Caught in the Kitchen

Posted on Fri Aug 23rd, 2019 @ 12:41am by Ashe Zachariah & K'Lok Maarg

Mission: War and Peacekeeping
Location: Mess Hall - Kaarg's Kitchen

It had been a full twenty four hours since the attack, and though still bruised and sore, Ashe was trying to just keep moving forward. It was easier to smile and pretend that it didn't bother her when other people were around, other people who didn't know what happened, who couldn't know what happened. Despite having taken the whole day off, Ashe had decided she needed to check in on the lounge, make sure everything was sorted and ready for the next day before she called it a night. Entering through the mess hall, the rainbow haired bar tender slipped quietly into the kitchen, not expecting to find anyone there.

Kaarg looked up from his prep for the next day. He looked at Ashe, his greeting dying on his lips. Although she was trying not to show her pain, he'd seen too many people do that very thing (himself included), not to notice. "That explains why you've not been tending bar. Who did that to you? I have a bat'leth and I'm not afraid to use it on them!"

Ashe started at the sound of the voice, forcing a smile onto her face and shaking her head quickly. "Someone didn't like being cut off last night," she replied with a shrug. "No big deal, if you think I look bad, you should see the other guy," she said with an exaggerated laugh.

Kaarg's expression clearly showed he knew she was lying but, if she didn't want to talk about it, that was up to her. Without another word he opened a freezer and took out a tub. He scooped some belgian chocolate ice cream into a bowl and put a wafer atop it. "I'm told chocolate helps," he said, his voice becoming far gentler than his usual gruff tone as he handed Ashe the bowl, "especially iif it's homemade by yours truly."

"Chocolate always helps," she said with a grin as she pulled the bowl across the bench and sank down onto the stool. "Has it been quiet today?" she asked, looking across at him. "I've resisted the urge all day to come and check on the place."

"That person who you refused service to must have really done a number for you to be kept away from your bar," The Klingon warrior said. "It's been fairly quiet, though there's lots of interesting gossip regarding our guests and lots of speculation on what's actually going on. You know how the rumour mill is.."

"What kind of rumours?" Ashe asked, almost cautiously. She wanted to believe that Aleksi had done a good enough job, but there was always that chance that they'd get caught, that she'd get caught, and then the fact that she had tried to hide it would be held against her. "Anything interesting?" She tried to look curious but nonchalant as she asked.

Kaarg matched her nonchalance, "Oh, you know, the usual. That this is all some conspiracy, that there's someone in command helping the TLF on board, that sort of thing." Kaarg feigned surprise. "Apparently someone got murdered last night, one of the ones from the barfight in here. There's a war going on here and we're not invited. "

"Murdered?" Ashe's face paled slightly, making the bruising appear even more unsightly. "I've not heard anything about murder, you'd think that would be a bit hard to keep hush hush on a ship like this wouldn't you?" Her words almost fell over top of each other as she spoke.

Kaarg watched her more closely. Her body language and the way she was speaking told him she knew something. "I've not been able to find out yet. This means one of two things. Either command wants to keep this quiet, or someone else does who has the skills or power to make these things hard to find. Either way, it's worrying, especially when you hear the conspiracy theories." He paused just a moment before saying, "so, spill it. You know something, I can see it. Does it have something to do with your injuries?"

"I don't know anything," Ashe replied quickly, looking down at her bowl, dragging the spoon carefully through the chocolate before lifting it up to her lips. "You really made this yourself?" she asked, trying to change the subject. "It's really good."

Kaarg's expression showed he didn't believe her but, short of interrogating her, he couldn't really do anything and he had no evidence to work from for anything to act on. "I did. I make as much of what I serve as I can." He paused for just a moment before saying, "if you're in trouble or someone you know is in trouble and you won't talk to me, I can't help."

"And talking to you will just get you in trouble as well," she said quietly. "It's over now, it doesn't matter, and the less people that know the better."

Kaarg took in a deep breath, letting it out slowly, "fair enough. I'm just glad you're alright. Want some more?"

"Sure, got any whipped cream?" she asked hopefully, pushing the bowl toward him and watching as he started moving around. She remained silent for a moment before she spoke again, her voice staying soft. "Have you seen anyone from the Trion delegate in here today?"

