Posted by Commander Shedda Mal’athar (Executive Officer) in Deck 4 Garden (Open to All)

Posted by Lieutenant Bjarke Viktorsson (Diplomatic Attaché) in Deck 4 Garden (Open to All)

Posted by Ensign Ka’sora Pru’moa Daveyla (Science Officer) in Deck 4 Garden (Open to All)
Posted by… suppressed (22) by the Post Ghost! 👻

(snip)

“Well we were just sitting, but since this is Ka’sora’s impromptu lesson…” Shedda began turning to look at the ensign, “What do you prefer? Sit or walk while we discuss?”

Cmdr. Mal’athar, XO

For a moment Ka’Sora wore a bewildered look and then she burst out into laughter and wobbled her head. Her experience in sharing her culture thus far had been one on one, and that had been mostly true at the Academy as well, though there was that one time in class she ended up giving an impromptu comparative lesson. Still, there was no reality where she was doing a teaching session with members of the senior staff. “We can walk if people want, and I am curious to see more of this garden.” She wanted to add that she didn’t wan’t to ruin the commander’s alone time, but that seemed irrelevant at this point.

“First, though”- she looked up and eyed Viktorsson-“I guess is the lesson in Zaharan greeting,” she said with a slight giggle. Ka’Sora held up her hands vertically in front of her, facing her palms towards the giant of a man. “And now you shall see why I was so amused with the idea. You simply touch your palms to mine to show there is openness between us and we both bow our heads.”

~Ensign Ka’Sora

Bjarke’s laugh could only be described as a boom, it was gutteral and full of joy as he their had pressed together. He cleared his throat shaking off his laughter, and then bowed his head. “Palm to palm like this?”

Lieutenant Bjarke Viktorsson
Diplomatic Attaché

Her golden eyes were alight and her lips were fighting the smirk that desperately wanted to reveal itself. “Yes,” she said and then touched her hands to his. As she bowed her head to him briefly, she started shaking.

By the time Ka’Sora lowered her hands she was full out laughing because of the sheer absurdity that was their hands size difference. “Sorry, we just don’t have people are tall as you on my world. Our formal greeting does seem rather funny in other contexts.”

~Ensign Ka’Sora

Bjarke smiled warmly, lowering his hand as his laugh subsided. “It is amazing ya? Thank you showing teaching me” he noted. “I would love to learn about all your customs when you have time” he noted. “It is always better to learn first hand than from books, when I can I try to live among a people for a few months at least.”

Lieutenant Bjarke Viktorsson
Diplomatic Attaché

“How many people have you lived with? Was one your favorite?” Shedda asked.

Cmdr. Mal’athar, XO

“Well I have lived with the Denobulans for around eight months, that was very interesting, several other species as well but my favorite was the Andorians, culture is rooted in honor and combat much like my people.” He had in fact spent almost two years among them and had fallen in love for a short time. He sighed as he thought about it for a moment.

“My home planet has people his size, and larger,” Kaia said with a small smile, wanting to contribute. “Although tall for a human, you’d be quite average for a laleri.”

Lieutenant Kaia
Chief Engineer USS Manhattan

He looked at Kaia his smile broad and genuine, eager like someone taking in something new and exciting. “I should love to here more from you then as well, I know even less about your people.” he noted. “It’s like a buffet of new for someone like me between the two of you”

Lieutenant Bjarke Viktorsson
Diplomatic Attaché

Ka’Sora laughed. “Well, I’m sure we can all learn from each other. And I’m happy to share about anything any of you want to know.” Some people might feel like they were specimens under a microscope, but Ka’sora loved the sharing about cultures beyond just her job as a sociologist. She was just always curious about people.

~Ensign Ka’Sora

“For sure,” Kaia flicked her tail, smiling. “Perhaps another time, I don’t want to take attention away from Ka’Sora’s explanations of her world and culture.”

Lieutenant Kaia
Chief Engineer USS Manhattan

Starting to walk Bjarke wondered so much he was not sure where to start. “What’s the basis for your society,” he asked Ka’Sora. “Matriarchy, Patriarchy some other form of control?” he kept his steps slow and deliberately short

Lieutenant Bjarke Viktorsson
Diplomatic Attaché

Shedda set her PaDD aside and stood. She was content to listen and allow the others to pose questions and discuss. She found listening to the stories and responses to questions and curiosity so much more informative than asking questions herself.

Cmdr. Mal’athar, XO

Ka’Sora pondered how best to answer, as it wasn’t quite so straightforward. “So, our society is rooted in a matriarchal system… sort of. We don’t have family units the way many other cultures do, so there no focus on lineage, nor is there a preference on gender of children. I say we’re matriarchal only because our birthing mother is our primary care provider as one of our three names come from them, but at our heart we are a communal society. We share in the raising of children and tending to everyone’s needs. No one goes without if we can at all help it. Even in the bigger more modern cities that seem on the surface so different than our arboreal kijias, there is great cooperation. We have elected government systems, but we favour those with experience and knowledge when we choose Elders for leadership roles.”

~Ensign Ka’Sora

Bjarke smiled, “Sounds like an interesting society, I should very much like to visit someday, what could I expect as an outsider” he asked. “Are here any cultural taboo’s or nuances I should be aware of, I would not want to do something and wake up married or in jail.” he noted.

