Tea and......Crumpets, Anyone?

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NAME_icon.gif NAME_icon.gif

Scene Title Tea and…..Crumpets, Anyone?
Synopsis Neschen calls in Smythe on his offer of tea.
Date May 27, 2380

Captain's Quarters

These quarters are spacious and comfortable, and of fairly good size. The main room is a rectangle with the door centered across from a bank of windows that slant with the curve of the saucer. A white sofa, large enough for three, is placed under the windows slightly to the left, facing the door. A small fern rests on the window ledge, and a bright bouquet of flowers sit upon a smoked glass coffee table in front of the sofa. Twin chairs of the same plush style as the sofa complete the seating arrangement. To the left is an archway leading to a separate dining area, smoked glass table ringed with four dark chairs. There is a replicator in that room, and a lamp hangs low above the table to provide a softer mood. To the right of the main doors is a maroon chair before a large panel that can display anything needed at will. Next to the panel is a painting of a nebula, swirling greens, golds, blues, and reds. Beyond this is the door leading to the bedroom. The bed is large enough for two, with maroon comforter and gray pillows. There is a closet and cupboards for the occupant's belongings, and a bathroom that boasts not only a shower but a full tub as well. The carpeting throughout the quarters is deep red trimmed with gray, the walls paneled in yellow. Soft lighting comes from panels in the ceiling, and there are twin vertical alert tracers on either side of the door.


While most of the ship is either asleep or on their way to sleep, such is not the case for the captain of the vessel. Sitting at his desk, a stack of PADDs set to his left, a half empty and cold cup of tea to the right. In the center, the terminal is raised and active. Soft classical music plays throughout the quarters as Smythe at least attempts to work.

It's not too long after that the Captain's companel chimes quietly. Elia is standing outside in a simple long skirt topped with a light top reminiscent of a tank top, but with a bit more decoration. Even wearing casual clothes she seems a bit formal.

Smythe looks up from his work as he hears the door chime. "Gal, halt playback." He's probably one of the few people that use the AI's name instead of 'computer'. "Come." he then adds, wondering who would be needing something at this hour.

The door opens to admit a Betazoid carrying a small plate of pastries and wearing a slightly sheepish smile. "I knew you were awake and probably hadn't taken the time to get a bite to eat," she says, by way of excuse for showing up. "And, if I'm not mistaken, you owe me tea."

"Commander." Smythe grins, as his visitor walks in with the plate of delicacies. "Spying on the Captain is a serious breach of security, you know." Pushing himself away from the desk, he rises, tugging his duty vest as he does. "Indeed, I do. Though I wasn't expecting you to cash in on it so soon." he admits.

Neschen steps in and places the plate down on the desk, laughing quietly. "You were singing, loudly," she says, voice quiet and amused. "I wasn't so much spying as knocking on your wall with the broom."

Smythe raises his brow questioningly. "Was I that loud?" he asks, not hiding the chuckle at the broom comment. "Remind be to have Commander Falrose double-check the soundproofing. It shouldn't be carrying that badly." He motions towards the couch and armchair that surround the coffee table. "Make yourself at home if you'd like. I'll get the tea."

Elia's lips twitch a bit and she shakes her head, laughing quietly. "No, Darren," she says in a low voice. "Mentally. Given that my quarters are 17 decks from yours, I dare say that, if I were hearing you physically sing, you left your com on." She moves over to the sofa, settling into a seat that doesn't look overly used. "How are you doing?"

Betazoid - 1, Human - 0. "You'd think I'd remember that we have telepathic types aboard." he states, shaking his head. "My apologies……Elia." he adds, with a slight bit of hesitation. New crew. New customs to get used to. Life was easier on the Archer. "If you're looking for my medical state, I've kept myself on light duty for the past fourty eight hours. No lifting. No climbing. Just sitting and reviewing data." Coming to a stop by the replicator, he tosses Neschen a smile. "Gal, Smythe service number six please." "Creating…..done. Enjoy, Captain" is the cheery response as the tea set appears out of thin air. "Thank you, Gal."

Neschen tried the first name of the captain and doesn't get hi, so breathes a little. She chuckles softly and shakes her head. "I believe you're the first senior officer to actually TAKT medical adivce. How do the wounds feel," she asks, tilting her head to look p at him, studying him with a doctor's eye.

