Dinner, Risian Style

Posted on Mon Jan 22nd, 2024 @ 6:55pm by Lieutenant Bela Swain

2,566 words; about a 13 minute read

Mission: Broken Mirror
Location: Theilani's Quarters

The rules of a Risian dinner were very simple. One, the host (or hostess) puts every ounce of effort into making it happen; all that is theirs is also their guests' and they shall endeavor to demonstrate such. Two: the other party (or parties) have to leave the dinner (or night) feeling far better than they did coming in. Of course, as Risians themselves Theilani and Bela were stranger to neither rule - which was why the former had worked her hardest through the evening to prepare, cleaning down her quarters, setting the dinner table and even sprucing up the entire room with a few replicated Risian decorations and some memorabilia of her own. Call it a homage to home.

When she was finished at last with the final preparations for dinner, only then did she take time to shower and change into her outfit for the night: a knee-length red dress that left her shoulders bare and flaunted her figure perfectly. Thank her mother for helping her choose the measurements in the first place. She only hoped it'd all be to Bela's liking- nah, of course they would be, she reckoned.

Purple. Bela remembered that Tehilani really loved purple. Well, if purple was Theilani's color and she was hosting, then it only was appropriate to make certain that Bela's attire was purple for Theilani. So, what should I replicate to wear? Bela wondered. Ultimately, she selected a grape A-Line V-neck Asymmetrical Chiffon Cocktail Dress. The v-Neck was ruffled slightly to give the dress a bit more of a fun yet formal look. It bunched at Bela's left side in a beaded-star pattern. The asymmetrical nature of the dress allowed her legs to swing freely, showing more of it as she stepped. She paired the dress with black toeless heels that had a sparkled fastener to keep her feet in the shoes. To finish the outfit off, she put some grape ribbons in her hair.

Bela walked through the ship, ignoring any looks that might be leveled in her direction. Being Risian, she was naturally used to them. And tonight, she was even more inclined to ignore them, as she was all Ensing Mo'naa's for the evening. After all, a polite guest concentrated their efforts on their host.

After she reached Theilani's door to her quarters, Bela rang the chime expectantly.

Another rule of Risian one-on-ons dining, especially for the host: you wait to be greeted at the door, and given the fullest attention throughout. Again Theilani was no stranger to this unspoken rule. The Risian was beaming as she opened the door, looped an arm through Bela's and led her inside, to the homely scent of falai'i stew already cooking on the stove. "Welcome, Bela. All that is mine is yours." She greeted as she admired the woman's outfit. Purple, which she knew to be her favorite color. Cheeky girl. Fun and formal at once, too - she'd have chosen that kind of dress herself had there been any such item in her wardrobe.

"You look simply tantalizing tonight," The mocha-skinned beauty smiled a dazzling pearly grin as she led her dinner companion to the table. "I hope dinner will only serve to pay you compliment. I tried my best."

"Your best is exquisite," Bela responded, allowing her eyes to take in Theilani's courteous and beautiful dress. Without hesitating further, she flung herself into Theilani and gave her hostess a warm, enthusiastic hug. "You are truly beautiful. I cannot believe that you did all of this for me."

Typical Bela. The Risian laughed and threw her arms round her guest with equal enthusiasm, burying her nose in her hair. And yes, she couldn't help but press her lips softly to the top of her head, too. "For me to do less is criminal, Bela dear, you know as Risians it runs in the fibers of our being to impress at all times." She allowed herself a moment to gently pull away with a mischievous twinkle in her eye. "Come. Eat. Dinner is waiting. The night isn't quite over yet..."

Bela pried herself reluctantly and put her arm around Theilani's waist. "Well, I am not used to being the one who so much is done for, Theilani." She put her other hand to her breast, feeling a tad overwhelmed. "What is it that I can do for you? You are doing so much for me."

"Oh, the possibilities we could explore with that..." That mischievous gleam in her eye returned for a brief, fleeting moment before Theilani traced a hand down her jawline with a warm smile. "I just want you to be your awesome self for the entire night - and that's all. I don't ask for much. Anything else, well... I suppose we'll see where the wind blows, hmm?" She began ladling stew into bowls, hearty, meaty-smelling stew that smelled simply divine.

