April 29, 2363

For the first time since I've known him, Blue is going home to see family on Andor. He asked Travis and I to come along. Travis was looking forward to some nice down time on the station that week, but I think it'd be fun, so I've talked him into it.

Travis doesn't like snow and cold. I couldn't care less one way or another. I'm indifferent to it, as I seem to have gotten split down the middle on the Trill resistance to the cold, and the Klingon resistance to the warmth.

When I asked Blue what the occasion was, he said that his younger shi (term for sibling of the shen gender, the vaguely female gender that looks androgynous to most non-Andorians) was being bonded and the family wished for him to be there. His voice dropped when he mentioned the bonding, and when I asked him what was wrong, he just pointed out that his people don't think highly of someone who doesn't contribute to perpetuating the population. I couldn't get anything more out of him on the subject.

We're headed out in a few days here, and he suggested we pack a mix of cold and temperate weather clothing. When I asked what would be appropriate to wear to his shi's bonding, he explained that as an outsider, whatever I do will be scorned, and I should wear whatever I like. When I accused him of bringing Travis and I along just to ruffle feathers, he chuckled and accused me of being part Betazoid.

I'm going to have to corner him with a bottle of blood wine, or Andorian ale, and see if I can pull out of him what's wrong between him and his family. While I can understand alienation and crap between a person and his family, it does also help to understand what's wrong before being drug into the middle of it, if for no reason other than to avoid getting actively involved.