Esme Martinson-Sherlock - Boldly Carried

[Aine Sherlock]

(( Astrometrics, Deck 8, USS Valkyrie-A ))

T’Ama: Computer, display the stars in the Par’tha Expanse.

The room suddenly darkened and all these little lights appeared. It looked just like the little lights outside the window. A couple of the patterns even looked familiar to her, she'd seen them when she was in her crib at their previous home.

She reached out towards one of the patterns, hoping to touch it, but the lights felt like they weren't really there.

Talyra: That would be Aruva. It’s a yellow hypergiant, very bright and also probably one of the older stars in the cluster.

Her hand pulled back as she heard another voice in the room, one she didn't know was there previously. She looked over at the new person in the dim light, then looked back at T'Ama, hoping she'd explain who this was.

T'Ama: What are you doing here? I didn’t realize anyone else was in the room.

Talyra: I like unwinding for a bit here in the evening. It’s usually not occupied.

Esme: Tah-mah.

Talyra: She knows your name, I see.

T'Ama: ::considering the baby:: I have been teaching it to her. She has already shown improvement. ::to Talyra:: What is yours?

Talyra: Ensign Talyra, astrophysicist, at your service. ::points at Esme:: Is this your child?

Little did Esme know her timing was spot on, but when she spied the ears of the new person, and how similar they were to T'Ama's, she couldn't help but wonder why they were the way they were. Her parents both had round ears, and she never took notice of her own. She reached up with one hand, to the side of her head, feeling. Nope, her's were round.

T'Ama: No, I’m just babysitting her for the evening.

Knowing part of one of those words, "baby," she glanced up at T'Ama, thinking she was being asked for her attention, but the women kept talking.

Talyra: Oh. My condolences. I was asked to babysit once. Never again.

T'Ama: I was punished with babysitting once.

She heard that word again...

Esme: Bee-bee.

...but there was no response.

Talyra: Are you going to stay long? I can leave you two to it. Or if you want to see something in particular, I suppose I can help with that.

T'Ama: No, we should probably carry on with our tour of the ship.

Talyra: response

T’Ama: ::to Esme:: Ta-leer-uh.

T'Ama was pointing to the other woman, saying another new word. She presumed it was what that person was called. Just like mom, or dad, or Esme, or T'Ama. Everyone had different sounds.

Esme: Tee-uh.

She knew that wasn't quite right, but some of the sounds T'Ama said were just too hard to string together.

Talyra: response

T’Ama: That one’s hard. We’ll work on it. ::to Talyra:: Sorry for intruding on your secret hideout. We’ll be going now. ::singsong:: Wave bye-bye, Esme!

Now that one she knew. She quickly began moving her arm side-to-side in front of her, hand slightly balled up, grinning, happy she knew this one.

Esme: Buh.

Talyra: response

As she bounced along upon T'Ama's hip, Esme looked back once more into the room of lights. She really liked it in there, once the lights in the dark showed up. The familiarity of some of the patterns, things she'd seen before. She had no clue what they were, just that she could recognize them.

T'Ama: response

There were certain doors she knew of, that when you went through them it was a tiny room. And that room would make a humming sound before the door opened again and suddenly you were in yet another room. She wanted to see what other rooms there were and reached out towards the nearest of the "humming room" doors.

T'Ama: response

Esme Martinson-Sherlock

Child of Confusion

U.S.S. Valkyrie-A

R239712AS0