An Excercise Regiment. (Open)

[science_blues]

Spock was unaccustomed to being idle.

Her duties aboard her own Enterprise were difficult and numerous, often occupying the vast majority of her time. She had become acclimated to the constant torrent of work, and the sudden, distinct lack of it was...staggering. Without it, she had devoted her time to the methodical study of the ship, the individual environs, the alternated sections, the various settings, and the informational networks available to her.

As it was, she'd exhausted most reasonable details and, in turn, a vast majority of her patience. Without alternative scientific activities, Spock was left to decide what she wished to do. She had taken copious field notes within the confines of the Mess Hall. She was not in need of food, at current, and her notes were in need of sorting. It would not behoove her to take more, nor to visit that particular environ.

Perhaps exercise would help to clear the impatience that hovered in her veins.

Spock resolved herself to physical activity and left her assigned PADD in her similarly assigned quarters. It was not long before Spock located the gymnasium. Her blues were ineffective as exercise garb, so it was fortunate that spare garments were provided within the allocated dressing area. Properly outfitted, Spock took to the slow, sequential motions of ke-tarya.

Comments

[original-fine.livejournal.com]

Jim was familiar with the motions.

Not really for himself, though Spock had started teaching him. But the woman's form was undeniably familiar, even if the woman herself was not. And Jim, passing through on his way to a work out he had been neglecting slightly of late, found himself slowing to watch the graceful movements. In solo form, it somewhat resembled tai chi, though Jim was conscious that it was erroneous to make assumptions based on superficial cultural similarities.

[science-blues.livejournal.com]

Though Spock was accustomed to the occasional human stopping, observing, and even mimicking her regime, there was something distinctly familiar about the blonde who had paused just inside of her peripheral vision. As Spock completed the first set of the formal sequence, she halted in form and turned her head to regard the human. Under proper scrutiny, however, his familiarity was no more understandable. She had, in fact, no knowledge as to who this human was.

Most fascinating.

[original-fine.livejournal.com]

Jim stopped, smiling automatically, a sort of apology in his expression but not the sort that begged forgiveness because the transgression, in his eyes, was minimal.

"Sorry," he said. "I couldn't help but notice. That's ke-tarya, isn't it? But don't let me interrupt."

There was something familiar about her, something his brain was telling him that had yet to form into words.

[science-blues.livejournal.com]

"Curious," Spock commented and arched an eyebrow. Though she was speaking, he'd given her leave to continue and she did so without hesitation. As she fell into the second sequence, her eyebrow dropped again.

"You have been introduced to this specific martial combat form?" Spock prompted.

[original-fine.livejournal.com]

There was something so precise and familiar about her speech patterns that it disturbed him. Not negatively, but he was thrown a little off balance, into speculation about Vulcan speech in general and whether his ear just wasn't well trained enough to keep all of them from sounding like his first officer. But no--he knew himself better than that. Was he truly lovesick and stir crazy enough to think all raised eyebrows were identical?

"I have," he nodded. "But only very basically. I'm afraid my practical training has gotten in the way. I have a patient teacher, however." There was a slight pause as he remembered his manners. And, perhaps, made a decision to test a theory. "I'm James Kirk," he said. "Though I'm not the captain of this ship."

[science-blues.livejournal.com]

"James Kirk?" Spock repeated and that stopped her motions. The sequence came to a sharp conclusion and Spock turned to examine the human more thoroughly. Her head rotated precisely 2.4 degrees counterclockwise as she regarded him.

"Fascinating," she continued and righted her head before meeting his gaze again. "I am Spock. Though, similarly, not of this ship."

[original-fine.livejournal.com]

Jim's smile broadened. "I knew it," he said, but his air was more excited than triumphant. "I haven't seen you before, and it's a big ship, but I knew it."

Of course, he'd known it in a way that hadn't really allowed itself free reign in his consciousness, so now he studied the woman as Spock. It was... strange. Mostly in how it was not strange enough. She was not Spock-as-a-woman, in the sense that something Spockian had been shoehorned into a different body. It wasn't like looking at himself and seeing Janice Lester, or Henoch in Spock's body. This was Spock, or a Spock, who happened also to be a woman. Her manner, at least thus far, not identical but recognizable. Though he couldn't put his finger on what exactly the distinction meant.

