a.lcohol }{ to clear the M I N D |-finite|

[jamie]

Ros noted the tone that Spock was talking to him, but didn't move from his seat. Rather, he took a rather large gulp of whiskey as the man asked him about logic. He couldn't give a damn about logic, himself. Ros may have been born on Vulcan, but he'd been raised on earth with a pretty much anti-Vulcan Vulcan grandfather. He looked at Spock again with lazy eyes emotion-filled eyes looked at Spock's human eyes. In fact, Ros had opened his mouth to speak when he heard an all too familiar woman launch in an angry tirade against the Commander. Ros' eyes kind of widened, and he silently hoped that his friend wouldn't get herself demoted for his sake. He didn't honestly care right now if he got yelled at by the freaking KING of Vulcans. He had whiskey, and that was all that really mattered.

Ros watched as she became more and more pissed, and he was quite proud of her, although he thought her idea was kind of stupid. It was just the kind of admiration that a guy watching a firefighter run into a burning building would have. Ros wouldn't think of yelling at the Commander himself- he did want to fufill his dream of course, but he was proud of Sky for doing so. Ros did think that Spock was being a bit unfair. Surely there had to be more drinking Vulcans than Tanak and himself. Then again, his grandfather had told him that he'd be pretty unique. After she finished her tirade, he sighed, gave a lopsided grin towards the Commanding Officer and said in a Scottish drawl:

"Just had ta relax for a bit, C'mmander. My drinking is like some meditation, y'know?. To do my job I at least have to have a bit of control over my emotions."

Ros sounded like a Vulcan who had gone into hours of meditation, not a Vulcan who had just gone and "fraternized" with the drunk locals. He ruffled his hair up a bit, scratching a bit of an itch in his head. He also put his hair behind his ears, showing his Vulcan ears. Ros took another gulp, his lips slightly red and wet with the stinging sensation that only whiskey could bring. It was a kind of Nirvana, and he wondered why Vulcans typically didn't drink. Ros didn't do meditation- it was too boring, and Tanak had survived without it. He could too, at least, he hoped he could.

[LT. NYOTA UHURA]

Uhura had decided that maybe she could wind down a bit with a beer. She didn't frequent bars all that much, just when there wasn't anything else for her to due. Alcohol wasn't something that she consumed all that often, but she didn't despise it either. She had dressed in street clothing to spend time in the bar, her hair straightened down her back before she made her way toward the bar that she had found. She felt odd for going to the bar alone, but she didn't really know who else to ask to go with her. She could have asked Sulu before she left the Arboretum, but she hadn't thought of it then. So instead, she brought one of the apples she had harvested with the helmsman and went to the bar alone.

When she entered, she had walked into a bar fight. She held the large, brilliantly red apple between both of her hands as she moved around the fight. She didn't want to get involved, she just wanted to have a good time and then go back to the ship to get some sleep. She hadn't noticed Spock entering the bar moments before her, looking for her as he had been since she left. She sat herself at the bar and ordered a beer before she looked back down at the apple. She thought of eating it, since that was the apple's purpose but for some reason she wasn't hungry for it. She held it between her fingers, stroking it as she looked it over. She was curious about it's growth, how it got that way. She smiled at it before the bartender presented the bottle of alcohol to her.

However, her blissful thoughts were interrupted by the shouts of an angered young woman. She held the apple with one hand as she turned to see one of her fellow crew mates shouting at a very tall, very familiar man. She closed her eyes, dipping her head before she slipped off her stool and made her way over to the table. Her eyes fell on one of the other vulcan crew members as he addressed Spock.

"Everything all right here?" She asked, raising an eyebrow at all of them as she held the apple in one hand and her beer in the other. She looked from the two friends before her brown eyes moved slowly up to Spock, her body angled away from him as she searched his human eyes. She didn't know what to say to him before she looked away and took a long chug from her beer. She normally had a lot to say, but at this moment, she didn't.

