Takeout Food

As crowds moved through the star base eating area, a particular pair made their way through. The place was set up rather like a modern-day mall eatery: each place stocked food from a specific type of cuisine. Some of it was nice and familiar...some of it...not so much. It was Taran's personal opinion that food should not wriggle as it went down your throat, so he avoided the stranger parts of the cafeteria. They'd soon discovered that the ship's eating area was off line for the maintenance, and had been forced off the ship to seek sustenance elsewhere.

He had eaten at this place several times while waiting for the ship to show up, and knew the area fairly well now. He often worked in a small corner with a data pad.

He looked over at his new acquaintance with some concern, a bit worried. Despite her initial barrage of hyperness, she'd become very quiet and withdrawn. "Are you all right, Miss Minoko? You have been silent this whole time."

*She had been looking forward to eating on the ship, but now the time presented itself for her to actually leave the ship and find food elsewhere. She followed his lead, trusting his choices in food. The place was busy, but not overly. People rushed by, holding trays and plates of food, some she knew well, and others that looked rather.. off. She kept all opinions to herself and snapped out of thought as Taran spoke to her. She gave a smiled, nodding.*

Yes, sorry. I was just in thought. This is the first planet other than my own I've ever been on. Just.. taking it all in, you know?

*A man moved past her and in his either anger at something that had just happened or sheer lack of focus, he pushed against her, causing her to stumble backwards some, bumping against her new companion with enough force to move him. She glared at the man as he looked back, the fur around her neck shifting upwards some.*

Watch out, jerk.

*The man stopped for a moment to fully look at her before continuing.

Taran nodded in acknowledgement as she talked about her home planet, and made a small, suprised sound in his chest as he was bumped into by the young girl. A bit of tuft of her ear wafted under his nose...and...well...

"Ah-CHOO!" Fortunately, he redirected it away from her. He blinked and looked at her apologetically. Though he was getting a bit uncomfortable with the level of physical contact. It seemed to be happening with alarming regularity. He paid the man that'd bumped into her no mind; he'd been distracted by the sneezing and hadn't seen the moment of impact.

*The last thing she had been expecting was a sneeze, let alone from her stoic friend. She jumped as it happened, whiskers bristling in fear at the sudden noise. Her fur and heart calmed down and she moved over to a table closer to the back. She pulled out a chair and sat down, sending him a grin.*

I see how this is. Trying to get your cooties all over me.

*She spoke highly in jest, amusement seeming to almost glow off of her. he seemed a bit uncomfortable, and she guessed it to be due to the contact. Weren't Vulcans supposed to dislike affection of any kind? She chewed her lip some in thought, wondering if at any time she had offended him with either her presence or her actions.*

*Stepping out onto the main walkway of the starbase, Qia is swept up into the rush of people. She had no idea where they were all going - some to ships, some to food, or meetings...so many of them! Finding a relatively uncrowded restaurant, she checks the menu. Not finding anything she recognized (or liked the sound of - most of the dishes had descriptions like "so fresh it'll run right off your plate!) she moved back out into the stream of people and continued her way down the length of the base, sightseeing (and watching for somewhere to eat) all the way*

The vulcan recovered quickly, blinking and looking at her. "Cooties?" His eyebrows furrowed. "I was not aware that I had any disease...of course if I do, it would be your duty to treat it, and I assume that you are up to date on all of your immunizations? That disease is unfamilliar to me, however. Could you explain its symptons?"

He cocked his head quizzically, watching her curiously.

*She found herself laughing a bit more, trying to keep a serious face.*

I am up to date on everything so far. This disease though.. It is by far one of the most dangerous ones to date. It causes you to become attracted to women, and sometimes, and this is rare.. But you run the risk of turning purple and gaining yellow spots.

*She placed her hands on the table for a moment before reaching over, taking his gently.*

I am very sorry.

If anything, the Vulcan looked even more confused. Poor guy. He had no clue what she was talking about. Cooties had not been a part of his life, at ALL. "Attracted to women?" He said, raising an eyebrow now, looking rather Spock-like. "That does not fit the profile of any known disease. Does it attract you to any women, even Klingon? Or just those of your own species?"

