Data x Raven x Lore

DATA

"I can't believe it!"
"It's not fair! He had an unfair advantage!"
"A machine? Really?"
"I mean I guess he is alive...in a way, right?" All of Starfleet Academy was buzzing with the news that an android was graduating from the school. It seemed the conversation was equally divided into two. Half of the students were against a "robot" graduating from the school as all he had to do was cheat. The other half gladly welcomed the new arrival to the federation, hoping they would be on the same starship as him. All agreed he was a life form in his own unique way, and  no matter what deserved something in the end.
"Alright, alright! We all heard the news, no need to keep gossiping like a pair of money hungry Ferengi." the professor's words silenced the room in an instant. "Now, make sure you do the work you were given during todays lecture and hand it in tomorrow. And if all of you actually hand it in, then that," the professor giggled, "would be gossip worthy news." Raven gathered up her pads and sketchbook, quickly heading for the door. Wanting to escape to her artistic sanctuary and her marbled figure, Raven pushed past everyone.
Near a small pond on the outskirts of the campus, there was a small grotto hidden to those who only passed by this unihabited area. A large tree reaching for the sky with flowers of every color at its feet, laid hidden away. The sky clear and a brilliant blue. The sun shining down, touching the shadows with rays of light, this was the sanctuary Raven kept hidden from others so well. Raven climbed the tree, carefully positioning herself on a branch getting ready for her marbled man to arrive at any moment. She pulled out her sketchbook and turned to the page of a man in a Starfleet Academy uniform inspecting the tree.
"And today we will finish this picture. The marbled man will become a painting." The entrance to the grotto carried the noise of another person coming through. Raven pulled out a pencil and moved her sketchbook to her lap. The marbled man came through the brush; pale skin, yellow eyes, and an almost sculpted figure. Walking to the same spot he had for the past days, he began to examine the tree again. Raven began to draw. As an hour passed, Raven added the last details to her drawing. She smiled: finally the marbled man was painted.
"Are you finished?" Raven froze. She looked down to see the marbled man looking up at her. "I believe I gave you an appropriate amount of time to finish the drawing. Or perhaps was I too hasty?"
"You knew? The whole time you knew I was drawing you?" the marbled man nodded.
"Of course. I am programmed with heightened ablities. I easily detected you the first day." Raven stopped as she realized who the marbled man was.
"You're the android..." the marbled man nodded.
"I am Data."
"I'm Raven." the two stared at one another. The grotto emitting a silence so deafening it made even Data uncomfortable.
"Perhaps you will come down and show me the drawing? I would like to see the finished project if I may." Raven carefully climbed down the tree. Placing her foot on a small branch, it snapped and she fell. When she landed on the ground she laughed. Data tilted his head in confusion. "Curious." Raven got up, smacking dust off her pants.
"What?"
"I have observed that humanoids become upset when they fall. They either are angry or sad. You laugh. Curious."
"Well that's because I'm not hurt. I fell. I'm alright. It was funny to me. That's why I laughed." Raven picked up her sketchbook. "Ah, luckily this didn't get destroyed or damaged. Just a little dirt." she wiped off some dirt from the page and handed it to Data. As he looked at her drawing, Raven's heart began to race. Was she really this nervous over a drawing? Data's eyes carefully traced over the lines of the drawing.
"This is an impressive piece of work. Though it would be better had you worked on your lines and shading." Raven frowned. She yanked the sketchbook from Data's hands.
"I didn't ask for the critisim." Data tilted his head. He then raised his forefinger into the air.
"Ah, you are upset."
"You bet I am! I worked hard on this!"
"It was not critisim. Perhaps I did not word the phrase I meant correctly. You will have to forgive me. I do not do well in humanoid interactions thus far. That is why I enrolled in Starfleet Academy."
"How does Starfleet Academy help you with humanoid interactions? And why do you care anyway? You're an android..."
"I am in the pursuit of becoming more human. To be more human I must interact with humans. That is why I enrolled in Starfleet." Raven looked at her drawing. She remembered the things people had said to her many times before: how could a Vulcan have so much emotion? Why would a being of logic want to draw? You are a mistake to your race... They never cared to ask what species her mother was. If only they did would they know her mother was half human and half Betazoid. While her apperance resembled her father more, her mothers emotional makeup was so strong, it was never a doubt to her parents that she would not be emotionless like her Vulcan family members. It was in this moment that Raven understood the kind of predicament Data was in. He was seen as a machine looking to be human. It was absurd. It was crazy, but his mission reminded her of herself. He was a walking contradiction.
"I'm...sorry." Data tilted his head.
"Why are you sorry?" Raven took a deep breath and breathed out slowly.
"I'm sorry because I just assumed that an android would want to be nothing more then, well, a machine. I pushed onto views that I wouldn't want pushed onto myself."
"And those views are?"
"Being something I don't want to be. I want to be something more then the sum parts of who others think I should be." Data nodded his head.
"You are not fully Vulcan are you?" Raven's eyes widened.
"How-"
"You have too much emotion for a Vulcan. But you do have the same amount of emotion I have studied in Betazoids or humans." Raven's jaw dropped.
"Yeah... I'm actually Vulcan, Betazoid, and human..." the nervousness Raven felt before returned.
"If I may," Data motioned to the opening to the grotto, "it is time for the next class as lunch has ended. I suggest we head back." Raven shook her head as if to shake away the nervousness.
"Uh, yeah..." she smiled awkwardly. Grabbing her supplies, Raven began to leave the grotto. Data followed behind. When the two exited, Data grabbed Raven's arm stopping her.
"I would like to invite you to a drawing session with me. I do dabble in the arts and would like to see more of your artwork." Raven smiled. It was the first time anyone invited her to something that wasn't Vulcan related or dull and boring.
"I would love to!"