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[candothat]

You have contacted the device of Ensign Pavel Andreievich Chekov.
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[mortemscintilla]

Oh! There's really no need. Just water's fine. [ He lets Uhura take the pot, slipping both hands into his pockets, shoulders curving in timidly. Despite his height, he looks almost like a lost puppy, eyeing the room in diffident glances that disguise how carefully he's taking the layout in. (The best place to plant the bug, he decides, would be either the corridor or near the bathroom.) ]

[ After a moment, he clears his throat to venture, ] Do you, um, know how soon Pavel will be back?

[candothat]

Water, please. [Cheeky. Chekov wanders in just in time to answer the question that was in no way directed at him. Actually, water would be nice. He walked Lucy home and then went for a bit of a run.] Joking.

[Pavel is slightly dismayed to see Hei, but it's a fleeting thing; Uhura, from what he can tell, looks fine, so he apparently hadn't found a reason to erase her memories. He smiles.] Li, hello. Did I keep you waiting?

[universaltranslator]

Помяни чёрта. [She's been talking more in Russian ever since Chekov's attack. It's partly to help comfort the young man, who's going through such a rough time. But mostly? She's feeling unfulfilled. She's never spent so much time speaking only in Standard, and it's grating on her nerves. Talking to Pavel in Russian at mitigates it at least.

But the exclamation is all she allows herself; Li is here, after all.]

Pavel, Li brought dinner.

[mortemscintilla]

Hm...? [ Hei hears Pavel's approach, but nonetheless affects a look of pleasant surprise, extending a hand to shake, ] No, not at all. [ The dismay isn't hard to catch. Nor is it particularly surprising. But what reason would Hei have to erase Uhura's memories, really? (Unless Pavel told her something he shouldn't have.) ]

[ Uhura's exclamation in Russian gets a bemused look (Hei's conversant enough in the language, but 'Li' would have no reason to be. Nevermind that he spoke russkij jazyk with Pavel at the hospital.) Eyes squinched in a wide smile, he adds, ] Stroganoff. With lots of cheese.

[candothat]

он и появится. [Chekov will insist time and time again that he doesn't require comforting, but it is pleasant to speak a language he doesn't need to think too much about. It's comforting in its own way, evoking memories of home. And if it helps Uhura...] That was kind of him.

[Of course Pavel hasn't told Nyota anything, but an accident could always happen. She could hear something she's not meant to hear, anything.

He can't remember if Hei speaks Russian. He thinks so, but he has no memory of a time or place. No matter.] Stroganoff? I've never had it, but it sounds very good. You are staying for dinner?

[universaltranslator]

Of course he is. [Uhura will brook no other answer.] Pavel, can you set the table? I'll get the drinks.

[mortemscintilla]

[ Yes, accidents could happen -- and always do -- hence the lengths Hei goes to take precautions. He may not be a Contractor, but he's an ex-Syndicate operative. Secrecy and wariness are his modi operandi. He nods at Pavel's question, doing his best to blush, ] Miss Uhura -- um, Nyota insisted. [ At least, unlike Korra, the banked apprehension in Pavel's manner isn't too obvious. Here's to hoping the evening goes by without drama or carnage. ]

[ Ever-solicitous, he glances between his hosts, ] Please -- let me help. [ He promises not to break anything. ]

[candothat]

[As far as Chekov's concerned, nothing bad need happen now that Uhura's safety has been established. He does like Hei (or Li, as the case may be) and has nothing against a dinner party. After a little put-upon sighing, the teenager begins retrieving plates and silverware.]

Li, sit, please. You're our guest; it would be rude to put you to work. [Don't fight him on this. Russians are notoriously good hosts and Pavel will not let his country down.]

[In a stage whisper to Li as he lays out the silverware:] Nyota is very beautiful, isn't she? She'll forgive you for being too besotted to speak properly.

[universaltranslator]

I heard that.

[mortemscintilla]

Yes b-but -- [ he clamps his mouth shut around a flood of protests (except he can't just sit there.) Arms dangling, he stands in the room watching the two go about their tasks, awkwardness piling up in his corner. At Pavel's stage-whisper, and Uhura's reply, he ducks his head as if to hide the ferocity of his sudden blush. ] ....Pavel. [ It's not quite a sotto voce protest. Stop embarrassing meeee! ]

[candothat]

[Chekov doesn't giggle, but it's a near thing. He goes about setting the table, not looking up at either of them. The pleased smile, however, is evident in tone.]

That is what I'm talking about exactly.

[universaltranslator]

[Uhura sets down three glasses of water and gently pushes Li towards a seat.]

Don't tease him, Pavel. [Can't you see how blushy and embarrassed the poor boy is? Have a little mercy.

She grabs a few more little things for the table, then dishes out some of the stroganoff for herself and indicates that the boys should do the same.]

