Chapter Three
Zuria awoke to the clinking of glass. Yawning, she stretched, gazing ahead of her. Bones stood in the kitchen, two bowls in front of him on the counter. He looked up after hearing her.
"Morning, Zuria." He said.
"Morning." She returned, throwing the blankets off of her and standing up. She walked into the kitchen, stopping next to her mentor. Several containers of cereal were lined up along with a carton of milk.
"Help yourself to whatever you want." Bones invited, pouring himself some cereal. Zuria reached for the closest container, dumping a small amount into her bowl. After adding some milk to the cereal, they dug in, not bothering to sit down at the table.
"You slept like a rock." Bones informed her, taking a bite.
"I feel like one." She responded, rubbing the back of her neck. He had obviously done the best he could to provide her with a comfortable place to stay, but sleep was never a very pleasant experience for her, no matter how deeply she slept.
"So, what are your classes like?" He questioned in an attempt to make casual conversation. Unfortunately for him, there was little that could be called "casual" about the situation at hand.
"The same as last semester." She told him. She had half a mind to tell him about Professor Spock, but decided against it, as Bones probably already knew that the he was teaching the Advanced Vulcan Studies class.
"I'm sorry." He apologized, leaning against the counter.
Zuria laughed. "You do realize that my schedule includes working with you, right, Bones?" She asked. Having finished, she took her bowl to the sink, placing it with the stack of other dirty dishes.
"Yeah, I know. It's just too bad that you have to keep taking that physics class."
"It doesn't bother me that much," She said, shrugging her shoulders. "It's just not very interesting, that's all."
"You're right about that." He agreed. He'd never liked physics; when it came to fields of study, he preferred to remain within the realm of biology and medicine, his strongest areas of intelligence. "You don't need to know all of that stuff; you're going to be a doctor." He reminded her. She knew that he was incredibly proud of her in terms of work.
"Well, it's only one more semester. I think I can handle it." She assured him, glancing to the clock. His eyes followed hers, checking the time before looking back to her.
"You should get going." He advised, setting his bowl next to hers in the sink. "I don't want you to have to explain why you were late for class."
She nodded. "Good idea." She commended him. Exiting the kitchen, she returned to the couch, bending down and opening her bag. She sifted through it, pulling out her clothing. She made her way to the bathroom, changing into them quickly before inspecting herself in the mirror. She looked the same as ever; with the exception that her hair was a mess and that she appeared deathly tired.
Upon leaving the bathroom, she returned to her bag, stuffing her pajamas into it before taking out her brush, running it through her hair several times before pulling her hair back into a ponytail; it was the easiest remedy that could be found at the time.
Putting her boots on, she stood, smoothing out her uniform and picking up her bag.
"I'll see you later, Zuria." Bones promised, punching her lightly on the arm. She gave a tired grin, batting his hand away.
"Thanks again, Bones." She said. With that, she took her leave, opening the door and exiting the apartment.
Spock arrived in the Advanced Vulcan Studies classroom at the same time that he had the day before. The room was unoccupied; as was expected by the Vulcan, for it would be illogical to assume that one student, though early the first day, would be present at the same time another day. Sitting at the desk in the front of the room, he pulled out his lesson plan, reviewing it briefly. Today would be a continuation of yesterday's discussion of the reason for the Romulan's split from the Vulcans; an introduction to the war held between them.
Although he had assumed that she wouldn't appear, Spock couldn't consider himself surprised when he saw that Cadet Zuria Nibiru had entered the room. This morning, however, she looked different; her hair was pulled back, and she looked stiff and unresponsive.
"Greetings, Cadet Nibiru." He welcomed her. Her eyes slowly lifted before meeting his.
"Morning, Professor Spock." She returned setting her things down in the same spot that she had chosen the day before.
Pushing his lesson plan aside, Spock gave his full attention to his new student.
"Forgive me for making such a comment, but you appear unwell; exhausted, to be exact." He observed. He noted the corners of Zuria's lips is they turned down slightly, expressing her annoyance.
"Exhausted is a good word for it." She agreed, rubbing at the back of her neck and wincing. "My roommate brought the local playboy back to our apartment last night; as I result, I was kicked out." She informed him, dropping into her seat.
