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Tweak says, "I'm in love. His name is "

Lt. Uhura (talentedtongue) wrote in colligo_threads,
@ 2009-06-07 22:55:00

Entry tags:

!closed

WHO: Nyota Uhura & Spock
WHAT: Silence, frustration, and the lack of information a happy Nyota does not make.
WHERE: Their room
WHEN: Day two of the silence
RATING: PG-13
STATUS: In Progress

Everything checks out normal. That was what the medical team kept saying. No damage to either the vocal chords or the auditory canals. So they weren't deaf or mute, it simply seemed like they were. And that was when the situation stopped making sense. If they could still hear and could still speak, why weren't they able to do either? The idea of the sort of spooks that Andrew had mentioned kept flittering back to her mind, but she was determined to not just chalk this up to the supernatural and be done with it. There had to be a scientific explanation. There simply had to be. Even with the spooks, there was likely some basis in the solid physical world as the why they existed like they did. So she was going to find out here.

But as confounding as it was, it simply felt like they were running around in circle looking for a solution. After violently scratching out the idea that something or someone had stolen every sound wave in the place (because, really, that was just ridiculous. Who steals sound waves?), Uhura shoved her pad and pen away from herself, allowing her arms to pillow on the table, her head following a few seconds later with an action that would have caused a rather loud THUNK had it been able.

She really was at a loss. She couldn't wait for them all to get together in order to bounce ideas off of each other even if the thought of the logistics behind a situation like that were simply mind numbing. Everyone with white boards, waving them around, trying to get each other's attention so that their ideas could be...haha, heard. Really. What was the point of knowing sign language if it was pointless to use it? Nobody would be able to understand her.

Well. With one notable exception.

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meritsofemotion
2009-06-07 10:53 pm UTC (link)

There was an old Earth adage - silence is golden - that Spock had learned as a young boy and had always considered to be one of the more intelligent statements to ever be spoken by a human. After all, there were many times in his life when silence had served him far better than saying anything could have. There were also times when he found himself yearning for it when it was nowhere to be found. However, another Earth adage - careful what you wish for - was quickly starting to take a stance in his mind as being even more true than the one about silence.

He supposed that was likely in part to the fact this current bout of silence wasn't optional. It was one thing to choose to be quiet and quite another to have the choice made for you. Not to mention the entire situation was wholly illogical - entire cities did not just fall silent overnight - and therefore it was difficult for him to come to terms.

Still, he supposed he was handling it as well as could be expected. He was coming up with potential theories as to what could be causing the issue, which helped keep his thoughts ordered and focused. Yet some small part of him had to admit that he wasn't quite as focused as he should be. His thoughts continued to drift back to his mother and an irrational fear that something was going to befall her in this strange place and he would, once again, be unable to save her. And when he wasn't thinking about his mother, he was dwelling on Nyota... or, rather, how frustrated she clearly was becoming with the entire situation as a whole.

As if on cue, he glanced up from his own pad of paper (which, truth be told, didn't contain any idea that wasn't almost, if not more, ludicrous than her own) in time to see her drop her head upon the desk. He didn't frown at the movement, not precisely, but his brow did draw together slightly and he rose from his seat without a second's thought.

He made certain to come up beside her rather than behind her, as he clearly wasn't making any sound in his movements. Reaching out, he simply brushed his fingers across her forearm to gain her attention before falling into one language that hadn't been stolen from them while finding himself almost grateful that he'd had the foresight to learn sign language should the situation ever call for it.

I assume that you, too, have yielded few valid theories. Perhaps a break is in order.

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talentedtongue
2009-06-07 11:06 pm UTC (link)

The light touch was enough to attract her attention, her head lifting from the desk and her eyes taking in the swift movements of his hands and translating them into speech in her mind. The statement caused a soft, wry smile to tug at the cry of her lips. As astute and precise in sign as he was in any language, and it was a level of controlled calm that she could truly appreciate when compared to her current state of barely reigned in confused chaos.

Probably for the best, Nyota replied with ease, her hands breaking away for a moment to undo the ponytail that she kept her hair in when trying to work. She'd put it back up when she went back to trying to formulate a theory that wasn't so crackpot that it would make Sulu blush. But right now, she could do with a bit of a break. I'm not doing myself any good by driving myself crazy.

Even if that had pretty much been her routine up until graduation what with her schedule being so packed that she had barely had time to breath much less handle it all, she wasn't a student anymore. There was no point in acting like one.

