[G-HOL] JP-DeVeau+Moonsong+Saveron+Greyson: Teddy Bears’ Picnic Part 1

[Amanda Nordstrom]

((Holodeck 3, Park Simulation))


::A search of the holodeck’s library had produced a simulation of a park
on Risa, with thick grass, tall trees that waved in the warm breeze and
cast dappled shade to sit in. Periodic plantings of flowers flavoured
the breeze with delightful scents and a stream nearby rippled and
chuckled over its stony bed.::


:: Carter entered the holodeck, dressed in a pair of khaki shorts and an
ops-gold tank top that read I Work For Starfleet in bold, black font
along with a pair of sandals. In his left hand was a frisbee, and he
glanced around casually to survey the park. ::


Greyson: This is definitely an interesting looking park….


::Raissa stepped on to the holodeck and looked around. She had never
been to Risa although she had heard of it and seen pictures. The spot
was beautiful and it reminded her of home as she stepped forward.::


::Her bare feet sank into grass and she smiled. The advantage of the
holodeck was that the environment was perfect. There were no pebbles to
disturb anyone going barefoot. She decided to wear a pair of khaki
shorts and a white halter top that looked good against her tanned skin.
She left her dark hair loose to hang down her back in soft waves to her
waist.::


::She approached the picnic area and saw Carter waiting, the smile
became stiff on her face. She felt the knots in her stomach form and
twist. She hadn’t spoken to him since before the last mission. The
picnic invitation had come from Alora. She didn’t know he was going to
be here. He looked so good in her eyes.::


Moonsong: Hello, Carter…. What are you doing here?


:: The voice was all too familiar, and he turned around with a smile.
While he may not have been expecting it, it was good she’d come. His
lack of contact and throwing himself into his work was rather bugging
him, and he wanted to clear the air between them. Their last
conversation ended on not the most pleasant note, and before now didn’t
have the free time to do anything about it. ::


Greyson: Ris. Hey. :: He paused and took a breath. :: I got an
invitation. :: He paused again, trying to formulate his next sentence.
:: I wanted to talk to you, actually.


::Unfortunately they were not destined to be alone, the invitations had
gone out to more than they. The arch appeared again as the doors opened
to admit two more to the idyllic park; a full-sized Vulcan and a
pint-sized one. Saveron wore a high collared black tunic in a severe
style over loose grey trousers and low boots; his son Saavok wore the
same type of trousers but looked oddly incongruous in the t-shirt he had
selected, a green number that read My Dad went to Denobula and all I got
was this lousy shirt.::


::Saveron glanced over at Raissa and Greyson, the latter of whom he
recognised vaguely from Sickbay. There was a certain… intensity to their
expressions, so rather than approach them directly, he indicated to his
son that they should investigate a nearby fountain; Saavok had something
of a fascination with things that were wasteful with water.::


::Raissa swallowed hard straightening her back stiffly. She had been
thinking a lot about their relationship to the point where she wondered
if they had one anymore. She had heard nothing from him since that last
conversation. The silence had been painful. She wondered how he would
greet her. She had hoped some gesture to tell her how he felt.::


Moonsong: ::her voice was quiet.:: You know where my office is. ::She
turned to Saveron.:: Saveron… I see you have brought your son today.


::The two Vulcans turned and simultaneously offered the traditional
salute, expressions stoically neutral.::


Saveron: Sochya, Raissa. I did indeed. Ensign Greyson, permit me to
introduce my son, Saavok.


::The little Vulcan looked over at the one person at the picnic he did
not know.::


Saavok: Sochya.


:: The engineer heard his name and turned to the Vulcans. In a rather
clumsy accent, he gave the greeting as they had. ::


Greyson: Sochya, Saavok. Saveron. :: and made the ‘live long and
prosper’ symbol with his left hand. :: Carter Greyson, engineer.


Saavok: I am honoured to meet you.


