Be My Guest

[losthunter]

Hunter is hosting a few guests at his Nexus apartment tonight. Hunter had been planning this night for awhile, ever since meeting some of the crew members of Jim's ship, getting to know them better, and then telling them about the Nexus. He has been busy planning for the evening, including grocery shopping for some home-made recipes, and finishing some art pieces that will be given as gifts.

Hunter has arranged so that the PINpoint portal is basically connected to his front door. His open concept kitchen and living room will be the first thing that his guests will see, once they arrive through the PINpoint portal. There is a small closet located to the left of the door where they can place any jackets.

The dining room in the living room has been set with all the dining places for his guests. He decided against placecards, since it is more freedom to allow his guests to choose their own seats. On the island in the kitchen is a large plate of vegetarian-friendly appetizers, which features Lavash bread topped with Guacamole and red bell peppers, alongside crescent rolls filled with Jalapeño, mushrooms and asparagus.

The open concept living room immediately flows into Hunter's art studio, where he has a few pieces still being created. There is a large set of French doors that leads out from the living room to an outdoor patio, where there is a rose garden outside. The every-spanning Nexus can be viewed from the patio balcony. Right now, the Nexus is showing the lakeside, where Hunter had first appeared when he had needed support the most.

There are a few closed doors along one wall, one of which that leads to the bathroom, and the other of which leads to Hunter's bedroom.

As Hunter chills some wine, and checks on his main course, he is pretty ready for his guests to arrive. He is feeling excited and happy to be a host.

Comments

[boldygoing]

Spock raises an eyebrow at the word 'hippie,' wondering what any of this has to do with anatomy. Uhura just smiles a little. "He didn't get everything right, but the part about humanity coming together did eventually happen."

[losthunter]

"He was shot and killed, before he got to see any of his influence on the world." Hunter frowns softly. "But I guess that unfortunate incident made him even more famous."

[boldygoing]

"There was a comparable individual in my people's history," Spock says thoughtfully. "Surak, our most notable philosopher. He spoke of logic and controlling emotion at a time when Vulcan society was violent and distrustful of others. He died during the wars that still ravaged the planet at the time. But his founding principles of logic and infinite diversity were not extinguished with him, and they are the foundation of modern Vulcan culture today."

What little of that culture remains, anyway.

[losthunter]

"In the art world, many well-known artists only became popular after their deaths. And then their art was sought even more than before."

Hunter can only hope that things get better.

"The barbecue should be about ready to come in. Find a seat... I will be right with you."

[bed]

[boldygoing]

To the surprise of nobody, Spock and Uhura take seats next to each other at the table. Out on the balcony, Jim and McCoy have managed to successfully tend the grill without burning anything - including themselves. Jim glances over his shoulder at the sound of Hunter's approach. "All set inside?"

[losthunter]

"We are. Help me get these inside?" Hunter has three serving plates ready. One for the chicken-shrimp kabobs, one for the tofu-pineapple kabobs, and one for the corn. Jim and McCoy each get a serving plate to take to the table.

[boldygoing]

Once the food has been carried in, Jim and McCoy take their seats at the table, leaving the spot next to Jim free for Hunter to sit.

"Everything looks great," Jim tells Hunter with a smile.

[losthunter]

"Thank you. So I am a fan of an almost buffet-style serving. We pass the plates around, and you take what you want, as much as you want." Hunter will quickly grab the chilled wine, setting it on the table. It is a rose pinot, that is watermelon-flavored. It matches the barbecue theme of the night.

[boldygoing]

At the tail end of his medical leave, Jim gives McCoy a slightly challenging look as he pours himself a glass of wine, daring him to say anything about alcohol not being on his list of medically approved beverages. The doctor just rolls his eyes a little. "One glass, Jim."

The plates get passed around, and Uhura also takes one of the tofu-pineapple skewers, interested to see how they turned out. Spock takes a modest portion, and hesitates only slightly before partaking in the wine, as well.

[losthunter]

One of the nice things about having a fruit wine is that it is slightly lower in alcohol content than a grape wine. It might be a sweeter, due to the fruit content.

When Hunter serves himself, he takes a little of everything he cooked. Sometimes this is the best part of being a chef -- getting to taste what he prepared.

"So how are the repairs on the Enterprise going?"

[boldygoing]

Spock, who has been overseeing some of the repair work, is the one to answer. "They are proceeding on schedule. Approximately fifty-eight percent of the structural damage has been repaired. Work on the warp core is due to begin in three weeks; due to the need to overhaul and update the structure, it will take at least six weeks to complete."

