Dinner at Giuliani's (Part 1)

Posted on Thu Jun 18, 2026 @ 1:36am by Lieutenant T'Lul & Lieutenant Raiden Kosugi

1,838 words; about a 9 minute read

Mission: Jubilee
Location: Giuliani's
Timeline: MD01 - 1900

A comet was on its way, of which Raiden was excited about. He'd never gotten to truly see one up close. Now though, he will have a chance.

His mind drifted towards something else, make that someone else. Lieutenant T'Lul.

There was a restaurant that he was interested in going to, Giuliani's. He had heard there was good food there. Perhaps, T'Lul would like to go there. The only way to find out was to ask her.

=/\=Lieutenant T'Lul, would you like to go to dinner with me at Giuliani's? It will be evening dress as it seems to be a fancy restaurant.=/\= Raiden sending the message.

Giuliani's? T'Lul thought to herself. That is the place where Ace and Matilda had said that Naomi worked. I wonder if she would be working there tonight. It would be an excellent opportunity to learn about this woman who supposedly swooned over Ace and who Matilda said was jealous of her. This would aid in my investigation. =^= That is a restaurant that I wanted to go to in the near future, as well. What time should I meet you there? =^= the Vulcan Counselor inquired.

=/\=1900 I can meet you there, though I could come to your quarters, and we can walk there together.=/\= Raiden offered.

He was a gentleman and this being a date, to Raiden it was proper for him to pick her up.

T'Lul considered that. Did Raiden consider this a date? She did not think it was a date. Maybe he was just being courteous? =^= If that is what you desire, =^= she answered.

=^= I would prefer to do so, it is only proper to pick up a beautiful lady from her quarters"=^= Raiden responded.

=^= Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, =^= T'Lul answered. =^= Regardless, I will wait at my quarters, as you wish. =^=

Raiden chose his outfit with great care, after all he was taking a beautiful woman out to dinner to a very nice restaurant. He had looked up Guilani's and found that it had a five star rating.

The outfit he chose was a dark blue suit, with a cream colored shirt, and a silvery grey tie. In the pocket of the suit, was a matching crem colored handkerchief. To complete the outfit he wore a pair of black oxford shoes properly polished. The cut of the suit fit his physique but not confining.

One more look in the mirror, smoothing back an errant hair, Raiden then made his way to T'Lul's quarters pressing the chime to let her know he had arrived.

T'Lul chose a dark wine, silk, full length gown that had a slit on her left side. The slit was not intended to be provocative. It was meant to be practical, to allow her more freedom of movement. Her hair was long as normal, however, it seemed slightly more immaculately maintained. More curiously, the left side of her hair was tucked behind her left ear, highlighting her Vulcan ear. Hanging from her neck was a pendant that stretched in a pendulum shape. The pendant had the Vulcan symbol for "Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations." For footwear, she chose black short heeled boots.

When the chime rang, T'Lul opened the door. Noticing that Raiden was in a suit, she was satisfied that she had chosen satisfactorily for the evening. "Good evening, Raiden. Shall we proceed to the restaurant?"

Her outfit and her beauty were stunning, Raiden's mouth dropped open.

"T'Lul you are a radiant beauty." Raiden offered his arm to her.

As they walked to where Guilani's was, Raiden noticed that there were passersby who were noticing T'Lul. He saw several men who were so enthralled by seeing her, they ran into each other. Another one, just gawked.

Women stared as well, they'd not seen her dressed like this, some were jealous. Some were impressed. These were expressions that Raiden had noticed. He wondered if T'Lul knew of the stir that she was causing.

Raiden softly chuckled at this.

For her part, T'Lul merely was focused on getting to the restaurant. She politely thanked Raiden for his complement stating, "Your assessment is noted."

When they arrived,at Guilani's Raiden was feeling rather, well having a natural high at this moment. Who wouldn't? Well for him it was just being able to have a date with a beautiful woman, he was planning on enjoying this night. Enjoying a delicious meal with T'Lul. He wasn't expecting anything more after this. Would there be a second date? he would try if this was the one and only, oh well, at the very least. Being with a charming woman such as T'Lul it, as far as he was concerned, will be worth it.

All of this was going through his head when they stepped up to the host station.

"Table for two please under the name of Kosugi," Raiden speaking respectfully to the maitre d.

He wasn't certain where they would be seated, but hoped it would be a good seating.

The hostess replied, "Very good. Right this way, please." She took the lead and took them into the bowels of the restaurant.

As they walked in, the atmosphere became darker and darker. It was apparent that the tables were in darker areas lit solely by candles. The table that they were led to was a small semi-circular couchlike area. T'Lul sat down first and the hostess unfurled the cloth napkin on the table and carefully but unobtrusively placed it over her lap and allowed it to drop into place. She then repeated the process for Raiden and handed them the menus. "If there is something that you do not see on the menu to your liking, feel free to inquire and we will see what we can do to accommodate your desires. Your server, Naomi, will be right with you."