"It's a pleasure to meet you," he said. "Though I'll settle for you just being curious. I take it you know another me?"

[science-blues.livejournal.com]

"Yes, after a fashion," Spock admitted evenly and folded her hands behind her back. It was an automatic reaction to her own Captain. She realized she'd made the action as it completed. It was worthy of later note.

"You are simultaneously similar and dissimilar to my own Captain." Spock paused briefly and blinked at James Kirk before her. "You have been basically trained in ke-tarya. Would I be correct in presuming that this training came from...another Spock?"

[original-fine.livejournal.com]

"You would," he said. "He's my First Officer and Science Officer." The rest of that could wait, he thought, until he could figure out how to tell her he was bonded with another, male version of herself. Vulcans were so private. He became conscious of the fact he was beaming at her and made an effort to tone it down. What was it with him and Spocks? he wondered. It wasn't as if he thought they were all one person. But his natural response to new, interesting beings seemed heightened when it came to them.

It wasn't like most people had a chance to analyze such a phenomenon.

"But if I'm right, you haven't been here long, and you must have a lot of questions. I'm happy to answer any I can. Though I am sorry to have interrupted--should I let you finish?"

[science-blues.livejournal.com]

"No, I may continue at a later time," Spock assured him placidly and arched a brow again. Was this the James Kirk the other Spock had referred to?

"I have been taking extensive scientific notes concerning the phenomenon of my appearance here. At some point, I should like to question you in order to augment those notes," Spock admitted casually. "However I am...taking a break from them, at the moment.

"I do have a personal query, though," Spock prefaced evenly, "Are you James T Kirk? Or, perhaps, you are aware of another?"

[original-fine.livejournal.com]

Spock said "taking a break" almost as if it were a foreign language, an idiomatic expression she had learned recently, and in a sense perhaps it was.

"I am," he said, his middle initial not exactly personal in his book. "But as far as I know, there are two others on board with the same designation. Have you heard of me?"

[science-blues.livejournal.com]

Two others? Most curious. Spock carded the information away for later perusal.

"I was informed of a James T. Kirk by a non-native variant of myself," Spock replied. "I was interested if it was you, to whom, he was referring.

"He indicated that one of our variants, another non-native, was entangled romantically with James T. Kirk and Leonard Horatio McCoy."

[original-fine.livejournal.com]

Now Jim's eyebrows rose slightly, though the expression was both softer and more fluid than Spock's habitually were.

"Ah," he said. "Yes, that would be me. You've met the one with the beard, then, have you? Your other counterpart--the one with whom I'm 'entangled'--isn't currently on this ship. I'm sure he'd be interested in meeting you." He paused, regarding her. "I take it you aren't. Entangled, I mean."

[kirk-winona.livejournal.com]

Sometimes, exercise was the best way to escape from problems. Winona's normal mechanism of breaking, then fixing something or avoiding thinking about problems entirely weren't going to do today. A side effect of the appointments she'd been keeping, she supposed, she wasn't being as destructive as usually was. It was nice, despite other problems that kept cropping up. Problems that led Winona to the gym, dressed in a red tank top reminiscent of her days on the Kelvin and at Starfleet Academy and blank athletic pants that were just tight enough on her.

Upon entering however, she was greeted by a female whose name she did not know. She tilted her head slightly as she watched her movements, intrigued.

"Forgive me for asking, but what are you doing?"

[science-blues.livejournal.com]

"I am executing the initial defensive formation of the Vulcan martial art known as ke-tarya," Spock answered succinctly as she extended her right arm laterally, sharply, and stepped into the motion. As she turned back, she was able to view the entity whom had initiated conversation. Spock promptly found herself presented with an entirely unfamiliar blonde. Her well fitted clothing indicated that she was ready for exercise, though the even coloration of her visible skin indicated that she had not begun.

"It is meditative as well as physically exhaustive," Spock added and arched a brow. "I find it useful."

[kirk-winona.livejournal.com]

"It sounds like it would be useful." Winona commented as she watched the Vulcan go through the motions like she had done them thousands of times.

