Meaningless Words
Part three
Chakotay was impressed with Kathryn's dancing. But he shouldn't have been surprised she was good at it. She was good at everything.
"How do you get to be so good at everything?" He asked Kathryn on the way back to her quarters after their dancing session.
"Pardon?" she replied, genuinely puzzled.
"Well, you seem to be excellent at everything you put your hand to." He didn't mean it with any bitterness, but she seemed to misunderstand his tone of voice and was projecting bitterness into what he said.
"What do you mean by that?" She said this defensively.
Chakotay at this point was wary of an argument and so said, "I think you misunderstand me." He gave her a gentle smile "It was supposed to be a compliment."
"Oh, sorry, it's just that people have always said that sort of thing to me in a disparaging way, no one has ever meant it as a compliment I don't think." He had successfully managed to diffuse a potentially awkward situation and Kathryn felt that she didn't want to let him go yet, she wanted him to come in for a drink, so she said as much.
"You know, I still want an answer to my question earlier!" He was really joking, but on the other hand he was also truly interested. He believed that a person could only be known through their faults and mistakes, and in Kathryn's case her faults were embodied as far as he could tell in what she couldn't do or understand.
"I'm sorry about that earlier. I am a little touchy."
"Probably overwork!" They both laugh at this. Kathryn gets a little more sombre after this, however.
"Seriously though, I am not good at everything, it's just that I have learnt not to demonstrate my lack of skill in things I am not good at."
"So, what are you not good at!" He had a plan!
"I don't know if I should tell you that. As far as the crew are concerned, I am invincible! And even if I did tell you I would probably have to kill you!" she is joking.
"But I am not any old member of the crew!" As he says this, Kathryn grows serious again.
"No, you're not." She almost looks sad. "In some ways I wish you were, it would make things easier on me emotionally. But I wouldn't ever want to lose your friendship now I have it. It's too precious for me to lose it now."
To Be Continued...
Part three
Chakotay was impressed with Kathryn's dancing. But he shouldn't have been surprised she was good at it. She was good at everything.
"How do you get to be so good at everything?" He asked Kathryn on the way back to her quarters after their dancing session.
"Pardon?" she replied, genuinely puzzled.
"Well, you seem to be excellent at everything you put your hand to." He didn't mean it with any bitterness, but she seemed to misunderstand his tone of voice and was projecting bitterness into what he said.
"What do you mean by that?" She said this defensively.
Chakotay at this point was wary of an argument and so said, "I think you misunderstand me." He gave her a gentle smile "It was supposed to be a compliment."
"Oh, sorry, it's just that people have always said that sort of thing to me in a disparaging way, no one has ever meant it as a compliment I don't think." He had successfully managed to diffuse a potentially awkward situation and Kathryn felt that she didn't want to let him go yet, she wanted him to come in for a drink, so she said as much.
"You know, I still want an answer to my question earlier!" He was really joking, but on the other hand he was also truly interested. He believed that a person could only be known through their faults and mistakes, and in Kathryn's case her faults were embodied as far as he could tell in what she couldn't do or understand.
"I'm sorry about that earlier. I am a little touchy."
"Probably overwork!" They both laugh at this. Kathryn gets a little more sombre after this, however.
"Seriously though, I am not good at everything, it's just that I have learnt not to demonstrate my lack of skill in things I am not good at."
"So, what are you not good at!" He had a plan!
"I don't know if I should tell you that. As far as the crew are concerned, I am invincible! And even if I did tell you I would probably have to kill you!" she is joking.
"But I am not any old member of the crew!" As he says this, Kathryn grows serious again.
"No, you're not." She almost looks sad. "In some ways I wish you were, it would make things easier on me emotionally. But I wouldn't ever want to lose your friendship now I have it. It's too precious for me to lose it now."
To Be Continued...