A friendly meal
Posted on 21 Nov 2025 @ 5:26am by Ensign Ryan Collingway & Alura Ryn
1,592 words; about a 8 minute read
Mission:
The Displaced
Location: Mess Hall
Timeline: Afternoon
---Mess Hall----
As the days ticked by closer to their agreed meet-up, Ryan was getting more and more agitated. He thought of excuses to get out of it-any excuse-but couldn't come up with anything. It's just a technical meeting, he told himself, again and again. He brought the data padd with him. Once Alura approved it, he could start on the building.
The mess hall doors parted, and Alura stepped in, scanning the room until she spotted him. Her smile grew immediately, bright, warm, but not overwhelming, and she crossed the distance with an unmistakable bounce in her step.
She wasn’t empty-handed.
Cradled carefully in both hands was a small, lidded container made of frosted glass, the kind civilians tended to bring aboard rather than replicate. A soft swirl of something caramel-colored pressed against the inside of the lid, hinting at what was tucked inside.
“There you are,” she said, settling into the seat across from him.
She set the container down between them with a quiet, almost proud little tap.
“So.” Her eyes sparkled. “I brought dessert. Real dessert. Not replicated. Not pre-packed. And definitely not approved by anyone who worries about things like sugar ratios.”
Her voice dropped to a mock-secretive whisper.
“It’s my grandmother’s Risian sea-honey custard. I haven’t made it in ages, but… well.” She shrugged, suddenly shy in a way she rarely showed. “I thought you might like something that wasn’t… practical.”
A small laugh escaped her.
“Though I did bring the practical stuff too, utensils, napkins, and a fresh cloth because I still don’t trust anything in the mess hall not to fall apart on first use.”
She nudged the container toward him with two fingertips.
“But dessert first. Or at least a promise of it. Bribery works wonders for engineers… or so I’ve been told.”
Her grin softened then, earnest beneath the brightness.
For Ryan, it was almost sensory overload looking at the food and her excitement. But the fact that she had made so much effort.... "Alura, you didn't have to do this," he said sincerely. "I would have been fine with anything. Truly."
“I know I didn’t have to,” she said, brushing a stray strand of hair behind her ear. “But I like bringing a little something when someone’s sharing an idea with me.”
She tapped the container lightly with one fingertip, not pushing it, just acknowledging it.
“It doesn’t have to be a whole thing,” she added with a small, almost shy grin. “Just dessert. For later. Or after you walk me through whatever brilliant engineering magic you’ve cooked up.”
As socially awkward Ryan was, even he knew when to show appreciation. "Thank you," he said. "Why don't we divide up a piece, and I can go over what I've come up with?"
As she set up the dishes Ryan went over the specs. Some of it was very detailed engineering jargon, but it basically broke down the ability for the cart to float, a great deal more internal storage capability, and a device on the underside of the cart. As much as he talked about the cart, he seemed to be keeping the details on that as brief as possible.
Alura paused, spoon lowering as her eyes flicked back to the schematic. “You jumped past that section awfully fast,” she said, tapping the underside diagram lightly.
Her brows lifted, curious but not pressing. “Is there something down there I should actually know about? Just… so I don’t roll this into a lounge and trigger a surprise feature.”
A gentle smile. “Go on. Tell me the part you skipped.”
Ryan shrugged a little. "Primarily it's a backup for the power source. And...could be used to repel others with a strong feedback loop and provide a force field for five minutes if needed," he said. "I know it sounds silly. But what if the Arawyn is under attack? What if the ship is invaded? Civilians don't have anything. It's a simple defense, but nothing drastic." There was a flash in his eyes of genuine concern.
Alura’s expression softened immediately. “Hey… that doesn’t sound silly,” she said quietly.
She glanced at the schematic, then back at him. “A backup power source and a short shield? That’s reasonable. We can just set some limits on the repelling part.”
Her voice gentled. “I know you added it because you were thinking about people like me if things go wrong. And… I appreciate that, Ryan.”
