Author's notes:
Based on my experiences working at a student bar for 3 years!
Oh, and of course I own nothing. Spock and Star Trek TOS & XI movie etc are Paramount's (Or whatever it is I'm meant to say here). This is all just about me having some evil fun with their characters!
Chapter 2: The Yard
"Oh, have you ever tried a Cuba Libre?" Tim asked his Vulcan demonstrator.
"No, I can't say that I have," Spock answered.
"Well, it's an amazing cocktail classic, I really insist that you try one. Hey, Mike," he called out to a curly haired man who stood behind the bar.
"Two Cuba Libre's please! And make those Cuba Libre 'Venoms', if you know what I mean. Oh, and go easy on the mixer. Actually, make that a double venom!" Tim said grinning from ear to ear.
Uhura watched the bartender Mike prepare the Cuba Libres. Right at the end he added a double shot of vodka to each. That must taste absolutely foul, she thought.
"Hey, what's up?" someone whispered into her ear.
"Hey Gaila! How are you?" Uhura answered.
"Hey, quick girly chat outside?" Gaila asked.
"Sure," Uhura agreed and followed Gaila out of the bar.
Once they had stepped through one of the bar's large double doors onto the patio outside Gaila started talking, "Oh, Tim is so funny, isn't he? Are you sure he fancies me? What did he say, tell me everything!"
"Come on, Gaila, you know as well as I do that he's smitten with you. He was blushing earlier in lab when I mentioned your name, though, if that's what you want to hear. I'm sure he'll spend all of tonight trying to impress you," Uhura said.
Gaila beamed. Then she suddenly became more serious and asked, "Are you ok?"
"What? Sorry, I was just thinking. Why do you ask?" Uhura replied.
"Oh, I don't know, the look on your face I suppose," Gaila said.
Uhura raised a questioning eyebrow, so Gaila elaborated, "Well, it just looked as if you disapproved of something. You don't think Tim will just spend the entire time getting that Vulcan, what's his name again, drunk and ignore me? You know I'll be disappointed if you've set me up with some loser!"
"The Vulcan's name is Spock, he's our lab demonstrator. So Tim's aim this evening is to get him wasted. And get with you of course!" Uhura added quickly.
"Ah! And you disapprove of Tim getting him drunk!" Gaila exclaimed.
Now Uhura laughed loudly.
"No, Gaila, not at all," she said.
"Something about it is bothering you, though, I can tell," Gaila pressed on.
"I don't know... you're probably right. I'm not sure. He's the best lab demonstrator I've ever had. He actually knows the material he's teaching us. I know, how often does that happen? So, yeah, he's very smart – and – well, no one goes through their academy years without picking up at least some survival skills. But our demonstrator's currently not demonstrating many of those. He's letting Tim mock him. Tim'll have him wasted in no time," she said.
"Sounds like Tim's just having fun. How many demonstrators do you know, who hang out with cadets, who don't drink vast quantities with us?" Gaila said.
"I know, I know... I think it's just that I expected more from him. That he wouldn't be so ... insecure, so keen to fit in with us, you know? He seemed so confident in lab," Uhura answered.
Gaila sighed.
"What?" Uhura asked.
"I am fed up being judged by what species I am. People think just because I'm from Orion all I ever want is fun and sex," Gaila answered, "Why don't you just forget all the preconceptions you have about 'logical' Vulcans. That way you can get to know him for who he is. He might be an untouchable Vulcan, but just maybe, he'll turn out to be exactly like everyone else. Now let's get back, cause I do want to see him get drunk, because regardless of whether he's a Vulcan or not, seeing any lab demonstrator drunk is just fun!"
Uhura bit back the reply that was on her tongue, which would have involved Tim. After her roommate's outburst about being fed up with all the Orion sex jokes she thought it would be a bit insensitive.
Gaila was a remarkable person, she had to admit that. On the surface she really was all fun and games and she often didn't seem very sensible or thoughtful. However her roommate was incredibly good at putting people at ease and making them feel even more relaxed than they already were. She had seen Gaila have that effect on others before and she was currently experiencing it herself. Now that she had talked to her, Uhura found that she was perfectly happy. The little niggling worry that her demonstrator might be making a fool of himself just to fit in was gone. She couldn't even understand why it had bothered her in the slightest that he wanted to get friendly with them by playing along and following the rules of the game. The students got the demonstrators drunk. It was some sort of initiation ceremony, she mused.
Uhura and Gaila were both grinning when they entered the bar again. Tim, Spock and about half a dozen other cadets from her lab group were sitting around a large table.
