Kitty is an illogical moniker.

[science_blues]

Leonard Nimoy's established living quarters were sufficient. However, they did not possess a cat. A cat which he had specifically implied existed on the ship.

Normally, sneaking was quite an illogical venture in line with the retention of accurate information. However, when one seeks to find an organism that may or may not desire to be found, a stealthy approach is the most likely to succeed. It was, also, only logical that she begin this approach before the departure from Leonard Nimoy's established quarters, in the event that the cat was nearby.

She absolutely did not sneak out.

As Spock rounded the corner, and scanned the hallway, she realized a flaw in her plan. The cat was perfectly capable of avoiding her. A new approach was required. She would have to imply, via a distance based technique, that she bore nothing but good will for the creature. Good will and a desire to pet it.

Spock attempted verbal communication, as it was the only distance based technique she was capable of performing.

"Come here, tiny feline of a non-specified gender," Spock hazarded quietly. The cat did not come immediately. She moved down the hall and attempted verbal communication again.

Comments

[de-forest.livejournal.com]

It was rather strange, growing used to another presence in their quarters after all this time, even if this one was a small, well behaved child who really didn't cause much disruption at all.

Still, De noticed that she wasn't there.

Having checked round the common area (did Vulcan children play hide and seek?), and the bedrooms, De came to the conclusion that she must have left their quarters.

Well, that wasn't good.

Supressing a sigh, De stepped into the corridor himself. "Spock!" he called out, hoping that she hadn't gone far, and would just answer. He walked down the hallway a little. "Spock! Where are you?"

[science-blues.livejournal.com]

Spock had not heard DeForest Kelley raise his beyond a casual conversational tone. It was curious to suddenly hear it, quite loudly, while focused on the search for the feline. As he was traveling in her direction, Spock did not desire to return the call. It would risk frightening a cat which may or may not be present.

This was an error in judgment, she realized. DeForest Kelley was even taller when Spock was not standing to her full height. If he came around the corner at his current rate of speed, there could be a collision.

Spock leaned back around the corner and risked a reasonably loud Shhhh in an effort to identify her position and calm DeForest Kelley.

[de-forest.livejournal.com]

Well, at least she hadn't gone far. He breathed a sigh of relief.

"What are you doing?" De said, heading in her direction still. "You should tell one of us if you want to go out." His tone was not particularly harsh, but it carried a note of annoyance.

[science-blues.livejournal.com]

Perhaps he did not understand the implied non-verbal instruction carried within the term Shhhh. Spock blinked at DeForest Kelley, but did not stand from her crouched position.

"Noted," Spock replied quietly. "I am searching for a feline."

[de-forest.livejournal.com]

Any irritation De had been feeling at Spock slipping out of their quarters without permission or telling anyone where she was going melted away at the image of her crouched on the ground, searching. "Alright," he said, before repeating, for emphasis, "just make sure you tell us in future, got that?"

He crouched down beside her. "Do you normally find cats, searching like this?"

[science-blues.livejournal.com]

"No," Spock answered easily and continued traveling down the hallway, periodically crouching as she searched for the cat.

"My cat comes when I call it," Spock explained quietly. "There are no other Terran felines on Vulcan, not that I am aware of."

[de-forest.livejournal.com]

"Oh?" said De, his eyebrow quirking upwards as he followed along behind her. "Maybe you should try calling this cat by her name. She's called Yontaya, if she's the kitty you're looking for." De didn't know of any other cats on board.

"I had a cat," he added, conversationally. "She was called Maggie. Does your cat have a name?"

[science-blues.livejournal.com]

"Come here, Yontaya," Spock attempted as she moved. There was no reaction, but Deforest Kelley's logic was sound. If the creature had become accustomed to a name, it might respond more readily to her.

"My cat is named Snowball," Spock answered him as she came to a corner and peered around it. There was still no cat. Spock's brow furrowed and she stood. She turned and stared up at Deforest Kelley. "My method is not working. How do you find cats?"