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meritsofemotion
2009-06-08 12:05 am UTC (link)

Spock refrained from pointing out the obvious fact that her sanity was not likely to falter. He knew Nyota well enough to know that such a statement likely wouldn't be met with quite the same wry amusement that she typically showed when he did such things. It was obvious, at least to him, that she was far more strained than typical and he saw no reason to add to it.

Precisely, he merely replied, his darkened gaze sweeping across her form for a moment before the next train of thought caused his hands to begin moving again. It would seem to be beneficial if we were to instruct the crew on the fundamentals of this form of communication once we are all in the same location. I imagine the meeting will otherwise erupt into potential chaos.

That was provided, of course, that the Captain made his location known sooner rather than later. If he didn't soon, Spock was going to have no choice but to step in as commanding officer. He supposed, in a way, he should have already. Clearly James T. Kirk was emotionally compromised now that his father was present in the city. However, Spock also knew that he too ran that same emotional compromise with the appearance of his mother. And losing both the commanding and first officers of the crew at a time such as this was not at all logical... or preferable.

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talentedtongue
2009-06-08 12:23 am UTC (link)

How fundamental would the fundamentals have to be? None of the crew were dull in any capacity. She knew that for certain now even if she had initially had severe doubts about their Captain. But that didn't necessarily mean that they would be able to understand, comprehend, and retain the information that was needed to be able to communicate in any substantial way. Not everyone was gifted in communications. That was why they all had their own specialties.

We can make an attempt. How successful it will be will be up to them, Uhura replied with a heavy sigh, even if it was nothing more visually than her shoulders and chest rising and falling with some degree of suddenness. None of this makes any sense.

While it might have been something that they had already established several times over, it felt as though it were necessary to say it (or rather, sign it) again. Even with the Enterprise's exploratory mission, something like this was not what she had prepared to deal with. She was no more equipped in this situation than Dr. McCoy would have been if you plopped him down in the Engine Room and expected him to do Scotty's job.

I'm tired.

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meritsofemotion
2009-06-08 10:41 am UTC (link)

Agreed. It is a most illogical situation, Spock replied. There wasn't much more to say on the subject than that, really. Or at least nothing he could think to say that wasn't wholly irrelevant or unnecessarily repetitive. Instead he took in her appearance with a calculating glance and had to admit that she certainly appeared far more worn down than she typically did.

It wasn't late, not by either of their standards, but Spock had learned long ago that being tired in regards to requiring sleep and feeling... drained, for lack of a better term, were two wholly different things when it came to humans. He imagined Nyota was succumbing more to the latter rather than the former. He couldn't say he blamed her, entirely. For a Communications Specialist such as herself, the inability to speak was certain to be a taxing one.

Come, he finally urged her, deciding that sitting at the same desk where she'd been brainstorming was not enough of a break. For both of them, really. Perhaps a change in scenery will be of assistance. Not that he had any intention of leaving their apartment, but they didn't have to stay holed up in their bedroom either. Especially with, by his calculations, the setting sun beginning its final dip below the horizon and their balcony offering a view that he hoped might offer her some semblance of tranquility.

Or, at least, as tranquil as Nyota was capable of getting.

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talentedtongue
2009-06-09 06:48 am UTC (link)

For as well as they knew each other, Uhura would likely be surprised that Spock had already grasped the most difficult issue that she was having with all of this. It wasn't the why or the how or the through what means. It was the very fact that without language, she might as well be a Citizens' band radio in a world of subspace frequencies. What good was a Communications Officer without the ability to communicate? And what if this never went away? What then? She would simply be unnecessary personnel.

Feeling herself on the verge of losing what composure she had been able to maintain with this line of thoughts, Nyota offered Spock a strained and yet appreciative smile at his suggestion as she stood, stepping forward and twinging her arms lightly around his, her head inclining to rest against his shoulder. At least there were times and circumstances where words truly weren't necessary, and right now, the silence wasn't a complication. In fact, it would almost be nice if it wasn't so creepy.

Looking up at him, freeing one hand, Uhura asked simply, Where?

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meritsofemotion
2009-06-16 11:53 am UTC (link)

It was obvious, within a few minutes of meeting a Vulcan, that they weren't overly fond of touch. This wasn't always true, of course. In private settings, with the right people, touch was well and good within reason. Fortunately for Spock, he and Nyota had long since come to an understanding as to when it was, and wasn't, appropriate. Yet even if they hadn't been in the privacy of their own room, he would have been hard pressed to refuse her embrace at the moment. Clearly she required comfort and, while he was incapable of offering comfort in a great many ways that humans could with ease, Spock could grant her this much without any latent feelings of guilt that he was somehow disgracing his Vulcan heritage by doing so.

