Going Walky Walk

Posted on Wed Apr 8th, 2020 @ 5:20pm by Lieutenant JG Gallia Norris
Edited on on Mon May 11th, 2020 @ 2:10pm

Mission: Season 3: Episode 4: Cause and Effect
Location: All over the Elysium
Timeline: during Senior Staff Briefing
2053 words - 4.1 OF Standard Post Measure

Tayalas had been left with her new sitter, Eleanor Blankenship, as she often was during day time hours. Mrs. Blankenship, the widow of a retired Admiral who Gallia's father and Bossk had served under during the Cardassian war, had decided to go ahead and wear the little one out with a nice long walk around the ship. As they walked around Deck 2, they could both smell cookies baking from the little pink and white striped cart that had just started occupying space on the deck a week prior, "Oh, Tayalas, doesn't that smell good?" Mrs. Blankenship asked, watching the toddler smile and nod, "Well, let's go get a cookie, shall we?"

"Yes, Mrs. Blankyship." Tayalas replied, she loved the older woman, though she struggled to say her name, "We go see Mommy?"

"No, darling, your mommy's in a very important meeting right now." The older woman shook her head, her hair, though snowy white like the beautiful child in her care's, had once been a bright blonde color, not unlike Estelle's and Tayalas could tell, part of the reason she liked her so much, she reminded her of Stelle.

"Mommy important." Tayalas stated like it was the most obvious thing in the world, "When I see mommy?"

"Oh, I'm sure she'll be on her way to you just as soon as she's able." Mrs. Blankenship replied, taking Tayalas' hand and noticing how tall the child was getting, her beloved stuffed duck was starting to look less ridiculously large in her little arms. As they got closer to the cookie cart she reached down and offered to lift the precious tyke, "Want to come up, Tayalas?"

"Yes, peeease." Tayalas replied, a wide grin plastered across her face showing a set of small, perfectly white teeth.

"Your mommy takes such good care of your teeth, Tayalas. You've got a good mother." The sitter said with a smile, "You know what a blessing a good mommy is?"

"Good mommyyyy." Tayalas cooed, she knew her mommy was good, the best in fact, this was nothing new to her.

With Tayalas now in her arms, the cookie man was near, "Well, good morning, Mr. Richfield." Mrs. Blankenship smiled, she'd come to know him well since she was sitting for Tayalas, "Everything smells so good and fresh."

"That's because this cart is constantly baking fresh cookies, Mrs. B." Harley Richfield replied, he like the old lady and the kid, but sometimes Mrs. B. was out of it, "So, one of the Blueberry's favorites?"

"Yes, please." Mrs. Blankenship nodded, realizing Harley, in spite of just starting his shift, was already soaked in sweat, no doubt the high temps from the cart's oven.

"Yes, ma'am." He forced a smile onto his face, this was just a temp job until he could afford his own thing, something that didn't involve cookies. He reached into the oven, his hand covered by a pink and white striped mitt, and retrieved a caramel chocolate chip cookie, Tayalas' favorite. When he was out of the cookie business he was going to miss that kid something fierce. Handing the cookie to Mrs. B. he said with a smile, "Good morning, sweetie!" to Tayalas, she had definitely stolen his heart.

"Morning, Arley!" Tayalas replied with a coo, he was so nice.

"Okay, Tayalas, be careful, this is hot." Mrs. Blankenship cautioned, wrapping a napkin around the piece of cookie she had broken off for the little girl, "Eat this slowly, so you don't get burned."

"Yes, Mrs. Blankyship." Tayalas cooed, carefully holding the wrapped piece of cookie in her tiny hands before taking a small bite, more a nibble than an actual bite and going "Ummy."

"it certainly is, darling." Her sitter said with a broad smile of her own as she took a bite of the large cookie, "Okay, so what do I owe you, Harley?"

"For my favorite customers?" He laughed, "Nothin', not a dime."

"Are you sure you won't get in any trouble for that?" She asked, not wanting to see that nice young man get into a problem for trying to be nice to her and Tayalas.

"Nah, I don't have a boss here, so there's nobody for me to answer to." He shrugged, "If anyone asks I'll tell them I dropped that one and had to throw it away."

"Oh, well, thank you, Harley." Blankeship smiled, he was a dear young man, "Tayalas, be sure to thank Harley, he's done something very nice for us."

"Ank oo, Arley." Tayalas said, her voice bubbling over with good cheer as she ate her morning's first snack, Mrs. Blankyship always made sure she got a cookie every day, she was so sweet.

"There's a good girl." Mrs. Blankenship smiled, she was so happy with how the Hoffmans were raising Tay, she was such a good girl.

"We go there, Mrs. Blankyship?" Tayalas asked, excitedly pointing ahead to a group of children's rides a few meters away; there was a pony, a dinosaur, a ducky, some kind of weird wheeled vehicle that looked to be made of stone, and a rocket, she wanted to ride the ducky.

"Well, of course, darling." Mrs. Blankenship laughed, starting in that direction because she knew Tayalas wanted to ride the duck, it was only a quarter, so it was worth it for her to see the child that happy, knowing she would nap well when they returned.

"Yay! Ank oo, Mrs. Blankyship." Tayalas replied politely, she'd eat some more cookie, ride the ducky, go back to Mrs. Blankyship's house, brushy brush, then it was time for nap nap with her ducky, when she woke up her mommy would be there, one of them.

