BACKSIM: Lt. Cmdr. Alora DeVeau - "Locked Away"
Amanda Nordstrom
((Rixx, Betazed - Lumie
Family Home))
Himitsu bako. Tikei bako. Sikake bako. They were all
Japanese names for the same type of thing.
Puzzle boxes.
Their history didn’t originate in Japan. Earliest
documentation of similar items dated back as far as the
Renaissance era on Earth. In Japan, they made their
appearance sometime in the Edo period and quickly became
ingrained in the culture. Originally, they were simple
things, meant to protect children from tiny, sharp sewing
needles. As time went on, they got a little bigger, and a lot
more complicated. Alora, of course, had become fascinated
with them almost immediately. When Enzada had visited, she’d
been introduced to the concept and the Betazoid had found them
enchanting. The newly minted matriarch of the 15th house of
Betazed just hadn’t realised how much.
Enzada had left everything to Alora, but in particular were
two puzzle boxes that she had purchased during her time in
Japan while Alora had been ‘convalescing’. Not only that,
they had come with instructions - to be given to her on the
occasion of Enzada’s death. Perhaps she hadn’t realised how
quickly that would come to pass.
But it had. And now, Alora was there, on a planet that she
had ties to, one that held a special place in her heart for
several reasons, yet was still a stranger. A stranger who was
now considered nobility. The irony couldn’t be ignored.
And now she had boxes. Beautifully handmade and custom built
according to Enzada’s specifications, they sat upon the desk,
staring at her, and her at them. One was small and could fit
in the palm of her hand. The other was more hefty, about half
a meter in width and around a third of a meter in height and
depth, yet it was not particularly heavy. The smaller was
simple, blue and white with an overall hexagonal pattern and
Alora had figured it out in about a minute, for it had only
required four moves to open. Inside had been a small
holographic disc to insert into an emitter. Alora hadn’t
watched it yet. Instead, she had turned her attention to the
larger and attempted to figure it out.
Japanese puzzle boxes could be very easy, like the first one
she had opened. They could also be extremely complex. What
Enzada had commissioned was particularly so. Larger than most
puzzle boxes, it seemed the woman had made a point when it
came to getting such a thing crafted. Likely whomever had
made it had given her a diagram in regards on how to open it.
If Alora was lucky, she might find it among Enzada’s files,
though she doubted it. Enzada had purposefully, perhaps with
mischievous, fun loving intentions, commissioned the item.
She wouldn’t have had such a complicated box made and yet left
easy instructions. Smirking, Alora attempted to take another
turn to get farther than the two she had started with . A few
minutes later, another tidbit on the side slid under her
gentle prodding. She was sure she could probably run a scan,
maybe use the calculations the computer could spit out to help
but, but somehow, she sensed that had she done that and Enzada
had been alive, the former Matriarch would have been extremely
disappointed.
A fourth was found, then a fifth, but after that, she became
stuck again and finally Alora leaned back her chair and
returned to the little chip. There must be some reason she’d
put it in there. Taking a small emitter that was part of
Enzada’s things, Alora inserted the chip into it.
Immediately, the form of recently deceased Enzada appeared,
her lips spread into a wide, warm smile, eyes crinkled and
laugh lines clearly. In her hand, she held a cane made of
rich, red wood and adorned with silver filigree, topped with a
silver ball. Alora knew very well she didn’t need it - Enzada
just liked the way it looked. It was all decorative. Her
vanity.
Lumie: Well here I am.
DeVeau: There you are.
Alora’s lips flickered into a smile. This was not a hologram
that was programmed to respond. No, it was far simpler than
that, merely an image meant to convey a message. Still, it
was a pleasure to see the wide grin that was just so Enzada.
Lumie: And now I am dead.
She didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. It was true, that
statement, and yet the bluntness of it was so very, very
Enzada as well.
Lumie: And likely you know I’ve specifically named you as
heir, both to my personal effects as well as to the position
of house Matriarch. Not that it really mattered. It should
have gone to you by rights, but I know some of those old
crones. They’ll try to argue against it. Ha! I took care of
that.
A sharp rap of the cane against the floor was punctuated by a
warm cackle from the woman herself. She leaned forward.
Somehow, despite the fact it was simply a reflection of the
deceased, those ebony eyes met Alora’s as if she had been
still alive. There was warmth in that image, a glittering joy
that sprang up from the wells within a soul who had seen far
too much sorrow to justify such an emotion. Yet there it
was. That was Enzada.
