Chapter Two

The wave of crippling heat was instantaneous.

Nora nearly stopped breathing at the sudden change of temperature. It was as if stepping into a thousand Cardassia Primes, though after only seconds did Nora feel that it wasn't humid at all. The waves of heat were completely dry - it really was like a desert. She had heard stories about the dry, rocky plains of Vulcan, but she had never really thought they would be so accurate.

It took at least a few minutes before Nora was able to even start adjusting to the extremities of the planet. Even as the heat beat down on her like an angry clown, the gravity was the worst. She immediately felt a hundred pounds heavier, and her breathing was extremely labored due to the strain of the thin atmosphere. Now Nora understood why humans never visited Vulcan. It wasn't the people - though she thought they might have a little to do with it - it was the planet itself.

Determined to get to her new transport - and in turn her reserved apartment - Nora took as little time as she could getting away from the ship and over towards where the taxi was already waiting for her. Luckily, some of the ferengi crewmembers were easier to adapt and helped Nora move her bags, as she very nearly couldn't walk herself. After a few strained minutes of loading up yet another transport, Nora was able to plop into the vehicle with a huff. "God, it's a bit more than I thought..." she said absently, completely forgetting were she was.

"To what are you referring?" asked the vulcan driver as she started up the transport.

Nora jumped slightly, but didn't dwell on it too much. "Um... Vulcan. It's quite a bit more... more than I expected." Of course she wouldn't be able to find proper words when finally faced with her first vulcan. Though that was another worry that had already crossed her mind. She had never actually met a vulcan face-to-face, even at her university. Though, to be fair, she never really did expect to meet a vulcan at SacS. Sacramento State was big, of course - it was California - but it wasn't quite the best on Earth, and usually if a vulcan did go to school on Earth, it was to Starfleet Academy.

Of course there goes her train of thought again. When the driver spoke up, Nora had the distinct impression that the vulcan knew that her mind had been wandering. "Yes, my homeworld seems to have a difficult climate for humans to adjust to." Nora didn't know exactly what to say to that, and instead decided to just keep quiet before shoving her foot in her mouth. After only a few minutes, they arrived at a smaller complex near the edge of a market district. After prepping herself for the strength of standing up again, Nora got up shakily, praying to God that she didn't fall flat on her face in the street.

Her driver was kind enough to help her with her luggage, stating that she was far more equipped to carry heavy objects than Nora was. She couldn't argue with that - and besides, there were only half a dozen cases, which for a full year - plus her accumulated possessions from the other five planets - wasn't really that much.

After finally getting up to the top floor - which was only the third, as it wasn't very big at all - and into her apartment, Nora immediately headed for the environmental configuration panel. After waiting for her gracious driver to leave the apartment, she cranked up the conditioning to a mere 26c. A few more seconds and she was able to relax onto a small, dark red couch on the far side of the main room. Although the environmental systems couldn't change gravity or atmospheric density, it sure did help lift half the elephant off her chest.

Hopefully Nora would be able to adapt to the environment at some point during her stay. Or at least a little bit. She had found, through her many stays on other planets, that she was quite flexible when it came to climates. New Romulus was a fair bit similar to Vulcan, now that she thought about it, though it was slightly less... extreme. She had also been overwhelmed there, but it was mostly because it had been her first planet and she wasn't used to anything other than Earth, and hadn't realized the planets would be so extremely different.

While her thoughts traveled, her body became aware of its exhausted state. When Nora tried to get up once again, she realized with a huff that she was just too tired to do much more at the moment. It was getting late anyhow - at least for Vulcan, her clock would have been noon or so - and she knew the best way to get used to a planet was to sleep off the first day, maybe even the second, and try to get into its day cycle as well. So to be honest, Nora felt as if this was the best opportunity to go ahead and relax. But she never made it to her bedroom, and ended up slipping into a deep sleep on her couch.

~oOo~

When Nora awoke, she felt much more rejuvenated. She had a dreamless night of simply healing her brain and adjusting her body, and the world felt so much easier to take on now. Sitting up on the little couch and stretching her arms, Nora took her time standing up. She hoped it wouldn't be nearly as hard as yesterday, and was relieved when all she got was a knee popping. Her poor legs were still straining to keep this new weight up, but luckily they were fairly strong (she did cross-country in secondary school) and didn't feel like they would give out anymore.

She stode over to the replicator, hoping that they might have some Earth foods on bank - her muscles usually adapted to a planet quickly, but her stomach never did catch on. Thinking for a moment, Nora decided to go with something simple and widely-known. "Spaghetti, please." Nora nearly sighed in relief as the replicator went to work on materializing her meal. If nothing else, she could eat spaghetti the whole year.

