Lieutenant Valesha Sienelis - Fruit-Based Human Idioms
Quinn Reynolds
((Cochtois Lagoon, Deluvia IV))
The sun shone on the seaside, a light brine in the breeze, the sound of conversation and laughter coming from all directions as holidaymakers (and the occasional recuperating patient from the nearby hospital) enjoyed yet another glorious day on Deluvia. Chris jogged—slowly, so deliberately slowly—across the beach. He carried his wife over his shoulder in a mock kidnapping, while their daughter barrelled along in his wake, filled with equally faux outrage.
The sand was soft and warm under her bare feet as they walked toward the ice cream stand. Llaiira wriggled her intention of returning to her own locomotion and Valesha set her down, watching her charge toward the stand with... Well. With all the unbridled enthusiasm of a toddler about to get an ice cream. She took Chris' hand, linking her fingers through his, and like Poe's Tell-Tale Heart—the latest in her ongoing exploration of alien literature—an unasked question thumped into the forefront of her mind, refusing to be forgotten or dismissed.
Sienelis: Have— ::She paused, the subject still a raw one. It didn't feel like the right time, but then, no time ever did.:: Have you spoken to Vorin recently?
C. Sienelis: Not… recently.
Incredible how two words could tell a story as long and melancholy as the classic literature of his homeland. Three years had passed since Vorin had made a decision that hadn't just torpedoed his career, but ruined his friendship with Chris. There were things hard to walk back on... and for a long time, Vorin hadn't even tried.
A short distance ahead, Llaiira skidded to a halt in front of the ice cream stand, shifting from one foot to the other as she stared at the illustrated menu on offer.
Sienelis: He's... changed, I think. Something's different. ::Her green eyes darted to her husband.:: I think he'd like to say sorry, if you'd let him.
C. Sienelis: The way Vorin apologises, you mean.
He scoffed and then sighed, and Valesha briefly cocked her head to the side to acknowledge his point. But in some ways, she understood Vorin's difficulty. Her father had raised her to believe it was a weakness to admit fault, and she remembered casually referencing it once during her time on the Invicta—only to have every officer present ensure they felt the weight of their disapproval. But for all people in Starfeet and the Federation criticised that way of thinking, she'd learned that many in the Federation were just as reluctant and just as bad at apologising as she was, without a Romulan upbringing to explain it.
She glanced toward her husband, who met her eyes for just a second before Llaira's exclamation drew their attention. Their young daughter had made her selection—gesturing excitedly toward a sundae large enough to challenge the Gorkon's warp core... and not far from the same colour, either.
Llaiira: Aneha, mama!
C. Sienelis: That's not dessert, Rybka, that's a mountain.
Sienelis: It's as tall as you are.
No doubt having heard a thousand variations on that conversation, the vendor knew what to do. He presented the young girl with a bowl of blue-green ice cream, topped with apparently everything he had stocked. Satisfied with this compromise, Llaiira dug into her dessert with the same fierceness she did almost everything, and it wasn't long before neon purple sauce decorated her cheek.
C. Sienelis: I'm not angry at Vorin anymore, I'm just— ::He hunted for the word in his brain as he handed over some local currency.:: Tired, I guess.
Sienelis: Yeah. ::She nodded.:: I'd noticed.
C. Sienelis: What makes you think something's different? He's been the same intolerable Vulcan he's always been.
Sienelis: For someone so intolerable, you tolerated him for a long time.
C. Sienelis / Llaiira: Response
She watched as Llaiira continued to devour her sundae, wondering if they were going to pay the price with a sugar crash later. A faint smile tugged at the corner of her mouth, and she took a breath before turning back to her husband. Why was she even doing this? How many times had she wished Vorin wasn't a part of their lives? Now that she more or less had got her wish, here she was, trying to upend the pineapple cart.
Sienelis: It was something he said during that visit to the tea farms on Palanon. And then... I don't know. ::She lifted her shoulders in an awkward shrug.:: He seems different around the labs these days.
C. Sienelis / Llaiira: Response
Sienelis: If you don't want me to bring him up again, I won't. And my championing him feels like we're still trapped in some weird alternate timeline. ::She paused, her face twisting into an expression of grudging reluctance.:: But he was your friend, and you miss him.
C. Sienelis / Llaiira: Response
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Assistant Chief Science Officer
USS Gorkon
simmed by
Commanding Officer
USS Gorkon
T238401QR0