Breakfast And A Surprise

Posted on Wed Oct 20th, 2021 @ 4:24am by Lieutenant JG Jenna Jade & Ensign Rene Rouen

Mission: Lower Decks
Location: Mess Hall
Timeline: Right after 'Choices'

Jenna didn't want to let go of Rene's arm, it was nice and warm, plus she just felt really clingy right now. Part of what happened earlier that morning, she couldn't call it the previous night since there hadn't been sleep between then and now, had cemented her feelings for him in something that could only be called steel. Stone was far too malleable for what she felt for him at the moment.

"Ah'm thinkin' bacon, eggs, sausage, hash browns, pancakes and about a liter of coffee." She said to him as they walked, "Somethin' that's really gonna stick to my insides and get me through the day. Think Ah can convince the Petty Officers to let me grab a nap at some point?" She smiled brightly up at him.

Rene felt just as clingy. He also agreed that a hearty breakfast and a copious amount of coffee was necessary to get through the day. "I think I will have the same, though I may get two liters of coffee. If you want to get a nap in, try and delegate your department tasks and tell everyone you will be making rounds to check on progress throughout the day...then hide in your office for two hours."

Jenna shook her head firmly at that notion, “Not a chance. Ah am not Laura Davenport nor will Ah ever act like her by pretend in’ to work when Ah’m off hidin’.” It was a firm statement, no anger involved, “If Ah start now actin’ like she did, who knows how it’ll turn out. Ah plan on havin’ my own Engineerin’ section in ten, fifteen years or so, so Ah’m gonna get a reputation for honesty and hard work.” She laughed, “It’ll give me some leeway when Ah do slack off here and there, too.”

"Taking a two hour nap is not the same as what Davenport did on a daily basis." Rene gave Jenna a reassuring hug. "Besides, not like she would stay up all night doing what we did."

“Ah’ll make you a deal.” Jenna leaned into the hug as they approached the mess hall doors, “Lemme talk to PO Jenson when Ah get in. He actually volunteered for this assignment when he found out it was mostly new cadets and enlisted, pretty good mentor type. If Ah explain that Ah didn’t sleep well last night, he’ll probably send me into the Chief’s office for a nap in any case. Besides, your right.” She laughed, “The Lieutenant probably hasn’t had anythin’ that doesn’t run on batteries in a decade or so.. Not that Ah’d not been in the same situation myself!” She glowed with the humor of that particular fact.

Rene chuckled at Jenna's comment about Lieutenant Davenport. He only knew the former Acting Chief Engineer was cooling her heels in the brig. He wasn't even sure why at this point, just she was to be remanded over to Starbase Security upon arrival pending a Board of Inquiry.

The doors to the crew mess opened and despite the early hour, the place was relatively crowded. Finding a table to themselves was not going to happen. Rene spotted Minerva sitting at a table with a Marine Lance Corporal he recognized from the lounge the evening before. A tall and muscular man of Latino descent. He gestured at their table as the got their breakfast from the replicator. "Shall we...get the third degree session over?"

Jenna bit her upper lip and nodded, "Yes, let's do that. Besides, Ah wanna have fun with that little trollop." She smiled brightly, leading the way over to where Minerva and her night's guest were sitting, "Good morning Minerva, Ah'm hopin' you had a good night last night! Fortunately, Rene was a gentlemen when we finally left the lounge and offered me the use of his spare bedroom when Ah found ours... 'Occupied.'" She was virtually glowing, giving a smile to the Marine that accompanied the gorgeous blonde.

Minerva looked up at Jenna with a sheepish grin that lasted all of the time it took them to take a seat. She glanced at Rene and then slowly turned her gaze on Jenna. Minerva, life of the party, always quick with a comeback was speechless for a good ten seconds before speaking out. "Oh hell, I am so calling bullshit! One you both look like you were up all night! Two, you are...glowing!"

Jenna fought hard to keep a straight face, "Ah didn't say Ah slept in that spare bedroom, did I? Just that he offered it!" That itself was a white lie, but one he'd back her up with, "And we were up most of the night, yes, because we were talkin' and had a long discussion this mornin'." However, Jenna looked smug, as if she had a secret that Minerva would never guess. Of course, that too was probably false, as Minerva said, she was glowing.

Minerva raised an eyebrow as she listened to Jenna speak. She wasn't buying it. She turned her gaze on Rene. "Your word as a gentlemen. Is my dear friend's virtue intact?"

Rene didn't answer at first. He shifted his gaze to Jenna for a moment. He was not one to lie to others.

In response to the questioning glance from Rene, Jenna raised one eyebrow millimetrically. If he told Minerva, he told her, she wouldn’t be mad in the slightest, Of course, she was getting to n is him rather well so she was curious as to his answer.

Rene turned back to Minerva. "Mademoiselle Delacroix, Jenna is the most virtuous woman it has been my privilege...my honor to meet."

Jenna marveled at the very diplomatic answer to the question, it gave nothing away but didn’t act as a denial either. She sniffed theatrically and raised her face into a pose of dignity, “You see, Minerva my dear. An officer and a gentleman.” She was barely able to do this, so hard to keep from bursting out laughing. She managed for maybe a handful of seconds before collapsing into said laughter against Rene.

Minerva eyed both Jenna and Rene. "Here I thought I was getting even with that little trick you pulled when Rene was discharged from Sickbay last week. Didn't actually think that the two of you would actually...you know...do it."

