"A Sense Of Timing"
By: Lieutenant Saavar, Science
CPO Calyca Boothroyd, Engineering

Location: Arboretum, Deck 8
Stardate: 57908.31, 18h00

***

Caly had chewed on her bottom lip for half the day before finally sending a message to Lt. Saavar requesting to see him in private on a personal matter she wished to discuss with him. She'd left the time and place up to him, only requesting that it was after 1730 hours and preferably 1800hrs if he wanted her to present herself showered and clean. And so she made her way to the Arboretum dressed in a clean Class A uniform. She was exactly on time, if a moment or two early, but didn't see him immediately as she walked into the holographic open space that surrounded the converted cargo bay.

Saavar was sitting on the small two seat bench in the grove that had been designed as a greenery retreat. He sat composed, hands in his lap, as he too wore a Class A uniform. He stared fixedly at a small flower blossom, taking in its uniqueness from the others surrounding it, and concentrating upon the passing of time.

It took her a few moments to locate him and she moved quietly to where he sat, standing "at ease" with her hands clasped behind her back as she waited for him to acknowledge her, expecting that he was aware of her presence due to his keen Vulcan senses. She couldn't help studying him much as he was studying the flower blossom. Had she made a mistake requesting to see him? She hoped not. For Shiri's sake.

"Yes, Chief Petty Officer Boothroyd," Saavar said without inflection. "What can I do for you? Please," he waved to the seat. "We are not on duty. Please sit and speak as you will." His grey eyes were unfathomable, almost blank in their lack of emotion.

"Thank you, sir," she nodded and smiled and took the offered seat. "You can use my given name if you'd like, sir," she offered before stating her business. "I'd like to speak to you about Ensign Lektar, sir. If you're not opposed, that is. But first... I owe you an apology. I breached protocol at the party and I shouldn't have. I'm sorry for that. Please forgive me."

Saavar nodded. "You are forgiven, Calyca, though in honesty there is nothing to forgive. I was simply putting into practice a methodology of communications that a great teacher and diplomat Serek showed to me when he visited this ship. To meet upon the other's terms and not upon my own. What is it that you wish to discuss about Ensign Lektar?"

"Thank you, sir." Her smile was a bit brighter. "I'm a wee bit worried about her, sir. Shiri...uh...Ensign Lektar has a tendency to...well...retreat into being a hermit when she's unhappy. And it's easier to keep that from happening than it is to get her out of it once she's there," she told him. "So I'm plotting, sir," she admitted freely. "And I'd like your help."

Saavar nodded again. "Yes," he said simply, a smile playing about his lips. "Of course."

Caly blinked. That was too easy. Was that too easy? She was sure that was too easy. She was momentarily struck dumb, but recovered quickly. "Thank you, sir. I don't think I need to tell you what to do," she grinned. "You know her bett--" She blinked again as the realization of what she was saying actually hit her. He did know Shirik better than she did what with crawling around in her mind and all. She let out a soft laugh at herself. "You already knew that about her, didn't you, sir?"

"Yes," Saavar nodded. "Unfortunately I acted upon it prematurely. I regrettably forced her to accompany me to the ship party. I erred. It would have been better for her to have remained in her quarters for the evening."

"Hmmm..." She frowned a bit at that, not sure she agreed. "Because of the dance with Commander T'Kal?" she asked.

"Yes, although at the time, it did not seem to me to be an error of judgment on my part. I failed to adequately assess the emotional repercussions of the event. She seemed...happy." Saavar shook his head. "Unfortunately her desire for the Commander was difficult to miss, even for a Vulcan."

"She was happy," Caly smiled. "And now she's embarrassed. She'll get over the embarrassed part eventually, and remember the happy part," Caly told him. "And some other gossip will come along that pushes the dance from the lime light and it'll die a natural death because that's just human nature. Don't be too hard on yourself, sir." She offered him an understanding smile. "And don't think too badly of me when I say that Shirik probably needed something like this to happen, as cruel as that sounds."

"No," he said, nodding. "I understand your perspective and agree. It was simply unfortunate. I know that she has friends that will not allow her to wallow in self pity. I certainly will not. We are mate bonded, and I will not allow her to seclude herself in the way her natural personality demands. She will find it impossible, for we are bound mentally and my presence is always with her as it is with me."

"I'm glad," Caly gave him a genuinely pleased smile. "She needs that kind of...solidity now, whether she realizes it or not. As for myself... I'm going to be as obnoxiously and stubbornly persistent as I always am," she laughed softly. "Thank you, sir. For taking the time to speak with me and for not telling me to mind my own business."

"You are her friend, and right now, this is your business." Saavar smiled in return. "Thank you for coming to me with your concern. I will certainly enlist you in any further plotting that I may conduct, so that mistakes will be minimized in the future. I will consider you a member of the Cabal, Calyca."

That made her laugh in delighted humor and give him a broad grin. "I'm honored," she told him truthfully and rose to her feet. "I shouldn't keep you any longer. It has been a true pleasure to speak with you, sir. I'm glad Shiri has you in her life, and in her head," she told him.

