Getting to Know You
Chapter Fourteen : Last Night I Didn't Get to Sleep At All
Spock
When Cadet Uhura had finally felt that it was acceptable to return to her dorm room, they walked in that direction, still practicing the new sounds the cadet needed to learn. He watched as she entered her quarters, then turned to cover the remaining distance to his own quarters. When he had rounded the corner of the building her quarters were in, he stopped, all his muscles clenched tight, and exhaled loudly. He shook slightly, trying to relax the tension he had been suffering from all evening. It had been a tremendous effort to remain calm and in control of himself. The sight of the cadet in her shower had been ... Well, he was not sure what it had been. Something totally unexpected. And his reaction was something entirely new to him as well. He continued on towards his quarters, walking much slower than usual.
When he reached his quarters, he undressed, pulled on a loose shirt and pants, and lit an incense stick. Settling down on his meditation pad, he sought to clear his mind. When the computer alerted him that it was time for breakfast, he was still struggling in that attempt.
***
They strolled the gardens on the Academy grounds, conversing in the click and squeal of the aquatic species of Deneb III. "Your chosen language is not well suited to the topic of conversation, Cadet"
"But that is the challenge, Commander"
He tilted his head slightly, considering. "As would be love sonnets written in Klingon, Cadet."
"Is that a challenge, sir?"
"Only if you take it so."
***
A week later she brings him the most erotic piece of poetry he has ever read, written entirely in Klingon, with all the correct cultural overtones. He is astounded. And that something curling low in his abdomen is still there.
Once again, he spends the night in meditation. This seems to be happening with more frequency than is desirable.
Uhura
In the days following that evening meeting, she found her schedule extremely full. Not only must she continue with her normal course load, the weekly suus mahna lessons, her Thursday evening shift on the message array processor, the Tuesday afternoon conversational practice and Wednesday evening choral practice, but now she must study even harder to prepare for the competition. Sometimes she felt that she hardly had time to breathe. Without Commander Spock's help, she did not know what she would have done. On Thursday evenings, as they worked on the delicate electronic assemblies, they conversed about grammar, syntax, pronunciation. On Tuesday afternoons, now that the weather was warmer, sometimes they walked the Academy grounds as they conversed, rather than sitting inside in his office. This gave them new topics for conversation, as they discussed architecture, the weather, the plants growing in the gardens, even the attire of the cadets passing them on the walkways.
On one such afternoon, he issued her a challenge. Oh, he tried to pretend that it wasn't, but she knew better. Returning to her dorm room, she consulted dictionaries and reference books. She made two trips to the library to search out obscure reference books. She even used her computer to search for cultural nuances. Eventually, she felt that perhaps what she had written was acceptable. She carefully printed it in the correct squiggles on a piece of what she was assured was the correct type of surface, purchased in a small shop she frequented often because of the off-world merchandise carried there. One week to the day that the challenge had been issued, she delivered the result, not giving it to him until the end of their conversation. For some reason, she could not bear to watch while he read it. What if it was so awful that he did not consider it a fitting completion of the challenge? No, she would just wait until the next week to hear what he had to say about it.
Only after she had delivered it does she think to read it to Gaila. She is astounded by her friend's reaction. Oh, my, what has she done? What will he think of her?
The next morning in class she keeps her head bent over her PADD, not daring to lift her face to look at him for fear of what she might see. At the end of the class, as she prepares to leave, she sees long, charcoal grey clad legs in front of her seat.
"Cadet, is there a problem?"
A problem? Oh, yes, definitely. She hesitantly lifted her eyes to his. Well, he didn't look insulted, at least. Of course, that might be hard to deduce. But his face was not all hard, like she had seen it at times. "No, sir, no problem."
"You have had your face down over your PADD throughout the entire class. There were slides projected which you did not observe. Is there some reason?"
Was that concern in his eyes? "Uh, I, uh, was having difficulty with my stylus, sir." If that just didn't sound stupid.
He quirked his eyebrow at her. Oh, he knew that was not right.
"I would suggest that you obtain one which is functioning correctly then, cadet." His mouth definitely quirked at the corners.
Was that a smile? She straightened up, maybe she hadn't entirely blown it, after all. "I will be sure to do so, sir." She finished tucking things into her bag and rose from her seat. As she turned to exit the room, his voice came softly from just behind her shoulder.
"I did enjoy your sonnet, cadet. It was most entertaining." Oh, no.