"Not yet," Kaarg said as he started manually whipping some cream to put on the desset he was now making for the young woman. "Things have been strangely tense and there's a lot of tight-lipped 'we know nothing, honest' behaviour going around," he said, giving Ashe a pointed look,"But what do I know? I'm just the cook." He finished whipping the cream, placed it atop the ice cream and added a brownie slice for good measure. "I'm the king of comfort food. Ask anyone," He said, grinning widely.

"Keep feeding me like this and I may never leave," Ashe replied with a grin as she accepted the bowl, breaking off a piece of brownie and scooping it up with ice cream and whipped cream. "I guess I can understand why people are tight lipped and tense, I mean, one of the diplomats we were supposed to be protecting was murdered in his quarters, people are going to be concerned after that."

Kaarg nodded, making himself a bowl of brownie and cream. He took a seat before replying, "Interesting how you knew who and where but I didn't." His tone wasn't quite accusatory. "Do yourself a favour. Stay close to the stashes and make sure you can defend yourself if this blows up in everyone's faces like I think it will. Someone just started a guerilla war in our home. What I'm trying to understand is whether this is sanctioned by someone in a fleet uniform or whether security just aren't good enough at what they are supposed to be doing. Either one is an option that gets someone court-marshalled, fired or dead."

Ashe realised a few moments too late that she had spoken out of turn, her face paling ever so slightly. "Don't worry, I don't plan on trying to be a hero," she said with a faint smile. "Right now the only thing on my agenda is eating my approximate body weight in this ice cream," she finished with a grin.

"A worthy life goal," he replied.

"One I intend to take very seriously," she said as she raised the spoon to her lips again, watching him as she indulged in the ice cream. "Something bothering you?" she finally asked quietly.

Kaarg's expression grew sour. "So, let me put two and two together. You got attacked. I don't believe your story of someone fighting in the bar. I'd have heard of that and likely intervened." He ticked off points on his fingers. "Two, you have very specific information regarding said murder. The only thing you've not said is who but I'm one hundred percent certain you know and just aren't saying." Another pause. "Three. This is being kept very quiet, which means everyone will know within 24 hours. Four. A Civil War is brewing on this ship and I'm pretty certain it's being sanctioned. Whether by command or someone else, I don't know. Someone put these people on the same ship to create a volatile situation. Five. Someone will want revenge for the dead person. If you are involved in that, you're in danger." He stopped again to take a mouthful of his dessert. "Did I miss anything?"

"No one knows I was attacked," Ashe replied quietly, setting her spoon down in her bowl. "It happened last night after I left the bar. And no one else can know," she said pointedly.

"Oh? And why not?"

"Because..." Ashe sighed and rubbed the side of her face with her fingertips. "Because it's just easier that way."

"Easier for you, or someone else?"

"For everyone involved." Ashe looked across at him. "Can we just leave it at that? I'm not in danger, no one knows he attacked me, there won't be any retaliation. It's just done."

"If you say so," the Klingon replied. "You'd be amazed how many times someone thinks all is good before it blows up in their faces. But fine, you're a big girl. You can take care of yourself. You know where I'll be."

"Why are you so cranky about it anyway?" Ashe shot back with a hint of frustration. "It's not you that screwed everything up!"

"And there we have it," Kaarg said, crossing his arms. "Now, maybe you'll tell me the rest of it? What happened?"

Ashe sighed softly. "There's a bottle of vodka in the freezer, want to grab it?" she asked quietly. "I don't know about you, but I need a drink."

Kaarg nodded, grabbing the bottle and a couple of glasses. "Why do I get the feeling I'm going to need this as much as you do?" he said with a grin.

Taking the bottle, Ashe opened it with practiced ease, pouring two heavy handed measures of the near syrupy cold liquid into each of the glasses, setting the bottle down before pushing one across to him. "Well, you said you wanted to know," she said with a shrug. "I can save you the trouble and just shut up now and we can enjoy our drinks in peace."

"Your call. I can't help if I don't have the facts, however." He took a long drink from his glass, draining it in one. He placed the glass on the table and nodded at the bottle.

Following suit, Ashe knocked back her drink, grimacing before she set the glass down and picked up the bottle, pouring again for both of them. Without speaking, she knocked back the second, grimaced again and poured herself a third, holding it in her hands as she looked across at the Klingon that had become her friend. "I know who he was and where he was killed because I'm the one that did it," she said simply.

"You'll notice this isn't my surprised face," the Klingon said. "I figured something happened and either you were involved, had done it, or someone had done it for you." He took another drink. "Details. I need to know what I'm dealing with."

