Ens. Raissa Moonsong & Lt. Alora DeVeau - "Of Chocolate And Plants"

[Amanda Nordstrom]

Madalain gets credit for piecing the JP together. :-D

IC:

(USS Garuda, 10-Forward)


DeVeau: Chocolate milk. Choooocolate. Mmmmm.

::It was her favourite thing to drink and it was something Alora allowed
herself once a day. She had to be careful to limit it, though, for it
was easy to just drink a glass at every meal plus in between meals. It
was so cool and sweet and totally divine. But no, usually Alora managed
to keep her willpower and limit herself. Dinner was when she usually
splurged, and generally after her meal. So once her food had been
consumed she could have her little treat.::

::Glass in hand of the chocolatey goodness, Alora turned to head back to
her table, then paused as a newly familiar face stepped through the
door. It was that Counselor, Moonsong. Ah such a pretty, romantic
name. The science officer lifted a hand to wave and then motion to her
table in a silent invitation.::

::Raissa was pleased to see a familiar friendly face for the first
time since she had joined the ship. Lately it's been a whirlwind of
introductions and putting faces to names::

Moonsong: ::smiling:: Lt. Deveau, it's a pleasure to see you again. How
are you?

DeVeau: Alora. Ah-Loh-Ruh.

::Her mouth split into a grin before she eagerly took a sip of her milk,
then motioned once more to the empty seat.::

DeVeau: I'm doing well, thank you and you? Please, join me by the way.
Always good to have company, right?

Moonsong: Let me get some tea and I'll join you.

::Raissa hurried over to the replicator and ordered one of her tea
blends. One of the first things she did was add her copies to the ship
computers. A few moments later she joined DeVeau at her table and set
down her mug.::

DeVeau: So are you getting settled in?

Moonsong: ::smiles:: It's been a little hectic, but I'm getting there.
Still trying to get my bearings. ::takes a sip of her tea:: How long
have you been with the Garuda?

DeVeau: Not long at all, just about nine months.

::Wow, not even a full year and yet for some reason it seemed longer.
She'd always been told that time began to fly faster the older she got.::

Moonsong: Which of the sciences is your specialty?

DeVeau: Botany and Zoology. They were always my favourites, even when I
was little.

::Which of course had set her on a course to her current career and
position. Thus far, she didn't have too many complaints - not about
that anyway. ::

DeVeau: I know you're new to the Garuda, but where were you stationed
before?

Moonsong: ::grins:: Starfleet Academy. I've only just graduated and got
my commission.

DeVeau: So why counseling. What inspired you to travel down that
particular path?

Moonsong: I started out trying to be just a regular doctor. Then I
joined Starfleet. A few years later I focused on xenobiology and
xenosociology. I threw in some extra psychology... ::shrugs:: I'm a
trained medical doctor, but apparently they decided they needed my
shaman abilities more.

oO Oh crap. Too much information. Drink your tea and focus on the other
person, just like grandfather told me. Oo

Moonsong: But that's not important... did you say botany? My grandfather
was an herbalist and he taught me a lot about plants.

:Ah, but something caught Alora's attention. Still, the woman had asked
a question so she wouldn't be so rude as to let it remain unanswered.::

DeVeau: Yes, botany is one of the areas I specialised in. That can be a
very useful knowledge. Even with all the marvels of modern medecine,
herbs can be powerful tools for healing.

::Especially if someone was stuck planet side somewhere without access
to modern technology. Hopefully that somewhere would have familiar
plantlife anyway!::

DeVeau: So you said shaman. Are you a shaman?

Moonsong: Well... in a manner of speaking.

oO Note to self. Watch what you say. Grandfather would call it bragging. Oo

Moongsong: I've developed some special blends for teas. I've brought
some of the real thing with me, but I've also added a selection to the
replicator database. Hopefully I can start growing my own again.

oO That should divert her. Oo

DeVeau: Interesting.

::The term shaman could have different implications depending upon where
it was used. In some words, a shaman was more like a priest, someone
who guided one's spiritual walk. On some words, a shaman had magical
powers. In others, a shaman supposedly had a physical link to the
spirtual world, able to speak with spirits and sometimes even to divine
the future. Sometimes it was some aspects of those - or even all of
them. She looked human, but looks could be deceiving.::

DeVeau: So what sort of herbs do you use for your teas?

Moonsong: It would be faster to just give you the list. I'm hoping there
are a few Terran herbs here. Things like Angelica root, burdock,
catnip, Chamomile, dill, for starters. Sage, Rosemary, oregano,
different kinds of basil, majoram... See, a long list.

DeVeau: Interesting. I'm familiar with those varieties. Are you
a practicing shaman still? Do you mind explaining how that works?

