening.
Gestured to enter, Jovenan stepped inside. She looked around for a while, familiarising herself with her close friend’s new dwelling. It wasn’t actually much different from hers, obviously, given that they lived on the same deck of the same ship, but he hadn’t filled his quarters with much furniture yet either. Still, Jovenan noted how many plants and flowers he had managed use to decorate the otherwise minimalist quarters. She liked them very much; they really brightened the room.
Hiro had said he would cook something for them when he had invited her over. She wasn’t sure if he had already done that, or if she could assist him in the activity. She turned to him.
Jovenan: So, is there something I can help you with in cooking? Or was that something you had already done?
Jones: If you'd like to help, it would be fun to cook together. My thought was sliders, but I have to admit, I don't know much about Edo food regulations. Do you eat meat? These are great with portobello caps.
Jovenan was delighted she could join Hiro in something he clearly enjoyed – otherwise he would have just replicated them something. And she found his considerateness of her diet and food preferences a lovable trait. Often, especially with among humans and other very-human-looking humanoids, too many people resorted to either unthinking human-centrism or overt caution.
Jovenan: I would love to help! ::brief pause:: There aren’t that many laws about food, other than obvious stuff like not eating other sapient beings and not getting so intoxicated you can’t control yourself. Eating meat is allowed, but it’s just not a part of our culture. We used to eat meat in the past, during the Chaotic times, but meat-eating turned out to be unhealthy for us if done regularly, and since we can easily get everything we need from plants, we don’t really do that anymore. I can taste some, if you say it’s good!
Jones: Gotcha. Let's do some of each then. They're both tasty. Do you want to cut some potatoes for fries?
Jovenan: Sure, sounds great!
Hiro had acquired the ingredients beforehand and laid them out on the table. He had also got a heat source for grilling and cooking, something that in Jovenan’s mind further proved that he had a real interest in cooking. She was handed a knife and a set of potatoes, and after Hiro quickly showed her how, she proceeded to cut them to small sticks. Jovenan knew the basics of cooking, but with replicators and mess hall personnel rarely further than a transporter’s range, the need to develop her skills never arouse. Meanwhile, she would occasionally raise her eyes from the taters to Hiro and smile watching him masterfully soak the mushrooms in some kind of a solution, press the chunks of meat to small diskettes, and cook them all on the heat source. An intoxicating aroma took over the small quarters.
After Hiro was done, with Jovenan’s small but not insignificant contribution, they cleared the table and placed the delicious looking “sliders”, as Hiro had called them, on plates. Hiro poured them drinks while Jovenan sat down on the chair. She looked at Hiro’s example as she picked up a slider, one with a portobello cap on it, and took a bite. A symphony of amazing tastes filled her mouth almost instantaneously.
Jones: So how are things going?
Jovenan: ::swallows food:: In what sense?
Jones: I dunno. In general, I guess. How has shoreleave been for you so far?
Compared to the previous shore leaves, this one had actually been very peaceful. No freefall jumping off ship’s hull, traumatic evacuation drills nor secret intel operations in terrorist spewing canyons this time. Just fairly mundane stuff so far, which was actually a welcome change, now to think of it.
Jovenan: ::shrugs:: I haven’t done so much, mostly just relaxing after the previous mission. I had the thing in the sensor pod with you and met some people. Oh, and I’ve been planning how to decorate my quarters.
Jones: That sounds pretty great, actually. Luxa took me planetside. Showed me some truly amazing sights. Didn't exactly end ideally, but until that point it was a perfect leave adventure.
Jovenan had intended to ask more about which sights they had visited, but the statement about the ending caught her attention. He had been very vague; it could actually mean anything from rain to food poisoning.
Jovenan: Wait, what do you mean with a bad end? Did something happen?
Hiro took a bite before responding and spent quite a moment chewing it. It was almost as if he was considering his next response with time. Jovenan raised an eyebrow.
Jones: We ... were accosted. Had to defend ourselves. That wasn't how it was interpreted by some.
Her reaction was very much the opposite of his calm and considered manner of speech revealing the news. Upon hearing it, she dropped her slider on the plate and slammed her hands on the desk and almost stands up, leaning against the table.
Jovenan: ::worried:: Oh no! Are you alright, Hiro? Are you hurt?
Jones: Response
Jovenan: Are you sure? Did they touch you? Did you see a doctor to be sure?
Jones: Response
Jovenan calmed down a bit, sitting back on her chair. The news had shocked her more than she would have normally believed. It had only been at the beginning of the shore leave when Hiro had told her about how he had been worried of his friends during the mission and he had accepted her as his sister, and now she learnt that he wasn’t safe even on a regular vacation on a typical Federation world. She felt like she could never truly overcome the worry for her friends again.
Jovenan: ::exhales deep:: That’s good to hear. I’m sorry for overreacting, Hiro. What about Luxa? Is she okay?
Jones: Response
She nodded while staring at her slider. It had been delicious, but the brief shock had momentarily hindered her appetite. She leaned her head against her palm.
Jovenan: It’s just infuriating that there can still be anyone alive like that, attacking innocent people in a Federation world. Do you know who the attackers were? Did they at least get arrested?
Jones: Response
TAG/TBC
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Lieutenant JG Jovenan
Science officer
USS Artemis-A
E239911J11