Lt Commander V'Nille - The C'Reem of the Crop
Renée Chalfant
(( Shuttle Terminal, New Orleans, Louisiana, Earth ))
V’Nille: All of our names are inspired by human food flavors, yes. Well, she’s the adventurous sort. I’m told she can be intense for people that aren’t used to her like I am. She was supposed to join the same company as my parents to learn the ropes but she visited Earth at one point and just kind of fell in love with the place, I guess. She’s settling in here. I told you she’s opening a restaurant that’s supposed to be a fusion of Caitian and, uh… Cajun cuisine, right? Opening night is tomorrow. That’s why I brought you two along. We’re going to taste test her creations! She has a human chef helping her, I think.
S’Rorr: ::clapping his hands together:: YES! That's what I'm excited about. The Caitian-Cajun, C'Reem! I can't wait. What do you think, Shivara? You hungry?
Shivara: Starving. And the fish smells delish. The fusion sounds like a great idea and I would love to try it.
S'Rorr: I hope we won't be too early if we go right away.
V'Nille: Not at all! She did say to come hungry.
V;Nille turned around to look through the crowd again to see if she could spot a sign of her sister’s cream white fur. She finally did, noting that C’Reem seemed to be chatting with a human on the side of the road. When she turned back to face her friends, she saw that S’Rorr had toggled his suitcase’s hover and follow mode.
S'Rorr: In hindsight, I think I should have brought a jacket. It's colder than I thought it would be.. I smell a sea breeze, but my whiskers are telling me the cold air is coming down from the other direction.
Shivara: I agree. And all I wore was this short dress. You would think our fur would be enough, but I’m getting a chill.
V’Nille looked up and then around. In all the excitement of meeting family and the prospect of good food, she hadn’t actually considered the weather outside of making sure it wasn’t raining. The chill didn’t bother her as much as it seemed to bother the others but that was likely more because her brain was currently thinking about a lot of other things.
V'Nille: It is a little chilly. It’s winter on this side of Earth, after all, so that makes sense. C’Reem keeps her place warm though, so soon enough!
S'Rorr: Do you think she'll serve cocktails? I've always wanted to try a sazerac. It sounds like such a dirty word in my native.
Shivara: I could go for a cocktail. Or a mocktail since I’m a bit of a lightweight when it comes to drinking.
V’Nille nodded eagerly, wondering what a sazerac was, precisely. She had heard the word in passing before but never looked it up.
V'Nille: Probably. Her restaurant is supposed to have a full bar but I don’t know if there’ll be a bartender there tonight. ::beat:: Unless she’s picked up the skills for it, which would be right up her alley. Come on, let’s find her and get out of the cold.
She turned around and started walking. Though the terminal was crowded, it was orderly enough that people simply made room for the trio rather than V’Nille having to bob and weave through it.
S’Rorr: Response
Shivara: So, do either of you have big plans for shore leave? Aside from this, I mean?
V’Nille: Not particularly! This is actually the first time I’ve been to Earth, so I figured I’d play tourist.
S’Rorr: Response
Shivara: I don’t really have any. I am just playing this one day at a time. Honestly, I spent all my time at Starfleet Medical Academy and never really got out. I don’t know much about Earth and what there is to do here.
V’Nille: Ah. I trained at the campus at Ferasa since it’s closer to my homeworld. Same, though, as far as not getting far out of the Academy. They liked to keep us busy and there was plenty to do close to the campus when I wasn’t studying.
S’Rorr: Response
At least, they got close enough that C’Reem spotted V’Nille and waved at her. The calico waved back excitedly and jogged the last few meters to her.
C’Reem stood a few centimeters taller than her, enough to be noticeable but not enough to seem like she was towering over anyone, and had a similarly muscular build, showing that both Caitians likely followed the same fitness routine. The whiter portions of V’Nille’s fur matched her whole coat, save for a black spot covering most of her snout and about half of her tail near the end. Her amber eyes studied the three approaching Caitians. Unlike the visitors, C’Reem had the foresight to wear a light coat.
V’Nille: Hello, sister! These are my crewmates and friends, S’Rorr and Shivara.
C’Reem: Hey, V’Nille. It’s nice to see you and I’m glad to meet you two, S’Rorr and Shivara. This is Molly Wallace, the chef I mentioned in my invitation.
She gestured to the taller human woman next to her, who was bundled up in warm casual clothes herself. Molly smiled at them and extended her hand. Her hair, just about visible under the black beanie she wore, was a light red that bordered on strawberry blonde. Her eyes were a striking shade of ice blue.
Wallace: Pleased to meetcha! C’Reem has told me a lot of stories about you, V’Nille. It sounds like you get along well!
V’Nille accepted the handshake before stepping back to give the others room to approach if they wanted.
V’Nille: I like to think we do! Let me know if you want the embarrassing stories. I’m happy to share!
C’Reem shook her head and groaned slightly, clearly used to the teasing.
S’Rorr/Shivara: Response
Wallace: Well, C’Reem and I would be terrible hostesses if we didn’t get you in from the cold as soon as possible. I have my van somewhere around here. I’ll bring it around.
V’Nille: How far is your place?
C’Reem: It is a thirty minute drive, more or less. Maybe less, depending on how fast Molly is feeling tonight.
Molly grinned and winked at them before walking away.
S’Rorr / Shivara: Response
V’Nille: So how did you two meet anyway? You never said.
C’Reem: It was actually through a message board on the ‘net. She is the one who offered me a place to stay when I said I wanted to visit Earth. She was in the middle of cooking school at the time, so we ended up swapping recipes and hitting it off better than either of us anticipated.
She held up one hand to forestall the obvious question.
C’Reem: And before you ask, our relationship is strictly platonic. We’re housemates and business partners. The fusion cuisine was her idea, actually. Apparently, Cajun food is already a blend on its own historically so it just kind of came naturally.
V’Nille: Ah gotcha. We’re all really looking forward to tasting it.
S’Rorr / Shivara: Response