"I just....don't want to see anyone else get hurt, that's all," Ryan said, trying to sound nonchelant. "And I've learned from my past mission that security doesn't always move as fast as one would like."
Alura let out a quiet breath, more thoughtful than anything. “I understand,” she said. “Wanting people safe… that’s never a bad instinct.”
She tapped the edge of the padd with a small, knowing smile. “And if part of that is making sure your favorite MWR director isn’t defenseless during a crisis?” A tiny shrug. “I can live with that.”
Her tone warmed, gentle but sincere. “Thank you for thinking that far ahead, Ryan. Really.”
"You're welcome." Ryan suddenly realized that as they talked, he had been touching her hand a little. Quickly he picked up the data padd. "Not big on the repelling feature. Got it. At least I didn't install torpedoes," he said with a slight smile. "Let's try the desert."
Alura noticed the sudden retreat of his hand, her lips lifting in a subtle, teasing curve.
“Repelling feature, hm?” she mused. “Seems like I already come with one installed, considering how fast you pulled away.”
She let the joke hang just long enough to be playful, not pointed, then nudged his dessert dish toward him.
“But don’t worry,” she added with a soft laugh, “this one won’t knock you across the room.”
A brighter smile followed.
“Go on. Tell me if it’s any good.”
Ryan tried to a mouthful, trying to ignore his own blushing. His mouth exploded with flavor. "It's delicious," he said. "Look, Alura, I do appreciate this. I'm not exactly good at making friends. That much is obvious. And even if I was...I'm not someone you would want to be around."
That hurt him, far more than he would care to admit. In fact it was soul-crushing for him. But in his mind, it was also the truth.
For a moment, Alura didn’t speak. Not because she didn’t have anything to say, but because she felt something catch in her chest at the way he said it. Most Starfleet officers she’d met carried themselves like they were built of certainty: polished, composed, sure of their place in the world. Ryan wasn’t like that. Something in him had been bent sharply at some point in the past, and he seemed convinced it had broken him.
She hated that he believed that about himself.
And she hated even more that no one had convinced him otherwise.
When she finally did speak, her voice was quiet, simple.
“Ryan… if I didn’t want to be here, I wouldn’t be.”
She didn’t reach for his hand again, not after he’d pulled away, but she held his gaze with a steady warmth, hoping it could slip past at least one of the walls he’d built.
“You’re not someone I’m trying to avoid,” she added gently. “Quite the opposite, actually. You’re one of the first people on board I’ve actually connected with.”
She didn’t push, didn’t pry, didn’t ask what had hurt him so badly before she ever met him.
But she knew one thing with absolute clarity: She wanted to be someone who helped him unlearn the lie he’d been carrying for far too long.
Ryan's eyes flashed with uncertainty, and for more than one reason. "I thought you'd be the most popular person on the ship," he said honestly.
Suddenly his communicator chirped. Ryan glanced at it and answered. "Collingway here. Something the matter?" he asked with a bit of annoyance in his voice.
"You tell me, Ensign," Lelina said calmly. "You're ten minutes late on your shift."
Ryan looked at the time and swore quietly. "I'll be right there," he said, quickly getting up and ending the com. "I'm sorry," he said, still uncertain. "This was...really nice."
Alura stood as he did, her smile turning softer, touched with something almost fond.
“Go,” she said gently. “Before Lelina comes down here and drags you out by your collar.”
She gathered the dishes but didn’t sit back down, watching him with that same calm steadiness she’d shown all lunch.
“And for the record,” she added, a playful lilt returning to her voice, “popularity’s overrated. I’d rather have real conversations like this… even if they get cut short.”
As he started to turn, she offered one last, quiet reassurance, “I’m glad we did this, Ryan. Let’s pick it up again soon.”
Ryan wanted to say something, but the words were caught in his throat. He simply nodded and hurried out of the mess hall. Then he stopped and took a deep breath. No. He couldn't do this. Not when everything about him was based on a lie. She deserved so much better than that.
She deserved better than him.
Alura Ryn
MWR Officer
Ensign Ryan Collingway
Engineering Officer
USS Arawyn
RSS Feed