Ice Time And Dinners Part 3

Posted on Tue Feb 1st, 2022 @ 11:53am by Senior Chief Petty Officer Victoria Aries & Lieutenant Commander Brandon Pratt

2,069 words; about a 10 minute read

Mission: Christmas Vacation
Location: Holodeck One, Fairmount Resort, Lake Louise, Alberta, Canada, Earth., Sol.

[ON:]

Later:

Fairmount Chateau, Lake Louise, Alberta
Holodeck One
Main Restaurant

They'd been on the holodeck for a couple hours, finally having gotten off the ice and having a change of clothes before going to the restaurant that Brandon had been bragging about and finally gotten her to go to. "So, what's good here, would you say?" She asked, the tip of her nose glowing a cherry red from the chill of the ice, despite the roaring fire several meters away.

“Personally. I would go for one of the steakhouse burgers in the restaurant down the way, but, this place seems to have a bit more cache.” He slowly nodded, and then read in to the menu.

“I trust you enjoy a good piece of meat?” Brandon raised a brow. “They have great porter house here. I like the rolls, too, cause they have these really buttery and garlic taste to them. They’re awesome!”

"I prefer a filet mignon, rare, of course, cooked in garlic butter makes it tender and melt-in-the-mouth good." She grinned, glancing back down to the menu, "Though a good burger will never, ever fail to escape me if placed in front of me." She ran a finger down the menu until she found what she was looking for, then reached up and curled some of her golden hair around a finger, "Garlic is quite possibly one of my weaknesses, I know I'll never be bitten by a vampire because it's in my veins."

"I might have to test that," Brandon grins, painting on an evil gleam as his tongue slips seductively across his sharp canine teeth.

"Nuh uh, leave a mark and you're going to have to explain things to my boss!" Victoria grinned widely, "But seriously, no. Nibbling is fun, but no drawing blood. I need it right where it is, inside my body." She giggled as she took a drink of the ice water a waiter had virtually magically left for them, "But, you may get lucky tonight if you play it right. Despite beating me earlier." She stuck her tongue out at him this time.

Brandon smiled at Victoria. He took a drink of his glass of water as well and set it down, clasping his large engineering hands together on the tabletop. Pratt's black-suited handcuffs strike against the white linen table. "Yeah." Brand shook his head narrowing his eyebrow, and cocked his head sideways at Victoria. "Being your boss has to be one hell of a job it does!" Brandon laughed with a wink.

Victoria reached across the table with one hand, expecting him to meet it halfway with one of his own, "I'm sure it is. My boss doesn't like the fact that I try to take over his engineering section while he's standing right there. Oh, he suffers with my presence, sure, thinks I'm eye-candy that has too much of a brain. Oh, sure, I do look good, I'll never say that I don't, but it's going to make things hard on him to make sure I don't step out of line." She smiled brightly, "But I'm sure he knows the perks are worth it."

Brandon had lent his large engineering hands to the petit ones in a trap. As Aries had lent forth her dialogue, rather a statement of intent of this relationship. Rather contractually and oh so briefly.

Brandon lent his brow to raise anger as he grinned, amused. He gestured with his hand. “Victoria. Now you know. I don’t think anything like that of you. The head thing. The brain thing.” Pratt had narrowed his eyes thoughtfully as he kept his voice to table level.

His eyes are searching for hers. “Was it earlier today? I am sorry that I had made the scores I had. I am not bringing it up again.” Brandon took a drink of his water and then set it down, swallowing and focusing on Victoria’s beautiful face. “There is no way any engineer of mine will be stripping down and….” Pratt gestured with his hand forward as he stated, “exposing themselves to some stupid bet. I don’t dare expect a lady now to do that, nor follow through with it.” He then winked.

“Your game. Let’s talk about your game. It was a masterful play; you know that Vic?” Pratt had then lent an earnest effort to get in her good graces. Brandon truly, truly liked Victoria.

"Which one?" She had to ask him, before shaking her head, "Obviously the one I actually scored on." It had been a semi-breakaway, Victoria having poked the puck away and having to beat a single defenseman in a good position to do just that. He'd tried to cut her off and slow her down into the boards, but she'd actually picked the puck up on the flat of her stick's blade and reversed her course as he'd committed to the hit, spinning past him in the air and reaching out with her stick to keep onside before landing and having a clean run even as the other D-man and Brandon had come from behind. She'd turned and then reversed her body to protect the puck from the stick of the defenseman before shooting through the goalie's five-hole moments before he closed it, thinking she was going for the left side of the net. "Yeah, it was pretty nice I think."

“It was a good play. You had me there. You were determined.” Brandon had remembered the play. He looked at the candle in the center of the table. Comforted, he breathed outward. Relaxed.

The hills in the background. The towering white pillars, a monument of nature, had surrounded the dining room’s panoramic windows.

She was hard to read. Pratt then asked. “Tell me about yourself. Do you have any brothers, sisters? How about your parents? Do they still live back on Earth on the East Coast?”

"Two brothers, one sister. and yes, my parents are still outside of Boston." Victoria shook her head, "Mom didn't want me playing hockey, thought it was too rough on a girl, but fortunately Gabby decided to take up the slack I was lacking in my femininity, did all the girly things mom wanted, a fashion designer slash model. Don't get me wrong, I'm not a dyke, I'm all girl all the time. My brothers are different, Bobby's a civil engineer, but Nate is a Defenseman on the San Jose Sharks, not a superstar, just on the second pairing." She shrugged, "Really not a lot to tell about any of them that isn't public domain. No true secrets in all of that."

