Beach Play Party

Posted on Wed Jul 3rd, 2024 @ 10:56am by Captain Samuel Woolheater & Consul Andrinn Orin & Teevs Dosivi & Kerilia Dosivi

Mission: Season 6 HIATUS
Location: Elysium/Unexplored Planet
Timeline: DURING THE DAY AND INTO THE EVENING
4339 words - 8.7 OF Standard Post Measure

Kerilia was excited for the beach trip. She heard the planet below was very blue, compared to the orange hue that Niea IV had due to its sun. While she knew her planet was an exception compared to other habitable worlds, it was still exciting to see something different. She nearly jumped out of her seat when school was dismissed, joining the group of kids leaving the classroom and waving goodbye to the ones she knew. There was a general buzz amongst the children about the upcoming shore leave, and Kerilia wondered how many of them were going down to the planet.

Her smile waned a bit when she saw a child quietly hanging behind the group of children released from school. Kerilia knew this girl as Japha. The six year-old had light brown curly hair, freckles decorating her nose and cheeks, and was just over half the teenager's height. Based on the first couple of interactions with her, Japha was quite shy, but Kerilia recognized the sadness in Japha's eyes, the loss, and knew where the shyness came from. Japha still hadn't opened up to her yet about what happened, but she hoped that offering friendship would help. There was an underlying curiosity and creativity in her, despite the shyness and whatever happened to her, and maybe she just needed the space to feel comfortable enough to express herself.

With a friendly smile, Kerilia approached the lonely girl. "Hi, Japha!" she greeted. "Do you have any plans for the shore leave?"

Japha so desperatly wanted to go and see the outside again. She had heard that it wasn't cold there. Not like before. Kerilia, the nice girl from her class had come over and asked her a question. Japha looked into her kind face and shook her head, 'no'. She looked on as people and other children passed. They seemed happy and she could sense the excitement. In her hands was a bit of homework for some extra credit. Doctor Tate Sullivan would see her later this afternoon. Japha's brown eyes looked down the hall as laughter and happy squeals came from kids who were already in their swimming trunks. "Are you going outside?" she asked Kerilia.

Kerilia gave a nod, noticing the longing gaze toward the other kids. "My dad's taking me to the beach. You can come with us if you like! Holographic sand just isn't the same." Someone had introduced the young Lonian to the holodecks at some point, and she loved being in them. She mostly used it to make sense of the Earth stuff she was learning in class, but every once in a while she'd have some fun.

Japha got such a look on her face, ((( OH! ))) her mouth turned into an "OH" and her eyes lit up. She straightened up and for a second was even precocious. For a moment she forgot herself... She said, "I'll ask my daddy if I can go..." before she was reminded that she didn't have a mommy or a daddy anymore. Her hand went to her mouth and her happiness vanished before her eyes. Everything she had in her young life was gone. Except for the pajamas she was wearing...that night. Her young mind stopped processing and she just stood there not sure what to do next.

The disappearance of that momentary joy hurt Kerilia. Japha's mere mention of her dad made her shut down. It didn't take a genius to understand the grief in her eyes. "Um..." Kerilia awkwardly began, hoping to help her out somehow. "Maybe we can ask whoever is currently taking care of you?"

Japha looked small now. Tightly drawn in and unsure of herself. She was withdrawn ad the world seemed cold. She looked up at Kerilia and said, "Its OK. I don't have play clothes anymore either" as if that was an explanation for her not being able to go. She nodded, having made some decision or, more likely, accepted that she wouldn't be going 'outside' today and started to walk.

Kerilia watched her walk off for a moment. Her heart hurt seeing a kid like this. Nobody should be deterred from fun because they didn't have simple necessities. Kerilia felt strongly that Japha deserved some type of fun, and a second later the young Lonian perked up. An idea came to mind; there were some of her old clothes on the Spheia... they'd be perfect for her! "Wait!" Determined, Kerilia jogged to catch up to Japha, pausing beside her. "I have an idea! Come with me!" She offered her hand to the child, giving her a warm smile.

