A Room With a View
Posted on 31 Aug 2023 @ 8:19pm by Chief Petty Officer Ibis Xeri & Major Porter Wallace & Lieutenant JG Agaia Adima & Olivia Winetrout
Edited on on 25 Apr 2024 @ 4:07pm
Mission:
M4 - Falling Out
Location: OC, Marine Country
Timeline: M4 D1 Early Evening
2070 words - 4.1 OF Standard Post Measure
The reception went a little longer than planned, although Ibis hardly noticed since the passage of time without a sun was now alien to her and her senses rushed in and out amid all the social buzz, making her perceptions feel completely disembodied for indeterminate periods. In these spans, to others it merely seemed she was in thoughtful pose, watching the party, or just staring off. Olivia was engaged in some sort of whistling contest with a group of Marines, all of them impressed by her range of pitch, not to mention her smart attitude. Ibis was glad to see her find an audience for her talents. She had a deep seated need to be the best at everything, something that Ibis knew Marines in general shared as a trait.
A grazerite marine— since when had a grazerite joined a marine outfit? she wondered, only having met grazerites of the pacifist stripe— who seemed a goat-like woman with bright copper hair cropped short, had taken up a guitar and was picking through some indistinct melodies that made for a nice general background music. Ibis felt herself at the fireside, when there had still been twenty or thirty of the Sunrise crew, collecting around the evening fire and making a general din of eating and talking, Jimoh often picking at his crafted dulcimer while the Korix sun grew dim on the horizon behind the camp.
Settling beside in the seat beside him, Ibis leaned her head on Wallace’s shoulder where he had remained in the chair they had first brought him. He had constant company as people introduced one another and struck up conversation with their guest of honor. Meanwhile, Ikemba had fallen asleep, drooling on his sleeve. Ibis stroked Ikemba’s back, letting her palm linger to feel his steady, reassuring breath.
As another Marine moved away from the pair, Wallace sighed and looked down at Ibis. “Is this over yet?” he grumbled. “It’s all a bit much for our first day back. What time is it?” He looked desperately around for a clock.
“I’m not sure. Have we met everyone, yet?” She’d lost track. It took a moment for her to remind herself that a station this size could house hundreds and hundreds of marines. They hadn’t met hundreds, had they? Dozens. That seemed more true. “There’s a lot of people.” It felt difficult to judge. It somehow seemed crowded but also empty to her at the same time.
“I think so?” Wallace’s head swam. The jump back into Marine culture had caused social whiplash. If someone called him ‘brother Marine’ again, he may just scream. All this for surviving. “We should get the kids to bed.”
“Should we… thank the host?” Ibis tried to remember what was polite when you were ready to leave.
Having somewhere along the line transitioned from a formal reception into a generally sanctioned afterparty, the event seemed to be self-perpetuating, not in need of either hosts or guests of honor to continue flowing in the wee hours of the morning. “I think maybe we can just sneak out. No one will blame us…”
“Excuse me,” a soft voice interrupted from next to Ibis. “If you’re thinking about leaving, I can show you the way to your new quarters.”
Wallace’s and Ibis’s heads swiveled to look at the woman sitting in the chair next to Ibis. How long she’d been there, neither of the pair knew. It was as if she’d drifted into existence at the mere mention of escape. Her loose black hair escaped down her back, but otherwise was kept contained with a simple light-blue scarf tied around her head. Her dress was likewise unadorned green. He tried to place her age, but while her eyes seemed ancient, her face looked young.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you,” she smiled, “Admiral Sepandiyar wanted someone to show you the way. I volunteered as I’m still learning the station myself. I’m Lieutenant Agaia Adima. I’m one of the counselors onboard.”
“We’re ready. Although I’m not sure Olivia has had her fill of the attention yet.” Ibis pointed out the young teen in her own customized tribal look, who was now leading an ear splitting whistling contest on the far side of the reception hall. “I’ll see if I can convince her.”
As Ibis crossed the hall, she was diminutive among the rest of the figures. She approached Olivia and the few twenty somethings that were amusing her like a kid sister, and said something that was lost to distance and music as far as those across the hall could make out. Olivia’s response was piercing and included kicking the ground as if she could dust Ibis with non-existent sand. By stark contrast the Marines themselves honored the little noncom officer with ‘yes ma'am’, and Olivia with ‘it’s been a pleasure, miss’, until they all politely excused themselves and Olivia had no other option but to follow Ibis begrudgingly back to Wallace and Ikemba.
“Who’s that?” Olivia squinted at the woman sitting by Wallace.
“Lieutenant Agaia Adima. She’s going to help us to our quarters. Our new rooms.”
Olivia whistled and clicked and Ibis’ cheeks flushed at how rude she was being.
“I think you’ve had enough excitement today.” Ibis said, deciding not to translate.
Wallace tried to ignore the tantrum Olivia was throwing as she and Ibis approached, but his look darkened anyway. He looked at their guide, “I’m sorry that you’re having to…uh…experience her when she’s not at her best.”
Agaia offered him a small conciliatory smile, before looking at Olivia, “The Korinn language sounds very difficult, but I understand you’re fluent. You should visit with Commander Rubens, our chief diplomatic officer. Maybe he can teach you some Romulan or Cardiassian in return.”