::There was at least one more joining the little party, but before she
arrived, an enormous, beryl blanket bedecked with a bounty of tasty and
tantalizing treats appeared now adjacent to the fountain. A serious and
sizeable sampling of a sundry of servings of all types of edibles to
whet a variety of appetites could be had - and all in pie form. At
count, there were at least nine kinds of pie all laid out in rows, each
one labeled, most steaming, all purple in hue, and all ready and waiting
for the visitors to partake. It was then that a rectangular door slid
open and a peek of the ship was revealed only to be blocked by the
appearance of Alora herself, then all together shut away and the vision
that was Risa, complete and whole once more.::


DeVeau: Hi everyone!


::Shore leave. Although work could be quite enjoyable, this was the
time to relax, pursue other interests, and finally fellowship with
friends. Her first attempt to do so had ended in a disaster, but Alora
was determined not to let it ruin the rest of her shore leave. Besides,
Gabi wasn’t a part of the picnic and so there was no fear of
mysteriously spiked drinks.


Unfortunately, the tension between Greyson and Raissa was difficult to
ignore and her smile faded as soon as she noticed it. A glance was cast
in the direction of the counselor as she approached the quartet.::

DeVeau: Did I miss anything?

:: Carter gave Raissa a nod, though said nothing. He wandered over to a
nearby flowerbed and started to inspect the specimens intently, in an
attempt to reconnect with plant life. The fact he was even getting this
close to the plants showed he was no longer afraid of them. ::


Greyson: Not from me…


::There was… a certain tension in the air. Strictly a touch telepath,
Saveron never the less had enough empathic sense to pick that much up.
It lay between Raissa and Carter, but what might be its cause he could
not fathom.::


::Fortunately his son was largely oblivious.::


Saavok: SochyaAlora! ::He said, with rather too much enthusiasm in his
voice.::


DeVeau: Sochya Saavok! I’m glad to see you again.


::She’d not spent enough time with the boy, who was a joy and delight,
even if he was reserved for a child. Well, he was a Vulcan, after all.::


Saavok: It is agreeable to see you also.


::The kid looked like he was trying to keep on top of a smile. If his
father disapproved of his poor control he gave no sign of it. He had
assumed that there would be no objection to his bringing his son; they
had spent little enough time together and after nearly losing his father
to a time-slip, the child understandably found it preferable to keep his
parent where he could see him.::


Moonsong: ::smiles weakly:: I just got here, so there’s nothing to miss.
::clasped her hands behind her back.:: So is anyone else coming? You’ve
got a party going here. I’m surprised you didn’t invite Brandon.


::Alora’s face pinched into a wince.::

DeVeau: After what happened and me throwing up everywhere, I decided to
spare myself further embarrassment.

::The last thing he needed was to be around someone who yakked all over
the Garuda hallway.::


Moonsong: ::she shook her head slightly:: You missed his shoes, so I
don’t think you put him off. You should call him. Besides, it’s no worse
than the FO yakking all over the bridge.


:: Greyson wasn’t too keen on parties, and knew he didn’t have much of
an affinity for them. At least he had a frisbee, since he didn’t know
who Brandon was. The two Vulcans did capture his interests, though. It’d
be nice to actually talk to Saveron without him disappearing in the
middle of a conversation, like had happened on their away mission. ::


Greyson: So, Saveron. I am curious if you’ve talked to Dr. Skyfire at
all since we got back.


Saveron: I have not had the opportunity to have more than a brief,
professional conversation with Doctor Skyfire. ::The Vulcan revealed.::
You are no doubt aware of recent demands on Sickbay. ::He considered the
question.:: Would you consider such advisable? ::And for whom?::


Greyson: Yes, I would. The last time I saw him he seemed...nervous would
be a bit of an understatement for him. He doesn’t get nervous unless
he’s convinced he saw something weird. Have you read the doc’s report?


Saveron: I have not yet been privy to it. Are you aware of it’s contents?


:: It was an innocent enough question, and one that Carter in fact had
the answer to. He’d been trying to make sense of all the reports and
their contents, so that he was prepared for any insanity that would be
brought about as a result of the temporal slip. ::


Greyson: Chythar’s report contained discovering three bodies in the...I
think it was first kingdom? Of you, Core, and Shandres.


