Breakfast in Bed

Posted on Thu May 21st, 2026 @ 2:22pm by Lieutenant Anna Esquivias & Lieutenant Commander N'vok Holv & Civilian T'Sai

Mission: MISSION 0 - History Speaks
Location: N'vok's Quarters
Timeline: ?
612 words - 1.2 OF Standard Post Measure

N'vok ran his hand gently along Anna's spine to wake her. "Good morning," he said.

The room was filled with the smell of fresh-cooked food and maple syrup. "I have brought you breakfast. T'sai is doing a module on cultural food and ancient ways of food preparation. She has made pancakes from replicated ingredients along with butter and maple syrup, which I am told is traditional."

Anna stirred where she lay against N'vok. Her body was warm and soft, sprawled out on the bed. She reached over, as if trying to grab him where he had lain. It took her a minute to realize he was already up. "Pancakes..." she said and then grinned. "That is, uh, wow...They smell great. I should get dressed." She leaned forward and kissed him gently.

N'vok returned the kiss. "You can eat as you are if you want to eat here," he said, tracing a finger down her arm. "But if you want to come and eat with T'sai in the main room, that would be wise."

"What do you prefer?" she asked, looking down at the finger that trailed the soft flesh of her bare arm.

"Let us sate ourselves here," he said, tracing lower on her body, "then have a shower, dress, and join T'sai. I told her we might be some time."

"I think you like me like this," Anna teased, looking down at his hand and grinning.

"There is much beauty in the purity of the nude form," he said. "Now shall we begin?"

"Purity?" Anna asked, rolling on her side and reaching for the silverware.

"Indeed," he said, sitting beside her.

Anna ate the pancakes. Then she held the syrup over her leg and tilted it down. "Purity..."

[fade to black]

---


N'vok and Anna emerged from the bedroom. T'sai looked up from her datapad. "I made tea, by hand, it should still just be warm."

"Thank you," Anna said, smiling warmly.

"You are welcome, Anna," replied T'sai. "How were the pancakes? Cooking is trickier than it seems."

N'vok padded over and poured himself some tea and some for Anna.

"They were delicious," Anna said, smiling and briefly glancing to N'vok.

"I am glad. Next time waffles," said T'sai.

"You are proving quite skilled at cooking," said N'vok, bringing a cup of over to Anna.

"It is interesting applied science," said T'sai.

"And you do it very well," Anna said. "I really do appreciate it."

T'sai nodded. "I am pleased. Is there a particular type of food you would like? I am thinking of trying baking next."

"I quite like ginger snaps," said N'vok. "One of my professors at the Academy often had them at hand for study sessions."

"Ginger snaps then," Anna said.

T'sai made a note on her datapad. "It would be nice to have actual grown spices rather than replicated. But I will do my best,"

"I think a lot of the reaction to replicated food is psychosomatic," Anna said. "If you don't tell people, they often don't notice the difference."

T'sai nods and sips at her tea. "I am told, but cannot independently confirm, that grown spices have a depth of flavor lacking in replicated spaces."

"I am told that too," Anna said. "I've even experienced that. But the question I am raising is whether or not the difference is objective or something experienced because people know it's replicated and have certain expectations. That is something we could scientifically test if we were minded to," Anna pointed out.

T'sai nodded and made some notes on her datapad.

"I will support any excuse to eat fresh-baked goods," said N'vok.

"Then we have a science project," Anna agreed.