Cadet Ico Ena - Shiny
Alieth
((Eastern Centre of Transport, East Lake Ave, Yarista, Palanon))
After the harrowing experience of the Gorkon's last mission, the two young Bajoran women had decided to take advantage of their return to the Tyrellian system to participate in one of the festivals of the thriving Bajoran community of Palanon.
In the waning light of the last of the two suns setting, and with the imposing blue silhouette of Palan hanging overhead, the two women considered their next steps.
Ico: ::Pulling a padd out of her bag and studying it for a while::According to the pamphlet, we have plenty of time to get there, and we only have to walk twenty minutes from here to get to the festival grounds::: Raising her gaze to Meru:: What do you think, shall we explore a bit or go straight there? You know these parts better than I do, after all!
Tahna: Well, we’ve got time, and a little exploration never hurt anybody.
The cadet gave a gentle nod, albeit the small, gracious smile on her face faltered a bit. She knew first-hand how a small exploration could go awry so quickly, and how what seemed routine could turn fatally dangerous. Something this first mission aboard the Gorkon had only reinforced. Mindlessly, she rubbed the back of her neck, where the scar from the poisoned gift she had received on Darime would have been, had it not been for the wonders of modern medicine and the Prophets' intervention. Because, that was what it had been, wasn't it? She hadn't discussed it with anyone, not her best friend, neither Isaacs but somehow....
Tahna: Let’s get lost! Left or right, Ena?
Suddenly snapped out of her thoughts, she took a moment to regain the thread of what was going on.
Ico: Oh! Ye-Yeah!
Tahna: The best way to get to know a place is to get your nose out of your books and maps and look around. I got hopelessly lost on my first shoreleave, but in the end, I befriended Jona and Cory, so it worked out quite nicely. And we’re friends because we got lost, ::she paused, frowning,:: kind of. Lost in the class registration forms or something. ::She smiled and nudged her friend’s elbow.:: Anyway. Pick a direction!
As usual, Meru gave him a smile and an embarrassed giggle, remembering how they had made a scheme against the unfortunate (and overenthusiastic) Cardassian 101 lecturer in order to get away from there without being seen.
Taking the arm she was offered and forcing her friend to spin around with her, Ena made a full circle before deciding to head down the narrower street from where they were born in the crowded square of the transport hub.
Ico: This way!
Soon they were both walking, still linked arms, down a narrow street, shaded with trees and delicate bushes of many colours. Beautiful garlands of white and purple flowers streamed like tears from the branches of some trees, so laden with blossoms that they seemed to have no leaves. Others formed a canopy that hid the sky, letting in only small patches of the waning light reach the ground, and cast multicoloured reflections, patches of gold, orange, purple, green and blue, that formed a whimsical mosaic of light and shadow under their feet.
On either side of the streets were a myriad of small shops selling spices and concoctions of every colour imaginable, sweetening the air with a plethora of exotic and alien aromas for the young Bajoran girl. A Klingon boasted the freshness of her wares over there, the contents of her stall wriggling and writhing, obviously alive. A Tyrellian man, his dark skin glowing with iridescent yellow and teal patches, updated the menu of a small café just a little further along, the names of the viands and brews utterly foreign and strange to her. Up ahead, a tall Vulcan, stern and stiff as only his kind could be, fiddled a bizarre-looking stringed instrument, which gave a subtle and complex soundtrack to the alleyway.
For a while, both walked in silence, looking around with wide eyes and, perhaps, in Ena's case, with her mouth open on more than one occasion.
Tahna: Their reverence for the natural environment, designing their cities around it…it’s quite Bajoran, isn’t it?
Ico: Yes, it reminds me a bit of Ni'ratal, in a way. But there everything was... how to say... old? A lot was destroyed in the first years of the Occupation and just nature and new constructions just grew up around it. :: Her green eyes glanced around:: This looks... everything so new, so neatly planned...
Tahna: Response
Ena stopped for a moment, to avoid colliding with two children running down the street behind a small drone. She followed the tiny craft with her eyes, until it went through the foliage of a nearby tree and disappeared of sight, followed shortly afterwards by the children who hurried after the toy through the crowd.
Ico:Well, you're right, but I wasn't really in a city until I took the shuttle back to Earth from the Capital, so I don't know .... SO MUCH about Bajor either.
Her cheeks turned a subtle shade of crimson, something that was very much her trademark, but which happened less and less frequently.
Ico:It's a bit embarrassing, isn't it? I think I know more places on Earth than on our own home planet.
Tahna: Response
Suddenly, she stopped dead on her feet and craned her neck to try to look over the shoulders of passers-by at the cluster of shiny objects that had caught her attention.
Ico: Wait, what's that?
Tahna: Response
Cadet Ico Ena
4th Year Cadet
USS Gorkon NCC-82293
E239702A10