Lunch Break

Posted on Sat Jun 1st, 2024 @ 6:35pm by Ensign David Kipling & Ensign Mercy Mourne
Edited on on Sat Jun 1st, 2024 @ 8:58pm

Mission: Remnant
Location: Mess Hall
Timeline: 400
2189 words - 4.4 OF Standard Post Measure

David glanced around the mess hall. There was an abundance of empty places at tables but, much to David’s chagrin, the tables all had people he didn’t know sitting at them. In some cases, the crewmembers were engaged in conversations. David was far too awkward to just drop in on those already ongoing conversations. Plus, he told himself, it would be rude to just butt in on somebody’s conversation.
There were several tables that had spots open but nobody at the table was talking or, for that matter, even making eye contact. They were either rushing through their meal or they were otherwise busy, reading PADDs or reviewing reports.
David sighed and thought, for a moment, about just taking his lunch to his quarters when he spotted three crew leaving a table.
Relief flooded through David instantly. Then he spotted Mercy across the mess hall. He pointed to the now empty table and mouthed, “Save you a spot” to his friend. He worked his way over and set down his tray, pulling a chair out for Mercy.

Mercy smiled and slid into the seat with her tray. “Such nice manners.” She said in a teasing voice, as she spoke she imitated the slight accent of her Grandmother along with the ancient woman’s rasp. “My Grandmother would love that. She was always big on manners. Holding doors open for people and stuff you know?”

She then took a bit of her lunch, some sort of spicy rice stew, with beans which had no doubt been grown in Hydroponics. “How's your day shaping up? Any news?”

David smiled at the grandmother quip.
“Had I not pulled out your chair, my mother would have appeared, seemingly from nowhere, and soundly bapped me in the back of the head for being rude,” Kip confided. He chuckled and then cut into his eggplant parmesan with gusto. Chef was working to make more accessible items for the vegetarians on board and David was excited for this. Eggplant parm was one of his favorite dishes.
“Uhm…well, I shocked myself twice on a defective plasma conduit near the launch bay and then I smacked a wrench down on my hand in Main Engineering; but now I’m eating eggplant parmesan and all shall be right with the universe,” he said with a smile.

“How about you? How’s the neck,” he said, raising a bite to his mouth.

“That sounds like an eventful morning!” Mercy said after she swallowed her next bite. “Oh and much better, took your advice and went down to sickbay, Doctor fixed me right up. And I’ve sent a message to Ops to get the culprit chair fixed and everything.” Mercy waggled her eyebrows comically. “See, sometimes I listen to the good advice of my friends.”

She then considers his plate. “I noticed they’ve started doing more meat free options. I was curious about your choice of not eating meat. Is it a health thing or a philosophy thing? No judgment either way.”

David looked down at his plate and then back to Mercy, surprised at her attention to detail.
“I grew up eating meat. Hunted, fished, trapped…that was life in Idaho. But when I was about 15 I started wrestling more competitively and gave up red meat. I still ate lots of fish, chicken and pork - mainly for the protein,” he explained. He paused to eat another bite and then went on.
“But I guess what changed me was a hunting trip with my dad and two of my brothers. We were hunting for maybe elk or deer…I can’t honestly remember…and anyway, one of my brothers downed what they were hunting for. But it wasn’t a clean kill. The animal suffered,” Kip said, pausing for a moment.
“The whole thing bothered Travis for a long time after that. Dad had always taught us to be respectful of the animal, you know? Like, we didn’t waste anything and we never kept trophies; it wasn’t for sport. It was subsistence. We didn’t even swap stories about hunts or fish tales or any of that…” he explained, trailing off. A moment later, Kip shook his head and went on.
“So, I gave up meat then. I don’t expect others to follow my choice and I respect their boundaries too, you know,” Kip offered casually. He shrugged and cut another bite of eggplant before taking a sip of his water.

Mercy listened to Kip’s story intently. When he was done she nodded thoughtfully. “I can understand that, and like I said, no judgment. I grew up in Taycho City, on the moon colony? I don’t know if it existed in your world, but everything was always cultivated. There was no wilderness, no forests or lakes really, and anything that was there usually served a specific purpose so you couldn’t just cut down a tree you know? I’ve never been fishing, or hunting, although I’m not sure I would want to kill something, so I suppose that makes me a bit of a hypocrite in a way.”

Mercy paused to take another bite of her food, chewing thoughtfully, taking her time to enjoy the taste and not just wolf it down for once. “I will happily eat meat or fish, but I never really cared to think about where food came from. Besides, anything that was not reconstituted was always a bit of a luxury. Or if you were like my Grandma you would grow it in pots. Anything fresh was super expensive so I always saw stuff like that as a really fancy past-time. You know, like only people in films really go fishing?” She laughed and then took a sip of her drink. “Wasn’t until I went to study on Earth I realized that for some people that was just normal you know?”

Kip nodded as he listened.

“We had colonies on the Moon, too, though I don’t recall any of them being named Tycho City…” Kip mused.

“Mom and the sisters grew a garden every season. We all pitched in and helped but yeah, it got us through lean times,” he confirmed.

