Backsim: JP: Lt. Drex & Cmdr. Alora DeVeau - "Extended Family" (Part I)
Amanda Nordstrom
OOC: A continuation of a scene from last shore leave!
IC:
((Alora’s Quarters, Denali Station))
Alora had appreciated the painting. Drex was glad about it, art was a very personal thing and he had no idea about her preferences. They joked that the Denobulan might become famous and the work might gain value. Drex was flattered to hear that she would not allow the painting to leave her family under any circumstances. Finding himself at ease, he let out a loud laugh that risked waking the little girl.
DeVeau: It’s fine. She’ll settle back down. I usually have music playing, so she’s used to some noise.
Despite that, Alora did rise and take a closer look at her daughter. A few seconds later, just as the mother had indicated, the child settled back down with nary a peep.
Drex: I promise to be quieter, I know how important sleep is for children. :: And then he added amused :: And above all, how important it is for the parents that they sleep.
DeVeau: Do you have any children, Drex?
The Denobulan smiled and moved his head in a sign of denial.
Drex: Not that I’m aware of. I’m not ready for such responsibility. I prefer to play just the uncle part.
DeVeau: Being an uncle is fun, I’m sure. I’ve been an aunt since I was thirteen. I’m up to eight nieces and nephews, though I suspect there will be more in the future. Do you get to see your family much?
Drex: Eight is quite a large number :: He commented in surprise ::
Whether she had many siblings or the few siblings had many children, Drex was pretty sure to remember that humans generally preferred small family groups.
Drex: I call my parents, once in a while, and my twin sister more often. And I've been home last shore leave for her marriage.
The Debobulan looked at the crib for a few moments. There were some questions out of pure curiosity he was willing to ask, but he did not want to step into an unpleasant situation. He had been told some things by other officers in the department and some other things he had overheard in the corridors.
oO Maybe next time Oo
Drex: I've been told her name is Shyla, does the name have any special meaning in your culture?
Although her name was no secret, very few people knew where Alora had gotten the name she’d chosen for her child. Betazoids would recognise it as a name from their heritage, neither overly common or uncommon, but beyond that, they were ignorant.
DeVeau: It’s Betazoid. And it was the name of my husband’s sister.
Was, not is. Kalin was gone. Shyla had died before the two had ever met, along with his brother, Julik, and his parents, Yuxata and Rikkal. He had no family. She had an abundance. Had he survived, her parents would have embraced him as one of the family immediately and he would have gained new siblings. That, however, was not to be.
Drex: I like the sound. It reminds me of the waves of the calm sea reaching the shore :: He slowly stretched out his left hand in front of him :: and returning to the sea. :: Withdrawing his hand ::
The Denobulan's smile grew larger on his face.
DeVeau: What a beautiful description! I didn’t know you had such a fondness for the ocean.
Drex: I love the sea, that's true. When the Fleet Command decided to assign me here, instead of on a ship, I celebrated. oO Maybe even a little too much Oo Would you mind if I’d teach her to sail when she’d be old enough?
Drex had never planned to ask the question. He did not even know if Alora liked the sea or preferred the mountains. Also, life was so unpredictable, he could not be sure where they would be five years in the future, but it came naturally to him to ask.
It was moments like that Alora’s heart fluttered. Moments with someone came and inserted themself into her life, not because they were forced, but because they wanted to be. Moments when they looked toward a future where they were both a part of it, as friends - as family - brothers and sisters on the journey they called life. Now she gained another.
DeVeau: That sounds wonderful. And perhaps you would allow me to learn too?
Drex: Of course, of course :: He nodded smiling :: I’ll teach you, whenever you’d like.
Although Alora loved the water and knew how to swim fairly well, sailing had never been a pastime she’d really learned to do. Why not take advantage of the opportunity?
DeVeau: Did you sail often on Denobula?
The Denobulan nodded again. His father had taught him and Ayra to sail as soon as they had started to walk and swim. And when Ral showed interest, Jorx had enlarged the class to include him too. When they were teenagers they spent more time on the sea than on land, it was not just for the sailing team and the regattas, whenever the weather would permit it, the three of them were out on the water, seeking adventures.
Drex: More than I should have :: He chuckled ::
DeVeau: I guess I can see why you’re so happy to be stationed here.
The sea, artificial or not, offered many opportunities for a wide variety of sports, and sailing had already become popular among some of the residents of Denali.
Drex: The Ring unites my passions in one place. Oceans to navigate, panoramas to paint, disappeared civilizations to study, different cultures to observe. :: His eyes shone with enthusiasm :: Does a better place exist?
DeVeau: I am curious to know what made you decide on Starfleet, and specifically, science.
Drex: Would you see me well in some other division, Alora?
That was a good question, and Alora chuckled softly at it.
Alora: Honestly, no.
But it was a fair question, she felt, because the past shaped the future, and she wanted to know what had driven him toward the future he’d chosen.