Ashe took a sip of her drink, leaning forward on the large kitchen island. "He attacked me last night after I left the bar when I was walking home, dragged me into his quarters..." she raised one hand up, pulling down the high turtle neck of her sweater to reveal the heavy bruising around her throat. "I think I blacked out, I don't know, when I woke up he was on top of me. There was a bottle on the floor, I grabbed it and I hit him with it. Hard. More than once." She picked up her glass and took another sip. "When I realised what had happened I called Aleksi. He came. I don't know what he did but he said he fixed it, no one would ever know I was there."

Kaarg swore, in a couple of languages. "So, are you are telling me that Lieutenant Voroshilov killed that man to defend you and your honour? Or that he was dead already after you hit him with the bottle and he then covered up the fact that you were in a dire situation and acted in self-defense, thus potentially starting a war on this ship? You hav eth edefensive wounds to prove you were attacked, though I can understand the diplomatic incident this would cause. The evidence would have had to be spotless to stop the Trion government from throwing it's targ out the kennel." He paused, thinking a moment. "You're right, this is not good, but it's not of your doing, so don't you hold that in on yourself. If you were Klingon, I'd have expected you to gut that worm. I think Lieutenant Voroshilov, in his haste to protect you, just made things much, much worse by not allowing the truth to be told."

"He was dead before I left the room," Ashe said quietly. "It was me that killed him. Aleksi just... I don't know... covered it up?" she said, looking up at Kaarg before finishing the last of her vodka and grabbing the bottle for a refill. "If anyone finds out, Aleksi is the one on the firing line now, for trying to cover for me. No one else can find out the truth."

"Really? One of the Trion delegation has been 'murdered'. Who will they suspect? Who will they go after? This will start a war on this ship that the crew won't like. When fanatics go to war, it gets very messy, very fast. Mark my words, this won't end well."

"It wouldn't have ended well no matter what," Ashe replied quietly. "All we can do now is wait and hope it isn't too bad."

Kaarg sighed, shaking his head, "Your Captain needs to know this information, Ashe. She is the one who will ultimately take any fallout from this. She needs to know what she's dealing with."

"I know." Ashe said quietly, finishing the vodka. The last thing she wanted was a lecture, but he was right. Commander Laurens needed to know the truth. "I'll tell her tomorrow."

"I'd tell her now, if I were you. If the information comes from someone else, such as people investigating the murder, it's going to look much, much worse for you and Aleksi." He took another mouthful of his dessert before continuing, gesticulating wit the now empty spoon, "It's your call for now. Be warned though, if you don't tell her, I will have to, now I know but, out of courtesy, I'll leave it as long as I can so you can get your head straight and it might be an idea to warn Aleksi as well."

"I will tell her." Ashe sighed, dragging her spoon through her ice cream. "I wonder how vodka and chocolate ice cream would taste together," she mused quietly. "Would certainly make me feel better anyway."

Kaarg shrugged, "Not one I've tried. Rum on the other hand goes quite well, as do mint or orange lequeurs or Brandy," he said.

With a shrug, Ashe picked up the bottle and poured vodka over the top of her ice cream. "Well, one way to find out," she said quietly.

"You are correct," he said. He watched her a moment before saying, "well? Does it work?"

"Actually it's not terrible, the chocolate smoothes out the taste of the vodka and the vodka gives the chocolate a nice kick. You should try it," she said, pushing the bottle across toward him.

Kaarg added some vodka to the chocolate, then mixed it in, so as not to overpower the taste. He took a bite, "not bad. Not my preferred taste but it's alright at a push."

With a faint smile, Ashe finished her vodka and ice cream. "Thanks," she said quietly. "For the advice, and the ice cream. I'll get out of your kitchen now, I'm sure you have better things to do than deal with me."

Kaarg shrugged, "not better, just different. As chef, or bar tender, I've learned that people like to talk to someone who's not in a 'fleet unform. They often don't like the advice I give, especially when it's 'Stop being an idiot,' but I get talked to, all the same. It's one way I stay aware of things going on so I can deal with what comes ny way, planned or otherwise." He paused before saying, "now get out of here and go see to your bar!".

With a nod, Ashe pushed the bowl away and slid off the stool. "I'll see you tomorrow, yeah?" she said before disappearing through the double doors on the other end of the kitchen and into her bar to do one last quick check before heading out for the rest of the night.