“Ah’ll admit, Ah thought the secret would hold for more than ten seconds.” Jenna confessed, still overcome with the giggles, but the way she virtually stuck to Rene with some sort of contact was itself a telling maneuver, “And you are not gettin’ all the details.” Her eyes met Minerva’s with a warning that said, ‘At least not here in the mess hall’.

Minerva just smiled and nodded as she gave Jenna a wink. "Sure thing Jenna."

Jenna beamed at Minerva, wanting to spill everything that was going on in her head, the good and the bad from the night previous, well, morning mostly. She wore her heart on her sleeve, it was one of the good and the bad things about Jenna Jade, not much guile in her pretty little head. But then she remembered her breakfast and attacked it as if she was starving, “Buft hoo iss your fren?” She asked through a mouthful of pancake, waving a hello at the Marine NCO that had been left out of the conversation.

The Marine nodded at Jenna and Ryan as he introduced himself. "Lance Corporal Miguel Alvarez, pleasure to meet you both."

Rene shook hands with Miguel. "Ensign Rene Rouen, or just Rene when I'm not in uniform and the pleasure is mine."

Jenna had already transplanted some of the maple syrup onto her hand in her rush, so the hand she extended was sticky as she swallowed, “Cadet Jenna Jade, but Ah’m sure Minerva’s mentioned me once or twice already.”

"She did actually." Miguel glanced at Minerva as he shook Jenna's sticky hand. He cleaned it off with a cloth napkin. "I gather you must be the boyfriend." He glanced at Rene."

Rene gave Jenna a squeeze and nodded. "Roger that."

“He’s mine, yes.” Jenna released her knife to grab Rene’s hand possessively, using her fork alone now to spear a sausage link, “Of course, Ah’m an engineer and he’s security, despite our uniforms lookin’ the same, thank God for bein’ out of the same chain of command. Ah’d have to change my focus if we’d been.” She inserted the entire link and withdrew the empty fork, “So, Miguel, what does a Marine do? Ah’m not too familiar with them.”

Miguel glanced at Rene before turning his gaze back to Jenna. "Marines support traditional Security in guarding VIPs, plus we generally are the ones called upon for boarding actions. Larger units are core ground force elements during war time. We generally don't perform duties in ship's tactical divisions. Chimera's detachment is also geared for hostage response."

One thing Jenna wasn't was shy about feeding herself in public as a rasher of bacon went in the black hole that was her maw next, "Assault troops and pretty boys." She summarized, "And specialists." She amended, "So Minerva, what are your plans for tonight, or do you have any yet?"

Minerva pondered the question for a moment before answering as a smile formed on her face. "I think it's going to be a night in for us girls. Maybe even invite a few of the younger female officers and have an old fashioned slumber party. How's that sound?"

The engineer pursed her lips slightly, then nodded, "Ah think that sounds like a good plan. We get to the starbase not tomorrow, but the day after Ah believe, so one last night of real relaxation before we get there?" She smiled, "At least for us girls, talkin' about the boys, of course."

Rene chuckled as he glanced at Miguel. "Good thing guys don't have slumber parties. You know what our topic of discussion would be." Miguel nodded as he laughed too. Both men then spoke in unison. "Sports!"

"Better be tennis." Jenna mumbled, rolling her eyes to Minerva, "Boys, always into sports, usually the more violent the better." She stuffed another half pancake into her mouth, "But if he doesn't behave, Rene's gonna go on a tennis court with me and Ah'll wipe the floor with him."

Rene nodded. "I can't really argue that. I fence and study savate."

Minerva turned to Miguel. "How about you? Do you play a sport?"

Miguel turned to Minerva with a nod of his head. "Si, I am a footballer. I believe Americans refer to the game as soccer."

Jenna grinned at Minerva, already knowing the answer to the question, but since everyone else... "And you, mah lovely bit of sunshine," She had nicknamed a loooong time ago for her blondeness, "What sort of sport are you into?"

Jenna already knew the answer. She gave the men a wink as she spoke. "I like yoga. Keeps me...flexible for other activities."

Miguel snorted as he took a sip of orange juice. He grabbed a napkin and wiped his face as he looked at his plate and sighed. "Probably not a good idea to eat to heavy anyway. I have fitness training in fifteen minutes." He glanced at Minerva with a grin. "Despite the energetic workout I got last night."

Rene suddenly got very interested in his eggs as he tried not to laugh. His face took on a pinkish hue as he recalled the nearly all night workout he and Jenna enjoyed.

Minerva looked around the table as she ate several pineapple cubes. She enjoyed watching men squirm sometimes.

Jenna shared an amused look with Minerva, after all, she was the one who opened the can of worms. Meanwhile, she slipped a hand under the table to rest on Rene’s leg and squeezed ever so gently, “Much as Ah’d love to see just how red Ah can make Rene’s face get, Ah do say that Ah should work my way down to Engineerin’ to get a head start on assignments. Ah hope the Starbase can get someone on board quickly, because Ah need to get back to what Ah need to do, not just watch people get things done.”

Rene felt his skin on his leg tingle. He covered a slight cough as he glanced at Jenna. "I have to get into security office. The list of new crew for the department was sent just as my watch was finishing up. I need to start reviewing personnel files for the incoming people."

Jenna began to get up, then spotted half a sausage still sitting on Rene's plate and reached out like snake to snag it and popped it in her mouth, "It was a pleasure meeting you, Miguel, and Ah'll see you tonight Minerva, all right?"

Minerva nodded as they all collected their trays and returned them to the replicator for recycling. She had a feeling it going to be an interesting night.