Spock
It was Monday afternoon again and he thought perhaps it was time he might try something different during their workout. He laid the items he had brought with him on the bench against the wall as she came striding across the gymnasium towards him. She was so graceful in her movements, it was always pleasing to watch her. She stood before, gave him the slight bow of student-to-teacher and waited for his instruction.
"We will begin by repeating the movements which you have been learning. Please remember that it is extremely important to maintain the exact positions which you have been taught." She nodded her head.
"I will count for you." He began the measured cadence, only half the normal speed, but correct for a beginner. He circled her as she moved through the movements, checking for position and speed. Yes, she was ready.
When she had completed her task and given him that slight bow again, he stood before her, looking into her eyes. "You have achieved status, Cadet." She looked puzzled. "On Vulcan, when someone wishes to learn suus mahna, they must demonstrate their ability before an instructor will accept them as a pupil. Only by mastering the first ... Kata, I believe is the term you would use ... Can the prospective student gain the desired status. You have just demonstrated your ability in this area."
She beamed at him, that wide smile spreading across her face.
He continued. "Each Kata consists of two parts. The first part is learned by the beginning student. The second part is ... danced ... by the instructor. When the student has achieved sufficient proficiency to master both parts, the next level of instruction begins. Today, for the first time, we will perform simultaneously. It is extremely important that you not deviate from timing or position. During the practice of suus mahna, no punches are pulled. If you are in the wrong place at the wrong time, it is entirely possible that you will be injured. Do you understand?"
"Yes, sir." Her eyes danced with excitement.
"It is normal to provide a musical accompaniment to such duets. This provides the cadence and assists the beginning pupil in maintaining proper timing. I have brought with me the necessary equipment." Turning to the bench, he inserted the small music disc into the portable player and pressed the keys. The sound of a drumbeat began.
"We will begin when the chime sounds. Please do not attempt to focus on my movements. To do so will distract you from the proper positioning of your own limbs. Is this understood?"
"Yes, sir." He could feel her anticipation and excitement. For some unfathomable reason, he was also tingling with anticipation. He assumed the correct stance, waiting for the chime to sound. There. He began the flowing movements, much slower than his normal execution, timing them to the sound of the drumbeats. Their hands slid past each other, only millimeters separating them. She turned, moving out of danger, entirely correct in her placement. His feet moved into the next position, hers at an angle to him. As he spun past her, she moved down and around and they were facing each other from the opposite direction. This was exhilarating. It felt entirely different than previous sparring matches with Vulcan opponents.
They danced through the kata, sliding past each other, moving in complete synchronization. Neither one noticed that all other activity in the gym had ceased. When the final chime sounded, they bowed slightly to one another. She raised her face to his, beaming, her smile spreading from ear to ear. "Can we do that again?" He turned and restarted the music.
Uhura
She burst through the door into the quarters she shared with Gaila, eager to share the afternoon's events with her friend. It had been the best afternoon!
"Gaila! You'll never guess what we did today!" She flopped down on the bed next to her friend, rolling over on her back, throwing her arms over her head and stretching in exhilaration. Then she rolled upright again, settling down cross-legged, bouncing in excitement.
Gaila looked at her in astonishment. "You didn't! Tell me all about it right now!"
Nyota blushed so deeply that it was visible against her dark skin. "No, you idiot, not that! We were in the gym! Get your mind out of the gutter! Geesh!"
Beside her Gaila laughed aloud. "What else could you possibly be that excited about? Girl, you flew in here looking like you just had the best sex of your life."
"We danced a duet! It was just so super! He brought this Vulcan music and instead of just making me do all sorts of movements on my own, he was doing them too! I wish you could have been there to see it! It was just WONDERFUL!"
"And I missed that? I may have to start going to the gym! I can just imagine that hunky guy moving around with all those muscles in those little gym shorts." Gaila's eyes got dreamy.
Nyota picked up the pillow and slammed Gaila with it. Gaila ducked and came up laughing. "Oh, girl, you are so gone!"
Spock
He lit the incense. He folded himself into the proper position. He closed his eyes. He saw her form before him, moving in measured sequences, weaving itself around him. He heard the sigh of her breath, felt the movement of air as her limbs moved past his, so close, but never touching. He luxuriated in the glowing beam of her smile, the wondrous sound of her laughter. If he could not clear his mind, then he would just meditate on her.