You are my new care giver."
"I am."
"You are the half Vulcan, Spock, son of Sarek."
"My father is Ambassador Sarek. Yes."
Dark bangs framed the honey colored eyes looking up at him, eyebrows minutely raised in curiosity. The child, while intelligent, was already proving to be what humans would term a smart aleck.
"It is not logical for an unbonded Star Fleet officer to assume the responsibility for a child. A partner is required for the most efficient use of resources and assistance. That is without the disadvantage that you possess."
"To what disadvantage are you referring , T'Avarak, daughter of Sarren?"
"Your human mother."
Spock stood a fraction of an inch straighter, clasping his hands behind his back, and looked down at the child. "Have you ever heard the old Terran saying; it takes a village to raise a child?"
The young Vulcan girl shook her head. "Why would it take so many people to raise a single child? Precisely how many people are in this village and where on earth is it located? Two primary care givers are enough to ensure a sound mind and encourage the natural abilities inherent in Vulcan young."
He stood impassive. Fascinating, he thought. She appears to have the same level of inquisitiveness that one would expect in a human child of the same peer group.
"It is my understanding that the phrase comes from a time when humans lived in small migratory settlements before they discovered agriculture approximately 12.26 thousand years ago. More predators existed that were able to pose a threat to such settlements which averaged at 50 members or less the majority of the time.
In more recent times it has come to mean that a child needs more than just their primary care givers to become functional members of society, as a whole."
She indulged in an exaggerated exhalation of air from her lungs, facial muscles arranged in what was a clear expression of dissatisfaction. It was pleasing to witness and it gratified him to know that he would be caring for her until she was at such an age that she could care for herself, sufficiently. Though he did have the sneaking suspicion that his human side would cause undue stress, like his mother had continued to experience, after he reached adulthood.
"Humans no longer live in such small groups; such sentiment is therefore obsolete as well as non-applicable to the raising of a Vulcan child such as myself."
"Your logic is unsound. Do you deny that a child needs to learn from more than just two people?"
She raised her eyebrow. "Is that not the function of the school system, to ensure that a child has adequate knowledge of things?"
"It is the function of the school system to educate children in academic areas. It is the caregivers' function to educate children in the matter of social interaction with individuals both inside and outside the immediate familial unit."
"How does this relate to the Terran idiom you are endeavoring to explain?"
"Terrans use other members of their family group, or acquaintances, to act as additional teachers for the children in their care thus ensuring that the child has many examples on which to form an opinion. This also has the added benefit of teaching the child about social interactions."
"I am Vulcan", she said, her voice impassive.
"You are, as am I. You are no longer going to live solely among other Vulcans. Many of my acquaintances that will make up this metaphorical village of teachers are human. To fully experience this you will have to look beyond bare facts to see the logic of things. Are you capable of this?"
She looked thoroughly affronted at the inference that she wasn't capable of seeing logic even in its seemingly most illogical forms. "I am Vulcan, logic in all situations is clear to me."
Spock nodded. "It is nearly time for the mid-day meal; we will dine on the way to my place of residence. Do you have all of your belongings?"
She grasped a nondescript black suitcase and looked up at him. "I am ready to depart this place."
He cataloged the number of dining establishments between the Vulcan embassy and his apartment. Four had sufficient Vulcan fare that may prove soothing to a child in such a position as T'Avarak found herself in. Three had solely human fare that would be an admirable start to acquainting the child to different human foods.
Anything too far into the deep end of human was discarded. She was still a child. A Vulcan child, and therefore a child far more advanced than human children, but still a child. What is more, she was a child that had just lost her parents and her planet. Emotions not withstanding, it stood to reason she should be able deal with a small foray into human foods as long as it was not too extreme.
He knew the perfect place: a small restaurant that he and his friends often frequented while on shore leave. It would be both engaging and comforting. That decided he led her out of the building and into the cool mid-autumn air. He estimated the temperature at approximately 16.6 degrees Celsius.
If the trend followed previous years it would be wise to get her a jacket before heading to the restaurant as a proactive measure. By their estimated arrival time at the restaurant it would be too cold for her to go without one, on the way home.