[arc]

Spock remained calm throughout the woman's tirade, occasionally casting a side-long glance at the Vulcan Scotsman next to him. What was she thinking, exactly? Did she think she could scare him away, just like that? It obviously wasn't working, and the Vulcan who sat next to him seemed just as surprised as Spock was. When her argument had ended, Spock leaned back on his stool, lips drawn in a hard line. The Lieutenant had made a fool of herself, and she'd almost cost herself a demotion. Spock cast another look at his fellow Vulcan, raising an eyebrow. “My point has been clarified.”

The Scotsman made a good argument, but Spock paid little attention to it. Nothing, not even well-thought words, could change Spock's mind. “Your demotion would have, under normal circumstances, been inevitable.” Spock directed this statement at the woman who had spoken out against him. ”But I didn't seek out the bar to drink or deal with . . .”

He trailed off when an all too familiar female arrived at the table, a beer in one hand and an apple in the other. So, Uhura was here after all. Spock forgot his other two companions for the time being, nodding in acknowledgement in Uhura's direction. “Lieutenant Uhura,” he began, using his “commanding” tone of voice. “It is a pleasure to see you again. But, I am afraid to say, our meeting is an awkward one. I was just discussing the importance of Vulcan heritage to our companions, who still choose to remain nameless.”

“Please, have a seat.” He gestured towards the only available seat – the one on his left side. Yes, he had come to the bar to search for Uhura, but he had expected to speak with her alone. Not while in the presence of a kilt-wearing Vulcan and an annoying, half-drunken Lieutenant. Regardless, now that she was here, Spock lost his train of thought, and he said nothing more, not knowing what more to say.

[skytracker]

"You talk high for being half human yourself," Sky's initial anger had been replaced by uncomprhensible fury. The kind that made her entire body ache. The kind that just rolled off her in waves, making most of the room fall silent. Sky. was. pissed. "Your point was that I am drunk. No, commander, I am not. There is a side of the brain that is used for logic. You are obviously not using it, for if you were, you would have noticed the entire situation, not just the setting."

Sky forced herself to take a deep breath before she did knock the idiot ass out of his chair. It was about that moment that the comm officer appeared. She nodded in greeting before turning back to the Vulcan. "If you are going to threaten to demote me, then do it. There isn't anyone better than me to do my job, or I wouldn't be here. By all means, Commander, demote me. And as for discussing Vulcan heritage..." she trailed off and glared at him, hoping her next words would hurt at least a little.

"If I wanted to know to begin with -- which I don't, mind you, I couldn't care less -- I would at least have the logic not to ask a Vulcan half-breed." Her words were low. Low enough that the entire bar had to be perfectly silent -- which it nearly was -- for them to be heard. She wanted everyone in the room to feel her ungarded fury. Her hand was awefully close to her pistol. "If I were drunk, Commander, do you honestly think I could think, act, and speak as I am now? If you still believe I'm drunk, the human half of you is quite obviously dominant, and you need to see a councilor about self-worth issues."

The self worth issues actually made sense. Most people, when they want to please one of their parents, will strive to be to that parent's liking. Especially if it means not being who they really are. It's all quite natural, really.

[jamie]

Ros looked at Commander Spock and Sky's feud as if a part armageddon was playing out in front of him. With curiosity, that came from his Vulcan heritage, and cautious pessimism, which came from his grandfather. He took yet another swig of the whiskey, hoping to anything that he'd drop dead from alcohol toxic disease or something along those lines. He knew he probably wouldn't, but it was a bit of a hope inside of his mind. Ros knew Sky was digging herself into a bit of a hole now with the Commander, since he knew himself how much those comments hurt.

Ros had been called a half-breed by Vulcans at Starfleet, but not because of his heritage (because he knew he was totally Vulcan), but because he had grown up on Earth, not Vulcan. Tanak also told him what he should never use in an insult against a Vulcan. The main one was to never make quips about their logic. Ros gave a sigh into his drink as he gulped down another swallow of liquor, still hoping for the sudden death from alcohol. He would say something, but he was also a bit of a strategist of sorts. Instead he focused on giving a polite greeting of a smile and a nod to Uhura before turning back to Sky who was-

Oh. my. Lord.

