AN: I like Trills not that you would be able to tell from this entry. Thanks to Valyria and Poorqueequeg for reading this through.
Spock stood apprehensively in the doorway of the restaurant, scanning the crowd with his memory of Qorra's face. Nothing.
He sighed and glanced at the lobster tank, observing the rubber-banded crustaceans with something between pity and mild interest bordering on indifference. She was late. No matter, many species did not adhere to time constraints as Vulcans did and that was something Spock learned shortly after his departure with Pike on the Enterprise. He was hardly put out but the tension of having to 'date' someone felt more like an interview than it did like a good time to pass one's evening. And so far it was safe to say he may go on to consider others for the position.
" Spock? It's you right?" a small voice called out from the entry door. He turned to see a small, handsome woman with brown rosettes framing her face. She smiled and performed a quick ta'al salute before placing her hands back on her clutch. " Hi I'm Qorra."
" I am Spock. Are you ready to dine?"
She beamed and nodded her head vigorously, her spots dancing across his line of vision. " Yes! I'm starving! I didn't get a chance to get lunch today." she admitted as the hostess led them to their table.
" A busy work day?" Spock offered as he dismissed the menu. He already knew it by memory and what he wanted.
Qorra blew her breath out the side of her mouth and rolled her eyes as she grabbed the menu from the hostess and scanned through it. " That's an understatement if I ever heard one! It was a madhouse in the office we had negotiations with a company run and operated by Tellerites to see about what shared business opportunities we could collaborate on and that went as well as trying to get an Romulan to look over the teachings of Surak and admit the errors of their ways. They argue just to argue! Ugh, I dunno, nothing looks good...what's the special?"
The hostess looked on in amazement that anyone could talk so fast and so...inappropriately. Much to her credit the hostess regained her composure and listed off the chef's specials with a tantalizing lilt in her voice.
" Uh, our special this evening is a Martian lobster served on a bed of fresh mushroom risotto accompanied with roasted asparagus with balsamic vinaigrette dressing. Our dessert tonight is chocolate raspberry mousse."
Qorra's eyes bulged as she listened raptly to the pricey dishes and gave a firm nod in agreement. " You talked me into it I'll take it! Spock you'll have the same? Oh yeah I forgot...no meat. Pssh, you're missing out there. My third host was a vegetarian and without a doubt the most dull of all my past lives. Oh! And we'll have a bottle of your best merlot."
Spock raised his eyebrow and closed the menu. " I won't be drinking."
Qorra shrugged and held out the menu for the now very annoyed hostess who was signaling for their waiter to come immediately. " More wine for me I guess! Go on and order I'm starving!"
Spock glanced in the hostess and the waiter's direction, both with a sympathetic look on their face. " I'll have the portobello mushroom ravioli in alfredo with a summer berry salad."
" Excellent pairing, sir." the waiter nodded as he took Spock and Qorra's menus. " I'll have the wine out to you all shortly along with your water."
Spock felt as if the restaurant was constricting around him, pushing him uncomfortably closer to his unruly dinnermate. She was rummaging through her purse now, looking in the mirror and sucking at her teeth as she checked her makeup and hair. When she caught him staring, she clicked close her mirror and smiled at him. It was just with her mouth.
Curious, Spock thought, have I done something to offend her? He could hardly think of what it could be, he'd only said 16 words to her thus far and if the trend of her loquaciousness continued he wouldn't be saying much more.
" So...Spock, what do you do for fun?" she asked propping up her arm and resting her head on the heel of her palm.
This was a surprise, he surely thought she'd proceed to talk about herself. He tucked his napkin into his lap more out of Western terran etiquette than the need to protect his clothing. He never dropped food.
" I enjoy reading poetry, conducting botany experiments, playing 3D chess in the Buena Vista Park, having lunch with friends at the Japanese Tea garden and practicing Suus Mahna at Golden Gate Park."
Halfway through his recitation he noticed Qorra's eyes starting to drift off and linger on a nearby male who was dine with what appeared to be his wife. The man caught her gaze and startled when she winked at him. Both Spock could comment, the Trill perked up at the mention of oohed at the mention of Vulcan martial arts. " Oh cool! You do Suus Mahna? So you ever like kick anybody's ass?"
Spock's brow furrowed and he slide his hands along his thighs. " Do you mean that in the literal sense?"
Qorra threw back her head and groaned in frustration. " No, of course I don't! I mean did you ever beat someone up using Suus Mahna?"
" Unfortunately I have had 37 occasions in which I had to implement the art form to disable someone from hurting myself or my Captain's crew so yes I have."
Qorra looked far more interested now and leaned forward on the table her bright red ponytail swishing behind her like a fox's brush. The comparison made Spock uneasy as she tried to touch his hand. He withdrew hastily and she pouted at his rejection. " Oh c'mon, surely a tall, handsome warrior like yourself isn't scared of little ol' me?" she teased with a sing song voice.