Olivia had no idea what any of that was, so she wasn’t especially interested in whatever she meant.
“The designs on your skin are Koinn, too, yes? What do they mean?”
“This,” She said with intensity as she pointed to two parenthetical lines reflecting each other in the design,” Is the egg of the universe, These-” here she pointed to a row of zig-zags around her forehead, “Are the jaws of Orutu Megatha, of the deep. And this-” she showed the length of her arm where she’d done something like a twisted vine, “Is the place of two currents. Where cold and warm waters rush.”
“I don’t remember you wearing that one before,” Ibis said.
“I added it. It means change and travel.” Olivia explained, some of the act fading to a regular tone. She hadn’t known that Ibis paid any attention to her markings. She’d amended her design when Wallace had first woken up and talked to her. “Wallace told me I was going to have a new adventure, so, I thought it could fit there.”
“Very interesting. Well, I for one look forward to hearing more about your life there. Now, I hear your rooms look out over the Environmental Deck. Want to see a forest growing in space?”
“What’s a forest?”
“Forests are made of trees. Probably the only thing you’ve ever seen like a tree is kelp,” Wallace told her as he gently lifted Ikemba onto his shoulder. The sleeping boy barely stirred. As they followed Agaia out of the reception hall, Ibis reached out to take Ikemba from Wallace so he could manage himself walking.
“Double treat, then. You get to see trees for the first time. ‘Change and travel,’ was a very wise addition to your markings,” Agaia nodded. “I’ll have to think about what I would want to say if I wore markings like yours. Maybe, ‘ancient youth?’ That’s how I feel around all of you all the time. Young, but old.”
“Both?” Olivia wasn’t sure she understood.
“Oh, I’m El Aurian and we live a long time. I was 119 years old on my last birthday. My mom still insists on calling me a ‘baby.’” She rolled her eyes for Olivia, “I was a bit rebellious and I think she would prefer if I’d stayed home and joined Starfleet when I was a bit older. Like, 150. But I grew up on Earth and 150 is like…well, really, really old.”
“Wow.” Olivia looked impressed. “You must have been invited to a lot of spawnings.”
“Olivia!” Wallace went beet red and nearly stumbled over his own feet.
Agaia, for her part, laughed. “Well, no. When I was fifty, I looked about your age. So, no ‘spawnings’ for me. It was tough, you know? I wanted to be treated like other fifty-year-olds, but no one would because all they saw was a kid.”
“Wallace is fifty.” Olivia said off handedly, having picked up mention of their ages while eavesdropping Ibis and Wallace talking around the fire when she was meant to be sleeping. “But he feels like he’s a hundred.”
Ibis hid her face in Ikemba’s curls. Agaia was doing a good job of gaining Olivia’s trust. Even if it was going to be at their expense. That was, after all, one of the primary ways she had learned to defuse one of Olivia’s moods.
“Oh, man! He’s so old!” Agaia giggled. “Well, I hope when I’m…nine-hundred or so I’m as regal.”
Wallace snorted. Regal? He looked at Ibis who was grinning up at him. “I’m not regal,” he protested, “I’m gruff. Gruff and battered.”
Ibis, still looking up at Wallace over Ikemba’s curls as they boarded a turbolift, said admiringly, “It’s the beard trim, I think. It does make you look regal.”
“I’ll need to shave it first thing.”
They walked on, Agaia continued to chat with Olivia about her life on Korix. Sometimes, she’d try to connect with Olivia on something similar in her own life; other times, she’d ask deeper questions, teasing out details of life among the Irix. Olivia was content to talk and even demonstrate the hand motions that the Korinn used for their body language. Wallace was content to let them talk, adding only little bits to the conversation. It took him nearly the whole walk to realize Agaia was conducting a session right under their noses with Olivia. He made a point to keep on the lookout for sly - albeit brilliant - work from her in the future.
“Here we are!” Agaia motioned to a door. “Your new quarters. It’s got two bedrooms, an open floor plan living area and kitchen. Of course, a bathroom and…well! Let’s just open the door and let you see it for yourselves!”
Ibis stepped inside first. The apartment was spacious, and had a sort of simple luxury. Obviously not typical crew quartering for the enlisted, where everyone was stacked up in bunks or, in more generous accommodations, allowed their own closet sized room connected to a shared living space.
She slipped off her shoes and padded around the living space to peer through the curved one way glass showing the park below. “It feels like a high rise over Central Park…” She’d been in several exclusive flats like that, visiting friends.
Wallace stepped over to the window, too, pulling a slightly reluctant Olivia into a family hug. “I hate New York City, but this will do.”
Agaia had hung back from the family, with a smile. Moments like these made all the others worth it. “I’ll leave you to it then. Olivia, I want to take you to the Promenade later this week. We can explore together! As for you, Major and Chief, I’m here to help in anyway that I can, so I’ll be in touch with you tomorrow.” Wallace nodded to her as she disappeared, the door to their quarters quietly closing behind her.
Olivia put her hands on her hips, surveying the weird green shapes going off into a distant far wall, and everything beneath her that looked like ants walking on tiny paths. “That’s a forest?”
Ibis shrugged, too tired to explain the nuance between a park and a wild forest. “More or less.”
