08-28-2026, 03:00 AM
Morad let out a rich laugh at her salt quip, shaking his head with a grin as he took a spoonful of his own broth.
"Guilty on the pun," he conceded, resting his forearms against the edge of the table. "And to answer your question, this is shish barak. Meat-filled dumplings poached directly in garlic-mint yogurt broth. And yes, the 'warm hug' effect is very much intentional. Syrian food is built around comfort, layering garlic, mint, coriander, and pine nuts so nothing fights for attention, it just comes together."
She looks exceptionally beautiful in this light... doesn't she...
He watched her savor the bite, catching the blush that touched her cheeks when she realized her spoon had been hovering. When she made her teasing remark about paying compliments to the chef later, Morad’s dark eyes flashed with quiet amusement, leaning forward slightly as his gaze locked onto hers.
"I'll have you know, the replicator may have synthesized the raw ingredients, but every spice ratio and temperature setting was manually adjusted by hand," Morad pointed out smoothly, a warm, confident smirk touching his lips. "So I fully intend to hold you to those compliments later."
He took another bite, letting the comfortable silence and the soft strains of the oud fill the room between them for a heartbeat before speaking again. "So, CSO Ra'an... now that we're off duty, no sensor logs, no bridge alerts, how are you actually feeling after everything that happened?"
"Guilty on the pun," he conceded, resting his forearms against the edge of the table. "And to answer your question, this is shish barak. Meat-filled dumplings poached directly in garlic-mint yogurt broth. And yes, the 'warm hug' effect is very much intentional. Syrian food is built around comfort, layering garlic, mint, coriander, and pine nuts so nothing fights for attention, it just comes together."
She looks exceptionally beautiful in this light... doesn't she...
He watched her savor the bite, catching the blush that touched her cheeks when she realized her spoon had been hovering. When she made her teasing remark about paying compliments to the chef later, Morad’s dark eyes flashed with quiet amusement, leaning forward slightly as his gaze locked onto hers.
"I'll have you know, the replicator may have synthesized the raw ingredients, but every spice ratio and temperature setting was manually adjusted by hand," Morad pointed out smoothly, a warm, confident smirk touching his lips. "So I fully intend to hold you to those compliments later."
He took another bite, letting the comfortable silence and the soft strains of the oud fill the room between them for a heartbeat before speaking again. "So, CSO Ra'an... now that we're off duty, no sensor logs, no bridge alerts, how are you actually feeling after everything that happened?"