Ros felt the urge to hit his head against a wall at Sky's comment. There was one thing to insult the logic of Vulcans, but to insult Spock's capability because of his heritage. That was low, and not only because of the racial terms. It also kind of backfired on Ros in a way, because he was a "half breed" in terms of growing up. It was like her telling him that he wasn't qualified to know Earth customs because he was Vulcan, in a way. At least, in his own opinion. Ros sighed again into his bottle of whiskey, taking another gulp. This was definately not going to help his emotional control right now. He kind of wanted to Vulcan nerve pinch her, to keep her from saying something that might actually get her demoted. However, he didn't to see what would happen. First and foremost, he was a Vulcan- although an emotional one, and he felt the emotion of curiosity towards the situation.

Ros wasn't exactly a fan of Spock either- it was Ros' own buisness whether or not he wanted to follow the Vulcan creed of emotionless creepiness. He didn't give up that right when he joined Starfleet or became part of an endangered species. Besides, if he had given up that right because of his "endangered species" status, then his grandfather and T'Pia's family had already paid it in full. Ros anger grew at both of them that it actually manifested as strength, and the pretty thick glass bottle, which a human couldn't break without going balistic on it, really, shattered in his hand and fell to the floor. Of course, pieces of the bottle embedded in Ros' already injured right hand. Surprisingly though, Ros didn't show any pain or frustration in his face. He just looked at the small mess on the floor (he had drunk it almost to the last drop), and gracefully turned on his back leg towards the bar and knocked on wood for another drink with glass-embedded hand. He didn't make any comment, but his anger was boiling under the surface. The strong Vulcan emotions were raging, and he needed a drink to calm down the pain that was emanating from his hand until he could get back to the ship.

[LT. NYOTA UHURA]

The tension in the air was think, and Uhura could feel the uneasiness begin to bubble over her. She held the apple tighter in her hand and she almost wished she hadn't left the Enterprise. She knew that Spock had to be looking for her, seeing as how when she approached, he completely cut himself off from the other two to address her. Besides, he wouldn't have come here on his own for no other reason. Bars weren't really Spock's speed when it came to social gatherings. Social gatherings weren't for him anyway. When he told her to take a seat, she refrained, for the redheaded woman wasn't finished with her rant.

She listened as Sky went off on Spock, her words slashing hard against Spock and it caused Uhura's mouth to drop. She looked to Ros who just gave her a nod before she watched his emotions change. His entire air changed and she looked from him to Sky before she finished her insult. Uhura scoffed at her and looked up at Spock, not really sure what to do at this point. The girl deserved to be demoted for the way she spoke to him. She insulted his culture, his heritage, something that was sacred. Vulcan was gone, and this woman was just verbally lashing to man that she held close to her heart. He may be difficult, and may not respond to her words, but she would.

"Excuse me, but you are beyond out of line, Lieutenant. Insulting an officer who clearly out ranks you is not only inappropriate, but your lack of respect for an endangered race is sickening." Uhura spat at the young lady, wanting to defend Spock, even though she wasn't sure if he would be angry with her for responding like she did. Right now, however, she couldn't help but react. She was tired of his non-responsive nature and the girl was out of line.


"Next time I would watch your mouth, it will only get you into more trouble. Think before you speak, your words were in no way fair." She continued before the sound of shattering glass startled her out of her own rant. She let her brown gaze shoot out to Ros to see a mess of shattered glass on the floor and then she looked to see it had come from the other vulcan. She watched as Ros didn't respond as he went to get more liquor. She contemplated asking if he was alright, but she wasn't that well acquainted with him, she was afraid he would get angry with her. She turned to Spock, her hand setting her beer down as she took his arm in her free hand and sighed.

