Officers Forsyth, Halloway, Nis, Saa, Caras, Tasen, Morton, Johnson - JOPA - Party like an Orion, Pt. 1
Jania Nis
Part 1: Arrival
(Shuttle Bay, Deck 5, USS Octavia E. Butler)
It was Davaara, an Orion festival. In the hushed whispers and secret coded PADD messages Lieutenant Jania Nis used to organize JOPA events, the crew had decided to surprise Lieutenant Morro Caras with a Davaara-themed JOPA meeting.
To pull the metaphorical wool over Morro’s eyes was not exactly the hardest task in the universe, but it required an excuse to put him in Orion holiday garb. The easiest way had been to tell Morro the JOPA theme was “holidays of the galaxy” and allow everyone to dress in species-appropriate regalia. Jania was happy to do this, anyway, since it reduced the chance that someone would accidentally wear something culturally offensive. Most of her knowledge of Orion culture came from holomovies made in Federation territory, and she’d been told those were … not always the best representations.
Anyway, dressing up was a good way to distract herself from thoughts of a certain Andorian jerk whose name would never again emerge from her lips. There were few things Jania enjoyed more than choosing northern Trill ceremonial regalia, especially the dangling metal headdresses, which sort of chimed with a soft, trickling tone like a babbling brook the whole time she wore them. Wasn’t much to do with her hair in this sort of headdress, just pin it up. She also wore a necklace composed of a thousand aluminum crescent moons, and beneath the heavy jewelry, she wore a dark blue robe with flower prints on it. The prints had been embroidered by her father, so naturally they were excessively detailed, complete with insects nibbling on the petals.
Since there was a space-related component to this event, Jania had taken the risk of hosting in the Butler’s shuttle bay. She’d filed an official form for the meeting of the poetry association with Captain Rouiancet, so no one would bother them unless there was some sort of emergency, and if that happened, their little party would likely be the least of people’s concerns.
Lieutenant Alex Forsyth entered the shuttle bay.
Alex entered the shuttlebay, dressed in a simple black jumper and red tartan trousers. She saw Nis waiting for her and noticed how fancy she looked, a concern that she might have misunderstood the dress code.
Nis: whispering in her best secret agent tone :: Is the package en route?
Forsyth: Package?
Nis: Oh, sorry. Like, Morro. Is he on his way?
Forsyth: He should be here……now::Nothing happens::....now.
Instead of Morro, two other men arrived together. They were close in height, just two inches between them, and they sported very similar builds. Their differences were their careers and their species. The first was an already inducted member of JOPA, brought on board because his friend Lhandon made sure that he would join in. At first, he was hesitant, but the Bajoran, Per’cel Jer-Legrand—or Percy, as he’s known to his friends—quickly grew to like this group. The second was a newbie to JOPA. Link Jenson had similar hair to Percy, but he was distinguished by being the shorter of the pair, and his eyeballs were black, showing his half-Betazoid heritage.
Jer-Legrand: Come on, Link, you’ll enjoy it.
Link sighed.
Jenson: I guess so.
And Percy smiled.
Jer-Legrand: You guess? Come on, I’ll introduce you. You don’t have to dive in - just take it at your pace.
As always, Percy spoke calmly and considered his words before he spoke. He sported his Monegasque accent as per the norm, and he articulated his words clearly.
Nis: Good evening, Percy, glad you could make it.
Jer-Legrand: Thank you for having us. I’ve brought someone along, this is Link.
As Percy introduced Link, Jania bit her tongue to avoid showing her nervousness. The last time she’d seen Link, she knew she’d annoyed him, and she wasn’t sure if Percy had thought to mention she’d be at the meeting. Well, her mother said if things got awkward, smile, so she did.
Nis: We’ve met. Good to see you again, Lance Corporal Jensen.
Jensen: Likewise.
He spoke with no extra passion or effort.
Nis: We appreciated your gusto despite your injury that day in sickbay, and we’re happy to have you at a JOPA meeting finally. Please relax and enjoy yourself. This is a safe space.
Jensen: I…thank you.
Jer-Legrand: Doctor, do you mind if we have a little chat?
Nis: Of course.
Although she would prefer if they’d have their chat after hellos were already taken care of, since she felt jerked in twelve directions at once every time someone new entered. Still, she smiled and accompanied him aside.
Percy moved them both just a little further away, out of earshot of Link.
Jer-Legrand: Don’t mind Link, he’s not doing good. I think what’s happening with Corporal O’Reily has hit him real hard.
