> MUTUAL BETRAYAL [ UHURA, OPEN ]

[uhuras]

[ she'd heard talk of a music room somewhere on the base, and after a little nosing around the computer system, she located it. it was full of earth instruments, and some of the rarer off-world ones she'd never seen. what she held in her hands now was what she'd come here hoping to find: a vulcan lyre. she wasn't prodigious with it yet, but her

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[ltnuhura]

[She'd been wandering aimlessly down the hallways once the effects of the Ion storm had worn off and she'd gotten some sleep, doing some thinking about the events of the past few days. She can remember what she talked about with Kirk, about plotting to kill Spock. And before that, the argument she'd had with him.

Speaking of which...

She could hear an instrument being played nearby, one that sounded quite familiar. It might have been a bad idea, but she wanted to make things right, put things back together, and this was a good starting point.

Except when she walked into the music room, she didn't find Spock, but her other self.]

Oh. Sorry.

[uhuras]

[ uhura looked up, having not expected the intrusion. nonetheless, it wasn't unwelcome, and she gave herself a little smile. ]

It's okay. I'm just passing the time.

[ltnuhura]

[she smiled back, nodding toward the lyre.]

Good a way to do it as any.

[uhuras]

[ her fingers fell from the frame into her lap. well, if there were anyone she could discuss this with, it was herself. ]

Were you affected by the ion storm?

[cross_thedivide]

[ Zed had been moving down the hall on his general sweep of the known and open sections of the station. Scotty liked a full report of what was going on... though Zed wasn't sure why the guy didn't ask the nice hologram. She was helpful enough.

Though he stopped when he heard the music. We have a music room? He quickly backtracked and looked into the room to see the familiar sight of Lt. Uhura. Well, familiar to him at least. He did work on the Enterprise. He straightened his uniform and walked in, folding his hands across the PADD. ]

Uh... hey, Lt. Uhura.

[uhuras]

[ she glanced at him and stilled her movements, banishing any unhappy expression from her face. nothing she needed to worry an almost perfect stranger about. ]

Ensign Dawson. I wasn't aware you'd arrived. It's nice to see you.

[cross_thedivide]

Yeah, well... you know. I'm sort of forgettable. Scotty has sort of had me tied up. N-not literally. Obviously.

[ He sucked his lips and realized what an idiot he sounded. He was so bad with people. ]

Nice to see you too, ma'am... I didn't know you uh... played. That, thing. Harp, thing.

[uhuras]

You aren't forgettable, Ensign. I just hadn't run into you yet. I've been kind of busy since the ion storm.

[ his unease was cute. her amusement added some sincerity to her smile. ]

It's a Vulcan lyre. Commander Spock's teaching me to play.

[i_can_do_zat]

[ Despite his being a Navigator, Chekov's found himself getting lost quite a bit recently. He couldn't find it in himself to complain, though, when it brought him to things like this. He quietly stepped into the room and watched silently as Uhura played.]

[uhuras]

[ her eyes were on the strings beneath her fingers. the tune she usually practiced with was "beyond antares," but this was simply one her mother used to hum when she'd had a bad day. not something she intended anyone to hear, really, and she was a bit too caught up in her thoughts to catch chekov's footsteps. ]

[i_can_do_zat]

[ The bittersweet floated to his ears and Chekov was mesmerized. He went to move forward, maybe to get a better look or maybe to say something (he wasn't really sure himself) when he stepped on something. And it squeaked.

He could feel his face turn red, all the way to the tips of his ears and his shifted awkwardly from foot to foot. ]

I am sorry. It is a beautiful song.

[uhuras]

[ she looked up at the squeak, heart caught for a moment on the possibility that it could be spock. instead it was chekov, and relief rushed coolly through her veins. her smile was small. ]

Thank you, but it's nothing really. I don't mind the interruption.

[icanhaslogic]

[He knew she was here- it was almost impossible for her not to be on the station- but he hadn't seen her. Or maybe he was avoiding it, not knowing what this place had done, not knowing if this was the her that he knew.

But it was too late for that now. He had followed the faint sound of music and walked in on her- it was impossible that she didn't know he was here- so turning and leaving was not an option- even if he had wanted to.

When he spoke, it was in a low voice, soft, but full of things he couldn't say.]

That song... why do you play it?

[uhuras]

[ his voice made her want to freeze up, but she let her playing trail off softly, and took a moment to look up at him. after all, she really didn't know which of him it was... but she felt she'd tried to betray them all. ]

My mother used to sing it when it rained.

[ that was mostly metaphorical, of course. if he didn't catch on, she wouldn't mind. ]

[icanhaslogic]

[He convinced himself to move forward, taking a few tentative steps, eyes locked on her own and uncertain of what should come next.]

I see.

[Or at least he believed he did. Even so, he saw no need to go further on that.]

It is lovely.

[uhuras]

[ she knew then it wasn't the same spock she'd had words with before. she didn't mean to reject him, but she looked away, down, feeling his trust was misplaced. ]

Thank you.

[logic_driven]

[He stands, listening. The distinctive lilting sound of the lyre having drawn him to this very spot.

There she is.

He silently watches her fingers move over the strings. The music is oddly fitting to his own mood.

There is hesitation; a desire to not want to intrude and yet he knows that this dancing around each other cannot continue indefinitely.]

Your technique has much improved.

[He finally offers quietly when there's a break in the music.]

[uhuras]

[ she was about to enter another gentle rush of notes, but paused. she looked up at him and by the expression he wore, it was instantly obvious this was the spock she had fought with, and encountered the night of the ion storm with her hands all over kirk. she looked down again, at her fingers over the frame of the lyre. ]

Thank you.

[ commander, sir, spock. she didn't know which he'd want her to use, so she chose none. ]

[logic_driven]

[He stepped further into the room, and yet maintained a physical distance, unsure of how to breach the emotional gap between them.]

It would appear that I owe you an apology, Lieutenant.

[uhuras]

[ that caused her to glance up, demurely shocked. she might have agreed with him, before the ion storm. ]

No, you don't. Not after what I tried to do.