JP: LtCmdr Salkath and PNPC Nadevia Virtavi-Yaros - The Starflirt Advantage
Salkath
((Elysium, Deck 6 - USS Artemis))
For the fourth time since he had made his way from his quarters towards Elysium, the main social lounge on the Artemis, Salkath adjusted the neckline on his standard issue uniform. The only logical explanation for the discomfort had to be that the measurement parameters on the uniform replication sizing programming must be off by a centimeter or two. Yes, that could be the only reason. Surely the discomfort was the collar, and not the purpose of his visit here.
The PADD he held in his hand specified the meeting time, 1400 hours, and Salkath would be there on the dot. That was just the way it worked with him. Not a minute late, not a minute early. Only circumstance would tell if the regional Starflirt representative he was meeting would hold the same standards. As he entered the lounge, he scanned the expansive room with his eyes for an individual sitting alone at a table with the requisite description of the individual he had his appointment with. Spying a likely candidate, he made his way over to the table where she was seated. It was a positive sign that, should it be her, she was punctual.
Salkath: Excuse me, would you be Nadevia Virtavi-Yaros?
When Nadevia had first been informed about her newest task in the interest of Flirter recruitment, she had mixed emotions. On the one hand, it was ambiguous to her sensitivities to forcefully induct a new Flirter into the service on behalf of worried relatives who thought their precious progeny did not seek their own happiness doggedly enough. On the other hand, it was an almost nostalgic feeling, reminding her of the countless marriage marts that she had attended as a tag-along for her older cousins back on Kantare.
If there was one thing her culture did well, it was marriages of convenience. Assisting an unwilling Vulcan or two with soothing their parents’ needs for recreational betrothal brokering felt almost like earning a behind-the-scenes peek at the amount of harried busy-bodying she was certain her uncles and aunts had participated in in order to make their children’s betrothals as fortuitous for the dynasty as possible.
And so, it was with a conflicted heart but determined mind that Nadevia looked up from her PADD to smile at the stoic Vulcan. She rose from her seat, smoothing her pastel purple dress as she did so.
Virtavi-Yaros: Last I checked, the person in question would indeed be me. ::bows reverently:: And you must be none other than Lieutenant Commander Salkath, yes? Your parents have been in contact. I am delighted to make your acquaintance.
Salkath took the seat opposite that occupied by the Starflirt representative. He still had grave reservations about this meeting, but he was here now and had promised his parents to follow through.
Salkath: I should forewarn you, I am here under protest. I will comply with your requirements, but I doubt that you will find me a forthcoming participant.
Nadevia was certain the Commander had no intentions of his comment coming off as a jest, but she nevertheless found herself slightly amused. In her experience, Vulcans doing anything under ‘protest’ was hardly ever a concern, as they were far too respectable a people to actually start complicating her work. Now, that one time she had to assist a Klingon with their profile? That had been a Flirter who could be called ‘under protest’.
Virtavi-Yaros: I assure you, Lieutenant Commander, such a complication is by no means foreign in my line of work. ::smiles gently:: Within my narrow frame of experience, it has become abundantly clear that Starfleet officers seldom offer their own romantic fulfillment the same unwavering devotion as they do their obligations to the Federation. I confess, however, that it is rather unusual for me to accept a request from well-meaning relatives to assist a potential Flirter, but your parents were most persistent in their entreaties regarding your acceptance into the program.
Salkath: ::squirming uncomfortably:: First, I should ascertain what you have already been instructed to include in my profile. That may determine what I need to add… or correct.
Knowing his parents and their ultra-conservative mindsets, there was a strong possibility that the information they had appended to his profile already would be both unflattering and passive-aggressive. He was not in their ‘good books’ as the saying went, and though he was not vainglorious, he needed to ensure that any potential mate had a well-rounded exposure to his true bearing and self.
Virtavi-Yaros: Your relatives requested that I make note of your well-rounded educational background, as well as make mention of the ::searches for more complimentary word than ‘nonconformist tendencies’:: independent spirit that guided your decision to pursue a career in Starfleet. There are other elements of your disposition that they saw fit to highlight as well, but if you would not be opposed, Commander, I would prefer that we first compose your profile from your own perspective, reflecting your understanding of your own strengths. Once that is accomplished, I may then consider how best to honor your parents’ wishes in this matter.
The Vulcan squirmed uncomfortably.
Salkath: It likely goes without saying, but this process is foreign to me. Would you have suggestions on how I should proceed?
Virtavi-Yaros: Of course. The most crucial information is, without question, a description of your character and your aspirations for the future. In order for a union to be successful, it is vital that both Flirters enter into the transaction with clear minds and no duplicitous intent. Even if the joining of your choosing is but a brief distraction, it is of Starflirt’s opinion that transparency is the key ingredient to a successful first encounter.
Nadevia paused her explanation for a moment, allowing the Commander to form his own opinion regarding the process before continuing.
Salkath: ::after a moment’s consideration:: That is… logical. It would not be prudent or fair to mischaracterize yourself to another wishing certain attributes for companionship. Then you would be the arbiter of truths between two prospective parties?
There was a human term for such a person - referee. Perhaps a StarFlirt representative would act as such between the initial or even subsequent encounters between two individuals. That was appealing to Salkath, and he looked to Nadeiva expectantly.
Virtavi-Yaros: What I provide is a platform to make that initial contact. Please, do not consider me a ‘chaperone’ or a peripheral meddler in your most private dealings. Ultimately, the forger of your own happiness is you, and I am but a facilitator of the first step of that journey. With that point made clear, however, I would request that you consider who the ideal partner for yourself is: not just in terms of preferences regarding species, sex and gender, but also in regards to temperament and career aspirations.
