In Pathstone's Shadow

Posted on Fri Mar 5th, 2021 @ 9:35pm by Warrant Officer Callisi Veera & Lon Nren

Mission: Pathstone to History
Location: Lounge

For most of those in the lounge, the place to be was by the view. To get a good look at something truly alien, truly different. Where no one had gone before, as the charter says.

Pathstone. The word on everyone's lips. If they knew what to call it.

The doors to the lounge swished open, and one of the three Children of Ts'usu made their way in. Long ears, long legs, though this Daughter of Ts'usu had a mark about her, an eyepatch that concealed her shame. Her greatest moment of failure, stretched to last her entire life. She wore it well, truth be told. Her long ears were held back by the anacronistic hat that she wore, a Stetson like they'd wear in the Old West holosimulations. It looked a little odd on her, since it forced her ears back, but overall it wasn't a bad look.

She gave the tender a nod, "Half the drinks back home didn't make it, and the other half taste weird. What do you normally serve to celebrate something you've been waiting for?"

Lon smiled warmly. "On Earth, they like Champagne. Its a bubbly wine. Bajorans prefer Springwine. For a robust palate, the Klingon's drink Bloodwine. On my own homeworld, Ettaberry liqueur is the favourite. And lucky for you, we have them all." The Betazoid gestured behind the bar to the varying bottles that were displayed.

"Not a fan of Klingon cuisine." her mood shifted, though it was only by her body language that Lon could tell. Her emotional state was difficult for him to gauge empathically. Casually, it was almost as if she didn't exist. "I've tasted enough blood in my life. Let's try the champagne. Probably move on to the others after the first glass. Try new things and such." she offered, turning to now face him fully.

Nodding, "Excellent choice." The Betazoid filled a silver pail with ice and set it near her. He turned a pulled a dark bottle from a fridge and a champagne flute and turned back towards her. "I think you'll like this. It is really quite lovely." He set the glass in front of her and proceeded to remove the cork from the bottle, producing a loud pop. He smiled and poured her glass full of the bubbly golden beverage. "So what brings you around?" He asked, setting the open bottle into the pail of ice.

The pop of the cork gave her a bit of a start. Didn't expect a beverage to be so confrontational. "Will it always pop like that?" she asked, though she was hardly truly concerned. She claimed her drink and gave a nod before she gave the drink a chance. Halfway through, she had to stop to giggle without choking. "It's like drinking bubbles, hard to describe outside of that. They tickle my nose." she twitched her nose a bit, in that way that only Ts'usugi could. "Though, I like it. You were right."

"As for why I'm here, never got a chance to actually see the Pathstone installation. Figured I'd come to where all the windows were and take a look, then just relax and wait for the transit." she offered, turning to look towards the mega-structure, before turning to look back at Lon. "Also, some company is always nice. Felt a bit off, didn't want to be in my quarters alone."

"Well, welcome." He smile was wide and sincere. "Lon Nren, and you?"

"Callisi Veera." she returned the notion. "I don't know if I should offer a hand or if a nod will do for greeting. Such a mix, the Federation." she offered, now with a soft smile. She removed her hat and placed it onto the bar, allowing her ears to perk up.

"I think you may well be the first Ts'usugi that I've met personally." The Betazoid's dark eyes seemed to glisten. "How do your people greet each other?"

Callisi gave a soft smile, but it didn't quite reach her eyes. Eye.

"It's fortunate then that I'm the first. Your opinion of my people can only improve from here." seems her opinion of herself wasn't so great. "Greetings are different based on social standing. Two people of equal standing can simply greet one another, a courteous nod, and be on their way." a pause, and then she gave Lon a nod. "To a friend, we simply say Good Welcome, or we wish them a good day based on the time. Good Evening."

"The actual words don't translate very well, but all that means is you don't have to go through too much extra trouble on my account. That's something I can appreciate."

"Sounds simple enough." Lon said. "My own people prefer to communicate telepathically with one another. I do not." He stated. He shook his head. "Hows the champagne treating you?"

"I've heard of such techniques. Telepathy and such. I've also heard that for some reason they don't work as well on my people." a pause, "I'm relieved to hear you don't prefer it. It sounds a bit invasive at best." she took another sip of the bubbly, and another soft smile crossed her features. "It's really good. The bubbles I think are my favorite part. You made a fantastic suggestion. I'm almost hesitant to move on from this." she responded, eyeing the glass a bit before finishing it.

"I'm not adept at telepathy. as it happens I was born with a mild mutation in my paracortex, I don't produce a fraction of the psilosynine needed. It's never really bothered me at all." The Betazoid shook his head, dismissing the scientific talk. He reached and pulled the bottle from the ice pail and poured her some more. "If you like bubbles, I make a mean sparkling Muktok wine for the Festival of Four."

She offered a soft smile, "You know, the only exposure we ever had to telepathy in any context before venturing out towards the Federation's way, was the Dalacari. And I don't think it's the same. The only mind a Dalacari can read is their own." a pause, "Trust me, it makes more sense once you meet one. We never encountered a Koldaran with anything close to intelligence, nevermind telepathy." she chuckled grimly. "Except the officers, but well, it make sense once you meet one."

"So what's a Muktok? And tell me a little more about the Festival of Four? I mean, aren't we missing two?" she motioned to their immediate proximity.

"Muktok is a flower from Betazed, it's very aromatic." Lon paused. "It's supposed to be a blessing bestowed by the Deities to mirror the beauty of the Betazoid people. That's why we make the wine only for the Festival of Four, which celebrates the Four Deities of Betazed." The Betazoid man smiled as he spoke fondly of the celebration. "There are feasts, dancing, music, and as much Muktok wine as anyone could ever want."

Beauty. Blessing. Would she even qualify...?

"It sounds very festive indeed. We have a few celebrations like that back home. Mostly just the Emperor's Birthday." she explained. "It used to hop around the calendar, being the actual Emperor's actual birthday, but then one of the more recent Emperors on the throne realized it was havoc, and set the date for exactly six months prior to our winter festival. Made them popular with the children." she giggled softly. "Though I don't know if it's proper to mix up a festival drink outside of that festival. I should probably just stick to this bubble.... champagne, was it?" Callisi asked, for clarity.

"It is." Lon was still taking in her words. "I think I'll put on a celebration her for the Festival of the Four. How do you celebrate your Winter Festival?" He asked curiously.

She offered a soft smile. "We dress up in white, and blue. We get together with family, and we invite our friends into our homes. For a week, everyone's family. No grudges, no competition. Everyone's equal. We visit the family graves, and remember them as fondly as possible. We lay flowers on their stones, and then go home and tell stories remembering them. It doesn't get cold enough to snow on the home moons most of the time, but sometimes the lunar climate regulators malfunction." she offered a wink. Which, to be fair, was the same motion as her blinking so...

"The kids run around in the snow, building proxies of guards along the roads. Sometimes, if we get enough, they build entire palaces and courts out of snow, and then play pretend. We exchange gifts, but I've heard some of the fantastic stories about the criminal activity that occurs with humans and their holidays. Tragic really." she paused, "A one man crime spree, allowed to happen for the sake of traditions."

Lon laughed. "Don't get me started on Earth traditions." Lon rolled his eyes slightly. Making sense of traditions from Earth was like some kind of mind bending puzzle.

"I had a good friend explain Christmas to me. The tree? I understood the tree. Decorations? Same. Presents? Universal concept. Santa.... that's where they lost me." a pause, "But I didn't want to seem rude, so I focused on the parts I could follow."