LTJG Lhandon Nilsen & Ensign Elijah Kovacs: Coffee
Lhandon Nilsen
((Deck 3, USS Octavia E Butler))
This shore leave for Lhandon had been one that was unexpectedly introspective. Without meaning to, he had spent a long time in his own thoughts, processing the events of the last mission, the “did I do the right thing-sims?” and considering leaving Starfleet. As he kept working through things, one person kept coming up in his thoughts, every time he’d settle down, his mind wandered to the wellbeing of this one member of the crew. This worry manifested into action when he found Eli being attacked on DS9.
Aside from the fact that he was no longer on the Oumuamua, and recently getting assaulted by an Orion who’s primary mission was love, it was almost business as usual for Eli. He’d been given a clean bill of health and vowed to wiggle out of any future station storage runs.
Being on a different ship was strange, but having the familiarity of most of the same officers helped reduce the jarring effect of the transfer. And, who would complain about being upgraded to a first class ship like a Sagan? Even if the Borg bits gave him a bit of the creeps.
Today’s rotation had him up fixing the warp field governors on 3, and boy did they purr. Even though the Oumuamua was only 14 years old, she already had some interesting quirks. Now, he was heads down reading the next ‘shakedown assignment’ in Herrick’s long laundry list — a preferable way to interact given their last awkward encounter.
Nilsen: Hey Eli. Wait up a second mate.
Kovacs looked up and realized it was Lhandon calling his name, he stopped walking to let the man catch up with him.
Kovacs: Hey Lhando! ::offering a friendly smile::
Nilsen: I'm glad I caught you, you doing alright after…that!
Kovacs: There are certainly better ways to get roses, that’s for sure. I’m not sure what I would’ve done without you there. (beat) ::rubbing the back of his head:: Thanks for the literal save!
Lhandon paused and noticed Eli rubbing the back of his head; he wondered if Eli had been hit around the back of his head. Yet Lhandon experienced something else, he thought that hand movement to be…cute.
Nilsen: Yeah ::smile:: I didn’t mean for the full on rugby tackle but… it was scary but yeah… erm I just wanted to say thanks for being there, especially during all of this.
Lhandon gestured to both the neuromonitor and the cane. In the past month or so, Nilsen has collapsed on the promenade learning a new language because of it, slightly patched things with Etan, and yetted an exploding mission pod away from the Oumuamua
Nilsen: It’s been a weird month.
Eli wasn’t sure why the man was thanking him, maybe for not letting things get too far with Dask?
Kovacs: I think… we’re all better together. (beat) Ad astra per aspera.
Nilsen: Yeah, better together.
There was a small lull in the conversation, and Eli looked the man up and down. Nilsen looked a bit worn down, perhaps owing to the cane. It seemed like he wanted to say something, but was struggling to get the words out.
Kovacs: So, what’s up?
Nilsen: I erm wanted to ask you something
Kovacs: Ask away!
Eli hadn’t any skeletons in his closet; at least any that he was aware of. Lhandon had a number.
Nilsen: When we erm last met, over lunch, with Tox joining in, you mentioned going for food :smile: which is my favorite thing, I wondered if you'd want to go and do that?
Kovacs: Sure! When did you guys want to meet up again?
Then Nilsen stuttered
Nilsen: no, no no, no Tox…erm…I was thinking just us two, you know to get to know each other better, you know, cos…erm…I…I wanna…I like you
And suddenly, at that moment, all the confidence that Nilsen had evaporated, he was acutely aware of that his heart was beating in his chest at warp 9.975, he gripped his cane a little more for support and he struggled for his words.
‘Like’ was a rather ambiguous word for Eli. There were many layers to it, he ‘liked’ his colleagues, he ‘liked’ his friends, heck he ‘liked’ pistachio ice cream.
Kovacs: Well, I like you too. You and Lieutenant Arlill are good company. I can appreciate that it’s probably easier one-on-one though… What were you thinking?
Nilsen: I mean like erm coffee and er…
He gestured between the two of them.
Kovacs: Oh…
The word escaped his mouth, and it didn’t have any positive or negative weight attached to it. He hadn’t thought of Nilsen in that way, but then again, he never thought about anyone that way.
Kovacs: So like like.
Nilsen: …Yeah
There was the briefest of moments in the conversation which somehow stretched into an eternity while Elijah considered the development. For some unbeknownst reason, Josh entered Eli’s mind and he quickly shoved the image away. Now wasn’t the time to be thinking about work.
Kovacs: So… you were thinking, like a date?
Nilsen: Erm, yeah…a date…
Lhandon smiled as best he could, but his hand shaking, the nerves on show. Eli looked him up and down, concerned that the man’s cane was going to come out from under him; then the words came fast and furious.
