(open)

[hischair]

When: 19th
Rating: TBC
Characters: You!
Summary: A shindig at the beach for the best navigator in Starfleet.
Log: 

[ OOC: Feel free to assume your character has received an invite to the party via their inbox or word of mouth for Chekov's birthday! Everyone is welcome except you, Khan and presents are mandatory for the Enterprise's young navigator. Please tag under either section to keep the party somewhat ordered, and have fun! ]

Comments

SANDCASTLES | OPEN

[mortemscintilla]

[ Chewing absently on some grilled beef on a skewer, 'Li' pauses to admire Spock's sandcastles. He's wearing khakis and an untucked, short-sleeved, button-down shirt, like most of the other party-goers here. The difference being that, in his case, the casual attire makes it easier for him to conceal the blades tucked under his waistband. The precaution might seem unnecessary at a party, but such habits are second nature to Hei, and, like his tendency to assess individuals and locations point-by-point, buzz quietly on in the background regardless of whom he's with or where. ]

[ In this case, though he's never met Spock in person, he's aware of his name and rank, with a vague understanding of his origins -- all thanks to Chekov's chatter. The pointy ears remind him dimly of his old enemy, Wei Zhijun. But he doesn't say that. ]

[ Instead -- ]

Could you make animals or people too?

[logistical]

[Spock notices his presence from a mile off, and quite politely ignores him, working on one of the towers. If Li wishes to speak, he'll speak, and if he doesn't, like most humans, he'll simply wander off. What he has noticed is a distinct pattern to Li's interactions, gleaned from excellent hearing and a mind that automatically assigns patterns of behaviour to people in order to better understand them. He thought Li was a bit weird the last time they met, but had put it down to simply not knowing enough about humans.]

[So when Li speaks, Spock looks up with his requisite curiosity.]

No. I have only learnt to do this a few hours ago.

[He gestures to the earliest sandcastle, which is a single tower, not artfully put together.]

[mortemscintilla]

[ It's part of Hei's training to ascribe patterns to individuals too, the better to place a finger on the pulse of their motivations. But patterns are also synonymous with predictability in his world -- and that gets you killed. He's never been easy enough to slot in those categories -- never Most or Always. 'Li' makes a good show at being sweet and harmless, but Hei is a predator in the end, weaned on bonemeal and the cruel volatility of the hunt. ]

[ He has a modest blueprint of Spock in his mind, same as with most of Chekov's colleagues. The interest isn't sparked by opportunism so much as the pragmatic need to understand his asset's social sphere, to gauge the threat or usefulness they represent. There's blanket curiosity as well, because -- Well. Space-travel is a word whispered with the impossibility of miracles, in Hei's world. It's interesting to meet people who've made a lifestyle out of it. ]

[ Something in 'Li's mouth crunches. Probably an overcooked kebob. He seems both stunned and impressed (at least one of those emotions is put-on -- but it's well-played.) ]

That's amazing. All I'd be able to make is a big pile of mud. [ A beat, ] Do you construct things, as a hobby? Or is it just a natural talent?

[logistical]

[It's the outliers that's throwing Spock off. Every time he attempts to slot Li into a category, the man slips out. It's like holding an eel, and that's what's making Spock suspicious, too. Even McCoy, who's considered highly illogical, has distinct patterns of behaviour that could be understood eventually.]

[Spock rarely has reason to be suspicious, but then again, he's never quite met someone with a secret identity, so to speak. That crunching is really loud and Spock shows none of it - having been amongst humans long enough.]

I am a scientist. I have experience in engineering and am applying it.

[mortemscintilla]

[ There's an inevitable mark from being so streamlined by the Syndicate's world, pared to the bare minimum. Hei's well-trained to the point that parts of him will always remain out of focus -- made hazy by his own elusiveness, like a motion blur in a snapshot. He can slip identities off and on like clothes, becoming an entirely different person at a moment's notice, and even when he's being the Black Reaper, it's a performance tailored to intimidate a particular audience, to get the info or carry out the hits he's been ordered to. Strip away all those layers -- Li, BK201 -- and at his core is an individual under constant construction from the fragments left behind when everything else that matters has been wrenched away from you. ]

[ Then again, that's exactly what makes Hei such an unpredictable opponent in-field. ]

[ 'Li's bites off another bit of grilled beef, the crunch so sharp it's like it has teeth of its own. Wincing apologetically, he swallows before flashing a smile, ]

That explains it. [ A head-tilt, ] Was, um, that your job on board the Enterprise? Pavel mentioned something about it.

