Star Trek: Starbase 777 - ┃dining-area-windowside

There were rows of square wooden tables with black, long sofas with white cushions on one side of them and individual chairs on the other, with aisles of space behind the chairs for people to walk through. Next to the sofas and scattered throughout the room there were fake decorative white pine trees that came up to the shoulders on most, and along the walls there were bundles of white flowers and icicle-like decorations. This place was for sitting down and eating food. (edited)

Here Lorin was! She was dressed in an ice blue ballgown with lace cuffs on her long sleeves and white silk gloves. She had a cup of Vulcanoid safe hot chocolate with her, because why the hell not.

And finally here was Alizati with the Furberus. He was dressed in a long maroon red and beige kimono along with the Furberus with colour coded ties and top hats. Bir had red, Ikki had blue, and Yuch had yellow. Alizati also did a little make up for this occassion, on top of his natural make up which he had on at all times, he had a slightly darker shade of eyeliner on and more vibrant green lipstick. Alizati noticed a familiar face in the room and approached the table where Lorin was sitting. "Jolan tru, may I sit here?"

1

“Yeah, of course. I love your outfits, both of you.” She said, gesturing to both him and the Furberus. She had red lipstick on. With her hair covering her ears like it was, you could only really tell by her eyebrows that she was a Vulcanoid. She liked that. It meant people were less weird to her, usually. She took another sip of hot chocolate. Sugar one was better, but she hated the sensation of being drunk.

"Thank you," Alizati said as he took a seat across from Lorin and helped the Furberus pull up their hoverchair next to the table. He studied Lorin's outfit carefully, the pretty ball gown paired with red lipstick was a good look on her. He had never considered wearing red make up, perhaps because he always thought green suited him best since he was Vulcanoid? "Your outfit is lovely," Alizati said before the Furberus chirped up, repeating his phrase all three heads in unison. Their voices were all different, Bir had a husky masculine voice, Ikki had a higher pitched tone, and Yuch sounded like the static of a TV with no real words being intelligible. "What are you drinking?" Alizati ignored the Furberus' sounds and just focused on Lorin despite the three heads repeating every word he was saying.

Green makeup probably would look better on Lorin. But the whole point was kinda to look as not-Vulcan as possible. She’d much rather be treated as a weird human with a sugar allergy. That was her goal, be as off-putting as possible to the Vulcans that she wasnt’ going to associate with. The nice ones would actually get to know her before judging her, and that was when she knew she’d befriend them. Like Alizati. “I’m drinking hot chocolate. I was sort of thinking about heading to the bar, but I also didn’t really feel like getting drunk.”

"Hot chocolate, I am aware of the terran drink. I do not like chocolate, even Vulcanoid friendly kinds," Alizati stated with the Furberus repeating his words, yet again. He turned his head to look at his pet and pat each of the heads before giving them a soft 'shh'. He understood they were excited to be able to speak, however it was not proper to repeat his words each time he spoke. "The bar has non-alcoholic drinks as well. I hear it is crowded though, many people mingling and... Hmm, I am not interested in hook-up culture I believe it is called? I am satisfied with Men as my conspirator," Alizati said as he rested his arms on the table and watched Lorin sip her hot chocolate. "Have you spoken to any of the visitors to the station? We have a couple Starfleet ships docked as well as a few Romulan and Klingon ships."

“I hate crowds. They’re very overstimulating for me, more so than what would really be normal. I mean, normal for me, probably not for anyone else.” Little did she know, Lorin’s autistic RPer had injected social anxiety into Lorin and accidentally made her a self insert. Whoops. Now she had all of Nyx’s problems too. Still, she was (not blissfully) unaware of exactly why she was so strange. But she was chilling, for now. Staring out the window was a good excuse to not make eye contact. “I haven’t, not yet. I’m trying to avoid one of those visitors, actually. If you see a Vulcan with a white streak in her hair, warn me so I can either get out or get prepared to argue.” She said. The last statement was meant to be sarcasm, but Lorin was famously bad at sarcasm. Nobody could really understand her sarcasm, and she couldn’t understand anyone else’s.

1

"I would have to agree," Alizati replied to Lorin. He never understood why so many other species seemed so willing to socialise in large groups. It was probably the biggest culture shock he had when he attended the Academy. Up until then he had lived a rather secluded life, although not by choice. Now as a #FreeAndroid he was interested in meeting new people, but not in social gatherings. "The Starbase is quite large and there are many people here so I doubt that it will be difficult to avoid a single person," Alizati said as he reached his arm over to pet the three long necks of the Furberus. The creature seemed happy to get attention from Alizati with all three heads purring. "Why do you want to argue with this person so much? I hear there is a fighting platform where you can send invitations to fight individuals directly, perhaps that would be best to vent your anger?"

