Getting to Know You

Chapter Three : I'd Like to Get to Know You

Spock

Tuesday, 1345

For some reason he was having difficulty concentrating on the assignment he was grading. He was not hungry or thirsty, the room was comfortably warm, the window opacity was optimum, his chair was the correct distance from his desk surface, there was no logical reason for his uneasiness. He put it firmly out of mind and continued with the paper, finally realizing that he had read the same poorly written paragraph three times and had no idea what it said. With a barely suppressed sigh, he laid it aside. Steepling his hands before him on the desk, he unfocused his gaze and attempted to calm himself. Calm did not come. He arose from the desk and turned to the window. Perhaps there was too much sun, he would adjust the window controls. As his hand approached the controls, he heard footsteps outside his office.

"Commander, I know I'm a bit early, I can just come back in a few minutes if it's inconvenient." Her musical voice completely stilled the restlessness. Odd. He turned back towards his desk. "Please be seated, Cadet. It is not inconvenient."

She seated herself in the chair on the other side of his desk, carefully setting a small carry-cup down in front of her. Scented steam rose from the side slit. "I hope you don't mind that I brought my tea with me. Sometimes talking makes my throat dry - and some of the sounds in the languages I'm studying are difficult to pronounce with a dry throat." There was that stunning smile again - why did it affect him so?

"I do not believe that I recognize the scent of that blend, Cadet. Might I enquire as to the name?"

"Oh, this - I brought it from home with me. My mother likes to make her own tea mixes. She adds spices, herbs, and dried flowers from her garden." She tilted her head slightly, pondering. "I haven't drunk out of it yet, Commander. If you have a cup handy, I could pour out a little for you."

Without conscious volition, his hand reached for his tea mug in it's accustomed place on his desk and set it before her. Slowly, being careful not to touch the rim of the cup, she removed the cover and tilted her cup over his, pouring a small amount of the fragrant tea into his cup. Putting the cover back on, she took a small sip and smiled at him over the top of her cup. Slowly he brought his cup to his face and inhaled. Very spicy. He let a small amount of the hot liquid flow over his tongue, savoring the flavors produced on different parts of his tongue. A very enticing blend. Another small sip and flavors bloomed in the back of his mouth. Excellent. "This is quite good, Cadet. Please convey my compliments to your mother."

"I could bring you a small container of the dried leaves, Commander. Mother will be glad to send me more." Another smile. There was something about those smiles.

"If it would not be too much trouble, Cadet, I would be most grateful. This reminds me of the teas my mother makes." Now why had he shared that? "Perhaps we can begin our discussion now?" he switched from Standard to the language he had observed her studying in the lab the previous week.

Nyota

Tuesday, 1330

She took her hair down and brushed it again, put it back up. That was the third time. It looked fine, she couldn't understand why she wasn't satisfied. With one finger, she glossed her lips quickly, pressing them together and then looking at herself in the mirror. Over her shoulder she heard Gaila laughing at her, "Girl, you look like you're getting ready for a date and not a tutoring session."

Somehow it felt that way. That was just too silly. Get a grip, girl. The mini-replicator bleeped that her boiling water ready. Quickly she poured it over the tea leaves measured out in her steeper and set the timer. While the tea steeped, she gathered up the other items she meant to take with her. When the timer beeped, she lifted the basket of leaves, let them drain a moment, and then poured the tea into her carry-cup. Pressing the lid on firmly, she gathered up her bag and left the dorm, setting out across campus to the Linguistics building.

She was going to be really early. After all that fussing and stress, she still managed to get here too soon. She hoped he didn't have another cadet in his office, that would be embarrassing. As she approached his office, she saw him rise from his desk and move towards the window. "Commander, I know I'm a bit early, I can just come back in a few minutes if it's inconvenient." He turned towards her. Was that an expression on his face? Surely not.

She sat down in the chair placed for cadets and set her carry-cup on the table. This last tea blend Mama had made was really nice and she was looking forward to soothing sips as she struggled to force her lips, tongue, and throat to pronounce the awkward sounds of the language she was currently learning. Without pausing to think that what she was doing might be construed as improper behavior towards a superior officer, she was quick to offer him a taste when he commented on the scent of the spicy tea.

Sitting quietly, enjoying her tea, she watched his face as he tried it. Small hints of expressions flitted across his face as he savored the flavor. You just have to watch really closely, she realized. A little quirk at the corner of his mouth, a slight lift of his eyebrow, a shift in the muscles around his eyes. Really quite expressive if you looked. So much for Vulcan unemotionalism. She was really a bit disappointed when he set the tea down and began the discussion.

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I had a bit of difficulty finishing this chapter. Other chapters wanted to write themselves instead. It's best to write what comes naturally, when it comes. So now I have parts of other chapters :-)