The balcony, was all he replied when she asked her question. Spock saw no point in explaining further. Either the fresh air and setting sun would relax her or it wouldn't. So with nothing more to add, he led her from the room, across the living room, and to the balcony.

The weather had remained a comfortable temperature for humans since his arrival. Warm without being humid, coupled with a light breeze that kept the air outside well circulated and prevented it from feeling 'stale'. It was slightly chillier than he found comfortable, but it would be illogical to expect the temperature to be high enough that he would not feel chilled. And after so long amongst humans, both at the Academy and on the Enterprise, Spock had begun to adapt to the cooler temperatures to the point that he took little note anymore. In fact, the only real attention he paid at the moment wasn't with his own comfort in mind but rather Nyota's. Once assured she wouldn't require a sweater as the temperature was dropping with the setting sun, he stepped fully outside.

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talentedtongue
2009-06-16 12:51 pm UTC (link)

There was little need for his choice to be explained since it became obvious the second that they stepped outside. Needing fresh air to clear your head seems like a cliche up until the moment that you really and truly require it, but the light breeze that was brushing past them (regardless of the concern that it provoked in her mind over the fact that he must be freezing) coupled with the scenery of the sun setting into the forest that hemmed the edges of the city was more than enough to ease the growing tension out of her body and calm the troubled thoughts that had been spinning in her mind.

Tucking herself against him, half because she enjoyed the close proximity and half because she was sure that he had to be getting a chill by now, Uhura tipped her head back, smiling up at him before pushing up on her tip-toes and kissing his cheek.

Even if it had taken awhile for them both to become completely comfortable with the quiet affection that passed between them, in private, Uhura had absolutely no problem with expressing it. And in times like this were the words necessary to express her gratitude any other way had been stolen from her, it seemed somehow more appropriate.

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meritsofemotion
2009-06-22 11:33 pm UTC (link)

Spock could tell the moment that the fresh air began to do as he had believed it would. Nyota was no longer tense beside him, and the smile she gave him lacked the strain that had been there previously. His own slight chill from the drop in temperature had been pointedly ignored up until that point. Once she smiled at him and pressed a kiss to his cheek, however, it was all but forgotten entirely.

Granted it wasn't very logical for him to forget the cold, especially over an emotional response to a smile and kiss in a semi-public forum. However, there were times - albeit they were becoming further and fewer between - when logic simply failed him and his emotions were allowed just enough leeway to remind him that at least half of him was human and had basic human reactions to certain situations. And this moment, when it was just him and her, was one of those times when such a thing was permissible in his mind.

So he turned slightly, so he was more facing her rather than standing directly beside her. Spock peered down at Nyota for a moment with something akin to tenderness shining however briefly in his eyes. Then he leaned down ever so slightly and brushed his lips against hers in a tender, gentle kiss that said far more than his words ever could hope to say.

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talentedtongue
2009-06-23 12:06 am UTC (link)

There had always been glimpses, things for people who were willing to pay enough attention to see beyond just the disciplined exterior. Granted, she had been given opportunities that few others had with the working relationship they had developed after so many years of her requiring his specific assistance in her studies. It was a working relationship that had evolved into a friendship after tangents taking during one-on-one study sessions had allowed them to learn more about each other as individuals rather than their roles of student and instructor. And it was a friendship that had developed into much more after their roles had all but been abandoned, and their concern for each other had grew to levels beyond what either had anticipated.

They were both disciplined, regulation conscious individuals, but in this one instance, the regulations had seemed ignorable. They would only be enforced upon them for so long, after all, but they would still be each other even after the regulations no longer applied.

And love was certainly not something that you turned your back on simply because it went against the book.

Uhura brushed her fingers lightly over his cheek, her eyes tracing each inch of his face with a deep familiarity. No matter how much that other man may seem similar, there was no way that she could ever mistake the two of them. There was just no comparison.

Kissing him again, a long, lingering response to his tenderness, Uhura tucked her head against his chest once the kiss was ended, feeling the beating of his heart against her cheek even if she couldn't hear it. She had long since gotten used to its abnormally fast pace, to the point that anyone else would have likely seemed unusually slow instead.

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