Meeting the Family (Pt.2)

Posted on Sat Aug 13th, 2022 @ 6:43am by Lieutenant Commander S'hib & Lieutenant Colonel Azhul Naxea

Mission: MISSION 0 - History Speaks
Location: Sequus Colony; Earth
Timeline: MD 03 0930 Hours
1572 words - 3.1 OF Standard Post Measure

Naxea and S'hib materialized just outside the Earth Sequus Colony. The sun was warm and a welcome addition to being planetside for Naxea, dressed in a white tank top and tan shorts with boots.

"It's a short walk from here, you gonna be ok?" S'hib asked politely as he readjusted the long kilt around his waist, its vibrant mustard yellow material fluttering in the gentle South England breeze. "I'm going to be taking this off at some point." He added as his ears rotated excitedly to the sounds around him, the chirping of birds and insects in the tall grass nearby reminding him just how sterile a starship could be.

Naxea looked up at S'hib and grinned. "I'll be fine. Will you be ok? I take it I'll be expected to be naked as well?" she recalled her holodeck visit to his homeworld.

"No, this is still earth." He smiled back as he wrapped an arm around her and tugged her close. "But you will look slightly out of place... It's not just Sequus here you know."

"I'm just making sure. I'd hate to cause an intergalactic incident just because I wasn't butt ass naked at the Sequus Colony," she joked, grinning as the entrance to the colony came into view.

"If anyone's going to cause an incident Nax, we both know it's going to be me," S'hib remarked as they approached a rickety wooden gate, its featureless frame holding two old signs, one in Federation Standard, the other in Sequus both saying the same thing; Sequus Naturist Reserve

"Though it wouldn't be the first time that ass has caused an incident." He laughed, grinning wide at her as he lifted the heavy latch over the gate post and gently walked it open.

"Oh hush," she chided with a grin as she followed S'hib through the gates. "So how long has it been since you've last seen Fr'ee?" She could instantly spot the large forms of a few Sequus off in the distance.

"A while..." S'hib confessed as he slowly shut the gate behind them. "I came back umm, it uh, it must have been around when we started dating... I felt homesick."

"Just needed to be around my own kind for a while." He added with a soft smile, catching up to Nax and searching for her hand with his own.

"I see...and I'm not good enough to keep you company?" she asked, casting a sideways glance at him. "After all, you did run off to your homeworld with barely a goodbye," she reminded him. Though she was teasing him, there was a part of her that wondered if/when he would just up and run off again--it was a habit she had seen in him. He did it every chance he got on Away Missions

"It's not like that and you know it." He sulked as they continued to walk along the gravel path, her words cutting deep despite her amused tone. "I was miserable when I left Nax," He snorted loudly. "And I stayed miserable the entire time because, despite the company I had, it wasn't yours... that and I almost died on numerous occasions."

"S'hib," she said softly, taking his hand into hers. "I'm here for you but you need to learn to let me help you. If something is going on with your people or your family, then tell me and I will help however I can."

"You do help, you do... more than you could know," he said as he stopped, turning towards her and reaching for her other hand. "You have given me everything I could ever want, and that which I didn't know I wanted..." S'hib continued as his forehead touched hers, looking down as he pressed both their hands gently against her stomach.

"Then stop keeping me out of your people's affairs, especially if they involve you," she stated. "Now, let's go and find Fr'ee."

His mouth opened in protest, a thousand words trying to spill out all at once and explain something that he quickly realised she didn't want him to.

"I'll do better, Nax." He sighed "I promise... but yes, let's go find my Mother."

Naxea wrapped her arm around his as they approached the center of the reserve. The center was packed with numerous Sequus going about various activities. Many weren't paying her much attention as they must be accustomed to humans visiting...at least that was her reasoning "Do you have any brothers or sisters that live here as well?"

"I do, quite a few actually... both of my mothers have had several children since coming to earth, then, of course, my father who has sired numerous children." He said jovially, pulling her closer. "Any young mare you see, good chance she's a cousin or half sister... you can tell by the coat or the styles in the mane, but that's a bit more complicated to explain."

"So, any Sequus with a white coat is a relative of yours?" she asked with a raised eyebrow. She hoped S'hib knew how lucky he was to have such a large family--or herd. Her family only consisted of herself, her mother, and half-brother whom she still had a strained relationship, but it was a far better one than when she was growing up on New France Colony with him.

“Pretty much… though my birth mother's coat is brown and white, she teased me as a child and told me I stole parts of her coat, leaving her with large brown patches…” He shook his head at this, remembering her words. “If I ever misbehaved, she threatened to take it back and make me invisible.”

Naxea couldn't help but laugh at S'hib's statement. "Well obviously it didn't work because you still misbehave," she teased him.

"I don't know what you're on about..." He snorted, lifting the tip of his snout up high while glancing down at her, already catching sight of her eyebrows raising.

"Sha'tu," Spoke an elderly Sequus woman, greeting them both in native Sequus before ducking low. "May I offer you both a Taganay, they were picked this afternoon." She continued, her native tongue twisting and rolling the earthly letters.

"Sha'tu shan," S'hib replied, bowing back to his elder, noticing her black and grey marbled coat was covered in dirt and seeds from the fields nearby.

"Fa sha'rul..." He continued while gesturing to Naxea. "Gres va grel."

This brief exchange seemed to light up the eyes of the older woman, her well-worn hoofed digits leaving the sides of the wooden tray that hung from a simple rope around her neck, excitedly grasping at the fruits contained within.

"Thank you." S'hib replied, returning to a language Naxea understood as he gently took the light green oval fruit, cupping it gently in both hands.

"What did you say?" she asked looking between S'hib and the elder Sequus and then the fruit in his hands.

“It doesn't really have a translation…” He spoke, taking another and passing it to Naxea as the woman bowed and then departed, calling out for others nearby.

“Not in a way that would make sense for you, but essentially, Taganays’ are said to be aphrodisiacs, I told her it wouldn't help us because you are already with child… they're still delicious, however.” he smiled before gently leaning into a bite, its soft fleshy exterior giving way to its vibrantly pink insides.

"And you should be ashamed. Using your poor pregnant wife to procure fruit," she teased him before taking a smaller bite of the fruit to taste it first. The fruit was juicy and sweet as she chewed the chunk that she had bitten off.

He stood back slightly, arms outstretched at his sides in a mock display of defiance. "I thought that was one of the perks?" he questioned before tossing the Taganay up into view.

"I get all this free stuff for us, and it makes me look good." He quipped while catching it with an audible thwap, staring at Naxea before teasing a gentle bite out of it its fleshy exterior.

"Oh, so you do it to make yourself look good," Naxea replied, laughing as she looked up at S'hib. "Where does your mother live in here?"

"Hey, you're the one that always says I look good..." He laughed back before suckling at the underside of his Taganay, licking away the drippings before they could reach his hand. "So It's your fault I'm like this really..."

He knew he was playing with fire, already stepping back with a smug grin plastered over his face.

"Oh is that so?" she placed her hands on her hips, still grasping the Taganay fruit in her right hand. "Do explain that one to me."

"You know, now that I think about it... I'd rather turn up to my mothers in one piece." He chirped back as he clicked quietly towards her side, edging his free hand to her hip, trying to pry a finger away. "Though she'd probably find it amusing."

Naxea chunked the Taganay fruit in her hand at S'hib, laughing. "Always a pain," she joked.

"Ah, but I'm your pain." he taunted, leaning in to quickly kiss the side of her head. "And we're not far, they have a house near one of the farms."

"Yes you are," she agreed, smiling at S'hib as she wrapped her arm around his and leaned close to him.

 

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