"I too am pleased..." His eyes were alight with what looked to be merriment. "I have enjoyed our talk also, though I have no particular place to be for a while yet. If you wish to remain and enjoy this place with me I would be the one honored. I cannot say that I have many friends on the Sulu."

Caly cocked her head just a bit to look at him. After a heartbeat or two, she smiled and retook her seat. "Thank you, sir. I'd like that. Have you been on the Sulu long?"

"I joined the ship just prior to Risa," he said. His first urge was to give the exact time and date reference to his arriving aboard, but he'd learned that that was often construed as arrogant recitation of memory to non-Vulcans. So he was purposely vague. "We are off duty, Calyca, and like you I prefer to be addressed by my name when I am with friends."

Caly had expected him to give the exact time and date, and it made her grin and nearly chuckle when he didn't. "I... Well.." She was a wee bit taken aback by the request, clearly not expecting it, and certainly not taking the liberty until requested to do so. "I suppose I could do that, si-- Saavar," she tried the name on for size, her voice lending a very soft roll to the a's.

The Vulcan smiled. It was a genuine show of gratitude. "Good. What recreational activities are you interested in, Calyca?"

"Hmmm... Good question." She leaned back, relaxing a little. "I like to climb, I love puzzles, robotics is one of my passions, and I live to take things apart and put them back together," she answered him, looking towards his eyes and smiling. "And I study. I love learning new things. What about you, si-- Saavar," she grinned at her near slip, eyes bright with that impish glint.

"They are all worthwhile pursuits," he replied. "I too enjoy puzzles, and I have enjoyed the strenuous exercise of climbing. I walk regularly in the holodeck and I have an interest in music. It is unfortunate that I cannot dance though I enjoy the music. I admire your passion for discovery. I too share it. It is why I am here. Where do you hail from, Calyca?"

She watched him as he listed his interests and it made her smile. "I was born on Dantrich Orbital Station-12," she told him and promptly added, "Everyone can dance. It's really nothing more than a moving meditation."

"I have tried without real success," he replied. "I fear that I trod upon Shirik's toes. Being born on a space station you would be familiar with zero gravity maneuvers? It is another of my interests. I play Gravball. I find it strange that I can have the dexterity to play that game, yet still flounder when it comes to moving with the beat of a song. I play the Vulcan Lyre. Do you play an instrument?"

"Drums," she answered promptly and with a grin. "And very familiar. Maybe you should try playing Gravball to music. Have you ever seen any of the old Terran ballets or musicals? Dancing isn't so much dexterity as it is rhythm. And the movements start with the hips."

"Do not attempt to teach me," he said with a smile. "I have failed previously and have no further wish to embarrass myself."

"You realize now that's a challenge," she teased lightly about the dancing, grinning at him. "And a puzzle. I'm a problem solver, you see." She was on the verge of gentle laughter now.

"You should attempt to join the Suluists. By the looks of it, there are only two current members. They do not have a drummer." He ignored her offer of a challenge. "I do enjoy musicals, and I enjoy watching dance. Perhaps in the near future we could do so together, with Sorg Jurell and Shirik."

"Watch a musical? Now I would enjoy that." She quirked a brow slightly at his inclusion of Jurell and couldn't help wondering if he liked musicals. "I tried to join a band once," she admitted. "I kept getting distracted and missing rehearsals."

"Then perhaps it would help you focus your concentration. A wandering mind that is easily distracted never accomplishes much," Saavar replied with a gently chiding tone. "Have you ever tried meditation? I believe it would considerably enhance your ability to concentrate and focus."

"Oh, see, that's the problem," she gestured with a graceful hand. "I do concentrate, and I do focus. Rather intensely and to the point that I forget everything else," she explained. "And I can't meditate. I'm slightly hyperactive and I fidget. A lot. And when I do try my mind starts to wander something fierce until it focuses on some problem I've been working on, and then my fingers start to itch something terrible to get their hands on it, and there goes the meditation. Pfft, like that," she snapped her fingers.

Saavar grinned, nodding. "Then you are incorrect. You do not have a wandering mind. You are simply temporally challenged. You forget the time. Your concentration is so focused that it excludes all else, and meditating on nothing causes you to seek a point of focus. Your itching is psychosomatic. Your mind is telling your body that it must perform an action."

Caly's brows shot up. "Temporally challenged?" she asked, trying not to laugh and then she lowered her voice and shook her head a little. "See, I always knew I had a defective brain. It just doesn't operate like it should," she admitted and grinned over at him. "Even now it's jumping around between several points of focus and trying to latch onto one. But I have figured out how to fool it," she nodded sagely, still on the verge of laughter.

"Perhaps you would share your secret?" Saavar cocked his head in interest.

Caly quirked a brow at him, her laughter dying down to a rather inquisitive grin. "Seriously? Yes, of course..." she shook her head a bit, remembering she was dealing with a Vulcan and laughing a little at her automatic questioning. "I shuffle them around," she told him with a smile. "I'm very visually oriented, you see, and I have them all tucked neatly into niches."

"Multi-tasking has oft been attributed to the female gender," he replied calmly. "That is no secret."

