Nat and the Cheshire Cat

Posted on 16 Mar 2016 @ 5:10am by Lieutenant JG Natalya Kirilova & Lieutenant JG Lenaris Marika

2,746 words; about a 14 minute read

Mission: Episode 10 - Symposium
Location: USS Galileo - Deck Seven, Arboretum
Timeline: MD 89 - 1730 hrs

[ON]

The engineer crouched in the tall grass, eyeing her intended prey, who she estimated was lurking somewhere behind the stand of sunflowers just ahead. Her movements were slow and steady. The engineer was in no rush, but that didn't mean she could afford to be on the hunt all day. After all, she was hungry.

Suddenly, the sunflowers shook slightly. The pixie hidden among them was growing restless, and it was only a matter of time before she bounced away, forcing the engineer to continue the hunt in yet another location...

It wasn't like that really. But given Natalya's present surroundings it kinda did seem like a hunt of some sorts. She'd been waiting for the right time to approach Marika all day. The promise of dinner had stuck in her mind for weeks, and now that shore leave was wrapping up, she figured that it might be a good time to follow up on that.

Ensign Lenaris, however, could be rather elusive even when she didn't mean to be. Nat wasn't quite bold enough to approach Marika in front of her peers on the science deck, and with her own tasks popping up here and there it seemed like every time Nat had a free minute to find the Bajoran, she was on the move to somewhere else.

Not wanting to ambush her new friend, Nat started whistling a soft melody, hoping it would lure Marika out from wherever it was she was spending her private time. She really hoped she wasn't interrupting something...

From her hiding spot, the young archaeologist watched the beautiful engineer walk in. "Here we have our Engineer, walking slowly as not to upset her prey." Marika spoke in her best impression of a Bolian nature documentary she had watched at the academy. She didn't remember much about it, but the narrator's voice had rather unique, and had stuck in her mind. "Slowly.. she walks, observing her environment, hoping to find what she seeks. Oh! But listen. The Siren has started singing. We should not listen... legends speak of many a man falling to an early graces, lured by the song of such a wondrous beast."

Giggling at her own silliness, Marika waved at the pretty lady below, only to burst out laughing at herself. One was hard pressed to see through a holographic sky. For a moment, the arboretum was filled with the laughter of the young Bajoran, seemingly coming out of nowhere.

Natalya had seen the documentary. Or at least parts of it. Her last roommate had been into them... her, not so much. She looked around for a moment, wondering how Marika had seen her so quickly. The Bajoran was nowhere to be seen.

"Every time I walk into one of these I feel like I'm going to fall into a pond, or get swarmed by wild cats." Natalya said, chuckling. Both had actually happened to her. Well, the cats hadn't been wild, but they were pretending to be at the time.

Picking her way through the vegetable gardens and floral displays, Nat was careful not to disrupt anything. She peered through the sunflowers, seeing nothing. "Here kitty kitty...." She called out softly, trying to find out where Marika was hidden away.

Stifling a giggle, Marika looked around. There was nothing on the maintenance railing she could use. Her gaze fell on the environmental controls, and for a moment she considered the fun she could have with them. A little localized rain could be really funny. But something stopped her. Looking back down at the woman walking through the sunflowers, she wasn't convinced she'd take to it.

She walked back to the maintenance shaft as quietly as she could, and let herself slide down the jeffries tube. She paused for a moment to make sure the Siren wasn't looking her way, and exited the maintenance shaft hidden behind a boulder. Stifling yet another giggle, she let out a barely audible "meow."

Natalya almost rolled her eyes. People in Starfleet tended to be professional and reserved when on duty, and she'd met many people who seemed unable or unwilling to loosen up and embrace their inner-weirdo. Marika was definitely not one of those people. She was a wild one, for sure.

As she neared the source of soft giggles and meows, Natalya wondered whether or not she was about get pounced on, or if her friend had some other surprise in store. This seemed to be her domain.

"Here kitty..." Natalya said softly, approaching the boulder where she was sure she'd heard the sound coming from. She peeked behind it, and there was no one there!

Stifling more giggles as best she could, Marika rounded the boulder in order to stay hidden. This lovely Siren really was all kinds of fun! "Meow." Looking around, the young Bajoran tried to spot another suitable hiding place. One she might be able to reach before she was spotted. Behind the sunflowers perhaps?

Taking an instant to listen and make sure Natalya wasn't turning around just yet, Marika bolted behind the sunflowers and ducked. With a huge grin, she placed herself between two flower tops, and figured she'd either be seen, or not. Either way, it would be funny.