"Did you get us any drinks, Tim?" Uhura asked.
Tim gestured at the many exotic cocktails in the centre of the table, "I'm not sure which ones I ordered for you, but I think that red one with the berries and the yellow one with the paper umbrella haven't been touched. I think there're some chairs at the table over there you two can steal."
Gaila and Uhura quickly did just this and joined the table. Gaila placed herself next to Tim, who was sitting with Spock and instructing him on the ingredients of a Tequila Sunrise. Uhura sat on the other side of her, across the table from Spock. The rest of her lab group moved up the table to make room without much of a fuss and only one spilt drink.
"Hey, I'm Gaila, nice to meet you!" the Orion girl said leaning across Tim to shake Spock's hand.
"Spock, it is a pleasure to meet you too," he replied.
Gaila, not wanting to miss out on the score immediately started asking questions, to catch up on the last few mintues, "So, which cocktails has Tim had you try?"
"So far I have only tried a Cuba Libre and a Tequila Sunrise," he answered.
"After that I think we should get a round of Mojitos!" Tim interrupted.
"I must admit, I do not feel that thirsty anymore," Spock replied.
"Oh, don't worry," Tim blurted out, "I'll get a round of shots and shooters instead!" and off he ran to the bar.
Gaila looked over at Uhura and gave her a 'what the hell's got into him?' look. Uhura shrugged, she didn't know. If she had to take a guess though, the cynic inside her thought, she'd say that Tim was just getting nervous being that close to Gaila and felt he needed a thicker armour of protective alcohol.
Uhura chose the red berry cocktail. It turned out to be a Raspberry Daiquiri. Without the extra shot of vodka, thankfully. That left Gaila with the yellow one.
"Urgh, what is this?" Gaila asked, after taking a sip. "It tastes like paint-stripper!"
"Probably wasn't meant for you after all," Uhura laughed. She saw Spock raise a quizzical eyebrow, so she explained, "I think Tim's been adding extra shots of alcohol to your drinks. It can completely ruin the taste."
"Indeed," he said regarding his almost-empty tequila sunrise.
"There's plenty here!" Tim announced. He wasn't lying either. The tray he was carrying was full of little glasses, filled with liquids of various colours and consistencies. He placed the tray on the table in front of them.
"Tequila shots first of all!" he said and handed out the glasses, one to each of them.
"Let's have a toast," Gaila said, looking at Tim.
"Eh... yes, right. Um, a toast. Right," he said and cleared his throat to get everyone's attention.
"Meet you all under the table!" Tim said, which sent Gaila into a fit of giggles as everyone repeated it after him before downing their drinks.
The only person who didn't draw in a sharp breath and place the shot glass back onto the table with rather more force than necessary was Spock, who merely raised an eyebrow. This didn't escape Tim.
"Well, that wasn't the most inspired toast ever, I have to admit," Tim said to Gaila, "Maybe you can come up with a better one?"
This time Tim handed out some shot glasses that were filled with a clear blue liquid.
"What is this?" Uhura asked.
"Not sure, some blue stuff that looked rather cool. It's meant to taste of oranges. Well, that's what Mike said anyway when I asked him," Tim replied.
"Over to you, Gaila!" he said.
"There are race ships
And there are space ships,
the ships that sail the galaxy.
But the best ships, are friendships,
And may they always be," she chanted.
Again, they all downed their drinks.
Tim had ordered large glasses of everything so far, Uhura noted. She could normally drink any man under the table, but not tonight, she knew. It had been a long time since lunch and she had not eaten since. Neither had anyone else at the table with the possible exception of Gaila, of course. She was starting to feel slightly tipsy already. The alarmingly fast rate at which Tim had them all drinking shots was definitely not helping.
"Not too sure about that tasting of oranges, I have to admit," Uhura said.
"Well, it's a Firebreather next," Tim proclaimed.
"Oh, no thanks, Tim," Uhura said, "I think I'll pass on that one."
Everyone else quickly excused themselves too, apart from Spock who accepted the glass that Tim passed him. It was filled with a pale pink liquid.
"I'll be back in a minute. We'll need some beer to help it go down," he said and rushed off to the bar.
"Once you've downed the Firebreather, one of us has to take the time. Both of you will have to wait one minute before you can down the pint of beer," Gaila explained to the Vulcan.
"I am not sure I understand," Spock said smelling the pink liquid.
