WARNING - Teensy bit of language here. Nothing to be concerned about, but I just thought I'd put up a warning just in case. :)

Chapter Three

"I can't stand the beats, I'm asking for the cheque, the girl with crimson nails, has Jesus 'round her neck. Swinging to the music! Swinging to the music!" Nora sang as she danced around her apartment, music blaring from a PADD on her kitchen counter. She picked up a glass of ice tea and held it up, trying not to move her arm as she kept dancing. She placed it on a desk near her couch, then turned around towards the kitchen again. "Hello hello, hola! I'm at a place called Vertigo! It's everything I wish I didn't know - but you give me something, I can feel! Fe-ee-el!"

Nora grabs another PADD then, along with the one playing music, and turns back toward the couch. She allowed herself to dance for the remainder of the song before plopping down on the loveseat and grabbing the other PADD. Another song started to play but Nora turned it down, allowing it to become background music. She flipped through the contents of her personal PADD, passing the many files she had accumulated over the past five years. This thing was full to the brink with the data she had collected from other planets - it's where she kept everything she'd learned. When she found the file she was looking for, she tapped the button and the map bloated up to the size of the screen.

It was a map of the city she now lived in, Maakir, along with areas of interest that were along the outskirts. She had been at Vulcan almost a full week now and had investigated any large attractions she immediately thought of. Now it was time to get into the gritty inner workings of the city, and maybe do a bit of sightseeing as well. She had already been to a very popular, yet local, art gallery - which was surprising at first, to think that vulcans were artists and craftsmen as well as just scientists, but then Nora saw the 'illogic' in believing every member of the species perused the same career. Another sterling example why she tried not to let stereotypes get in the way of her perception of a species.

She flipped through the map, dragging it this way and that to try and find somewhere interesting to spend the day - or at least a couple hours. While she had seen the art gallery, she had not been able to see the theatre. Instantly she wondered what vulcan theatre would look like. Would they perform plays? Dance? Sing operas? Lecture? Probably lecture, but she knew she couldn't rule out the possibility of other artistic formats, as unlikely as it sounds.

But she didn't really feel like messing with times and seating arrangements at the moment. She moved over to the other side of the map when something caught her eye. She squinted, enlarging the screen so she could read properly. The name roughly translated to Maakir School for Special Children. It was a 'special' school for children? She didn't quite know what would cause a vulcan family to put their child in a smaller 'special' school, as vulcans generally viewed everyone as equals and worthy of equal attention. Was it 'special' as in mentally disabled? Extremely gifted? Wealthy? Curiosity got the better of her and she immediately wanted to check it out. She jumped up from the couch, turning off her music and scrambling out the door of her apartment and outside.

She didn't walk this time, as it hadn't gone very well the first time she had done it - and it may have also been that she knew the school was three times farther away than the market had been. After a few minutes wait, the transport she had called pulled in close to her and she stepped inside. The very first thing she realized was that the driver was the same one she had employed to take her to her apartment when she first arrived. She smiled brightly, proud of herself for finally noticing a sort of familiarity with a vulcan face. "Hi again!"

"Greetings. May I ask where you want to go?"

Nora suppressed a smile at how very taxi-ish the vulcan woman had sounded. Being a transport just didn't sound like the kind of job a vulcan would take - in fact imagining a vulcan with a job never sounded quite right. They just always seemed so dedicated, and a job didn't take much dedication at all. "Um..." she stated, realizing she had lost her thoughts again. She really needed to stop that if she was going to sound at least somewhat smart to her vulcan neighbors. "Maakir School for Special Children, please." She handed her card to the driver, who swiped it under the dash and handed it back to her with a nod.

After a few minutes of driving in silence, her transport spoke up. "May I inquire as to why you wish to visit this particular school?"

Nora shrugged. "I dunno, it seemed really interesting when I looked at it on the map. My job here has to do with learning all about your culture - at least as much as I can without being rude or nosy, of course - and it just seemed right that I visit a small school. Y'know, to see how it works. I've already been to your main public secondary school. Which was quite a fascinating trip, let me tell you," she said, her grin broadening and her eyes widening in thought. That had been one heck of a trip, as she remembered. The older students were really into their work, drumming on answers to impossibly hard questions in their weird little coves in the ground. Nora had never seen anything quite like it.

"Indeed? What about the public school fascinated you?" The driver looked genuinely curious as to why such an average school was 'fascinating'.

