JP: Lt (jg) Zenno & Ens Saava - She Ain’t Heavy, She’s my Sister (Part 1B)
Tim Plath
((Now, Molten Hot Veggies Restaurant, Spaceport, Dresk Junction, Qualor II))
Much to his delight, he could see Saava had already arrived, her strawberry blonde hair still done up as it was when they were cadets. She was seated at a table facing inside the restaurant, as she was scanning the posted menu. Of course she picked the worst spot in the restaurant to annoy him. Zenno made his way stealthily behind her.
Zenno: ::gently teasing:: I come a long way to see my old friend, and she is sitting with her back to the entrance, contrary to my many lessons on personal security. I am disappointed.
Saava turned around and raised an eyebrow in a Vulcan-typical fashion. She was glad to see her close friend again.
Saava: You are late. As for personal security, I find it unnecessary when I can smell your presence from a kilometer away. ::pause:: What else did you expect?
Zenno: Rather, I expected you to greet me with tears of joy and a song. ::beat:: As is your usual custom.
Saava: Predictable as always. Tears and songs are overrated.
Zenno laughed heartily. Something in Saava made a little jump of joy, although she would never admit that.
Zenno: I have missed you, dear friend. If it wouldn’t cause you such distress and shame to your family, I would hug you.
Saava: The day I welcome a public display of emotion is the day logic loses its appeal. I approve of your choice.
Zenno: Fair enough. oO Never change, my friend. Never change. Oo Have you ordered? I assume you’ll want to try everything.
Zenno knew her pretty well. Of course she would order everything. It was the logical thing to do at a place she most likely would not return to for quite some time. It was this way that she could ensure to have gotten the most of their visit to the restaurant.
Saava: You still owe me a meal. I hope it will not drain your financial resources too much.
Zenno: I owe you for much more than a meal. But we can start there. Resist the urge to order the entire menu in one go.
Saava: I will do my best to keep you from bankruptcy.
The waiter, a young Vulcan, showed up and handed them the menus. Saava was glad that it was not Tholian serving them today. As she studied the menu, a platter of starters caught her eye.
Zenno looked at the menu, but he didn’t spend any time on deciding what to order. He knew that Saava would insist on what he should try and he wasn’t going to spoil the mood of their reunion by disputing her selections.
Zenno: You are considering the giant platter of starters. Consuming mass quantities seems illogical. Unless I am to share in this vegetarian cornucopia as well? Or do I have the option of ordering something else? ::Smiling, he’s not going to order anything else::
Saava: It is for two people. I would say you will take your chances.
Zenno: Very well. Your gustatory predilections shall guide us.
Saava put down her menu. She had made her decision - or more precisely the decision for both of them.
Saava: You still keep up your reluctance to try new things after serving on a Starfleet ship and even getting promoted to Lieutenant junior grade?
Zenno: I am a man of simple tastes. I like what I like. But I would not make the mistake of thinking I earned this promotion through deeds or a willingness to try things. It did not come to me because I earned it. I was simply the only one left. Once the previous Chief was reassigned, there was no other. ::slight shrug:: I am trying, as best I can, to grow into it as I go.
Zenno did not waste much time. They had written a few letters back and forth, but mostly discussing his matters rather than hers. She liked to keep a low profile, especially if things were difficult. Sometimes it worked even with Zenno. And today, she was determined to give it a try.
Zenno: We have spoken so much of my work in our messages, but I note that you have said only a little about how you are doing. I did not press the question in our letters because I didn’t want to ask you to disclose anything that might be sensitive. You remember my Sister? Her assignment is almost entirely classified, so I know not to inquire.
Saava: The White Pine is a fine vessel. I settled in with everyone. The first missions, however, did not give me a chance to show my capabilities. We babysitted an ambassador near starbase 621. Not exactly why I joined Starfleet.
Zenno: I think when you have the chance to demonstrate your mighty capabilities, all will be in awe!
Saava did not respond and instead nibbled on a piece of flatbread. “How odd,” Zenno thought. “Perhaps I should redirect this conversation.”
Zenno: So tell me, about your Chief? Have you found anyone to play some Parrises Squares with on board? Are you giving health and nutrition lectures in the crew’s mess? Do you keep a brag board on the wall in your quarters showing the numbers of patients you’ve saved? That seems like the kind of totally illogical thing you might do. ::Big smile & waiting for the inevitable reaction::
It was another eye-brow-raising moment for Saava as Zenno fired his sequence of questions, followed by his signature smile. If she had shown emotion, this would be the moment to let out a sigh. Instead, she focussed on answering his questions as precisely as she could.
Saava: Doctor Selenka is quite capable when it comes to medical procedures.
Saava stopped for a moment. She had restricted her appreciation to medical skills deliberately. The leadership skills of Lieutenant Selenka were on the other end of the spectrum. It took her only a fraction of a second to continue with Zenno’s next question.