“She was awful to me in the Academy, that’s why, and she never apologized either. I’m sort of like how I am now because of her. If she hadn’t been so weird to me about logic than maybe I would’ve given it another try. Maybe I wouldn’t be the mess I am today, you know? Also, where’s this fighting platform? Is it more for fistfights or can I call someone a bitch, call them out for their shitty behavior, and be done with it?” Lorin was now Interested. She was all about debating with people. She wasn’t one to throw a long string of expletives at people, but she would do it if brought face-to-face with T’Asha.

1

"It is called Rumblr, however it is.. Not something publicly endorse, please be careful," Alizati was not a fan of any fighting, even the verbal type, but he did understand that sometimes disagreements could only be settled with fists between certain individuals. And as far as he knew, the fights on Rumblr were all friendly and there were no weapons involved. "And I believe sometimes clearing the air is not always necessary. There are some people who have left our lives that have no place returning," Alizati said before their Furberus spoke up, "THILLASA!" And then all three heads began to whine. This prompted Alizati to gently nudge Bir to get the three headed monstrosity to stop. "Yes, my biological mother did not treat me very kindly. We have mutually agreed to stay out of each others' lives. It is for the better," Alizati said as he gently pulled the Furberus onto his lap. Maybe allowing them to speak was a bad idea. "Do you actually want to fight this person?"

“I don’t want to physically fight her. I just want to curse her out and give her a horrible time here.” Meanwhile, T’Asha had actually experienced character development and was genuinely trying her best to be a nice person. She wasn’t very good at it, but she tried. And she was about to have a miserable time at this party, thanks to Lorin and an accidental sugary mishap.

"I think you have to settle your resolved inner turmoil then. Often people do things that make us mad or put us through situations that have lasting effects, however how we evolve and better ourselves after said situation, that is on us," Alizati explained in his calm and cool Vulcan monotone. He understood Lorin's frustration, he had been through something very similar, but he could never understand grudges. The Furberus began to slither onto the table, now taking up most of the space that was not occupied by Lorin's cup. "When I lived on the Vulcanis Lunar Colony, I was injured. Instead of attempting to repair me, my family disassmbled me and put me in a drawer for three years and told no one. It was a deeply traumatising event, however I do not hold malice towards my family. If anything, I pity them for being unable to feel compassion towards those who are different than them and hope that they will realise how illogical their actions were," He said, completely ignoring the Furberus who was just slithering around on the table. They were excited to be out and about, it was normal to him.

1

“I’m managing as well as I can, given the circumstances. I still want to make her feel the shame she’s made me feel.” She listened in shock at Alizati’s story. To her, that was like leaving someone in a coma because you were too lazy to call a doctor. She had a look of shock on her face that she honestly didn’t mean to make. She fixed that though, going back to staring out the window. “You’re more patient than I could ever be.”

Alizati noticed the look of shock on Lorin's face when he told his story. His Vulcan family would have probably made her angry too, they certainly made Men angry. He remembered telling the story to Allan as well. Although his friends were all very quick to come to his defense in matters pertaining to his Vulcan family, it was not necessary. He understood why his family did what they did, even if their actions were illogical. "They say patience is a virtue. Holding grudges can often be tiring. Life is our own stories where we are the main character. Everyone is the hero in their story, but it is inevitable that we are the villains in another," Alizati said as he pulled the Furberus off the table and into his lap for cuddles. "Have you considered that maybe that person has changed?"

2

And, in walked T’Asha. Her hair was curled and done up in a bun, and she was wearing a stunning black dress, complete with a slit in the leg and gold high heels. She was wearing a handmade gold necklace with opal gems, plus red lipstick and a smokey eye. She walked over to the window, put down her hot chocolate, and started taking some selfies.

[D] And Sakkath was here. Dressed in a lovely victorian era inspired outfit with a little crown on their head and a rather outrageous collar. their hair was curly as ever even though they had used some coconut oil to try and calm it down. They were looking for T'Asha as they had planned to take some selfies together. To this event, Sakkath chose their outfit wisely, opting to go with comfortable flats and not heels, it was important to be able to move quickly in case of an emergency! Their make up was minimal of course, they usually just wore tinted moisturiser and some lip balm on their naturally green lips. They looked around for their friend, eyes scanning each of the tables until they found her! "T'Asha, you look very lovely," They complimented her as they took a seat at the table she was at.