[de-forest.livejournal.com]

"I used to find Maggie by whistling for her, and that would bring her running. Knew it was time for food, y'see." Somehow, De doubted that Yontaya would just appear in this corridor, no matter how much he or Spock whistled or called. "But this is a very large ship, with lots of corridors. I don't think you'll find her by searching each one like this." He smiled, "Unless you want to spend all day looking?"

Without waiting for an answer, he continued, "she could be anywhere, really. If you were a cat," he asked, crouching down again so that they were on the same level, "where would you go?"

[science-blues.livejournal.com]

A hypothetical conundrum?

Spock did not know what the major motivations of being a feline were. She knew less, even, what the major motivations of this feline were, having never met it. Yet...she did not desire to spend the majority of her day searching for the cat.

She would attempt to discern this via careful logic.

Spock was silent for several minutes as she slowly and systematically arranged her data. If she were a feline, her major considerations would be a) being stepped on, and b) obtaining food. Spock's brow furrowed.

"Deforest Kelley," Spock started and looked at him curiously. "My data is conflicting." It was the closest to a pout Vulcan children ever came.

[de-forest.livejournal.com]

De watched curiously as she considered the question. She was applying a lot of thought to it, and he had to remind himself that she was a Vulcan child, that she maybe wouldn't respond to things how he expected. He wished he knew more about how he should expect her to respond.

As she wrinkled her foreheard in thought and spoke, De bit back a laugh. "What's conflicting about it? And you don't have to call me by my full name, y'know. You can call me De, if you want."

[science-blues.livejournal.com]

Spock blinked.

Oh. He was giving her permission to utilize an alternative moniker.

"De," Spock utilized the alternative moniker, "In the highly improbable event that I were a cat. My major concerns would be the obtaining of food, and a desire to remain un....un-stepped on."

Spock blinked again.

"Were I to do one, on this vessel, I would have to travel to a location with copious food. Were I to do that, my risk of being stepped on would grow vastly."

Spock tilted her head to the side just slightly and waited for De to inform her of her error. It was his duty as an adult to correct conflicts of basic data.

[de-forest.livejournal.com]

"Those sound like pretty good cat concerns to me," said De, "although I would have thought that cats also have a pretty big desire to sleep in someplace warm, as much as possible. As for your...conflicting data, well, why would the cat necessarily have to travel to obtain food? She has an owner, who feeds her, so really, she wouldn't have to go anywhere, would she? And," he added, "I think cats are pretty clever. They can usually avoid being stepped on, and I've seen Yontaya walking around the ship without anyone treading on her. I don't imagine you've ever stepped on Snowball, have you?"

[science-blues.livejournal.com]

"No, I have not," Spock confirmed. Deforest Kelley made several valid points and Spock frowned lightly as she considered them. He had resolved her conflict of data, but presented another conundrum. If the cat was not seeking food or avoiding danger, it was sleeping.

There were many warm places on the ship.

"You understand the behavior of cats," Spock stated evenly, "I will defer to your suggestions.

"If Yontaya has an owner, and does not desire food, where is the location we are most likely to find her in?"

[de-forest.livejournal.com]

"Well, just because she has an owner, it doesn't mean she doesn't want food. Cats always seem to want food, in my experience. So she might still be somewhere where you can find something to eat."

De considered for a moment, trying to think of where would be a good place to look. "I'm not sure," he said, after a moment. "I don't know the ship very well, and, like I said, it's very large. She could be anywhere. She could be with her owner, or with someone else, or...anywhere really." De had the presense of mind at least, not to mention right now that the cat was owned by Spock. That would probably be difficult to explain, far more difficult than he thought he would be able to deal with.

He turned and looked around for a second. "That...computer thing might be able to help, d'you think?" he asked, pointing over in the direction of a console.