For a moment there Natalya actually wondered whether she was chasing a person, or a cat. She was half tempted to consult the computer again to make sure that Marika really was still there. But then she saw movement out of the corner of her eye, and she turned just quickly enough to see the tall sunflowers swaying, as if someone had just crashed through them.

Stepping forward, Natalya scanned the stand of flowers, almost positive that she'd seen Marika. It wasn't until she was only a few steps away that she finally saw her grinning face right in front of her. "Oh look, it's the Cheshire Cat!"

Giggling, Marika pounced out of the sunflowers. "Rawr?" Giggling some more, she offered Natalya a curtsies. "M'Lady." With a graceful gesture, the young Bajoran grabbed the engineer's hand and started a twirl. "When is a croquet mallet like a billy club?" She asked as she sidestepped and concluded said twirl.

I have no idea..." Natalya said, it seemed like a very strange riddle and she was guessing it belonged to said cat. Marika again seemed very energetic and playful. Natalya was quite athletic, but keeping up with the Bajoran might prove to an Olympic workout.

Natalya saw a lock of Marika's hair had fallen loose during her twirl. Without thinking, she reached forward and carefully tucked it behind her ear, being careful of her intricate Bajoran earring.

With a giggle the young Bajoran opened her mouth to answer, but instead found herself having her hair tucked behind her ear. Which was not something she was accustomed to. It was a rather interesting situation, and the touch of the other woman was welcome. But it was enough of a distraction for her to take a few more instants before getting on with her riddle. "Whenever you want to, silly!"

She giggled some more, giving herself another twirl, her eyes seeking the engineers as she came to a stop. For a moment she observed the other woman, then offered a curtsies.

Maybe Natalya had gone too far. It was hard for her to tell. Marika always seemed so enthusiastic, but of course Natalya had to think that it was because she was around her. Maybe it wasn't like that at all?

As they locked eyes Natalya tried to figure out what the other woman was thinking. She couldn't. "You are quite the riddle yourself." She said softly, offering a bow to compliment the curtsy.

Perking up, Marika beamed at the other woman. "Why thank you kind Lady. One rarely receives such high praise." As she caught Natalya's arm in her own, the Bajoran started walking slowly. "This little batch with Poeny flowers is mine!" She pointed at a small patch of soil with a few pink and violet flowers. "Of course I was gone for the better part of last three months, it's pretty nice to see they actually grew. The gardener offered me that area to work on my own little project, so I thought I'd put up the Chinese national flower. It made sense to me. I miss Yui. So I thought I'd build a little piece of her birthplace to remind me of her. Although she's more Bajoran in spirit than she ever was Chinese. But it still serves as a good reminder. I should probably put in some Bajoran lilacs in there for good measure. Although I do love plum tree flowers. What do you think?"

Turning to look at her companion with a pleasant interrogative smile, Marika seemed able to go from intrepid fast talker to intense listener as quickly as she was prone to twirl and dance.

Natalya had always liked flowers since she'd attended the academy on Earth. She'd always tried to keep a few plants or flower arrangements in her quarters when she could. But her interest was very casual. She knew next to nothing about them, really. "I think I would leave such a decision to an expert." She said with a soft smile. "I never saw a flower until I was... oh, nineteen. When I went to Earth to study at the academy. Plants don't grow where I come from. Except for some evergreens... mostly conifers and shrubs, along the equator." Natalya sighed. Denali was not a pretty world, and it never would be.

"Now rocks.... that's another story. I could tell you a lot about rocks." She said jokingly as she patted Marika's arm.

"Ooooo! Do tell! Rocks can be awesome. Did you know the natives of Melenix Three build similar statues to those found on earths Ile de Paque? Stones seem to hold a very peculiar place in many cultures. I myself am more a fan of crystals. I like how they grow, also the colors. Some rocks have very lovely colors too. Of course there are also rock gardens. I think the Japanese on earth are very fond of them. There are also the Tellarite Belua province that has a few of those, or the Nelina Consumate who are also very fond of them." Beaming at the engineer, Marika seemed oblivious to the joking nature of Natalya's remark.

Natalya listened intently. She was unfamiliar with most of what Marika had said, though she did know a little bit about the Japanese from her time on Earth. She didn't have a lot to contribute in terms of cultural uses of rocks. But she did have some stories of her own experiences with them.

