Bubbles (Part 1 of 2)

Posted on 26 Aug 2012 @ 4:11pm by Lieutenant Kiri Cho & Ensign Im'er Mor'an

3,227 words; about a 16 minute read

Mission: Episode 01 - Project Sienna
Location: USS Galileo - Deck 2 - Messhall
Timeline: MD9 1515

[ON]

Kiri was left alone in the Messhall. The interaction between herself and Ensign Rhodes had been confusing and strange. He had acted in a way she felt strange, somewhat inappropriate and generally, weird. It had been nice to talk to someone, even if she couldn't figure out what his reason was or why he left so soon. From her seat at the table she could look out to space, not really listening to the murmurers around her. Trying to make head or tails of it, not making any progress. The red drink in front of her kept slowly bubbling away, giving away a slight crackle.

From her seat in the corner of the Mess hall, Mor'an observed the exchange between Rhodes and Cho. The poor girl looked terribly confused by it all, something that, as a shocker to most, Mor'an could relate to. She decided to talk to Kiri and see if she could get the introverted young Trill to open up. She stood and casually walked over to Kiri.

"Hello," Mor'an said gently. When Kiri looked in her directing, Mor'an twisted her hand in Tarkannan greeting.

Kiri looked in surprise, having just been invited out by one person to have another approach her in the same day was very strange. It was edging towards making this the best day since she joined the ship. Giving a small smile Kiri left her hands remain still, so not to accidentally offend Mor'an. Still sounding slightly startled she returned, "Good Evening Mor'an."

Not waiting for an invitation, since she knew Kiri was probably not going to offer one, Mor'an sat opposite her and made herself comfortable. "I can teach you," Mor'an said, "Teach you the proper way a Ta'rkan woman greets another." She decided to start with something safe, not wanting to freak Kiri out by immediately talking about her and Rhodes. Her voice dropped to a pitch close to that of conspiratorial. "Del'an would dislike it, but that is exactly why I want to show you. You will be the only non-Tarkannan on board who knows how."

Physical identity was something that Kiri was very conscious of, of her three identities though, a Ta'rkan wasn't one of them. Even more problematic was the idea that being shown such a thing would upset someone else concerned her immensely. Considering what she knew about the two Ta'rkans and the fact that any contact was welcome she asked in a surprisingly quiet voice, "Is there not a greeting for aliens?" From what she knew about the motions that Mor'an used was there were many. The evolution of such concepts were vague to her at best but did the language not still evolve?

"Well," Mor'an said, "What I meant was the greeting a Tarkannan woman uses to greet another Tarkannan, regardless of gender. Men and women have different greetings." Mor'an sucked in a breath and exhaled it with annoyance. "You must forgive me. Sometimes when I speak I am misunderstood because of the nature of spoken languages."

"Sorry," Kiri bowed her head, "I am interested to know." Since the offer had been extended it would be rude not to take it. Kiri really was interested though, it felt like she was close to actually making a friend. Something that she wanted almost more than anything.

Mor'an leaned forward. "Kiri," she said, "Never bow your head in submission. Hold your head up and be proud of who you are. Now, take your right hand and do this." She held out her right hand, her first two fingers up and the rest folded in.

Kiri was proud of what she had achieved, took great lengths in the hopes that other people would be proud of her as well. She wasn't very proud of the person she was though, not that she hated her. There were good things, the problems were the failings that Kiri counted in large numbers, trying to improve those was much harder. Generally as soon as people outside her family were involved, her confidence in herself as a person rather than a uniform or a student took a nosedive. This was all hanging off the framework that Kiri's grandmother had given her though. That being meek and reserved were desirable qualities, that reverence and respect for others far outstripped what she felt or wanted. From all of this Kiri had no context at all other than Mor'an was taking about her culture. Following the lead given Kiri also held out her right hand, mimicking the positioning.

"Good," Mor'an said, "Now watch." She touched her fingers to her forehead before twisting them down and around so that the back of her hand faced her. "Do the same and touch your fingertips to mine."

Feeling rather awkward Kiri followed suit, trying to match Mor'an timing as well as movement. When it came to touching Kiri did so hesitantly and extremely lightly. It was almost as if she was afraid of breaking something, finding it hard to meet the other woman's eyes.

"Eye contact, Kiri." Mor'an pointed to her own eyes. "Eyes are windows. Do not be afraid. After you touch fingers, you say I see you. It does not mean I see you physically, but rather I know who you are."

Kiri didn't like eye contact, generally it made her feel very exposed, that all her emotions were going to burst out of her. She forced herself to do so now, almost at once her face looked rather sad, her teeth clenching to keep her mind from it. If eyes were windows then she didn't want anyone looking inside, she disliked this intensely, "I see you." So wrapped up in her own insides Kiri didn't see anything in Mor'an. She wanted to get out of this situation as soon as possible.

The girl was uncomfortable, that much Mor'an was sure of. What she wasn't sure of was why. "So tell me," she said, leaning back, "What brought you to Starfleet?"