Lieutenant Bjarke Viktorsson
Diplomatic Attaché

Kaia chuckled at the question. “How could someone get accidentally married?”

Lieutenant Kaia
Chief Engineer USS Manhattan

Shedda chuckled, eyes dancing. “Happened to me once. You just never know the courtship practices of a culture unless you ask.”

Cmdr. Mal’athar, XO

Kaia shook her head. “I can understand getting accidentally engaged, but isn’t marriage a complicated procedure with legal and religious ceremonies involved? We don’t have ‘marriage’ exactly among my people, but we have similar concepts. On Oba, to be ‘married’, folks have to transplant entire trees.”

Lieutenant Kaia
Chief Engineer USS Manhattan

Bjarke laughed he was trying to avoid attachment, his cousin was married because of not paying attention to tradition. “Well it happens more that you might think, my cousin Ragna is married because of neglecting her surroundings and wound up married to Seamus.” he laughed. “Meal, Hearth, Bed” it’s all it takes in my culture, so be careful ladies” he jibbed.

Lieutenant Bjarke Viktorsson
Diplomatic Attaché

Ka’Sora wore an amused expression. “You have nothing to worry about in that regard on Zahara. We do not have legal marriage and long-term bonds, though uncommon, have a specific set of rituals, so there’s no accidentally finding yourself in a relationship. On Zahara, mating can be for many reasons, but solidifying long-term bonds is never one of them.”

“As for taboos and other customs, that is a complicated and very broad topic. I wouldn’t know where else to start, aside from what I already shared about mating.”

~Ensign Ka’Sora

He looked at her a long moment, “So what do you like most about your home then?” he asked, he certainly did not plan on mating with anyone anytime soon. His sisters were always trying to set him up, they meant well but he wanted to find someone who loved him fully, someone that he could partner with and take the galaxy by storm.

Lieutenant Bjarke Viktorsson
Diplomatic Attaché

Kaia chuckled, enjoying the conversation.

Lieutenant Kaia
Chief Engineer USS Manhattan

Shedda was interested in the answer as well. She knew next to nothing about Daveyla’s culture and this was a priceless conversation.

Cmdr. Mal’athar, XO

On the surface, the question was a simple one: what did she enjoy most? But answering it was harder than Ka’Sora expected. It required trying to tease one element out of others that were all interconnected.

“I think I love that no matter what if happening in your own life, you are only as alone as you want to be. We all take care of each other, and yes, personalities clash and people can dislike each other, but no one has to suffer alone. If you can’t turn to those in our immediate circles, the Elders are always there with their experience and wisdom to act as sounding boards. It’s not perfect, and Zahara resists change just like many other cultures, but because we have a tangible connection to our world and each other, we’re just always aware that we’re better off when we look after each other.” She wasn’t sure how that might come across to her ship mates. Perhaps it was too idealistic. Certainly Zaharans could have and have had conflict, but these days as they pushed through their wariness about the outside galaxy Ka’Sora saw only possibility. It made her deeply hopeful.

~Ensign Ka’Sora

Bjarke smiled, “That does not sound to different from our people, we all take great care of one another.” he said. “In Fact Revna is trying to settle the clan on OED as we speak. making sure everyone in the clan has what they need and is well taken care of.” he noted.

Lieutenant Bjarke Viktorsson
Diplomatic Attaché

Her tall ears flicked and she tilted her head slightly in Bjarke’s direction. “Clan. A family grouping? I’m not entirely sure of the context you’re referring to, so you have me curious now,” Ka’Sora said.

~Ensign Ka’Sora

“My understanding,” Shedda said, “Lady Revna, Lt Viktorsson’s cousin, comes from a very large family, from my understanding?” she said as a question. It was Bjarke’s family and story and Shedda didn’t want to step in for him.

Cmdr. Mal’athar, XO

Bjarke smiled, “We do have a very large family, a clan is really gathering of family and people who agree to come together and support each other, through all the trials of life.” he said with a pause. “I think we are numbering over 10thousand now on OED” he noted “Revna hash her hands full right now!”

Lieutenant Bjarke Viktorsson
Diplomatic Attaché

Ka’Sora blinked. “Wow, that is a large group. We have kijias on Zahara that large…” She was about to qualify that with a comment about family but then tilted her head and smiled. “Though now that I think upon it, I would say our communities are quite similar to your clans.”

~Ensign Ka’Sora

Bjarke smiled, “Then I’m sure if I visit that I will enjoy your people very much” he said, “I prefer to live among people, get to know their culture, their way of living. ” he said. “Its something that excites me greatly, maybe almost as much as battle” he said with a small smile.

Lieutenant Bjarke Viktorsson
Diplomatic Attaché

Shedda laughed, and quickly covered her mouth to stifle the sound. “My apologies, it’s just I can see how you and Revna are related now.”

Cmdr. Mal’athar, XO

Her lips curled into a smile. There was something nice about this simple act of sharing. It felt like camaraderie, even though she still didn’t know them all very well yet. But that would come in time. “Battle is exciting?” she said.

~Ensign Ka’Sora