"My parents were also engineers. Though my dad worked pretty closely with miners. He was always bringing me back things he found down in the shafts... nothing of value to the miners, but to a kid it was treasure. He'd bring me back geodes he found in old volcanic deposits. We'd cut them open and find all sorts of crystals hidden inside. He once even brought me back a raw diamond the size of my fist." Natalya laughed. Of course diamonds had become near-worthless since the advent of the replicator, but she'd had it cut and polished as a keepsake. It was on a shelf in her quarters.

As they kept walking, Marika looked afar, barely there. For a moment, Natalya's excitement at the memory caught her full on. She closed her eyes, trying to imagine herself in the room with them. Looking over the young Natalya's shoulder, barely keeping herself together at the thought of what could be inside.

That was why she had come out here. The endless possibilities of what could be 'inside'. Being young, she had enjoyed presents as much as the next kids. But unraveling them had been the embodiment of what her life was all about. "That had to be great! The excitement, the wonder, the unknown. I don't think I'll ever get tired of that. Too many people do..."

It was nice to catch a glimpse of what Marika was made of... hopes and dreams, things like that. One might assume that because the Bajoran woman was so outgoing and cheerful, she wore her heart on her sleeve, but Natalya didn't quite believe that. People were very complex, and she believed that what you saw on the outside didn't always match with what was going on within. The faraway look she'd caught in Marika's eye told her that what she said had come from deep within.

Unfortunately, Natalya's feelings about the unknown were not the same. She wasn't bored or in wonder. She feared it. The vast majority of what was encountered out among the stars was harmful to people and the technology they used to convey them through space. Engineers cherished the laws of nature and physics the way a child would a security blanket. Knowing how they worked kept people safe. Anything that bent, or defied those laws was like a monster dredged up from one's darkest nightmares.

Natalya had her own faraway look then. And she tried to look reassuring as she considered the fact that she'd signed aboard a ship where the majority of the crew would actively pursue such phenomena.

"Ah, and speaking of mystery... that brings us to my being here." Natalya deftly steered the conversation. Or so she thought. "The last time we met, there was talk of dinner." She couldn't help but smile somewhat coquettishly.

The word 'dinner' brought the lights back on. Lights she beamed through her beautiful smile. "I make some wicked hasperat! Or ... there are quite a few Zhejiang Shaoxing style recipes I've been looking forward to trying out with someone. How do you feel about cherry jubilee's?"

Natalya had had hasperat many times, as it was a popular lunch item in Starfleet. She was not accustomed to the traditional Bajoran preparation though, as it tended to be spicier than she was used to. As for the alternative, something Asian did come to mind, but it could have been Andorian for all she knew. The mention of cherry jubilee had her mouth watering.

"You choose." Natalya said encouragingly, trying hard not to get caught up in Marika's beaming smile.

"Freshwater fish and chicken it is then! I wonder if I can find something non replicated on the station. That would be awesome! Although we are going to need somewhere to do this. My quarters are a little cramped, especially if I have to cook. Oh! I know a place! Have you ever been to Hong Kong? If you can spare the trip that is, but we still have a few days of shore leave if I'm not mistaken. And I have some.. I guess I could say extended family there. One who owns a traditional Zhejiang restaurant. I'm sure he'd be ready to let me use a private area and some cooking space. What do you say?" She cocked her head to the side and stared at Natalya with what appeared to be a caring gaze.

"Hong Kong?" Natalya couldn't help but say somewhat incredulously, but not in a critical way. She had no problem joining Marika for a day or evening trip to Earth, but it sounded rather complex for dinner. But then again Natalya knew very little about cooking. "Sounds like quite a date." She said, testing the waters.

The beam of pure joy emanating from the young Bajoran, would seem to confirm the engineer had said the right thing. "It'll be awesome! I really enjoy cooking myself when I get the chance. And if you're going to cook, you do it right!" A small beep from her communicator reminded her she had somewhere to be.

Before her partner could say anything, she jumped up and kissed her cheek, still beaming. "Gotta run! I'll make the arrangements and send you the departure time!" Without further ado, she sprinted off, nearly running over another crewman walking the small path, glancing past him with a twirl and a wave at Natalya.

Natalya couldn't help but but stare at Marika as she fled the scene. What a whirlwind the Bajoran was. The crewman seemed totally confused, and glanced her way for an exclamation as he picked up his seed packets. All Natalya could do was blush.

[OFF]

Ensign Marika Lenaris
Anthropologist/Archaeologist
USS Galileo

Lieutenant JG Natalya Kirilova
Chief Engineering Officer
USS Galileo

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