A Little R&R (Part 1 of 3)

Posted on Sat Oct 10, 2020 @ 8:24am by Lieutenant T'Lul & Civilian 'Key Holder' Yolanthe Ibalin

1,967 words; about a 10 minute read

Mission: Et In Arcadia Ego
Location: Box of Delights
Timeline: MD10 2230

[[ON]

By nature, T'Lul was a peaceful person. Having to stand up to the Captain, though, brought her no joy and matching wits with the Captain left her fatigued. Alanna's problems were more straightforward; however, she had no concrete ideas on how to get Jason into her office. After all, right now, he was not even Starfleet. The problems seemed to mount and no quick remedies were in sight. Normally, she might meditate; however, she remembered her time at the Box of Delights and the color changing proprietor. Deciding that more research and observation on non-Vulcans was the cure, she headed there.

Walking into the Box of Delights, she started looking for Yolanthe and a good vantage point to look at people.

The Box's owner was easy to spot. There weren't many purple women who towered over others. She was currently engaged in mixing cocktails with another bartender, that involved throwing bottles back and forth, and juggling glasses and shakers and all manner of drink related paraphernalia. The crowd around them was cheering and clapping rising to a roar with any particularly complex or deft manometer.

T'Lul wondered at the scene. Obviously Yolanthe was amusing the crowd. Likely, it lead to greater tips but was not the risk of the bottles breaking and the alcohol being spilled greater than the risk of the loss of tips. She and her partner were well practiced but it hardly took any talent to calculate the trajectory of bottles, glasses, and shakers if one studied it. Silently, she observed Yolanthe and the crowd, wondering what exactly she was missing.

Glasses slammed, drinks ran in rainbow spouts from bottle to shaker and back. And then a gout of flame shot up from one of the glasses, and the crowd screamed with delight. The bokkai looked up from the crowd and saw T'lul standing apart. She tapped a small female with a pixie cut to take over and came over to her.

"Hello again, counselor. Work that bad already?"

"Bad?" T'Lul asked raising an eyebrow curiously. "I would not say that. However, it is challenging." As if explaining her position, T'Lul continued, "This station has been without a Chief Counselor for too long."

"A fact for which I'm truly grateful," Yolanthe smiled. "When there's not enough counselors, I'm the next best thing."

"That is interesting," T'Lul told Yolanthe. "I have heard that bartenders often are enlisted to listen to the problems of their patrons. However, as I do not normally imbibe alcohol, I have not studied that. Alcohol does loosen inhibitions and also acts as a depressant. Perhaps that makes it easier for others to reveal their problems without prodding." She blinked once and then asked, "So, there are many problems on this station. Do you wish to tell me more about them at this time?" the Vulcan asked.

"Alas, no." Yolanthe smiled. "Things said to your bartender are as confidential as things said to your counselor." She looked back over her bar. "Though most problems would be solved by getting rid of the Humanity First lot, preferably out an airlock; giving people free rein to the planet below - its been there a year, I think its not going to run away any time soon; and cutting the rent charged to the Promenade Merchants."

"Explain," T'Lul simply responded. "I do not know anything about the Humanity First lot nor how rent charged to the promenade would assist anything."

Yolanthe laughed. "Be grateful for not knowing Humanity First.
I'm sure they'll show themselves again soon. They've been a bit too quiet lately. And lower rent always helps me. I'm not a Federation citizen. I need to make money."

"Ah!" T'Lul replied simply. "So, it is a self interested statement. I understand." There was no emotion behind T'Lul's words but there was a sense that somewhere deep down, she might be smiling. "Do you believe that the station is short handed on personnel?"

Yolanthe began picking up glasses from a nearby table, stacking them neatly against the inside of her arm. "From what I can tell, yes. And these Starfleet types never know when to call it quits. Those poor boys will work themselves to the quick if given half a chance. And the women are just as bad, so I guess they don't get set a good example."

T'Lul nodded. "That seems to correlate to some of my findings thus far. Yet, studies show that a balance between work, non-work, and sleep is critical to optimal functioning beings. So why would they not heed those studies? It is illogical."

"In my experience? They're doing things they love doing, were born to do. In those circumstances its very very easy to get caught in the moment. There's only staying the course, getting it done, being the best."

"And then complain that they work too much. Again, illogical."

"Nature of the beast. Everyone gets frustrated at some point. But they come, they whinge a bit, and go to work the next morning, twice as hard and even more unstoppable." Yolanthe shrugged. "Quitting is not in their nature."

"But it is not healthy," T'Lul countered. "It is apparent that I have a lot to teach the staff here." She then tilted her head to the side and asked, "Shall we find another place to talk and observe?"

"Sure." Yolanthe passed off the glassware to a passing waiter. "Come on up to the Holospa, its a little quieter, and its got a good view." She pointed up to near the roof of The Box where the second balcony looked over the mezzanine and the main floor.

T'Lul started finding her way up to the holospa. "You have not yet changed colors since I have come down here. I presume that is because I have not caused an emotional response in you, as of yet."