He glanced at her, noting the minute amount of shivering imperceptible to the human eye. Logic stated that she would welcome a way to more adequately block out the cold.
"Are you cold?"
She started, clearly not expecting him to talk to her until they made it to their destination. The tips of her ears flushed green. "I am aware that the temperature is average for this this time of the year, though I am not used to it. My temperature is ... less than optimal."
"There is an establishment exactly 5.43 minutes from here. It should have something suitable for you to wear."
They continued on towards their destination. It took her exactly 59 seconds to find something more to talk about. "Spock. May I make a personal query?"
"You may."
"For what reason did you decide to take me in. You are without a bondmate. Given your standing as one of Starfleet's foremost science officers, and your own academic record, you should easily be able to find a suitable female bondmate. Thereby helping to add to the diminished population of the Vulcan race."
He stopped and stared at her. "Many of our people find fault with my mother's humanity, despite her being human. It would be a disservice to her memory to bond with someone who feels like that. Many children such as yourself lost all familial connections when Vulcan was destroyed. Were she alive her kindness would have inspired her to help, by providing a child who no longer had a family, a home."
"Knowing the course of action she would have likely taken and not being inclined to bond with someone who did not hold for her, the amount of respect she was deserving of, I concluded that adoption was the most viable option available to me." The conversation reached a seemingly natural conclusion as he ushered her into the store.
Her eyes widened, and she looked around, taking in everything she could. Excitement danced in her eyes.
A perky sales assistant bounced over to them, her eyes shining. Her eyes raked up and down Spocks body. It was... disconcerting, to say the very least.
"Can I help you?" she chirped.
"Could you direct us to the girl's section? My daughter needs a jacket."
He expected the mention of the newly adopted T'Avarak to dissuade the woman from making any romantic overtures. He was sorely mistaken. It seemed to only excite the woman further. She took a good look at the young girl then looked back at him babbling the entire way to the 'girls' requested section of the store.
"You're such a good father", she squealed.
"I am only providing her with something she needs", he replied.
"How old is she."
T'Avarak cut in at this point with; "I am five standard years of age."
The sales assistant ruffled her hair. "Aren't you just the cutest thing imaginable?"
It clearly took all of her control for her not to do something unbecoming a young Vulcan and flinch away from the ladies hand. She exhaled a small puff of air. "Do not touch me. "That said she returned to Spock's side, as far from the human as she could be, without being overly rude.
Clearly perplexed the woman stared from T'Avarak to Spock and back again several times.
Speck took it upon himself to answer the unspoken question. "Vulcans are touch telepaths, and therefore do not welcome casual touch."
The woman flushed pink in embarrassment. "I didn't know...I'm sorry sweetie. I didn't mean to frighten you. We're... we're here. If you need anything feel free to call an assistant to help you." She walked away muttering to herself. Words such as 'stupid' and 'embarrassing' reached his ears before she was out of the range of his hearing.
Left alone in the veritable sea of bright colors T'Avarak and Spock stared at each other. A certain camaraderie developing between them as they gazed at the mass of mostly pink and purple garments. "That woman was most illogical."
"You will find most humans to be that way."
"Why is there so much pink and purple?"
He shouldn't have been taken aback by such a simple question but he was. "I do not know. Do you need anything else, while we are here?"
She began listing off a small number of things including the jacket they had come for; a pair of slippers (in T'Avarak's opinion a most illogical name as they were meant to prevent slipping, and cold feet}; a pair of pyjamas (another illogical name); some underwear, and a robe.
With what they both concluded was a great deal more effort than should have been needed, in a store this size, they managed to find the things they were looking for. The slippers were a problem: "why are there so many different shades of pink? Why are there so many slippers with sparkles or characters from old Terran fairy tales on them? Fairy tales are a most illogical name for morally educational anecdotes".
T'Avarak chose a nice velvety, maroon, pair.
This trend of questioning something's logic followed through to the other items on the list including a black pea coat (it is the only one that has both a logical design and is aesthetically pleasing to Mr Spock). Before they left to pay for her new items he grabbed a maroon scarf and beret. She raised a pointed eyebrow but nodded nonetheless, obviously pleased with him.