Chapter Text
Captain Pike, apparently, also had not picked up on the fact that La’an’s birthday was not a welcome topic of conversation.
He called her into his ready room and demanded to know her preferred flavor of cake because “I tried to get Number One to tell me, but she swears that you don’t like cake.” As though that were the most patently unbelievable preference a person could have.
“That would be because I don’t like cake,” La’an said, blinking hard against the headache she could already feel forming behind her eyes.
“Pie, then?” Pike asked, and La’an wondered for a brief moment if this was some strange, ship-wide joke at her expense. Or perhaps a very elaborate fever dream.
“I don’t care for baked goods in general. And sir,” La’an paused, trying to dredge up whatever tact she could manage. “Did Una at any point mention that I don’t celebrate my birthday?”
“I didn’t think cake alone constituted a celebration.”
“Well, I appreciate the thought, at least” La’an said, proud of herself for selling that particular lie. “Was there anything else?”
“That was it, Lieutenant. As you were.”
La’an hurried out before he had the chance to change his mind.