Sharing Christmas

Posted on Fri Dec 27th, 2019 @ 10:59am by Commander Ichiko Gail & Captain Abigail Laurens

Mission: Astraea Jollification
Location: Quarters

Abigail stared at the frame in her hands, a small smile playing across her lips. She was pleased with how it had come out. It certainly hadn't been an easy thing to achieve, it had taken a lot of assistance from several crew members, but the end result was well worth every moment.

The frame contained two side by side still images that Abigail had managed to extricate from the internal Security systems, one an image of Ichiko in her Starfleet uniform, the other an image of Ichiko in her full Ts'usugi Naval uniform. The custom smoked glass frame had been etched with with the same expression, across the top intricately scrawled in Federation Standard text were the roughly translate words "As each has their own task, none are dispensible." The original version of the quotation also etched across the bottom in the Ts'usu.

Wrapping it carefully in the tissue paper, she placed it in the bottom of the gift box before pressing the lid on and pulling the ribbon around it, tying it securely.

Picking it up, Abigail walked out of her quarters, heading for Ichiko's.

Ichiko's quarters weren't all too far away. One of the perks of being ship second. She was relaxing, a soft instrumental tune playing in the background while she read a book. Befitting the current shiptime, it was a tale of a wicked old man with more wealth than common sense, who was to be haunted by spirits until he learned the significance of friendship.

A sip of tea, a turn of the page, and Ichiko actually had a smirk on her features. Such a charming book.

Pausing at the door, Abigail cradled the gift carefully for a moment before she reached out and hit the chime, waiting to be granted access.

Ichiko looked up from her book, closing it and setting it aside on her table. "Hai, hairu." she called over to her door.

Ichiko's room was sparsely decorated. What need had she of pictures and photos after all... though, on the wall there were a few. A picture of her, her younger sister, her older brother, and her parents. They were in their yard in the back of their house, all smiles. Actual smiles.

Somewhere on her wall was a masterpiece of art, drawn in colored wax. It depicted the same family as in the photo, but in a clarity and talent that only a child could capture. Her ability to depict the smile in the sun was unmatched in even Earth's great masters. Obviously, her little sister was a master.

While the walls were mostly bare, what was there was placed with purpose. A mirror here, a picture there. It was laid out to be a reminder to her wherever she went of her loving family. Though, her needing a reminder of anything was comical.

Abigail stepped through the parted doors, casting a quick and curious glance around the room. "I hope I'm not interrupting," she said quietly as her gaze finally fell on her friend. "Part of the joy of Christmas is spending it with those you care about, so I thought I'd see if maybe you wanted to have breakfast?" She offered a slight smile before she handed the gift out to the Rabbittess. "Oh, and I bought you this. Merry Christmas my friend."

"Interrupting? No, no. Just doing some research." she patted the book, the cover of which would be familiar to Abigail. An ancient classic about the power and spirit of Christmas. A wealthy man, his deceased business partner, and three Spirits of Christmas...

She rose to her feet to properly greet her Captain and her friend. She thought about the offer for a shared breakfast for hardly a moment, "I'd love to. Please, come in, come in." she beckoned Abigail fully in, then the gift was handed out. "Oh, I ... I don't have anything for a proper exchange, but I accept. Thank you." she gently took the mysterious parcel. "Should I open it now, or..." and there was that phrase again. The phrase of the holiday.

"Merry Christmas, Abigail." a touch of informality never hurt, as she gently went about unwrapping her present. Turns out that Ichiko was the kind of unwrapper that slowly found the edges and carefully pulled the seams. Though that being said, she was very good at it, and soon the wrapping was off and...

"Oh... oh my this is..." she ran her finger along the engraving, while her glance never left the picture. "This is beautiful." she finally turned to offer Abigail a smile. A full, honest, unrestrained smile. "This is a memory I'll cherish forever."

"I'm glad you like it," Abigail replied warmly. "Now, what do you feel like for breakfast? We can have anything you like, but Mimosas are a must!"

The Mimosa. Shii Lung's Guide to Extralunestrial Cuisine. Chapter Seven, Alcohol. Entry eighteen, section three.

"You know, I've never had one but they sound delicious." Ichiko replied, taking the moment to set the picture of her and... her, up somewhere nice. Somewhere prominent. Close to the crayon sketch.

"I'll admit I have a weakness for some Terran cuisine. Particularly... pancakes. Oooo, I'd almost give up the authentication codes for the right pancakes." she said in humor with a soft smile. "I want you to know, it tickles the backs of my ears to have a guest come in and cook for me. It's an odd feeling, and while it's not something I'm used to, it's your holiday. So I'll get used to it."

"How do you feel about chocolate?" Abigail asked with a smile. "I'm thinking maybe poffertjes with an assortment of accompaniments. Maybe syrup, melted chocolate, some berry compote and whipped cream?"

"I was given a primer on Earth cuisine and culinary works. Chocolate... is in the primer. Poffertjes? Not so much, so I think I'll try them. They sound delicious." Ichiko replied with a smile. "As for how I feel about chocolate, it's the universal substance. Though back home, it's very bitter. I've tasted Earth chocolate and, well, it's not the same. It's *GOOD*, don't get me wrong. What you call Chocolate isn't the right bite. Now, you all have something called Dark Chocolate, which is much closer to home."

She paused, "I tried white chocolate once. Once." she motioned with a single finger. "No thank you."

"Well, it's just going to be replicated fare, unfortunately, cooking is definitely not my forte, but I can order from the replicator like a champion," Abigail said with a laugh. "Do you want to set the table and I'll order the food?"

Mimosas were the first to materialize, mainly so they could enjoy them while doing everything else. Then came the poffertjes, a platter full of small puffs of pancakes dusted in powdered sugar and a tray of various bowls. Finally, for good measure, Abigail replicated a second breakfast platter, this time full of breakfast meats, eggs, and other hot breakfast items.

With a mouth watering array of food out on the beautifully set table in front of them, Abigail ordered two fresh mimosas and motioned for Ichiko to take a seat. "Shall we?" she asked with a genuine smile.

Ichiko had set a table for two with relative ease. Utensils including both familiar Terran tools such as the fork and the knife, and lacquered fancy wooden rods incredibly close to the design of chopsticks back on Earth. Decorative and elegant, but probably still as confusing to use. Square plates set the final piece of the table service. "Replicated faire is just as well. Leaps and bounds beyond the Insipp units back home. Though I hear there's a planned roll out to upgrade the entirety of the fleet with Dalacari Fabricators." she offered, as she took her seat and claimed her Mimosa.

"So, a toast. To holidays, to friends, and to pleasant memories?"

Picking up her own drink, Abigail held the tall champagne flute up and nodded. "To holidays, to friends, and to pleasant memories."