Daughter of the Stars

27

Stardate 2258.140

Sala was waiting at a small cafe that was not far from her apartment. She had met Jim there several times during their "adventures" the past three months.

Today's "adventure" was meant to be a simpler one; just a walk to and from across the Golden Gate Bridge.

As was typical, Jim was a few minutes late to arrive from their designated meeting time. However, he had been far later before. Once, he was an hour late. Apparently his hook up from the night before did not want him to leave.

"Hey, Sala," Jim said before noticing what she was wearing, "Jeans and a long sleeve shirt? Aren't you hot?"

"Temperatures on Vulcan would reach much warmer temperatures than Earth. This is hardly bothersome for me. If anything, this is more comfortable," Sala stated, her eyebrows knitting together ever so slightly.

"Right," Jim said, looking down for a moment, "Keep forgetting that. Anyway, shall we go?"

"I do not see a reason as to why we cannot."

Jim, as a response, gestured in the direction they were going to be walking.

A comfortable silence sat between the two as Sala watched people moving to and fro along the street. She had noted many things during these walks, though one constant was the fact that Jim would tend to take the side closer to the street, as if protecting Sala from potential threats on the road.

"Ya know what's weird?" Jim asked to no one in particular, "The fact that a bridge is so famous."

"At the time of its construction and opening, the Golden Gate Bridge was Earth's longest suspension bridge. It was later immortalized as one of the American Coastal Icons along with the Statue of Liberty," Sala explained.

"Geez, do you know everything?"

"No, it was simply something that occupied an afternoon of mine. Learning about the man-made landmark I have lived by for the last eight, almost nine years, that is."

Jim let out a mix of a chuckle and a sigh as he shook his head.

"You're a brainiac," Jim said in a lighthearted tone.

"Pardon?" Sala asked, not knowing the term.

"It means you're an exceptionally intelligent person."

"Well, then you are also a 'braniac' despite your appearance and behaviors. And you may lie about it in the open but I have seen your class marks. They are exceptional," Sala said.

"Are you trying to tease me?" Jim asked, amused at the prospect of Sala doing a more human behavior.

"Perhaps. I am not entirely sure though."

Jim then let out a more hearty laugh as he shook his head again.

"Ya know, I'm not sure if I'm being a good influence on you or not," Jim then said, once his laughter calmed down.

"And why are you pondering that question?" Sala asked, glancing at Jim for a moment as they continued walking.

"Because you're starting to act more human the more time you've been spending with me."

"Perhaps being in your company is not an unlikely factor. Though, I am already half-human, so the concept is not too obscene. It would seem more unlikely with one who is completely Vulcan, such as my father."

"So, good?"

"I shall leave that to your discrepancy," Sala said with the ghost of a smirk.

A comfortable silence sat between the two again as Jim's lips drew to a small smile; likely because he drew the assumption that his influence was positive.

It was not long before they arrived at the Golden Gate bridge, its tall international orange spires losing their peaks to the infamous San Franciscan bay fog.

"It's pretty grand, but I think the Enterprise beats it," Jim said with a faint chuckle.

"It is not truly comparable to compare a suspension bridge built in the nineteen thirties to a Starship built nearly three hundred years later," Sala noted.

"Well, still," Jim commented before looking down at the five foot four Vulcan woman, "Shall we walk the bridge? We may get lucky and see Alcatraz through the fog."

Sala met Jim's gaze briefly before nodding her head.

Jim then followed Sala's nod with a gesture of his hand, motioning down the footpath on the bridge.

The walk across the bridge was filled with simple small talk, something Sala had become more used to the longer she knew Jim. When the other side of the bridge was reached, Jim led Sala to an area that overlooked the bay, and on a clear day, the skyline of the city could be seen as well.

"The fog has seemed to have let up some," Jim said as he and Sala reached the paved clearing.

"As is only natural. As the sun rises, the fog dissipates due to evaporation," Sala explained.

"Either way, I think you can see Alcatraz," Jim said before pointing to binoculars that had been placed in the clearing in the nineteen hundreds, "And you can see it better with these."

"Do these still function?" Sala asked as she and Jim approached a pair.

"We can find out," Jim said with a small smirk as he pulled a coin out from his pocket, "You look through it, I'll put this in. Let me know if you see the island."

Sala glanced at the coin before looking back up at Jim. After a moment, she moved to look through the binoculars, which at that time were covered. She heard Jim insert the coin and only a few seconds later, the covers moved from the lenses.

"Fascinating," Sala muttered, "These still function as intended after all this time."

"Try moving them to look at the island," Jim suggested.

Sala placed her hands on the binoculars before turning them slightly to the right and down. Alcatraz was then within her sights.

"From what I can tell, the former prison seems to be in rather good condition," Sala noted, scrutinizing over the details she could see.

"And why's that?" Jim asked, as he seemingly shuffled beside Sala.

"With the high winds that San Francisco is notorious for and the salt from the sea water, one would think more damage from natural causes would occur."

Shortly after Sala finished her comment, the covers for the lenses snapped back in place.

Sala pulled back from the binoculars and turned to face Jim, only to see him holding a small wrapped box with a bow.

"Happy birthday, Sala," Jim said with a small smile.

"Jim, you did not-," Sala started.

"I wanted to. And, after everything that's happened in the past few months, you deserve a little something."

Sala continued to keep her gaze locked with Jim before she looked down at the box in his hand, taking it. Upon opening the box, Sala found a slightly smaller one from a jeweler's. Opening that box, Sala saw a pair of earrings; two small emeralds, set in silver.

"Emeralds," Sala said aloud.

"Yeah. Since, here you're born in May, and emeralds are the birthstone for those born in May," Jim explained, "I also figured that you weren't going to be taking off the necklace your dad gave you anytime soon, so I got you earrings instead of a necklace. Now, they're nothing fancy but I believe you prefer that."

"That is quite thoughtful, Jim," Sala said as she looked up to meet Jim's gaze again, "I greatly appreciate this gesture."

"You're welcome, Sala," Jim said with a warm smile.