Nora paused, trying to think up a way of expressing her awe without accidentally being rude. "Well, it's just so different to how we conduct education on Earth. Our system is composed of a class of about twenty to thirty kids, and one teacher. The teacher introduces the subject and attempts to explain the basics before going further into the details. The kids are then often given their own work to do before the end of the class, or the next day, and when the teacher feels that all of the students have learned the subject completely, he or she gives the kids a test, then grades them on how well they did." She paused, looking at her driver for a reaction, which of course she did not get. "But from what I've seen, vulcan children are taught separately, and by a series of machines..."

The vulcan nodded slowly, taking in the information. "I believe that most public schools are as you say, yes. However there are some who practice a style of teaching that is not dissimilar to your own species'. Take the school I am currently transporting you to. The children there are taught in a specific way that is needed for their condition, which is usually as a class with a singular teacher. Although they also practice what I believe humans refer to as 'one-on-one' studies."

This information was new to Nora, and she had to give herself a mental note to write it down somewhere as soon as she had the opportunity, so she could store it in her PADD when she got back to the apartment. "So what exactly makes these kids special? Why do they need a separate education from the rest of the kids?"

The driver paused, hesitating to answer the question. Nora got the impression it was a bit of a touchy subject for the vulcans. "The children that attend the school are there for many different reasons. Some are slower to learn than others, therefore they need a different schedule set specifically for them. Some students are there for behavioral issues and need to be taught discipline, though it is rare." She paused again. "Most students, however, attend the school because of their mental shields."

Nora took a moment to process the information. "What do you mean?" she asked softly.

But then the transport pulled into the parking alongside the school building. The driver sat for a moment in silence, as if she was contemplating telling Nora what she wanted to know. But then she looked up at her, saying, "I don't believe I am the correct person to be questioned about this. I would suggest asking the headmaster or one of the teachers about such matters. They will likely give you a more comprehendible answer to your question. Good day, ma'am."

And then she drove off, leaving Nora alone outside the building. "Right. Thanks," she mumbled before turning to walk inside.

At first the building reminded her of some Earth hospitals, but then again the smell was too different and it wasn't nearly as big. The floors were shiny and the surfaces were pristine and orderly – but other than that, it was really just a nice looking building.

Nora walked down the hall for a little while until she came upon a door. "Headmaster T'Pahri," Nora read aloud, thinking about the actual title of the 'headmaster'. Surely vulcans would have different names for their educational leaders, but apparently not. Awkwardly, Nora stepped closer and leaned her head against the steel of the door. Suddenly it opened and she came crashing through the door and right into the arms of another vulcan. Immediately she got out of the vulcan's arms and straightened herself, blushing. Luckily she hadn't touched anything but the soft cloth of a dark red robe, or else the situation could have been a thousand times worse than it already was. She didn't exactly know why, but she was almost positive it would have been. "I-I'm sorry…" she didn't dare look up into the face of her victim.

Surprisingly, the voice that answered her was deep, and undoubtedly male. She hadn't had much opportunity to talk to any of the men of the species yet, though she had made small talk once or twice. "No apologies necessary. Good day," and he walked elegantly out of the office, leaving Nora dumbstruck and in the company of a very stern-looking woman.

"Why were you eavesdropping on the professor and I?" she asked accusingly, her wrinkles moving in a most unpleasant way.

"Erm, well I wasn't eavesdropping, per se, just… Waiting for an opportune moment to interrupt." She tried to sound as eloquent and sophisticated as she could – which wasn't much, honestly.

The vulcan's response was immediate. "There is never an opportune moment to interrupt." She paused, shifting in her seat and getting up. "May I ask who exactly you are?"

"My name is Elnora Hart. I'm just here to learn more about the education system of the vulcan people." She wasn't exactly lying - she was indeed at that particular school to learn something about their education system. Sort of.

"The vulcan people are a very private race. What makes you think we would want to share our ways with humans?" It was almost as if the woman was so old that she had genuinely forgotten that she wasn't supposed to have emotions, as she indeed looked quite... irritated.

"I'm merely one human, ma'am. I am studying the lifestyle of the vulcan people for no purpose other than that of my own curiosity and to better improve my own way of life. I thought that if I learned how the your people teach themselves, I could learn as well." Well, that was a flat out lie. Nora had no intention of learning to be like vulcans, nor did she ever think she would. But maybe if she used it as an excuse to explore a bit, she'd be given a more lenient stay. Or she may get kicked out. But there was only one way to find out, right?

