All Good Things
Chapter Twenty-five - Music Makes the World go Round
On Board the Enterprise
June 2275
Spock
As the time for this year's Music Festival approached, he spoke with each of the Vulcans who had appeared with instruments last year, and set up a series of rehearsals. They worked out the best way to arrange the instruments, thankfully winding up with neither of the large, loud percussion instruments where they would do damage to his hearing. He made sure that they got a slightly larger room than they had had the previous year, and the day before the festival they all met there to arrange their instruments and seating at the back wall of the room. They held one brief rehearsal there, to check the acoustics, and then he sealed the room to make sure that no one entered to handle the instruments while they were not there.
Wurok
When he informed Lieutenant Jackson that he would be performing at the Music Festival, she became quite interested, and wanted to know all about his instrument. After some trepidation, not being entirely sure that this was proper, he took her to his quarters and showed her his kep. He even let her swing the kwul-vel, producing a very strange sound. She could not swing it hard enough to make the metal vibrate properly. She made a very strange face at him when he told her this, which he did not understand at all. And then she asked him what his intentions were, asking her there to his bedroom. His ears flushed green, and he stammered, trying to find something he could say, as she advanced closer and closer to him, her eyelashes fluttering softly. When he had backed up until his back was against the bulkhead, and she was standing so close to him that their bodies almost touched, she looked up from under those long eyelashes and asked him again what his intentions were. With one shaky hand, he reached out and grazed the side of her face, and she sighed and leaned into him, making all his controls come completely undone. It took him exactly five point four six minutes after that to declare koon-ut so'lik. She assured him repeatedly that everything they did after that was perfectly proper.
When the time came to take his kep to the room where the Vulcan group would be performing, she followed along behind him, carrying the kwul-vel, and sat in one of the chairs, listening, as they rehearsed. And when they went along with the group that headed to the mess hall for tea, she joined the fingers of her hand in his in the ozh'esta, as though she had done it every day of her life.
Tilek
T'Cila wished to practice the songs that she would sing at the Music Festival, but refused to come to his quarters to do so, nor would she let him come to her quarters. After some searching, he found a small lab that was very little used, and they met there several times to practice, he playing his kol-chak while she sang. For some reason that he did not understand, each practice seemed to take a little longer than the one before. And they found themselves sitting and talking long after the practice had ended. He felt this was a good sign, but was not entirely sure. Perhaps he should ask Kurik or Tanik.
Pevek
He was beginning to be concerned about his inability to focus on one female. He had danced with four different females at the Valentine's Day Dance, but had felt uncomfortable with each. So far, he had not found anyone that he wished to invite to walk with him about the ship, which everyone kept telling him was the first step he should take in courtship. Perhaps there would be someone in the audience at the Music Festival who would be interesting to him. He must be sure to dress correctly, in his Vulcan robes, and comport himself properly at all times. And perhaps he could find someone to ask whether Human females found the vluhn to be an interesting instrument.
Brack
He asked Nurse Summers whether she was coming to the Music Festival and she replied enthusiastically that it was one event that she never missed. When he informed her that he would be playing his ply'muth with the group of Vulcan musicians, she wanted to see it and hear him play it right then. When he said he would go and get it and bring it to the rec room, she just laughed, and tucked her hand into his elbow and accompanied him right to his quarters, to his very great astonishment. And once inside, she told him to call her Leah, and sat on his couch with her feet curled up under her and listened in rapt fascination as he played. He was fairly certain that this was a very good indicator of her feelings towards him, but he needed confirmation, and so he sought out Kurik the next day to ask him. Kurik assured him that this was indeed progress, and he felt a sense of satisfaction.
Falon
T'Vela carefully loaded her kusek onto the base of the bling, and helped him to push the whole thing down the corridors to the room where they would perform. Once they had everything set up, he turned, to find her standing there with a very strange expression on her face. She had one hand laying against the lower portion of her abdomen, and her eyes were completely unfocused. Had he bumped the heavy framework against her? He reached out to touch her, for their link was almost completely silent, and felt the shining spark of their daughter for the first time. They stood there, completely unaware of anything around them, for several minutes.
Karck
He did not even have to ask her, for as soon as he sat down beside her in the mess hall, Lieutenant Moreau turned to him and wanted to know if he played one of those interesting Vulcan instruments. When he informed her that he played the vluhn, he found that he must explain exactly what that was, and how it was played. She was fascinated, saying that she herself played the bongo drums. He had no idea what that was, so she dragged him off to show him. He returned to his quarters much later than usual, with something pink on the corner of his mouth, as he discovered when he went into the bathroom. And she had ordered him to call her Alis. He was sure that this was good.
T'Bel
She found that the acoustics in her quarters were not good, and so she went to the rec room to practice her ply'muth. Within fifteen minutes, she had an audience of eighteen people. She was not used to this at all. Four of the men in the group later asked if they could accompany her to the Music Festival. She did not think it was polite to accept all of them, so only told two of them that it would be acceptable.
Stuln
Having witnessed T'Bel's rehearsal, the following evening he brought his kol-chak to the same rec room. Three different women asked if he would teach them to play. He was much encouraged.
Spock
He sat in the center of the group, tuning his ka'athyra to the other instruments. When all were in agreement, they began to play. The room was overflowing, and several of the Vulcans had entered the room with Humans accompanying them. It seemed that they were indeed attempting courtship. Perhaps they would be able to avoid any unpleasantness then. He began to relax, just slightly.
/
Kep = Vulcan instrument like a gong
Kwul-vel = striker or mallet (literally strike-thing)
koon-ut so'lik = formal proposal of marriage
Ozh'esta = finger embrace
Kol-chak = Vulcan flute, usually carved from wood
Vluhn = small Vulcan drum, played sitting flat on the floor
Ply'muth = Vulcan stringed instrument, smaller than a ka'athyra
Kusek = Vulcan instrument which is a set of small bells in a framework, played by striking them gently
Bling = Vulcan instrument similar to a set of cymbals
Ka'athyra = Vulcan stringed instrument, similar to a lyre