Things Are Fucked Up

"Pren, please," T'Pren requested with another blush. She opened her mouth to say something else and then closed it with a click. Talking about her father wasn't something she wanted to deal with just yet. At least not in public.

"Well, I've never gotten a good look at one. It's all theory to me at this point," she admitted about the core.

Tal'Ara caught the Captains quick glance at the marks on her back, and lifted an eyebrow at him.

"Actually, it is a funny story. I was undercover several years ago, posing as an escort... for an ambassador, who, because of his proclivities, was removed from office, courtousy of yours truly. The dress was a gift from him. I wore when he took me to a dinner engagement."

She gave a cheeky grin.

Tal'Ara noticed hesitance to speak more about her name, but chose to leave it alone.

"Well, I imagine in time you will have a much deeper understanding of it than I possibly can, after all, you are a scientist," she said respectfully.

She always had a place in her heart for science and those who practice it. It was something she had interest in as a child, but she never had the mind for it - and inevitably, her natural abilities came to use in the "family business" anyway.

"Was he removed due to the scandal, or did you remove him by force?" asked Rai. "And dare I ask about his proclivities?"

"I suppose you could say it was a little of both," she winked. "And Captain, I don't kiss and tell."

She paused for a drink.

"Unless, of course, you care to swap stories with me," she said playfully.

She shot a quick look to T'Pren, who's leg was touching the Captain's.

If there was something being insinuated by Tal'Ara, T'Pren missed it entirely. She instead let her two superiors talk, listening carefully and appreciating the distraction from her own thoughts. As the Romulan ale arrived in front of her, she lifted it and sniffed it...and then took a healthy sip before swallowing. She cleared her throat as it went down.

"That's extraordinary."

"I'm glad you like it," she said.

"Tell me, did you always want to be a scientist?"

T'Pren didn't quite manage to avoid shifting uncomfortably at the question, her skin turning gently greener. All these questions about the past.

"No," she admitted with a fresh blush, "I wanted to be a great many things as a child. I didn't decide on science until I decided to apply to the Academy."

"What particularly drew you to science? If you dont mind me asking, of course."

Tal'Ara was genuinely curious. Scientific minds fascinated her.

T'Pren glanced helplessly at Rai at the question and pressed her lips together, taking in a deep breath to keep any emotions at bay. Apparently the galaxy was insisting that she discuss her past in some shape or form. The question was...did she feel more comfortable discussing being a Cardassian lab rat at the moment or more comfortable discussing her maybe-still-alive fathers?

"My father was a fairly prominent scientist," she decided to confess, waiting a little anxiously for Tal'Ara to keep probing. She drank more of her Romulan ale to ease her stress. At least she didn't seem to be shaking so much anymore.

"Really?" this perked Tal'Ara's interest even more. "Anyone I'd know of? What was his field of study?"

She could tell that T'Pren was uncomfortable.

Tal'Ara took a drink and licked her lips.

"Forgive me if I am asking too much. I'm just a bit of an amateur enthusiast when it comes to science..."

"No," T'Pren decided determinedly, pushing her wet ringlets out of her face once more (but not behind her ears), "it's okay. I just don't often talk about..." She shook her head as if to erase that last sentence and glanced again at Rai before addressing Tal'Ara.

"His name was..." Is? But she had no interest in discussing her fathers being potentially alive with anyone, much less Tal'Ara, so she left it past tense. "His name was Adlai Inabnet. He was a genetic engineer." Her face went grass green just at having to say the words.

"Commander, this is a night for celebration! I don't think Lieutenant Inabnet wants to recount the painful memories of her dearly departed fathers. Would you, if you were her? I doubt it. "
He tossed back the Romulan ale with finesse.
"I'm fascinated by your military achievements, Commander. What did you spend the majority of the dominion conflict doing again? Do remind me."

She had heard the name somewhere, but could not place it.

"The name sounds familiar..." she trailed off. "Genetic engineering, eh? Now there's a controversial subject."

She took another sip, and decided to change the course of the conversation.

"Are you from Vulcan? Or did you grow up on Earth?"

Tal'Ara frowned at the Captain.

"No, of course not." she turned to T'Pren. "I apologize for prying, Lieutenant - erm, Pren. Sorry."

She perked an eyebrow at the Captain at his mention of her military achievements.

