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."

[eatabean_bedone]

"Am not possessing skill in chess," Keenser replied, with a rueful little shrug of his shoulders. "Else would offer play." He gathered the cards he had laid out, and spent a minute shuffling the deck. "Can hold own against novice opponent," he continued, setting his cards aside. "Not challenge against skilled opponent." Another small shrug, and he leaned forward, resting his elbows against the table. "Reason am engineer, not tactician."

[themostevolved]

Spock wouldn't necessarily call himself skilled in regards to chess; he might go so far as to say practiced if he was feeling generous.

He turned his attention fully to Keenser, giving up for the time being on the game he'd almost concluded. Of all his crewmates Keenser was, perhaps, the least abrasive on Spock's nerves. He felt a certain amount of camaradarie towards the Captain, and lingering affection for Nyota, but Keenser was a quiet individual and only tended to speak when he actually had something to say. It was refreshing after spending so much time around humans with tendencies to fill silences up to the brim with inanity.

"Perhaps you are not a tactician, but being an engineer requires a skillset that is just as relevent to chess as tactics. The ability to read a situation and react to it in a manner that is effective. All of a player's carefully considered moves might be proven useless through the movement of a single, unexpected piece by his opposition."

[eatabean_bedone]

Keenser considered Spock's words for a long moment, leaning forward to get a better look at the chess board, his beady black eyes flicking back and forth as he surveyed the positions of the pieces. While as an engineer he was able to read a situation and react in an efficient, effective manner, that applied more to machinery than it did to strategy. He was no strategist, and anyway, although he didn't want to admit it to Spock, sometimes he forgot which way the little horse pieces were supposed to move.

He was silent for a very long moment, before finally replying, "Difference, unexpected piece played purposely, and unexpected piece played by luck."