Nis: It certainly changed things in sickbay. We didn’t know the corporal well, but some of the nurses seem pretty hard-hit by it. :: swallowing and touching her healed-up cheek :: It’s always tough when the reality of the danger of this job hits you. But we’re glad you brought him.
Jer-Legrand: Yeah, it’s all good. I just figured he might benefit from having some good people around him.
Nis: Absolutely.
Meanwhile, as Percy was explaining the situation, Link was left to his own devices.
Morton: oO Well I’m here. Oo
No one was more surprised about it than she was. She’d already run through a good dozen excuses and scenarios to explain why she hadn’t made it. Prepared herself in case anyone had missed her presence; not that anyone would. Why would they? She fidgeted with her long gloves. They were beautiful and much silkier than the usual pair of gloves she kept in her pocket and wore sparingly. The only person who might have missed her presence would be the one who’d invited her here, and it was hardly an exclusive invite. What’s one missing face among… all these? There were certainly more people here than she had anticipated. Were these all junior officers, or were they pretty loose about letting old members in? Well, she had a choice - be the shrinking wallflower and stick to the edges of the room. Nah. She had made the effort to get dressed so nicely! And she had come here precisely to meet people - it was the first chance she’d had since coming aboard to truly meet people off-duty. There was really only one thing she could do.
Morton: oO Time to go find the most interesting person in the room! Oo
With a mission in mind, she weaved through the gathering crowd of people. She had no problem inserting herself in a group if she wanted. She quickly spotted a young man with dark brown hair, though fairer than hers. Intrigued by his choice of garments - it felt like they’d visited the same clothier as the vibes seemed similar.
Morton: Hello! I’m Vala - joined the crew only recently. Thought I’d introduce myself.
Her voice was strong and confident, and she was bursting with joy, as though she thought she could form a new friendship by sheer force of enthusiasm.
Jenson: Oh. Hello.
Link used to be known as someone who would bounce around the ship like a frog that had been given a Core Breach energy drink, but he didn’t feel like it. He couldn’t muster the physical or mental energy needed. The Betazoid/Human just wanted to be left alone.
She didn’t bother offering him a handshake as she didn’t know if he was aware she was a Haliian. Even if he was aware, did he know about their touch empathy? Vala had grown up in a colony with a large human settlement and knew as well as anyone else how some non-empaths felt uncomfortable around them - even when they weren’t even touching anyone! For that reason, Vala wore gloves when in close proximity to others so that she wouldn’t pick up their feelings should there be any inadvertent contact. She tugged the top of her left glove as if trying to pull it up, but it was already secure. Vala was undeterred by his seemingly lukewarm response. Maybe he was just shy.
Morton: Well… it’s nice to meet you…
Jenson: I’m Lance Corporal Jenson. :beat: I go by Link.
oO So this is JOPA huh? What’s it all about? Oo
She looked around, at the setting, at the people gathered and the clothes they wore. Maybe Link could give her more context, he had probably been around awhile. Maybe been to a few more of their… whatevers.
Morton: So, what’s this all about?
Link nodded and replied suspiciously. As he spoke, he seemed to radiate sadness, like something deep within him was crying. On the outside, he seemed fine, if just a little reserved. In addition to a flowing blue outfit that Percy helped replicate based on Link’s heritage, his leather gloves had made a return.
Jenson: I don’t know. Percy brought me along, he said I’d enjoy it.
If he was enjoying himself, it was a secret between him and his heart because Vala wasn’t getting much indication of that so far. She nodded along.
Morton: And are you enjoying it?
Jenson: I guess so.
Percy and Nis continued their conversation just out of earshot when Percy glanced to see that Link was talking to a science officer. It took him a moment, but he recognised her as the science officer who helped out in the Operations Centre to get them home.
Jer-Legrand: It is horrible to see him like this
Nis: It is, but at least he’s here. At least he’s speaking to people. :: peering over her shoulder :: Do you think they’re having a good chat?
Jer-Legrand: I can’t tell…he is making a friend. Don’t look. Don’t make it obvious.
Nis: No, but Morton’s great. They’re going to be besties, we’re sure.
Percy nodded.
Jer-Legrand: I hope so, it will be good for him to get out of this hole he’s mellowing in.
Nis: Has he seen anyone in counselling about it? We can get him an appointment scheduled.
Jer-Legrand: No, he refuses to go to see a counsellor. I’ve half a mind to order him to do so, but that might make things worse.
She nodded. She’d heard of people reacting that way to counselling, especially men, and especially marine men. Jania herself wasn’t the biggest fan of it, but that was because Trill counselling so often involved confronting dead hosts.