"Whatever is mine is yours," Bela responded to the comment regarding possibilities. She sighed with anticipation as her jawline was traced and sat down in her chair unsteadily, nearly falling off before righting herself with a self-deprecating smile. "It looks delicious. Did you make it yourself, or replicated it?"

"My mother was a fastidious teacher. She insisted that I learn before leaving Risa so that I might be reminded of home whenever I eat," She responded. A bowl of soup was set before her guest, shortly before Theilani herself sat at the table with an expectant smile. "Though I will say I can hardly do her cooking justice. There's just something a little less good about a dish when it's copied, don't you reckon?"

"I would disagree," Bela responded. "They say that imitation is the highest form of flattery. And there is a great deal of study showing that the emotions and care put into a preparation will subjectively enhance the experience for those who give the dish and the people receiving it." Bela smiled at Theilani before continuing. "And, nothing is truly copied. Nothing is a hundred percent replicated unless it comes from a computer. Besides, you could always make modifications and then the dish becomes your own creation."

Realizing that she was starting to dominate the conversation by trying to make Theilani realize her own virtues, Bela blushed a light pink and shrugged lightly while turning her head to the right slightly. "Well, anyways, maybe that's something that you should think about."

"Maybe. Well, eat. We've got a long night." Theilani's expression was expectant as she tucked into her own bowl of steaming Risan stew - maybe she was simply waiting for Bela's reaction.

A long night? Bela wondered as she idly scooped up some of her stew. I wonder what Theilani has planned and why was she so curt with the instruction to eat. Have I offended her? Bela blew on the stew, then placed it into her mouth, and felt it melt smoothly into her mouth. Her lips curled upwards. "This is fantastic, Theilani."

"You're welcome." The young Risian smiled and sat. Upon sampling the first spoonful of her creation she sighed happily, eyes fluttering closed. "Been a while since I've cooked for anyone." She said, "Especially a friend. It's just not come to my mind, especially with the Academy only so far behind me. Those were the days, hm?"

"They were," Bela agreed. "I always found it how many cadets were immediately interested in Jamaharon the minute that they found out that I was Risian. If I had a dishonest bone in my body, I would have told them that any version of sex that I had with them was Jamaharon. Wouldn't that have been a riot?"

Theilani's eyes gleamed. "Of course it would've. You didn't actually give any of them Jama'haron did you? Last I recall the Academy had a rather strong stance against practising it on campus..."

"Gods, no!" Bela exclaimed. "Though, I did briefly date a Vulcan. I played with the idea of giving it to him to see if I could break all of that logic." The Counselor threw her head back and started laughing heartily. "Oh, that would have been something, no?!"

"Oh, it would've been. Imagine a Vulcan man all giggly and wobbly in the legs and blushy after you're done with him - that'd be quite the sight don't you think? I've always found Vulcans to be so unnecessarily flat. Maybe they could benefit from a bit of relaxation don't you think?" She remarked with a dazzling grin. "I've personally never tried giving it to anyone - well, maybe to one special person who I think deserves it." There was a mischievous gleam in her eyes there. "Now wouldn't that be nice. We Risians aren't all fun and games and sex."

"You've never experienced Jama'haron?!" Bela exclaimed, her eyebrows raising upwards. "May I ask how old you are?"

"Twenty-three years young." The younger Risian replied. "If you must know I've had my fair share of sex, just not... jama'haron. But yes, I've never experienced it." Her cheeks flushed a slightly darker shade of mocha.

"What Risian hasn't had a fair share of sex? It is only natural." Bela asked waving her hand towards Theilani. "I'm really sorry if I offended you. It was really careless of me to express my shock in that way. Can I make it up to you?"

Theilani blushed furiously. "If you'd like - though you really don't have to! I don't see it as an issue at all, though I'd love to try it sometime. What do you have in mind?"

"It is I who inadvertently offended you," Bela replied, putting her hand to her chest delicately. "I should think that it would be you that would prescribe the remedy to put this matter behind us."

"How about this," Theilani leaned across the table, staring her dinner companion in the eyes. "Why don't we let the rest of the night play out before I decide on something suitable? It'd benefit us both that way, don't you think?" Was there a mischievous gleam in her eye then? Yes. Definitely.

