Dinner

Posted on Sun Mar 17th, 2019 @ 6:10pm by Colonel Jason "Jack" Frost

1,905 words; about a 10 minute read

Mission: The Emerald Road
Location: Zan's Quarters
Timeline: Prior to arrival at Earth

Having finished getting dressed Jack stood in the main living space as he waited for Acacia to finish getting dressed or doing her hair. It was nice for Zan to invite them over, he didn't get to socialise much with the other officers since he was always working so this would be a great change of pace. He looked at himself in one of the small wall mounted mirrors. "You ready babe, we don't want to be late."

"As if I'm going to make you late." Acacia muttered from behind the door as if she hadn't spent the last hour totally redoing herself. She'd washed her hair with the dye release and the shower floor had looked like a river of violet. Putting the new colors in was an exercise in patience, for first she had to do the yellow, then the orange, then the scarlet and burgundy on top. Each layer had to be followed by a set, but she was so proficient at it with the computer's help that she was done quicker than normal. Drying her newly colored hair she wrapped it in a towel and walked to the closet to find something to wear. She dressed quickly in a pair of creamy ivory pants with burgundy jewels decorating the side, and a 3/4 sleeve shirt of the same deep burgundy with white buttons.

Zan was busy getting things ready for guests, everything had to be in its place, chairs, tables, cutlery, even the food had to be on time ready to be served. Part of Zan was telling him this was a social thing, but what kind of an impression would it give if he couldn't even do this kind of thing right for a Colonel he invited over. "Babe, are the drinks in the chiller?" Not remembering if he'd put them in there or just the glasses.

Amanda stepped from the refresher, giving her hair once through with a brush. "Yes, hun. Both are in the chiller along with the beer and mug for me." She smiled at his worrying over the slightest detail as she moved into the bedroom, wearing just a towel. She pulled out an nice evening deep blue sheath gown that ended midthigh with spaghetti straps, eyeing another dress she had brought that was more modest as her Commanding Officer was attending a gathering. She debated for a split second and put on the blue sheath gown.

"Just to give everyone an option on drinks." She spoke as she exited the bedroom quietly on nylon clad feet. "Lookin like you've invited royalty over." She eyed fancy set-up that Zan labored over.

"Do I pass muster?" Acacia asked with a smile bright in her eyes as she clasped a deep burgundy stone that was shot through with gold around her neck, and similar ones in her ears to tie the look together. Slipping into a pair of white ballet flats she tied them with a short length of burgundy ribbon.

"You do indeed." Jack smiled as he looked her over. "Let's go, I'm hungry." Which he was and the promise of food was a compelling argument to get going. "Be interesting to see Amanda again, she's been so busy and I know Zan's had the cold shoulder from the new marines about a fly boy dating one of their own." It was the age old thing, a hot shot flyboy swooping in only Zan while he was a great pilot didn't force Amanda and she was marine enough to make her own calls.

"Not royalty, just your commanding officer and his girlfriend." Zan replied. "I don't want this dinner to go wrong, I don't want it to effect you or your job." Last thing Zan needed was for other marines to find out he messed up and a squad banging down the door in retaliation.

It was not long before Acacia and Jack beside her left towards Zan's quarters. "I wonder what they will be serving?" Jack asked as he walked beside Acacia, his arm around her waist. "Something big I hope, I'm hungry."

Amanda gave a soft growl, "The Squad will have go through me first. And the troops know I can make their life hell. As for my job, I'll cross that bridge when I get to it." She took a sniff of the aroma of foods. "Frost will eat anything as long as it is edible, hot and beer on hand." Smiling cheeky at Zan. "I'll use the eating utensils provided since he bringing a date. Gotta act civilized."

A few minutes later Acacia and Jack arrived at the door and pressed the chime. "I think I smell food." He was not sure, that or his mind was playing tricks on him.

"Coming." Zan quickly said rushing to the door, a quick look to make sure everything was appearing good and then he opened the door. "Jack, Acacia...wow..the hair." Zan stepped aside. "Come in, come in." Zan wondered what Amanda would look like with coloured hair like Acacia's but knew her job wouldn't allow it.

Acacia beamed at the compliment and tugged on one bright fresh curl "I was due for a change, people were getting used to the purple."

"Hello Zan." Then saw Amanda inside as the pair walked in. "Amanda, out of uniform for once, good to see." Jack smiled at that. "I believe you guys know Acacia. Apparently I am of relationship quality so here she is."

