JP: Lieutenant Robin Harper & Aurora Iovianus: Garden talk. (pt1)
Cassian Iovianus
((Betazed Gardens, Sub-Tropical Biome, Peace Park - Amity Outpost))
Aurora Iovianus rolled her chair along the boardwalk pausing to observe one of the flowers. It was a gorgeous shade of purple, so dark it was nearly black. It stood out wonderfully against the velvety green of its surrounding leaves. She would have to try and find the name of them and see if they could survive back at home. A red flower across the path caught her attention and she began to turn her wheelchair around before someone entered her peripheral vision and she turned the chair back out of the woman’s path with a smile.
Aurora: Excuse me.
Hopper: ::Slight smile:: Lilium triangulirhois.
Aurora: ::tilting her head to one side:: Excuse me?
Robin’s smile shifted ever-so-slightly, her cheeks gaining a touch of rose as she realized she had dropped in unannounced and un-asked-for on someone else’s enjoyment of the park.
Hopper: Sorry. I just… noticed you appreciating them. The Edosian Lilies… ::Walking over, gently touching the dark-purple flower:: They’re beautiful aren’t they?
Aurora: ::nodding and looking back toward the flowers:: Very much so. Do you get much chance to take care of them?
Robin looked down at her outfit – a white t-shirt under a knee-length khaki dress, stained with dirt, a pair of workboots – and chuckled. She supposed anyone might have mistaken her for a groundskeeper looking as she did.
Hopper: ::Grinning:: Actually, I’m the Chief Science Officer here. ::Holding out a hand:: Lieutenant Robin Hopper, at your service, ma’am… I love plants but I am, at best, an amateur enthusiast.
Aurora returned the handshake with a smile and folded her hands back in her lap.
Aurora: Aurora Iovianus, a pleasure to meet you.
Robin tried, and failed, to keep her mouth from hanging open in surprise. She blinked and brought her face back into order as she managed to stammer out:
Hopper: Did you say “Iovianus”? As in Cass– Lieutenant Commander Iovianus?
Aurora: I have heard a lot about you from my son. ::waving her hand:: but he is busy working and I was going stir crazy in his apartment. So I decided to take a look around.
Looking at the woman closer now, Robin could see it – the similarities. It was funny. She’d never considered that Amity’s stoic Chief of Security had been ‘of woman born’, preferring to imagine he’d been carved from rock and brought to life by the magics of a wandering mystic… Or something like that… As fond as she was of talking, she couldn’t help herself but imagine fanciful things in the empty spaces left by the more-restrained. And his mother seemed so young – or was it him who seemed so old?
Hopper: ::Still in shock:: Your son? ::Another realization:: Wait, did you say you’ve “heard a lot about me?” … Me?
She glanced around, half expecting a Talaxian and his camera crew to leap out and reveal she was on some sort of prank holo. No such disappointment came.
Hopper: Well… ::Crossing her arms:: That is interesting. ::Remembering her manners:: It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance as well, ma’am. Should I call you Aurora? I’m not familiar with the customs on Magna Roma.
She sat on the edge of a nearby stone planter, a thorny plant clinging to her back – but she paid it no mind. Instead, she sat in rapt attention, feeling almost like she were back in primary school.
Aurora: Well, I don’t think my Provincial Governor title will mean much here so Aurora will be fine Lieutenant.
Hopper: ::Nod:: Of course. And I prefer “Robin”... I appreciate the discipline that Starfleet has taught me, but the formality… Well, let’s just say I’m comfortable here on Amity.
Aurora: Being comfortable is a great thing.
It occurred to Robin then that she may, in fact, be infringing on the woman’s comfort – or at least her time.
Hopper: I didn’t mean to waylay you, by the way. I was just passing by on my way to the Mackinac biome and couldn’t help but notice someone taking the time to ‘smell the roses’ – oO She might not know that idiom. Oo – er, the Lilies, and I couldn’t contain myself.
Aurora: I am glad you did. Now I know the name I can have Cassie see about getting some home. ::pause:: I am not keeping you from anything am I?
Hopper: Me? Oh, no – no, not at all. I’m here on my day off, breaking some ground on a new community garden space. ::Indicating her overalls with a chuckle:: Hence the dirt… Actually, I was just on my way back to the train station. I’m glad I ran into you.
Aurora: Then why don’t we get a coffee and you could show me some more of your station?
Hopper: Are you kidding? I would be delighted. Unless you prefer something replicated, there’s a coffee shop in the Grand Mezzanine… The Brew Continuum. Maybe they can even make you something from home, if you want.
Aurora nodded and started to move her chair along the path, while it wasn’t a full hoverchair, there was enough of an antigrav system to keep it from getting bogged down in the dirt of the garden.
Robin followed, keeping pace with the older woman, while still trying to wrap her head around the idea that Lt. Commander Cassian Iovianus had a mother… and that she was here… and that this was her. She looked more like she could be his sister.
Aurora: So you obviously know my Cassie, but likely hadn’t heard anything of me from him.
Hopper: ::Smirking:: I’ll admit – your son certainly likes to play it close to the vest. He’s not much of a talker… I hope you’ll forgive me, but you’re not what I would have expected from the Lt. Commander’s mother.
Aurora: He has always been shy, but what did you expect for me?
Robin glanced over at the woman with a guilty sort of grimace. TO be honest
Hopper: I don’t know… I guess some sort of tough-as-nails ‘nona’ or something, chasing him around the vineyard with a rolling pin in hand. But you’re gorgeous… What’s your secret? Uh, if you don’t mind me asking.
Aurora: Oh goodness no, not much chasing in my parenting. As for the compliments I use a combination of Neptune Bath Salts and Xupta Tree Oil.
Hopper: Hm. I’ll keep that in mind… ::Gesturing:: The train station’s just this way. I, uh, know of course that you’re Magna Roman. Or at least your son is from there. ::Shaking her head, amused:: You see, I really know very little actually. Are you originally from Magna Roma as well?
Aurora: Oh yes, I am a Citizen, my Cassie is only half a citizen but that never stopped him from trying his hardest.
At that comment, Robin cocked an eyebrow. She wasn’t familiar with Magna Roman traditions, but it struck her as unusual that someone from the planet wouldn’t be considered one if it’s citizens.
Hopper: A… “Half Citizen”? I’m afraid I don’t really understand. Is citizenship something that is, um, earned on your world?
Aurora: No, his father was not a true Roman, but we fell in love despite that shortcoming. He was the head of my personal guard when the Senate appointed me out there as governor.
Robin nodded, but still felt like she didn’t fully understand. All the same, it was only adding to her pre-existing opinion that she needed to get to know Commander Iovianus better. She was just going to have to pry the answers out of him later.
Once they got back on a solid path Aurora turned off the grav system and went back to using the hand control.
Aurora: I was so happy when he decided to go into Starfleet. It was good for the family.
Hopper: Now that I can understand. My parents were pretty happy when I received my acceptance letter as well. It’s rewarding to feel like you’re a part of something much bigger than just your own little world… Oh, and look, there’s the train!
TBC
--------------Lt. Robin Hopper
Chief Science Officer,
Amity Outpost
V239806K11
&
Aurora Iovianus
Regional Governor
O238506JO0