losthunter | Dancing, Drinks and Drag ((Jim, Verity)

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Dancing, Drinks and Drag ((Jim, Verity)

Hunter has been looking forward to this night for a long time. He has a table booked at his favorite Drag bar. He is looking forward to dressing up, and enjoying a few drinks with two of his favorite people. And he is sure that both Jim and Verity will enjoy a night out on the town.

Right now, Hunter is waiting in his New York apartment, where he is going to meet up with both Jim and Verity. It is the best place to get together, before heading out to the bar. Both Jim and Verity know his PINpoint coordinates. And besides, they don't have to navigate the Drag bar trying to find Hunter.

Tonight, Hunter is wearing a long gold dress. It is designed to show off his arms. And has a long exposed back. The look is completed with an elaborate head piece and deep, rich make-up that flatters his whole look.

He is excited to have Jim and Verity show up and to see their outfits.

[recommending a post order of Hunter/Jim/Verity]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Pretend Hunter said it was a cover. He is better at songs than I am. Google failed me]

Both compliments from Jim and then Verity bring a rosy blush to Hunter's face. And he will smile. He likes the flirting from both of them.

"I like knowing a few different things. Conversation starters."

[Jim doesn't know any better, so you're safe in my corner.]

The captain considers that definition. "I might be halfway there already. My favorite band when I was a kid was the Beastie Boys. Still a fan. I don't really do rules about food anymore though."

[Yeah I dunno why Google's wrong about that but the Wiki is right.]

She only vaguely knows who that band is (it's mostly beat and shouting to her) but it doesn't seem too out of character for him. Food is a safer topic for her. Until she finds out why it's a minefield for him. "So I can feed you whatever I want? Good to know. And good for you, too."

[maybe because I was lazy and read the first entry. Bad player!]

"Verity is a master in the kitchen. Some of the meals she has cooked for meal since I have known her have been remarkable. Beyond words." Hunter means every word.

Jim has a sort of love-hate relationship with food in general, but hides it relatively well. It does help that a lot of food is genuinely delicious, or at the very least, filling, but it also serves as a constant reminder of worse times that he can't really get away from, since eating isn't exactly optional. Fortunately, since it really is a daily thing, he's learned how to cope well enough that most people don't notice anything's wrong.

"Pretty much. Not a big fan of pork or bacon, but I'll eat anything." Which is not the same as liking everything, but he hasn't let that stop him for years now. "Do you have a specialty?"

Hunter's comment earns him a curious glance. "Do you do that a lot, or is it a special occasion sort of thing?"

Hunter gets a fond smile before Ver realizes Jim might be misunderstanding the situation. It should be easy enough to clear up, even for her.

"A specialty? Hmm. Well, my brother would probably say my chili, and my husband would probably say my cookies." No worries that she's yet another person vying for Hunter's favors. Not the sort Jim wants, anyway. "I'm more likely to find a new variation on a recipe than to keep making things the same way every time."

And, just to drive the point home, "I like having my friends around for dinner, although I do tend to go all-out for birthdays and things. I think Hunter's learned not to give me a theme," she teases.

"Yes, but if it wasn't for those themes, I would have never had the pleasure of discovering the flavors and delicate balances of edible flowers." Hunter smiles.

"But the thing I have enjoyed the most is when I get to learn a few of those tricks in the kitchen. And cook beside a really great friend."

Jim hadn't been terribly worried about fighting for Hunter's affections, especially with just how red she's already gotten on a few occasions from what he considers to be rather tame flirting. He just comes from a background where dinner parties pretty much never happened and any similar experience was limited mostly to special occasions visiting his grandparents.

Still, the clarification is helpful in putting the pieces together. "I like variations. The same old thing over and over is safe but boring." Her mention of going overboard for birthdays does bring a slightly wary look to his face though, and he decides it might be better not to let her know when his own is, just in case. It's his least favorite day of the year, and for good reason.

Hunter's comment surprises him a little. "Edible flowers aren't a common thing in your time?"

It is tame flirting, and she knows it, but she is who she is. She's the tame mommy friend in the group: dinner parties, wine, and tricking supergeniuses into letting gods out of boxes. Nothing to write home about.

"Then I won't ask what your favorites are and will surprise you," she promises with a smile. She might already be having ideas. (She's having ideas.) He's much safer not letting her know when his birthday is, because there would be cake, and that would be terrible.

"They're not common in American cuisine when we're from, outside of foodie circles, but they're getting more popular. I take it they've had a resurgence in the future?"

"And I was never in a foodie circle." Hunter notes softly. "A typical supper when I was a child and teen was take-out food. And there are not a lot of places in New York that include edible flowers in their take-out menu."

Speaking of food, their main course arrives. The waitress serves them each, smiling at each one as she does. "How are your drinks? Anyone need a refill?"

"Oh yeah," Jim says, nodding in response to Verity's question. "Funny story, when the Vulcans first visited Earth and started learning about our culture, they thought the flower centerpieces in restaurants were appetizers, so it sparked an edible flower revolution, I guess. Had to make the alien visitors happy, and then it just kinda caught on with everyone else."

Jim's had a lot of experience with takeout, especially during his three years at Starfleet Academy in San Francisco. It's not really allowed to live in San Fran for so long and not hop over to Chinatown for dim sum or noodles every so often, never mind all the other assorted regional and extraterrestrial cuisines on offer. "I don't know if that's better or worse than all the sweet corn I had to eat growing up," he says to Hunter with a grin. "Corn's great but it's everywhere."

Hooray for food arriving! Jim gladly takes custody of his plate, and smiles back at the waitress. "Sure, I'll have another one."

