LtJG Alexander: Making Nice

[Dassa Alexander]

((Shuttlebay One, USS Gorkon))

::Dassa stiffened at the sight of the woman, unable to help herself. She herself didn't have any reason to dislike as a whole. She knew that. But that was the curse of being connected so intimately with Lael. Some of the younger woman's prejudices just naturally leaked through.::

Talana: Fleet Captain Reynolds. How delightful to see you again. 

Reynolds: Ambassador. Allow me to introduce one of my officers, Lieutenant Junior Grade Dassa Alexander.

Alexander: ::smiles and nods:: Ambassador.

Talana: A pleasure, Lieutenant. ::She smiled again.:: What is it that you do aboard the ship?

Alexander: I work in Sickbay as a Medical Officer, ma'am.

Talana: A curious choice for a diplomatic assignment. ::She paused.:: But I forget, Starfleet expects all of its officers to be able to comport themselves adequately in such situations. I'm sure you'll perform admirably.

::Dassa smiled tightly. Oh, but the woman rubbed her the wrong way. Recalling some of the Romulan she'd gone over with Jansen, she attempted to build a rapport with the woman.::

Alexander: Khlinae arhem. Reh ecurai nnearh llea na siu sa-mnean. (Thank you. I hope you enjoy the time with us.)

Talana: Dochai-difv Rihan hwio? (Do you speak Rihan?)

Alexander: Rhanne dochai Rihan khiilalev. (I speak Rihan a little.)

Talana: How wonderful. Never be afraid to show off your skills, Lieutenant. A little boasting is good for the soul. ::She glanced toward Quinn.:: And has your accent improved at all, Captain? 

::Dassa fought the urge to jump to her Captain's defense with a comment on the Romulan woman's own linguistic abilities.::

Reynolds: Yes.

Talana: I expect it is much easier to practice, when you have a Romulan aboard. I'm surprised to see she isn't here.

Reynolds: ::Dryly,:: Well, I don't have a Klingon to trot out to keep things fair for all parties.

::Dassa barely contained a grimace. The stress of the day had already begun to bring on a headache. With no immediate access to a hypo, all she could do was grin and bear it.::

Talana: Of course. I have missed your sense of humour, Captain. ::She smiled.:: And that delightful vein of viciousness you keep so well hidden. ::Her voice lowered, and there was a dangerous edge to it.:: Speaking of which, I owe you for our last exchange.

Reynolds: I'll keep that in mind. 

::Dassa started slightly as the alarm sounded.::

Reynolds: Shall we show you to your quarters?

Talana: Please. 

::A shuffling of footsteps drew Dassa's attention to a man she presumed was the Ambassador's aide. She almost felt sorry for the man as she saw the number of bags he carried. If she weren't on duty, she'd be moving to help the poor man.::

::The Ambassador again turned her attention to her and Dassa fought the urge to grimace::

Talana: Lieutenant Alexander, indulge me. Where did you learn Romulan?

Alexander: I treated several over the course of my residency. I learned it as a way to better diagnose patients who weren't as proficient in Standard.

Talana: ::She nodded.:: The mind is a muscle, and languages -- especially alien ones -- are excellent exercise. 

Alexander: ::smiles tightly:: Indeed they are.

Talana: And you're only partly human, am I correct? Do you speak… what was it, Lumerian?

::Dassa felt uneasy at the comment, but refused to let it show. Clearly the woman was trying to catch her off guard...why, Dassa wasn't sure.::

Alexander: ::smiles and nods:: Yes, I do. I actually speak several languages. I'm also fluent in Gaelic, an older Terran language. I'm fairly skilled with Italian, French, Spanish--the romance languages of Earth--and Esperanto, the official language of the Al-Leyan homeworld.

Talana: response

Alexander: What about you, Ambassador? Are you familiar with any other languages besides Standard and Rihan? I have to say, by the way, your Standard is quite excellently honed. It took me some time to catch on to the nuances of the language when I first went to live on Earth. 

Talana: response

Alexander: At 13, I was largely accustomed to Lumerian...though thanks to my father's influence, I did know some British English prior to the move.

Talana/Reynolds: response 

--

LtJG Dassa Alexander, ChD, PD, PDS

Medical Officer

USS Gorkon

I238110RH0