Nis: We certainly won’t ask him. He already seemed annoyed with us for the way we made him … sit still and heal comfortably instead of running around sickbay. But it might not be a bad idea to make an order of it. Did he get off the ship this shore leave?
Jer-Legrand: I don’t think he has. I hardly speak to the Marines.
Link and Vala continued talking. Link knew he shouldn’t be that short, and he sighed.
Jenson: I’m sorry for being so short.
Morton: ::With a twinkle in her eye:: Not at all. I’m the one who’s short.
At 5”2’, she was pretty small; he must have had a good 6 inches on her. Of course, she knew that wasn’t what he meant and gave him a goofy grin.
Despite Jenson’s entire being leaning to the opposite, a small laugh came out from him, and for just a second, a smile appeared on his face.
Jenson: I mean….I’m ::beat:: That was a good one.
Morton: Would you like to get a drink?
Link sighed somewhat, he really wanted to, yet part of him just wanted to go back to his rack and sleep. Sleep was good, sleep was quiet. He fidgeted a little with his gloves before part of the old Link came back.
Jenson: Alright, we can do that.
Vala and Link soon found their way to the table of drinks that Nis had laid out as host.
Another guest arrived, and with so many new members, Jania felt it was her duty to make sure each was comfortable at their entrance. She pouted sympathetically at Jer-Legrand before excusing herself and darting off to say hello.
Clara was next to arrive, she wore a long green woollen jumper dress and knee-high boots. This was her first time hanging with Alex's other friends, she had met a few like Sevantha.
Halloway: Hey, everyone….
Clara gave a little wave and a weak smile, still unsure about being here.
Nis: Hello, Ensign Halloway. We hear you’re a friend of Alex’s. Welcome to the poetry club. You did bring a poem to share, right?
The Irish woman looks at the CMO with a confused expression.
Halloway: N-No, was I meant to?
Nis: Just kidding, of course. The main goal of JOPA is to make sure junior officers are protected from overreach by their superiors, so if you’re having trouble with a superior officer, and you’ve tried resolving it through normal channels, you let us know, okay?
Jania said it, but she filed away “legitimate poetry night” as a future theme.
Halloway: Oh, I think I've heard of this.
Forsyth: Yeah, we didn’t really have this back on Denali.
Nis: We’ve heard rumors of other JOPAs, but … anyway, the secondary goal is to prank the heck out of your senior officers. It’s important to keep them on their toes.
Forsyth: :: point to Clara:: You're dealing with the pranking queen, got up all sorts of mischief back at the Academy
Halloway: I do love a good prank, remember that one we pulled on Ivash.
Forsyth: Yeah, the bucket above the door trick.
Nis: Oooh, you’ll have to tell us how that one went down later for sure.
Saa: ::Distant Voice:: Morro, I think I lost a few flowers from my crown back there, could you check?
Caras: ::Distant Voice:: Sure!
The petite Betazoid rushed into the shuttle bay with a bowl of air-dried flower petal crisps quickly, her bell-sleeved robe with floral embroidery whipping behind her like a cape as she moved. They were later than she had wanted to be, but she’d been terribly indecisive on what to wear and ultimately had to settle on a spring white and floral midriff with solid white flowing pants made out of the same material as the cape but entirely opaque. A few flowers were woven into a modest crown, and the excess woven into her wavy hair.
Saa: He’s outside! ::whispered yelling:: Sorry, we were caught up.
Halloway: I was only giving a little bit of the plan. I don’t know the full details.
Nis: Our two goals were to one, surprise Morro, and two, not do anything extremely culturally insensitive.
Forsyth: Has he caught on?
Saa: No, he has no idea still.
Forsyth: That's good.
Saa: If there was any festivity to have to say goodbye to JOPA in, I’m glad it’s this one.
Nis: Oh by the caves, we forgot you were leaving! How are we going to plan these without you!?
Halloway: Aww, that's a shame.
Forsyth: Does Morro know about this?
Sevantha gave a little shake of her head.
Saa: No, it’s been a planned surprise
Forsyth: Say, has anyone seen Lahl?
If what Nis and Saa said about the festival was true, then Alex was looking forward to sharing this with Kim.
Lahl: I’m right here, babe.
Kimonzi popped up next to her girlfriend. She had snuck in through a back entrance to the Shuttle Bay when she saw that Morro had been at the front. If they were going to surprise him, she couldn’t be seen walking around in her traditional garb. She was dressed in a white dress with grey flowers sewn into it, with a purple braided rope coming down from just below the neckline, with three blue and white flowers attached near the top. Over the whole thing, she wore a sheer pink shawl, and she had stopped at the onboard salon in order to obtain a wig that would allow her to have a traditional hairstyle. Unfortunately, it had made her run late.