Amanda moved with predatory grace in nylon clad feet as she approached Jack and Acacia. "Frost ..." A bit formally to Jack, then smiling softly to Acacia. "... Lieutenant." Unsure at the moment on how to address Acacia as she was a Fleet Officer onboard. Stepping back off to the side to allow them to pass.

"Acacia please. Noone is on duty here." She poked Jack subtly before she crossed the room to settle in.

Amanda seen the poke, but ignored it as it was between them two. But it would be interesting to see how her tough CO would react with humor bubbling up within her, which she kept hidden from everyone. Her eyes twinkled at the prospect to see if Jack would be the Marine Officer he was or follow Acacia's lead in this being non-military atmosphere.

A buzzer went off in the Kitchen. "Dinner." All that was needed was the food to go from the kitchen to the table. "Grab a seat folks, I will bring it out for everyone to dig into." Walking into the kitchen and pulling on a pair of gloves, he lifted the lid, stirred and sighed. It was good. Putting the lid back on leaving a small gap for the steam to escape through letting the aroma fill the air he slowly, carefully walked with cargo in hand to the table.

Amanda took a seat, motioning for Jack and Acacia to have a seat next to each other, leaving the remaining seat open for Zan. "Enjoying your stay on the ship, Acacia?"

"I love it, though I am looking forward to the return to the Dreadnought. I hear theres a little more space aboard her than we have on this ship. " Acacia answered after a moment.

"It's a big ship, where you need a map and compass to get around outside your sections of the ship that you are not familiar with." Amanda smiled with a teasing glint in her eyes and smile. "Makes for a good run through the ship if you hit the correct corridor that runs through the ship."

"Thats great if you run. Its not my preferred form of exercise. Give me a gym with a pool any day of the week." Acacia made a face at the idea of running anywhere.

"No point in running, only die tired." Jack spoke with a grin, an age old job but in his profession still a good one. Soon dinner would be served and given that he'd put off eating just for this, scoffed in short order. "Dangerous to make a marine wait flyboy, and you have two of them at the table."

Acacia's snort was audible, even under her hand as she covered a grin. Her brain cycled through things she could say that wouldn't be misconstrued.

"It's coming, it's coming...geez." Zan walked out with one large bowl of food, plenty to be shared. Then another, and a third. Then came several little sauce bowls with different coloured liquids inside. Then came some extra cutlery, napkins, some spare glasses and three bottles of water. "Right, now did I miss anything?" Asking himself more than aimed to anyone.

"Looks like everything." Amanda spoke, letting the Jack and Acacia go first.

"Better park it flyboy before your girlfriend does it for you." Jack smirked, he had to admit Amanda and Zan went pretty well together. At least Zan had the spine to endure all the crap and grief the marines gave him for dating one of their own. Respect for that.

Acacia again shook her head at Jack's manners and her eyes flickered to Zan before resting on Amanda. Her eyes spoke volumes of amusement at the banter between the two. "So what have we got here? Any of the sauces hot enough to bite back?"

"The green sauce. I swear it could be used for Zan's Aerospace fighters or solvent to peel the paint off the walls. That is how much it'll bite back." Amanda smiled as she passed over small bowl of green sauce to Acacia. "Take a taste to see if its to your liking and how much you will want to use."

Acacia dipped a piece of breadroll into the green sauce and popped it into her mouth. It was flavorful and warm. She chewed and blinked away tears at the blast of spice in her mouth. The peppery burn lingered at the back of the tongue.. "Yowza."

"Eat some more bread," Amanda advised with a slight shake of silent laughter and a wide smile. "Should we call a Medic in? So you can enjoy the rest of the meal that Zan slaved over." Amanda helped herself to another dish, that she liked. "It goes good with this dish without the assault on the tongue." Passing the food to Jack.

Amanda retrieved the green sauce from Acacia and dipped just the tip of dinner knife into the sauce so that tip was covered. She swiped the knife on the food to place the sauce on the food, before she mixed it in.

"I'll pass I think" she muttered, grinning at the laughter in their voices as they all looked at her reaction to the heat. "It's delicious but I don't know that the spiciness of it will agree with me."

Jack smiled, it was good to get out, socialise instead of being the Colonel all the time Acacia had shown him there could be other parts of his life far more enjoyable than duties.

Acacia smiled softly and squeezed Jacks hand gently under the table. She was so pleased to see Jack getting out and enjoying himself.

As the night went on, food eaten and many a beverage consumed Jack was starting to feel the old man. He couldn't have fun like he used to, early hours of the morning, he needed his 'beauty' sleep. A short while later with Acacia in arm, they bid their goodbye's and left for home.

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