Just a simple bit of fluff to take a break from the darkness that is The Hollow Men. If you wanna know about the Gullah of the Charleston islands just ask me, it's a whole portion of my family, and despite my impatience in making sweet grass baskets, I still try. If you've never visited Charleston, SC, I suggest it. It really is a beautiful and charming city. And if you've never seen a sweet grass basket, here you go: /soagalleries/charleston/shop/Chr_sweetgrass_ that should give you a better idea.
IDIC
Being with him was pure decadence at times. Today was no different. They walked hand in hand through the old market of Charleston, South Carolina. It had been McCoy's idea. The good doctor had notably recommended the historic United States city, saying that that was one of the places from his childhood where he'd imagined being truly happy. Nyota could understand the sentiment. Spock generally didn't enjoy crowds, but today was different; he seemed blissfully unaware of the people bustling around him. The Enterprise was a world away, leaving Spock, the usually busy XO, to only think of one thing, Nyota. Shoreleave was something that he'd never once thought of taking before his time with her, and now, he found that he needed the extra time to "recuperate" as Nyota always called it.
It was good to be on solid ground.
They were dressed casually for the muggy weather, her hair two-strand twisted and pulled back into a low ponytail but puffing a bit on the sides from the clammy humidity that was threatening rain. She wore a white tank top and some cut-off shorts; you could see that she had on a yellow bikini top underneath her tank. Her sunglasses were perched high on her forehead. She'd purchased some cowry shells in the market to place at the ends of her twists and Spock had helped her place them earlier just right. Spock was dressed uncharacteristically comfortably, donning a pair of thin brown linen pants and a simple white shirt, and somehow Nyota had convinced him to wear flip-flops as well. He was somewhat enjoying the sensation.
Charleston was a beautiful place, warm and humid with lots of lush plants and the breezy, wet air of the ocean that lapped against the folds of the small islands. The market was even more luxuriant, blooming with people and merchants selling their wares. Uhura was currently preoccupied with the handmade sweet grass baskets, a product of the native island dwellers known as the Gullahs. These women with their beautiful chocolate brown skin and their strange "Geechee" creole language peaked Uhura's interests, not only because of her own heritage, but because she was interested in studying their culture and language. A woman was giving a demonstration of how they weaved the sweet grass basket; her fingers were slicing through the bendable stalks, entwining them with timed experience and precision. She looked like an expert knitter, but her hands were the needles, and within a few minutes there was a small coaster woven and meeting with the other four coasters the woman had made in the small time Uhura had been standing there.
"Muhlenbergia filipes," Spock pulled Nyota close and whispered into her ear. She turned and looked into his smiling eyes.
"Is that the latin name for sweet grass?" she asked.
"Indeed," he said, inclining his head towards the woman that was starting on a holder for all four of the coasters that she'd just finished.
"She's fast," Nyota said.
"Indeed, she must have Vulcan in her lineage," Spock whispered into the top of her hair. Nyota turned to him, putting both of her hands in his and smiled up at him. She was amazed that he allowed this kind of closeness in public, but wasn't going to mention it to him, lest he stop her.
"Yo gen renmen nan kè" (they are in deep love) the woman selling the sweet grass baskets said to the other woman weaving them. The one doing the demonstration looked up quickly at Spock and Uhura and then back to the woman selling her wares. She stopped in her ministrations with the coaster holder and put the unfinished product to the side. She quickly picked up another bunch of sweet grass and started on a new project.
"I wonder what she's making," Nyota piped up. The woman that was selling her wares looked over to Nyota, her deep dark eyes smiling.
"I'm Estrella, we are making a basket for you," her Standard was deeply accented on the 'a' sound and the 'u' sound, making her voice like a true islander. Nyota furrowed her brow, but Estrella captured Nyota's thin hands in her own and squeezed with warmth and friendship. This kind of closeness reminded Nyota of being at home in Africa with her family.
"That is not necessary," Nyota responded, "there are perfectly good baskets…"
"I will not hear of it… this basket, Lyena makes special, unique. No one else will have this design," Estrella said and Spock turned to watch as Lyena wove quickly the sweet grass intricately into a strong base for their basket. Lyena took up two different colors a deep chestnut brown and a light beech color and wove them with a beautiful dusty green and a solemn blue. The base of the basket was circular and round and strong. Atop of the circle she wove a smaller circle connected to a triangle that closed atop of the round base. It didn't take her long to make it, the basket wasn't large, it was easy to carry and light, Nyota noticed when Lyena handed it to her. Lyena smiled and nodded, proud of her work and proud that it brought Nyota and Spock delight.
Spock, being the gentleman, started to pull his credits from his pocket to pay, but Lyena and Estrella waived him off, to the other customer's dismay.
"Enfini Combinaisons enfini divèsite" (Infinite Diversity Infinite Combinations) Lyena said and leaned in to hug Nyota. Though Nyota didn't know the language, she understood just fine.