Spock shook his head. He knew all too well who Zuria was speaking of.
"You would be referring to Captain Jim Kirk, am I correct?"
"Yes." She affirmed.
"I cannot say that this news comes as a shock." He sighed, shaking his head a little. "I feel I must apologize for my friend's behavior; he does not think of the effect that his actions will have on others."
"Thank you, sir, but I'm angrier at my roommate than I am at Captain Kirk." She said.
"Your tone suggests that this is a regular occurrence for you." Spock observed.
"It is. My roommate has been nothing but raging hormones since she arrived at Star Fleet." Zuria told him, a small grin appearing on her face. It betrayed her obvious anger and exhaustion.
"Well, Cadet Nibiru," Spock began. "Should you find yourself in a similar situation again, you are welcome to seek me out so that I might help find you a suitable place to stay for the night, as I cannot say I appreciate my students being tired in my classes." His offer was quite bold, surprising even him. However, he couldn't very well acknowledge her problem without providing some sort of solution for her; no Vulcan could have.
"Again, thanks. I hope I don't have to take you up on that offer." She quipped, at last sitting down.
Slowly, the wave of students began to trickle into the classroom, effectively ending the discussion between Spock and Zuria.
"Good morning, students. Welcome to our second day of class." He greeted. "Today, we shall be continuing our discussion about the factors that caused the Vulcan and Romulan war."
Spock paused, gazing about the room. Though each student had their padds before them, ready to take notes, only a handful of them seemed truly engaged. "Yesterday we discussed the rise of logic brought about by the philosopher, Surak." He reminded them. This served to effectively begin his lecture. However, later in the class, he saw Zuria raise her hand. Although Spock normally asked his students to wait until after class to ask questions or make comments, he was curious as to what she had to say.
"Cadet Nibiru, is there something that you'd like to say?" He inquired, inviting her to speak.
"Forgive me, professor, but I find myself slightly confused about something you've implied." She said, leaning slightly forward in her seat.
"And what might that be, cadet?"
"From what you've been saying, it sounds as though Vulcans are incapable of violence or feeling."
"Vulcans rule their emotions so that they do not become violent." He stated, folding his wrists behind his back. He distanced himself from the discussion mentally, so as not to make it personal.
"Are you then saying that Vulcans react the same way in each scenario?" She questioned.
"Cadet Nibiru, I am sure that you know the answer to that inquiry." He responded.
"No, sir. I don't think so. That's why I'm asking it."
Locking eyes with Zuria, he replied: "Vulcans act as is logical in each scenario; emotions have no logical bearing, and are, therefore, not taken into account in different situations."
Spock watched as she dug her teeth momentarily into her lower lip. He could tell that she was preparing herself to contradict him.
"With all, due respect, sir, I happen to disagree."
"Please, enlighten me as to the reason of your disagreement."
Taking in a breath, she began: "It's logical to react to different scenarios with certain emotions. For instance, when a loved one dies; it's logical to cry, to mourn, even to, on occasion, resort to anger and violence. It would be highly illogical to ignore these feelings, as, from what you've said, Vulcans feel much more deeply than humans. It seems to me like bottling up all emotions could lead to a violent outburst."
The entire classroom went silent. Spock could not entirely contradict what she had just said: he himself had nearly killed Jim Kirk after the loss of his planet and his mother. Of course, his emotions took more effort to control, as he was half human.
"Thank you for your insight, cadet." He said, finally breaking eye contact with her. He retreated to his desk, glancing down once more at his lesson plan. "I would like you all to read chapters thirteen through sixteen for homework." He told them. Class ended only moments later. Each student quickly packed their things. Spock looked again to Zuria, who seemed as though she had something to say. However, instead, she tore her gaze away from him, gathering her things and exiting.
She had certainly given him something to think about.
Hey guys!
Sorry it took me so long to finish this chapter; it was seriously kicking my butt.
As well as that, I'm trying to tie up loose ends and study for finals, as I'm graduating this year. Lots of stress. Fortunately, however, this is my last week of anything high school related, which means that, for the summer, I will be free to do as I please. That means that the updates should come more quickly.
I hope you enjoyed that chapter! Reviews are, of course, delectable.
-Harlequin