Bela's tongue poked her cheek outwards as her eyes flashed back at Theilani. Bela immediately looked down and ate another bitte of stew without saying anything. As she chewed, she looked back up at Theilani and smiled coyly. "If that is what you wish."

Theilani felt heat surge to her cheeks as she too returned to dinner, hiding her face in the steam that rose from her food. Or at least, she tried her best. "You never told me what your life was like growing up, did you?" She asked, pushing long strands of dark, silky hair from her eyes. "You grew up on Risa, obviously - but each of us has their own story, of course! I would love to hear yours." The young mocha-skinned beauty's eyes gleamed for a moment as she too smiled, a little less coy but no less suggestive. "That's not the remedy I want, by the way."

Looking up, Bela gave a knowing, suggestive smile before stating, "Growing up on Risa.... Well, I had a big enough family, three brothers, one sister, and then me. My parents ran a resort, so, we all had to work in the family business. Non-Risians, well, they need a lot of help relaxing, so I helped in whatever way I could. After thinking about it, well, I wondered why people had to come to Risa to be made happy. Couldn't we make people happier outside of Risa? So, the next thing that I knew, I was applying for Starfleet and decided on the counselor track. It made sense, right?"

"It makes perfect sense. We Risians do have a knack for keeping people happy and comfortable, don't we? Counselling, massages, food, company... you know, many, many ways." Theilani smiled coyly through a spoonful of soup, eyes sparkling with suggestive light. "My story is a little different to yours - I personally only came into medicine when I became friends with a retired Starfleet doctor who worked at the resort hospital. What a handsome fellow. I would've dated him had he not been at least two decades older than me," The young beauty laughed. "But he did inspire me in many ways - besides, I thought to myself, isn't medicine really one of the best ways to put a smile on someone's face?"

"What is a couple of decades?" Bela asked offhandedly. "Maybe 10 per cent of a lifespan? And there's still another 80 or so per cent depending on how you count." The counselor giggled, "Oh, listen to me. Everyone has their own qualities that they seek in a partner. So tell me how he inspired you." Bela leaned in after taking another bite of the stew, keenly interested in the story.

"Well, for a start, I saw just how happy he made the people he treated, you see! Of course, as a doctor he couldn't exactly tell me what was precisely wrong with each patient and so on, but he did tell me just enough to get me excited about the idea of healing people and medicine, you know? And how it's one of the best ways to make someone happy when they're at their lowest?" Theilani beamed. "Yep. Like that. We keep in touch quite often in fact."

"That's wonderful that you have maintained that contact," Bela exuded. She put down her fork. "Do you have any other courses planned for the evening? I do not want to spoil dessert, if you're planning on it."

Theilani nodded. "How do you feel about..." She leaned in towards the other with a mischievous gleam in her eye. "...Risian lofala date pudding? It won't be as good as my mother's but I'd like to think I've gotten it down. It's sitting in the fridge to cool right now!"

Bela's mouth dropped open involuntarily. "You made it from scratch? Just for me? Really?" She put down her fork, smiled sweetly, and gently pushed aside the stew. "I'm afraid that I just can't have any more of this wonderful stew. "I do have priorities."

"Who am I to say no to a woman who has her priorities in order, eh?" Theilani smirked, stood and fetched said desserts from small refrigerator she had installed. Turned out onto plates the pudding was a lovely little hemisphere of sticky, spongy goodness drenched in the juice of the Risian lofala date, a delicacy widely known for its resemblance in taste to human chocolate - which was why it was also favored by people of practically every race, humans most of all. She proceeded to pour a creamy white chocolate mixture over the top so that it flowed decadently down the side...

"Here." She brought the desserts over with a smile. "I hope you enjoy. Mother was very, very keen on me learning how to make this - especially for friends."

The counselor looked at the pudding greedily but stopped herself from spooning into. It would be impolite to eat before her host had taken her own serving. "If it tastes as good as it looks, I believe that I will be in heaven very soon." She looked back up at Theilani. "Please tell me that you are going to get some for yourself."

Bela watched satisfied as food was eaten. The two spent the night together and they parted.

 

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