“You as well. Your outfit is quite interesting.” However, she caught someone in one of her pictures. A very iconic green haired woman. Lorin, the little bastard with a personal vendetta against her. T’Asha already felt a little weird. She wondered why.

Quietly, Lorin gestured to T’Asha, who was rather close by them. “That’s her. Your advice is sound, Alizati, but this might be my only chance to call her a bitch in person.”

Alizati was just enjoying his cuddles with the Furberus and was not paying attention to the business of others around them. Once Lorin mentioned it though, he turned his head to see two people taking selfies at a table nearby. Two Vulcans from the look of it, dressed very nicely for the ball. ".... I would advise to avoid rude behaviour, it is not becoming of a Starfleet officer," Alizati reminded Lorin. Although he was unsure which of the two was the person Lorin was referring to (if he was completely honest they both had the potential to be 'the bitch', but he didn't say that).

"It is something I found in the database," Sakkath said as they looked menacingly into the camera as T'Asha took photos. It was not intentional, they just always had the scariest look in photos. It is what got them so many likes on Spacegram so why change it? Everyone liked BarcodeSnake85's staring. They did not notice the green haired person in the background, their focus was solely on taking photos with their friend.

“I guess you’re right. Cursing out another officer isn’t exactly a great thing for someone to look at if they wanted to promote me.” Lorin hated T’Asha, but she did like the thought of not being an ensign anymore. The two canceled each other out.

“I do not think we have collaborated on anything on social media, despite being mutual for some time now.” She commented. She couldn’t get Lorin out of her head, though. This might have been her only chance to apologize to her. She decided to ask Sakkath for advice. “Sakkath. Do you remember me telling you about that woman I was rather unkind to in the Academy? She is at that table over there. I am wondering if I should go and apologize to her.”

"And cursing out another person would not undo the trauma they have caused you. Remember, she is the protagonist in her own story, perhaps you are the villain to her?" Alizati reminded Lorin, pleased that it seemed like the junior officer was going to make the right decision to keep her distance from her former enemy (or current enemy?). He still didn't know which of the two Lorin was talking about, they both really had that bitchy look about them. He stayed sat at the table, petting and cuddling the Furberus.

"I do not believe we have," Sakkath said in regards to collaborating. They were looking forward to what types of comments they would get on social media. Would people be happy to see them together? Oh, would there be dating rumours? Sakkath was quite well known on the Romulan version of Space Twitter, Reibo aka. Romulan Weibo, as no one gets around The Great Romulan Firewall in Romulan space. They glanced at the woman that T'Asha was talking about and suddenly their eyes widened. Not at Lorin but at the, "Is that a three headed long Furby toy? T'Asha, you must apologise, I need to see that creature up close and take a photo for Spacegram."

1

“Yes. For the sake of the interesting Furby, I shall. Sakkath, come with me, please.” She snapped one more photo. They were both wearing her handmade jewelry. The jewelry and geology communities would be going wild over this. She walked a few tables down to Lorin, obvious that she was the ‘bitch’. She looked pretty damn imposing in her high heels. She soon came a respectable distance to Lorin, Alizati, and the Furberus “Lorin. It is fortunate that we are in the same place. I have been wanting to apologize to you since I graduated the Academy. In my time serving Starfleet, I realized how wrong I was. About everything.” She hoped her apology would be enough. And even if it wasn’t, it lifted a weight off her chest anyway.

1

Damn, that was satisfying. Having this all high and mighty Vulcan apologizing to her, the illogical little bastard. She smiled. This, this is what she wanted. Now she could reply. “Well well, finally it happened. Kind of underwhelming. You, apologizing? I never in a million years thought you would. Congratulations on the character development, you definitely needed it.”

5

Do it for the Furby, do it for the Furby, she repeated in her mind. T’Asha could take a hit to her pride, even if it hurt. If she ever had to credit Lorin for anything, she was definitely great at hitting people where it hurt if she wanted to. “I understand if you would not accept my apology. I have not acted like I deserved forgiveness if I am being completely honest.”

