[ussgeorgetown] "Brain Food" by Nan Ecitsuj, Aileas McKay and Vincent Aigremont
- From: Elizabeth Bethell <ejbethell@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: ussgeorgetown@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Fri, 1 Jul 2005 22:15:39 +0100
*Brain Food*
*by Nan Ecitsuj, Aileas McKay and Vincent Aigremont*
Meandering down the corridors with her arm around his waist, Aileas felt
like there couldn't be a more perfect place to be. She smiled up at Nan as
she said, "What shall we have for dinner, love?"
Nan couldn't have been happier. "Nartok, my dear, I really don't care.
Unless of course there's something you want to suggest that will increase my
brain power," he said as his free arm rose to let one finger tap his temple.
"Not that I'm worried about classes but the more help I have, the better."
"Fish," she said matter-of-factly. "My mother always used to say that fish
was good for the brain. And actually, scientifically, according to Five the
proteins in fish can help keep your brain health." Chuckling, she added,
"Gosh, aren't the pair of us a wealth of useless information. You should get
us started on early Scottish history with cross-correlations to the state of
health of the general populace at the time in relation to bone mass and
hygiene. Corr, we'd knock your socks off."
"Never useless, just interesting," Nan said promptly. "I'll let you pick but
if you're going to knock my socks off--either or both of you--I'll just
start walking around barefoot like Senek."
He made himself laugh with that. Senek always claimed he picked the habit up
not from his father but from his mother. He was still laughing at the
_expression on her face when they walked into the mess hall.
Vincent glanced up from the half-finished crepe that he was pushing around
his plate when the doors to the Mess Hall opened again. Two very happy
people wandered in, lost in each others' eyes and company. It made him smile
despite himself. Now if only Elspeth would let him back into their quarters
before the beginning of his next shift, all would be well.
Totally ignoring everyone else in the room, Aileas leaned up and kissed Nan
softly on his cheek. "You laugh at your own jokes, do you know that?" She
grinned and kissed him again. "It's deeply cute. Do you eat smoked fish?"
she asked, suddenly distracted by the thought of having another home
delicacy.
"I'm glad you think it's cute. I think I started doing that while I was at
Fleet HQ. Nothing else to do but amuse myself sometimes. Poor Captain
ch'Thane. Andorians don't actually laugh and the man must have thought I was
crazy," he said brightly. One arm still around her waist, he pressed his
face into the top of her head. Blessed Winds but she smells good. "As for
smoked fish, absolutely. it's rare enough back home so we eat it when we
can."
Chuckling, Aileas ordered Arbroath Smokies, mashed potatoe and peas for two
from the replicator. She also got them an extra helping of butter for the
peas and the fish. Suddenly the Hall was filled with the over-powering smell
of smoked trout.
Vincent screwed up his face as he called, "Mon Dieu, but could you please
not eat those in here. That is disgusting."
"No," Nan called back brightly, "with all apologies to Dr, Coyne, me eating
gagh would be disgusting. Lighten up, Sergeant Major, life is too good to be
so sour while you eat."
With a tight smile, Vincent waved his fork at them. "Come join me, perhaps
you can cheer me a little. Romance always makes my heart light."
Nan looked over at Aileas. It was up to her. He had nothing against the man
personally--just his wife.
Guiding Nan over to the table, Aileas set the plates down next to each other
and smiled warmly at Vincent. "Why so blue, Sergeant Major?"
"Ah, I am not so much blue as a little green. Envy is a terrible thing,
don't you think? And yet I suffer from it when I watch you together."
Glowering once more at his pancake, he pierce a piece and plopped it in his
mouth. "My wife suffers also from being green, I think. And I am sorry for
what she has done to you."
Aileas stared a little at him, lost for words. An apology? Out of Vincent's
mouth? Using her enhanced memory, she replayed the scene word for word and
yep, there was that apology again. Still unable to speak, she looked at Nan,
hoping to use his loudness to cover her shock.
"Sergeant, you need not apologize. I have nothing against you personally,"
Nan began, carefully not saying that he truly didn't like his wife. He held
up the PADD Renaldi had given him. "Things will work out for us in any case.
The XO and the captain have approved me to start on the officers' training
classes."
"Ah, mes amis, that is excellent news." Beaming at them, he stood, walked
around the table and kissed Aileas and Nan on both cheeks. "Now that you
have lifted my mood, I think I will return to see if my wife will have me
back." He winked at them, his heart still a little heavy from the impending
reaction from Elspeth but he tried to keep smiling as he walked away.
"Strange wee man," Aileas muttered at the retreating form of the Sergeant
Major.
"And people have the nerve to say *I'm* peculiar?" Nan asked aloud as he
stared after the man's back. He took a bite of the smoked trout then added,
"That is one unhappy individual, Nartok."
Whispering into his ear, she said, "I think he needs a new wife."
Nan turned his head slightly and kissed the tip of her nose. "I think
you're right. Do you think they had an arguement? As much as I dislike that
woman, and that is me censoring myself, I would hate to see such a long
relationship break up. Or any relationship that's happy."
"You're a sweet man." She didn't want to tell him that she didn't care, that
as much as she liked the funny little Frenchman, she hated his wife
intensely, that deep down she wanted to wave a two fingered salute at Mrs
Aigremont as she drifted out into space from a conveniently open airlock.
That side of her, the darkness that was a part of both the Borg and of
Aileas, was something she wanted to keep hidden from Nan. "Eat your fish,
it'll get cold."
"I am, Nartok, Don't worry. If this is a sample of the cuisine from Aileas'
homeland, It's wonderful," he said. For once, he allowed himself to think in
silence. He finally gave her a wry smile. "Would you think very badly of me
if I said I feel sorry for him but not her? That crazy woman brought it all
on herself if they've really had an argument."
Eyeing him warily, Aileas worded her response very carefully. "I believe
that I feel very little pity for Mrs Aigremont. And how ill of me would you
think if I were to tell you that I wish Vincent would find another, more
evenly tempered individual to love?"
Nan put down his eating utensils and reached over to hug her. "I don't
think ill of you at all, my dear," he said simply. "He might be a bit
officious but a decent enough man otherwise. I hope he finds himself as much
happiness as I have. Honestly, Nartok, you have made me happier than I ever
thought I could be."
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