The vulcan seemed to hesitate for a long time, looking at Nora skeptically and with every bit of disdain she could muster. It was like she wanted to know that Nora was making her angry, though why a vulcan would want a human to know that they're experiencing emotion went above Nora's head. Finally, she muttered, "Very well. However, I can't have you wandering the halls and disrupting the children. I will assign to you a professor so that he or she will be able to watch you." She strode over to the corner of the room, pressing a button on the wall. "Headmaster T'Pahri to Professor Svek."

The answer was almost immediate. "Professor Svek here," came a male voice. It was somewhat distorted, however, by the seemingly cheaper comm unit.

"You are not conducting class at the moment, correct?"

"Correct."

"Attend my office immediately." And with that abrupt order, she set the comm down and turned back to Nora. She still didn't seem too pleased to be showing around a stranger, but she seemed even more relieved by the fact that she wouldn't have to deal with Nora much longer. They sat in silence for close to seven minutes until the door opened and a tall man dressed in a dark brown robe walked gracefully in. The headmaster regarded him slowly, her eyes travelling from him back to Nora. "You are to show this human areas of the school and answer her questions. She does not need to know more than what is on the databanks. Do not give her that information."

The professor raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything for a while, glancing at Nora before turning back to the headmaster abruptly. "If she is not to know more than what the databanks provide, what is the purpose to showing her firsthand?" he asked cautiously, as if he feared what the headmaster would say to that. Nora didn't blame him.

The headmaster almost scoffed. "I do not know why she has chosen to come here instead of consulting the databanks. Perhaps you should ask her once she has been lead out of my office." Now that was just plain rude. Did vulcans even do rude?

"Very well." He turned to Nora. "Follow me." As Nora got up to follow the professor out the office, she noticed something about his robes. They were a rich, dark brown - almost like chocolate - and the texture looked very... soft. Suddenly her cheeks turned red as she felt blood rush to her cheeks. Once they were out of the office, he turned to her and immediately noticed her red cheeks. "Why has the pigmentation of your skin changed? Are you ill?"

This made her blush harder. "Ehm... No. I'm just..." She fumbled for the words. "Sorry for falling into you earlier."

This made him look away for a split second before turning back to her. "As I said before, no apologies are necessary. It was not intentional."

Before she had a turn to answer him, he started down the hall and towards where Nora guessed the classes were. A silence passed between them that made Nora feel super awkward, so she tried some sort of small talk. "So... what's your name?" But she already knew it was Svek. Maybe she had heard wrong?

"Svek."

Nope. This was more awkward than it had been with T'Ara. Svek... Nora turned the name over in her head. "So what's it mean?"

Professor Svek looked at her skeptically, much as T'Ara had done when she asked her, and Nora thought for a moment that maybe that question was rude. Or maybe it was just so incredibly well-known that asking was a stupid question - Nora had no idea what was right and wrong here. Finally, he turned his head back towards the end of the hall and answered, "To Come Honorably."

Not quite as impressive as T'Ara's had been, but it still struck Nora in a way that had her in a sort of awe. What was with all of the amazing names? Did vulcans ever have names that were just… names? "That is so cool!" she let out, excited, before she was able to stop herself. Was it rude to show emotion to a vulcan?

Svek seemed confused at her remark, but then said slowly, "Praise is unnecessary. It is simply a name."

Nora gave an obnoxious laugh. "Well it's a hellova lot better than Elnora. It doesn't even mean anything, let alone something super cool like yours…" she trailed off, noticing that they were nearing a door. It was fairly quiet in the hall, almost as if it was completely deserted, but Nora just blamed it on the thick walls.

When they stopped, Professor Svek turned towards Nora. "This classroom is mainly comprised of older children. The class is a makeup one, meant to allow children who were absent during their specified courses or who have not been able to fully understand those courses on one year alone. I tell you this because the children in this particular classroom are not to be disturbed, therefore we cannot enter. I ask that you understand our reasoning for this."

Nora didn't hesitate. "Of course! I wouldn't dream of messing up your kids' class time."

"Dream?"

It was a simple enough question, of course. Nora wasn't even sure it was a question, but the look in his eyes displayed his obvious confusion, and Nora had to remind herself that vulcans may look similar to humans, but they were far from it. She started with the obvious next question. "Vulcans don't dream?"

He finally raised a gracefully pointed eyebrow. "I cannot tell whether or not my kind partakes in such an action if you do not describe what it is."

"It's…" Nora struggled for the words. "It occurs when you sleep. Your subconscious thinks up different scenarios in your resting state and you feel as if you are experiencing an event that you are only imagining." She paused. "Sometimes you can control it, but most of the times it's like a first-person movie. And they can get pretty strange – depending on how screwed up your subconscious is at the time."