Sakkath flashed a piece sign and raised their eyebrows at the last photo, not realising how oddly reminiscent such an action was. They were proudly wearing the blue azurite pendant that T'Asha had gifted them. Once they approached the table, Sakkath kept their distance, but their eyes were fixed on the Furby. Lorin's hair was quite loud, but they were not going to critique the woman's hair choice. They noticed her friend-- the one cuddling the Furby, also had dyed hair. Wow, they were the dyed hair Vulcanoid club? Well, T'Asha's hair wasn't dyed. Sakkath's mind tuned out whatever T'Asha and Lorin were discussing, that wasn't important, the important thing was the Furby. Lorin may have had beef with T'Asha, but Sakkath was not involved and merely wanted to pet the animal (was it an animal?). They glanced up at the owner of said majestic creature only to see he was-- oh, he was Romulan, not Vulcan, right? "Jolan tru, I would like to pet your Furby," Sakkath said softly, giving their same cold stare they gave everyene.

Alizati's focus was actually the conversation at hand. He was surprised when the two Vulcanoids approached them but remained calm. He had his arms wrapped around the Furberus. At first the apology seemed to be going well. The black and white haired woman was the 'bitch' Vulcan it seemed. However the way Lorin 'accepted' the apology was... Disappointing. He had hoped Lorin would just say thank you and they could move on, but luckily T'Asha didn't seem in the mood to fight back. Alizati's concentration on the mini showdown between the two women was suddenly interrupted when the non-bitch Vulcanoid addressed him directly-- in Rihannsu? But they spoke like a Vulcan. Well, no judgment. "You may," Alizati said as he gave the Furberus each nose boops before releasing his embrace and allowing the brown and blond haired Vulcanoid to interact with them.

“Anyway, I accept your apology.” She stated simply. She was wondering why she had stopped herself from being mean to T’Asha. Probably because Alizati was there. If he wasn’t, they’d be fighting behind the Waffle House.

The acceptance, that was good. Alizati thought. Whilst the bitchy Vulcanoid's friend was petting the Furberus maybe this would be a good time for all four of them to.. Bond? "If you two are on good terms now, perhaps we can all sit together? Your friend seems to be very interested in my pet," Alizati spoke to T'Asha, referring to Sakkath's full attention being on the three headed monstrosity. He was happy that so many people loved them, they really needed it. The Furberus chirped and made some eldritch horror noises, but it seemingly did not phase Alizati or Sakkath.

“Fine, I guess.” She didn’t exactly glare at T’Asha, just stared at her. It might’ve looked that way though. She wasn’t too great at looking nice.

“Alright. I do feel a bit strange, though. I may not stay at the party for long.” Little did she know, the hot chocolate T’Asha was currently drinking was actually getting her drunk. She didn’t drink often, so she didn’t realize it. But she was here, and she still wanted to party.

Although Lorin could have acted better, Alizati was proud of her for doing her best to be polite. Just because Lorin and T'Asha had beef didn't mean him and T'Asha's friend couldn't get alone. "That is alright. My name is Alizati tr'Kota and this is my three headed child. Bir," Alizati pointed to Bir with the red tie. "Ikki," He pointed to Ikki with the blue. "And Yuch,* "He pointed to the shortest head with the yellow tie.* "They love to play Kal-toh and meet new people. I have recently given them a dictionary to speak. Currently they are only able to repeat words they have already heard, but hopefully they will learn new phrases quickly," Alizati explained as Bir turned his head to look straight at T'Asha. The other two heads were still busy getting attention from Sakkath.

“Hello, Alizati. And hello, you three.” She listened while she explained what the Furberus did and what they were capable of. She was interested in them. Sadly, T’Asha still didn’t know why she was feeling so weird. She took a sip of hot chocolate. It was sweet, but it was safe for her. Right?

"And my name is Sakkath s'Rllaillieu. It is nice to meet another Romulan," Sakkath looked at Alizati, immediately recognising the name style. They didn't know the family Kota, but they knew tr was a Romulan prefix. A Romulan who seemed to follow logic and Surak, maybe that meant there was hope for their uncle.

The Furberus greeted her with a very energetic 'Jolan tru!', all three heads turned to look at her now. "I am Vulcan as well, but thank you. Likewise," Ah so they were both Vulcan-Romulan hybrids, how interesting! Alizati was not put off by Sakkath's staring, in fact it was actually a little comforting. It was the Vulcan way to stare at people. "Are you two enjoying the ball?" Alizati wanted to get to know T'Asha and Sakkath, they seemed nice and he needed more friends.

“Yes, I am enjoying it so far. We went for lunch at Surak Snacks before coming here. I do prefer the quiet of that restaurant.” She observed. Tentatively, she reached out a hand to pat the nearest Furberus head. It was soft, she noted. She had taken off her gold gloves for now so she could feel everything.