He watched her hand reach over and he blinked once more, looking at it and then back into her eyes. She had some strange ideas about personal touch, that was for sure...he didn't want to offend her, however, so he didn't say anything. It wouldn't do to irritate the chief medical officer of the new ship before it had even set sail.

*She took her hand back, resting them gently upon the table.*

Oh, any woman out there. Be them Klingon or a female robot. This disease doesn't hold back.

*She was utterly unsure if she could fool him, but damn she would try. She tried to keep herself looking serious in the hope that she could pull off this bluff, though she knew pretty much nothing of Vulcan's' other than the seeming lack of emotions they had.*

"...I do not believe I have this disease. I feel no particular attraction to the females in this area..." He continued to look at her with an unreadable expression. "Perhaps your diagnoses is mistaken? My emotions are within normal levels, especially those related to the opposite gender."

As always, the infuriatingly calm voice didn't betray his inner thoughts. Was he amused? Was he irratated? It was impossible to tell.

*Damnit. He wasn't falling for it. She didn't want to give up, but she was unsure as to where to go next, so she pulled out the last stop. She furiously pointed to his face, motioning with her hands.*

I see it! You're beginning to get yellow spots!

*He was calling her bluff, and it slightly disappointed her. Her fox like nature was winning over int he attempts to keep going, but her logic was telling her the battle had already been lost.*

He merely blinked as she did so, and brought up his PDA, switching on a mirror function. He looked at his face calmly. "I do not see these spots you speak of." He raised an eyebrow at her. "Miss Minoko, are you attempting to perform a 'joke' on me? You should know that Vulcans are highly logical creatures, and do not respond to humor in the same way as most of your friends. If this is a joke, which I find highly likely, it is a creative one, at least." Same Taran. Same unrevealing stare. It was almost unnerving, or it would be if he hadn't been good looking and, well, somehow didn't look annoyed. He seemed almost kindly.

*As the mirror showed, she lost confidence. As he called her out on it, she actually sunk down some in the chair, looking defeated. At least he wasn't upset.. If he could even get upset. She gave a shrug, smiling half-heartedly.*

Yes, it was a joke..

*As he mentioned that it was creative, she perked up.*

I had to try.

*He looked so unmoving, just.. blank, but not in a bad way. He wasn't bad looking by any means, and she guessed that it did help him with interactions with other people. Her stomach rumbled, interrupting her once more.*

I vote on getting some food, but I don't know what's good.

The man nodded slightly, inwardly relieved that he had been able to spot a joke. He had spent a fair amount of time among humans, but some things were still difficult. The idea of jokes and other illogical comraderie were part of those difficult sections of human life for him. This was a useful experience for him, however. He was not used to Vulpine psychology, and she was providing a first-hand example of how to interact with them. She was rather like a human, but had different emotions. She was more bestial in some ways, relying on instinct rather than logic to a greater degree than humans, if that were even possible.

He looked up as she mentioned food and nodded, placing his data pad on the table and calling up the local list of places on it. He began to point out various places on it that had various types of food, indicating which ones he had experience with.

OOC: WAY too lazy to type out names and styles of cuisines. @_@ I'll leave that to luke. <.<

*She leaned in some, looking at the different things he pointed out. Some looked rather good, and others.. Well, let's say that others didn't look so good in her mind. She told him to stop at a particular one and read the description. After a moment she shook her head and kept looking. Her stomach was telling her to just pick something at this point, but she couldn't make up her mind.*

I'll take whatever you decide to have.

*She finally admitted. She was enjoying his calm and quiet company. It gave her a chance to learn more about different people, which she loved doing. One on one conversations were something she always had loved doing, be them actually speaking or not. Silence was just as educational.*

The vulcan nodded and selected one item instantly, getting up and going over with her to get some. He knew how to act like a gentleman, and paid for her meal once they had gotten their food. He even held out the chair for her when they came back to sit down, before sitting across from her. He chewed thoughtfully for a moment.
"So...what planet are you from, Miss Minoko? I believe you said this was your first time on Mars?"

