Posted by Lieutenant Junior Grade Umbri Zayne (Weapons Officer) in Gratitude and Honour (TAG: Umbri Zayne)

Posted by Ensign Kastarak (Doctor) in Gratitude and Honour (TAG: Umbri Zayne)
_OOC: Follow-up to Kastarak’s concussion in gym, taking place 2 days later–

On his final day of recovery, he was declared fit duty (beginning on the evening shift on the day after). He had meditated and came to a conclusion on a cause of action. He wanted to show how Umbri’s actions had honoured them. Umbri was from Earth, and, perhaps, Kastarak thought, an Earth custom of bringing a gift to show appreciation would be a way for Kastarak to show Umbri this.

On Earth, Kastarak understood, flowers were a common source of gift when showing appreciation or honour. Kastarak was not a botanist, and he was conflicted as to what kind of botanical plant would be best suited for the occasion. Earth plants were odd-looking, he thought, and he knew nothing of their cultural significance. He knew that roses – as the only Earth flower he could, with some confidence, identify – were common to express love, romantic or sexual interest, but also sometimes also solidarity or grief during funerals. It was complicated.

An Earth flower would be excluded. Kastarak seated himself on the bed, while trying to decide how to do so. He looked around the empty room (he still had no roommate assigned to the room). A lone potted Vulcan plant – which he had procured from a botanical garden outside San Francisco – stood on the sill. It was not the most aesthetically pleasing Vulcan plant – though most plants were extinct from the destruction of Vulcan, some plants were grown by horticulturists and botanists around the quadrant – having arrived there from Vulcan before, or even long before, the events of the destruction of Kastarak’s home planet. This particular plant was not even something remarkable or unique. It was so ordinary that it grew all around his home.

“It has no beauty”, his mother would say of this plant – the name of which had escaped Kastarak, while she tore it up from the red soil, keeping the garden clear and aesthetically consistent with a clear philosophical view. Yet, when Kastarak looked at this potted plant, this weed, Kastarak would always think of his mother and the time they spent together in clearing it.

As a weed, it was a resilient plant. And that gave Kastarak an idea. He had no desire to part with the plant, as it was a reminder of his family, and home. Keeping it, taking care of it, was a way for Kastarak to honour his family, lineage, and the region in which they – for generations – had lived.

As such, it was an easy plant to keep. Perhaps Umbri could receive a cutting from it. They would not need much instruction in how to keep it – other than keep water to a minimum, and adding some copper-based fertilizer once every Vulcan year. Umbri had seen Kastarak take care of it, and talk of it. Umbri would understand the significance of this plant. When Kastarak was away on the Tasmeen, Umbri had taken care of the plant. Or so Kastarak thought, because the plant looked just the same when Kastarak had returned.

A cutting from this plant would be an appropriate gift. He took out a knife, cut off a soft twig from the plant. Then he took a glass – sprayed some water on its inside to make it damp – and added the twig before sealing the glass. Now the cutting would survive a few hours.

He checked the crew manifest and found the location of Umbri’s quarters. He checked the roster to see that Umbri was free.

He then walked across the Chernov to Umbri’s quarters, carrying the twig-in-a-glass in his left hand. Arriving at their door, he had the door make a chime to signify his arrival.

– Ensign Kastarak, Medical Officer

Umbri was at their keyboard, working on a new piece when they heard the door chime. They got up from their seat and answered it, smiling when they saw their former roommate on the other side. “Kastarak, what a pleasant surprise! Please come in,” they said, stepping aside for him.

Lieutenant (j.g.) Umbri Zayne, Weapons Officer

Kastarak stepped in, still carrying his gift in his left hand.

“It is agreeable to see you, as well.” He paused, looked around slightly. He had never seen this quarters before. It looked like home to Kastarak, perhaps because Umbri was written all over it. Their stuff was here, there… The odour (OOC: don’t be alarmed, they’re not smelly, it’s just that Vulcans think humans are smelly…) was specifically Umbri’s. It brought a sense of familiarity and peace over Kastarak.

“I have brought you a gift,” he said, handing over the cutting in a jar to Umbri. “I understand it is an Earth custom to bring flowers as a measure of gratitude, or when honouring the acts of someone. I wish to express my gratitude and show how honourable I find what you did for me.”

He paused again, weighing his words before uttering them.

“I fell, and I was taken ill. You found me, you helped me, and you stayed with me when I was....” He could not finish that sentence, so he started another. “I was emotionally dysregulated, and you, being present, brought comfort and aided me in that regulation. Without you, I am certain I would have been much more ill.”

– Ensign Kastarak (medical officer, in his private capacity…)