"Ahhh... I wonder why that is?" she asked curiously. "Can the male gender do it too?"

"I speak for Vulcans when I say a resounding yes. Regardless of gender. It is simply a Human truism that females can think of many things and males but a single one." He smiled to show that he understood the humor in it.

Caly blinked and laughed. "I'm so not commenting on that," she told him with a grin. "Do you have niches too, Saavar?" she wondered curiously.

He raised an eyebrow in typical Vulcan at that, a gesture that had Caly grinning. "I have not considered the imagery to which you refer...but in essence I would say that it is not an inaccurate simile."

"You're not visually orientated then? Do you ever see pictures in your head?" she asked, her curiousity piqued now and her focus settling on him. Something that was quite visible in her eyes.

"It would be inaccurate of me to describe my thought processes as visually oriented, however I too have developed a place for each of the things which occupies my consciousness. More accurate would be a filing system where I may open each considered thought rather than be presented with them all and continually shift focus." He nodded. "There are many similarities between races on this subject. There are just as many dissimilarities. It is a primary concern when dealing with matters of communication, and it is one of my primary roles to determine just how a species will think about what concerns them. In this way a true interpretation may be made of their language processes leading to greater understanding. Indeed this thought process is at the crux of my learning."

Caly listened, enraptured. She took in every word, every inflection, and every concept as her center of focus honed in fully on him. This was Caly in full out learning mode and the fingers of her left hand began to move slightly in the air as she processed what he was saying. "Mine would complain about not being able to breathe if I shut them up," she commented. "Do you study everyone's thought processes then? Or just aliens?"

"Everyone," he replied. "In effect, Calyca, I am an alien to you - as you are an alien to me. The Federation is filled with divergent species. Humans are still a peculiarity to me. Most emotive species are erratic."

"That's because emotions are a very erratic thing. One of those things you love to hate," she grinned. "Are Humans harder to study because of their emotions?"

"Assuredly!" he replied with conviction. "Humans are truly individuals. One has to study each and every member of your race...it is an endless pursuit of knowledge. One that is sometimes not very successful."

Caly laughed at that and wagged a finger at him. "But you enjoy it," she accused teasingly. "Even with all our messy emotions. It must be like trying to study chaos."

"Chaos Theory is far easier," he smiled. "It is more predictable than a Human female."

"Oh heck yeah. Even I agree with that," she laughed. "But I'll bet it's not as much fun."

"Define fun," the Vulcan asked. Then he smiled. "It is purely an emotive thing."

"Hmmm.... Define fun..." she repeated his question and rubbed her lips with her fingertips in thought. "No, no, not purely emotive. It has some definite physiological and psychological advantages. Fun is... Enjoying something so much that even if it was your job and you had to do it, you'd do it anyway just because it gave you such pleasure. And you know it does because you get this feeling that swells up right here--" she pressed her fingers against her solar plexus.

The Vulcan raised a brow once more. "Yes I can appreciate that," he nodded. "What is fun for you?"

"My work, what I do. I'd do it whether it was my job or not," she told him with a grin. "And working on my little projects. Climbing... What about you? What do you do for fun?"

"My enjoyment derives from similar sources. It seems though we are dissimilar beings, our methods of extracting personal gratification are very similar. It is a good basis for a friendship. Perhaps I could accompany you climbing at some time? I would enjoy that."

"Oh, I'd like that. Shiri hates to climb so I usually go by myself. Usually in the middle of the night," she confided with a smile. "But I'm flexible."

"Middle of the night?" he asked. "Do you not sleep?"

"Sure. Just not in big chunks of time," she answered. "And not always in the middle of the night," she admitted.

"I hope not on shift." He sat upright and looked around at the Arboretum. "I am required to return to the Bridge, Calyca. I have enjoyed our conversation. Unfortunately time seems to have challenged us." He stood, straightening his uniform. "I will see you again. Soon."

Caly blinked and looked a bit affronted at his initial comment. "Of course, sir." She stood and smoothed her own uniform down. "The pleasure has been mine. Thank you for taking the time to see me."

Saavar seemed to ponder the look upon her face for a moment. Then he said, "I am still working on timing, Calyca. Perhaps I failed to give the words their correct inflection to evoke humor? When I said I hope not on shift it was meant to evoke humor. I had no intention of intimating that you would actually sleep during a duty shift. I apologise for my error."

Caly studied him, listening to his words, and after a moment, she grinned and shook her head. "No apology needed, but it is indeed accepted. Perhaps if you did that thing with your eyebrow" --she motioned towards his brow in a 'up' motion with her index finger-- "and didn't worry so much about inflection..." she suggested helpfully. "And I will endeavor to remember that your timing su-- uhh... Needs work... Good evening, Saavar," she offered, knowing he had to go.

He smiled. "Yes," he agreed. He raised the brow. "It does suck." With a friendly nod he clasped his hands behind his back and left the engineer to enjoy the garden. It truly was pleasant.

Caly's laughter followed him along with her. "I was being diplomatic..." and she did indeed enjoy the garden after he left.

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