She couldn't resist the urge to arch her own eyebrow. "Is it only something you Vulcans can do? Or can you teach it to a Human?"

[science-blues.livejournal.com]

"Approximately ninety-eight percent of the motions contained within ke'tarya can be learned and executed by any humanoid person," Spock clarified as she twisted and brought her left leg up, parallel with her hip. The motion completed the series and Spock lowered her leg with practiced grace.

"The remaining two percent require musculature that Humans do not specifically possess," she continued as she adjusted the line of her shoulders to a more casual stance. "I am capable of instructing you, if you desire to learn."

Though it was traditional for Humans to extend a hand in greeting, Spock did not. Fortunately, considering the sheer number of Vulcans present on this Enterprise, her faux pas would likely go unnoticed. "Greetings, I am Spock."

[kirk-winona.livejournal.com]

"I assure you, I desire to learn them, I personally need an outlet like that. Anything that will get me to be exhausted and meditative would be extremely useful."

She paused before she continued, a bit taken aback that the Vulcan had called herself Spock, since Winona was only aware of male ones. "Pleasure to meet you, Spock. I'm Winona Kirk. I must say though, I only know of male Spocks, and not a female such as yourself."

[science-blues.livejournal.com]

"You are not alone in your lack of awareness," Spock responded evenly. Indeed, it seemed that everyone on board reacted in exactly the same fashion upon meeting her. Though she disliked the classification, she was well aware that she was likely to become the female Spock. "Nevertheless, I am Spock.

"If you would step alongside me, Winona Kirk," Spock prefaced and motioned to the space to her immediate right. "I will readily instruct you on the basic forms of ke-tarya."

[kirk-winona.livejournal.com]

Winona stepped beside Spock with a sigh, shrugging. "It not to say that's a bad thing, in fact I would probably prefer you to the Spock from this universe."

"Consider me your willing student, Spock."

[science-blues.livejournal.com]

"You hold distaste for the native Spock?" Spock prompted evenly as she took the initial position of the most basic sequence. With her arms held tight and her body turned just slightly, Spock paused to look at the blonde beside her.

"Please take initial position."

[kirk-winona.livejournal.com]

"Just a small amount, not enough to where I can't stay in the same room with him, but enough to where I choose not to respect him, an act I can do since he does not outrank me and the fact that I'm old enough to be his mother."

Winona looked over and mirrored the position Spock was in. Hers was a bit more loose, but still controlled in her own manner. "Is this correct?"

[science-blues.livejournal.com]

Spock regarded her form very carefully. For her first attempt, it was a very reasonable facsimile of what Spock was demonstrating.

"Your right elbow should be approximately two inches from your side. As you will abduct it from your body in a lateral motion, the proximity permits an easier rotation of the limb." Spock broke stance to demonstrate and resisted the urge to correct her stance physically. "Otherwise, your position is most acceptable.

"Might I inquire as to why you do not respect the native Spock?"

[kirk-winona.livejournal.com]

"There are things you should never bring up with certain individuals and there are certain levels of conduct that a Starfleet officer should uphold. The native Spock brought up my husband's death on the U.S.S. Kelvin in an academic hearing and on the ship prior to my son gaining captaincy of it, put my son in a choke hold. That is why I fail to see the need to respect him."

Winona smiled slightly as she moved her arm in the way Spock demonstrated. "A Vulcan informing me that my position was acceptable, what a lovely compliment. Shall we go on?"

[science-blues.livejournal.com]

"Curious," Spock commented idly. She had heard very little about the native Spock, though these two factors appeared to be distinctive. She could not judge the nature of the hearing from such a brief description, but the violent act Winona Kirk had referenced was without situational forgiveness. That he had choked the human rather than merely incapacitating him indicated an aggressive motivation.

Spock decided to let that particular subject lapse. She would investigate it more thoroughly later.

"You are...the mother of the native Captain Kirk?" Spock asked as she moved back into the initial stance and progressed to the second motion. As indicated, her arm rotated in tandem with her right leg, preparing for a forward step.

"A compliment is merely a statement of fact with a positive connotation," Spock stated evenly. "It is simple to bestow them when presented with such positive subject matter. Please move to position two."