Spock clasped his hands in his lap and lifted his brow once more. " Indeed, I am not frightened of you at all. I simply did not like being touch. And I should clarify that though Vulcan are taller than most humanoid species on average I am not what you would classify as a warrior."
She seemed to ignore him and gave Spock a coy smile. " You don't like to be touched? Nonsense! If that were true there would be far fewer Vulcan..."
He was starting to reply when he felt her leg slide up alongside his own. He looked up toward her face after looking down to confirm his assumption and gazed upon that vixen like expression once more. Her eyes were narrowed and heavy lidded, her nostrils slightly flared but her mouth held the widest, sly smirk he'd ever been given.
" Come now, Spock, surely you liked to be touched...maybe not on your hands but perhaps elsewhere..." she cooed slipping her foot up and towards his crotch.
Reflexively his hands took a hold of her foot and stopped it's steady progress towards his groin.
" I do not like being touched." he restated firmly and released her foot.
" We'll see..." she giggled with a snort.
The server came back saving them both from further interaction. He placed Qorra's lobster down first and she clapped her hands together excitedly. The server had barely put down Spock's first plate when both looked over to notice she had eaten the whole tail and was sucking down the meat out of one of the four claws.
She batted her eyes bashfully and dabbed her mouth with all the grace of a high lady as she chewed the tender meat delicately. " Sorry, I was famished."
" Clearly..." Spock responded with a bit of neutrality though he was more than a little taken aback. I suppose one doesn't list their caveats on their profile he mused as he cut his pasta into clean bite size pieces and got to work on his own meal. Qorra finished her shortly after he started on his salad. The raspberry vinaigrette gave the crumbled feta a tangy zing while the strawberries and walnuts were like little gems hidden among the fresh, unreplicated greenery. He was just about to ask how Qoraa liked her meal when he finished the refreshing, sweet salad when she sighed loudly with a unbecoming pout on her face.
" I thought you'd never finish!" she huffed loudly. Spock didn't know whether to comment on her ravenous appetite that could be compared to that of a tribble or remain silent. She answered his query by moving on into her diatribe after finishing off her fourth glass of wine.
" Look, Sock..."
" Spock." he corrected.
She waved him away and looked annoyed. " That's what I said, Stock! Look, I just think this isn't a good match. I mean you look good enough I guess but really when it comes down to it Smock, you're just too young, too experienced for my vast lifetime. You're just nineteen in Vulcan years..."
" It is Spock and I am in my young twenties in standard years."
She snickered and poured herself another glass as if he said something funny. " You're just a baby. I need someone mature, ya know? *hiccup* Who's got a good life experience already started and not someone who's just tucked a mere, piddly five years of space travel under his belt!"
" I have traveled across federation space long before joining Starfleet. My father is the senior Vulcan ambassador and my mother and I would travel with him whenever the opportunity presented itself."
Qorra shrugged and downed her wine glass contents in one go. " I'm sure that's all fascinating and all but you're just soooo young it's more like I'm babysitting than out on a date! I mean have you ever been to Risa and gone to the sunset festival?"
" I have visited Risa before but saw no need to participate in the festivities. I was there for a chess tournament."
Qorra nearly spit out her newly poured wine when she heard his response and choked to keep it from bubbling out.
She wiped what did manage to dribble passed her lips with the back of her hand and looked at him with as if he grew horns. " You mean to tell me you went to Risa and just played chess?!"
A number of couples eating nearby shot them nasty glances as they tried to eat their meal in peace. With each passing glass the Trill grew louder and louder until she was nearly shouting every time she opened her mouth.
Spock sighed silently to himself and held his hands together in a steepled position.
He had no wish to date Qorra any further, in fact had felt an overwhelming sense of relief in her mention of their incompatibility but could not understand how she saw him as the problem of this potential relationship.
Vulcans don't get offended but then again Spock was only half Vulcan and soon found himself defending his worthiness and correcting his name with every other sentence.
" While on Risa I did find time for other recreation, such as swimming and took my meditations outside..."
" Did you do any recreation with others there?" she leered, wiggling her eyebrows.
" There were many natives who were particularly interested in learning chess from a grandmaster such as myself."
Qorra threw back her head with a groan and pushed away from the table.
" Listen Cock *hiccup*, it was nice meeting you and thanks for the dinner, I guess, it was a little overcooked. Come back and see me when you're about 50 years older though by that time I might have another host body. You like men too right? Well whatever, I see you later, Sop...*hiccup*...and if you don't mind which of course you don't I'll take this with me!" she slurred loudly, swiping up the wine bottle and stuffing the nearly empty bottle into her purse and stumbled off towards the exit.
As soon as the door closed behind her Spock along with the rest of the patrons and servers there at the restaurant breathed a collective sigh of relief.
One date down, three more possibilities to go.
It had to get better from here...right?