::Although Alora had read about them in passing, she'd never though to
make a thorough study, but then again, she'd never had the pleasure of
making the acquaintance of a shaman. Most of what she knew were from a
snippet here or two of historical references, but by far and large from
fictional accounts, and she'd long ago learned not to assume fact from
fiction.::

Moonsong: ::hesitates:: I'm a counselor... and I have a medical degree.
My grandfather taught me about the uses of herb and the different teas
you can make to help people relax. ::it wasn't something she was
comfortable discussing with a near stranger::

::Alora was honestly curious, but she could sense that the woman didn't
want to talk about the subject at hand, so Alora dropped it, though she
still was interested in learning more about the counselor.::

DeVeau: That's pretty cool. So are you from Earth? You sound like you
are but it's not good to assume.

::Earth, Terra, it was all the same thing, it just depended on who you
talked to as to who used the term.::

Moonsong: ::smiles relieved at the topic shift:: I was born and raised
on Earth, the midAtlantic region to be precise. My family has lived in
that area for many many generations. ::suddenly smiles at a thought:: My
grandfather would say that our family has been there since ::lowers her
voice:: 'the white man's god was in nappies'.

::Raissa chuckled. She didn't know what it was, but there was something
she instantly liked about the scientist. She wasn't sure what it was,
but she felt impelled to learn more about the woman::

Moonsong: How about yourself? DeVeau sounds french.
DeVeau: It is. My father is French, though my mother hailed from the
United States.

::And then she'd spent half of her life in Japan, which meant she'd
grown up speaking three languages. She didn't know many people who had
such a linguistic history.::

DeVeau: So you're Native American? What tribe?

Moonsong: ::smiles slightly: The Mattaponi. We still hold lands along
the Mattaponi River in Virginia. ::shrugs carelessly:: We're not very
big but we hold true to the old ways. ::she shifted the topic:: My
paternal grandfather taught me a lot about plants. I was wondering if
there is a corner somewhere I might plant a couple herbs?

:Alora visibly perked at the mention of Virginia.::

DeVeau: My mother was born and raised in Virginia.

::She wasn't descended from the native tribes, but she was certainly
native to the country by virtue of her birth there.::

DeVeau: I was raised in Atlanta though. As for the herbs, there's a
small arboretum, but it's not nearly as vast as the Mercury's was.

::And that was one thing Alora wished was different. The Mercury had
been particularly suited for scientific discovery. The Garuda was well
equipped, but not like the Mercury had been. Labs were fewer and
smaller, and the arboretum was at least half the size.::

::Raissa's expression fell. She had hoped that with a ship as large as a
galaxy class she would be able to stay close to her roots:

Moonsong: ::sighs:; That's disappointing.

DeVeau: There is another option.

Moonsong: There is?

DeVeau: Well, you could get shelves. There are pots and soil in the
replicator database so you can certainly make a small garden in your
quarters. I did!

Moonsong: ::nods:: Perhaps I can do a couple plants. ::smiles and
shrugs:: I share quarters with a hyperactive elf. I'd love to see your
garden sometime. What are you growing?

DeVeau: Oh, various plants from around the solar system, but my most
plentiful are my African Violets followed by my streptocarpi. They're
in the same family, also called cape primrose.

::She didn't have as many of those, however, though that wouldn't remain
so for long. Alora had started lanting more leaves as the babies she'd
gotten were getting larger and producing more. Soon they might be as
prolific as her violets, which would mean more people would have a
chance to have plants.::

DeVeau: You're welcome to have one. I'm constantly propagating.

::And how many times had she said that since graduating from Starfleet
Academy?::

Moonsong: ::grins:: I'd love one. And anything else you want to foist on
me. Gabrielle will just have to get used to.

::and it gave her an excuse to research the uses of the plant for
ritual. African violets were not common in Virginia and the advantage
starfleet had given her was the opportunity to find more plants with
medicinal properties. Information she was still sharing with her
grandfather::

DeVeau: We can go now if you like, or you can just drop by some time later.

::Alora wasn't in any hurry and she'd be sure to save a couple of plants
for the counsellor if she knew Moonsong wanted one.::

DeVeau: Either way, I should probably get going. I have some lab
reports I want to peruse.

Moonsong: ::rising to her feet:: Me too. ::pauses:: But I'd like to get
together again. This was fun. It's a nice change to just talk to someone
with them thinking I'm analysing them.

::Raissa hoped she made a good impression. She liked the Lieutenant. She
even liked her name. Alora was so musical. ::

===
Lt. Alora DeVeau
Chief of Science
USS Garuda

and

Ensign Raissa Moonsong
Counselor
USS Garuda