Nilsen: Unless you don’t want to, I mean if you erm don’t wanna go down that route, that’s cool cos you’re an epic friend and erm I’m so glad you’re around and err I really appreciate our friendship
And he nearly spoke at full impulse, he didn’t want to offend Eli, quite the opposite but he was worried he had. A small breath, and then a further short addition.
Nilsen: I mean if you want me to bugger off…I...I can.
Kovacs: It’s just unexpected ::a small beat, then a smile::but not unwelcome..
Eli had heard things on first dates could often lead from one thing to another, and it seemed like Lhandon was interested in something meaningful. He was hoping for a neutral location that could be easily to wiggle out of should things go sideways.
Kovacs: Where were you thinking?
Nilsen: Coffee maybe…like just no pressure, we could erm…we could go to DS9 or see what the writers room is like maybe?
Kovacs: Coffee sounds good… and I haven’t been down to 8-FWD, when were you thinking?
In response, Lhandon said something he didn’t expect to say.
Nilsen: We could do it now?...if you…you’re free too?
Kovacs: Now? ::leaning down at the padd and Herrick’s list, and then back up to Lhandon::
Nilsen: ::stuttering:: I mean I’m free if you are. Unless you’ve…
The irony, a Helm, Comms and Ops officer struggling to get his words out
Kovacs: Now’s good ::smiling:: Lieutenant Herrick’s scheduled us ‘mini-reprieves’ in between extensive repair tasks after we nearly collapsed trying to fix the Oumuamua… ::pausing:: What a waste of time that mission pod work was, ey?
Nilsen: ::laughs:: Sounds like your taskmaster is showing mercy on you, but yeah it sucks, ops were not enjoying it either.
Then Nilsen surprised himself again.
Nilsen: But that’s all in the past now, ::Beat:: and your taskmaster is showing mercy so let’s run before he can change his mind ::laughs::
Lhandon felt himself joking, he liked Herrick, he was grateful that the new chief of engineering let him apologize for his outburst after the mission and that they had patched things up.
((Timeskip - Coffee - The Writer’s Room, USS Oct Deck 8))
By all accounts the chat had been going well, Nilsen had relaxed into it and was loving getting to know Kovacs, even if this didn’t go anywhere and was just a crush, he was grateful for this time.
He marveled at how much more spacious and stylish it was, even the carpets felt ‘plushier’. A rather grim quote on a nearby wall stuck out to him, ‘In order to rise from its own ashes, a phoenix first must burn.’ Maybe the Oumuamua was better off getting a refit earlier than anticipated, a Luna reborn.
The pair had managed to get through the awkward stumbling of words and, after replicating their bevies, had settled into a comfortable sofa in a tucked away area in an expansive lounge. As he took a sip on his coffee, Lhandon picked up the conversation.
Nilsen: So you’re ma’ and pa’ are both Admirals? ::counting on fingers:: and then two of grand parents were also admirals, ones a doctor? ones a captain? Anyone else?
Eli’s cheeks flushed; before they’d entered the room, Nilsen had asked about the man’s family and he’d rattled off their positions. All of them had been or were on the frontier of pushing Starfleet’s boundaries. Now, as an only child, their esteemed lineage was hanging on him.
Kovacs: On the grandparent front, we’ve got a commodore, 2 captains and a doctor, all in the fleet. I’m not sure if they’ll retire voluntarily ::awkwardly laughing::
Nilsen: Dude, that’s really cool though
Lhandon wondered what it must have been like to have such a legacy behind oneself. That’s not to say Nilsen doesn’t have his own family legacy, it’s just his legacy doesn’t have admirals and captains, it has fathers teaching their sons and daughters how to look after the land.
Kovacs: And… one lowly ensign. Who knows… ::nodding to Nilsen and resting his eyes on the new rank:: maybe I’ll be quick to follow. Congrats by the way.
Nilsen: Thanks mate. ::looks at his feet:: I erm…you should get one soon I think. You deserve it too…and erm I don’t think you’re lowly.
Had Nesre been there, she might have helped Lhandon clarify the distinction of ‘too’, and that Lhandon felt it wouldn’t be long before the engineer wore a hollow pip as well.
Kovacs: All in due time ::smiling:: How about your grandfolk, are they still around?
Even though 120 was typical, he didn’t want to make any assumptions.
Nilsen: Two are still around but you’d would have loved me grandma, Commander Althea Nilsen, on my pa's side, she left us like 10 years ago but apparently it’s where I get my piloting stuff from.
Kovacs: So it runs in your blood, are the rest of your fam pilots as well?