Forsyth: Ah! ::Jumps:: Don’t sneak up on me like that, babe.
Lahl: Sorry honey, didn’t mean to scare you.
Forsyth: It's alright, you look amazing, I feel a bit underdress now.
Lahl: Don’t worry about it. You look amazing.
Forsyth: Really, thank you.
Kimonzi smiled up at her girlfriend. One of these days, she was going to have to arrange something for her so that she could figure out the proper level of dress no matter where she was going.
Lahl: You’re welcome.
Forsyth: Oh, Jania. Valk has stayed and helped out in engineering tonight, sorry.
Halloway: Shame, I kinda like him…
Alex shot her best friend a look, knowing what Clara liked with dates. She broke the leg of one when she accidentally pushed him down some stairs, he hasn’t forgiven her. Jania also shot her a look. After all, Valk was in love with someone else … and if -that- didn’t work out, surely the Trill deserved first dibs.
Lahl: Well, in my interactions with him, he’s a perfect gentleman. I’ll have to introduce you two.
Alex gave her girlfriend a similar look.
At that point, the doors opened and another body exited. Unfortunately, it was not the man of the hour, but a woman, and certainly one a bit shorter than the special guest. As she stepped through, her eyes swept across the room to take in the inhabitants, calling out -
Z. Johnson: I’m sorry I’m late!
Immediately, a wide smile beamed upon her face as one hand ran down her dress. She had chosen a delicate shade of pastel lavender fashioned in layers of fine tulle, with a skirt that flared out in a classic A-line silhouette, which fell gracefully just above the knee. An overlay adorned with finally embroidered floral appliques danced over the surface of the skirt, each petal and vine delicately stitched in matching tones to create a subtle three-dimensional texture. Most of the embellishments concentrated along the bodice, then cascaded softly down into the skirt, giving it more movement and depth.
The bodice itself snugly fit her form and hugged her curves. Its neckline was sculpted into a flattering sweetheart decolletage. Off-the-shoulder straps constructed from ruffled lace added a touch of romance and charm. A pair of matching heels elongated the lengths of her legs, giving an illusion of height. Zarah’s voluminous curls, pulled back in a half-up due, poured over her shoulders and bounced lightly with every step. She was certainly ready for a party.
Forsyth: Welcome, Cadet.
Another figure quickly darted into the shuttlebay, a bowl held against her abdomen as she paused for a moment as her gaze swept the shuttlebay. Gwen’ora stood in a light green flowing dress that had lace attached to the bottom of the dress. If it wasn’t for the light brown belt, it would be such a large dress on her but the sinching of the belt mixed with the matching high brown boots made Gwen feel like she was dressed for a dance outside of a Ba’ku settlement.
The Ba’ku woman smiled nervously as she hurried and joined Sevan briefly at the potluck table as she sat down her chopped and dried out fruits and veggies. Some common veggies others a bit less common as they were Ba’ku vegetables. With a grin Sevan’s way, she looked back out at the others in the shuttlebay as she moved into the crowd.
Sevantha had moved to take over helping arrange the potluck table arranging the appetizers to one side, the meals in the center and the deserts brought on the end. Suddenly she perked up.
Caras: oO I Think i found all of them, Sevantha. Your hair will look stunning again! Oo
Saa: ~~Thank you for collecting them, Morro.~~ ::hushed call out:: He’s on his way!
Nis: Shhh, shh, everyone quiet!
Zarah had just arrived, but at Sevantha’s and Jania’s warning, she immediately hurried deeper into the room and took up a position so she wouldn’t be the first thing the next person through the doors would see.
Forsyth: Here we go….
Morro had finally collected all of the flowers that had dropped from Sevantha’s hair. They were seemingly going on a date together. She had asked him to wear his traditional clothing, and she was wearing hers, but why were they going to the Shuttlebay and not the holodeck? She must have run ahead for some reason. It wasn’t an uncommon occurrence that Sevantha would tease him with their psychic link asking him to come find her.
The entryway to the shuttle bay opened as Morro walked up to it, it was dark inside for some reason, it put Morro a little on edge. He poked his head into the giant dark bay.
Caras: Hello? Sevantha? I found them, are you in here?
The voice called out as the doors parted, revealing the Orion engineer they all knew and loved.
While replying telepathically to Morro, she quickly gestured with her hands to support Jania’s direction to everyone to set places. Spinning about, she prepared herself for the greeting as he walked in.
Everyone: “Happy Davaara and Birthday Morro!!”
Morro Caras let out a little frightened squeak, then it turned into a laugh, first a small one, then a belly laugh.