"Come on, let's leave. There is no reason to stay here. It's crowded and I feel staying would be...illogical." She said, trying to get him to leave. She didn't want to stay anymore and she realized that coming here in the first place was a mistake on her part. She looked to Sky with harsh brown eyes before she looked back to Spock. The woman could very well be a decent person, but by first impressions, Uhura was far from impressed.

[arc]

Spock had managed to remain calm before, but Sky's final words angered him, and he lowered his head to hide the bubbling emotions. Of course, he couldn't think of anything to say. Usually a cold retort came to mind, but this time he could think of nothing. He sat there in saddened silence while Sky spoke. When she had finished, Spock raised his head to spout off something, only to close his mouth again when Uhura spoke for him. He was grateful for her intervention; she had decided to stand up for him, and her argument was far wiser than the one Spock had been ready to supply.

Sky had insulted his entire race – his culture and his heritage. It was very insulting. Sky had thrown insults at him before, but that hadn't phased him. Her last words had actually hurt him, and that was extremely difficult to accomplish. If he had been in the mood for lashing out at officers, he would have punished her, demoting her or requesting her transfer to another ship. But Spock would much rather go back to his quarters and drown himself in another book.

When Uhura had finished her speech, Spock snapped out of his reverie. He cast an expressionless glance at Sky, saying nothing to her. He had apparently found an enemy, but that didn't bother him in the least. Spock was grateful when Uhura spoke to him, obviously wishing to leave the heated bar. He couldn't agree more. He looked up at her, nodding silently, and stood from his seat. Spock cast one last look at Sky and Ros. He now had a strong dislike for both of them, for good reasons.

Turning his back on them, Spock instead faced Uhura. He lowered his head, looking down at the floor, perhaps for no other reason than to show her that he was upset. ”I agree,” he muttered, his tone flat. Coming to the bar was a mistake. Spock should have stayed in his quarters.

[skytracker]

Sky's initial anger had died to near nothing now. She already felt bad about being so heartless to Spock but had a very strong dislike for him. He had called her a 'local drunk' and she lashed out at him. Now, everyone was pissed at her. She could have been much more cold hearted, but she hadn't. She had stopped herself just in time from saying something about Vulcan not even existing anymore, so why would Vulcan heritage matter? She sighed and grabbed Ros's hand telling him to be still and pulled a few of the larger glass pieces out of his wounded hand.

As she was working she spoke again. This time, her words were a little subdued. They had lost their ice edge. "Uhura, I don't care about being demoted or being in trouble. It's why I'm an officer of Starfleet. As for him outranking me, again, I don't care. We're both off duty, so he can't do anything yet. And I honestly don't care if I sicken you. Find a bathroom. The way he deliberately ignored me just becuase I'm human sickened me. He's not Vulcan. He's part human. There's no call for him to be racist. But he, like most Vulcans --" she added the word 'most' so that Ros was not insulted further.

"-- look down on the human race just becuase we show emotion. Becuase we're mildly volitile. I know that my words cut deep when I'm pissed, and for that, I appologize." She let go of Ros's hand. Most of the should be out by now. Sky turned so that she could look Spock in the face. "But an appology isn't logical, is it?" She looked at the floor in a mix of shame and disgust and turned to walk out of the bar.


ooc{{
word count ~ 328
muse ~ acceptable
song ~ Patron Drunk {Paradisco Girls}
other ~ Sorry about the godmod, Ros, if you want, just pull your hand away and I'll go in and change it. =]

[jamie]

Ros listened to Uhura's words, but didn't really listen to them. Meaning that he didn't really think of what they meant. When she got to the sentence before he broke the bottle, he was angry at every one. Of course, he'd be all happy fine and doodle when he got back to the ship- probably after being passed out in the back of an alleyway or something. Like the words, the pain didn't really register in his head, he just was in a kind of trance, watching his copper-based green blood cover the glass shards in his hand in their rusty smell.