Nilsen: Nah, it skipped a generation. Everyone else does their own thing, pa’ was a farmer all his life, just like is pa, and his before him, you get the idea. The siblings are all of having fun, Marcus is staying to run the farm and take over, Madison, who I don’t remember if you met, works on security on DS9, the other twin Bella is nearly ready to graduate from the academy. Kei’ran is in a band and probably committing crime, who else is there, Emlia is off doing art and politics, Sariah does social work and stuff to keep Gault going just like ma’,
Lhandon smiled as he thought of home, he was glad that Madsion had found love on Bajor and ended up moving to DS9, it helped to make home feel just that little closer.
Nilsen: So that’s my little clan.
There was a touch of envy in Elijah as the HCO officer described the makeup of his family. Any time he was home at the dinner table it was current events this, sector reports that, gossiping about other admirals. It was interesting to see the curtain pulled back sometimes, but it was usually quite monotonous.
Kovacs: Now that sounds cool! ::genuinely smiling:: Sound’s like the Nilsen’s are embodying that IDIC philosophy.
Lhandon was loving the company, and loving that he could talk about family and home, despite the issues that Gault might be facing.
Nilsen: o0 it’s so cute when he said IDIC 0o ::Smiles:: Yeah, something like that. You don’t need six of us at the farm, that’s erm…a lot, but ma and pa were good to us, taught us to do what we wanted…It’s backfired with Kei’ran though ::laugh::
Kovacs: Variety is the spice of life they say. (pause) Speaking of which, it’s made its way around the lower deckers that you seem to be something of a chef. And, that you can give the replicator a run for its latinum.
Nilsen: Oh mate, really? They ::smiles:: really?
Lhandon seemed to be over the moon at the that, the idea that people know him for his cooking now and not any of the rumors about his temper filled him with this strange sense of relief.
Kovacs: What’s your signature dish?
Nilsen: Awww mate that’s a hard one cos it depends on where I am, but like Imma feed as many people as possible kinda cook so if there’s a lots of ya, I’ll bring this one from earth the Coq Au Vin which sounds fancy but it’s chicken with pasta, mushrooms, onions, bacon, often garlic but you can’t just throw them together, you gotta take your time, this takes days but you get this whole symphony of flavors dancing together. Marinated in red wine overnight, seared to perfection. Picture crispy chicken, creamy sauce, and pasta, all in one dish.
Lhandon once again was talking at warp 9.5 but this time not with nervousness but rather enthusiasm, yet not realizing that Eli might want to speak. He can also make much simpler dishes, but he wanted to bring out the big guns
Nilsen: But there’s one I love, and I think, might just be that signature, though I’ve not decided yet, it’s dead simple, only four ingredients and works on like most planets, so you start with some kind of bass or other kind of ray-finned fish, then it’s about the potato, the leak and the red wine, but because the four ingredients are basically, fish, two kinds of root vegetables and red wine, most planets have their own combination.
Nilsen: But erm what do you like to eat? Like if you could, I don’t know, have your restaurant. private chef or someone, what would you have?
Eli wasn’t sure how to answer the question, given he was the antithesis of a picky eater; food was just a means to power the body. Place anything in front of him and he’d chow down. Some of his friends had called him a pelican, given it looked like he inhaled his food without so much as chewing. What did he savor?
Kovacs: Maybe… beef wellington and roasted baby potatoes. ::smirking:: Even as a space-farer, I’m a bit of a traditionalist.
Nilsen: I could make that if you wanted.
Kovacs: Sounds like a date! ::teasing:: You sure not replicated?
Nilsen: o0 oh crud, I don’t know how to make that 0o Oh, yeah, I would, umm, wait, I think I do. Yeah, so first, you want the traditional way. o0 Yeah, I think I know this 0o So, you gotta get the right beef, and then season that, get some olive oil, sear that beef, seal in the juice. o0 yeah I know this 0o Then in that same skillet, add chopped mushrooms, garlic, and thyme. Throw in the white wine and cook that. I love Dijon mustard; it really adds so much flavor. Of course, if you want to really show off, you can do the pastry from scratch. Get that all together, bake that, and serve.
What Lhandon wanted to say next was “I’ve got some new digs, plenty of space to cook, why don’t you come on over.” He didn’t, instead, he let Eli talk again. And, it was as if their brain waves were in sync.
Kovacs: Your place, or mine?
[End Scene]
Lieutenant JG Lhandon Joseph Nilsen
HCO
USS Octavia E Butler
O240007LN1
He/Him/His (Both player and character)
&
Ensign Elijah Kovacs
Engineering Officer
USS Octavia E Butler
O240005JH3
he/him/his (player/character)