Admittance: One Cajoran Part III
Posted on Mon Jun 26th, 2023 @ 11:48am by Lieutenant Vura
Edited on on Wed Jun 28th, 2023 @ 9:17pm
0 words; about a 1 minute read
Mission:
Episode 14 - The Poseidon Adventure
Location: Fusion Asian Bistro - Poseidon Station
Timeline: MD013 1900 hrs
Paisley sat and watched Vura, a smile on her face. She'd opened Pandora's box. Oops. "I wish you could, but we shouldn't, given the circumstances," Paisley remarked. "But I agree, as many as possible with the best person possible is best!!" It wasn't lost on Paisley how illogical it was that she was fine discussing THIS but she'd nearly had a heart attack when her earlier admittance had slipped about. Strange. "Are you going to be Ok?" Now, she was a little concerned.
"Me? OK? Of course I am. Why would I not be OK talking about orgasms?" Vura looked genuinely confused.
Paisley chuckled. "No, you seemed like you were getting a bit...overly excited," she explained. "I just don't want to have to haul you in to medical only to have to explain that merely talking about orgasms sent you into one," she said. THAT would be embarrassing! "What does it say about me that I can talk about THIS, but it bothers me to talk about...what I said earlier?"
"Overly excited?" Vura laughed. "Talking about orgasms is like, oh, I don't know, humans talking about a pleasant sunny day." When her friend asked about talking about Connor, Vura answered, "What it says is that you are not comfortable about one thing and are comfortable about the other."
Paisley closed her eyes a moment, and then opened them again. "Ok, that's fair. And that's NOT what I meant." She said. She flagged down the host. "Dessert. What was that green ice cream thing you were carrying earlier? I'll have that, please!! And a Springwine!" She'd already finished her Bajoran ale and her soda.
"Then what did you mean?" Vura asked with a mischievous grin.
She shrugged. "How can I be comfortable with one taboo and not the other? Doesn't make sense." She shrugged. "Are you ordering dessert?" She'd probably have a heart attack if Vura didn't.
"Of course, I'm ordering dessert! Um, though, I don't know what." Vura looked at the hostess and said, "Surprise me with something with a lot of flavors and textures."
As the host left, Paisley returned her look to Vura. "You're braver than me. What if he brought something gross?" She wrinkled her nose. "Anyway. Let's logic this out...if I can discuss one taboo, but not the other, doesn't that seem...weird to you?!" She shrugged. "Especially because both are...sexual in nature." She blushed purple. She REALLY needed to get control on blurting things out.
"No. Why should it be?"
Paisley shrugged. "I don't know, Lieutenant, you're the counselor," she said. "It seems weird to ME, but I don't know why," she said. "Maybe because I am so used to just being an open book about most things." She emphasized the "most" with a raised eyebrow. "I don't know..." she said, again.
"Well, Ensign," Vura shot back to let Paisley know she knew the difference between when Paisley was being annoyed or frustrated and friendly, "perhaps the reason is as simple as the ridges on your nose. You have no issue with sex, but you do with getting too close to anyone. Fun is one thing, but actually opening yourself and being completely vulnerable is terrifying to you."
Paisley made a face, and looked at the table. She picked at the napkin for a moment. "No it isn't. I have friends..." she said. But she'd never had a close romance, not REALLY. She had her boyfriend back on Cardassia, before she'd dropped him when she left, and the man she was betrothed to, but...no one really steady or serious since. "I hate when you do that, you know?"
"Do what?" Vura asked Paisley pleasantly.
"THAT," she said. "Play dumb. I'm really much better at it than you," she said. Their dessert arrived then, and Paisley let out a noise of joy. "Also...make me think about things I don't want to," she said, with a slight whine. She picked up a spoon. "This looks so good," she said. "No more talk about serious things!" She took a smallish bite of the ice cream, only to discover that it tasted like...tea. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't what she expected. When she thought of green ice cream, she thought of mint. "It's TEA," she exclaimed! "What's yours?" She craned her neck to see.
"I don't play dumb, Paisley; I just clarify what you already know." She grinned fanatically at her friend. A small squeal of glee escaped from Vura's lips as her dessert arrived. It was a rainbow of color and served in a glass. She took a spoon and scooped some of it into her mouth." Her eyes closed for a very long time, but her lips curved upwards. A low "MMmmmmmm," could be heard at the table. Once again, Vura audibly could be heard to utter, "MmmmMMmmmMMMmmm."
Paisley made another face. "TELL MEEEEE," she squealed, laughing. "It LOOKS like that stuff-what's it called? Sherbet?-what's it taste like?" Earth foods were fun, but a bit weirdly named. Not that she had any room to talk; "laia gu" was the Cardassian word for ice cream. "And also. I know...I am sorry."
"I don't know what it is called," Vura admitted after she had swallowed and opened her eyes. "Remember, I told the hostess to surprise me. We could get her to come back and let us know." She took another bite and once again, the pleasurable "Mmmmm"s came from Vura.
Paisley nodded. "I remember. I just wondered if it tasted like something you recognized," she said. It didn't really matter. She took some more bites of her tea ice cream. "On second thought, this is actually kind of good-the tea is unexpected but it's sweet and savory. A perfect match to the pasta." She wasn't as involved with her food as Vura was, but then, food was mostly a means of sustenance for her, not pleasure. They ate in silence for a moment, enjoying the meal's end.