::Greyson’s words earned him a raised eyebrow from Saveron, but the
Vulcan wasn’t questioning his words, rather considering them carefully.
If Skyfire had reported that he had seen their dead bodies then no doubt
he considered that the firm truth. Interesting.::


Saveron: Myself, Core and Shandres were stranded a considerable distance
in the past; had we not been rescued, no doubt our bodies would
eventually have been found by the early Peppalexans. ::He said, thinking
aloud.:: The transport came close to failing; perhaps it’s success
changed what was, from our point of view, the future? ::He suggested.::


Greyson: It’s a possibility. I haven’t actually talked to Chythar since
the briefing.


Saveron: You do not consider it a full explanation however. ::He
deduced.:: You would have had a more comprehensive view of those
involved in the time-slips throughout Sickbay; I would be interested in
your thoughts on the situation.


:: That part, he was not privy to. He’d been dealing with the
transporter and all the issues surrounding repairing the modifications
he’d made during the others’ retrieval. ::


Greyson: Not as much as you’d think. I had no contact with the other
teams, and haven’t actually been into sickbay. You are correct in that I
don’t buy Chythar’s account as a full explanation. I don’t remember if
he engages in meditation or not.


Saveron: I am aware that he is investigating meditations; he has queried
me regarding Vulcan techniques. However, I anticipate that a direct
conversation with Doctor Skyfire would be advisable.


::Best to learn what had been seen from the man who had seen it.::


Greyson: :: nodding :: That’d probably be the best course of action.


Saveron: I appreciate your making me aware of the issue.


::No doubt he would have had access to the report in time, but it was a
fascinatingly contradictory issue, and one that he would be interested
to learn more about.::


Greyson: You’re welcome.


::Meanwhile Saavok had homed in on the two ladies whom he knew better
than the man that his father was talking to.::


Saavok: Father said that it would be acceptable for me to accompany him
to the picnic. You… do not object?


::Like his dad, he was aware that there were social conventions that, in
their ignorance, they might tread all over.::


::Raissa held back her smile with effort. She felt a rush of affection
every time she saw him. She also had to restrain the urge to hug him.
Her maternal side always reared up in the presence of a child,
regardless of age.::


Moonsong: I find your presence here quite agreeable, Saavok. I had hoped
to see you again.


DeVeau: I would never object to you being around, Saav.

::Alora adored the Vulcan in miniature and, while Saveron and Saavok
were less inclined to use expression that indicated how they felt, she
generally continued on in her usual, human Sochyamanner.::


DeVeau: You are a delight. Did you want to come?


Saavok: I find it preferable to attend. I have not conversed with either
of you since the previous mission. I wanted to ask you some questions.


::Raissa was amused. The day he stopped asking questions would be the
day she worried about his mental health.::


Moonsong: Of course you do.


DeVeau: Saav, the day you don’t have any questions is the day the
Universe explodes.

::The little Vulcan frowned faintly.::


Saavok: I do not see any logical connection. ::He objected.::


Moonsong: Alora used a metaphor, Saavok. To question is your natural
state. If you did not, it would be unnatural.


DeVeau: Extremely.


::That would be the understatement of the century. Although Alora did
her best to refrain from allowing her expression to show amusement, a
crack of a smile peeped through regardless.::


Saavok: That is acceptable. ::He allowed, before focusing on the Science
Chief.:: Alora, I wanted to enquire as to the progress of the violet
leaves that we planted.


DeVeau: Sure, what do you want to know? Are you having difficulties?


=============

JP by


Lt. Cmdr. Saveron

Xenobiologist

USS Garuda


and


PNPC Saavok

Vulcan Child

USS Garuda

As simmed by Saveron


and


Lt. Raissa Moonsong

Counselor

USS Garuda


and


Lt. Alora DeVeau

Chief of Science

USS Garuda


and


PNPC Ens. Carter Greyson

Engineering Officer

USS Garuda

As simmed by Chythar Skyfire