"You're so welcome, precious." The sitter smiled, Tayalas was keeping her young, keeping her healthy, giving her reason to keep hanging on, even after Louis passed, and after so many of her children and grandchildren passed during that last stupid war, that little girl made her want to get up in the mornings, even if she didn't get to see her every morning.

A few minutes later and the cookie was history and they stood in line waiting for Tayalas' turn to ride the ducky, she felt bad for Mrs. Blankyship, who was too big to ride him, but she would be okay. One day she'd ride with her on the stone wheel thing, they could both fit on there. Sadly, there was no way to make up her being too big for a ride on Sib to her, Tay felt so bad for everyone who was too big to enjoy that, it was the best. The little blonde boy in front of her had just gotten off of the ducky and Mrs. Blankyship had sat her in the seat and placed the coin in the slot, now the duck bobbed up and down, as though it were swimming, Tayalas cooed, giggled, and clapped her tiny hands as it did, having the time of her life. Since there was nobody behind her in line, Mrs. Blankyship put in another coin and let Tayalas ride it again. As the ride ended, Mrs. Blankenship looked over to Tayalas and the lack of line behind them and asked, "Want to go once more, Sweetie?"

"Go there, peeassse." Tayalas said, pointing to the stone wheel thing, whatever it was, all that mattered was Mrs. Blankyship could ride with her, "We ride."

"Oh, you want to ride one with me, dear?" The elderly lady smiled, she'd not expected an invitation to ride along.

"Yes, Mrs. Blankyship." Tayalas replied, nodding her head earnestly for emphasis.

"Well, okay then." She smiled, lifting the little one from the ducky and walking her over to the Flintstone car, which Tayalas had never shown any interest in before now, I guess she just really wants to ride with me. She thought, knowing how much of an honor it was when a toddler wanted to include you. A few seconds later and the cute little blue angel was nestled into Fred's car beside her and the ride was on, Fred's 'Yabba dabba doo' announced the beginning of the ride as it lurched into motion.

Tayalas still wasn't sure what this one was, but she enjoyed sharing it with Mrs. Blankyship, who she loved. Laying her head on her sitter's leg, the motion of the ride would've put her to sleep, if not for the constant noise that came from it, something that sounded like a doggie barking. When it ended a minute or so later, she reached out for Mrs. Blankyship, it was time to go, she felt nap nap calling her.

"Well, well, you wore out rather quickly this morning, dear." The sitter said with a smile, lifting the tot into her arms and heading back towards her quarters where she'd take Tayalas to the bathroom and lay her in Louis' big chair where she took her little naps there, "Okay, let's go then."

"Ank oo, Mrs. Blankyship." Tayalas, nearly out, replied, laying her head against her sitter's chest, hearing her thumpy thumps with her antennae, "Lub oo."

"Oh, I love you too, darling." Eleanor said with a smile, "You're such a good girl, an angel." It was then she noticed that the little sprite was asleep in her arms, the same way her daughter, Louisa, used to, speaking of angels....

A short walk later and Tayalas was back in Mrs. Blankyship's house, sitting in her lap watching the tv, some show from centuries ago about dumb girls with huge butts in a place called Cauliflower? No, that couldn't be right. Caulifornia, that was it! When the show stopped for the sales shows, she turned to Mrs. Blankyship, "Brushy brush?"

"Huh?" Eleanor Blankenship murmured, she'd been so lost in this idiotic show that she'd almost forgotten that the little girl was there, quiet as she was. She looked down to see Tayalas pointing at her mouth, knowing that she wanted to brush her teeth, blown away that a child that young could have such good habits already, "Of course, darling, want me to go get your toothbrush out of your little bag?"

'I get." Tayalas said happily, sliding down the sitter's legs and waddling to her bag as fast as her little feet would carry her. Retrieving her toothbrush, blue with yellow duckies on it, she waddled back, "Baffroom?"

"Of course, darling, let's take you to the bathroom so you can brush your little teeth." Mrs. Blankenship smiled, taking Tayalas' free hand to guide her to the bathroom. The walk to the bathroom was quick, for her anyway, Tayalas struggled to keep up at some points, her tiny little legs and feet could only carry her so fast. When they arrived she pulled out the little stool that she'd made for Tayalas, it was like a miniature staircase more than anything, and helped her get started up to the sink, before retrieving the little girl's special toothpaste that Gallia provided for her and helping her get her toothbrush all fixed up, "There you go, precious."

"Ank oo, Mrs. Blankyship." Tayalas said, then stuffed her toothbrush in her little mouth and went to work, she couldn't nap nap if she didn't brushy brush, her mouth felt yucky and she didn't like it. A couple minutes later and she was washing her mouth out with water from a tiny plastic up and reaching for Mrs. Blankyship to pick her up, "Uppies, peeasse?"

"Of course, darling." The old woman smiled, she treasured these moments with Tayalas, and hoped she would live long enough to see her into adulthood and see the Hoffmans finally get married. Snuggling the little bundle to her she whispered, "So, now what?"

"Nap nap." Tayalas replied quickly, surprised Mrs. Blankyship didn't know this; after you brushy brush it's time to make sleepy sleep, even her mommies did, and if there was one thing she loved it was nap nap, even though it fell second to tubby tub.

"Good idea, darling." Mrs. Blankenship replied, walking her back into the living room to Louis' huge plush chair and laying Tayalas down on it with her stuffed duck, covering her with a light blanket, "Okay, you sleep good, my precious angel. Nighty night."

"Nigh-y night, Mrs. Blankyship." Tayalas replied, closing her little eyes and drifting off to sleep.