The Silent Sonata Part II
Posted on Mon Oct 14th, 2024 @ 10:24am by Lieutenant Narin Valen & Lieutenant Mignon Mejia
Edited on on Mon Oct 14th, 2024 @ 9:57pm
0 words; about a 1 minute read
Mission:
Episode 16 - Silent Cries
Location: The Quarters of Mignon Mejia - Deck 3 - USS Pioneer
Timeline: MD003 1900 hrs
"I use the replicator. Or I'll replicate ingredients and make my own." Then she grinned. "Or I'll use the holodeck to visit someplace near home and get a meal in a local café. For the other question, I really don't think the Pioneer has its own type of food. For that, you need to go to Empok Nor. They have a number of restaurants there."
“Does that mean you’re a good cook then?” Narin asked with a curious smile.
"I'm decent. At least for what I cook. I've no interest in making anything fancy, but I do enjoy cooking from time to time."
“I don’t really have the cooking talent.” Narin admitted. “I’ve tried plenty of times, and I can follow a recipe just fine, but somehow, it never quite turns out the way it’s supposed to.”
"That makes sense. I'll follow a recipe the first time, then I'll...improvise. But there are more times where I'll try something and it just won't work the way it's supposed to. Which leads to the question, what do you do well? Okay, that didn't come out right, but you get the idea. I hope."
“Well, aside from the obvious-being great at my job,” Narin said with a teasing grin, “I can play the piano pretty well. It’s something I picked up when I moved to Earth. My adopted mother played, and she offered to teach me. I gave it a shot, and it turns out I’ve got a bit of a knack for it.”
"I'd love to hear you play some time." She could play a couple of instruments herself, but, from the sound of it, not nearly as well as Narin played the piano.
Narin nodded. "That’s only fair, I’d say. You did share your painting with me. We’ll just have to use the holodeck, though. I don’t have an actual piano in my quarters."
"Yes, it would be hard to fit a full-sized piano, even an upright, in your quarters. I have a hard enough time with my cello."
Narin imagined the challenge of squeezing a piano down the narrow starship corridors and into quarters. The thought brought a smile to his face. “You play the cello? We might have to play together sometimes.”
Mignon smiled. "I'd love that, although I may not be up to your standard. I don't play as often as I used to, even though I try not to get too rusty." She wondered how many other members of the crew played instruments. It might be fun to find out.
“Oh, you’re giving me way too much credit without hearing me play yet. I’m a bit rusty myself." Narin admitted. "I was just thinking maybe I should get some practice in before inviting you to the holosuite.”
"Or we could practice together. It might be easier if we're both fumbling through a piece of music. What's the old saying? Misery loves company? Although I doubt your playing will be miserable."
“I doubt either of us would be miserable,” Narin said with a smile. “In fact, the company would be more than welcome.”
She smiled back. "Yes, it would. And I'll try to read those books before we do so I can return them to you. Is there any style of music you prefer?"
“When I was learning, I played a lot of classical music, and it’s still one of my favorite genres to play. One of my all-time favorites was the Moonlight Sonata, though I could never quite get it just right."
"I've played that, but it's been a very long time. And we could each bring some of our favorite music as well." She loved to play classical music as well, so this was going to be fun.
Narin tilted his head slightly, trying to recall the last time he’d played that song. “The last time I played Moonlight Sonata was just before my last assignment. I visited my family, and there’s a grand piano in the front room. I think I played it every day while I was there.” He looked at her. “Thank you for reminding me about playing music, and wanting to play with me. I’m not sure why I stopped. Probably just got too caught up in everything else.”
"You're welcome." She felt the same way. She occasionally played her cello, but not as often as she should. It was simply that there were so many things she liked to do and not enough time for all of them. "This will be good for me, too. And we might find other people who want to play as well." She held up a hand. "Maybe not on a regular basis. I don't think any of us have time to form any sort of group, but a maybe an occasional jam session could be fun. We'll have to see how our first attempt goes. That may be enough for both of us."
