Coffee and Beignets

Posted on Fri Feb 12th, 2021 @ 9:24pm by Lieutenant Yousef Syed & Ensign Kevin Ibanez

Mission: 28 Days
Location: Sazerac - Starbase 15
Timeline: Mission Day 8 at 0800

[Sazerac]
[Starbase 15]

Typically Starbase 15's weird take on a New Orleans bar would have been hoping with high-energy blues and jazz, but it was 0800, and Yousef thought it was a touch early for the bar's namesake cocktail. Instead, he was nestled into a comfortable booth sipping chickory coffee and catching up on the latest technical manuals. He did enjoy not wearing his uniform when off duty and had elected to don a simple heather grey sweater and khaki chinos.

"Want a refill?" Asked a passing waitress, holding a carafe, and the Engineer acquiesced, sliding his cup towards the edge of the table. As she topped off the cup, Yousef enjoyed the low-volume jazz playing over the speakers.

Kevin pulled his hands out of the pockets of his faux leather jacket as he wandered into Sazerac. He was feeling a bit too warmly dressed, but wearing only a regulation ULY t-shirt underneath, he thought that might be a bit too cool to take the jacket off. He had gone to the starbase to find a place to have breakfast, his cabinmate having a suggested a place he might like before she to go on duty shift, so after a bit of wandering around he finally found it.

Stepping inside, he threw his gaze around the room and chuckled to himself as he spotted Yousef at a booth, shaking his head at the coincidence. Of course he would wander into the one place Yousef was at. Even wearing civvies, the Engineer was easy to spot... at least for the Kevin.

Heading over to the booth, Kevin smiled at Yousef as he spotted him approaching. "Good morning, Lieutenant... would you like some company?" he offered.

Yousef sat his PADD on the table and pushed it away, grinning at the handsome Helmsman as he wagged a finger, "Only if you leave ranks on the Ulysses." Opening a palm toward the bench on the other side of the booth, the Engineer asked, "Call me Yousef?"

"Deal," Kevin said with a chuckle and sat down. "And please call me Kevin. So, what's on the menu this morning? Anything you'd recommend?"

The Engineer smiled as Kevin slipped into the booth, "I'm having beignets and chickory coffee. It's a deep-fried sweetened dough and then topped with icing sugar." He shrugged with a chuckle, "It is not exactly a well-balanced meal, but it is delicious, and while the coffee isn't Turkish, it is unique. I've grown to enjoy it."

Kevin raised a hand to flag down the waitress that just passed their booth. "I'll have the same as he's having," he said with a grin, pointing with one finger towards Yousef.

"So you have a sweet tooth too, eh?" Yousef asked jovially, his eyes sparkling with delight. Grinning, he plucked a beignet from his plate and bit off about half, causing a poof of sugar and leaving his well-manicured stubble coated in white powder. Chuckling, he used his napkin in an attempt to clean his face while chewing. Content that he was once again presentable, he asked, "So, what brought you here this morning?"

Kevin couldn't help but keep chuckling at Yousef and the puff of sugar that almost engulfed his face. He hadn't managed to get all the powdery sugar off and a little bit of it clung to fine stubble on his cheek. "I do have a sweet tooth," he replied, answering Yousef's question. "I wanted to get some breakfast and my roommate suggested I try this place. She said they have great coffee and great pastries. So here I am... and imagine my surprise running into you."

Assuming he had been successful in ridding his face of the powdered sugar, Yousef appeared oblivious to the reach for Kevin's chuckle and smiled back, "Well, I would be lying if I said I wasn't hoping you would find me here." With a wink, he hefted his coffee mug, but paused, stopped by the young Helmsman.

"I'm sorry," Kevin replied with a little chuckle. "You still have some sugar on your... may I?" he added, pointing to Yousef's cheek.

An embarrassed grin spread across the Engineer's face as realization finally dawned. Still holding his cup, he leaned his face toward's Kevin, presenting the indicated cheek as his response.

Kevin gently brushed the sugar from Yousef's cheek with his thumb, feeling his ears turn bright red as he did so. "There, all gone," he said before he looked at the Engineer's deep brown eyes a little too long. Just as he pulled his hand away, the waittress arrived with his order, breaking the rising tension. Kevin thanked her and quickly picked up his beignet, taking a large bite. Predictably, he suffered much the same fate as Yousef, but instead of covering his face, the powdery sugar sifted down his blue ULY shirt.

"Ah shit, I should've seen that coming," Kevin laughed with his mouth full, looking down at the mess that was his shirt. That's what he got for diving recklessly into a pastry in order to hide his attraction to a fellow officer.

"No, it looks nice, gives it that heathered look," Yousef responded before bursting into a fit of laughter. His deep base timbre rolled as he enjoyed the other's misery in good fun.

Dusting some of the sugar off that had gotten on his pants, Kevin glanced up at Yousef. "Do you feel like taking a walk around the base after this? If you don't have any other plans..."

Finally composed enough to bring the mug to his lips, Syed noded in the affirmative, "Yeah, there are some fun shops, or at least there was last time I was here, and they have a decent garden." He stammered a little, momentarily flustered, "I mean if you enjoy that sort of thing. I like nature, and I try to enjoy it whenever I get the opportunity."

"It's been a while since I've had a walk through a nice garden," Kevin smiled. "I think I'll enjoy that."