Smythe picks up the set and tray and starts towards the coffee table. "At least voluntarily. There was a period of a month after the Phoenix encountered a small fleet of Jem'Hadar ships and came out crippled that I was involuntarily taken off duty by our CMO." As the china set is placed on the coffee table, he finds a suitable spot on the couch as well, though perched on the edge to prepare the tea.

She settles back in her seat, watching him as he moves, considering what he has to say. "Well, I can imagine that, after something like that, it would be difficult to voluntarily go off duty," she allows, lips turning upward a bit. "Thank you, anyway, for making my job a bit easier."

"Wouldn't want to make a bad impression on my CMO." Smythe grins, setting two cups on saucers. The pattern on the cups includes a crest of some sort. The kettle, which has a larger version of the crest featuring a lion and sword, is picked up and tea is poured into each cup. "Especially when she can relieve me of command at any time for any reason. Cream, if I remember correctly?"

"You remembered," she says softly, looking amused and mildly impressed. Reaching over, she undoes the covering on the pastries. "The…relief of duty is something I take rather seriously," she says, tone dropping a bit. "While it might be -tempting- from time to time to yank out that threat and dust it off, to keep you on your toes, I don't want to overuse it, if that makes sense."

Smythe adds a touch of cream to the tea before offering it to Neschan. "I did. I'm as surprised as you are." he says, grinning. "You don't know how much I appreciate you doing that. When I served on the Stargazer, you'd be surprised how many times I got to witness Doctor Crusher threaten Captain Picard with it."

Neschen takes the cup, wrapping both hands around it. Oddly, she cradles it close to her chest, as if she can warm herself with the liquid within. "I"ve seen it used to good effect in the past," she says, settling back and relaxing. "I've also seen it misused. Though, as far as Doctor Crusher and Captain Picard, if I'm not mistaken, were they not married?" It doesn't seem as though she's reaching for gossip, but merely curious. "That might be a reason she…ensured he didn't forget."

"I have as well." Smythe comments, fixing his own cup of tea and settling back on the couch beside Neschen. Taking a sip, he smiles. His own blend of orange peko, green, and white teas. Just enough of each to bring a distinctive taste. "Last I heard they weren't. But if you ever meet them, don't let them fool you. I saw enough on my Stargazer tour to confirm that they at least have feelings for each other. I think it had more to do with his stubbornness."

Neschen laughs softly and dips her head, taking a slow sip of tea. It's very slow, so she can savor it, apparently. "This is lovely," she murmurs, expression relaxing a little. "Thank you. As for his stubbornness, well, if I'm not mistaken, it's a trait shared by just about every Starship captain known." An arched brow dares him to challenge her on it, laughingly.

Smythe beams at the compliment. "Thank you, Elia." he replies, taking a sip from his own cup. "It's a blend I came up with out of pure experimentation. Although, admittingly, at this hour, it should be chamomile. But I didn't want you to get any ideas." Oh yes, there is the humorous tone that should be there. "And I am not stubborn. I'm just…situationally-challenged."

She grins over at him, laughing quietly. "Ahhh," she says, nodding slowly. "I see. I come to visit and you threaten to offer me something that would put me to sleep," she teases, eyes twinkling a bit. Elia seems to have relaxed a bit more since the launch. Reaching forward, she lifts the plate to offer him a pastry. "You're stubborn," she murmurs quietly. "Which is what makes you a Captain."

"Which is precisely why I didn't go with blend number nine." Smythe admits, chuckling as he accepts one of the offered sweets. "Thank you." Taking a bite, his eyes light up and reflect the recessed lighting from the ceiling. "This is….wonderful. Tell me they're not replicated." Musing over the pastry for a moment, he finally responds to her other comment. "Alright, you've got me there." he admits, grinning broadly.

"They're not," she tells him with a pleased smile. "They're from home, and keep well when I'm out in space. I only brought a few with me, but was wanting to share." She snuggles into the sofa, wrapping around her mug of tea. "How are you liking the command so far," she asks, watching him with her head tilted slightly to one side.

