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spacedogfromspaceUnsolicted Opinions
Trektober 2024
Ziyal meets Nog. Nog immediately goes on a tirade about a female's place in society.
Fandom(s): Star Trek DS9
Character(s): Tora Ziyal, Nog, Jake Sisko
Tags: Sexism, Meet Ugly, Putting Ziyal on the Station in Season 1 Because I Can
Rating: General Audiences
Content Warnings: Sexism
Word Count: 1042
Type: Oneshot, Standalone
Collection: Trektober 2024
Trektober Day 26
Prompt: "Meet Ugly"
Notes:
Takes place in season one. Ziyal is in season one because she should have been.
Tora Ziyal bounced down the Promenade, heading to the little stand across from the Replimat. Nerys had given her some spending latinum, and Ziyal intended to use some of it on her favourite treat— Jumja sticks.
"One please," she chirped to the proprietor of the jumja stick stand, and produced two slips of latinum from her satchel, handing it over.
Someone made a noise of disgust from behind her. Ziyal took her jumja stick, and turned to see a short boy with orange skin and giant ears glaring at her. A Ferengi. She determined that the disgust was aimed towards her.
"Can I help you?" Ziyal asked. She kept a calm and confident demeanour on the outside, but on the inside, she was terrified. This boy was going to call her an abomination on account of her hybrid status. And sometimes, the people who felt the need to come say such things to her face also had the intent of enacting violence upon her. However, this boy was rather small. Ziyal felt a little bit better about the coming onslaught knowing that in a pinch, she could probably punt this kid across the Promenade.
"You know that it's highly inappropriate for a female to be carrying latinum," the Ferengi sneered at her.
Ziyal blinked in confusion. This was not what she was expecting. "Uhm... Okay? Why not?"
"Because females have no use for it," the Ferengi said. "They're supposed to be in the home, where they belong!"
"Well, you can't expect girls to stay inside all the time. They have to come out at some point. What about school and work and errands?"
"Females don't need to go to school, because they don't need to work, because they aren't allowed to make profit! And there's no need for them to go off on errands because they're too stupid to handle latinum, and will end up overpaying for everything."
Ziyal's patience had waned tenfold in the past thirty seconds. "If women are stupid it's because you aren't letting them go to school. Why are you even here preaching to me?"
"Because it's wrong for you to be carrying money!" The Ferengi insisted. "Whatever man gave you that money is criminally fiscally irresponsible!"
"Major Kira gave me this," Ziyal said sharply. "If you have a problem with that, take it up with her. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going home," she said, sidestepping the boy and heading off towards the habitat ring.
"Good! It's where you belong!" The Ferengi called after her. "And take your clothes off while you're at it!"
"UGH!" Ziyal exclaimed disgustedly, and stormed off to her quarters.
Once she was back in the privacy of her own home, enjoying the sweetness of her jumja stick, she began to feel better. But how strange a conversation that had been. She was more confused about it than anything.
The next day, Ziyal was working on a painting of the wormhole, when there was a bleep indicating that someone was at her door, calling for her. Thinking that it was Nerys, she trotted over to the door and tapped the button that would unlock and open the door to her quarters. She froze like a deer in the headlights when she saw not Nerys, but two boys— one tall and lanky and human, and the other, the boy who accosted her the day before.
Ziyal's eyes narrowed, and she reached for the door's control panel to shut the door again. She wished it was one of those swinging doors on hinges so she could slam it in their faces instead.
The door whooshed shut, but a human hand shot into the space between the door, preventing it from shutting.
"Wait!" The human boy cried. "We just want to talk to you!"
"About what?" Ziyal snapped, putting her hands on her hips and glaring at the hand that was trapped in her door.
"Nog wants to apologize for what he said to you yesterday!"
Ziyal squinted. "Is Nog the little misogynist one?"
"Well, yes," the human one said. "He's— He's trying."
"Clearly, not very hard," Ziyal said.
"He's trying starting today," the human said. "Please let him apologize."
"Ugh, fine." Ziyal said with a sigh.
"I'm sorry for telling you you couldn't have money and that a fem— woman's place was in the home and that women shouldn't go to school or have jobs and also that I told you to take your clothes off," the other boy— Nog —said rapidly. "I didn't realize that was I was saying was highly off... Off fence...?"
"Offensive," Nog's human friend whispered loudly.
"Offensive to people outside of my culture," Nog continued. "And I didn't realize that my culture's views about fem— women were outdated and miss o.... uh..."
"Misogynistic."
"Misogynistic, until my friend here explained it to me. So I am very sorry and I promise I will do better in the future."
Ziyal couldn't help but let a bemused smile cross her face. "Alright, well, thanks for the apology," she said. "I'm not sure I can forgive you, though. What you said was pretty rancid. Not to mention unsolicited."
"You don't have to forgive him," Nog's friend said. "But can you please open your door? My hand is losing circulation."
"Oh!" Ziyal said, and pressed a hand to her mouth to keep from giggling. She reached over to the control panel and pressed a key, and the door opened. The tall boy rubbed his wrist.
"Thanks," he said.
"Here," Nog said, and reached an arm forward. In his hand he clutched a jumja stick. "I bought you a jumja stick as a token of my apology."
Ziyal smiled, and accepted it. "You know, maybe I can forgive you after all."
"Nog's really not so bad," the tall human said. "Maybe you'd like to hang out with us sometime, and he can make up for his bad behaviour. I'm Jake, by the way."
"Nice to meet you," she said to Jake. Then she regarded Nog with scrutiny. He did look like he felt bad about what he had said to her the day before. Maybe it was worth giving him another chance. "You know, I think I would like to hang out with you two."