Lt. Commander Foster - Music Connects People
Jamie LeBlanc
(( One of the many corridors - SB118 OPS ))
To say that the way to Wyn Foster’s heart was through his stomache was not the only route, but he was an Andorian hybrid with a charged up metabolism who loved both conversation and food. So a nice meal and a good companion would go a long way to winning the little Commander over.
Foster: What’s your favorite kind of food?
Drex: I have a preference for vegetables, actually. But I would not say I am particularly selective. I tend to try most things at least once.::A short pause:: Are we engaging in small talk... or are you suggesting a shared meal?
Foster: I mean, of course I’m gonna try to find us a place to eat after we find an astrolabe. It’s what I do!
And he already knew the place.
The Illogical Eatery was vegan Vulcan fusion food owned by a husband and wife team who were both half Vulcan. It was renowned on 118 for being the best vegan food in the quadrant and even Wyn had to admit that it changed his opinion for the better on the merits of Vulcan cooking.
Drex: That seems a fitting reward for a successful hunt.
As they rounded a corner, Wyn let his antennae rise upwards as he could hear the faintest musical hum. Drex’s eyes fixated on the source and Wyn slowly let his attention follow his companion’s gaze.
They drew closer to see a Bolian performer with floating orbs, each of the luminous and ringing with a relaxing vibration. The whole area was highlighted with beams of color. It was mesmerizing.
Drex: Fascinating... I have never seen anything like this before.
Foster: Me neither. I don’t come down here often enough.
And somehow this little performance hammered that home. There were still so many things to explore and discover, even in the exact place he had lived for over five years.
Drex: I wouldn’t mind pausing for a moment to watch.
Foster: Sure. Let’s grab a bench and I’ll calibrate the map while we watch.
The pair settled on one of the nearby benches. They were made of plasti-steel, formed to resemble heavy wrought iron that was twisted into ornate patterns giving the square an ornate, moody and almost gothic appeal.
The performer was perched on a small, raised area which Wyn didn’t know was intentional for street performance, or if it had once been an area for a sign. Either way. It looked intentional.
Drex: Do you have a particular interest in music?
Foster: I like it in theory, but in reality, I rarely listen to it.
He said, wishing he had more to say on music. He remembered going to concerts in his academy days, but it was something that slipped through the cracks as he got into Starfleet proper.
Drex: ?
Foster: Yeah, we used to go to concerts when I was younger. I particularly enjoyed Bolian ‘bubble-pop’ when I was a kid and I liked Capellan Synth in the Academy. My hearing is sensitive, so I remember having to make sure I went to concerts with hearing protection.
At the time Wyn had always thought it was just because he was an Andorian raised by Humans. But as years passed, he understood that the sensitivity to sound and light was particularly keen for his hybrid biology. By now he was just used to it and had the proper ear and eye protection always easily at hand.
Drex: ?
Foster: What about you? Do you guys get concerts over by Denali? Anything you’d like to see?
Drex: ?
Wyn shrugged a bit and considered.
Foster: Last one I went to was a Vulcan lyre and singing stone concert. Very tranquil, very peaceful. That was maybe two years ago.
And at the time he was going through some difficult things, he needed that peace and tranquility. He could still remember soaking in the sound, like it was a peaceful blanket for the mind.
Drex: ?
As the Bolian finished the performance, the small, gathered crowd expressed various forms of appreciation from clapping and snapping to jumping, hooting and one young child who simply waved and grinned.
Wyn stood and pointed to a side street.
Foster: down this way there’s Ver’Lar’s Antiquities of the Alpha Quadrant. That might be a good place to check.
Drex: ?
~*~
tags/tbc
~*~
Lt. Commander Shar’Wyn Foster
Executive Officer
StarBase 118 Ops
~Julian Beck
E239010ST0