Caras: Wow. I thought this was the poetry reading, guess we really went all out for it. Thank you all so much.
Morro Caras beamed, a lot of his friends were here. He had never celebrated his birthday before. They didn’t really celebrate birthdays like that where he was from and they didn’t use the same calendar as Earth for a time standard. The Davaara part was a surprise. He had shared the three Davaaras he had attended throughout his childhood with Sevantha.
Z.Johnson: Happy Davaaraslashbirthday!
Zarah called out, joining in the congratulations with the others.
Lahl: Happy Davaara Morro! And thank you for sharing this with us.
Forsyth: What do you think?
Sevantha approached to take a few of the purposely dropped flowers from his hand.
Caras: I would say these are fairly accurate! Or acceptable, there is no real accuracy, every Davaara i’ve been to has been slightly different.
That was a bit of fascinating news to Zarah, who hoped Morro could shed some light on the rather mysterious culture of Orions. While some aspects were known, she also understood how woefully inadequate her education about them was.
Saa: …I am sorry for hiding this, but also, I am not. ::taking the flowers:: You will need to guide us in this, most of our first times.
Caras: You don’t have to apologize! You know I like surprises, this is so fun.
Morro assisted with putting the flowers back in Sevantha’s hair. Watching, Zara noted the way the two interacted with a glint in her eye.
Alex noted something different between Morro and Sevantha, but was unsure if she understood it correctly.
oO probably nothing…Oo
Saa: …Jania may be the mistress of ceremonies and host, but you’re our guide Morro.
Just then, Alex saw Percy and took this as a chance to introduce him to Clara.
Forsyth: Percy! Over here, I want you to meet my friend, Clara.
Halloway: Um, Hello.
Clara was happy to meet some of Alex's friends, but she just wanted to drink.
Jer-Legrand: Hi. Hello.
Percy held out his hand, the most amount of extraversion one will ever see from him
Halloway: Nice to meet you, Percy.
Clara shook his hand.
Wandering over to where food and drinks lay spread over a table, Zarah plucked a glass of drink and peered at it. From the looks of it, it was possibly wine. Maybe champagne. Was it? Glancing around, she decided not to ask, but innocently walked over to grab a plate of food and sipped on her glass. The party could now begin in earnest.
Lieutenant. JG Alex Forsyth
Tactical
USS Octavia E Butler
&
Ensign Clara Halloway
Tactical
USS Octavia E Butler
D239910AF1
Lieutenant (Junior Grade) Jania Nis
Acting Chief Medical Officer of Physical Health
USS Octavia E. Butler NCC-82850
O240108JN2
she/her/they/their (character accepts either); he/his (player)
"Let your heart guide your hand."
Counselor
Acting CMO of Mental Health
USS Octavia E. Butler
A240105SS2
Lieutenant JG Morro Caras
Acting Chief of Exterior Systems and Propulsion
USS Octavia E. Butler
O240106MC1
he/him/his (player/character)
Lieutenant JG Gwen'ora Tasen
Science Officer
USS Octavia E Butler, NCC-82850
A240105GT2
Ensign Vala Morton
Science Officer
USS Octavia E Butler NCC-82850
O240205VM3
Zarah Johnson
Z L
Part Two: The illuminations of blessings & the feast
Nis: Okay, so we have here some colored candles … Morro, can you explain this?
Along with everyone else, Zarah gathered around, her eyes curiously falling upon the candles in question. Uncertain of what they meant, a state everyone, save Morro, seemed to possess, she listened eagerly to the man, even as she let her gaze drift from person to person. Most of those who qualified for JOPA were there, and she was certain those who weren’t likely hated missing the party. Although she was late thanks to school, she counted herself fortunate that she could attend. Letting her gaze drift back to Morro, she followed his explanation with great interest.
Caras: Sure. Each color represents a type of relationship. You pick five of the strongest relationships you’ve had since your last Davaara. Since we’ve never had one here, it would probably be since the launching of this ship, or since you joined Starfleet. It’s not really set in stone, it’s a very casual celebration.
Zarah: How interesting.
Tasen: So it’s about remembrance and celebration of that…this is a neat tradition.
Candles featured heavily in many cultures. In certain religions on both Earth and Bajor, candles were lit as people spoke prayers for the dead, and sometimes the living. Sometimes, candles were used to guide spirits to the afterlife - at least, according to those respective cultures. In others, they were used to ward them away. This, however, was a unique spin on their usage.
Caras: The wax can differ, traditionally it was made from Blazzard “wax”, which is flammable and different additives are made to make it change color. When I was on The Gambit, we used a synthetic wax that burned for a really long time, and didn’t stink. It looks like colored candles this time which is perfectly acceptable.