Brandon furrowed his brow. Shocked. Surprised. A big grin formed. His cheeks burst. “No. Way!” Victoria’s face was suitably analyzed by Pratt. “That hat trick, tip n serve you did back before we started. That’s a San Jose trick. Something I isn’t seen used out here yet. I knew you were hinky!” Brandon wiggled his eyebrow. “So, sue me. Vic. I am jealous. Yeah. If I could get your bother here, I’d buy him dinner and take him for a date may be over you.” He snorted chuckling at his own joke.

"You're not his type." Victoria stated blandly, "And it isn't a Shark's trick, I was doing that before he was playing for them. But I don't really want to talk about them, because they aren't here." She took a drink of her water, wondering where the damned waiter was, "I'd rather hear a bit more about you. Anything and everything you'd want to tell me, I can find out the rest of it on my own." She grinned brightly at him.

The waiter had shown up as the sensors had sensed that Victoria was ready to order. "Hello, welcome to Parallels." The attentive Andorian waiter arrived. "Madame, Sir. My name is Bilin Th'itorharh." He paused, taking a breath inward. Clasping hands and then handing the menu. "To start. Tonight, we have several appetizers. Foie Gras Terrine. Sea salt brioche, pickled grapes, Riesling jelly. Triple crunch mustard, toasted hazelnuts, and sour cherry reduction. Northern Devine Caviar. Sustainably harvested Caviar, creme fraiche, shallots, and buckwheat blini. Third, we have Yellowfin Tuna Tartare. Sashimi Grade Tuna in a soy lime marinade, avocado, coriander, sesame tempura, and chili lime sauce. Lastly, on special tonight is our Caramelized Shallot Gnocchi. Shredded duck confit, parsnip crema, Brussels sprouts, and wild mushrooms. Duck jus and balsamic brown butter."

Victoria wanted to applaud at the recitation, knowing she'd be unable to do it herself, not without a heckofa lot of practice, "I think I'll go with the Gnocchi, they all sound delicious, but that one just feels like the right choice."

"That sounds great." Brandon then ordered after Victoria. "Bilin. That all sounds so good. I will have the Yellowfin Tuna Tartare, please."

"Wonderful. May I offer you Victoria, Brandon any suggestions off the menu for your main courses?"

"I'll take the filet mignon, if I may. Just cut it off the cow, show it to the flame and bring it out." Victoria smile broadly, "I do like my steaks nice and rare. Can I have my potatoes mashed instead of baked and I'll take whatever the seasonal vegetables are, quite happily."

Brandon smiled. “That sounds great. And the steak here. It’s aged to perfection, so it might not be of a live cow. Victoria, such bloodthirstiness? Are you as vicious at your career as you are in your meats?” He raised a brow.

"Just because I don't cook all the flavor out of a steak doesn't mean I'm bloodthirsty!" Victoria rolled her eyes, "But direct and to the point, not to mention competent? Yes, that is me. When I'm at work, I'm all at work, nothing on the side. I hope that answers the question?" She softened the response with a smile.

“Thank you. I will also be having what the fine lady has selected for meats, rareness. Blue cheese topping, along with sauteed, caramelized onion and mushrooms. No need to fill on vegetables and potato.” Brandon had shrugged.

As the waiter nodded, writing down the orders and taking care of other items on the table, he had left.

“As for my Family. The Pratt’s.” He took a drink of his glass of white wine and set it down, his eyes watching Victoria. “Logan and Kisten are my parents. Both my parents have been married in their early twenties.” He meditated. “I’m 34, and I can’t imagine having been married and had a child as early as they did.”

Brandon then counted on his finger. “There’s me. Then my older brother Miles, he’s 36. We’re close. We talk weekly. He’s in the Barzan Sector as a civilian freight jockey. It’s hard work, good money, fewer rules than Starfleet. Then there is Angelica. She’s the smart one of the bunch. Pretty too!” He smiled.

“Angelica is an Earth Historical Librarian of Literary Works, Federation Documents and International, Interspecies Preservation Organization in Geneva, Switzerland. We usually get together three times through the year, just as brothers and sis.” Pratt was happy to answer any questions Victoria had. He felt it helped open them up.

Just then, their table was plated with their steaks: fine food and good conversation.

Victoria had been leaning on the table, listening attentively. This was, after all, a date and she did like Brandon, despite some rougher edges she was seeing. She had her own edges and she knew it, like when she got into a competition and couldn't abide losing it. "I don't think I could survive in a library, I like knowing things, but being in one all day every day?" She shuddered, "Give me an engine room any day of the week, or year, or decade." She had to sit back as her massive plate was slid in front of her. She poked at her steak, definitely cooked properly, with the fork she'd picked up and moo'd in the back of her throat as she did so, with a giggle and a wink to the waiter, "This definitely looks good!" She then looked at Brandon and smiled, "Now... We're going to have to delay conversation for just a few minutes... We've got some eating to do!"

A Post by Lieutenant Brandon Pratt
and Senior Chief Petty Officer Victoria Aries

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