After another couple hours checking out her apartment and trying to settle in, Nora decided it was time to get a bit of a peak around town, or at least her own area. She dressed in her lighter clothes - throwing on a white tank top with a blue shawl, a short skirt and leggings. The vulcans may not appreciate her outfit, but it was hot and she had always been a sucker for the late 20th century - especially the music and clothes. She hooked her eyepiece up to her ear and tied ginger hair into her signature loose braid. After deciding that she had done everything she could in the apartment, she headed out the door.

The street on which she now lived was fairly deserted. There was a couple walking in the opposite direction a ways away, but other than that there were no people around. Sighing, Nora crossed the street and headed down a couple blocks. She tried to remember the route her driver had taken to her apartment. They had passed a few shops and it seemed like as good a place to start as any.

After about twenty minutes of trying to find the shops and walking nonstop, Nora felt completely out of breath and incredibly sweaty. She was in good shape, she knew, but it was still a bit of a bummer to become so tired so quickly. Finding a small bench on the side of the road, Nora plopped herself on it and tried to cool off at least a little before heading onwards. She took her shawl and dabbed lightly at her forehead. When she brought it back down, there was a dark blue mark where a small stain of sweat was. Groaning, she started waving the piece of cloth around, trying to dry it off before someone saw her in all her gross glory.

But it was too late. She was growling in frustration, flapping the shawl furiously, as a young vulcan woman came striding near her, a small look of curiosity in her eyes. When Nora noticed her, her face turned crimson red and she immediately threw the shawl back onto her chest, trying to look normal but failing horribly. Meekly, she said, "Hi."

The vulcan nodded slightly. "You seem to be overheated," she said plainly. Her voice sounded a lot smaller than Nora would have expected, and her age seemed to drop from thirty to eighteen. It was strange how large an impact it was, but now that she studied the vulcan woman Nora noticed that she was a fair bit shorter than others she had seen so far, and her face was more rounded and soft. She definitely was at least twenty, if not younger.

Nora cleared her throat awkwardly, folding her arms over her chest to try and hide the sweat stain. "Uhm... yeah. It's a bit hot for a human, and I've been walking for a while." She smiled sheepishly.

The vulcan nodded again, but this time more firmly, as if confirming a thought. Then she paused, hesitating. "Why are you walking outside if the temperature is uncomfortable?"

"Well... I was trying to find the shops. I'm new here, and I wanted to check out some of the places to go. I, uh... seem to have gotten lost, though."

"I see. I am not due until later this evening. Perhaps I could assist you?" She looked almost eager to not go wherever she was 'due'.

But Nora definitely needed help, even if she just wanted to go back to her apartment. God, she thought, I don't even know where home is... So she nodded, standing up slowly and trying to look as dignified as she could. "I would appreciate that, thank you."

The vulcan nodded once more before heading off in the direction Nora just came from. She was slightly confused for a moment before realized that the vulcan wasn't slowing down for her, and walked quickly to try and catch up with her. As she stood next to the vulcan, she tried to study her more. The only other vulcan she had been this close to was her transport, and that hadn't been a very pleasant time, what with feeling as if she was suffocating. But this time she had more of her bearings, besides being slightly short of breath and sweaty.

And so she studied her walking partner. First off, Nora noticed that the vulcan was still taller than her, despite looking about the same age as her niece. Her hair was a long, elegant black that cut sharply just below her shoulders and around her face. She was fairly lanky, though Nora couldn't see much of a figure under those dark robes. They were a dark purple, handing loosely around her and cutting off around her ankles and hang at her wrists. She wore a sort of wiry pair of sandals that looked like they were built to walk miles in the sand - that might well have been true, now that Nora thinks about it.

Suddenly the owner turns to face Nora, her dark brown eye looking at her with curiosity. "Is there something else you need?"

Nora was blank. "What?"

"You have been observing me for the past three point eight minutes. I assumed you desired something else from me." She raised a delicately shaped eyebrow.

"Oh. Uh, no... I was just..." Nora blushed, not realized she had been ogling the poor girl. "I was simply curious about the vulcan style. Whether or not you reflect the rest of your species," she said, trying with all her ability to sound at least somewhat composed and professional.

The vulcan seemed to contemplate this. "I see. If you are referring to my choice in clothing, then yes, it is similar to what most of the females of my species wear. My hair is cut in the same style as my mother's when she was my age, as we both go to the same barber. However my shoes are of my own fitting. I find them more comfortable to wear on a daily basis, and therefore it is logical for me to wear them instead of the usual footwear. Is there anything else?"

Well then. Nora was caught slightly off guard for a moment before thinking of another question. If this woman was willing to answer her questions, why not take advantage of the opportunity? "Um... Well, what about hair, skin, and eye color? Do you all have the same, or does it vary like it does in humans?"

She didn't hesitate this time. "Skin color varies, as it does with your species, however I do not believe the pigmentation is derived from a certain region of the planet like terrans. Hair color varies from black, as mine is, to a medium brown - though it is rare. Eye color also ranges from black to medium brown." She paused then, as if hesitating to ask a question. "May I make a personal observation?"