"A Firebreather is mix of two liqueurs, both of which are essentially very alcoholic chilli oil. It doesn't burn your throat at first, instead it will feel as if you were swallowing an ice cube. After being forced to wait a minute though, people generally drink more than just one pint of beer," Uhura said laughing. She remembered the last few hours she had spent in the lab and she suddenly realised that there really was no better way to get back at your demonstrator than surprising him with a Firebreather.
Tim returned to their table with two pints and placed them both on the table. Gaila took them both immediately.
"I'll keep hold of these, in case either of your are tempted," she said cheerfully.
"And I'll take the time," Uhura said.
"Cheers," Tim said and him and Spock downed their drinks.
"One minute from now," Uhura shouted.
Their table had gone very quiet as everyone was focusing on the two drinking competitors. Tim was starting to break out in a sweat and after half a minute it was clear he was in sheer agony. His jaw was clenched and he was holding onto the table with his hands as if his life depended upon it.
"Ten more seconds!" she said.
Tim put his head down on the table and started stamping the floor. Across from her Spock sat motionless. He didn't exactly look relaxed, but he also didn't look as if he had just downed a double dose of pure alcoholic chilli oil. The contrast between the two was so comical that the girls found it very hard to stifle their laughter.
"The minute's up," Uhura finally said.
Immediately Tim's hand shot towards the beer in front of Gaila. He drank the entire pint in one go and once he was finished he put the empty glass on his head upside down. Spock took a few sips of his own beer, before catching Tim's pint glass, as it slid off his head. Tim was panting frantically. Now everyone burst out laughing.
Tim had gone bright red, though whether that was out of embarrassment or because of the chilli, Uhura wasn't sure.
At that moment Fred Durban, a third year cadet, who was currently head of the sport's society got up onto one of the nearby tables and roared. Uhura rolled her eyes, not him again, she thought. She watched Mike and another bartender hand over the 'Yard' to a group of 3rd year cadets, who proceeded to fill it with beer. They then passed it up to Fred.
"Oh man, Fred's gonna to try an' break the yard record again!" Tim said excitedly.
"What record is this?" Spock asked Uhura.
She groaned before answering, "The glass he's holding is exactly a yard long and holds about four or five pints. The record depends on what you fill it with I think. For beer it's currently just under two minutes to drink the entire lot at once."
"Hey, us linguists can't let him go unchallenged!" Tim exclaimed and jumped up. He stumbled, but recovered quickly enough and jto jump up onto the table next to Fred. Everyone from their table, apart from herself, Spock and Gaila went over to the other table to support him.
The entire bar erupted in cheers. Uhura hadn't noticed how full the bar had been getting, but now it was packed and the din was deafening. Everyone was standing around the table in the centre, cheering on the two competitors.
Gaila was shaking her head, "I have never understood this challenge. Both of them will be outside vomiting their guts out in a few minutes."
The girls turned their heads away from the spectacle, this was not something either of them felt like watching.
Spock was eyeing up a glass full of green liquid.
"It's Scumble," Gaila said without enthusiasm.
Uhura and Gaila watched in shock as the Vulcan drank it all.
"I'm sorry, I just don't feel like staying up any longer. I don't particularly want to be there when Tim starts projectile vomiting," Gaila suddenly said sitting up. She bade them both farewell.
"Goodbye Gaila, I hope we meet again soon," Spock said.
When she had left, Uhura said, "Scumble is the most alcoholic drink on earth. Probably the most alcoholic drink in the galaxy. And you have had a lot to drink, yet you seem completely sober."
"Vulcans are not affected by alcohol," Spock replied. Suddenly it was all starting making sense to Uhura. She smiled.
"Although I am half-human, my physiology is mostly Vulcan. I have copper based blood," Spock continued.
"I didn't know you were half-human," Uhura said.
"You knew Tim was trying to get you drunk, didn't you? And you played along," she was laughing now.
Their conversation was briefly interrupted by some loud cheering and roaring from the other table. Both contestants had finished their beers and it appeared cadet Durban had won.
"Fascinating," Spock said.
"Really? I just find it all rather sickening," Uhura said, "I hope this doesn't put you off hanging out with us, it's not normally quite this bad."
"Not at all, this has been very educational. I have certainly learnt a lot about cocktails that I did not know before. However, I do have some more work to do tonight, so I must also excuse myself," Spock said.
Then, after looking over towards the other table, where Tim had just started to throw up into the yard glass, he added, "Will you be staying? I could accompany you to the campus gates."
Uhura nodded her head, "Yes, let's get out of here."
As the double doors closed behind them Uhura made a mental note - Tim: nil, Spock: one.
To be continued!
Hope you liked the update, and thank you all for your reviews so far! :-D
