[AF1-TW] JP- Lts. DeVeau & Moonsong: More Girl Talk Part 2

[Amanda Nordstrom]

((Astrofori I: T’ang Wu’s Vulcan Chinese Cuisine.))


DeVeau: I have four brothers. I _know_ how to pester. You really don’t
want me to go into younger sister mode, do you?

::Her smile warmed.::


Moonsong: I’d hardly consider you a *younger* sister, Alora….

DeVeau: Pfft. Cause I will.


::Her hands went up in surrender. She had no doubt Alora would do just
that.::


DeVeau: And I’m very, verygood at it.


Moonsong: Of that I have no doubt.


::She raised an eyebrow.::


Moonsong: Of course the reverse is true.


DeVeau: Meaning?

::Alora’s eyebrows arched upward.::

Moonsong: I’m a counselor. Pester is part of my job description.


DeVeau: Well, yeah.


Moonsong: How about we talk about why you refuse to tell Saveron of your
interest?


DeVeau: Because the reaction to what happened indicated a lack of
interest in anything other than friendship.

::Alora fiddled with her glass of water and then drew a long sip before
she continued.::

DeVeau: I used what we did as a gauge. It fell flat. Way, way flat.
If he was interested...well, I don’t want to ruin our friendship and
I’m afraid by telling him that’s going to happen. I’d rather keep him
as a friend than create a rift between us.


::She leveled her gaze upon her friend, while her hand fiddled with the
straw, drawing it up and down in the glass. With the motion, her mouth
quirked upward on one side, a smirk that could not disguise her
disappointment.::


DeVeau: Better to have him in one aspect than not at all.


::Raissa met her gaze with a raised eyebrow.::


Moonsong: Alora, I am deeply fond of you. I don’t how to say this
without hurting your feelings.


DeVeau: Then you might as well just come out and say it.


Moonsong: For a woman as well versed in Vulcan culture as I happen to
know you are…. you’re an idiot.


::Alora sighed and placed a thumb over the end of her straw. With a
short motion, she lifted it from her glass, observing the water trapped
inside.::

DeVeau: Look, I thought maybe it would give me some insight. It didn’t,
and I don’t want to risk losing what I have. Despite my feelings, I
still want him as a friend and admitting this to him would make it weird
and likely ruin it.


::Raissa sighed. Her friend was stubborn too.::


Moonsong: Alora… I had long talk with Saveron. I wanted to make sure my
reasons for breaking up with Carter was logical and not just emotional.
So we ended up talking about relationships.


::Alora hadn’t realised that, but she wasn’t a telepath like her friend.
WIth another short movement, her thumb released the trapped water,
then Alora repeated the previous gestures, capturing another strawful.::


Moonsong: I even asked him if he would ever Bond again and if he would
consider a non-human.


::Despite herself, Alora couldn’t feign disinterest. She cast a
sidelong glance at her companion.::

DeVeau: What did he say?


::She watched Alora playing with the straw with interest. It was an
interesting little habit she had. Little things would suddenly take on
precision and importance. She couldn’t remember the last time she
actually saw her sitting still.::


Moonsong: That he had not considered it, but he would not be opposed to it.


::Well, that was promising, but that didn’t mean she’d be the one he
might consider as potential for more. Generally, Alora tried to be
optimistic, but there were just some things she had difficulty with and
that was one of them.::


Moonsong: He enlightened me about Vulcan relationships. It was quite
interesting.


DeVeau: You mean about the arranged marriages?

::Raissa shook her head.::


Moonsong: No. Not all relationships are arranged. I thought it was
fascinating, what he told me.


::Raissa was baiting her, waiting to pounce with her words of wisdom
like a jaguar stalking prey in the depths of the jungle. All Alora had
to do was give her the opportunity. If that was what she wanted, she
might as well. With another flick of her fingers, Alora sipped on the
straw, taking that bait.::

DeVeau: And what did he tell you?

