Finer Things Club

[helmsman_hikaru]

Who: Sulu, his kotatsu, and whoever joins him
What: Scrapbooking, flowerpressing, swordfighting
Where: Botany Lab gardens

Hikaru had rediscovered his kotatsu while cleaning out storage bins and, like he often did with things rediscovered, decided to put it to some use. Setting it up in a cool part of the garden area of the botany lab, he figured he'd

Comments

[helmsman_hikaru]

He should have known from the swift, measured footsteps. The Commander. Of all people, it had to be Mr. Spock. Hikaru was off-duty, so it wasn't as if he were slacking off, but he still felt guilty being found like this by Spock. It wasn't going to win him any promotions anytime soon. He couldn't tell from the Vulcan's address what exactly he thought of the scene-whether he was interested or disapproving.

Summoning what little bit of professionalism the kotatsu hadn't taken from him, Hikaru replied: "Sir. I'm...working on a scrapbook, sir." Great, Hikaru-that's going to make things even better. Spock seemed more interested in the contraption he was occupying his time with, so he continued, at a higher pitch as his anxiety rose, "I...this...is a kotatsu...there's a heating unit under the table." To an eye as discerning as the Vulcan's, the device must be self-explanatory.

"Was there something you needed from me, Mr. Spock? Anything I can get for you?" Hikaru offered, trying to be useful, though remaining immobile. He was paralyzed by the kotatsu as well as the Vulcan's gaze, but if anything could induce him to move, it would be a request from the intimidating Commander.

[vulcancommander]

Of course it was Spock. He had a habit of showing up when people least expected him to - or wanted him to anyways. After the ordeal during shore leave about illogical hobbies, the Vulcan had learned to keep his mouth shut about that topic.

At the answer, his brow rose a little, eyes blinking a little. Scrapbooking? Why would one partake in a hobby that required them to make scrap out of ancient texts? A look crossed his face as though he were going to say 'if you say so' before he fixed his facial reading and instead listened to the explanation of the odd table. That was indeed fascinating. He had heard about them, but never seen one before.

"No, I require none of your skills at the moment, Mr. Sulu. I was going to have a look at the plants from the science labs I have stored down here since the attack on the ship." Safer down here really than the computer labs it seemed. He took a few steps towards the pilot, looking over the table and the scrap booking items.

"I find...this fascinating." Maybe even a little interesting. Not interesting enough to make it a hobby of his own, but enough to want to know the point of such a thing.

[ooc: Ignore my edit, since I can't go and change it now. xD Imma play as though Charlene and Mars aren't there. xD]

[helmsman_hikaru]

Hikaru felt a bit stung at Spock's phrasing, as if he were insinuating that Sulu's skills were limited to scrapbooking and kotatsu-sitting, but he knew better than to think Spock the passive aggressive type.

"Sure, uh, help yourself, sir. Just...let me know if you need anything..." Hikaru replied, watching the Commander in the hope that this would be over soon. He had no idea what Spock thought of all this, and his own self-censure was becoming unbearable.

Fascinating...? Hikaru breathed a small sigh of relief at the word, one he knew the Vulcan wouldn't use in vain. As Spock cast his gaze over the materials on the table, Hikaru responded: "Uh, yes, sir, thank you, sir. It's just something I do from time to time...I like cutting paper and...you know...gluing it down... I guess it's an art, in a way. And it's relaxing. A relaxing way to organize my memories." I'm rambling now. I'd better stop.

"Would you like to sit down, sir?" He didn't expect to get an affirmative reply from the never-off-duty Spock, but he thought it would be rude not to offer. Though, perhaps the Vulcan would enjoy the warmth of the kotatsu, considering the hot climate of his homeworld. The ship was often cold, even for Hikaru.

[ooc: No problem! I didn't see your edit until after I posted-sorry! I think this'll work out fine, though. :c)]

[vulcancommander]

Spock wasn't really implying the hobby skills that Sulu was currently indulging in, but rather meaning his skills as a pilot instead. Either way, the commander didn't mean any harm with his words, and stood there, studying the bis of paper, glue and scissors littering the surface.

He was silent while the man explained that he liked this sort of thing, and he immediately remembered how Marla enjoyed painting. One of the 'hobbies' again. Illogical, of course, but he didn't say anything.

When Sulu offered if Spock would like to sit down, the brown eyes looked over to the man sitting before him. He mulled over the options, and remembered how Uhura had told him that it would be good to try and interact more with the crew. He was off-duty for the meantime as it was. He had eaten, checked on the labs, so all that had been left on his agenda for the computerized day was to check on the plants, meditate, and then sleep for the few hours he needed before getting ready for Alpha shift.

"If you would not mind me observing this hobby of yours, I accept." He answered flatly, in his usual Vulcan tone before moving to have a seat on one side of the table like he was sitting down to meditate.

"Could you explain this...hobby to me?"

[ooc: Perhaps a little Sulu and Spock interaction would be good here since they've never threaded before. XD]

[helmsman_hikaru]

Hikaru wasn't prepared for the Commander to accept his invitation. He stuttered a bit as he assured Spock that he didn't mind being observed. Of course, the idea of Spock observing him work on his scrapbook, coupled with the formality of the request, struck Hikaru as funny and ironic, and he couldn't help but smile a little.

Explain scrapbooking? To Spock? Worth a try, I guess. "Well, it's mostly just a way to...consolidate memories in a physical form," he began, attempting to describe the hobby in a way that might make more sense to Spock. Picking up his own scrapbook and passing it across the table to him, he continued, "I put pictures or mementos relating to a particular event or person on a page, and then I decorate it so that it looks more interesting."

