Surprise Dinner

Posted on Tue Aug 4th, 2026 @ 11:41am by Major Addison 'Rico' Leyton [PPC] & Civilian Teevs Dosivi

Mission: Season 6: Episode 7: Crossroads of Destiny
Location: Tafavera
Timeline: MD2 (Backpost)
2361 words - 4.7 OF Standard Post Measure

Teevs adjusted his hand behind his back as he prepared to pick up Addison from her quarters. He suggested a formal-casual attire with comfortable shoes for their outing, especially since he had a surprise planned that required just a little bit of walking. He had considered the flannel shirt he had worn when Addison showed him horses, but the material was too heavy for the current season on the planet, so he ultimately decided on a nice green button-down shirt and slacks. He checked his clothes for about the fourth time to make sure nothing had somehow gotten onto them before he pressed the chime. He had told Addison that it was that promised visit to the landing pad he built, then a dinner date. Which wasn't a lie, he just left out what the dinner plans were.

Addison finished touching up her hair she let it hang just past her shoulders as she looked at herself in the mirror. She wore tan slacks with a teal blouse. Hearing the door chime, she turned and walked towards the door. "Come on in."

When the door opened, Teevs stepped inside. He gave her a warm smile and a kiss. "Beautiful as always," he praised, before bringing the flowers into view. It wasn't a very big bouquet, enough to convey the intent while still being mindful of Elysium's resources. They were alfalfa stems with flowers blooming in multiple clusters of red-violet, yellow, and blue. A few of the dried stems were in the bouquet as accents.

"They're very beautiful," she commented with a smile as she took the bouquet. "Where did you find these?" She made her way over to find an empty vase to put the bouquet into.

"Deep in the Elysium's database," Teevs chuckled. "I didn't realise that Humans assigned so many meanings to flowers. I hope they're acceptable." While she searched for a vase, he took the moment to admire her.

Addison laughed at the comment as she located a vase to use. She placed the flowers in the vase. As she turned to grab some water, she noticed Teevs watching her. "You ok?"

"What, I just like admiring you," Teevs replied with a cheesy smirk. A small part of him was trying to picture her on his homeworld, long after the Elysium departed. It was harder to imagine than him on the Elysium, though that was a little biased by the amount of time spent on board. "My mind is a little occupied, but it can wait. Are your shoes comfortable for a short walk?"

Addison wondered what was on his mind as she began to approach him. "Yeah, I'm good...and as for admiring me, thank you. Any place in particular that we're taking a walk to?"

"Dinner. But where is for me to know, provided you don't mind surprises," Teevs responded with a grin as he offered a hand to her.

"As long as it's a good surprise," she chuckled. "I'm ready."

Teevs chuckled too. "No pressure."

---

Tafavera sat on the cliffside on the west coast, just north of the Lontune Peninsula. Tall conifers created a cosy, cabin-like environment around the town and the landing pad. A moderate sea breeze rustled the grasses and shrubs around the landing pad. It wasn’t too busy when the transporter pad lit up to deposit Teevs and Addison. A couple people conversed with the transporter operator, and a personal shuttle was coming in for its landing onto the massive circular structure.

Teevs stepped off the transporter pad and watched the shuttle land before he gestured toward the landing pad. "This is where I got that stone from. The deposit was actually near the centre of the landing pad, which meant we had to remove the whole vein before beginning construction."

"Wow. How long did that take you?" she asked, raking in the area.

"The whole project took just over a year. I was on the geohazards team; it was my job to make sure the whole thing wouldn't fall into the ocean under load," Teevs responded. He pointed to the shuttle, "ooh, they're about to do the cool part, watch."

After the last passenger exited the shuttle, someone near where they were standing tapped in a console. The whole shuttle was then engulfed in a transporter beam, and their communicator UTs picked up the discussion of returning a token when the passengers were ready to get their shuttle back.

Addison gave a puzzled look. "Where did the shuttle go? Do you have a shuttle at nearby?". It would take a large transporter to transport the passenger shuttle.

"There's an underground shuttlebay," Teevs explained. "This is the only place on the planet that has this ability, and it's limited to personal shuttles because it does take a lot of transporter power. The Spheia would be considered the upper limit for the transporters to handle." He gently released a breath, "so, uh... yeah. Tafavera. I guess I didn't plan much for seeing the landing pad," he chuckled. "But I did plan dinner. Shall we?"

"Addison smiled and nodded after looking around at the pad. "It's ok. And yes, let's eat. I'm starving," she replied, though she was clearly impressed by the landing pad.

He took her hand and laced his fingers between hers, but he didn’t head toward town. Instead, Teevs led her along a trail forged by many curious wanderers, and after about a minute he paused by a tree before he gestured off the trail. "It's just through here. I promise it's worth it," he assured, knowing that this was probably not what she had in mind.

"It had better be," she replied, grinning.

He guided her through the brush, holding a couple branches so she wouldn’t get smacked by them, then moved some bushes out of the way.

Before them was a picnic. A few pillows were placed around on a blanket laid out across the grass, which was positioned in a nice little clearing. The food basket sat in the middle, next to a bottle in a cooler with two wine glasses nearby. Teevs felt his cheeks warm a little when he saw the red bow on the bottle's neck and the napkins folded into hearts. Kova helped him plan it, and that was definitely his brother's spontaneous contribution.

Beyond the setup was the edge of the cliffside a few metres away, with a view of the other peninsula on one side and the open ocean on the other. A quiet thrum of the ocean waves crashing against the rocks below made its way up the cliff to them. In the distance, boats could be seen by their lights, and a couple of shuttles passed overhead, but they were no louder than the waves as the flora around them dampened the sounds.

