Commander Ava Munro - A Mother's Warcry
Ava Munro
((Sacred Marketplace - Ferenginar))
((OOC - I used this map))
((Tacky Tarog’s Toys Trinkets and Tames - Sacred Marketplace - Ferenginar))
The salesman guided them inside before disappearing off with the promise to come back with something extra special.
An item caught Ava’s attention on a nearby shelf. It looked like a lump of dry clay. A lot of the ‘toys’ didn't look very childlike.
Munro: Interesting selection. You think Betazoid-Human babies would like some dry clay? I don't even think I'd let Suzie chew on that.
Jovenan: From what I saw with my younger siblings, small kids will play with anything. Then again, they also eat anything, and I would want to scan that before giving it to anyone.
Ava nodded, a wry smile formed on her lips. Ever the professional scientist was Artemis' Jovenan it seemed. The Artemis was a workhorse of a ship, one of its many defining characteristics.
Munro: Anyone back on Edo you'd like to send a gift too?
Ava didn't know much about the Edo, other than what had been spread through Starfleet about their strict laws and extreme sentencing.
She hoped to get to know Jovenan more and perhaps find out about her experiences as an Edo. That would be nice.
Jovenan: I don’t think so. We haven’t been in touch in ages.
Ava noticed a moment of reflection, or at least she figured as much. It wasn't uncommon for Starfleet officers to fall out of contact with family as they entered service. The crew became friends and often they became a family of sorts. The experience of being a Starfleet Officer was so different from that of a Federation civilian and even differed from ship to ship that sometimes it was just easier to form those bonds with the crew who understood the struggles you'd been through.
Ava spotted some racks of clothing and sensing that a shift in conversation might be good she directed Jovenan’s attention to it. Rows and rows of adorable outfits for children and babies. Ferengi tailored suits for any gender.
Munro: Is it cultural appropriation to buy these? :: gushes :: Tell me these aren't the cutest things you've ever seen in your life?
Jovenan seemed momentarily taken back with the outpouring of sentiment that Ava had adopted. What could she say? She really liked babies? Squiggly, wrinkled little bundles of squealing joy.
She remembered when Harper was a baby. Ava had been a new ensign, and somehow she was now giving birth to a baby in an unfamiliar Sickbay with her then new husband holding her hand.
It was an experience she would never forget. The galaxy felt like it was pressing on her and when the nurse had lifted the baby towards her, she had had to fight the urge to scream. She had never, not once before or since, felt a fear quite like it. She didn't want to accept that this life was hers to care for. That somehow the very survival of this little baby was entrusted to her.
And then…
… She saw Harper for the first time. And her whole life changed in a split second. She wasn't sure if it was a hormonal shift, a biological imperative or something else. All she knew was when she saw the writhing, squirming baby she knew that there wasn't a thing in the entire galaxy that would prevent her from loving her. The fear, always present in those first few years, was more bearable. The fact that of all the roles she would have in her life, the only one that truly mattered was that she was mother to this life that she'd birthed.
The silent scream was more primal. More instinctual. It looped in her mind. It was a mother's warcry.
So… yes, Ava liked babies.
Jovenan: Erh, sure, they’re adorable. But I’m not certain if they’re exactly the sty— oh my goodness, it’s a mugato!
Ava pulled several of the suits from the rack. She cooed over the little booties that were attached to the suits. She had never seen a Ferengi baby but she just knew they would have been adorable in these suits. She also knew that she'd give every bit of her Latinum stipend to a Ferengi baby in a suit.
Then, Jovenan held something up for her to view. A onesie of a Mugato. Ava resisted the urge to melt completely. She had to maintain some semblance of her authority as XO and Commander.
Jovenan: They’re very warm and soft. I think Richards would like something this adowable for her children. And we can just… hmm. Right, we need to figure out how much we’re willing to spend here before all the other shops.
Budgeting. Not a concept familiar to those in a post Scarcity Utopian society. Even though Ava hadn't been raised within the confines of Utopian Federation she still hadn't encountered trade beyond the sharing of goods and resources with other colonies in neighbouring sectors. There was always some kind of agreement.
Munro: I think it's customary to haggle. Something that I'm not that great at.
Ava remembered her encounter with the Ferengi lady at the Slug-nasium.
Jovenan: If we’re going to pay for something, we might at least get the right size. Um, do you happen to know anything about children’s clothes?
Munro: It's been a while but I am not unfamiliar with baby clothes :: she lifts up one of the outfits :: Humanoid babies tend to outgrow clothing quite fast in the first few months. We should get some larger sizes so that they can grow into them?
Jovenan: Response
Munro: Watch out here he comes…
The Ferengi sales man appeared from behind a counter, holding a large box of toys. Eyes twinkled as he saw them mulling over the clothes rack..
Ferengi Salesman: Ooh!
Dumped the toys.
Ferengi Salesman: I see you've found our baby clothes section! :: picks up several outfits to showcase :: Woven from the finest Tholian silks, these will have a baby ready to negotiate their first trade deal :: lifts up the Mugato suit :: Isn't this the cutest, we have it in 20 different colours. Ethically sourced faux Mugato furs.
Jovenan: Response
Ava lifted up two suits. One a golden colour, and the other green.
Munro: I'll take these. How many slips of latinum?
Ferengi Salesman: :: smiles politely and a little nervously :: Slips? These are 2 bars of gold pressed latinum. Each.
Munro: :: blank stare :: Let me work that out.
Ava began to do mental arithmetic as she adjusted the allocated stipend. She had already spent an awful lot at the Slug-nasium. She had zero personal latinum reserves.
While she done this, the Ferengi turned their attention to Jovenan.
Ferengi Salesman: And yourself ma'am? A Mugato for you?
Jovenan: Response
Tags/TBC
First Officer
USS Artemis-A
A240004LL2