Nora could barely see the tiny nod he gave before returning his eyes to hers. "Indeed, vulcans do not experience this. However I am curious to learn more. I have very little experience with alien species." He stopped, obviously thinking as his eyes dropped from hers for a split second. "Why would your subconscious wish you to believe you are disrupting a class?"

This made Nora laugh again. "It's just figure of speech. I just meant that I wouldn't want to disrupt the class anyhow."

He took a moment, eyeing Nora as if she had just grown purple grass on her face. "I see."

And then they were walking again, farther down the hall. "So what's next, Professor?" Nora said after a minute of silence.

"The next class is for the younger children who have difficulties with their mental shields."

So this is what the driver had been talking about? Nora still wasn't entirely sure what these mental shields were and why some younger kids had troubles with them. She decided that if there was any time to ask, it would be now. "I'd heard about this type of class. What do you mean by, 'difficulties with their mental shields'?"

Svek glanced at her through the corner of his eye but didn't move his gaze more than that. "Most vulcans have developed the inherent ability to construct mental barriers throughout their mind so that emotional suppression is far easier to conduct. I am sure you know of my kind's adversity to physical contact?" Nora nodded. "Do you know the reasons for this?"

Nora dug through her brain for an answer. "I've always thought it was because of the touch telepathy. You don't want others to read your mind, right?"

The professor shook his head. "It is indeed our ability of touch telepathy, however it is not because we do not wish others to sense our thoughts. It is simply the transference of emotions that we do not want to experience. When vulcans touch one another, or that of another species, we can sense their general emotions – however actual thoughts are not available with a simple touch." He paused, looking at Nora as if to see if she was still listening. Surprisingly, she seemed openly awed at the new information. He continued, "Sometimes physical contact cannot be avoided, and therefore mental barriers can be strengthened to a point where we are not able to sense another's emotions. The shields protect from exterior forces as well as interior ones."

Nora's brain was scrambling after the information, trying to make sense of it all and put pieces of the puzzle that was the vulcan species together. In the small amount of time she was thinking, they arrived outside the next door. Svek turned to her now, waiting to finish the conversation before entering the classroom. "So what you're saying is that some vulcan kids aren't born with this natural ability?"

"Yes. When the initial teachings begin at the age of three, most children are able to construct at least the weakest of barriers. However a few cannot perform this task, and are sent to specialized schools such as this one to be intensively trained through their early years until they are able to do so on their own."

Nora thought about it for a while before nodding her head slowly, then bringing her eyes back to his grey ones. He seemed patient enough to wait for her to respond, so she said softly, "Alright. I think I understand – well at least partially. Can we go in now?"

Professor Svek nodded. "Of course," he said before moving to the control panel and opening the doors.

The first thing that Nora noticed was that all of the children seemed to automatically stare at her. It wasn't as if they were being rude or creepy, they just seemed... curious. The second thing was that there weren't any teachers in the room either - well, except for Svek. "Um... hi?" she said lamely.

The children didn't even seem to notice that she had said something. She turned to Professor Svek for help, but he was already across the room and at what looked to be a desk area for the teacher. He looked up at her and noticed her look of anxiety. "This is my class," he said slowly, as if she were stupid.

"Oh."

Then he began striding back towards her, catching the eye of a few students. There weren't that many, really, now that Nora really thought about it. There were only... four, five... six kids. Only six? she thought. Maybe the mental barrier thing was rarer than she had originally thought. Suddenly Svek was beside her again and she immediately felt easier, though she wasn't sure why. "Children," he addressed the class. "This is Elnora. She is here to observe our class for the time being."

"I thought you didn't have class right now. T'Pahri said - "

"You need not whisper, the children will hear you in whatever style you chose to speak."

Nora sighed. Well then. "I thought you were free for a while, that's why you were giving me the tour!" She couldn't help but sound a little aggravated - it was bound to happen at some point anyway, why not let it be in front of a bunch of adorable little kids? Not.

Svek seemed a little put off by her show of irritation, but not as much as she thought he would have been. "I was free at the time, however my regular children were scheduled to arrive shortly after the headmaster called me to her office. I had assumed that was why she asked me to give you the tour. You now have the opportunity to observe an extremely specialized class on an average day. Is that not what you wanted?"

Damn him and his logic. Of course this is what she wanted to see. Sighing as if to relieve the tension through her breath, she sagged against a wall and nodded at him. "That is what I wanted to see, yeah."

He didn't even speak then, only nodded, and straightened his back to face the class. This would be an interesting couple of hours.

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