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zinda-his-eyes-red · 3 months

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Here's my Star Trek Winter Gift Exchange (@startrekwintergiftexchange) for @raddocwrites! I hope you enjoy it (and sorry for posting so late)!

Their promt was: Seven & B'Elanna bonding platonically.

Here's the link on AO3 and full text is below that:

The Art of Conversation

Gen | 1.6K | No warnings | This is just a little scene set early- to mid-Season 4 of Star Trek: Voyager, when Seven has been part of the crew for a little while.

***

"One Rigellian sunrise," Neelix announced as he pushed a highball glass forward on his makeshift bar.

Two humanoid hands reached toward the drink. One was half-Klingon; one, half-Borg. Well... not Borg anymore.

"That's mine."

B'Elanna whipped her head around to face the stiffly-upright blonde in front of her. Her eyebrows shot up.

"Oh, Seven," she sounded discombobulated as she tried to correct the sternness of her speech. Her hair bobbed as she looked back at the cocktail.

"Wait, you're having a Rigellian sunrise?"

Effusions of orchids decorated the glass, as per Neelix's usual aesthetic, and enticing skewers of fruit (origin unknown) protruded from the top. The drink itself was a swirl of purple above and orange below-- a nearly deadly mix of liquors if Harry's reports could be trusted. He'd gone hard the previous night with some of the other Ensigns, on day one of Neelix's Crew Appreciation Festival. He had Beta shift this evening, and Tom had had to take a hangover draft to his room that morning just to get him vertical. B'Elanna was hoping her Klingon blood would hold her steadier than the humans.

Neelix smiled broadly from behind the mess hall counter he'd decorated with a colourful fabric table-skirt and some more flowers.

"Don't worry ladies," he interjected, "I've got another one coming right up!"

Seven of Nine eyed B'Elanna's face and body language, searching for answers.

"I was unaware that you had ordered the same drink," she offered, stiffly.

"Oh, well. Um, look," she scanned the room, hoping Seven would take the cocktail and go, "you can have this one if you like."

Seven took the proffered glass. "It looks... unlike other drinks I've had here." The flowers were intended to make it look nice, she guessed.

Neelix grinned as he shook a Boston shaker (newly-replicated and borrowed from an unwilling Tom) til beads of condensation began to appear on the stainless steel.

"That's because it's a cocktail, dear!"

"A cock...tail?" Seven looked mildly concerned.

Neelix leaned over the bar as if he had a secret to divulge. "It's a delicious mix of alcohol with fruit juice or bubbly liquids, and it puts the 'Festive' in 'Neelix's Crew Appreciation Festival'!"

He turned and scuttled to the back to fetch another highball glass.

"And," B'Elanna continued in a low voice, "it's about the only thing Neelix makes that actually tastes good."

She turned back to Seven, her eyes shining. "Don't tell him I said that."

"Here you are, a second Rigellian sunrise for our esteemed Engineering Chief! Now," he said, making a waving movement with his hands as a group of Ensigns came through the door, "go and enjoy the party, ladies! I'm going to have a lot more orders coming in very soon..."

"Well, see you!" B'Elanna called behind her with a shake of her bob. She swept past the crowd of Ensigns to find a table, greeting one or two bright eyed hopefuls as she passed by.

Seven looked at her drink. Now what was she supposed to do? Drink the drink, she guessed, but then what? What was everyone else doing? If she had been able to walk slowly enough she could have observed carefully, but the group of Ensigns were pushing into the bar and forced her out into the crowd. Out into open space.

How was it you were supposed to recognize other humans again? Human/non-human first (that was easiest), then shirt colour, hair colour, hair style, eye colour, skin tone... sometimes voice would give someone away. That's why B'Elanna was so easy to spot-- half-Klingon and that singular, shoulder-length bob. She was unmistakable.

"Give me a break. Did you follow me?"

Seven was shocked for a second. She guessed she'd been staring.

"Fine, just join my table. You look like a lost baby targ."

B'Elanna looked slightly steamed, but Tom was nowhere to be found (Seven had been warned about interrupting "dates"), so it seemed fine.

"I accept."

Seven sat, observing B'Elanna sipping from her straw. People were bustling around their table, but Seven was in her seat, like a ship in a hanger, her refuge from the crowds. Being so close to those she wasn't mind-linked with was still difficult.

She tried putting her mouth on the straw like B'Elanna had.

"It's not working."

"Huh?"

"The drink. It's broken. Yours is working."

The Chief's temper flared. "Oh for-- You're just putting your mouth on the straw, of course it's not going to work."

"Yes, that is what I'm doing," Seven remarked incredulously. This crew was so imprecise in their observations. Why could they not explain with more efficacy?

"What is it I'm expected to do?"

"Well, you just, you know..." she mimed sipping from the straw.

Seven blinked at her blankly. "I do not, regrettably. That's why I was asking for some direction."

B'Elanna practically rolled her eyes. "Um... look, why don't you just drink directly from the glass, Seven?"