Smythe shows his appreciation for the home-baked goods by ensuring that none of it is wasted. "They are fabulous." he compliments, cleaning off his fingers on one of the napkins on the service tray. "So far, it's proving to be vastly difference from my last command. Brand new ship…" he starts, settling his shoulder against the back of sofa as he talks. "Brand new crew. It's a challenge. But one I'm slowly adjusting to. But part of me wishes Starfleet would have given me a bit more time to adjust before throwing us out on a mission."

"It's Starfleet," she tells him with a wry little smile. "I believe it's likely a matter of sink or swim, and they're expecting you to swim all the way across the galaxy, hmm?" She tips the cup up to take a slow sip of her tea. "How are you feeling about things so far, personally?" It seems more of a friendly concern than a former counselor-ly concern.

"Or almost across the galaxy." Smythe grins, finishing off his own cup of tea. Setting the cup and saucer on the table, he sighs and runs a hand through his hair. For a moment his gaze drifts from Neschen over to the stack of stuff on his desk. "Part of me is questioning if I'll ever catch up. I've had stacks of work like this before, but…Starfleet wants constant reports on the ship's status, as well as subspace conferences with me about the Vacca VI mission."

Elia nods slowly, blowing on the surface of her tea. "It's all stuff that you can handle," she says quietly. It's not really a question, but a statement of fact. "Even if it DOES keep you behind locked doors for quite some time. I dare say things will settle out before too long. They'll launch the next ship and drive -that- Captain crazy."

Smythe looks over at Elia, letting a smile flow onto his features. "Of that I have no doubt." he says, trying to sound convincing. "Truthfully, I should have remembered that my first week in command of the Archer was just as hectic." His eyes roll at his forgetfulness. "Except that one won't be as important as we are."

"You're getting old," she pokes at him, gently, smiling. "Am I going to have to send reminders to eat to your PADD, Captain?" She quirks a brow teasingly. "Or send Yeomen with the meals at the appropriate time, just to make SURE you remember?" Once the joke has moved on, she dips her head a bit. "We're important, yes, but there will always be more."

"I beg to differ on that remark." Smythe laughs, eyes sparkling with the humor of the jokes. "You might just have to. Especially if they are home-cooked meals." The wide grin gives away his own attempted retort at humor. "There will be. I know."

Elia grins over at him. "Don't tempt me, Darren," she says quietly. "There's not much I enjoy more than taking care of someone." She's smiling, but there's something just a tiny bit wistful there. "So, note to self - the Captain is a fan of homemade meals. I think something can be arranged. Eventually."

Smythe adjust his posture so that he can rest fully back into the soft cushions of the couch and snicker. "Almost like my mother." Smythe jests, shaking his head. "You won't need to go to all those length, I assure you. However, you are welcome for tea any time you wish."

Her eyes crinkle at the corners when she smiles. No, she's not all that young either. "Thank you," she says softly then finishes up her tea. For a moment, she looks uncertain. "Well, given the hours, I suppose I'd better leave you to finish up." A pause. "AND get some rest."

Glancing at the pile of work on his desk, Smythe turns back to Elia with the same uncertain look. But it only lasts for a moment, being replaced with a grin. "Always the doctor, even when you're not on duty." he jokes, pushing himself up from the couch. After adjusting his vest, he offers out a hand to help her up should she need it. "You're welcome back anytime, you know. Maybe perhaps same time tomorrow? Or earlier. I could try my hand at cooking."

Neschen hesitates for a moment, then takes the proffered hand, smiling. She doesn't quite want to leave, but is rather sure she should. "That sounds delightful," she says, nodding. "I'll bring the dessert and some wine?" It's a quietly uncertain offer, but an offer nonetheless.

Smythe helps Elia up to her feet, a smile on his face the whole time. It's a sure bet she probably notices the split second hesitation when he releases her hand. "Absolutely." he nods. "Anything in partcular I should be avoiding?

Neschen quirks a brow and laughs quietly. "No, you know yourself best," she tells him, voice low and soft, almost sweet. "Sweet dreams, Darren, and I'll see you tomorrow evening, hmmm?"

"Merely asking in case you should have some aversion or allergy." Smythe admits, grinning. It's only proper that he walk her to the door. "And the same to you, Elia. Tomorrow evening it is." he confirms, smiling.

Neschen shakes her head, laughing quietly. "No food allergies. If it moves, I'll eat it," she explains. Then, with a final smile, she slips out the door.


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