"My fiance owns that restaurant. I am glad you enjoyed it, he works hard to create new foods," Alizati did not smile, but his gratitude was reflected in his voice. Yuch was the nearest head to T'Asha and he purred when she pet him. Being the shortest of the heads, he often felt like his brothers got more attention than him because they had longer necks and had more range of motion.

"It was pleasant. We had a Reman waiter who was a little talkative, but kind. He gave handmade bracelets," Sakkath said as they pulled up their sleeve to show Lorin and Alizati the pretty beaded bracelet. They was surprised to hear that this Vulcan was engaged to the owner of the restaurant. He was lucky to have a partner who was so good at cooking. Little did Sakkath know Alizati was an android who did not have to eat at all. "Your hair colour is very bold, may I ask what inspired you to choose that colour?" Sakkath stopped petting the Furberus so they could address Lorin. They always wanted to know the reasons Vulcanoids dyed their hair.

“Thanks. I’ve got a few reasons, actually. Lime green’s one of my favorite colors, and also, being this extra means strangers treat me as they would a human if they don’t see my ears or eyebrows, which I generally like.” She just liked people joking around with her and not mentioning logic or anything. She was just a weird little human hybrid and back when she had brown hair, she never liked people being formal and uptight when introducing themselves because they thought she would judge them.

Sakkath raised an eyebrow at Lorin not wanting to be perceived as Vulcanoid. They couldn't help but feel a little.. Hurt by it? What was so embarrassing about being perceived as Vulcan? They were not sure if Lorin was a hybrid as well, but they could empathise with her. Not too long ago they were in a similar position, trying to do whatever they could to hide their forehead ridges, scared to do anything with an ounce of emotion for fear of being labelled as a subpar Vulcan because of their mixed heritage. "I do not think there is any shame in being Vulcan. We live in an age of hybrids and diaspora who are rethinking their species' norms," Sakkath began to say, feeling rather passionate about the topic, although such passion was not conveyed very well in their straight Vulcan monotone. "I am half Romulan, half Vulcan and there was a time when I was ashamed of that. However people like T'Asha showed me that I do not have to reject one side in order to embrace the other," Sakkath looked towards Alizati and the Furberus and then back to Lorin. "The lime green looks good on you. Hair dying technology has become quite useful in recent years. It is very simple to change one's hair colour. Your friend has nice hair too," Sakkath said, looking at Alizati with his cobalt blue hair.

"Thank you. I dyed it to separate myself from my.. Grandfather, who's actions I would rather not be associated with," Technically on the family tree, Dzharok was Alizati's grandfather and he wasn't about to go into the fact he was an android modelled after a dead man. "Is your hair also dyed?" Alizati looked towards T'Asha, assuming she was also in the dyed Vulcanoid hair club.

“Thank you, Sakkath. Also, Alizati, my hair is not dyed. I have a genetic condition that resulted in a lack of pigment in some areas of my hair.” It was only the one streak. It did look striking, but she didn’t dye it. She loved how she looked. Even though she did want a few piercings.

Wow, T’Asha actually helping other people embrace their non-Vulcan side? That was new for Lorin. Definitely some character development went on there. As for Sakkath… it was definitely easier to like your Vulcan side if you weren’t ridiculed for being incapable of doing it right. Even though Sakkath had issues of their own. “I’m half human. I never was able to do logic right. And you all know what that’ll get you on Vulcan. Hint hint- almost nobody tried understanding me.” She patted each head of the Furberus. The little Furby creature was certainly the center of attention.

"I have my own shortcomings when it comes to logic. I understand," Sakkath said, although from their outward appearance they seemed to fit quite well into the perfect-Vulcan model, but in reality they knew they did not. Their cool and collected demeanour could have gotten them mistaken for a full Vulcan if not for the forehead ridges. "I was often scolded by my parents for being too emotional, I certainly acted out more than a few times in my early years. As a fellow child of two worlds, it is alright to feel misplaced sometimes. Now in Starfleet there are many like us and society is slowly changing," Vulcans were still very much Vulcan, but thankfully people with views like T'Asha were becoming more normal.

"Agreed. My fiance is quite open minded despite what his age may suggest. As you probably had experience in Surak Snacks, a number of staff at the restaurant are not fully Vulcan as Men wants to create a space where all those with Vulcanoid roots can feel welcome," Alizati explained as each of the Furberus' heads chirped at being pet by Lorin. He was glad his pet was a great unifier at helping both Lorin and T'Asha get along. Sakkath was nice too, overall he thought this meeting was going well. "How long will you two be on 777? I.. .Am in the middle of working on a special project. A pie, I would like to share it with you before you leave."