[logistical]

[Again, Spock attempts not to wince at the sound. Li appears really to be quite an oblivious human, which is fitting a pattern, not the pattern. That, Spock is still trying to put together, and will likely be doing so for a long time.]

[The other thing is Chekov has been here so long it's difficult to tell immediately who does or doesn't know what the Enterprise is or who serves aboard it, in what position. He doubts the ensign would've been that open, but it stands to reason the ship's first officer was mentioned, at least, by name or appearance.]

No, I am its chief science officer.

[mortemscintilla]

[ What Pavel hasn't told Hei, he's picked up from the surveillance bugs hidden at the young man's home. Although, in Hei's defense, what Pavel has told him is quite substantial. Enough for him to mentally compose a handful of dossiers, in any case. Details about Spock, Kirk, Uhura, Sulu and McCoy. Having Pavel aware of Hei's real identity puts him under enormous personal pressure to watch the young man's activity, to check if he doesn't let slip anything incriminating about 'Li' to his crew. Sometimes Hei still thinks the smarter choice would've been to erase Pavel's memory entirely. But then he and Pavel would be strangers. Hei wouldn't be able to waltz into parties like this. To observe and catalogue but also just do nothing but (try to) relax. Take an interest. Interest of a novel kind -- not to do with combat or risky experiments or stargazing or food. ]

[ It's something of a rarity -- but Hei almost enjoys it. (Almost.) ]

What does the science officer do? [ Another mouthful of beef. No crunching this time. But 'Li' clearly doesn't notice the flecks of BBQ sauce smearing his chin. ] Collect information on all the stranger things in space? Because I'm sure there must be hundreds.

[logistical]

[People usually do give information if politely asked, by a seemingly innocuous stranger. Spock himself isn't suspicious enough to use this to his advantage. As far as he's concerned, Li is just a very curious human, and Spock can hardly fault curiosity. It's the type of questions the man asks that would make him evasive, but he has another disadvantage: Spock doesn't lie. He can't, not openly.]

Yes. Primarily: to observe and report on sensor readings, biometric data, and other events that may affect the ship and crew, as well as to direct any and all landing parties when exploring a new planet.

[A pause, and he gestures to Li's chin, so that he can wipe the sauce off.]

[mortemscintilla]

[ Doesn't lie? What an anomaly Spock would be, in Hei's world. No man in his experience lives and breathes without deceit. (All the honest men are dead and squashed flat, having been buried in their sleep by the weight of their own truths.) Even here, away from the Syndicate, Hei's life is a lie, ensconced in a bunch of subsidiary lies. Lies shooting at all angles. Still, he's learning, step by step, that it isn't always necessary to sell someone an illusion, to conjure up a mirage by playing-pretend. He can't grow from lies and fabrications; honest development -- within himself, with other people -- doesn't happen that way. ]

[ (There was a time when Hei wouldn't have cared. But that'd also be the time he didn't have Pai with him.) ]

[ 'Li' blinks at Spock's gesture, seemingly slow on the uptake. Then he realizes -- Oh. ] S-Sorry about that. [ Dabbing the smears off with a sheepish smile, he remarks, ] If you explore new planets, I'm sure you've come across your share of ... um, hostile elements. Have you ever been attacked?

[logistical]

[Gene Roddenberry optimism. Gotta love it - most of Spock's crew wouldn't have been able to survive in Hei's world, not without adapting harshly. Spock, of course, would have considered the change purely logical, and done so.]

We do.

[The Romulans. The Klingons. Khan.]

Most can be reasoned with, as it is only a cultural misunderstanding.

[If only that had been the case with Nero.]