Salkath: That is fair. I have prepared an exhaustive list of my life and career experiences, in bullet form for brevity and sorted in chronological order. Perhaps this can be appended to my profile as I consider the attributes I would find amenable in the other party?
The PADD he slid across the table had a list on it that would scroll endlessly long if one bothered to peruse it. ‘Brevity’ was subjective, of course, and this particular Vulcan probably thought he was doing Virtavi-Yaros a favor. Why, he didn’t even include his daily dietary choices! Only those meals of particular note, every couple of weeks or so over his six decade lifespan.
Nadevia considered herself something of an excellent poker player, but even her carefully maintained facade of gentle professionalism cracked slightly at how many times she could scroll down the page and still not have reached the half-way point.
Virtavi-Yaros: It is indeed... Exhaustive.
She rolled her slender shoulders slightly, the large bows on either side ruffling with the movement.
Virtavi-Yaros: I appreciate your thoroughness, Commander, but it behooves us to also consider the legibility of your profile for interested parties. While I realize that the extent of your preparations is an expression of your commendable ethics in regards to transparency, all research indicates that excessive information prior to the establishment of reciprocated interest is likely to shun the interest of even the most persistent of courters. ::indicates several passages of text:: In the interest of circumventing this issue, might I suggest that these passages be shortened?
It was a good thing Vulcans could not look crestfallen.
Salkath: Though it would then be incomplete, I can narrow down my accomplishments significantly. I have also completed a short list of attributes I would wish to request of potential suitors.
This time the list was actually short. Not in an ‘oh jeez, this Vulcan can really ramble on’ short, but a true to form short.
Virtavi-Yaros: That is indeed concise. There is truly nothing more that you seek in a potential partner?
Salkath: I am requesting Vulcan, female, primarily in Starfleet. ::pause:: That is superfluous, perhaps? This is a Starfleet oriented program, so accordingly one needs to be in Starfleet to participate, no?
Virtavi-Yaros: Your assumption would be correct, Commander. However, since it is a fleet-wide service, I recommend you also give due consideration to whether physical separation is a problem for you in terms of the dating process. Some Flirters do not consider it uncomfortable for the initial encounters to be holosuite encounters by subspace, but others prefer to be stationed in the same or an adjacent region to their partner.
Salkath: ::nodding:: Understood. It is also important that any potential match not be betrothed. I am not interested in becoming a champion for somebody’s koon-ut-kal-if-fee.
Even in this day and age, the custom of ritual combat for Vulcan affections still occurred, and serious injury or even death was still a possibility. Vulcan idiosyncrasies were enough to make any respectable sociologist’s head spin. Salkath had avoided such a ritual when he broke his own betrothal, and he was not intending to get embroiled in someone else’s.
Virtavi-Yaros: Ah, yes, I am familiar with the custom. I will make a note of this.
She really wished Vulcans would stop considering their previous betrothals an illogical element to include in their Starflirt profiles. This was a service aimed at forging lasting memories and connections for Starfleet personnel, not for young Vulcans to purposefully prompt a violent separation ritual through unwitting scapegoats!
Salkath: Thank you. ::perusing the proposed profile a little longer:: I believe this should suffice. Were there any other factors to discuss before the enrollment process is complete?
Though it sounded like the Vulcan was trying to prematurely end the encounter, he was actually just considering what else could possibly be included in such a prospective sheet for potential suitors. To his inexperienced eye, it looked complete - if not abbreviated more than he initially thought it should be - and painted a fairly accurate picture of him. Salkath had to give a nod to Starflirt’s choice of ambassador for their program on the Artemis; though the Kantare representative dressed extravagantly, she displayed enough wit and professionalism to placate even this logical old sourpuss.
Virtavi-Yaros: Your parents forwarded a concise list of individuals from Vulcan who could be considered as ‘character witnesses’, in case any prospective betrothals wished a firmer understanding of your character. ::hands over list:: Do you harbor any reservations regarding this list’s inclusion in your profile? Or perhaps have any amendments you should like made?
As he perused the list, his eyebrow crawled further and further upwards. He looked to Nadevia as if to confirm whether the list was compiled in jest or not. The expectant look on her face, lacking any non-verbal tells of humor, confirmed to him that the list was indeed genuine. He should not have been surprised. These were all traditionalists, those in the same or an orbiting social circle of his parents, and would no doubt share and espouse critical observations about Salkath’s accomplishments and life and career choices. Perhaps they meant to attempt an effort to reform their son through the threat of social stigma. Were he also traditional, living under the auspices of Vulcan society, perhaps the fear of being conveyed as a pariah would cow him. It was yet another example of how little they understood him now.
Salkath: My parents compiled this list to persuade me to object. These character witnesses will no doubt convey negative traits of mine influenced by my mother’s and father’s perception of me. However, I believe this will be an effective filter. Those who value superficial Vulcan traits will be dissuaded from a match, and that is to my benefit. Those who recognize the ruse and are willing to see past the objections of stodgy parents and their propagandists will likely be a suitable match. Append the list in its entirety, please.
Oh, the language. Stodgy? Replicate a bar of soap for this unruly Vulcan to chew on. He gave the merest sign of a smirk to Virtavi-Yaros from across the table. She would be an accomplice to his rebelliousness, wittingly or otherwise. Perhaps this whole dating endeavor would not be as tedious as he had originally thought.
END
Nadevia Virtavi-Yaros
Starflirt Representative
USS Artemis-A
As simmed by
LT Gila Sadar
Medical Officer
USS Artemis-A
A240006GS1