When the hostess returned, Vura having emptied her glass, she asked the waitress, "What was this delectable dessert?"
"Oh, that is called Halo-Halo. It is a Phillipine dessert. It is made with chickpeas, red mung beans, nata de coco, kaong, ube halaya, ube ice cream, coconut pudding, and evaporated milk, and coconut flakes. I'm glad you liked it. You seemed to like the unusual."
Vura readily agreed. "I like anything new and the textures were exquisite."
The Deltan turned to her friend and asked, "How are you feeling, Paisley?"
She smiled. "Halo-halo. I'll have to see if the Replicators have it," she said. "You can come by for dessert nights!" She laughed. "I am feeling...ok. Still mixed up but better than earlier," she said.
"That's good to hear, Paisley. I know this experience is difficult for you. However, one day you will be grateful that you're going through this now, regardless of what happens."
She made a face. "If you say so. From where I am sitting, it just...stinks. I am not sure if feeling things like this is worth the turmoil," she said. She sighed. "We'll see, I guess. I better figure out how to convince T'Varis to teach me computer stuff. Do you think it might work? I mean...even if it doesn't-for...you know-it's good for my career, right?!" She hated the unsureness she was feeling. It was rare that the Carjoran was anything but confident in her choices-even if she was making them for the wrong reasons, she went all-in with her wrongness.
"I don't know Mister Turner well enough to know whether anything would work or not," Vura admitted. "However, anything you do learn will be valuable. Who knows when you might need the information? Added skills always makes someone more versatile and useful. So, yes, if you can learn, I think you should."
Paisley nodded. "Of course, I can learn it. I learned Engineering, didn't I? I am not as dumb as people think I am," she said. "I know you didn't say that, but other people HAVE. I just live my life for my own reasons and some people see not taking their advice as stupidity. It's not. It's just me realizing that what works for THEM doesn't work for ME," she said. "I'll talk to T'Varis," she said. Then she changed the topic again. "When we're done here, want to go look at the pet store? I saw a cute bunny rabbit. Maybe I would feel less mixed up if I had a friend to share things with that isn't you," she said.
An inferiority complex, too? My, my. We have a lot of work to do with you, don't we, Miss Paisley? "Talking to T'Varis sounds like a wonderful idea," the Counselor replied approvingly. "However, I'm not sure that a bunny is. Do you really want to add a responsibility on top of everything else that you're handling right now?"
Paisley shrugged. "It's no more responsibility than running a department, right? I do that fine." Well. MOSTLY. Connor Turner notwithstanding. "And besides, wouldn't it be good practice? In case I have children someday." She sipped the last of her beer and then pushed the empty dishes away. "But at least let's go pet them. They're so cute." Paisley remembered from the Jung book that it was called "flexible personhood." She needed to look that up again. She just wanted something cute to take care of and love her unconditionally.
Vura gave Paisley a slightly skeptical look when she mentioned running a department well. She had a lot to learn. A great deal of technical skills, she definitely had. Personal skills was a serious need for her. Well, as the counselor and her friend, she was going to do her best to assist Paisley's EQ. "We will pet them, nothing more." Oh, my! That sounded way too parental for my tastes.
Paisley made a face. "You sounded like someone's mother," she said. "Don't rush on my account," she said. Vura never did, of course. "Will you get a pet? I know you said that one counselor has her therapy dog. A friend of mine works on a ship that has a therapy cat. Porkchop!"
"No," Vura told Paisley. "I have no time or use for a pet at this time. Besides, I do enjoy my off time painting, sketching, making jewelry, and an occasional holo program. I do not have the time for a pet. But yes, Zhara has Sophia. Sweet dog."
Paisley nodded. "I understand. It was just a question," she said, quietly. Vura seemed very empathic, for a reason Paisley didn't quite understand. Maybe pets as a whole wasn't part of her culture? Some races believed that ownership in that way was a bad thing. She didn't press it further. "Well. If you would like to come along to "window shop," feel free. I wish there was a bookstore here. If there is, I can't find it in the manifest," she said. "I like old Earth novels from the Romantic period. That Jane Eyre was a literary genius," Paisley remarked.
"Can't you pull it up on the computer or run a holonovel with from her works?" Vura asked. "Or are you one of those people that like the ancient tombs and the feel of them?"
She smiled. "The latter. I like to read a real, live book. The smells! The textures! It's like...discovering a brand new world every time. It's a different experience than the holonovels. I have those, too, and they're great for in-between times, but have you SMELLED an antique book?" She closed her eyes. "It smells like old men in vests who sit in pubs and debate the merits of Epistemology versus Metaphysics," she said. She had no idea what that actually smelled like, but that was the picture in her head.
"Well!" Vura replied with a jovial chuckle. "Isn't that quite the picture! That just explains SOOOO much!" She smirked hard at Paisley.
She made a face. "What does that even MEAN?" She asked. "Anyway. Are you coming to look at bunnies, or aren't you?"
"I'm definitely coming to look at the bunnies" and to make certain that you do not buy one in your current state of mind.
A Joint Post By
Lieutenant Vura
Chief Counselor, USS Pioneer
Ensign Paisley F'rar
Damage Control Specialist, USS Pioneer
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