She examined the glass. Removing some flowers would give her enough access to the rim. Yes. Satisfactory.

"That is satisfactory. I... thank you for your help. I am not yet accustomed to all the ways of consuming by mouth."

Her counterpart seemed to smirk.

"It sounds so great when you say it like that. Well, why not try it?"

She did.

B'Elanna reached over to slap Seven on the back as her coughing and spluttering cleared the aisle near their table.

"Maybe you should just stick to fruit juice for now. Neelix's experimental home brew is not exactly the thing you want to cut your teeth on."

"Cut my..." Seven spluttered, "...teeth?"

"It's an old earth expression. Stick to the fruit juice." Seven nodded, pushing the drink aside.

Not having anything to do, Seven looked around, trying not to closely observe B'Elanna sipping her drink.

"So how was your day?"

The redshirt passing by took half of B'Elanna's mouthful sprayed over his shirt before she regained control, hastily swallowing.

"I'm so sorry," she called after him, not bothering to wipe it off as that would obviously cause him more embarassment. It was perhaps more Klingon than human manners, but she still resisted being worn down into human ways.

"Are you well?" Seven queried B'Elanna. It seemed she was not the only one having difficulties consuming this liquid, she reasoned.

"Ah-- yes," B'Elanna responded, "What did you say just now?"

"I believe I asked you, 'How was your day?' Harry said it's a way of expressing interest in an interlocutor and a good way to begin a conversation."

B'Elanna snorted. "He said all that?"

"I paraphrased."

"Hmm," she sipped her half-empty drink, trying to decide if she was buzzed enough to take on this conversation. Ensigns were falling over after a few sips of Neelix's cocktails, but B'Elanna's constitution was proven to be made of stronger stuff.

"Well, okay. How was my day? Um... frustrating, to be honest. No one understands how important the plasma conduit cleaning is. Grunt work as it is, we need crew members that are relatively experienced to do it properly, especially with the eccentricities of design on this ship. I just can't have them continuously breaking down on--"

B'Elanna stopped short, her eyes drifting up to Seven.

"I'm sorry."

Seven looked confused. "For what?"

"I guess my day wasn't very interesting."

Seven tilted her head, "How do you mean?"

"Oh," B'Elanna shook her head, looking down at the plastic table-top, "Tom is always getting mad at me for talking about work too much. I'm supposed to talk about my 'feelings' or something."

"I was not uninterested in the topic at hand."

B'Elanna raised her head.

"Oh. Really? Usually when I talk about the plasma conduits, people run for cover." She stifled a laugh.

"I do not understand why they would run."

"The thing is," B'Elanna sighed, ignoring Seven's implied question while struggling to put her thoughts into simple terms, "usually when you talk about your day it's supposed to be an overview instead of focusing on one thing. Tom encourages me to mention positive as well as negative aspects of the day. Which I find... difficult."

She grimace-smiled. "It irritates Tom when I rant."

Seven considered for a minute. "Does Tom himself engage in this optimal behaviour you've described: 'mentioning the positive as well as negative'?"

B'Elanna blinked. "Um. Hmm. Well now that you mention it..." She frowned, trailing off.

"In fact, I found your previous topic quite intriguing. The differences between Borg ships and Voyager are extreme. Plasma conduits appear to be a supremely inefficient system but I'm interested to hear what you have to say about their care."

"Really? You are?" B'Elanna's expression was bemusement. Was this a prank? It was Seven. The woman had no concept of what a prank even was.

"Yes, as I stated previously. I am interested."

"Huh."

Seven broke B'Elanna's gaze to survey the room.

"I find your demeanour far more pleasing than that of many on this ship, with the exception of Tuvok who has excellent communication skills."

She turned back to B'Elanna.

"I find you honest, direct, and unlikely to mislead. I might say that conversation with you is quite pleasant."

B'Elanna gaped. She felt heat creep up her neck.

"W-well. Thanks I guess."

"I would like to return to the previous topic of plasma conduits," Seven stated, trying to steer the conversation back. "If you are amenable to it, of course."

B'Elanna smirked.

"Okay, you're on. But first," she slurped up the end of her drink, "we're going to do something called 'refreshing our drinks'. You better get some fruit juice you can actually stomach. Come on, back to Neelix."

"Will we not lose our hangar? I apologize, I meant table."

B'Elanna bellowed at a couple of Ensigns sneaking close to their vacated seats.

"Anyone who takes our table is on plasma conduit cleaning! Chief Engineer's orders!"

She turned back to Seven.

"Now where were we...?"

***

Thanks for reading! I love comments so please leave one here or AO3 if you like!

#@startrekwintergiftexchange #startrekwintergiftexchange #star trek voyager #voyager #B'Elanna #B'Elanna Torres #Seven #Seven of Nine #b'elanna x seven #seven x b'elanna #ao3 #fanfic #fanfiction #writing #mine #star trek: voyager #st:voy

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