Japha took her hand reluctantly at first before the two the girls started running down the hallways of the Elysium. Japha had asked, "Where exactly are we going? I don't want to be a burden or anything!" Japha and Kerilia couldn't help but chuckle as they ran down the hallways towards the nearest turbolift that was open for use. They jumped into it, where Andrinn had been already onboard. He was heading down to the shuttlebay as he saw the two young ones hoping onboard as he asked, "Where are you two young ones heading so fast?"

Initially, Kerilia's own shyness wanted to kick in with the less familiar crewmember, but she shook her head to get back to the task at hand. She was on a mission to make sure Japha had fun. "My dad's ship! I think it's Level 8, the shuttlebay. There's some stuff I want to give my friend." She glanced down at Japha and gave her a wink.

Japha smiled, first time in a while, she said so proudly, "We're going outside. We're going swimming and to the beach. And I just...I'm just beside myself."

"Just make sure that you don't rush around and hurt yourselves or anyone else. Also, aren't you supposed to be supervised by a teacher or something? I thought all the young children onboard were supposed to be watched by someone," Andrinn asked the pair of them.

Japha looked to Kerilia for help. She didn't know Consul Orin at all. But she recognized a Starfleet uniform. Her mom had told her to always trust anybody who wore that uniform while onboard a starship. So she innately trusted Andrinn. Plus, he had a kind face.

"C'mon, I'll take you guys down to the shuttlebay and back to the transporter room, as long as you guys promise to behave. There's nothing really pressing diplomatically at the moment, so I'm sure that Captain Richardson wouldn't mind me walking some of our upcoming minds to the shuttlebay. How does that sound?" Andrinn asked the young ladies, knowing that he couldn't just let them roam the ship without some adult supervision.

Oops. That's right, Kerilia technically wasn't an adult yet. She forgot about that rule, giving him a thankful smile when he offered his help instead of sending them back home. "We'll behave our best!" The teen paused for just a moment before adding, "what if my dad met us in the shuttlebay? Would that be alright? He's going to take us to the beach."

Japha looked at Andrinn with "please" written all over her face, "I'll be good. It's been known to happen" she said matter-of-factly.

"I wouldn't mind that a bit. But, I'm still going to have to walk you guys down to the shuttlebay and wait with you guys until he arrives, okay?" Andrinn replied, a small smile across his face as he began walking with the two young ladies down to the shuttlebay.

Japha was excited. The first time really in months. She looked up at Kerilia and asked, "Does your Dad know I'm coming?"

"Yes, that's ok!" Kerilia said to Andrinn. Looking down to Japha, she added, "not yet, asking you was a bit spontaneous. But he'll be ok with it." The Lonain pressed her communicator, "Kerilia to Teevs. Dad, can you meet us in the shuttlebay, please?"

[[ Sure. Who else are you with? ]]

Kerilia gently squeezed Japha's hand. "A friend I want you to meet. And..." Looking to the man in the elevator, she realized she didn’t know who he was. "Um... an Elysium crew person." Partially covering the communicator as if it would mute the call. "What's your name, mister?"

Andrinn had been working on a few reports on his PADD when he heard one of the girls ask what his name was. He replied, "It's Consul Orin, the diplomat. I think Teeves will hopefully remember me from when he came onboard."

Kerilia repeated the name to her father, and smiled when he recognized the name and agreed to meet them. "Thanks! See you soon!"

There was a pause that followed and Japha's eyes were on Andrinn. She leaned over to Kerilia and whispered, "Do you think that he can come too?" she whispered and indicated to Andrinn.

Japha looked up at Andrinn, who towered over the girls and said, "That would be fun! Can we ask your dad when we get down to the ship?"

Kerilia gave an enthusiastic nod in response. The more, the merrier!

A couple of minutes later, the group arrived in the shuttlebay. Kerilia led them to the Spheia, sitting in a corner out of the way. "It won't take long. My old stuff is in one of the crates in the cargo hold," Kerilia explained.

"Take all the time that you girls need. Just let me know if there's anything that you need help with," Andrinn said as he took a seat and pulled some reports up on his PADD to look over while he waited.