Nis: Flammable … wax? That seems like a bad idea.
Morro used “wax” because saying what it actually was might turn them away from the whole ordeal. Wax was good enough.
Forsyth: So what do the colours mean?
Halloway: Yes, I’m a bit curious about this.
Morro Caras pulled up a PADD with the meaning of each color and transferred the data to all of the other PADDs in the room. He handed one of the PADDs over to Alex and Clara. Since Zarah hadn’t brought hers, she scooted over to another JOPA member and smiled a silent request. Once given permission, she leaned over to read the screen.
Evidently, the ‘ceremony’ was called the illumination of blessings. Everyone received a five-pronged Otet, or candelabra, and each would take a dab of wax to represent a relationship they wished to acknowledge since their last Davaara, which could include not just people, but pets and even places. If the person was present, they might be asked to light the wax. Since it was Zarah’s first, it was an entirely new experience. Shifting, the girl continued reading through the explanation, which included a list of colours and what they represented.
Yellow - A relationship that is central to your being, usually of family or home, typically given to friends, children, parents, and sometimes spouses or housekeepers.
Green - A relationship of enemies. Usually, this person is not present. Green is the color of Orion blood. This is usually someone the person wishes ill against.
Blue - A relationship of lust or an unrequited crush. Someone you have spent a lot of time thinking of, but are not really attached to them as a full-time romantic partner.
Pink - A relationship of learning. Usually reserved for student/teacher relationships or mentorships.
Purple - A relationship of entertainment/spiritual fulfillment. Usually reserved for favorite musicians, poets, writers, and other artists.
Red - a business relationship, a relationship you treasure because of the prosperity it brought you.
Orange - A rivalry or competitive relationship, one that pushes you to be better.
White - A romantic partnership, something that brought you fulfillment with romantic love.
All in all, it was a lovely idea, and she was eager to participate.
Caras: They don’t all have to be different colors. They can even be all the same. We once had a Ferengi on board that did books. I forget his real name, because everyone called him Red. At his first Davaara he only had red wax on his otet.
Saa: …sounds rather expected.
Forsyth: So pick the one that suits us.
Caras: Most Otet are supposed to be colorful. A lot of Orion pride themselves on the varied connections in life. Having a colorful Otet is important because it shows people you have varied relationships that you treasure. An Orion with too much of one color might be seen as a little bit of a… loser. Too much blue or too much green really says a lot about you, and might keep people away. But if you’ve got all different colors, it really paints a picture of you as a balanced person, and makes you interesting.
As Caras dispensed the information he quickly made his Otet. Yellow, white, red, pink, and orange. His hand hovered over green for a moment, but there was none of the previous he cared to replace with his thoughts of Z’Mat. They were more important than her in his life, and he at least had his priorities straight.
That was even more fascinating. Although not religious, Zarah enjoyed learning about other cultures, but that particular version had no religious undercurrents thus far, and it was a really neat way to visually represent the relationships in one’s life.
Nis: We don’t have to … admit who is who, do we?
Saa: A good question.
Caras: Not at all. People are free to ask, but the usual response for when someone asks “who is the pink for?” or “who is the blue for?” is “someone special”. Part of the fun is actually trying to read the room on who it might be, or watch that person that evening and see who approaches them, or socially engineering using rumors or browbeating.
Alex picked up a white candle, looking over to Lahl.
Forsyth: Got one for you, just need to think about the rest.
Lahl: Same for you babe.
Kimonzi picked up a white one for Alex, putting the wax in the middle of the five pronged Otet. Then, she thought about Morro and Jania, grabbing two yellow ones since that was the closest to her friendships with them. Then…she grabbed a green one for Bezelbun. Even if he was on the other side of the galaxy, she still considered him an enemy, and while she didn’t necessarily wish him ill, she wouldn’t be said if she heard he stubbed his toe or similar. Finally, she grabbed a pink one for Lhandon and his flying lessons for her.
Zarah pondered over the colours and their meanings as she accepted an otet for herself. Since there was a list, she elected to go in that order. First, yellow, wax to represent her mother. Carefully, she added the first colour to her otet.
While everyone was putting together their otet, Caras went over to the replicator. He had actually been working on a recipe recently that was perfect for this scenario. He replicated an entire tray of the traditional dish of baked snails. He had been doing his best with working with Lhandon and a few others on the ship to culinarily recreate one of the best Orion recipes he had growing up. Crispy shell, soft gooey inside, perfect savory flavor. The only earth dish that he had ever had that came close to it, was miniature mince pies. He took the tray and set it over on one of the tables set out. Caras lit his Otet and sat and grabbed a snail for himself.