Saava: There are not any interested parties in Parrises Squares. Athletic recreation is limited to more ::pause:: mundane sports. I have spent some time with the mess hall’s cook to discuss his love for sugar, but my advice was not received well. If the situation does not improve, I might have to show more initiative.
She made another pause as she focused on Zenno’s last question.
Saava: As for bragging… The curious humanoid ritual of loudly proclaiming one's accomplishments in the hope that others will find them impressive is a practice utterly illogical to the Vulcan mind. A perplexing display where the need for external validation supersedes the pursuit of knowledge and self-improvement. In Vulcan terms, a rather inefficient allocation of time and energy, akin to engaging in a heated debate with a tribble. Highly illogical, indeed.
She raised her eyebrow. She was sure that every other being in this restaurant would have taken her seriously. And while she believed that there was some truth in what she said, Zenno surely recognized her way of making a joke. Because for a Vulcan, Saava actually pretty much enjoyed the recognition of her accomplishment by others. Something that had set her apart since her early childhood. Something she tried to hide for quite a few years during her youth.
Zenno: Brag board confirmed. ::nods knowingly:: Probably disguised as some sort of Vulcan art, hanging on the wall so no one else would know what it was. oO She’s hiding something. But maybe this isn’t the place to talk about it. Oo
Saava: The painting is about the teachings of Surak! You should try those.
The Bolian felt a shift in his guts… but not of the physical kind. “Is she OK? I don’t know how to help. She’s already a brick wall most of the time,” he realized.
Zenno: Well, ::big warm smiles:: I don’t think we came all this way to talk about work. We are a most fearsome team not just in the Squares, but in many things. Just as I have been without your guidance of late, you have been without mine. And you know that there is nothing we can’t discuss. But there is time for that later. ::pause:: May we speak of happier things? On the way here I was recollecting our first meeting. I never did find out if you had to launder your uniform.
Saava had given it a try. Zenno was onto her, but the Vulcan appreciated that she was ‘off the hook’ for the time being. But she knew her Bolian friend. The topic would come up again during their time together. She could just hope that they would be over with it fast.
Saava: I agree. Our professional lives are not why we are here. But yes, that smell was unbearable, Zenno. Of course I did.
Her mind wandered as Zenno had mentioned the cleaning of her uniform.
((Flashback - Academy Days))
Something had drawn her towards the Bolian cadet that had been bothering her with his intense odor on their first day at the academy. She could not quite grasp what it was but they had spent quite some time together by now. That time was - of course - shaped by the utmost efficiency, but that had not been the only thing she had liked about it.
But tonight was different. This night was neither efficient nor comfortable. Of course this was not a party hosted by Zenno. He was not the type for hosting parties. But he was the glue that held a lot of the social interactions that Saava was a part of together. And so he did tonight, when they had gotten a couple of drinks and joined a smaller group of cadets from their semester.
In the midst of Zenno's animated conversation accompanied by the sound of music and the familiar faces, Saava discovered an unanticipated anomaly within herself—a faint, previously dormant inclination toward the appreciation of exuberance. It puzzled her Vulcan sensibilities, and yet, she couldn't deny the undeniable resonance within her, a resonance that echoed in response to Zenno's unbridled delight.
Perhaps, buried deep within the recesses of her highly logical mind, there existed a latent appreciation for the vivid spectrum of emotions that Zenno effortlessly navigated. The Bolian's unrestrained celebration of life during that night seemed to awaken something in her, challenging the well-established boundaries of Vulcan emotional suppression.
As she meticulously observed Zenno's interactions, Saava experienced a moment of introspection. A subtle warmth permeated the cool logic that usually dominated her consciousness. She found herself grappling with the realization that beneath the facade of Vulcan stoicism, there might exist an undercurrent of appreciation for the sheer vibrancy of existence, as exemplified by Zenno's infectious zeal for life.
((Now, Molten Hot Veggies Restaurant, Spaceport, Dresk Junction, Qualor II))
However she might try to hide it, they had spent too much time together: she was distracted and it concerned Zenno a great deal. Eventually she would tell him whatever was happening, but it would have to be processed through all her Vulcan ways first and there was nothing for it.
Zenno: I think it’s time to go to the gate. As you know, I like to be early. I think we have a window and an aisle seat together.
Saava: Do you have a preference?
Zenno: The window.
Saava: I also prefer the window. And logic dictates that you, a courteous, gallant, and thoughtful being, would yield to my preferences.
Zenno laughed uproariously, knowing that she did not care in the slightest about seats.
Zenno: ::smiling eyes:: Of course, my friend. Of course.
The Bolian had the widest smile imaginable as he and his impassive Vulcan friend made their way down the concourse together to the next adventure that awaited them.
[TBC]
Ensign Saava
Nurse, Medical Division
USS White Pine
As simmed by
Lt. Connor Dewitt
Engineer
USS Arrow
A239901CD3
And
Lt (jg) Zenno
Acting Security Chief
USS Arrow