Poor Hunter. But then, this is why she feeds him so much: she knows what he'd be eating otherwise. "To be fair, New York has some of the best take-out in the world." Anyone who wants to say otherwise had better be prepared to fight her. "And the variety's hard to beat."

Jim's story gets an utterly delighted laugh from her. "Well, I'm glad people have come to their senses on that score." And she makes a mental note: no corn.

She takes her plate and thanks the waitress quietly. "Water, please."

He has been learning different recipes and cooking for himself more these days. But he is never going to turn down any food prepared by Verity.

"I loved the sushi places, in particular."

The waitress nods her head at Verity's request. "Sparkling, mineral, or citrus-flavored dear?"

Edited 2017-08-01 02:41 (UTC)

It's good to get that kind of laugh out of her. Jim hasn't had enough laughter in his life in general, and more is always welcome. "Any other unconventional ingredients you're a fan of using?" he asks curiously, as he begins to dig in to his meal.

"Um... citrus, please."

She waits until the waitress steps away again before continuing the conversation. (The laughter is much appreciated from her side of things as well.) "Mm, sushi. I think I know where I'm taking Matt for our next date night."

Ver doesn't dig straight in, taking time to appreciate the meal with her other senses before tasting it. "Unconventional ingredients... well, honestly? I'm not even sure what that would be anymore, half the time. Vanilla salt?"

Hunter smiles. "I am so going to make both you and Matt a sushi platter. I have been learning how to roll my own sushi. And would like to treat you both."

All this talk about food... it is a good thing that he has a meal to start eating. And the show on the stage is great entertainment.

After the opening number, where all the Drag Queens performed together, they separate into duets and solos. Each one taking a little time on the stage. Right now, there is a Drag comedian, who is making the crowd laugh with some of her crude jokes.

"Vanilla salt?" Congratulations, Verity, you've found something he's never seen. "Is that a dessert thing?"

The conversation is an interesting contrast to the show, in his opinion. While most of his attention is on Verity and Hunter, the jokes in the background keep the mood relatively light, letting him enjoy the meal and the company without too many distractions.

"Oh yeah?" Hunter gets an encouraging smile. "We'll be thrilled to try it, and of course to tell you how fabulous everything is." On that point there is no doubt.

Ver glances at the stage occasionally, but it doesn't interest her much. All that glitters, as they say. "It's great with desserts, yeah, but I use it in savory dishes too. It balances the acidity in tomatoes beautifully, and it's lovely on fish. I'll make sure you have a chance to try some."

"I had the opportunity to try out a few new vegetarian barbecue dishes, when I had Jim and some of his crew members over for supper. I think I did an okay job, considering it was my first time preparing a meal that included a Vulcan among the dinner guests." Hunter notes.

"And we had talked about doing a big pot luck sometime, with more of his crew members. You should join us for that," Hunter knows that sometimes it is food that brings people together.

Huh. Vanilla with tomatoes or fish is a new one on him, but he's nothing if not culinarily adventurous. At least, that's how it comes across, anyway. And he's heard of weird food combos like that coming out fine, like tomato soup in chocolate cake. "Looking forward to it," he answers, intrigued despite not being able to picture just how that might taste.

"You did great," Jim says, giving Hunter an encouraging smile. "Though on that note, just in case Spock's ever invited, let me warn you ahead of time, enough chocolate gets Vulcans wasted," he adds to Verity with a slightly sheepish glance towards Hunter. Somebody forgot to tell their dinner host that, before the aforementioned dinner party. Turned out okay, though.

If Jim likes new and unusual things to eat, he's in for a treat with Ver. But he kinda already knew that. He's very close to full-on friendship status with her, and if nothing else, her friends will never go hungry. "Good." Her smile is brighter and more open now that they've got steadier common ground.

"No pork, vegetarian, limited chocolate. I can deal." Indeed, she's taking this quite seriously. They can practically see the mental notes being taken. A potluck means a lot of new people, but she can handle that. "Sounds like fun. I promise not to bring too many things."

The waitress comes by with a second round for Jim and Hunter, and a citrus-flavored water for Verity. She does a courtesy check with the table, before moving onto the next table. It is a good crowd for the night.

There is a four-person Drag group that is now singing, off-stage, as they weave in between tables. Every now and then, they sit with a customer and sing to that person.

"I have also been slowly adding to Jim's library. We both share a love for the written word. Especially poetry."

Now that he's got his second martini, Jim finishes off the first one. He's steadily working on his main course, completely undistracted from this by the conversation at hand and the drag show splitting his attention.

"Verity actually helped me find that volume of Vulcan poetry I've got. There's this little shop in the Nexus, not too far from the market. How are the cooking experiments going, by the way?" he asks, raising his eyebrows at Verity. She sounds like she's got a good handle on the whole 'food should taste good even if we have to do unconventional things to it' thing, so he's interested to see what she's come up with.

"You know, Matt first pursued me with poetry," she admits quietly. Then she sips her water, half to hide a little smirk when Hunter mentions the poetry. Better to let Jim explain how she already knows.

"They're going well. So far, everyone likes what they've tried, and I'd know if they were lying." And how. "I think the leading favorite so far is the Vulcan spice tea cake. Would you like me to bring one?" And maybe something with those plums he liked.

Jim totally gets her food philosophy. Food should taste good, smell good, look good, and be plentiful whenever possible. Soon he'll learn just how much effort a woman with too much free time will put into these things.

"Vulcan spice tea cake? Wow, put me down for one of those."

Hunter enjoys the fact that they can all bond over food. And that they are bonding over food while eating food.

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