As soon as the host left, a person carrying a couple of glasses and a pitcher of water came to the table. The glasses were filled meticulously and rapidly. As soon as the water was poured, Raiden and T'Lul were left alone.

T'Lul commented, "Naomi. I believe that is the same waitress that Ace, Brianthe, and Matilda all shared. Interesting."

Raiden's looked in askance at T'Lul.

"Ace? Brianthe, Matilda, and Naomi? These four names I'm not familiar with. It certainly sounds like you are dealing with a mystery, T'Lul. I though, will not pry. "

Raiden reaching out to take a drink of his water.

"Ace is the Assistant Chief of Operations. Brianthe is a Junior Grade botanist here. Matilda is an Ensign who floats between operations and engineering. They have all eaten here and had this Naomi as a waitress. It should be a most interesting experience meeting her."

"A focal point, interesting." Raiden replied, casting his eyes around the restaurant.

"Well before our server comes to find out what we'd like to have for dinner. Does anything strike your interest?" Raiden picking up his menu to peruse it.

T'Lul blinked once. Did she not tell Raiden what struck her interest? Naomi? "I shall have to look at the menu," T'Lul told Raiden. "Do you have a particular interest?"

Raiden almost said his particular interest was in her but went for the gentlemanly answer. "I was looking at something along the lines of this." Raiden turning his menu to where T'Lul could see it.

Truffle Risotto - Creamy Arborio rice cooked with truffle oil and finished with Parmesan.
Eggplant Parmesan - Layers of breaded eggplant, marinara sauce, and melted mozzarella.
Pasta Primavera - Fresh seasonal vegetables sautéed with garlic and olive oil, served over pasta.
Mushroom Ravioli - Handmade ravioli stuffed with a rich mushroom filling, served in a sage butter sauce.
Caprese Salad - Fresh mozzarella, ripe tomatoes, and basil drizzled with balsamic reduction.
Vegetable Lasagna - Layers of pasta, ricotta, spinach, and marinara, baked to perfection.

"This looks rather delicious." Raiden stated.

"I do like the selection of desserts offered as well." Raiden added, as he had looked at the listing of desserts. Various sorbets, Basil, Lemnon, Peach, Raspberry, Pineapple, Mint. I think I will go for the Lemon sorbett, plus a tea. I don't feel like drinking any wine at this time. A green tea will do well for me."

T'Lul looked at Raiden's menu curiously. Did he not think that she could not see her own? No, that was not the case. He was excited for some reason. Perhaps he really enjoys Italian food?

A waitress with sandy brown hair and green eyes appeared before the twosome. "Good evening. My name is Naomi and I will be your server tonight. Can I get you started with something to drink and some appetizers?"

T'Lul focused her attention on Naomi. The waitress seemed polite and professional.

She was a pretty woman, her skin peaches and cream from what Raiden observed.

"Green tea please, and for an appetizer, I'd like some parmesan cheese crisps." Raiden responding with a smile.

Raiden noticed that T'Lul was scrutinizing Naomi. She seemed to have been some sort of focal point for the three people who T'Lul had mentioned. He had no idea who they were, but if T'Lul needed to make some mental notes, he wasn't going to disturb her.

"I would like a Vulcan port and some focaccia bread," T'Lul advised.

Naomi answered, "Green tea, Vulcan port, parmesan cheese crisps, and focaccia bread. I will get those orders right in. I will be back soon."

T'Lul nodded and then turned to Raiden. "She seemed professional and polite."

"Yes she does seem very professional, and courteous" Raiden remarked, before he sipped more water. "I do hope she isn't in any trouble. It would be a tragedy if this were true."

"She is in no trouble at all," T'Lul assured Raiden. "Why would you believe it to be a tragedy? Did you know her before now?"

"No, this is the first time I've seen her. She seems to be a nice girl, and so far she's been polite, and professional. Of which you had stated. The evening is young so...more could be found out during dinner? By observing."

Raiden decided to see just what T'Lul was going to be like during the dinner. One thing that he was figuring out, T'Lul could be focused, and he wondered what the connection to Naomi was. Though, possibly, it could be a puzzle that T'Lul had come across as part of being a counselor. Those three people who had been mentioned, had all come to this restaurant, and perhaps had Naomi as the waitress.

And there might be another focal point as well. There had been only one male who had been mentioned. Ace Cannon. Did Ace go out on dates with the two women. One, Brianthe, and the other Matilda? That must be it. And Naomi was the waitress. Fascinating, two common factors.

"That was my thought," T'Lul confirmed.


[TO BE CONTINUED]

Lieutenant T'Lul
Chief Counselor
Deep Space 5

Lieutenant Raiden Kosugi
Figher Pilot
Deep Space 5

 

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