Shortly after the group arrived, Teevs entered the shuttlebay as well, his pace brisk. Spotting the group, he jogged over. "Consul Orin! It is great to see you again!" he said with a smile. "Thank you for supervising them. I hope this didn't take up any of your time."

Andrinn couldn't help but chuckle and smile a little bit as he saw Teeves come running over towards his ship in the shuttlebay. Andrinn had barely spent any time at all with the girls by the time that Teeves had caught up with them. He replied, "I actually had some extra time to spare like I told the girls. I think they just got out of school and were about to head down to the planet or something? You probably know more about it all than I do!" Andrinn let out a small chuckle.

Japha looked up at the adults as they spoke. But she was watching Kerilia. Keeping an eye on her for the cues about what was going on. She didn't know what to say. The only reference point in her whole young life was her parents. She asked, "Can we build a sandcastle togther? I....like building sandcastles. But I have....I always have trouble with the bottom parts."

"It has been a while since I've tried to build any sand castles. But, it would be fun to try again! If it's okay with Teeves if we all go down?" Andrinn replied with a small chuckle as he listened to the one girl talk.

Japha looked at Teeves hopefully.

Admittedly, Teevs was surprised by the company. He was under the impression that he would be taking Kerilia, but he certainly didn't mind the extra faces. Andrinn was friendly, so he had no issue with the man. He wasn't familiar with the young girl, however. There was mild hesitation over bringing an unknown child without knowing who she was or who her parents were. What if they thought she was missing and got worried?

Kerilia came out of the ship with a handful of clothes in a variety of colors. "Dad, this is Japha! She's a friend of mine at school! Can she come with us? And Mister Orin, too?"

"Did you make sure it was ok with her parents?" Teevs asked. He was confused when a look of mild unease crossed Kerilia's features, even more so when she ran up to him and whispered something in his ear.

Japha felt awkward. She didn't know that's what the feeling was called. She did know that she had experienced this feeling a lot lately. Ever since - that day - really. She was getting used to how this part would go. There would be apologies and empty promises about 'next time' and 'had we known' or 'let's make a plan next ok?' All of it would go no where. Her little face fell and she felt smaller and smaller. She just wanted to go home now. The ups and the downs, the constant ambiguity of her young life now. Everything was so unstable. There was a thought - an ugly kind of thought that had entered her mind weeks ago. She wished that she had never been separated from her parents. Wherever they were now, whatever became of them, it would be better than her life now. Death and the concept of 'no more me' she could not fathom. But this kind of 'living death' where she had no friends and was lonely all the time was eroding her. And, in her own way, she began to hate the man, the Marine that had kept her, pulled her away from her parents. Her situation was becoming his fault. And the question of 'Why?' grew stronger. It was inevitable now. And her little head hung a little lower.

After a moment, a look of understanding washed over Teevs, and he glanced at the child. A sense of sympathy for the young girl was evident in his eyes, alongside familiarity with loss. She was the same age as Kerilia when she lost her mother. Turning to Andrinn, he asked, "Mister Orin, is there anything I need to do so Japha can join us? Is your presence sufficient?"

"I guess since I'm one of the senior diplomats onboard and with everything that has happened recently, I could vouch for this nice young lady and make sure that she's taken care of. If you don't mind me coming along for a bit of a trip, I'd love to come along and help take care of these little ones," Andrinn said with a smile, offering up to help out, even if it was just by being there and offering up his time.

That sounded hopeful. Was the 'yo-yo' of life now on the rebound? She looked over at Andrinn and up at him. Was he playing a mean trick on her?

Looking down at her, Andrinn could see the confusion building up in her eyes as she was trying to figure out what Andrinn meant. Andrinn replied, "Yes, I'm coming along and we can have a good time. Are you excited to see the beach?"

Her hopes had been dashed so many times before; she searched his face for any deception. And finding none she looked up at Kerilia and then Teevs. She said, "Oh yes! I want to go to the beach. And I'm glad that you can come too" she answered with happiness creeping in her voice. She looked at Andrinn again and was ever hopeful. She looked at his uniform and concerned that he would get in trouble for a dirty uniform asked, "Mister? Do you have any play clothes? Because...we will probably want to go in the water."

