Lt. JG Om-Zora - Something I'll regret later
Ace Christensen
((Clean Hall Lounge, Deck 6, USS Ronin))
Evinrude: ::To Beck:: How do you find time to date in Starfleet? ::He turned to Robin and Om-Zora with a nod.:: And same question to you two!
Om-Zora: ::very seriously:: You do not find time. You make time. Expecting to simply find time in Starfleet is often a fool’s errand. I choose what parts of my free time I am willing to give up once in a while, and as a balance, they sometimes have to do the same. It is a sacrifice you make if you want to be with people. Otherwise, you may as well not be with them.
Beck: Good way of putting it. Though admittedly, even making time for it is difficult. And it doesn't help when you're in two different quadrants. Thank heaven for subspace communications.
Evinrude: Hm, I've been there. Distance is...hard. Differences in paths...
oO Cher-wit, don’t start getting chummy now. Oo
He was grateful to Zeyva for interrupting the uncomfortable show of vulnerability.
Evinrude: ::To Zeyva, upon seeing the next dish.:: Oh! You have outdone yourself!
It did look lovely.
Om-Zora: Thank you, Zeyva.
Without even thinking about it, he scooted his hand just slightly closer to Robin. It was an invitation to take it. Not an invitation he really meant to offer, but she was close enough and he’d already put his hand on the table. He supposed it wasn’t the worst form of affection if she ended up noticing.
And she did end up noticing. Enough that she whispered against the side of his face.
Robin: ::Whispering:: I knew you cared. Let your guard down more often.
He sighed softly. He still wasn’t big on the PDA like this in front of people so actively. But Avian Solidarity. He didn’t react much beyond that. And he didn’t have to with the food in front of them now.
Beck: C'est magnifique.
Evinrude: Response
Om-Zora: We met in the science labs. I was attempting to sort out how to “carbon date” a fossil that isn’t carbon-based. Something of a souvenir from the time in my career that I spent on a Vulcan science ship.
Robin: Ironic, as in the past few weeks he’s become my rock.
Robin chuckled and Quentin grinned.
Beck: Carbon dating led to carbird dating, huh?
Beck seemed to laugh at his own joke. Om-Zora might have laughed. If it had been funny. Instead, he finally took the alcohol that had been poured earlier and drank it in one go without flinching.
Evinrude: Response
Om-Zora: We didn’t really figure out how to do that. But she was… helpful.
He wasn’t sure if the tone came off as borderline salacious. But he feared he hadn’t kept enough of a monotone to rule it out.
Robin: Thank you, you were helpful too.
Beck: You guys are so cute, I think I might throw up.
Om-Zora gave him a brief, but withering look.
Om-Zora: Throwing up at dinner? That kind of behavior is only appropriate if you have a baby with you. Or, I suppose, as practice for having one, you may just be planning to pre-chew Evinrude’s food and share. I can’t fault you for proper avian etiquette. Congratulations.
It was not avian etiquette at all. At least not for Aurelians, and definitely not between adults. But he was here to make Beck uncomfortable for the transgression of making commentary when he didn’t want to hear it. He considered it making them even.
Evinrude: Response
Robin: So tell me, Commander Beck, Mister Evinrude. Why is it that my mother is insistent you’re a couple?
That was something Om-Zora was also curious about. He hadn’t heard any rumors about the two of them. And the gossip mill on the ship was quite strong. But then Zeyva was occasionally an enigma.
Beck: Beats me. Rumors run like wildfire 'round these parts, though apart from having coffee together one morning, I don't particularly recall being out and about together. Maybe she thinks I'm someone else. While I do find Tess charming, I don't really see it.
oO You’re right. He is charming. So then why did she invite you? Oo
Om-Zora found a moment to pour himself another drink, but didn’t immediately take it.
Evinrude: Response
Robin laughed slightly.
Robin: You don’t see that huh? Or at least enough to dispel the rumours. It honestly sounds like an academy mantra, “Oh my partner serves on another ship”.
His eyes glimmered with amusement at that before he shrugged.
Beck: Every relationship is different, and I imagine there are more than a few out there who do use that as a cover to hide who they might actually be seeing. I would say, though, that 'partner' doesn't quite cover it.
oO Let me guess, it’s like T’hy’la. Oo
Robin/Zevya/Evinrude: Response
Beck: Have you ever heard the Vulcan term t'hy'la?
Om-Zora drank the drink he’d just poured for himself. Slower this time. Of course, he’d heard of it. He’d done his medical education on Vulcan, and worked on a Vulcan ship for years before transferring to Starfleet. He did not say this. He knew that Beck did not know this about him. Not many people did, and he didn’t try to make it a point of being over the top about it. He didn’t even really want to tell him. That would invite him to think they were friends. Not ideal.
It still made him feel like he was being told something that he thought was obvious. Vulcans could be as private as they liked. But you learned things when you lived and worked with them for a decade or so, whether they wanted you to or not.
Robin/Zevya/Evinrude: Response
He was curious how Beck was going to explain it. He drank the rest of the drink. He was going to regret it later, and he knew it. It had yet to truly hit him, not in any significant way. There were reasons he didn’t drink most of the time.
But he also knew how to keep himself mostly reasonable with people. He’d just have to be careful.
oO Breathe deeply. Accept the dizziness when it hits. And I should ask for water the next time Zeyva comes around. Need to eat a little more food than I might want to in front of people. Spare myself the potential hangover or the drunk on an empty stomach sensation. Oo
Thankfully, food being made by a Klowahkan made the eating part of the situation a lot easier.
Beck: That is one translation, yes, but is very rough. It can mean lover, but it also means friend, brother or sister… basically, it is a word they use to describe a deep bond that is something different from a typical friendship.
Robin/Zevya/Evinrude: Response
Om-Zora: Yes, Doctor. Give us your knowledge.
It was a little sarcastic. He’d been tempted to start speaking Vulcan. But that would show too much interest.
Beck nodded slowly.
Beck: It's kind of hard to explain without oversimplification. And it's also something Vulcans generally don't discuss with non-Vulcans, as it implies deep emotion.
Robin/Zevya/Evinrude: Response
Beck paused for a moment to take another swig from his glass, swirling it a moment.
Beck: I don't think there is any obligation considered, as it would be possible to have that kind of connection with more than one person, but, at least from my experience, it is something Vulcans do consider quite sacred.
Om-Zora: Indeed. I would hope your Vulcan partner is fine with you sharing something sacred, then. I always found the Vulcans around me got a little… uncomfortable when I found things out and asked about it, and they weren’t always comfortable with the sharing, either. With some exceptions. They are fascinating people in how much they can contradict themselves at times.
Ah, and there was the vaguest touch of the alcohol. He was talking now. He hadn’t meant to do that. He was briefly tempted to leave. But then he glanced over at Robin.
As tempting as it still was to stand up and walk out while he knew he could still walk straight, he couldn’t do that to her. At least not right now.
Robin/Zevya/Evinrude/Beck: Response
He wanted to take attention away from himself. Did he want to hear people talk about their relationships? No. But it was better than people asking too many questions about him.
Om-Zora: What about you, Neverrude, as I’ve heard Zeyva call you before, you seemed ready to say something about your feelings earlier. Why don’t you do that?
Robin/Zevya/Evinrude/Beck: Response
Tags / TBC…
—
Lt. JG Om-Zora
Science Officer
USS Ronin
J239802D12
Pronouns: They/she (player), He/him (character)