"Uh, sure."

"While I have not had many interactions with terrans, I have noticed that most of their physical attributes mirror ours. However, I have also noticed that yours are not similar to any I have seen."

She seemed almost timid in saying this, and Nora thought it was quite cute. She smiled at her vulcan companion. "Yeah, I've got some strange coloring. On Earth, they call me a 'ginger' because of my hair color and my freckles. And my eyes are strange even for humans, as most are a blue or a green, and mine seem to be a bit... teal. But it's been in my family for generations, so I never really think much of it."

The vulcan nodded again. "I see. However I am puzzled as to what these 'freckles' are."

Nora chuckled softly again, loving this young woman. "Well it's these little things," she says, pointing to the darker spots covering her cheeks and a bit down her neck and arms.

Another nod from the vulcan and they began walking again. "I had thought of the possibility of you being half trill, but then thought of their markings, and it did not match up."

Nora genuinely laughed at that one, but the vulcan didn't even glance at her. "Yeah, freckles are just a weird human mutation, just like our eyes. Way back when, we all had brown, but then there were little genetic mutations and then...voila! Pretty eyes!" she laughed, forgetting exactly with who she was in the company of - though honestly she didn't care much either way. A silence fell between them before they rounded another corner and Nora spoke up again. "So... I never did ask you - What's your name?"

The vulcan woman looked a bit taken aback at the question, as if she hadn't thought of it either, but the look quickly vanished back to a stoic, emotionless void. Nora giggled. "My name is T'Ara."

Now it was Nora's time to finally nod. "Does it mean anything? I've heard vulcan names often mean something significant."

T'Ara glanced at Nora, as if asking if she really wanted to know. After a moment, she straightened up her back and continues walking briskly. "It means Lady of the Bold Desert Wind."

Immediately, Nora was awed. "Wow. That's really beautiful! I wish my name had a meaning like that..."

"I..." T'Ara paused. "Thank you." Another few strides and she glanced at Nora again. "And what of your name?"

"Oh, mine's just Elnora, though most people call me Nora or El. Or Ellie. Depends on how close you are to me, or how weird." She snickered as she remembered how much Earot loved calling her Ellie. Then she also remembered that she was no longer on Cardassia.

"Does Elnora have any significant meaning?"

Nora smirked, looking at the ground. "No, not really. It's a shorter version of Eleanor, though I'm not sure where that names comes from. Some sort of fancy goddess or queen or something. I dunno, back in Ireland it was a fairly common name."

"Ireland? Is that not a country on Terra?"

"Yep. Born an' raised there too, until I wanted to go to college. I've always been a big explorer of cultures, and I thought that America would be pretty cool since most of the alien that come to Earth go there. Y'know, 'cause of Starfleet and stuff..."

T'Ara took a moment, then nodded slowly. "I believe I know what you are trying to say."

Nora grinned then, wiping some sweat from her forehead with her arm. "Yeah. I moved when I was... oh, was it seventeen? Yeah."

T'Ara looked at her for a moment, as if shocked. Of course it didn't show though. "You were very young, then."

"Well, not that young. I was an adult!" she said loudly, though she was just joking.

T'Ara didn't say anything, and Nora thought that she was just thinking over a correct response. But after almost two whole minutes, Nora gave up on a reply and just walked alongside her in silence. At that moment, T'Ara spoke up again. "Vulcans mature at the age of 41," she said simply, as if it was a statement all its own.

Nora was shocked. "Wow! Really? We humans mature at 18 years old."

T'Ara nodded again. "I see. I understand your statement now. If I may ask..." she trailed off, looking at Nora for confirmation. She got a short nod. "How old are you?"

"28, gonna be 29 in a few months. You?"

A small flash of green dotted the vulcan's ears. "I am 41 today."

"Oh wow! Happy birthday then!" she paused, seeing the still-green ears and starting to wonder about them. Was it a sign or sickness? Embarrassment? ... Having to pee? When T'Ara seemed to have not responded, Nora slowed down slightly in her pace. "What? Did I just say something offensive?"

"No," T'Ara said quickly, wishing to dispel any misunderstandings between them. "No, I am having to perform a ritual later on this evening to become an adult."

"Oh! So you're just coming of age? Wow." She paused. "So, you're... That's what you're putting off by walking me to the market?"

"Yes," she said simply, turning a corner again.

Then there it was. The street was lined with small buildings and a few stalls, though not that many. There weren't too many people out and about, but there was a good crowd of twenty or so. There were hardly any that were very distinct, though, and they all sort of blended in together. Funny how if you have the same hair and robes as everyone else, you kind of tend to not draw attention. ...Nora was going to pop out like a sore thumb.

"We are here," said T'Ara, before stepping back. "I am glad to be of service." Then she bowed and quickly walked away before Nora could say anything to her.

"Well then," she whispered, walking into the small crowd to see if she could blow her money on anything.

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