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Stovok stood in front of the quarters of Lt. Lisa Manez and scolded himself for lack of control. There was no reason to be nervous and his hands, tight around the flower pot, were a disgusting demonstration of that emotion. He'd decided that giving Lt. Manez flowers would make an excellent contribution to ship's efficiency. As of late, the young lady had been complaining extensively about how stuffy the ship was, and thus he thought that if he gave her a few oxygen-releasing plants it would save her valuable seconds on duty, seconds that would otherwise have been spent sneezing or seeking tissues or trying to adjust her respiratory rhythms. Why should he be nervous when he only wished to assist a valuable crewmember in a matter of time management? Why should he be nervous at all when he was a fully grown Vulcan who had in the past been capable of remarkable feats of control? Finally, the computer responded to his previous signaling. "Lt. Lisa Manez is currently in Lounge D. If you wish to locate Lt. Lisa Manez...." "Thank you, computer, I know the way," Stovok said evenly. In the event that the computer was more sentient than commonly believed, it was only logical to be polite to it and keep the mechanical brain upon which their lives depended happy. He also got far less annoyed chatter from some of the more dedicated computer specialists in science when he made that his habit. He headed in the direction the computer had been about to indicate, keeping his hands as relaxed as possible and wondering what was wrong with him. Indeed, was it appropriate to burden Lisa-Lt. Manez-with his presence if he was in such a state? Yet he knew Lisa would scold him for such thoughts and would be more concerned if he isolated himself than if he slipped in front of her. Besides, he would not slip. When he came in, he saw Lt. Manez deep in discussion about something with Lt. Pettigrew. It looked as though she were consoling him. The young Vulcan was about to back out of the room rather than interrupt, but Lisa waved him over the instant she saw him shyly hanging back. "Hey, Janitor," Pettigrew smiled weakly. "Are you well, Lt. Pettigrew?" "Just a broken heart, that's all. I'll recover." Lisa smiled at her Terran friend. "So will she. Just make sure she understands that you in no way approved of Quilter's actions and how much Quilter means to you. If she really loves you, she'll learn to put up with your cat, and if she can't she's not meant for you." Pettigrew frowned. "But I think she is meant..." "Then tell her that, too. And I'd suggest paying for a new outfit. Not to mention a spill-proof box." Stovok's eyebrow went running under his bangs. If he were a behavioral scientist, he'd make that feline a case study-it was something new every day. "And a dozen roses. Make sure Quilter isn't around when you deliver those." "Got it. Thanks, Lisa." "Not a problem." A brilliant smile lit up Lt. Manez's face at the prospect of having helped a friend. "But you'll want to start..." "ASAP, yes. Thanks!" Pettigrew hopped out of his seat like a child, blew Lisa a kiss, and gave Stovok a cheerfully sloppy salute as he ran from the room. Lisa aimed her smile at Stovok, not knowing the effect it had on him. "Is there something wrong with your knees or are you going to sit down?" "They are not mutually exclusive-" "Lisa!" she reminded him sternly. "Lt. M'Lisa." The small redhead laughed, and Stovok was satisfied that she was in extraordinarily good health because of it, an encouraging note for ship's efficiency. "I brought you flowers. They should reduce your stuffiness." Lisa gasped in delight. "Stovok, they're wonderful, how sweet of you! You even picked my favorites." She dipped her face into them and breathed deeply. "It is gratifying to know that you like them." Stovok thought that it would only confuse matters to explain that 'sweet' was an inappropriate adjective. Instead, he chose to explain,"I saw you linger over them in the arboretum." Lisa smiled again and thrust the flowers in his face. To assist her in the location of the opinion she seemed to desire, Stovok breathed deeply himself. "Though in picking these to spend longer with, you show a most satisfactory sense of aesthetics and more than adequate senses of smell and sight." "Why, thank you, Stovok, I'll treasure those words in my heart forever." Little did Stovok know that Lisa Manez meant every word she said. Star Trek, Vulcans, starships, etc. copyright Paramount and Viacom. No infringement is intended and I swear I'm making no money off this-just a little creation in expression of my enjoyment of Star Trek. Characters of Stovok, Lt. Manez, and Lt. Pettigrew, copyright myself. Anybody claiming the flower-giving tradition? |