Andrinn looked over at Teeves and said, "I can replicate some clothes if you can watch the girls for a few minutes while I run over to the replicator over on the wall? It shouldn't take me more than a few minutes, if you're okay with that?"

The news that Japha could come, as well as Andrinn, made Kerilia smile. Looking to Japha, she held up the clothes before gesturing to the Spheia with her head, a light jog emphasizing her enthusiasm. "Come on! I'll help you try some of these on!"

Japha squealed in delight! A joyous "Yippee!" escaped her lips and she jumped off her feet and skipped at least two steps. She ran after Kerilia as fast as her little legs could carry her. She ran and somehow made running a kind of a dance. Her feet barely touching the deck plate.

"Go ahead," Teevs answered to Andrinn. It took all of two seconds after Andrinn walked off for Teevs to nearly lose sight of the kids, spotting them running off to theSpheia. He did something between a fast walk and a jog to catch up to them, and lingered near the entrance to the cargo ship so they couldn't sneak out on him.

Inside the small ship, Kerilia led Japha to her old bedroom. It had been cleaned out since she and Teevs had taken up guest quarters on the Elysium, but a couple of things lingered. Aside from the basic furniture consisting of a bed, a dresser, and a desk, there were a couple of stuffed animals and some pictures visible. In the corner was a storage crate that had been opened, and Kerilia dumped the clothes on the bed before turning to Japha. "This is my room! It's kind of boring now, but only because I decorated my room on the Elysium."

Japha nodded and grew quiet as she looked around. She had forgotten what it was like to have your very own bedroom. She was staying in a room with perhaps a dozen other kids. All of them having lost their parents or guardians. She had no possesions of her own to speak of. But she remembered what it was like when she did. Her eyes, wide with curiosity and wonder, scanned the room. Like sponge, taking it all in. She recognized some things, but most she did not. She went to the open crate and then looked at Kerilia, "Can I borrow some swimming things? I'm not supposed to get my school clothes dirty." Then, hearing her mother's voice in her head, she quoted her outloud for Kerilia, "You can play all you want after homework and after chores and if you have been good. But never in school clothes. Teachers deserve good students in clean cclothes." She looked at what Kerilia had picked out.

"Of course!" Kerilia began holding up some of the articles of clothing for her to see. "Pick what you like and we can see if it fits you!"

Andrinn had replicated everything he would immediately need for the trip and walked over to where Teeves was standing and asked, "Where are the girls? Hopefully, they're in there, having fun and not being too much trouble for you."

From inside the Spheia came the giggles. It was from Japha. Totally delighted with the swimsuit that Kerilia had shared with her.

From what he was hearing, Andrinn had his 'ah-ha' moment and said, "Sounds like they're having fun in there."

"They're fast," Teevs chuckled, pleased to hear the laughter from inside the ship. "Kerilia is helping Japha try on some of her old clothes."

In that moment, Kerilia poked her head out of her old bedroom, looking across the small cargo hold on board to Teevs and Andrinn waiting outside. "I think we found something she likes!" she called out. Turning her attention back into the room, she asked, "ready?"

Out she ran! Japha bounding out of the ship in a onesies type of swimsuit. In her left hand she had an old pail and a new scooper for building sand structures. Over her right shoulder was a large terry-cloth towel. Super absorbant with one of her favoriter cartoon characters, "Finnegan the Phantom". Imagine a red eyed, bags under the eyes, Jack Lemmon looking character in an old top hat dressed only in a sheet from Ross that still has the price tags on the seams. The cartoon character was famous for his catch-phrase, "Blergh! (eye roll) Then let's get on with it!" (If you can think of a better way to get kids to get interested in subliminal-hysterical number coefficents - then I'd like to hear it).

She smiled up at them and said, "Ready!"

Andrinn couldn't help but chuckle as he saw what the girls had come up with, but he was glad that they found something together that they could go swimming in. He looked at them and said, "You young ladies look really good! Are you excited to head down to the beach?"