“Reconstituted stuff has its place but it sure doesn’t have flavor…” he trailed off, grimacing at the memory of it. He poked at the food on his plate, moving it around

“Wait…you’ve never been fishing,” Kip asked looking up with a look of disbelief on his face.
Mercy just shook her head. “Nope, never really been around big open water until I got to the academy. I remember walking around the bay in Sanf Fran the first day I got to the academy, and the sound and the smell of the sea was overwhelming. Had to learn to swim in my first year to meet some of the physical requirements, and nearly failed because apparently I looked more like I was drowning.” Mercy chuckles at the memory. “One of the many reasons I am better behind a desk. But no, no fishing. What’s it like?”

Kip snorted with laughter at Mercy’s description of her swimming.
“It couldn’t be that bad,” he offered.
“Oh, I wouldn’t know about saltwater stuff. I only ever fished freshwater,” Kip confessed, smiling still. “But even in freshwater fishing, what you’re fishing for tends to dictate your experience,” he explained. He caught a look of confusion on Mercy’s face and nodded. He wiped his mouth with his napkin and slid his plate aside.
“So, if you’re fishing for trout or salmon, you fly fish. It’s called that because the lure you use is shaped to resemble flies or flying insects that slim across the surface of the water. You whip your line with the fly attached back and forth across the surface of the water and the trout or salmon bite onto it,” he explained with gusto.
“But there’s also lake or pond fishing. You use lures that resemble worms or maybe insects or even smaller fish to attract predatory species like bass or perch or even catfish. The tackle and the techniques are different too. Most times in still water fishing you move your bait around to replicate the movement it would have in real life,” he explained, hoping he wasn’t belittling his friend with the explanation.

Mercy blinked in surprise, she had no experience with fishing so everything he was describing was brand new. “I didn’t know it was so complicated. I just thought people did it because it was relaxing and they liked hanging out on boats together. What kind of fishing was your favorite? Back when you used to go with your family? Do you miss it? I mean not the eating fish part, but the act of fishing itself? You sound very knowledgeable in it.”

Kip shrugged and took another drink of his water.
“I miss some of it…I miss the competitive angle with my brothers and my sister…Fujiko, that’s my adopted sister…she was really good at fishing,” he exclaimed.
“There was a relaxing part to it…it definitely got you closer to nature, for sure!” Kip paused for a moment then nodded.
“Yeah, I’d have to say fly fishing was my favorite…I wasn’t any good a tying flies but I loved standing hip deep in a stream, slinging the line back and forth…man, I miss that,” he said, reminiscing about the event.
“Hey,” he said suddenly, “how about we go fishing this evening?”

“Fujiko is a pretty name. What were your brothers called? It’s nice that you had an activity you could all do together. I used to play with my brothers a lot when they were smaller but as they got older, we kind of all drifted into our own activities, and my sister was always too cool for all of us.” She then gives Kip a thoroughly confused look. “Go fishing? I don’t think with the fuel crisis anyone is going to let us take a shuttle to a planet. Which is a shame, because it does sound like fun.”

Kip grabbed a paper napkin from the table and then pulled a maker from his uniform’s sleeve pocket. He started sketching something on the napkin.
“Mark is the oldest brother, but Ellen is the oldest child; Keith is older than me, but I’m older than Travis and Fujiko. Mom and Dad adopted Fujiko when she was about 12, which means I was 14,” he explained, not looking up from the sketch. He continued to draw on the napkin until he finally pulled back, looked at the drawing, and nodded. He then pushed it over to Mercy.
“We’ll borrow some spare bits and pieces lying around in Engineering - these will be our fish,” he explained, tapping the picture.
“We’ll use these spare tent rods and monofilament line from a survival kit to make the fishing poles and we can put the fish down on the floor level and we’ll be upstairs on the catwalk. Magnets tied to the monofilament line will replicate lures and bait,” he said looking up with a smile.

Mercy tried to follow the siblings' names. “I bet holidays were lively in your house.” She knew from her own experience the din that could be caused by multiple siblings around a dinner table. She rubbed the middle of her chest, soothing away the ache that came whenever she thought about her siblings.

She then pulled the napkin over to her and inspected it. Once she was done she looked at Kip with a huge grin. “Magnets and tentpoles? Sounds like the perfect recipe for fun! What time shall we meet? And what sort of snacks does one bring catwalk fishing?” She tapped her lip in thought.

“I think I can cover the drink portion of the snack,” David offered cryptically. “Something light and single-handed would be best for the actual snack,” he offered.
“How about 2000 hours…night fishing is always the best,” he said, grinning.
“I could rig everything up and you could just swing by Engineering this evening,” he suggested.

“Hmmm, okay, I can think of some one handed options.” Mercy rubbed her hands together eager. “2000 hours sounds perfect, gives me time to finish my shift and get changed into my waders.” She chuckles and then finishes the last bite of food. Once done she pet her own stomach with a satisfied grin. “Speaking of which, I should get back to work, don’t want to fall behind and be late for fishing. You done too? Want me to clear your tray?”

David smiled and looked at his unfinished tray.
“Well, that would be fair - seeing as I got yours last time,” he said, handing over the tray.
Who would have thought that he’d be out here, fishing of all things…
He stood, too, and made his way to Engineering to gather the bits he’d sketched on the napkin for their fishing expedition.