[OR] LtCmdr Sky Blake, "Ornara."

[Deliera Jay]

((Flashback, 239102))

Blake: ~~ Whatever you're doing, keep doing it. ~~

::There was a twinge of a smile on his lips, and he slightly in his cross-legged perch on the bed, breathing deeply. He was in the back of her mind, testing the limits of the emotional bond they shared. She wasn't sure how - the Vulcan aspect of their relationship had always confused her, often leaving her with too many questions and many of which he simply couldn't answer.

::So she simply watched as that chest expanded and deflated, the contour of his arms and shoulders exquisitely illuminated in the dim lighting. He'd kept the beard - well trimmed, never long enough to "cause mild irritation" - which only softened his facial features.

::If she had of known he was going to put on a show, she would have brought some strawberries.::

Sabor: You are very distracting.

Blake: ~~ *I'm* the distracting one? ~~

Sabor: It is simple meditation.

Blake: ~~ With the perfect mood lighting. ~~

::An eyebrow rose, those soft brown eyes opened.::

Sabor: Still distracting?

Blake: ~~ You'll always be distracting. ~~

::He gave an amused huff, pushing forward to the bed as he crawled up beside her, one hand resting on her hip, the other he was using to rest his head upon. She couldn't help but smile, shifting so that she was firmly wrapped within his arms, her nose trailing against his neck - a Brekkian instinct, an action for intimacy and nurturing.::

Blake: I love you.

::There was a moment of silence, Sabor holding her tightly against himself, placing a kiss to the top of her head.::

Sabor: I love you, too. And we *will* get through this.

((Present day))

::Syb was a strange Vulcan, defying the typical conventions one usually came to expect from his culture. But as a regular, breathing humanoid, he was surprisingly empathetic.

::This tended to be the case with Sabor's siblings.::

::She passed him a mug of generic Ornaran coffee, taking a seat across from him.::

Blake: Sorry for the crying.

::He frown a little, brushing hair out of his eyes as he took a mouthful of the beverage.::

Syb: Considering you haven't processed this very well, I don't think you need to apologise.

::It was both a negative and sympathetic comment. His brother passed away two years ago - two years in which he's had time to mourn and move forward with his own family.::

Blake: Why are you here?

Syb: I came to visit. Lila mentioned you'd decided to relocate your children.

Blake: You speak to my mother?

Syb: Often. Sometimes I'm required to come and look after Ayeden for extended periods of time when she is required off-world.

::Sky rubbed her eyes, tiredness now getting the better of her as she processed this news.::

Blake: Coming together in my absence.

Syb: Well, you must admit that you *are* a little uncontactable.

Blake: I'm a *lot* uncontactable.

Syb: The better it is for our two families to cooperate, then. Lila has also stated that she is now unwilling to care for Faith and Ayeden in a full-time basis. Is this why you've relocated to Ornara?

::The Brekkazoid looked down. She'd told herself during the trip here that this was for the best, moving Ayeden and Faith to Ornara was safer for them - but a part of her couldn't wrap her head around the fact that she'd waited two years to do this. Even going up to her Brekkian home's door to collect them had been . . . daunting. It was a lot of guilt, built up over the course of time in the Shoals, and facing it hadn't been easy. But her kids seemed to have no resentment towards her. If anything, Faith was ecstatic to see her again.

::Ayeden had hardly recognized her.::

Blake: Partly. It gives me piece of mind. But I . . . I don't know what I'm going to do from this point. I'm expected back in the Shoals in six months time, barring any earlier calls.

Syb: That's why I'm here. I've been unable to contact you for some time, but I wanted to know if you'd prefer Veusa and I to care for them.

Blake: I beg your pardon?

Syb: You're still wearing his ring. It indicates to me that you're not yet ready to return.

::Sky suddenly felt self-conscious, moving her hand so that it was out of Syb's view. It was her final joining band, having been pretty much permanently set on her second finger since the day of her wedding. When Sabor had asked her to marry him, he'd bent over backwards for her Brekkian customs, which meant three rings; engagement (forth finger), trust (thumb), joining (second finger).

::Currently, the other two were safely tucked away, on a chain around her neck of which she'd wear when she wasn't on a starship - she couldn't bring herself to flash them about and cause others to ask questions, but at the same time, she hadn't simply wanted to throw him away. So the joining band remained - the simple, plain, gold ring that had no stone within it and had no unique features whatsoever.

::The fact that Syb had noticed its existence had caused her some shame - it shouldn't have, but it did.::

Blake: I'm not. But I don't want to dump my kids onto you and your sister - how is that fair to them? It's bad enough I practically left them on my mothers doorstep without a word to begin with.

Syb: It would be worse to subject them to your mourning period.

Blake: It's been two years, Syb.

Syb: He was your bondmate. That he was your beloved, your husband, was bad enough, but being bonded to him, through death?

::The words "bondmate" hurt her, like someone reaching in and ripping her heart apart. For the first two or so months, every morning she'd wake up and feel dead. Cold. Empty. Put this on top of the procedure that caused her memory loss, she felt incomplete.::

Syb: Veusa and I are willing to help. So let us. Do what you need to do, Skyleena. No matter how many years it takes, your children will be here when you return.

Blake: And if they hate me for leaving?

Syb: Hate as an expression is learned. If they understand everything about it, about you, about this situation, they will forgive. As Sabor would.

Blake: You've taken a weight off of my shoulders and placed it upon your own. I can't thank you enough.


Tbc . . .

LtCmdr Sky Blake
On leave

C238803SB0

I am not a sheep, ser.