Tea and Conversation
Posted on Mon Sep 30th, 2024 @ 8:31pm by Lieutenant Maya Canak & Ensign Nala Rider
Edited on on Wed Oct 2nd, 2024 @ 6:13pm
0 words; about a 1 minute read
Mission:
Episode 2 - The Sins of History
Location: Office of the Chief Medical Officer - Deck 9 - USS Artemis
Timeline: MD011 1500 hrs
Maya had not forgotten her promise to invite Ensign Rider to her office for tea and to show her the herbs she grew there. So, when she had some free time, she sent a message to Nala, inviting her to come to her office for a visit.
Nala skipped to Maya's office, excited about talking 'shop' about plants!
Nala rang the door chime.
"Come in." Maya stood to greet the new arrival. She already had a teapot ready to brew Nala's preferred tea.
Nala walked in, taking a deep breath of the herb scented air.
"Hi, Maya. How are you?" Nala asked lightly.
"I'm well. Thank you. How are you doing?" Maya indicated her planter box filled with herbs. "Right now, I'm growing peppermint, aloe, chamomile, lavender, and rosemary. My planter box is sectioned off so each plant can get the water and nutrients it needs. I can also vary the light for each plant. I plan to grow others, in time. This is what I think you should use in your workroom. You can get a larger size and have each plant set to be watered and fed automatically."
"Wowykazowy!!! They're all so beautiful! You really think so?" Nala was so happy, almost bouncing around in her excitement!
"Of course. As I said before, I'll be happy to help you set one up. The size will depend on what you want to grow and if you need a trellis to support vines. Once it's all set, you just need to check on them once a week or so rather than every day." She smiled. "Do you like herb tea? I have peppermint, cinnamon, chamomile, hibiscus, lavender, and ginger. I can also blend them."
"I think something small like mint or flowers'd be good to start with. Haven't had Hibiscus in a while," Nala grinned, still taking in all the plants.
"I think I'll have cinnamon hibiscus," Maya said, putting some dry leaves in a small pot and adding hot water. "Would you like hibiscus alone, or hibiscus and peppermint?" She began to add some dry hibiscus to another pot.
"Real tea!? Oh man, I haven't had real tea since I was a kid!" Nala's eyes sparkled excitedly.
"I'll try both, be experimental," Nala was quite enjoying the tea time so far, and they'd not even gotten to the tea!
"The best tea is real tea," Maya said, smiling as she put peppermint and hibiscus in the second pot and added hot water. Then she set a timer and brought out a tray on the table with tiny sandwiches with cucumber, tomato, or turkey. There were also cookies, scones, little tea cakes, and tarts. "Sometimes I enjoy a proper tea in the afternoon. It can be a nice change from the lounge."
"Me too! The lounge is great and all, but it's a bit eh at times," Nala took a tomato sandwich and a tart.
Maya nodded. "It is not the best place for tea and contemplation," She checked the timer and set out the tea cups. "But there is also something to be said about being among others." When the timer went off, she poured them each a cup and set them on a tray with sugar, cream, and honey. She set the tray on the table next to the sandwiches and put Nala's cup in front of her. "Help yourself to whatever you'd like."
"Thanks. Mmm, this is REALLY good honey!" Nala swiped her fingers across the spoon after pouring some of the almost liquid goodness into her tea and licked them.
"Thank you. I have it shipped in from a small colony I visited once. The beekeeper has a grove of orange and nectarine trees as well as a number of beehives. Orange and nectarine blossoms give the honey a special flavor. Sadly, the fresh fruit doesn't travel as well and replicated fruit is not the same as fresh."
"Oh, that's awesome! Now THAT I know about! I tried to get some Kiwi shipped...and yeah...it didn't end so well," Nala made a face at the memory.
"We'll have to look for fresh produce when the ship next docks at a planet." Maya took a sip of her tea. "So, what does a facial reconstruction specialist do when she's not reconstructing?"
"Sweet! Well, I like puzzles, crossword puzzles, word searches, swimming, horseback riding, hiking, reading, art, gymnastics, science, parkour...you know, the usual," Nala chuckled.
"That's hardly usual, but I'm glad you have so much to color your free time." Maya selected a cucumber sandwich. "I don't recall if you told me what plants you want in your lab. That will determine how you set up the planters." She took a bite while she waited for Nala to answer.
Nala grinned, then thought for a few minutes.
"I guess either some peppermint or chocolate mint so I can have something to chew on instead of my pencils...I'm a bit old-school in that I try to draw the face before putting it into the computer. Aloe'd be nice also. The gel is not only a good healer, but fun to play with...I don't just break the leaves off willy nilly mind you!" Nala waved her arms in front of her quickly.
"Aloe and mint would be excellent. So would sage. Chamomile is also good in small quantities." Maya nodded as she pictured the space needed for the plants. "Yes, those could be quite nice to begin with. I'd be happy to help you set that up."
"That would be fantastic! Thank you so much!" Nala beamed, starting to picture the transformation of her workspace.
"I'm happy to help. I love plants, especially those that have medicinal or therapeutic properties." Maya took another sip of her tea. "And plants do so much to help our moods. I'll enjoy the project." It was also because of Nala that she now had her own garden lab.
"Sounds like we got the makings of a great garden!" Nala beamed, accidentally taking an overly excited/loud slurp of tea.
Maya just smiled and handed her a napkin. She appreciated Nala's excitement. Indeed, she looked forward to helping the scientist create something both decorative and practical.
Nala's mind's eye could already see her workspace transforming just like the reconstructing of a skull!
A Joint Post By
Lieutenant Maya Canak
Chief Medical Officer/Medical Examiner, USS Artemis
Starfleet Criminal Investigations Unit
Ensign Nala Rider
Facial Reconstruction Specialist, USS Artemis
Starfleet Criminal Investigations Unit
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