You know, Li, Pavel hasn't told me much about you. But I've heard you like to go stargazing?

[mortemscintilla]

[ Cheeks flaming, Li offers Uhura a sheepish smile before dutifully slipping into his chair. Conceding not so much to politeness as practicality, he waits until both Uhura and Chekov have piled the stroganoff on their plates before he helps himself. (Otherwise there'd be nothing left in the pot.) At Uhura's question, he glances up, then bashfully looks away again. (Personally, he thinks the less Pavel tells her about sweet timid little Li, the better. ]

I do. That's something I had in common with Pavel right from the start. I used to stargaze as a boy too... [ For a moment the anxious downtug of his mouth disappears, and he seems to be reliving a fond memory. It doesn't last. ] But that changed after, um, [ the Fire Nation attacked ] outside circumstances in my homeworld made it impossible.

[candothat]

I tease because I care. [All of the sincerity in the world is poured into that statement. He grabs dinner for himself and takes a seat. No, he hasn't told Nyota very much about Li; as far as he's concerned, the less she knows the better.]

At least the City has its own stars. [It's a sad topic, the disappearance of the stars in Hei's homeworld. To Uhura:] Perhaps we shouldn't talk about that.

[universaltranslator]

[Uhura watches them both. Why do I get the feeling I'm missing something big. But she has no reason to pry, and people are entitled to their pain.]

I'm sorry. I didn't mean to touch on a sore subject. [Time to switch topics.] What do you here in the City?

[mortemscintilla]

[ Pavel's sincerity is just one of the many things Hei has trouble believing. Honesty is just the cover for a lie in his experience. Good intentions are an anomaly. Indeed, seated at an angle from Pavel and Uhura, he feels as if he's at the edge of his chair, even if he isn't. There's a halo of normalcy about the two of them -- either real or imagined -- that he'll never be absorbed by. Not with what he is. It's not a morose feeling; simply matter-of-fact. ]

[ He summons grateful twitch of a smile when the two drop the topic. It's not painful per se. It's just too complicated to get into. At Uhura's question, 'Li' clears his throat slightly, ] I, um, work as a chef at Cafe Satine. Well. As a cook, anyway. Chefs wear funny hats and attend culinary schools.

[candothat]

[Sincerity, honesty, and good intentions happen more frequently than Hei's general mistrust might allow him to believe (and, let's face it, Pavel hasn't had the opportunity to grow up and leave any of those things behind). Uhura is a good person, too, but she's wise enough to be swayed by reason.]

Li's a very good cook. [to Hei] No one in the City would be bothered if you wore a funny hat.

[Because, obviously, one should accept any opportunity to wear funny hats.]

[universaltranslator]

Well I believe it. The stroganoff is amazing.

[mortemscintilla]

[ Pavel is soft in that regard but Hei doesn't judge him for it. Far be it from him to begrudge someone a decent upbringing. Not everyone can be killers and monsters -- the Syndicate would have nothing to hide from. At the compliment, he smiles and ducks his head, shyly repositioning his plate and glass as if in accordance to some strict mental framework. ('Li' is one of those people who makes fidgeting look like a tea ceremony). ]

Thank you. [ He glances at Pavel, ] I already get teased at work for acting like the Pillsbury DoughBoy. I shouldn't give them more reasons to pick on me. [ Although a funny hat would do wonders for 'Li's daily Bad Hairday. ]

[candothat]

[Between mouthfuls of food, Chekov pauses long enough to look befuddled.[

Pillsbury DoughBoy?

[universaltranslator]

What's that?

[mortemscintilla]

Hm? [ Li glances from Pavel to Uhura. Oh. Right. Different homeworlds. He clears his throat, explaining, ] The Pillsbury Doughboy is a mascot of the Pillsbury Company. They, um, sell dry baking products. Their doughboy is a little white man-shaped blob. With a creepy giggle. [ Have an eerily accurate imitation of the Hee Hee. And a quick blush because. Crap. That was his deep dark secret. No one was supposed to find out. ]

[candothat]

[This is Chekov not laughing at you, Hei. He's trying--unsuccessfully--not to smile, but that's a losing battle.]

That is creepy. No hat, then; no need to draw attention to yourself.

[universaltranslator]

[Uhura doesn't bother holding back her laugh.]

At least you don't look like a man-shaped blob. [Anyone else might be flirting, but Uhura is just stating a fact.]

[mortemscintilla]

[ Li pretends to busy himself with shoveling food into his mouth. Oh, wait. That's not pretense. The rims of his ears redden but otherwise he resists the urge to shrink under the table. ]

Maybe in the City that wouldn't be so bad. There are plenty of, um, non-people-shaped creatures here already, and no one seems bothered. [ It's disquieting, but something of a novelty. ]