[I-H] JP by Lt DeVeau and LtCmdr Saveron - Cinderella Dressed in Yella - Part 1

[Amanda Nordstrom]

((Holodeck 1, USS Invicta))


::Although the latest mission had ended on a positive note, a bad taste
remained in Alora's mouth. If she were honest with herself, she felt
very dissatisfied with the entire thing. The Q had gotten away with
playing puppeteers without any sort of lesson learned on their part. At
least they'd made it out unscathed, which was something when dealing
with the Q. After that mission, some down time was definitely needed
and what better than to act out a version of Cinderella with Saveron?::


::The thing about that particular version of Cinderella was there was a
lot of music. Actually, her second favourite version was Rossini’s ‘La
Cenerentola’ which had even moremusic - and that music was quite a bit
more challenging. Either way, she felt those versions might be a little
much for the Vulcan - so she’d taken her favourite version and modified
the program to take out the music and keep the dialogue as well as add
dialogue to replace the prose that would have otherwise been sung. She
wondered if Saveron wondered whether or not he knew what he was getting
himself into. To be honest, she was wondering the same thing herself.::

::One of the reasons that particular Cinderella was her favourite was
that it allowed a look at the story from the Prince’s point of view. No
other version had ever done that, and she’d found it quite enjoyable.
Would Saveron find it agreeable? And what would people think about a
Vulcan Prince Charming? Fortunately, it was just the two of them, so no
critics need apply.::


DeVeau: Ah, there you are.


::Amusement was a twinkle within those already brilliant green eyes as
Alora stepped through the door. She had hovered outside, waiting for
the tall, Vulcan man, then moved inward before he could lodge any
protests.::


::Which was probably a good idea as Saveron was not entirely certain as
to the nature of this particular type of entertainment; for all that he
read with veracity he’d never played out a holonovel. He might have
refused the activity as frivolous and illogical had anyone else
suggested it. Somehow he found it difficult to refuse Alora.::

::They stepped into snow and their clothes reflected the appropriate
attire for just such weather as one might expect from a bygone age::


DeVeau: It starts with a return and a funeral.


::Two entourages waited. One was bedecked in black, a coffin upon a
sleigh. The other held the banner of a king and both stood, each
waiting for the player who would join them.::


DeVeau: Two lives, completely separate, completely different cross,
unbeknownst to the soon to be star crossed lovers.


::That earned her a glance down and a raised eyebrow. Her words seemed
to confirm his earlier suspicions; this was a romance story. That gave
rise to certain implications.::


Saveron: Is it intended that one is familiar with the outcome?


::She paused a moment, then turned, a hint of pink darting over her
cheeks.::


DeVeau: You know, I’ve never done this with anyone before. I’m not sure
how it works when there are two people…


::She was still one up on Saveron, who had no idea how it worked at all.::


Saveron: It would seem that there is one obvious way to find out. ::He
pointed out logically.::


DeVeau: To...play it out?


Saveron: Indeed. ::He replied mildly.::


DeVeau: All right. This should be interesting.


Saveron: The holonovel was your suggestion. ::He reminded her dryly.::


::Alora’s smile was a stark contrast to the black in which she was
adorned, then she trudged through the snow to take place with her
entourage and Saveron’s waited for him. The two crossed paths. The
story began in earnest.::


::Clad now in velvets and furs that felt odd to his touch - the latter
obviously being animal derived - Saveron turned away with a crunch of
boots on fresh snow and stepped into the obvious hole in the group of
people dressed similarly to himself. What would happen now?::


::What did happen was a far cry from what Alora imagined might have
happened. Although Saveron tried his best, dialogue was blundered and
the story had taken on an interesting flavour with the Vulcan attempting
to follow along such an emotive story with a complete lack of emotion.
There were times where it was difficult to refrain from falling into
fits of laughter, though how she managed to keep from doing so, Alora
would never know. Perhaps she was a more skilled actress than she thought.


There were also points that were down right embarrassing and she was
grateful that there no other actual people participating. It was
painfully obvious that there was a distinct lack of understanding on the
Vulcan’s part. Still, he tried. He tried so very hard that Alora
didn’t have the heart to dissuade him, even in the midst of it all.::


::It had seemed logical to him that a ‘holonovel’ was a more immersive
way of experiencing a story than simply reading it; he hadn’t realised
that knowledge of said story was a prerequisite for participation. The
invitation had been intriguing, and he was always open to new experiences.


It would have been preferable however if this one had not been quite so
awkward. He had received the distinct impression that this was a story
that Alora held a distinct preference for, and whilst she never said
anything there were moments where a look from either her or the
holographic characters suggested that his actions were not in keeping
with the storyline. But he tried, because she had asked him to, and to
him her request was important. He was uncertain how else to communicate
that but by persevering.::


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


DeVeau: Well that was fun.


Saveron: It was interesting. ::He said politely.:: Thank you for the
opportunity.


::What was Federation Standard for ‘I regret that I adversely influenced
your childhood memory’?::


DeVeau: Thank you for sticking with it. I...hope you found it a least
somewhat agreeable.


::She wouldn’t ask him to act any fairy tales any more, for she didn’t
want to urge him to participate in something he wouldn’t enjoy - and she
honestly wasn’t sure he actually enjoyed himself.::

Saveron: The opportunity to gain insight into other cultures is always
agreeable. As is your company.


::That much he could say honestly.::


::Agreeable, but that was all. Alora was adept enough at schooling her
expression that she hid her disappointment. She had hoped...well,
perhaps she shouldn’t have hoped for so much. He was a Vulcan, what
could she truly have expected? If nothing else, then she had
accomplished her purpose to see if there might have been more.::


DeVeau: It was definitely insightful, wasn’t it?


::In other words, he’d probably hated every single moment. She’d just
have to go on playing them out alone. Still, it had meant time with
someone she considered dear, so it wasn’t wasted time, even if it hadn’t
turned out as she had hoped.::


DeVeau: Thank you for...well, just thank you.

Saveron: And thank you. Good evening.


::Terran words, politeness he had learned beyond that of his own
culture. Always he was learning, and he learned a lot from Alora. That
he valued, along with her pleasant nature and easy company. Quite why
she tolerated his he wasn’t certain, but he found it preferable.::


DeVeau: Good evening.


::She guessed. She had the distinct feeling she’d failed that
particular evening. She had hoped to provide some sort of
entertainment, something they could participate in together. She had
hoped that maybe it would provide some insight into where things might
be progressing - maybe where she hoped they might progress - but it had
proved a flop. Their farewells seemed rather stunted. Had she offended
him?


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


That thought worried her all the way back to her quarters. She flopped
upon her bed and hung over the side, pondering the matter. His often
times clumsy attempts to keep up with the story without fully grasping
it had made it obvious that he was ill suited for such an environment.
Really, what did she expect? He was a Vulcan. It wasn’t the sort of
thing he would have chosen to do on his own. She had made a request, he
had complied. Then, even when things were going awry, he’d kept going
in spite of it. But why? Surely if he wasn’t gleaning enjoyment, the
sake of insight wouldn’t be enough to spur him to continue. So why go
through with it?::


TBC


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


Lieutenant Alora DeVeau

Chief Science Officer

USS Invicta

M239008AD0


&


Lieutenant Commander Saveron

SO and CMO

USS Invicta

R238802S10


&


PNPC Saavok

Vulcan Child

USS Invicta