“We will be here for the duration of the party. I would be interested in trying your pie if it is ready before we leave.” T’Asha was okay at cooking. She was great at tea, but tea was simple. Pie was not.

"Then I will make sure to have the pie ready before you leave. It is Tolik pie, a Vulcan fruit with a Romulan recipe. It a family specialty. It is probably the only thing my family made that I am proud of," Alizati said, taking this time to roast the whole Kota house. Lalisa was mean, Lun was former Tal Shiar and a murderer (so was Lalisa, but Lun was less subtle about it), and Dzharok... He was a murderer too. Actually it was hard to think of who in his family was not a murderer.

"I look forward to the pie then," Sakkath said as they glanced around the seating area. It was nice to sit and chat and pet the Furberus, but they also wanted to explore. "Hmm, I want to see the rest of the ball before the event ends and I also have to meet someone. I will take my leave now, it was a pleasure meeting you two," Sakkath said, glancing back at Lorin and giving her a very hard Vulcan stare. They weren't trying to be intimidating, but they were still interested in speaking with her more and bonding about their mutual Vulcan trauma. "Even if we are not on 777, you can always send communications to Rapture."

Meanwhile, Lorin just stared at the floor trying to not think about Sakkath glaring at her. No wonder the only Vulcan they voluntarily talked to was Alizati. He was the only one who’d gotten it into his head that she didn’t like being stared at.

2

"Alright, jolan tru fellow Vulcan-Romulan," Alizati waved to Sakkath before they left the room. He noticed Lorin staring at the floor and wondered what was bothering her. Was it T'Asha? Or did she not like Sakkath? He wasn't sure but he nudged the Furberus to move closer to her and Ikki rested his head close to Lorin and chirped her name 'Lorin' softly.

2

Lorin gave Ikki a few headpats and looked up at him. “What is it?” Now that the Furberus could speak, she was sure some antics would ensue. She imagined the Furberus hoverchair-ing down the Senior Staff hallway saying the most random shit ever.

"We love you, thank you," All three heads of the Furberus said in unison in pretty good Standard. Alizati did not smile, but he did look like a proud father hearing his son speak. Although Bir and Ikki got the words right, Yuch was still making some weird static noise and not actual words, but he was trying. Alizati gave Lorin a nod as if to say he also agreed with the Furberus and cared for her just as much as they did.

Lorin gave a small smile. Yuch was trying his best, and she was proud of him. Though, considering the Furberus was going to be given to a small child, that issue might have to be fixed. “I love you all, too. That goes for you too.” She said, gesturing to Alizati. She made it very, very obvious that her statement was platonic. The English language needed another word for platonic love, in her opinion.

And to that sudden confession, Alizati actually smiled. The change of emotion on his face lasted mere seconds before reverting back to his stoic and emotionless stare, but he was happy to get that bit of confirmation from his friend that she liked him. He rested his hand on the Furberus' body where all three heads connected, petting their 'back'. "I appreciate that, Lorin," He said softly. "Did you want to explore more of the ball before the party ends? I am thinking of stopping by Surak Snacks," He wanted to greet the nice Reman waiter and Men as well as show them his outfit.

“I think I’m done with the ball. It’s pretty loud and overwhelming if I’m being honest. I understand if you just want to head off alone, though.” She could always find Hal and hang out with her, after all. But Hal was probably drunk. And Drunk Hal was even louder than Regular Hal.

"It is not too bad, although I want the Furberus to get to speak to all their friends. Maybe I will stop by the other areas first. I will see you later then, jolan tru Lorin," Alizati stood up and bowed his head before hoisting the Furberus into their hoverchair so they could follow him out of the dining area.

And who showed up by the double spined legend themself. Kraxtaayaal walked into the dining area with a tall matcha frappe in their hands (Vulcanoid safe). They looked around for an available seat and noticed a rather brightly coloured haired woman sitting at one of the tables alone. That approached with their frappe and looked down at her. "May I sit here?"

“Yeah, sure.” Hell yeah, two spines. Kraxtaayaal certainly looked interesting to Lorin. She had finished her hot chocolate by now, she was just chilling.