He watched the Vulcan scrutinize his scrapbook, wishing he had put a little more effort into it. "Mine...probably isn't the best example of a scrapbook-it's just paper and glue. Some people have video- and hologram-enhanced scrapbooks, so this is very old-fashioned."

[vulcancommander]

Spock made himself comfortable on the cushion, tucking his legs underneath the covering. ‘Very warm.’ He mused quietly in his head as the warmth embraced his limbs. Fascinating.

Sulu started explaining the scrapbooking process and passed him a page to observe. It was covered in colored paper and pictures. It was definitely a crafting process, one that the Commander seemed familiar with as he looked over the page the helmsman had been working on. Of course Vulcans didn’t ‘practice’ the ‘art’ of scrapbooking, but nevertheless, Spock recognized it now that he was looking over an example of it.

“I believe I understand.” Spock gave the object one more look over before he handed the page back over to him, and then flicked some loose clippings off of his finger tips. “You make a physical object of the memory that you can look over without having to recall the memory mentally. I believe this is beneficial as Humans are prone to memory loss in their elder years.”

[helmsman_hikaru]

Hikaru watched Spock's face carefully, though he knew he wouldn't see anything more informative than an eyebrow twitch. More than he'd like to admit, he valued Spock's cold, logical opinions, even regarding his crafts.

At the Vulcan's comment about human memory loss, Hikaru had to laugh a little. As if scrapbooking didn't already make him feel like an old lady!

"Yes, but even young human sometimes need help remembering events! Many people show their scrapbooks to others so they can share their memories, but mine, I'm afraid, isn't very presentable."

Hikaru wasn't quite sure how to entertain his strange guest, but at the very least he could offer him some of the refreshments he had brought to the kotatsu. Hesitantly, he ventured, "Sir, would you like some tea or grape-grapefruit or...powdered doughnuts?"

[ooc: sorry about the late replies! D:]

[vulcancommander]

It wasn't Spock's fault that Sulu's hobbies made him feel like an elderly lady. At least the pilot enjoyed the Vulcan's comments. At least someone did it seemed.

A brow quirked on his forehead when Sulu mentioned that the young needed help refreshing their memories just as much as the elderly did. He supposed that was true, along with being able to share the memories with others. Visual aids was the preferred way for Humans to share things with one another, so that the one receiving the information would have a better grasp of it.

"Tea will be sufficient, Mr. Sulu. No sugar please. I am not hungry at this time as I have already taken my afternoon meal for the day." He expected Sulu to prepare it for him, since he had offered. Spock was busy looking over the other pages that were on the table in his reach. This particular page had documented the space jump he was involved in during the Nero incident. "You partake in this activity often?"

[ooc: Totally okay! Also, we're waiting on your post in the bridge thread, Mr. Sulu. (: ]

[helmsman_hikaru]

Hikaru smiled politely and reached around for a extra tea cup he had sitting nearby. He hadn't expected the Vulcan to request a powered doughnut, but it was worth asking, especially if he did accept one. Now that would be scrapbook worthy!

As he poured the tea, he noticed Spock looking at some of his finished pages. I wonder what he's thinking... Hikaru mused, nearly overfilling the cup before his mind came back to his task. Whoa, close call!

He had barely calmed himself before the Commander asked him another question. Looking at the page in Spock's hand as he pushed the tea across the table, he replied with a bit of confusion: "Space jumping or scrapbooking, sir?"

[vulcancommander]

Spock probably wouldn't know what to think if he became apart of Sulu's scrapbooking. He could...faintly recall his mother showing an interest in it, but never actually went through with starting one.

Spock looked up at the tea cup filled for him before setting the page aside and accepting it. An interesting, earthy flavor that was slightly bitter. He supposed he liked it. The Commander took another sip before setting the cup down.

"As there is no logical reason for space jumping whenever you wish, the hobby would the obvious and logical activity I was referring to."

[ooc: Your piloting skills are needed in the Mudd thread. XD]

[helmsman_hikaru]

"Oh, yes, of course, sir!" Hikaru replied, laughing off the confusion. Normally he would have been flustered, but kotatsu was working its magic. "I don't get around to scrapbooking very often. This is the first I've worked on it in 3 months. If I waited any longer, space-jumping would be a more frequent activity!"

Sipping from his tea, Hikaru had a thought. "I think I actually have a photo of you in here, Mr. Spock," he said, flipping through the book to the page featuring the bridge crew. The picture of the Commander (at his station, looking very focused) was framed with science-blue construction paper and accompanied by his name and a sticker that read "FASCINATING!" that Hikaru had earmarked specifically for Mr. Spock.

[ooc: i posted in the mudd thread!]

[vulcancommander]

"This is not an activity you partake in regularly." It was stated matter-of-fact while Sulu laughed off the awkwardness he had been apparently feeling. Spock didn't seem to see the humor where the pilot did, since he didn't smile or laugh when the other did.

The Commander took a sip from his beverage, and paused when Sulu stated he had a photo of him in the scrapbook. Interesting. Spock waited patiently and silently, and then looked over the page. While it wasn't odd to see his face in a picture format, it was...unexpected. The Vulcan was focused in the image on something on his Science station screen, oblivious to what the helmsman was up to. His brow rose up towards his bangs, obviously fascinated by the page he was looking at. He noted how it was set up related to the seating positions on the bridge with Uhura to Spock's right and the Captain behind him.

"Fascinating."