Lieutenant Commander Lael Rosek: Friendly Chat
Lael Rosek
((Officer's Mess, Deck 11, USS Chin’toka))
{{Time Index: Day 27 of Shoreleave - Early Evening)}}
Rosek: ::shakes her head:: Nothing that can’t wait until in the morning. ::smirks:: I have the feeling that Dr. Snow is eagerly awaiting your return.
Lephi: Good call, Commander.
As the young Ferengi wandered off to rejoin her date for the evening, her gaze fell on one of the new arrivals, a Vulcan if she wasn’t mistaken. After trading her glass of champagne for a mug of Al-Leyan spiced tea at the bar, she approached the young woman with a warm smile and offered the ta’al.
Rosek: Sochya eh dif, Ot-lan (Peace and long life, Lieutenant.)
Levinson: Dif-tor heh smusma, Tra-lan. (Live long and prosper, Lieutenant Commander.) Your Vulcan is well. Where did you learn the language?
Rosek: ::inclines her head and smiles:: I spent a month in the T’Reth Monastery training in meditative arts. It was a fascinating experience. I even had the opportunity to immerse myself a bit in the local culture.
Levinson: Fascinating. I fear most of my visits to Vulcan were to my grandparents’ home in Vulcana Regar. I did not visit the T’Reth Monastery specifically, however.
From what she understood, the monastery was more isolated than some on Vulcan, making it even more ironic the amount of culture that she’d been exposed to while on the planet. Her pointed ears and emotionless expression (which she’d adopted during her time there out of respect for her hosts) meant she’d been mistaken once or twice for a native—at least until she’d removed her head covering and revealed her long hair.
Rosek: ::smiles:: The view was most aesthetically pleasing. I would go out onto one of the upper decks in the early hours of the morning and spend an hour or so meditating as the sun rose over the nearby strait.
Levinson: It certainly sounds like a pleasing experience.
It was one of her fonder memories of her temporary home. She’d expected the cultural and lifestyle differences to create barriers even tolerance couldn’t break. Perhaps it was the Vulcans she’d encountered in her career with Starfleet. She’d always found Surak’s teachings to be fascinating and she’d developed a fondness for them over time.
She’d struggled with her feelings all her life and had never felt completely comfortable with them. A voice cut into her mental musings and she realized the young Vulcan was speaking again.
Levinson: I do not believe I have truly introduced myself, Commander. I am Lieutenant Junior Grade Noa T’Nessa Levinson, Science Officer. And you are?
Rosek: ::smiles:: A pleasure to meet you, Lieutenant. Lieutenant Commander Lael Rosek, Chief Engineer.
She didn’t offer her hand, knowing that most Vulcans found it uncomfortable. She herself had learned to avoid unnecessary physical contact due to her abilities. The last thing she wanted was to cause an unexpected emotional feedback loop.
Levinson: ::Nodding slightly:: It is agreeable to meet you, Commander Rosek. How long have you been with this crew, if I may inquire?
Rosek: Oh, I’ve only been around this bunch a bit over a month. But some of them I’ve known for years. They were around when I attended a promotion party for the Atlantis’s former commanding officer, Captain Brell.
Levinson: Response
Rosek: ::grins:: It’s not the years. It’s the mileage.
Levinson: Response
She chuckled at the human expression. It certainly rang true in her case. She was still young, but there were days when she felt much older. Some of her fellow Academy instructors back on Earth had joked more than once that she was the most mature of them. They’d quickly learned that she could be just as immature and reckless as the next person. She just hid it well.
Rosek: ::chuckles:: Yeah. Six years this February. But I’ve seen a great deal in my time and have been told it’s made me wise before my time.
Levinson: Response
Rosek: What about you? How long have you been with the fleet?
Levinson: Response
Rosek: ::arches an eyebrow:: Oh? What was your previous posting?
Levinson: Response