"This is amazing, Teevs," Addison commented softly, squeezing Teevs' hand as she took in the setup and surrounding environment. "When did you set all of this up?"

"A few hours ago. My brother helped me," he answered with a smile. He couldn't get over how the waning hours of daylight looked on her, and if he could stop time, he would. Taking both of her hands, Teevs guided her into the clearing. "I found this place while the landing pad was being built. Always wanted to take a date here." When they got to the blanket, he reached down and fluffed up one of the pillows for her before offering it like a seat.

"Thanks,* she said as she sat down on the pillow. "So, I guess I should feel special then," she joked as she watched Teevs sit down next to her.

Teevs leaned over and gave her a kiss before he sat. "If you don't feel special, then I'm doing something wrong," he responded with a smile. Leaning forward, he grabbed the bottle and opened it, the seal giving a satisfying pop, before he returned it to the bottle cooler to let it breathe. He then pulled the basket closer and pressed a button. The top hatch slid open, revealing carefully packed food and a small round speaker on top. "For music, if you'd like," he explained, handing the speaker to her and showing her how to use it. "It can connect to Elysium's database, or it has some local favourites programmed in."

Addison turned the speaker over, looking at it before setting it down. "I'd be interested in hearing some Lonian music.". As a musician herself, Addison loved listening to music from different species.

With a smile, Teevs configured the speaker, and then a soft woodwind melody began playing. He then turned his attention to the basket, pulling out containers. "I thought some of the Earth foods from the Elysium database might go well with some Lonian foods." He chuckled, "the backup plan is to order something to-go so we can still enjoy the scenery. And the backup backup plan is to abandon this idea and go get pizza."

"Oh, good. As long it's not spicy. Not a fan," she chuckled as she watched Teevs.

With a nod, Teevs looked at a container before setting it by his side. "Stay away from this one then." There were a couple variants of roasted vegetables he put out, then two main meat dishes. "On the Earth side: carrots potatoes, garlic, broccoli, and the protein is your favourite. On the Lonian side: sheeva, bavo, and vara root, and the protein is keesak." The Lonian vegetables resembled cubed squash, a bean, and a deep red circular food that resembled beets. The meat closely resembled a beef roast with enough char on the surface to know it was going to be full of flavour. He gestured to the container he had set aside, "this is the spicy variant. And courtesy of my brother," he pulled the bottle from its container, ignoring the decorations as he read the label. "Tona, or our version of wine. A red variant from southern Jekasp."

"This all looks delicious," Addison complimented as she gathered her plate. "You shouldn't have gone through all of this trouble."

Teevs gave her a warm smile as he poured the red liquid into the available glasses. "Hardly any trouble if it's for someone I love," he said with a wink. "Besides, I had to get you away from my family somehow. What did you think of them, by the way? Hopefully they weren't too much." He set the bottle aside and placed one of the glasses within reach for Addison before he gathered his own plate.

Addison picked up her glass, swirling the liquid slightly as the aroma reached her nose. She took a sip and then replied. "Well, they're certainly a handful. But it's good to see a large yet loving family."

Teevs chuckled at the mention of them being a handful, recognising the Human term. Given he was tackled by four children and she was bombarded with questions, a handful was probably an understatement. "You don't seem to be running for the Elysium yet, which is a good sign." He paused to take a sip of his own tona. At least Kova had good taste. "They can be a lot sometimes, but I wouldn't have it any other way."

He glanced out over the ocean, eyes tracking a shuttle entering the atmosphere. "I guess giving you a break from my family is only part of the reason for the dinner." Why did this make him nervous? "I told the commodore that I'd be willing to assist the Elysium for as long as I am able..." Teevs looked back to Addison to gauge her reaction. They had talked about their future plans, but this had stayed on his mind for a while now. "But... I was thinking of asking to stay aboard. Permanently."

The decision surprised Addison. She hadn't expected him to stay. "Are you sure? What about Kerilla? Have you talked with her about this?"

Teevs gave a nervous chuckle. "Can one ever be sure with such big decisions?" He then shook his head at her follow up questions. "I was going to talk to Kerilia about it after the coming-of-age ceremony tomorrow night. In Lonian culture, once she develops her ridge and registers with the administrative office, she can start to make decisions without a guardian." Yet another stage of growing up that Teevs wished he could hit the brakes on. "I don't know what she'll say, because I know she's been missing home but I also know that she's made good connections aboard the Elysium."

"Don't get me wrong, I love the fact that you want to stay aboard the Elysium, but maybe you should hold off until Kerilla makes her decision? I know the two of you get along very well," she suggested. She really did want Teevs to stay it she couldn't allow herself to be so selfish as to come between Teevs and his daughter.

She did have a point. Teevs gave her a nod, respecting the recommendation. "I'll talk to her about it first. We have the entire shore leave to worry about it, and technically, a couple months after the Elysium departs." He looked out over the cliffside, "if I did end up staying aboard, I'd certainly miss this. I'd be lying otherwise." He gave a little smile at that. "But to be able to see where your people came from..." A chuckle escaped him as he looked back at her, "I'm sure you understand the appeal of seeing new worlds, being in Starfleet. It would be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, literally."

Addison looked at Teevs and nodded slightly. "If you're certain." It was a huge decision--one she wasn't sure she could make.

Teevs didn’t tell her that he had been thinking about this for weeks, ever since he and Phoenix had spoken. "I'll talk to Kerilia first, don't worry," he promised. He raised his glass, "for now, let's just... forget about everything and savour this."

Addison smiled and nodded before taking a bite of her food. She could only hope Kerilla would agree to stay as well