He had never played for anyone except his family. He had been asked to join the ship’s band on his previous assignment, which went by the name of Jamming Gamma. “Yeah, let’s keep it just between us for now and see where it leads,” Narin said.
Mignon nodded. "Yeah, I think that would be best. I'm not ready to perform in public." She smiled impishly. "I no longer consider you public."
“I’m honored,” Narin said with a smile. “I guess that makes us more of a private audience now.”
That made her laugh out loud. "Now I want to look for something called The Silent Sonata to play--or to just pretend to play."
“The Silent Sonata, huh? We could always pretend to play it perfectly, and no one would know the difference,” Narin glanced at her, gave a wink, and then laughed.
'I can just imagine a trio or quartet pretending to tune up, announce the title of their first number, pretend to play it perfectly, then stand, bow, and walk off the stage." She laughed again. "Of course, they'd have to come back and really play something next, but I'd love to see the reactions to something like that."
Narin laughed at the idea. “Could you imagine if someone asked for an encore?”
That sent her into a fit of giggles. "So, we'd have to have three silent numbers ready, just in case. A silent sonata, a noiseless nocturne, and..." She had to think about that for a minute. "Or maybe a can't cantata...or just a number titled Mum Mozart."
“I’m a fan of Mum Mozart,” Narin nodded. “You know, with a few more, we’d have a whole set. A tour could even be in our future,” he teased.
Mignon grinned and shook her head. "I'll stick to science--and the holodeck. But it might be fun to do once. Maybe for a talent showcase on the Pioneer. But then we'd really have to play something after."
“All right, we could’ve been the next Charlie Chaplin, but I guess we’ll stick to science and the holodeck.” Narin smiled.
"Or the next Victor Borge. But I'm not very good at physical comedy, so it's probably for the best."
“Neither am I.” Narin admitted. “In fact, I’m not really good at comedy at all. I tend to leave that to others." He paused for a moment then added. "I guess that’s another one for the ‘things I don’t do well’ pile.”
"You're not alone. Most scientists I know aren't very funny. At least, not on purpose."
Narin glanced at her. “That must mean we’re in good company then.”
"Or we're just too geeky to realize we're funny." She shrugged. "I've seen some pretty odd quirks over the years. I'm probably just as quirky, but I don't realize it because I don't see myself as others do." She shook her head. "Okay, enough self-analyzing. I am not and do not wish to be a counselor. I'm happy with science and music...and books. Always books."
“Speaking of books, I was reading one about helium the other day. It was so good, I just couldn’t put it down,” Narin said, trying to keep a straight face glancing away, attempting to hide a smile.
She groaned appreciatively, then grinned. "That was pun-ishing."
Narin laughed. “I know, I couldn’t resist. I must’ve heard that one a hundred times during my time at the academy, and this felt like the perfect moment to pull it out."
"Your timing was good. I'll give you that. Sadly, I'm not so good at remembering puns myself, but I do appreciate a good one." She paused and raised an eyebrow. "So, when are you free to practice our silent sonata? And maybe do some real playing?"
“Well, since we’re on shore leave, aside from catching up with my sister and exploring the station, I don’t have any other plans.” Narin answered.
"And I'm spending my time reading and painting." Mignon smiled. "And now playing. But I'm all for doing this while we have the time."
Narin glanced at the books she was lending him “That’s right, I’ll be learning all about these hobbit holes.” He grinned. “Are you free tomorrow to join me on the holodeck? And if you haven’t had a chance to explore the station yet, I wouldn’t mind some company.”
"I haven't, actually. I'd definitely appreciate some company."
"How about I come by around 1100 hours, and we can explore the station?" Narin suggested.
"That sounds great. I'll see you at 1100." It would be nice to explore the station with a friend.
“See you tomorrow, then,” Narin said as he stood up. “And thanks for the drink.” With a smile, he headed out the door.
A Joint Post By
Lieutenant Mignon Mejia
Alien Archaeologist/Anthropologist, USS Pioneer
Lieutenant Narin Valen
Assistant Chief Science Officer, USS Pioneer
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