Kiri was still rather shaken up, answering a question like this was just another blow to her. She didn't like being negative but lately there didn't seem much choice, every step she made felt like two wrong for every one right. Giving a small false smile she tried to maintain her normal tone, "I wanted to conduct cutting edge research into stellar objects and make new discoveries." It was a line refined from being asked that question time and again. It was a line she accepted as fact even if it wasn't the full truth, the rest was hidden from even her.

Mor'an raised an eyebrow at Kiri's answer. Most people didn't realize quite how perceptive a Tarkannan can be and, right now, Mor'an knew there was more to it than that. "Alright, then," she said, "Your turn. Ask me something."

Kiri didn't have to wait very long to think of a question, there was something preying on her mind for a while now. Relaxing very slightly she turned a very light shade of pink, "Do you have a sister?"

"I have two, actually," Mor'an said, "Im'er Ech'ia, my older sister, and Im'er Che'kel, my younger sister. I also have a brother, Im'er Tan'orm, also older." Mor'an wanted to ask Kiri about her family, but knew she might shy away. "Ask me another question."

It was a strange question but Kiri didn't have anyone in her life she felt she could ask, since the opening was there, "How, do you act, towards your younger sister?" Having a sibling was something brand new to Kiri and she didn't want to mess it up, not even a little.

"Well," Mor'an said thoughtfully, "I treat her with the respect I would want from her while still being able to teach with a firm hand. It is the duty of the older siblings to assist in the training and growth of the younger ones. At least, in my culture." She paused and looked at Kiri, wondering if she should ask the question on her mind. "Do you have a younger sister as well?"

Looking at her drink for a moment Kiri looked slightly concerned, "I do, now at least," Placing both her hands on the cool glass again she added, "Do you think that would be enough?" If asked she would explain, it was something personal though, not to be shared completely at random.

"No," Mor'an said slowly, "Most importantly, you must love your sister more than yourself. If you do, everything else you do for her will be for her benefit." Mor'an paused as she shifted position and leaned forward. "My sisters are my best friends."

"Okay," Kiri understood that, it made quite a bit of sense, however how could she love someone she didn't even know? Looking deep into the bubbles she looked quite distant, "Did you grow up with them?" From what she understood most siblings were close because of shared experience, she wouldn't have that.

"Yes, we were in the same order so we went through the same trainings, some of them at the same time." Mor'an's expression changed from one of thoughtful recollection to wistful remembrance. "I miss our time together. We learned a lot form one another. If I may ask, why do you ask all these questions about my sisters?" In truth, she didn't mind, she was just curious.

Kiri met her eyes now, giving a weak smile, "My parents adopted a human girl, named Sarah. I've never had a sibling before, so I don't know what to do." She looked rather helpless now, "I want to be a good sister."

"I understand," Mor'an said, "When Che'kel was born, I was so worried I would do something wrong. I only knew how to be a younger sibling, not how to be the older one. It will take time and, because of the distance factor in your case, a little extra effort. Sarah just needs to know that she has a sister who does love her, even though you cannot be with her. How old is she?"

"She is nine," As of yet Kiri didn't know what she looked like or anything else about her. Her parents had only told her a little while before the chaos with the Klingons started, since then she hadn't heard anything. The troubling point for Kiri was how to love someone she didn't know. What if she hated her? Kiri found it very hard to hate anyone but what if? Worse might be, what if her parents like her better? She didn't want to feel that way but it was hard not to, she'd always been the only object of her parents affection, sharing wasn't something she as good at as it was let alone something so important to her. The concern was showing on her face again, "What do nine year olds like?"

At this, Mor'an laughed merrily. "What does a child of any age look like?" she asked in return. "do you really know nothing about her?"

Reluctantly Kiri shook her head, "No I don't, I haven't even spoken to her yet." It was one of the downsides to doing what she wanted to do, being so far away from her family.

"Unfortunately that is one of the sacrifices that must be made," Mor'an said, "Startfleet is not meant to be easy."

Kiri looked rather homesick for a few more minutes, she didn't feel it was right to feel week though, she was meant to be an example. Her hands shook slightly as she lifted the drink to her lips and almost took a sip, "How have you been?"

"I am fine," Mor'an said, "I adjust easily." She paused to pick out the proper words to say next. "I saw you with Ensign Rhodes earlier. What is he like? I know him only by face as I have yet to meet him."

Kiri wasn't sure that anyone had really noticed that. She would rather they didn't, that her life wasn't on display for other people to see. The question wasn't one she really had an answer to, "I, don't really know. Today was the first time I met him, and, we didn't talk very much. He confuses me." Being honest in conversations wasn't something Kiri normally did but Mor'an had offered advice about her new sister.

"He confuses you?" Mor'an repeated, "How is that? You do not understand his actions?"

Feeling that it was her failing more than anything else that meant she didn't understand she seemed rather deflated, "No." Lifting the glass for the first time since this conversation started she took a small sip. Trying to find the right words were hard, she didn't want to betray the man's trust by talking about him, Mor'an wouldn't tell everyone else though would she? "He acted strange and came into one of the science labs, said he there to observe, I was the only one there though. When I left he asked me to come here with him, we talked and I think he acted strangely, then he left after only a few minutes." Her recount completed she looked slightly uncomfortable, still trying to understand.