Caras: Don’t forget this is also a feast, replicate your traditional food and place it out front next to your otet on the table.
Quietly, Sevantha moved to select her choice of wax. A dab of white, a dab of pink, a dab of yellow, a dab of red, and a dab of orange. With meticulous care, she fitted them to the Otet and in the order one found them on a color wheel in art class. She wanted more yellows, so many yellow dabs, but she wasn’t about to earn some variation of yellow or gold for a nickname after having Goldie last mission.
Peering over her shoulder, Jania followed in line after her.
Nis: Soo, who’s your white?
oO Please say Morro please say Morro Oo
Flustered a little, Sevantha looked at the white wax, then back to Jania.
Saa: …A familiar face.
She teased gently before her eyes flicked up towards the green man in black and then back down to her waxes. Sevantha didn’t want to be so coy, but it’d been the agreement they’d come to. No title, no expectation, just exploration for now.
Well, she should have expected that answer. But Jania was genuinely curious about her friend, not just rooting for info for her infamous spreadsheet. She also wanted to know who the pink was--who was Sevantha’s mentor? Who pushed her to do better? She decided she would circle back to those a bit later.
As Jania selected her wax, she did the math about six times in her head. She just didn’t have room for everyone she wanted. But she got two yellow dabs, one green, one pink, and one red.
While others already had several colours on their otet, Zarah contemplated the next one. As far as she knew, she had no enemies, and unless they talked about the Borg or something, she didn’t view anyone like that, so she skipped it. Next was blue, but Zarah found herself drawing a blank. Sure, she thought some people were attractive - case in point, Morro - but she didn’t have any romantic feelings for anyone. Beauty was great, but she wanted someone she could connect with, and that just hadn’t happened yet. So, on to the next she went.
Tasen: This is…surprisingly hard to figure out what colors to get. What have your choices been for?
Gwen asked curiously to the person beside her, she was still getting names to faces but still smiled warmly as she stood beside her. Gwen’s own currently empty otet in her hands as she looked between Jania and the wax.
Nis: Two for Mom and Dad. We would just put Dad, but if Mom finds out we didn’t put her, she’ll guilt us about it.
Tasen: What about that one? ::indicating the green::
Nis: Green? Uh … :: with a cynical laugh :: ‘someone special’ ::changing the subject :: Pink is obviously Miash -- -our- Miash, not the altMiash. And red is Dr. Toz.
Gwen nodded her head softly as she looked back at the candles as she studied them for a moment before reaching out. She wouldn’t do the otet from her time on the Butler…it hadn’t been that long yet. But a remembrance for her time since she was out of academy. It was a little over a year, so that should count, right. So, Gwen grabbed a dab of yellow, a dab of pink, a dab of red, a dab of blue, and a dab of orange. With her colors chosen she turned and gave a smile towards Jania.
Halloway looked at the colours, not sure what to pick. Her and Alex's relationship was great, she didn’t have any romances going on and nor did she have many friends.
Halloway: Maybe I should sit this one out…
Saa: ::looking up:: …Do you have people you wish to be friends with?
She didn’t mean to intrude on the woman’s struggle but being both Betazoid and counselor, it was practically a homing beacon for her to take notice of.
Halloway: Well I do want to be friends with all of you guys, but I'm just not sure about myself at the moment..
Saa: …You have been searching for a path outside Tactical, yes? Have you found the station that calls you yet?
As she considered the next colour, pink, which represented a relationship of learning, Zarah couldn’t help but overhear the conversation between Sevantha and Clara. She had no idea that Clara sought to move to a different position outside of tactical!
Halloway: I did enjoy diplomacy. I’m thankful to Commander Nilsen for giving me the chance to continue, and hopefully, I will live up to his expectations.
Saa: Maybe pink for someone within that role to become a mentor figure to you?
Halloway: Well, Nilsen and Loq were very helpful in understanding diplomacy a bit better.
Nilsen was definitely someone Zarah wanted to touch base with more. As a cadet, she was thick in learning all the basic ins and outs of Starfleet, and Diplomacy was one she had to go through the following semester.
Saa: And how about Alex, some of this is to strengthen what is already there.
Halloway: Alex and I are thick as thieves, but I’ll add her to it as well.
Saa: You have potentially two now, three left.
Halloway: Would you like to be friends?
Sevantha blinked once in surprise as Halloway asked. They two had talked a little in the shuttle on the way to Deep Space 14 but it’d been more an introduction and then Sevantha had gotten side-tracked with Morro’s pursuit of the Orion Captain. Still the bluntness of the request surprised her from a human, there was typically oddities about Betazoids that made them more than a little wary.