*As he paid for her food, she meant to say something, but there was no time. She smiled when he held out the chair for her. She sat down and took her food, digging in with gusto and a grin to match. She chewed her food for a moment before swallowing to answer.*

Layleaux. That's where I was born... but yes. This is my first time off of solid ground so to speak. I really don't remember much of my past. Only that there was a war and I never really stopped moving until I got accepted for the Medical position.

*He kept addressing her as Miss, and it was flattering, but it threw her off every time because it wasn't something she was used to hearing.*

He nodded, continuing to eat, occaisionally watching her reaction. She was interesting; she acted illogically, but he now knew there was a past there that perhaps explained some of her actions. He wasn't familliar with the history of the war on Layleaux, but he'd have to look it up. A vague inkling in his mind pointed him in the direction of some sort of massive, angry alien in power armor killing Vulpines because they were 'furries', but that could have just been his imagination.

Fursecution indeed.

*She stared at him for a moment before taking another bite of food. It was delicious and this in itself made her happy. After a few minutes of silence and eating, she looked up at him.*

What about your home planet?

"Vulcan is a violent planet, but one we have tamed, much like its people. I am rare among my people in that I had a desire to see the outside world and the vast galaxies." He admitted. "Most of my people are introspective by nature, and somewhat xenophobic. They do not believe that other humanoids are suffeciently advanced enough to be worth interacting with. I see it differently..."
He looked away slightly. His parents had disowned him for his decision to join the UEE, and most of his people would not wish to talk with him again unless necessary. Nevertheless, he felt he had made the correct decision in joining them, and had certaintly strengthened the relationship between the UEE and Vulcan. Now, other younger Vulcans desired to travel the stars and learn about other cultures much like he had.

*She listened intently, interested in the small bits of history he was letting spill.*

I think space exploration is a wonderful thing. Never in my dreams would I ever of thought that this was possible. *She paused.* I think your race is missing out on something great, and they never should of limited themselves to only one way of living.

Taran nodded. "It was...necessary. We are a highly emotional people, but we learn from birth to control and supress our emotions. If we did not do this...we would be barbarians. No worse than any other group of primitive savages. We would not have advanced our technology so far without such calmness and rationality. I think it is a fair trade, even if I do not accept it myself."
He returned to his food, calmly spearing various parts of it, finishing it off quickly.

You don't feel any emotions at all? *She worked on finishing up her food and smiled in content happiness when she was done. Delicious food. She would have to remember this place.*

"I have plenty of emotions. They are simply suppressed." He repeated calmly. "Though my time with humans has made me a little more emotional than my fellow Vulcans." He looked slightly uncomfortable at that, and shifted in his seat. "Most humans find it comforting to be able to read some emotions, and I believe that it is a worthwhile endeavor to be accomodating to other races. Besides, I have quite good control over myself. I am not worried."

*She nodded, pushing her plate away from her. His emotions seemed to make him uncomfortable, as did the emotions of others. It was understandable though.. If he had been trained all his life to keep them under wraps, she could see why her contact with him would feel strange and rather out of place.*

I'm sorry if I've made you uncomfortable. My race, more so myself in general are a very contact-oriented people. We find comfort in it, and I suppose some mannerisms never truly go away. We seem to think everyone will feel the way we do, and it's obvious some don't.

*She stood up and smiled at him.*

We should head back to the ship. I'm sure someone's either blown something up or hurt themselves by now.

*She laughed, her canines showing as she did. She made her way to the door and stepped outside, stretching. She felt a hand pat her backside and she blushed fully, whiskers bristling. 'Taran sure just got friendly..' She turned around to make a comment, but found that it wasn't him. It was the man who ran into her previously. His hand quickly dug into her pocket and pulled out her wallet. As he ran off, she stood there for a moment before finally taking chase after him. Noticing she was following him, he darted left and right, weaving through people and side streets. She caught up with him and tackled him to the ground, a hard punch connecting with his face. He scrambled up, dropping her wallet and yelling something about a rabid animal. She picked up the wallet and stuffed it into a small pouch that hung around a belt she wore. She stood up fully and looked around, ears pinning to the back of her head. She had no idea where she was, let alone how to get back.*

Wonderful.