::She smiled. She was really fond of Alora and regardless of the mess
her own life, she wanted her friend to be happy.::


Moonsong: I learned that if Vulcans are interested in each other, they
come right out and say it. If one is not receptive to… romance doesn’t
seem to be the right word… intimacy, then they say so. Then they go back
to their previous relationship/friendship. No rifts. No weirdness….


::She paused and wondered if Alora was getting the message. Her beating
around the bush was getting her nowhere.::


Moonsong: So all this rift and weird it all in your head.


DeVeau: Maybe. Probably. But what you just told me also confirmed
something.


Moonsong: ::sighs:: Alora….

DeVeau: He’s not interested. If he was, he’d just come to me and tell
me, but he hasn’t so he’s not, so I think I’ll just leave things as they
are.


::Even if the weirdness was in her head, it was her head she had to deal
with for the rest of her life, so Alora might as well limit the
embarrassment as much as she could.::

Moonsong: What’s stopping you from telling him you're interested in a
relationship again?


DeVeau: Myself. But even so, if he’s not interested, what’s the point
in telling him? He would have said something to me if he were.


::Raissa put her elbows on the table and covered her face with her hands::


Moonsong: Argh!


DeVeau: Raissa…


::Alora sighed and leaned her elbow upon the table, chin in her hand.
At that moment, the waiter arrived with their food and she
straightened to allow him to place her plate before her. He paused, a
single eyebrow arched upward at the semi-prostrate counselor.::

Waiter: Your meal.


::Raissa sat up and nodded.::


Moonsong: Thank you. ::pause.:: May I ask you a question?


Waiter: Of course.


Moonsong: Is it logical to avoid a situation that carries risk, but has
the potential to have a positive outcome?


Waiter: No.


::Raissa nodded::


Moonsong: Thank you.


::She looked at Alora and raised an eyebrow in a manner that would make
Saveron proud.::


DeVeau: Is it logical to enter into a situation when you already know
the outcome?


Moonsong: You don’t know the outcome. You think you do, but that is fear
talking.


::The waiter wisely walked away::


Moonsong: I have the desire to go to Saveron and ask him if he is
interested in a relationship…. with you.


::Immediately, a frown made its presence known and Alora squirmed in her
seat.::

DeVeau: Please don’t.


Moonsong: Then you have to.


DeVeau: No.


::The last thing she wanted to do was to embarrass herself again,
especially in front of Saveron.::


Moonsong: I think you’re wrong about Cinderella


::Wrong?::


DeVeau: What do you mean?


Moonsong: He never says no when you ask him to do these… adventures. I
know for a fact he finds your company very agreeable.


::She did have a point, except that Alora didn’t think there was as much
there as Raissa was indicating.::


DeVeau: Yes, because we’re friends, and because he likes to learn about
different cultures and new things.


Moonsong: Alora, this will eat you alive. ::she huffed:: It looks like I
am going to have to play Fairy Godmother after all…


DeVeau: Raissa, please, don’t.


Moonsong: For once, you are going to have to trust me.


DeVeau: I’m begging you.


::Thoughts of what she might do coupled with Alora’s own images of what
she might do in the wake of whatever happened flashed through her mind.
Transfer to a different ship. Maybe she’d put herself in a coma.
Maybe she’d lock herself in her rooms. Just hide under the covers for
the rest of her life…::


Moonsong: ::smirks:: For help? Of course I’ll help you.

DeVeau: You realise, whatever you do will receive payback, right?

Moonsong: That could be interesting…


::Raissa smiled brightly for the first time.::


Moonsong: Since I could never pull off Cinderella or Sleeping Beauty…
I’ll settle for caramel apples….


::With that, Raissa, for the first time in a long while, had an appetite
and began to eat her soup.::


Moonsong: We really should come here again…


::Alora simply groaned and stuffed a bite into her mouth.::


End

*********************

Lt. Raissa Moonsong

Chief of Counseling

USS Invicta

G239107RM0


&


Lt. Alora DeVeau

Chief of Science

USS Invicta

M239008AD0