The Arboretum

[writes_with_digital_ink]

Over the past few months, the arboretum has become Gaila's favourite place on the ship. It's not just that she's Orion - although that is a factor, given how much she needs the UV lights to maintain wellbeing - but also, well.

Plants are plants. They haven't changed much. They aren't decades of history she has to catch up, and they aren't decades of computing changes that she has to relearn. They just...

Grow.

So it is that today the arboretum has one temporally-and-reality displaced Orion computing engineer, doing some volunteer maintenance on a few pots.

[ooc: *waves* so, uh, hi guys, long time no see! I'm still going to be pretty slow thanks to school - and I won't be able to have many threads - but here, have a Gaila. :D? ]

Comments

[mr_laforge]

Lt. Commander La Forge doesn't get around to the arboretum very often; when he has time off, he usually sticks to the holodeck. But there is a bio-filtration malfunction with one of the more exotic species of flora, nothing serious enough to merit the attention of the chief engineer but he hadn't been occupied with anything else. So he enters, heading straight for the case with the strange violet flower.

"Hey, long time no see," he remarks, giving Gaila a friendly smile. "How are you settling in?"

The last time they encountered each other, she was — not doing great.

[writes_with_digital_ink]

She smiles back easily enough: despite how much of a low profile she's been keeping, 'shy' isn't exactly part of her vocabulary.

"Uh, pretty well, all things considered." Like being in a future where Vulcan is still decidedly a feature. "I mean, unless saying so is gonna jinx me? In which case I'm doing utterly terribly."

She puts the shears down and looks at him a bit closer. "How are you? No, um, sudden catastrophes I hope?"

[mr_laforge]

He chuckles, shaking his head at the joke.

"I'll be sure to keep all black cats from your path," he replies. The reference is a little arcane, but hopefully she'll understand the spirit behind it. Glancing between the tricorder in his hands and the Orion, he quickly assures her: "Oh, no. I'm just adjusting the bio-filtration settings on this greenhouse box. There was a report of a malfunction, nothing serious."

After everything that's happened to the Enterprise since her arrival, he's not surprised she's asking.

"The engines are still running fine, no major bugs or viruses as far as I can see," he says. "Unless saying so is going to jinx me, in which case the ship is falling down around my ears."

[writes_with_digital_ink]

Gaila laughs softly.

"Maybe we should start keeping some more cats on-board. Or tribbles! Tribbles bring you good luck."

[mr_laforge]

Geordi laughs, eyebrows arched, and shakes his head.

"No thanks," he singsongs. "They may bring you luck, but they also replicate faster than you can keep up with them. The last thing we need right now is a ship full of multiplying furry aliens."

That would either keep everyone on board busy for a while, or send them running for the airlocks. "So what are you doing here?"

[tanteiotaku]

This was the closest he could come to a more normal place it actually smelled like something, and the air was fresher, nicer. Even if there still wasn't a breeze. And it was also much quieter than in other parts of the ship. So he'd ended up on a bench, taking down some notes into his little notebook. Just getting some thoughts about this place and Alemar III in order.

He didn't miss his favorite green girl, though. He smiled up at her. "Hey, Gaila!"

[writes_with_digital_ink]

She looks up at the voice, and grins.

"Shotaro! Hi. Come to enjoy a bit of quiet?"

[tanteiotaku]

He grinned and nodded. "Yeah. I thought my roommate and her husband might want the room to themselves for a while." Even if the husband shared a room with Philip, he wasn't sure if they actually could switch if they wanted to. Something about room access codes, maybe.

[writes_with_digital_ink]

"Ohhhhh, gotcha. Well! Not many people here today."

Pause.

"At least hopefully. I forgot to check the timetable in case there's an excursion from the school."

Hopefully not. She adores children, but they can be quite...

Loud.

"Up to anything interesting?"