Rec Room - Day 43 (evening) - Open

[themostevolved]

The rec room was unusually quiet for an evening on the ship; with shifts turning over and exhausted crew members eager for relaxation and good company the room was usually at least semi-crowded and abuzz with the din of easy conversation between friends. Regardless, with the exception of a few relatively quiet officers in the far corner, the room

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[eatabean_bedone]

Keenser normally avoided any location on the ship that was likely to be crowded, unless it was absolutely impossible to avoid. He preferred solitude, although admittedly that was more because there were times he simply preferred not to be in the company of Humans. That and there was also the fact that no matter how extensive their training regarding sensitivity in inter-species relations, sooner or later one of them would say something or do something well-intentioned but utterly frustrating and he'd get upset, even though he knew they didn't mean any harm. It was simply easier to avoid confrontation, because if that happened, the Human offender would want to know what it was they'd done wrong, and by that point....

But this evening was different. He was in a good mood, what with Scotty having returned to duty earlier in the day, and after he'd finished his shift and gone to the mess for dinner, he found himself in a mood to socialize. Or rather, to at least pretend to socialize. He wasn't, he'd admit, much good at it. Still,

[themostevolved]

When the doors hissed open to admit the small engineer, Spock's eyes had darted briefly up in curiosity. Keenser was an unusual sight to see in the rec room, and it piqued Spock's interest further when the diminutive alien chose to sit silently nearby him. He casually slid the white queen across the top tier board, effectively putting the black king in check, and then turned to offer the engineer a polite nod in greeting.

"Good evening, Lieutenant."

[eatabean_bedone]

"Commander," Keenser answered, glancing up from his cards to give Spock a small nod. While his private opinion regarding the captain was less than favorable, he respected the commander. True, both captain and commander were young, but Spock at least had the advantage of a Vulcan upbringing. No matter his feelings regarding his commanding officers, however, Keenser kept his opinions to himself.

He paused in his game to glance up at the chessboard, his expression shifting nearly imperceptibly as he studied the final moves. "Find self worthy opponent?"

[themostevolved]

Spock's attention had only returned briefly to the board before it was drawn back to the engineer. He considered the question, thinking back on the time he'd spent playing chess in solitude. It had been peaceful, and some of the games had been perplexing, but overall the experience had been lacking in the unpredictable nature of competing against a separate entity.

"I have found that, while it is an adequate exercise in tactics, playing against myself is a sub-par substitute for true opposition."

[physicalstimuli]

Saval was used to the rec room being a bustling center of activity. He'd come to rely on it, when everywhere else on the ship seemed lonely and deserted in comparison. Everywhere in the universe seemed lonely and deserted now, with the vibration of six billion Vulcan minds humming in the back of his own suddenly silenced. He'd never been without that, could never even have conceived of not having it, and now all at once his mind was empty and quiet and abandoned. Loud human chatter was a poor substitute for the steady, quiet, comforting presence of T'Paya's voice in his head, but it was better than nothing.

That was why it was a relief to see Spock sitting there, when ordinarily it would be a source of anxiety. The welcome prospect of having another Vulcan to talk to made him bolder than he otherwise would be. He took a moment to collect himself, weighing his options, and approached Spock's table.

"May I sit here, Commander?"

[themostevolved]

Eyes lifting slowly from his game, Spock regarded Saval with a polite lack of expression. He hadn't expected the other Vulcan to be in the rec room, but the prospect of sitting with him, and perhaps conversing with him, was not as unappealing as Spock had expected it would be. He offered a congenial inclination of his head.

"Of course, Doctor. I welcome the company."

He turned his attention back to the board, hand moving to hover above the last remaining white bishop uncertainly. After a second's hesitation he pushed it diagonally two squares and turned his attention to Saval once more.

"Would you care for a game?"

[transwarp_beam]

He didn't have cause to be in the rec room very often. Not that he had any particular purpose in being there at the moment, but every so often he did feel the urge to be somewhere that wasn't the mess hall, his quarters, or engineering. If only to convince himself that he really did have a life outside his job, honest.

So it was that he found himself ambling into the rec room, hands in his pockets, whistling aimlessly. It was fairly quiet, but then maybe that was normal for the time of day; he didn't really have much of a basis for comparison. He did however notice Spock sitting apparently absorbed in a complicated-looking game of chess. He greeted him with a nod and an offhand; "Alright?"

[themostevolved]

Spock didn't need to look up from his game to know who it was addressing him. The voice was too distinct, too easily recognizable. But it was generally understood amongst humans that it was impolite not to acknowledge a newcomer. His eyes drew away from his board, and he gave the Chief Engineer a polite nod.

"Good evening, Mister Scott."

[transwarp_beam]

"Aye, evenin'," Scotty replied, as he looked over the game in progress in idle curiosity. "Are you winnin'?" he added with a grin.

[themostevolved]

"Indeed; losing as well," he said, then after a beat, "Would you care to join me?"

[daredtodo]

Jim was wandering. Actually, Jim spent a lot of time wandering, so that should not have came as any sort of surprise. Nor did it come as a surprise that his wandering led him to a recreation room and immediately landing his eyes on his First Officer. Spock-dar struck again, or maybe it was just that he was getting used to glancing in the direction of the chess boards to see if he was there.

In the time since their assignments, he’d been going out of his way to improve upon their relationship. It was still rocky going, not the epic things the elder Spock had told him about, but it was definitely better. At least Spock had no reason to try to choke him anymore. Not that Jim hadn’t completely deserved that, of course...

He approached with a typical grin. “Well, if it isn’t my favourite First Officer,” Jim said, slipping into the chair meant for a chess partner. “How’s the game going?”

[themostevolved]

Spock was of the mind that their relationship had improved a great deal since their dealings with Nero. They, perhaps, weren't so proficient at communication as they could be, but such things took time. They worked well together on the bridge, and for the time being that was good enough. When Jim slid into the seat opposite him, Spock glanced up, giving him a searching look. Then, one eyebrow arched high.

"I am your only First Officer, Captain," he said, deliberately obtuse, then moved on, "It is progressing predictably. Would you care to play?"

[daredtodo]

"Yes, but I'm sure if I had others, you would still certainly be up there." Jim gave a quirk of his lips, something between an amused smirk and a genuinely fond smile. Although the smile had never felt quite right on his face, he found captaincy was encouraging him to grow into it. There was certainly more to life than, as some might put it, being a self-righteous bastard. And, honestly, for all their strife, he did like Spock. "I would be honored to play. You don't mind company?"

[themostevolved]

"Not at all, Captain," he began resetting the board, quick and practiced, "I find the game to be more engaging with the unpredictability of an opponent."