"Well, after we joined in the war efforts, I served as a military tactician for the Tal Shiar. Most of my work involved sabotage and covert ops strategy. Truth be told, it was rather boring for me - too much paperwork and bureaucracy. I much prefer the days when I got to get my hands dirty. But alas, I am much to old for all that now."

Immediately after she said this, for the first time, she did indeed feel old.

She took a healthy gulp of her drink.

Rai got wave of gratitude from T'Pren, who didn't bother to favor him with a look this time. He could feel it, after all. Of course, he also said 'dearly departed', so there was an accompanying pang of hurt. Not that talking about Tal'Ara getting her hands dirty for the Tal Shiar made for particularly more celebratory talk.

She took a sip of her ale and pressed her lips together, trying to find the right balance between letting Tal'Ara and Rai talk about her covert ops background and not being completely rude to the new Commander.

So finally she said, "I didn't grow up on a planet. We had a ship. I grew up traveling."

"That sounds like it would be very taxing," she said, sensitively. "But then, living in space must seem like home for you, no? I'm afraid I never quite get used to it. Need to feel some solid ground and real gravity under my feet once in a while."

"Do you miss getting your hands dirty, Commander?" He asked.

"It was marvelous," T'Pren breathed before realizing just how much she let out of her Do Not Open In Case Of Living Dads bag. She flushed and put her nose in her ale for a moment, taking a very long sip.

"We went from planet to planet. Usually we stayed a year or so in orbit before moving on." Her poor Vulcan heart thumped harder against her lower ribs just thinking about how great things were BC (Before Cardassians).

Tal'Ara laughed at the Captain's question, "Well, "miss" probably isn't the right word. It was certainly something I enjoyed doing for the majority of my life. But one must concede when they have reached a point of obsolescence. At my age, it is better for me to be living out of the shadows. Plus, if I was still doing all that, I wouldn't be able to be here with all of you, working together to a common peace."

Tal'Ara could basically hear T'Pren's heartbeat. Why was she so nervous? For a half-Vulcan, she seemed to have very little control over her emotions. But then, maybe that was because she didn't get to spend much time on the teachings of Surak as a child. It is an odd thing, that most Romans forget or simply dont know, how much of a Vulcan's mental discipline is learned, rather than inherited. They are a lot more like Romulans than they would probably care to admit.

"That actually sounds nice - traversing the galaxy from a young age. I didn't even go into space until I was almost in my teens," she said to T'Pren.

"The galaxy could use a little common peace," murmured T'Pren earnestly, perhaps even a little wearily. She accompanied this sentiment with a push of her ringlets out of her face again...and then looped them behind her ears. It was a completely guileless movement...but then, the half-Vulcan didn't seem to have much in the way of guile in the first place.

"I was born in space," T'Pren expounded willingly. Then, with a wry sadness, she added, "Well, I began my life in space anyway."

Tal'Ara lit up when T'Pren revealed her ears, but she didn't say anything - just gave a subtle look of approval.

"Yes, I agree. The past decade was hard on all of us," said Tal'Ara, reflecting on the Dominion War.

Tal'Ara didn't quite understand what T'Pren meant about "beginning her life in space", but she decided not to press the issue. It was clearly something she didn't want to talk about.

"Pren, I hope you dont find this too forward, but I want you to know that I intend to rely on you heavily while aboard the Hypolita. Your expertise in applied physics is going to be very important in terms of merging our technologies," she paused. "I am really looking forward to working with you."

She smiled at her.

Perhaps because she was already uneasy from the day's particular awfulness, T'Pren couldn't quite help but remember an Australian folk tale her human father had told her as a child that involved a cunning crocodile who was smiling and friendly to his prey.

"That's not too forward at all," promised the young lieutenant, returning the smile in a manner so genuine that it surprised even her, "And I assure you, I'm not nearly so..." She wasn't sure which word to use for her shy, uncertain, messy nature, so she just sort of vaguely gestured at herself. "Not when I'm working."

Tal'Ara nodded in approval at T'Pren.

"I understand. I know I can come off as a bit..." she also found herself at a loss for words in describing her general off-putting demeanor. "Anyway, I'm better when I'm working as well."

T'Pren actually grinned at that, looking simultaneously amused and relieved. "Then I too look forward to the two of us working together just for the opportunity to see us both less..." Her grin widened as she made fun of herself and Tal'Ara for being unable to find the words. She gestured soundlessly between the two of them.