Kraxtaayaal turned the chair around and sat on it backwards, Riker style. They looked at the empty mug sitting in front the stranger and then at her face. Bright neon green hair, but they could tell she had some telling Vulcanoid features. "You are Vulcanoid?" They were not one to beat around the bush and just asked the question straight up. Kraxtaayaal was clearly Vulcanoid with their pointed ears and slanted eyebrows, but the verticle ridges paired with their greenish grey skin and purple hair pointed to another spcies, not Vulcan or Romulan. Perhaps Reman?

“Yeah, I am. You are, too?” Yeah, definitely not a Vulcan or Romulan. She hadn’t met many Remans though. Maybe he was just a funky Reman.

"Yes, Rigelian. Jelna and Zami," Kraxtaayaal replied as they took a deep breath, their back slowly rising and falling as their spines flexed. "What were you drinking?" Was their next question as they swirled their straw around in the frappe to mix the whipped cream with the rest of the frozen drink. They looked the woman up and down again, red lipstick was an interesting choice with the hair and blue gown. She was Vulcanoid, but what type? They wanted to ask however they did not want to start off with too many questions about species. Socialisation was pretty hard.

She nodded at his statement. “I’m half Vulcan. Oh, and I was just drinking some hot chocolate. It was pretty good.” She sympathized with socialization hard. She was exactly the same way.

"Oh, I see. We are... Similar, although I am fully Vulcanoid," Kraxtaayaal assumed that the person was half soemthing else, not Vulcanoid, considering she was drinking hot chocolate... Unless it was Vulcanoid friendly? To their knowledge, Vulcanoid-friendly chocolate was not very good. "And what is your name? I am an astrophysicist from Rapture... Kevin," They wanted to give their real name so badly, but they also wanted friends. This woman seemed friendly and something inside of them said they'd look silly if they gave their full name.

“Lorin Redwood. I’m a Xenobiologist here on 777.” She loved her job. It was the best thing that happened to her, she thought. Graduating the Academy and finally getting to work. She’d do it all again in a heartbeat.

"Xenobiology? How fascinating. We are both scientists. Are you working on any interesting projects?" Kraxtaayaal asked in an attempt to be friendly and casual. They were not very good at that at all with their words coming out slowly and sounding anything but natural. They sipped their frappe, quite enjoying the sweet green drink. It matched their skin and contrasted with their bright yellow eyes.

“Yeah, I love my job. I just finished studying the adaptive capability of a species of insect that lives on a planet with extreme temperature changes. I still have to get some final reports done, but overall I’m happy with my work.” Oh, Kevin had opened the can of worms. Lorin was all too happy to talk about her bastard insects.

"Extremophiles? That is fascinating. I have never been much for biology. It was too much memorisation and organic life is very complicated. Not that wormholes or spacial phenomena are any less complex," Kraxtaayaal said, their shoulders relaxing a little as they could comfortably talk about their own specialty with ease. They weren't smiling, too Vulcan for that, but their gaze was softer and friendlier. "Will you have your reports published on the Federation database? I would be interested in learning about the bugs. How long have you been working on the project?" (edited)

“I’m not too interested in physics. Don’t get me wrong, I’m competent at mathematics, but that stuff is beyond me.” It wasn’t like Lorin was caring about gaze now. She was pretty much done with eye contact for the day. “Of course I’ll publish my reports. I worked for a few months on it, doing multiple runs with simulating the temperatures in a controlled setting.”

"For a field that deals with the fundamentals of the universe, there is a surprising amount of concepts that are impossible to observe," Kraxtaayaal nodded as they spoke, taking small sips of their frappe after speaking. "For example, this Starbase has quite a lot of spacial anomalies. I wish Rapture was docked for longer because I would like to speak with some of the other astrophysicists about their findings," They stated, face as unemotional as ever. "Oh, I have to ask, did you see that three headed Furby earlier? It looked... Majestic."

She nodded at what he said. Things must be heating up in the astrophysics fandom, she thought. “Yes, I know them and their creator. I’ve played Kal-toh with them a few times.”

"Kal-toh? The creature can play such a complex game?" Kraxtaayaal raised an eyebrow to that, not expecting a pet to be capable of such a feat. Well, it seemed like their creator was a skilled engineer if they were able to create a machine... With such a unique appearance, that could also engage in Kal-toh against organic opponents. No one tell Kraxtaayaal that the Furberus' owner was actually an android himself. "And I believe I misjudged you upon first meeting, I thought you were a Vulcan who rejected all things Vulcan?"

It was a game. It wasn’t that deep, Kevin. She just liked hanging out with Alizati and playing games of strategy. She was exactly the same with chess, or that old Terran game Risk. “For the most part, I am. I can make an exception for tea and games. I’m not into the culture, though, not at all. Or the logic.”