Lumie: You might not be Betazoid by birth, but you are
Betazoid at heart. You are the best representation of my
house that I have ever met. I knew you had to be special for
Kalin to choose you, and he chose wisely.
Immediately, Alora’s hand slapped down on the emitter and the
image paused, that broad grin still over the face, but it
blurred. Tears flooded her sight, unbidden and unyielding.
They flowed down her cheeks, tracing rivers over her fair
skin. Even her hands, wich pressed desperately against her
face, could not stem the tide. Chest heaving, sobs escaped
with intense, guttural wails, intensifying the twisting of her
heart.
Desperately, she tried to reign it all in, tried to fight
against the emotions that streamed as readily as the water
from her eyes, but it was several minutes before she attained
any measure of success. Her body rebelled, spurred by the
grief that sliced her heart, sliding into another fit before
finally easing off to the point where she was able to gain
control, gather herself together, and inhale deeply.
One. Two. Three.
Three steps up, then one long one going down. A second time.
Then a third. She repeated the motion, then lay her hands
flat against the desk, focusing on the coolness and smoothness
of the wood.
One. Two. Three.
Slowly, she gained control. Slowly, she felt herself come
back into the present, back into a state of mind where she
might continue. Enzada had more to say. Alora needed to
listen. Slender fingers shakily reached out to restart the
hologram. Enzada’s reflection straightened, grin shifting
into simply a smile.
Lumie: You’re going to meet resistance, you know. Some of
them will accept it. Most will likely be shocked, and don’t
be surprised if someone tries to find some long winded
legalistic reason to contradict my will, but don’t let those
fogies get the best of you. They aren’t bad people, just
stubborn. Sometimes a little stupid. Okay, often a little
stupid. They mean well but sometimes they can’t see past the
ends of their noses. You’ll just have to show them exactly
what you showed me.
Alora felt the tears sting against her eyes, but she managed
to keep more control that time. The breaths game one after
the other, a long slow release, and the hologram continued.
Lumie: I know you struggle. You’ve seen more in your short
time in this universe than many people twice my age. Yet,
I’ve seen the depths of you. That darkness never quenches your
light. It’s there, my girl. I know it is. I’ve seen it.
Don’t let it go.
One hand covered her mouth as she struggled to prevent another
breakdown, and managed to wrangle it all together. The
hologram continued none the wiser.
Lumie: There’s another box. Didn’t know I got a couple, did
ya? Well, now you do! Obviously you’ve figured out the
first, but that was too easy. The second? That’s a trixy
one. Don’t even try to find the instructions, you never
will. You’ve got to figure this one out on your own, my
dear. And I know you’ll do it.
Alora’s gaze shifted to the box of orange purple sunset with
flying cranes and pink cherry blossoms that decorated each
side. The hand that was upon her mouth gingerly reached out
to stroke the edge.
Lumie: That’s got the silver keys in it. And once you open
it, you’ll find out what the Treasure of Medara is. But no
cheating. You have to do it yourself. I know you will. It
might take a while, but I have faith.
She had faith. Oh yes, Enzada had a lot of faith in her to
make such a decision, to ensure that the house went to her
despite what others might think, despite the lack of
heritage. She’d passed on the last of herself to her heir.
Alora couldn’t let her down.
Lumie: And that's it. :: The image tapped the cane against
the floor once more.: I’m going to say this one last thing
and then I’m shutting this damn thing off. Don’t forget who
you are.
The image waved her hand, and suddenly Enzada’s form
disappeared. The message was over. She was gone. The
fifteenth house of Betazed was almost nonexistent. The last
biological member deceased, and it was held on by a thread
thanks to a human woman who had been chosen to see that it did
not get absorbed, that it did not cease to exist. Fingers
lightly traced the image of the cranes upon the remaining
box. Like her, it was foreign, taken from its origins and put
into an entirely new world. Yet, somehow, it didn’t clash.
It’s colours did not clash with its surroundings. Rather,
they complemented, settled into the decor as if it had
belonged there all along. It seemed to belong. Perhaps the
woman who had purchased it knew that.
And maybe. Just maybe, she was right.
-- Lt. Cmdr. Alora DeVeau First Officer Starbase 118 Ops al...@blar.net M239008AD0