LtCmdr Jovenan – The trope’s called “planet of hats”, yet not that many planets have silly hats
Jovenan
((Sacred Marketplace, Ferenginar))
Jovenan had learnt a lot about Commander Munro that day. She had already known her as a skilled officer and someone she could imagine on the central seat of her own ship. Meanwhile, the outing to the busiest and the most hallowed sites of the Ferengi society had revealed personal details she would have taken years to learn, if ever. Observing her was an effective method, but nothing could beat just asking it straight. However, when Commander Munro turned the question about her daughter’s father back at Jovenan to ask about her boyfriend, she could tell that that line of questioning might be better saved to another day. As for her own boyfriend…
Jovenan: Oh, that would be Vitor. Um, Commander Silveira.
Munro: Ah :: nods agreeably :: I see the appeal.
Jovenan: Yeah. ::chuckles:: We’ve known each other since I joined the Excalibur a bit over three years ago, but we’ve been dating for just short of a year… officially at least. Apparently, some of our colleagues had conspired to get us together for months before that.
The queue to the stall grew shorter. Jovenan wondered if people around them were listening to her. Her and Vitor’s relationship was not exactly a Starfleet confidential information, but she felt awkward about unfamiliar people possibly getting to know her personal matters. Perhaps it was silly of her, a habit she should have learnt out of and be proud of her life… some day. Now, they were at the top of the queue, and Munro was making the order for them.
Munro: Sometimes two people need a little nudge. And how is it going then?
It was indeed the little nudges that they had needed – as much privacy she would have wanted, it would have taken ages if certain crewmembers had respected that. After paying for the two boiling hot drinks, the two officers gave way to the next people waiting for their turns and walked off. The cup conducted some of the heat of the deep red liquid to her hands and warmed them. It was the little extra comfort in the chilly and rainy day she needed.
Jovenan: Vitor keeps giving me all sorts of lovely gifts and surprises. He says he doesn’t expect me to give anything in return, but I want to make him as happy as he makes me. That’s why I want to buy something for him. ::sips drink:: Mm, this is delicious! Mulled wine, was it? Is it an Earth drink or something local?
The drink was too hot to drink more than a small sip at a time. It made it difficult to say much about the taste at first, but she could taste something fruity, something spicy and something that resembled synthehol but was a bit more… tangy? She couldn’t describe it, she was far from a connoisseur in these matters. Taking another sip, she felt the blood-red drink warm her from the inside.
Munro: I'm sure it's an Earth drink. It's my first time though :: looks around :: Does it make me a bad human if this is the first Christmas market I've been to?
A bad human? Jovenan was yet to meet a “bad human”. Humans were one of those species with an amazing variety of immensely rich cultures and no single way of being. She had enough experience about being a bad Edo to know that Munro was not a bad human.
Jovenan: No, not at all! ::pause, looks around:: I wonder how universal they’ve got the experience anyway. Were there events like this on your homeworld?
Munro: I don't know, I never knew of any when I lived there. :: nods ahead :: Does Vitor suit hats?
That would have been an oddly specific question had Jovenan not spotted the specialised stall soon after. A Boslic merchant had a selection of various types of headwear, from Ferengi headdresses and human caps to Grazerite cowls. Starfleet uniform allowed little variation – cultural and religious exemptions considered, of course – so Jovenan had seen very few of her human colleagues don anything more than a headband for their hair. Off-duty clothes had more interesting combinations, although she couldn’t remember off the top of her head if any of her friends had worn any headgear… well, besides a Mizarian former colleague of hers.
Jovenan: Hmm, I don’t remember him ever wearing one.
Munro: Maybe the Captain would appreciate a hat? I can see her in a top hat.
Jovenan: Like those Earth dignitaries wore during the, um, pre-World War III era? I guess that would be fitting.
Jovenan wasn’t sure where Captain MacKenzie would wear one. She hadn’t seen the Captain in off-duty clothes too often, and then in dresses on Risa or at her family residence on Earth. But, as she was starting to believe, the point of buying gifts wasn’t necessarily finding something that the person needed or would have acquired themselves – they could always just replicate such things on their own – but something that they appreciated. Would the Captain appreciate a top hat? It felt like something fun. She saw potential in fun gifts.
Munro: Response
The half-full/half-empty cup of mulled wine in her hand, Jovenan walked over to the hat stall with the Commander. The salesperson, dressed in what looked like a formal outfit, touched the brim of their hat when the two officers reached the stall.
Hat vendor: Good afternoon, ladies. Are you perhaps looking for a present to a friend?
Jovenan glanced at Munro. How did they know? Did they look that much like Christmas market tourists, or did they look like people who wouldn’t have worn hats themselves?
Jovenan: Yes, yes we are!
Hat vendor: Splendid. What type of headwear are you looking for?
Munro: Response
Looking around, Jovenan studied the variety of different kinds of hats. Some were simple cloths tied around the head or whichever extremities one may have around in that general area, while some were elaborate and perhaps held cultural significance that she wasn’t aware of. One hat was bell-shaped with thin brim but had a thick ribbon to it. Another was made of felt and had a wide brim and creased crown.
Jovenan: I like the idea of a top hat. She also likes racing, but I don’t know if there are hats associated in that sports… ::points at cowboy hat:: What’s this?
Munro: Response
----
Lieutenant Commander Jovenan
Chief Science Officer
USS Artemis-A
E239911J11