[science-blues.livejournal.com]

Spock turned and regarded the console on the far wall. The internal computer would be far more capable of locating a feline then they would. Without hesitation, Spock rose and moved to the panel.

This provided another issue.

Spock looked up at the panel and then back at Deforest Kelley. He did not appear to have an answer ready. Spock attempted to reach the input, via stretching up onto her toes.

Her fingers just barely passed the lip of the wall insert.

She turned back to Deforest Kelley.

"It is too tall."

[de-forest.livejournal.com]

De stood up and headed over to join Spock at the console. It was indeed, too tall. He peered at the screen for a second, but it was a bit different to the computers in their quarters, and he didn't want to break anything or make anything go wrong. "I think," he said, after prodding the screen hesitantly, "that you'll be better at working this than me, despite you only being...how old are you, anyway?"

He looked at Spock again. She was only small, and looked quite light. He could probably lift her up, and hold her, so that she could see the console.

"Shall I lift you up, so you can see it?"

[science-blues.livejournal.com]

"My age is irrelevant," Spock replied with the careful reluctance of a child who did not wish to be treated as such. "I believe I can use this terminal."

She considered Deforest Kelley and blinked. "If I am not too heavy, you may do so. I shall attempt swiftness in my search."

[de-forest.livejournal.com]

"I'm sure I can manage," said De, bending his knees and extending his arms out to hold her securely under her shouders. He lifted her in one swift motion, and settled her into what he hoped was a comfortable, and practical position. He ignored her prior comment, about her age. Children would be children anywhere, he supposed, although children he had known previously had been extremely keen to tell him their exact, precise age, down to the month, when asked.

"Is that better? Can you reach from there?" She was a bit heavier than he had anticipated.

[science-blues.livejournal.com]

"Yes," Spock answered and started working. It was strange, all of her weight settled between her arms, but Deforest Kelley did not appear to have problems maintaining her elevated status. It took five simple strokes and she searched the active database for entries regarding cats.

A notification about tuna consumption came up and Spock blinked. It was linked to a collar signature. She searched for it. Within minutes, the location of the collar was found.

"The computer says that the cat is in the mess hall," Spock said and pointed at the tiny map on the screen. She did not know the way, but the map seemed clear. "We should go there."

[de-forest.livejournal.com]

"I wouldn't have known how to do that," exclaimed De, "well done." He put her down with an exhale of breath, rather glad that she had not taken longer. Having done that he turned to look more closely at the map that Spock had managed to bring up.

"...I think I can work out how to get there," he said, hesitantly, examining the map closely. "Is that down a level?"

[science-blues.livejournal.com]

"I believe that is indicative of a level above our current location," Spock replied and turned to face the direction of the nearest turbolift.

"Let us go, De," Spock encouraged. Despite her placid expression, the allure of a small feline had inspired a slight gyration in her stance. In short, she was currently shifting her weight back and forth on the balls of her feet, impatient to continue searching and locate the animal.

[de-forest.livejournal.com]

"Oh," said De, looking at the map again, but it didn't make much more sense.

He made to follow her, noting the outward signs of her impatience. Coming up alongside her, he instinctively held out his hand to hers, although he wasn't sure if she would take it. "Or," he said suddenly, as a thought sprang to mind, "would you like to ride on my shoulders, as we walk? You could try to touch the ceiling." She wouldn't be too heavy sat like that, not for a short distance, anyway.

[science-blues.livejournal.com]

Spock was too old to hold hands, her mother had told her so. But no one had ever mentioned an age at which it was inappropriate to ride shoulders. She stopped walking and looked up at Deforest. He was very tall.

"May I?" Spock asked. The change in vantage could prove beneficial...also it seemed enjoyable.

[de-forest.livejournal.com]

"Of course you can," De answered, crouching down again so that Spock could climb on. Having satisfied himself that she was secure, and with a grasp on her ankles, he stood up again, slowly. "You okay?" he asked, making sure.