For a moment, Mor'an remained silent, thinking about what Kiri had said and how the girl could be processing the event. "Perhaps he is as unsure and confused as you are," Mor'an said finally, fixing Kiri with her gentlest stare. She could tell just by Kiri's face that she was confused. "He was unsure as how to proceed which in turn confused you. It is not a bad thing to be unsure about these things." Her eyes flicked away for a moment. "I have never been in a relationship, or had anything remotely like it. I would be as confused as you."

Kiri hadn't expected anyone else to be as confused by these things as she was. It sort of made sense, but given how he actually acted and spoke, did that seem right? He seemed confident, the biggest real issue was that he had left, she was worried she'd done something wrong. Most of her focus was now on Mor'an, "Oh, really?" Since coming on board Kiri hadn't been blind to rumours she overheard or what she saw, lots of people were in relationships and almost all had been. It was one of the other things that made her feel isolated. So she continued to blurt out her words, not considering what they might do, "I thought I was the only person on the ship."

"Of course not," Mor'an said, a small grin gracing her lips, "We do not intimately associate with members of another race. The Tarkannan are a private people."

Kiri picked up on what she perceived as a negative connotation almost at once, "Oh, I didn't mean that at all, I." How did it end up coming to that? Did she imply something to that nature? Kiri had been trying to speak completely in general, what did she not mean? Then the questions turned to herself, Kiri was a private person, even more so in that regard. Did she want to have a relationship with anything other than a Trill? A Human? It was something that so far in her life had never even been on the books. "Sorry, I didn't mean anything, I'm just silly." Chastised Kiri now looked rather sheepish, glancing up at Mor'an.

"Please do not be," Mor'an said, realizing too late how her words sounded. "As I have told people on numerous occasions, sometimes I am misunderstood when I speak. All I meant was I have never had a relationship because of my culture. I meant nothing in regards to you. Now, tell me, do you like Ensign Rhodes? What you have seen of him, anyway."

Glad that little damage seemed to be done Kiri was back with the question that she didn't have an answer for. It was these sorts of feelings for what she wanted or liked that she tended to find very hard to find. Breathing inwards she answered, "I don't know, I don't dislike him, he is a little scary though, he talks a lot as well." They were little things, but they were all she had, the facts she felt comfortable with anyway.

"I think it is the situation that scared you," Mor'an said thoughtfully, "Not the ensign himself. Of course, I do not wish to be presumptuous and assume that is what is was."

Kiri was glad to have someone to talk to this about, "I suppose, but how it happened was strange, he also has a collection of weapons in his quarters." To her collecting weapons showed an aggressive temperament, that he was more dangerous than someone that collected postal chips.

"There is nothing wrong with that," Mor'an said, "I have a friend from the Academy, a female Klingon named Ktala, who has a collection of Klingon weaponry. I myself have a few daggers and swords in my quarters. Just because we have possession of potentially dangerous objects does not mean that we ourselves are dangerous to society."

On the one hand, Kiri would still be wary of being friends with a Klingon of any sort. Mor'an as well though? Kiri considered her safe, but when she first met Mor'an she didn't get the same feeling she did when she met Ensign Rhodes. Maybe it was lots of things, either way she was fumbling in the dark, "I see, still, it makes me uncomfortable," Then looking rather tense, "Can I ask why? I mean, why you collect them?" Kiri didn't have a single weapon in her quarters nor did anyone in her family.

Mor'an pondered the question for a moment. "Well," she said, "Why does anyone collect anything? Because it is an interest to them. I was reared with a dagger in my hands -- it is normal on my planet. It is something that I am familiar with. Bladed weapons are beautiful objects if you know how to look at them." Mor'an shifted, drawing up one knee to her chest. "They are not to be feared but rather respected."

That seemed like a valid excuse to her, still it didn't mean that she liked it by any stretch. Kiri didn't really collect anything, at home she had copies of star charts but they were for her studies, most of them. So should she? What did Brayden collect, if he did? Her stance remained still compared to her companion, "I see," Now what to say? Ensign Rhodes had invited her to see his but that was up to Mor'an. Glancing down at her drink and then to Mor'an with a start she asked, "Would you like a drink?"

"Alright," Mor'an said, "What are you drinking?" She leaned forward to peer at Kiri's glass. "I have never seen it before."

"Ensign Rhodes said it was a Cherry-lime-aide, it is okay," Looking at it reluctantly for a second she added, "I would rather it was just lime though." Kiri considered for a moment if it would be rude to exchange it for something else or not, it was extremely unlikely he would ever know.

"I have had neither cherry nor lime," Mor'an said, "But I would be willing to try it."

[TBC]

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Cadet Senior Grade Im'er Mor'an
Red Squad Intern
USS Galileo

ENS Kiri Cho
Science Officer/Sensor Specialist
USS Galileo

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