Yolanthe laughed, and the violet did change, turning a pale blue, with hair the colour of a summer sky. "Got it in one. Are you going to try and find out all the colours I go for different things?"

"Yes," T'Lul admitted. "I find it fascinating. Besides, we had not concluded our chat from last time and you promised me more of your story. I think it would be refreshing on my break."

"Ah, here to uncover all my secrets." They reached the second floor balcony. "But before you do, here's something you might find interesting. "Watch that spot there." She pointed to an area just under the mezzanine balcony. It was near the door to Back of House, though the door itself was hidden.

T'Pruk looked down and saw nothing particularly interesting or unusual about the place that Yolanthe was pointing. "Is there something that I am supposed to be seeing there?" she inquired.

"Just wait," Yolanthe smiled. And sure enough, after about thirty seconds, many heads began to swivel towards that point. A few seconds after, one of Yolanthe's waiters, a young man with long dark hair down to his waist, walked past, stopping occasionally to pick up up empties. People, mostly women, stopped to watch him go. Then one woman dropped a utensil off the table. The waiter bent down to pick it up, and several of the watchers behind him got *very* interested. Yolanthe shook her head. "He falls for it every time, poor baby."

Blinking a couple of times, T'Pruk wondered aloud, "So, exactly what was the point of watching a man pick up a utensil? It appears that there were a great deal of women interested, presumably from some sort of sexual attraction."

Yolanthe turned bright blue and cackled a laugh. "Wait till you see him up close. Blake is quite possibly the most beautiful man I've ever met. He's very popular. Not the sharpest spear on the rack though."

"I would assume that he makes you a great deal of money, then."

"Oh, the number of people who drink here just to enjoy the view is fairly healthy. Look at yourself."

"I do not believe that my motives are the same as the majority of your customers, Yolanthe."

"No," the Bokkai allowed, "but your latinum spends no less easily. Drink?"

"That would be acceptable," T'Lul told Yolanthe. "It is interesting that so many species place so much emphasis on physical attraction when it often is so fleeting. Would it not be more logical to base attraction on common interests rather than comeliness?"

There was a smaller, quieter bar area on this floor, and Yolanthe caught the eye of the young woman tending it, who came over and took their orders. Then Yolanthe showed the vulcan a seat at one of the tables at the balcony rail. "I don't think logic applies in attraction to anyone but Vulcans. Or, if it comes to it, its the brain of any species that's calling the shots."

"I am not certain that logic applies to attraction either," T'Lul confessed. "After all, Vulcan-human relationships are much more common, with the most famous being Spock's parents." Her head bent lower, perhaps indicating a bit of frustration or perhaps being perplexed. "There is much that I do not understand, I have to admit."

"One of my customers once told me that something like seventy two different philosophers, on 72 different pre warp worlds all came up with the same thing: That wisest is she is she who knows nothing."

"And yet, we are supposed to know so much in our respective professions. Tell me, Yolanthe, have you ever considered the Vulcans' position on repression of emotions?"

The taller woman shook her head. "I've never really thought about it. If anything, its the complete opposite of Bokkai. We literally wear our hearts on our sleeves. We never have to guess how others are feeling, or ourselves. We know if a girl likes us, or if a boy is nervous or our mothers are vexed, or our sister is sad. Repressing what you feel is almost impossible."

"And yet, that is what we Vulcans are trained to do from a very early age. Our emotions are said to be extremely volatile. In fact, the Romulans left Vulcan because they wished to continue those emotions rather than submit solely to logic. There are some Vulcans that live without logic but their existence is nomadic," T'Lul explained. "I was trained in logic but did not repress my emotions until a very late age."

The Vulcan paused before continuing. "I have considered the Vulcan philosophy of repression logically and I am uncertain that the philosophy is sound. It makes me rather unpopular amongst my kind."

"Well, it's not actually solving the problem, is it? It's just... " The drinks arrived, carried by the same slender, pretty, man that had served T'Lul before, his white hair sparkling from the UV lighting. He winked at her before turning away. "...putting it off for your entire life."

T'Lul noticed the wink and made no acknowledgement other than accepting the drink. "Either you train all of your servers to flirt or they do it naturally," T'Lul told Yolanthe. "There are times where we are biologically not permitted to put it off. It is a subject that Vulcans do not prefer to discuss."

Yolanthe was watching Rowan walk back down the stairs, her colours a deeper shade of blue. "But you want to?"

"I do not know whether I do or do not. There is much to consider about it."

"Well, alcohol helps with that." She raised her own glass, a tumbler with two fingers worth of a rich liquid. "Bottoms up."

Gingerly T'Lul raised her glass and asked, "Did you put alcohol in my drink? I do not generally drink alcohol. It is a depression and weakens the senses."

[TO BE CONTINUED]


Lieutenant T'Lul
Chief Counselor
DS5

Yolanthe Ibalin
Owner
The Box of Delights

 

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