"Oh I see," Kraxtaayaal replied, also agreeing that the tea and games were the best part of Vulcan culture. "I was Vulcan raised, but hmm... Sometimes I enjoy expressing my emotions through... Exercise," They wanted to say fighting but they didn't want to scare Lorin into thinking they were some crazy Rigelian. They could be, but not usually. "I quite like the tea and games too. I take it you were raised on Vulcan?" Kraxtaayaal asked, assuming that a Vulcan who rejected logic clearly had a bad experience with it. Vulcan was not exactly a very welcoming place to those who were different.

“I usually forget to exercise. I gotta hit the gym sometime soon.” Lorin preferred just expressing her emotions in general. It took a lot to piss her off (unless you were 1: a spacist or 2: T’Asha), so she generally had no problems with that. But if you managed to get on her bad side, you’d stay there for years. “I was. I didn’t have a good time there, I have no clue why my dad even still lives there.” Her mother could be one manipulative bastard though. No doubt, she had some mind games playing on her beloved father.

" It is a good practice for releasing emotions. Us Vulcanoids need to be cautious as we feel emotions stronger than other species," Kraxtaayaal told her, nodding slowly, now using their straw to scoop up the whipped cream that did not dissolve in the drink. They did not often indulge in sweets, but they assumed it was expected at parties? They could have some Vulcanoid friendly sugar, as a treat. "Your father is... Not Vulcan?"

“Yeah, I’ve heard the same speech a thousand times. I’m fine.” She watched him, wondering why he was dissolving the whipped cream. Everyone knew you just eat that first before drinking the coffee, right? That’s what Lorin did. And that was the correct way, to her. “Yes, he’s human. Honestly I’m not sure why he’s still with my mother. He’s the reason I haven’t just cut contact with them.”

"Rapture will be docked for a little longer. If you would like, we can exchange Rumblrs if you have one? Or Spacegram, maybe that is more likely," Kraxtaayaal said, not to subtly asking Lorin if she would fight him. Probably not, but they wanted to offer anyway. They listened to what Lorin said about her parents still being together despite the clear difference in opinions. "There is something to be said about the structured Vulcan way of life. I also struggled with logic and emotional control, but it was not too bad. However I spent most of my life on the Vulcanis Lunar Colony, people seemed more open and understanding of different ways of life. Perhaps because most people were farmers and did not feel the need to waste time discriminating against others," Kraxtaayaal shrugged as they slurped up the whipped cream through the straw. As they did this, their shoulders rose and fell, their chest still pressed up against the chair. It may have looked uncomfortable to someone with a single spine, but for Rigelians the important thing was to have their back unobstructed as their chest did not move when they breathed. "Do you have any siblings?"

“I don’t like fighting people. But I do have a Spacegram, and a Space Twitter. I’ll send you my usernames for both.” Lorin listened as they told their story. “Lucky”, she thought, as they explained that the people on their colony were less xenophobic. “No, I don’t have any siblings. I think my parents thought I was too much of a problem to risk having any more. I’ve got two human cousins, but they’re very young. I haven’t seen them in person yet.”

When Lorin mentioned Spacegram and Space Twitter, Kraxtaayaal pulled out their PADD and slid it across the table so Lorin could put in her info. "We can become.. I believe the phrase is moots?" They were not well versed in terran slang, but they knew a couple words from various people they grew up with who they still followed on SpaceBook. They were finished with their frappe and pushed the cup aside so they could lean forward on their chair that they were still sitting on backwards. "Cousins can be nice. I have... 12 siblings. If you ever want some, I could offer you some of mine?" They were joking, but the way they delivered their words in the very Vulcan monotone made it sound like they were serious. "13 of us in total, that means collectively we all have 26 spines," They weren't sure why everyone was so obsessed with their spines, but it made people smile so maybe it would be amusing to Lorin?

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Lorin typed in her info for both sites. Her accounts were mostly art and shitposts. There were some real crazy shitposts on there from August when she was still recovering from her illness. “I always wanted a sibling. I think I’ve found a family here on 777 though. And I have my father’s side of the family.” She giggled at Kevin’s joke. What, it was funny. Even though she wasn’t too obsessed with their spines.

[D] After a very riveting conversation, Kraxtaayaal bid Lorin goodbye. They had a new Spacegram and Space Twitter moot! Kraxtaayaal's accounts were unsurprisingly empty, but they liked keeping up with their friends. They waved goodbye and headed out of the ball and back to Rapture.

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