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It was a rather quiet evening at Ten Forward. Like he had grown accustomed to doing, Lore stood behind the counter to assist Guinan—Originally, he agreed to provide services to gain her trust, but he had moved on from that plan. Now, it was only curiosity holding him there; He had been on this ship for quite some time (6.5 months) and still knew nothing about the strange bartender (Guinan, affiliation: bartender, Ten Forward. No additional information found. A friend—margin of error: 27%)
On days like these, Guinan did what she did best: She attempted to converse with the android that had been entrusted to her. And under normal circumstances, Lore would happily oblige—but today, he only registered her words absentmindedly, while his uncanny, golden eyes flickered between the human patrons.
A couple by the far wall caught his attention. (Eye contact. Joining of hands: a symbolic act for humans, shows affection. Analysis: Flirting)
Lore observed them (for 2.3 minutes), before Guinan stirred him from his calculations.
“Enjoying the romantic tension?” she asked with an amused smile.
He didn’t respond to her teasing, and his eyes stayed glued to the humans. (Analysing… Pressing lips. Kissing. Intimacy: an intimate relationship between two people or among three or more people. A sensual proximity.)
Guinan settled her arms on the bar and regarded him with a tilt of her head, eyebrow raising (by 0.5 centimeters) —Lore determined (after 0.2 seconds) that it was inquisitive. But it was only when the couple got up and left that he met her eyes, and her smile widened.
She shifted closer, and her voice was soft. “I didn’t know you were curious about something as organic as physical intimacy.”
“No,” Lore shot back instantly, “Androids don’t care for (touch) comfort.” (I don’t need anyone.)
And it was true—He knew everything there was to know about interpersonal relationships. He had human desires and ambitions. He was fully functional—But it meant nothing to him, because he was an android.
For reasons Lore couldn’t fathom, Guinan’s gaze turned deeply sad. (Analysis: Sympathy. Pity.)
“Maybe,” she said, “it’s not as bad as you think.”
The door slid open and a familiar face approached the bar in big, confident steps (Worf, Lieutenant, affiliation: Starfleet. Klingon, a warrior, fierce, strong—).
He briefly glanced at the android, with a polite nod of his head to acknowledge him, before he struck up a conversation with Guinan.
Lore was quiet (for 2.5 seconds), and his gaze rested on the Klingon. (Intimacy. Affection. Touch. Touch. Touchtouchtouchtouch—)
Then, in one fluid motion, he reached across the counter and pulled Worf towards him—and their lips collided, bioplast meeting Klingon skin.
A pleasant burst of signals ran through Lore’s sensors, one he had never felt before. (Touch, soft , warm, touch, touch—)
“Lore!” Guinan rebuked, “Lore, put him down!”
At Guinan’s second call, Lore loosened the grip on Worf’s collar, and the lieutenant immediately stumbled away from him. He was frozen, hand cupping his mouth—but he recovered quickly, and fixed Lore with a cold glare, a low guttural sound stuck in his throat.
Lore, on the other hand, was beaming. He could feel residual warmth on his lips, and he realised there was something delightful about physical intimacy. (Query: Why do humans enjoy touch? Answer: Because it feels good.)
He registered Guinan apologising to Worf, who beat a hasty exit. And then her attention was back on him, hands propped up on her hip—It was almost funny to see her upset. “What was that? ”
Lore tipped his head innocently. “I think you were right,” he said cheerily and smiled at her, wide-eyed, “It isn’t as bad as I thought.”