He shook his head. His face became serious for a few seconds, but soon his jovial smile returned on his face. She had read his file, and his file clearly stated he had different business before Starfleet.
Drex: After I graduated from the Science Academy on Denobula, I was hired for a research project on an abandoned planet. You know, it was the first time away from Denobula for me. While I was there, I realized I liked the idea to explore more and Starfleet was the best option. I ended up in science because I wanted to keep working in the xeno-anthropology and archeology areas.
It was not an exciting story he would tell his kids one day, but it was the truth. Day after day, the discoveries they made had planted and watered the seed of the desire to know more, to explore more, until the realization that the only place that could grant his desire was the fleet.
She nodded and wondered what had driven him into that area in the first place. Had there been a specific moment in time that inspired him to dive into the realm of archaeology and anthropology? or had it simply been a slow and steady burn of interest over his life? Perhaps it was a question better asked another day.
Alora: Are there any others in Starfleet? Parents? Siblings?
Drex: No, I'm the only one in my family. One of my uncles joined Starfleet during the Dominion War. He lost his life in one of the many battles. :: He replied with a sad smile ::
Drex did not know much about the events. But his father's brother's death was probably the reason he disliked Drex's decision to join Starfleet. They had so many arguments about it, that Drex had lost the count. Only recently, after hearing about the Oceans on the Ring, Jorx had stopped insisting that he went back to being an architect. He even promised his son for a sailing boat. Drex knew that the only reason was his father's professional interest in the submerged area of the Ring, but he had accepted the compromise, tired of the endless clashes that were keeping him farther from home than the light years that separated Denali from Kalus.
Drex: What about you, Alora? Did you grow up dreaming about spaceships?
Alora: About spaceships? No. But I had an early love of plants and animals. My mom loved plants, and that was passed along to me. We’ve all loved animals, but I seemed to take that to an extreme.
Drex: An extreme ? :: He asked in curiosity :: Don't tell me you had zoo in your room :: He commented ironically ::
Chuckle, Alora had a few memories of various things. At the time, some of them weren’t particularly appealing to her parents, but as a child, she had thought she was doing something good. And she got a pet in the process.
DeVeau: I just always managed to find hurt animals. Birds, squirrels, chipmunks. After we moved to the nation state of Japan on Earth, there’s this animal that’s native there called a Tanuki. One just showed up in our backyard, still a baby, hurt paw. I nursed it back to health and it stayed. Most others, though, we wound up taking to rescues.
Drex studied the woman in front of him. He knew nothing about her, but he tried to see her as a little child wandering the neighborhoods seeking little animals to rescue.
He could imagine her with her pockets filled with patches and small pieces of fabric, maybe a basket where to put her little friends to carry home. And he could imagine as well the face she would set up to convince her parents to keep the little fellows with them.
His smile widened, hiding the laughter in his eyes.
Drex: It must have been fun hanging out with you when you were little.
DeVeau: I’m sure you’ve got some stories of your own to tell about yourself. And I do enjoy stories.
She especially enjoyed stories about others, because it allowed her to learn more about them and see more of what shaped who they were.
Drex: Stories? :: He looked above her, slowly rocking his head left and right :: What kind of stories do you prefer? Dramas? Comedies? :: Smiling he looked back at her :: Romances?
Chuckling, Alora shook her head at Drex’s humour. Granted, such stories plagued the lives of Starfleet officers just as much as anyone else. There were sorrowful moments, as she could personally attest to, but there were also comedice ones - and yes, even romances.
DeVeau: Maybe all of the above?
Drex: I don't know if I'm ready to tell that kind of stories :: He chuckled ::
DeVeau: Don’t feel like you have much to tell? Even about yourself, whether it be recent or in the past? I imagine you must have gotten into some mischief.
Although Drex was still young for a Denobulan, he had already lived three different lives. As a kid first, and a teeneger after, he had lived so many adventures with his siblings. But he could think about several events also from his life as an Architect. They were less funny and more professional, but still interesting. His third life had not started from a long time, and the most exciting events were better to be kept secret from a senior officer.
Drex: We loved to pretend to be explorers. Usually it was me, my twin sister and our half brother Ral. One day we sneaked out of school during lunch break. It wasn't the first time and of course it had not been the last, but it surely was the worst! We took the old sailing boat our father used to teach us and we set sail for a little archipelago not very distant. It was a beautiful day, but the weather on the ocean changes in sudden ways. The storm hit, without giving us the time to find shelter. Luckily we ended up stranded and not sinking. I laugh about it now, but it was the scariest night I can remember. oO You were the only one crying . Oo It took us several months to repay the boat and have the permission to sail again.
******
Lieutenant Drex
Science Officer
Denali Station
D240011D14
&
Commander Alora DeVeau
Chief Science Officer &
Second Officer
Denali Station
&
Matriarch of the 15th House
Betazed
M239008AD0