Spock enters the study room where they had arranged to meet and quickly locates Nyota. She is reading something from her padd, and there are tears in her eyes- not typical behavior for a healthy human. He moves to her table and sits across from her. "Nyota. Are you well?"
She looks up, putting the device on the table. "I'm fine, Spock." The answer is inconsistent with the evidence; he is confused.
"You are crying," he observes.
"It's not anything here, I'm just reading a sad book." She motions at the padd. Already, she seems more composed; there are no further tears. But why were there any in the first place?
"I do not understand. Why would you read something that produces this reaction?" Her face takes on a look he knows well, the expression she makes when she explains a complex facet of Terran culture to him. She enjoys the challenge. If she ever chose to teach classes, he thinks, she would most likely be successful.
"It's… Humans have a different perspective on emotion than Vulcans do."
"I am aware of that." What sort of perspective would approve of this?
"We enjoy all sorts of emotions, both positive and negative ones."
"That seems paradoxical." And illogical, but it is the kind of thing he has come to expect from humans.
"It is, actually," she agrees. "I suppose it's just the idea of experiencing something? Sadness when there isn't any real damage. It's a release. And it allows you to feel all sorts of things outside your own life. It's exciting for us. We like to explore."
"I can see that humans would seek out such a thing. Although it seems needlessly chaotic." In his mind, one life is enough to handle; why would you wish to experience others? But humans are always seeking to do more, to know more, to see more. Unstable as it is, he can't help but admire it.
"That's because Vulcans value calm and balance. Humans value experiences, good and bad. I still wonder whether we've got it wrong sometimes." Vulcans also value respect, however much that is disdained in practice, and he does not like to hear her demean her own species.
"If this philosophy functions for you, I would not call it 'wrong'."
"It functions, yes. Better than some other parts of our culture regarding stories."
"If you are referring to the cadets' propensity to invent unlikely excuses for missing work, or to spend their time watching entertaining media to the exclusion of studying, I would agree with you." She laughs, which he knows well is a sign of happiness. He takes out his own padd and the linguistics exercises she had asked him to bring for practice, although they both know she will complete them perfectly.