Saa: If you wish a friendship to form, then I am happy to explore it, if you do not mind… me.
That gave Zarah pause, and though neither of the women paid any attention to her, she couldn’t help but glance over at the Betazoid.
Halloway: Of course, why wouldn’t I mind you?
Saa: Not everyone is comfortable with Betazoids, or well, telepaths in general.
Huh. Interesting.
Halloway: I knew a few Betazoids, even dated one in college, and I understand you can’t stop reading minds.
That was not what Zarah understood about Betazoids. She thought that they received training throughout their lives, and most could control their telepathy, but then again, she wasn’t an expert either. That was definitely something she wanted to learn more about.
Saa: …I appreciate that understanding.
Sevantha didn’t feel the need to correct Halloway, it was controllable for most, she was one of those few who would always struggle. Still Betazoids as a whole tended to make people uncomfortable for their gifts and it was always an aspect that kept her at distance from her previous crew.
Halloway: I’m fine with you, really.
Saa: Well, I am happy to make a new friend today.
Forsyth: So, Lahl, who are you adding to yours?
Lahl: You, Jania, Morro, Bezelbun, and Lhandon.
She pointed to each dab of wax as she read off their names.
Lahl: Who did you add?
Forsyth: I’m adding you, Me Mum, Dad, and of course a few of the crew.
After their chat about each other's previous love life, and the choices they made. Alex wanted to make sure that this one doesn't end up like her one with Lindsey.
Zarah turned away from the conversations and focused back on the matter at hand. Taking some pink wax, she added it to her otet, then considered the purple. Smiling broadly, a certain person did come to mind, and she added another colour to her otet. That was three - she had two more prongs left. The only problem was, Zarah had no financial or profit-based relationships, no rivals that she knew of, and no romantic relationships. So, instead, she added another pink and purple, finishing out her otet. It might not be as varied as some others, but that was perfectly fine with her.
Morro had come around to sample some of the other foods as well as check out some of the otets. Zarah’s caught Morro’s eyes.
Caras: You have two muses!? Depending on the company, it is usually one of the most rare, but I honestly think it’s one of the most important, despite not having it on mine. Who are they, the purple ones… If i might ask.
Caras had done something similar himself for one of his Daavara in the past. He had two sets of muses, the pleasure seekers and the Candle girls.
Z.Johnson: Oh, you can definitely ask.
Zarah had no problem sharing hers. She lifted her otet so the colours were in full view, then pointed to one, although they were really interchangeable, so it didn’t really matter.
Z. Johnson: Sato Hoshi, though most probably remember her as Hoshi Sato. She was Japanese, so really her last name should have been said first, like Bajorans. Anyway, she was an amazing linguist. She spoke eighty-six languages!
Caras: That’s impressive. And quite an inspiration to be motivated by.
Caras only spoke about three languages, and mostly out of necessity before getting a universal translator. He couldn’t imagine knowing what needed to be known to be able to communicate with that many different cultures and people.
Zarah’s finger, which remained hovering over the first purple then slid over to the next purple.
Z. Johnson: This actually represents everyone aboard the Butler. There’s a reason why I wanted to stay on this ship.
Well, the biggest reason was she wanted to stay in the Gamma Quadrant, but Zarah could have always proposed the idea to a different captain in the flotilla. However, that would have meant a different ship, and there was just something about the Butler crew.
Caras: ::laughing:: glad that we can provide you much needed entertainment and inspire and spur you on. I suppose when I look at it that way, we are a pretty colorful cast.
He was glad to know he was part of a group that provided such a level of inspiration to someone. To his knowledge he had never been purple on anyone’s otet before. He felt like it was a privileged position and was happy to share it with the rest of the crew.
Sevantha had slipped to the side of the festivities and taken to simply listening as she sampled a few dishes. Naturally, she’d tried the Orion slug snack first, but the texture was hard to get past. Soon after, she’d tried a Trill dish, and Jania hadn’t been wrong regarding the sweetness. While it had been delicious, her cheeks ached post consumption. So she loaded her plate up with snacks she had brought along with some of the Ba’Ku foods Gwen’ora had brought and happily ate.
Saa: Mmm, Gwen did replicate this or did you find a kitchen? …I missed our snack parties.
Forsyth: Right, I think that I'm ready.
Halloway: Same here, so now what?
Looking over to Forysth and Halloway, Sevantha’s expression radiated with excitement for the part that came next.
Saa: Next we send our desires to the stars.
(To be concluded)