More Gifts

Posted on Mon Apr 27th, 2020 @ 9:54am by Commander Arrianna Salannis an Vantar

Mission: MISSION 0 - History Speaks
Location: Officer Storage
Timeline: Current
976 words - 2 OF Standard Post Measure

Arrianna waited for Anje playing a bit of Earth music. 'I see a little sillouetto of a man. Scaramouche! Scaramouche.. Will you do the fandango..."

"Thunderbolts and lightning, very very frightening me!" Anje replied in her best facsimilie of Freddy Mercury's voice as she joined Arianna, "What's up, Arri?" She asked with a laugh.

Arrianna smiled. "Do you like dresses? I'm clearing room in storage for next years selections. They may come in useful for negotiations."

"Sure, I always like to add new pieces to my collection." Anje smiled, "Think you've got anything that will fit me? There's a lot less of me than there is of most people." The truth, which Anje would never reveal, was that she was only five feet tall in shoes, barefoot she didn't quite make it, only four feet eleven and seven eighths.

"We can get it fixed for you, Legate. And if not, you can trade it. Alindari are not cheap. I would not give these out as gifts, unless they were worthy of the people I was giving them too." Arrianna noted and smirked. "It's an insult to my kin to give substandard gifts to people. Very bad taste."

"Nice." Anje nodded, she too was a thoughtful gift giver, "I'll make sure my gifts to you will be on the same level."

"Indeed. Gift giving should not be done lightly. It is a reflection of your generosity." Arri mentioned as she showed the Legate her garments. "Oh, and would you like to help me fill this storage room? I usually shop at the planets we visit when I get an opportunity."

"Sure." Anje smiled, "We'd talked about doing this before, would be nice to get out and just have a girl day; no responsibility, no pressure, just fun."

"I have a different definition of fun than most people, Anje. For some, it involves loud music and... partying." She chuckled a bit. "Alindari are far more sophisticated. We like fine things."

"I can do loud music and parties." Anje began, "But I basically grew up running in circles full of Admirals, Generals, and Ambassadors, so the finer things, yeah, they were always there." Anje laughed at herself a bit, "I'm a diplomat, niece of a diplomat, descendant of a hero of Russia, daughter of two Admirals and goddaughter of a third, and I get my hair done by a woman with dreadlocks named Spider. I'm kinda all over the place."

"How skilled is this 'Spider?'" Arri noted. "Hair is another social icon for Alindari. I usually use a holoprogram, as a badly done haircut is noticed on New Alindar. Some of our neighbors call us vain scholars." She chuckled. "Dose anyone get the wrong idea about you?"

"Well, prior to Spider, who's excellent by the way," Anje bragged as she fluffed her short locks, "people thought I was a librarian it seems. Though I've got to say, your hair is fantastic." ~Why does everyone here have fantastic hair?~

"Thank you." Arrianna noted as she moved to her second storage unit. She opened it to find a dress in a stasis unit. It was breathtakingly breautiful. Made of a silklike material that refracted light as it moved.

"Oh my God, that is gorgeous..." Anje gasped, though she was now wondering if her question about Spider's skill level was a subtle way of telling her that her haircut sucks...

"This is my ancestor's dress. Lady Aikamara Selenie. She was wearing this when she had to board what ships were escaping her home planet when the searing began." Arrianna noted.

"The Borg..." Anje said with a shudder, remembering her aunt pledging that before her service to the Federation was over she would break the collective over her knee.

"The worst thing that can be done to an Alindari is being assimilated, Anje. You see, my people take the utmost care in the mental development of each of our people. From birth, our education, our talents, even our hobbies are given the utmost care. We seek ascension through the acquisition of knowledge and wisdom. The Borg are the Antithesis of that. They take everything we build in ourselves, and break it down. And turn the person into a thing." Arrianna mentioned. "There's no greater fear we have... Than a living machine. Beauty is impossible in that state."

"They take your life but don't grant you the release of death." Anje replied, the idea of being a soulless drone was one of her great fears, "Possibly the worst creatures in the history of existence."

"I do not fear anything, Anje. Except that one chief fear." Arrianna mentioned. "I wonder if I have the strength to face them, even though most of all the free time I have, is spent doing research on them. Everything about them. Is it dangerous to chase your enemy?"

"Depends." Anje shrugged, "I mean, on one hand it might seem a very bad idea, but on the other hand, once you stop running away and start running towards you take a lot of power away from them. The enemy always seems to become emboldened by fear, once the fear vanishes, so does that boldness. I don't know that it will necessarily work on the Borg, but it's worth a shot, they were human once, too, and if any part of that survives, it'll definitely give them pause."

Arrianna smiled for a moment and then spoke. "Anje.. Do you have plans for leave? I've been wanting to pay a visit to Siskos again. I can't get enough of that shrimp of his."

"It's to die for, isn't it?" Anje squealed, "I usually eat like three helpings, so good. Yeah, let's go to Sisko's!"

"A Promise is a promise then." Arri noted.

"Totally." Anje smiled, she was looking forward to going to Sisko's with Arri, even though she missed Quinn intensely.