LtJg Lera Michaels - I Could Make Myself Scarce

[steve...@yahoo.com]

((Officer’s Mess, Deck 13, USS Khitomer, Dry-Dock at DS33))

Michaels: I may have to get with Amelia concerning this. Given her abilities I am certain she can make a better one. :: Lera placed the remainder back on the plate :: So. I assume you would like to get away from the job for a while and enjoy some of the offerings available at the base. Do we have plans for this evening?

Ezra wiped his face with a napkin. Lera smiled. Eating a creme filled pastry that had been cut in half could be a daunting task.

Zerva: I was thinking we could go to the vegetarian restaurant we went to last year with some of the crew? Mellow Mushroom. I quite liked the food there and I seem to recall you liked it as well. What do you think? A quiet dinner just the two of us?

Lera nodded. The Mellow Mushroom was not, perhaps, the most romantic venue on the DS33 but it was comfortable and familiar and she could not complain about the quality of the food.

Michaels: That will be a fine choice. Casual. Almost everything this location :: gesturing broadly at the Officer's Mess :: this location is not.

Zerva: Great! I’ll set a reservation for six?

Michaels: Six? I thought it would just be the two... Oh. Wrong, Lera. :: shaking her head again :: Not six people. Six o'clock will be fine.

Zerva: Sounds like a plan, then…

Ezra's voice trailed away. The fact he was playing with his food was what alerted Lera to the fact, as her father might put it, there was a shoe about to drop.

Michaels: You are clearly thinking about something bothersome.

Zerva: Oh, sorry. I don’t mean to ruin lunch. It’s just a few things that are on my mind as of late.

Michaels: You are not ruining lunch. :: beat :: If you are willing, I think sharing your thoughts with me might help.

Zerva: ::putting his fork down:: My mother gave me a call right after we docked with the station. She said she’s coming here for a visit. She hates surprises and it’s punctual to a fault, so it should come as no surprise to me, but I’m nervous. She is supposed to arrive first thing in the morning tomorrow.

Michaels: Your mother. :: Lera put her fork on the tray and settled back into her seat. :: You have never been willing to tell me much about your mother. She has been a topic you have generally avoided.

Zerva: Response.

Michaels: And she hates surprises.

Lera took a deep breath, picked up her fork and scooped up a bite of her red beans and rice. She chewed on it, savoring for the moment the extra dash of Bubba's Nuclear Warfare Hot Sauce. For only a moment, she wondered if ordinary Vulcan's liked spicy food. Her thoughts rushed back to Ezra's mother.

Michaels: If you have talked to her about me at the same level that you have talked to me about her, then I would probably qualify as a surprise. :: Lera frowned. :: I could, probably, make myself scarce for the duration of her visit. I could hide in a holodeck and pretend that I do not exits. It would not be my first choice but if it will make things easier for you.

Lera's human mother, Samantha, had told her the best way to know the true nature of a man was to see how he was with his mother. Of course, she would need to know the nature of the woman before she could draw any conclusions. Lera knew that, if there was to be a future to her relationship with Ezra, she would have to meet his mother. It would be preferable to have more preparation time.

Zerva: Response

Michaels: My preference would be to meet her. ::beat:: If I am going to meet your mother, then I should learn whatever I need to know to minimize the impact of being a "surprise." To smooth the meeting. Modest clothing? Deferential? As thoroughly Vulcan as I can be?

Zerva: Response

Tags/TBC

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LtJg Lera Michaels

Engineering Officer
USS Khitomer
K240106LM2