[losthunter]

"And any other news from Starfleet?" Mostly, are they going to be a crew again?

[boldygoing]

Jim smiles slightly at that. "I get to stay captain." While he's happy to finally get that news, a part of him also wonders if he deserves it. His recklessness got a good portion of his crew killed, and himself along with them. Never mind what happened in San Francisco. And while he also knows that keeping that in mind will make him a better officer, it's a hard train of thought to reason away.

[losthunter]

"That is great news." Hunter reaches over to take Jim's hand in his own. He senses that doubt creeping up on the other man.

"You get to return to the stars."

[boldygoing]

"Eventually," Jim agrees, giving him a faintly grateful look for the support. There's not much anyone can do to get those thoughts out of his head, but he appreciates that Hunter is here for him anyway.

"Since the repairs are going to take so long, some of us are being assigned to temporary teaching positions at the Academy," Uhura says, as she can tell that her captain doesn't really want to dwell on the uncertainties of his command.

[losthunter]

"What would you each be teaching?" Hunter figures that the Academy must be similar to University, with different classes and courses.

[boldygoing]

His assumption isn't wrong. It's a lot like a university, with some of the same subjects, just much more advanced. "I'll be handling Elementary Romulan and Xenoencryption," Uhura says.

"I shall be participating in a Cultural Studies program as a guest lecturer," Spock adds. "After Va'Pak, the Vulcan cultural viewpoint has become less prolific on the galactic stage, but it is no less valuable. I am honored to represent my race in this manner."

[losthunter]

"Xenoencryption?" Hunter asks for clarification.

"That sounds awesome. Almost like a class that I would love to take, if I was at the academy."

[boldygoing]

"Coded messages in non-Earth-based languages," Uhura clarifies. "Intercepting alien messages does little good unless you can interpret them, and that goes for learning all new languages, too. It's all about how to seek out and understand patterns."

Spock approves of Hunter's statement. "It is important for every member of Starfleet to have a broader understanding of culture outside of one's own planet. Every species has a unique viewpoint and traditions that are dissimilar to others in some way, and interaction with cultural outsiders is more difficult when one is ignorant of their ways. For instance, as humans lack the Vulcan ability of tactile telepathy, your species is much more open to casual touching, even among strangers. Some behaviors that humans consider beneath notice can be very inappropriate, by Vulcan standards. A Vulcan that interacts with a human must be prepared to witness such actions and accept them as part of human culture, without applying Vulcan cultural standards to their behavior."

[losthunter]

"You are really making me wish I could be an Academy student." Hunter chuckles at Spock's explanation. He had studied a lot to know about the Greek culture, before they had searched for Kendra. And he is always interested in other cultural studies.

"And you two? Are they letting you teach?" He teases Jim and McCoy.

[boldygoing]

"Me? Oh hell no," McCoy answers, shaking his head. "I'm picking up shifts at Starfleet Medical for a bit. I'm much more useful as a surgeon than a teacher."

Jim pokes at his salad, trying to figure out how he wants to answer. "They asked me. I'm still thinking about it."

[losthunter]

"I have done some basic pottery classes myself. It is always different being a teacher, than actually doing the art project on my own. You have to go slower. Be more precise."

[boldygoing]

"I did some student teaching at the Academy, so I've had some experience there too," Jim says, nodding. "Assistant instructor for Advanced Hand-to-Hand Combat. They want me teaching Tactics this time around."

Spock doesn't frown, exactly, but he does look a little displeased. "They wish for you to oversee the Kobayashi Maru?"

"Who the hell thought that up?" McCoy wonders, throwing a concerned look at the captain.

[losthunter]

"What is that?" Hunter is a little worried, only because of the displeased look from Spock and the concerned look from McCoy.

[boldygoing]

"It is a simulation designed to test cadets in the command track," Spock replies. "It is an open-ended examination to observe how the cadet reacts when faced with an unwinnable encounter on the bridge of a starship."

"The way it goes," Jim explains, "your ship picks up a distress call from a ship called the Kobayashi Maru, but it's in the Neutral Zone, and crossing the border means violating a peace treaty and pissing off the Klingons. If you don't go, the Maru is lost with all hands. If you do go, Klingons attack you and even if you manage to take them down, more show up until you're toast. Or if you hold them off, the Klingons might destroy the Maru themselves. Either way, the computer cheats to make sure you lose."