Ros felt a hand take his own and proceed to gently take out the bigger glass pieces. He winced a bit, mainly on the left side of his face as the glass was taken out. Ros felt the urge to tear his hand away, right now Sky's very prescence burned him. It was a common feeling when he was around people who angered him, although it was a very unusual for a trained Vulcan.

There was also a bit more of a feeling behind his anger, Ros wanted to protect her, as strange as that sounded. He actually felt kind of comfortable with his hand in hers, once he tried to cut out the anger at how she had basically just insulted him, and Spock, and the race that the both (he was sure now begrudgingly) shared. Ros was pretty sure Spock at least semi-hated him for not being Vulcan. For not being in control, for expressing emotions. To make a leap, Ros felt that Spock probably looked down on him for those qualities that his grandfather had instilled in him. A searing pain brought him out of his thoughts as he looked to Sky once. He still winced with her taking out the glass, wishing that she'd leave him alone to do it by himself.

He didn't say anything, just waited for his drink to calm him down. One word caught his attention, although that might have been because she dropped his hand at that instant. Ros saw her apologize, and felt a bit sorry for her at that instant, although he didn't show it. The anger was pretty much overtaking the emotions in his face, but when she left, it was taken by something else.

Ros watched her walk out of the bar, his expression of a Vulcan who felt sorry, but who was a bit in love with her. Ros didn't notice it at all, being all 'high and mighty no love scotsman' that he was, and so the expression lasted only a minute before he began to stew over his drink. He took this one slow, wanting to drag it out for a bit longer. Ros didn't have anyone to drink with now, but he guessed that it was his own fault in one way or another. It was his fault for being who he was.

[LT. NYOTA UHURA]

Uhura watched as Spock's face changed and it shattered her heart. She felt her lips part as she tried to find a way to make this better for him. She could tell that Sky's words had stung him and she felt that he's been through enough. He lost everything and he didn't deserve this woman shouting and demeaning him. She reached up and placed her hand on his back gently as she looked to Sky as she continued talking. Uhura wanted to believe that there was good in everyone, but Sky was disproving this strongly at this point. She watched as the reheaded woman approached Ros and started to pull shards of glass from his palm. She listened as Sky continued on, offering a mild apology. She then continued on to say that Spock looked down on humans for expressing their emotions and it made her stop. Did he look down on her for showing her love? Did he think less of her. It caused her to falter as the woman stalked away and she looked up at Spock as he addressed her, agreeing that they should leave.

She looked up into his human eyes, his tone letting her know that he had been upset by Sky's words. She shoved all her personal issues away as she reached up, touching Spock's cheek lightly before pulling away fast. As much as she didn't want it to, Sky's words had struck her. The fear of Spock thinking little of her was enough to disturb Uhura as she nodded to Spock and looked back to Ros. She felt bad for leaving the other vulcan alone at the bar, but she didn't really know what to say to him. Maybe sometime in the future she could speak to him, explain to him that she wasn't offended by him, that it had just been his friend. The friend who had shoved a thought into her mind that made her question her own heritage. If the man she loved thought less of her because of what she was, how she was, how could she go on loving him?

"Come on, let's go." She said to Spock as she placed her hand on Spock's back affectionately as she lead him toward the door to leave. As she led the half-vulcan commander toward the door, her face was stoic as she stared at the ground. She kept thinking, what if Sky was right?

But he, like most Vulcans, look down on the human race just becuase we show emotion."

What if Spock could never really feel the same way for her like she did him? The thought caused her eyes to well up with tears that she would never shed as she lifted her head slowly from the ground. Her lips pursed as she blinked and the tears disappeared. She couldn't cry, it was weak, as she exited out of the bar, her soft hand slowly slipping away from Spock's back. Her fear was taking over her thoughts as she tried to fight them back. Her fear was visible on her beautiful, torn face as her lip quivered but she pursed her lips tighter. Her face returned to it's earlier stoic expression. She couldn't express her fears to him, not now, probably not ever.