Kerilia was glad to see Japha happier. She had changed into her swimsuit as well, resembling shorts and a fitting tank top, both teal in color. She gave a nod to Andrinn, "I know I am! It's been a long time since I've been to the beach!"

"Well, the planet is very beautiful and I think that we'll have some fun! Hopefully, you guys enjoy it with us down on the planet!" Andrinn said, excited to see the girls happy about going to the beach, as the last few weeks and months have been tough for everyone.

Teevs didn't feel like being in the water, so he had a towel so he could bask in the sun. Looking to Andrinn, he gave a smile. "It sounds like we're all ready to go."

"Yeah, I'm ready to head down to the planet whenever you're ready to head down. Would you like a co-pilot for this mission?" Andrinn asked as he let Teeves lead the way to the cockpit.

Nodding, Teevs gave a smile and led the way.


THE BEACH

As soon as the door was opened, Japha was on the beach. She ran as fast as her little legs could carry her. In her left hand was a pail and a bucket. In her right was a towel that was being dragged behind her as she clutched it. When she got to the water's edge, where the waves rolled onto the shore, she put her feet in. Scooping up some of the water and then wading in up to her little knees. Towel abandoned behind her along with the pail. She was delighted and looked for Kerilia.

The Lonian teenager was close behind, her feet splashing water all over once they hit the water. Kerilia left her own towel next to Japha's so it wouldn't get wet. Staying in the shallow water, she playfully splashed at Japha, encouraging her to play and have fun.

And play she did. The water was cool but not cold. And it was fresh and clean. The sound of the sea shore was soothing to the mind and the body. It was a timeless sort of reminder. Japha played in the water, getting wet, feeling the sandy shore under her feet. Breathing real air, under real sunlight, with real water. And with a real friend. Today, she benefitted because Kerilia invited her into her life to share this time. The clothes on her back to being here was because of Kerilia. And while Japha did not process the entirety of what was happening that allowed her to be here, she knew, deep down, that she had made a friend in Kerilia today. A simple act of kindness changed what happend for today. Japha could not possibly repay any of them back. Kerilia, her dad Teevs or Andrinn. She did not have the words to articulate her feelings. But those feelings of gratitude and thanks were on display nevertheless.

Andrinn stood on the walkway of Teeves ship and watched as the two girls made their way to the beach. He wanted to keep an eye on them until Teeves had a chance to change into his beach outfit before heading back to get his on. It was fun to watch the girls play for a little bit, as he knew this was probably one of the first times since the whole incident that brought everyone there that they had the chance to do anything like this. So, Andrinn was glad to help out and let the girls play.

Teevs took in a slow breath, savoring the salty air that filled his lungs. With a nod of silent agreement, Teevs went and changed first, returning in a pair of grey trunks and sandals, towel draped over his arm. His now bare chest sported a few scars, mostly faded but present for the observant. He had a small smattering of hair at his sternum, complimenting his neatly groomed arm hair. Returning to where Andrinn was waiting, he smiled, a silent confirmation that he was ready to switch. "You may use any of the guest quarters on the left to change," he said.

Japha played in the water with Kerilia. She laughed and got wet, ran along the shore and made sand angles on the shore with Kerilia and that was thanks. She dried off with a clean towel and a friendly chat. After a while, she played in the sand. And with Andrinns help made a sand castle. Her happy, chatty voice, the way she gobbled up her food all of it was confirmation of the change that was happening on the inside.


LATER

Having made campfire, even toasting marshmallows, the sun low on the horizon and the wind a bit cooler, the stars coming out above them, Japha was finally tired. She was happy. And as the conversation started to grow softer and less chatty, she was seated next to Teevs and Kerilia. She leaned against Teevs and wrapped the beach towel around her. She laid her head against him and watched the camp fire before her eyes closed.

Teevs was a little surprised when he felt a presence against him, seeing Kerilia sitting far enough away to not reach him, and he looked down to see the young girl, Japha. Her eyes fought hard to stay open, and with a gentle smile Teevs draped an arm around her, offering his comfort. He was glad that they were able to help her find a little peace.