[USS Charon, Holodeck One]
The young woman briefly blinked at the unexpected gesture but remained perfectly still while he skillfully smoothed out the tangled hair.
She was not quite sure what prompted his smiles, but they certainly were most endearing. And to her mild surprise, his close proximity proved pleasant rather than unsettling. Of course Sakarra had experienced this before, when he had kindly assisted her sickbay escape by taking the practical approach of carrying a Vulcan who was in no condition to move swiftly. But under the circumstances it had only been logical to experience gratitude.
"It would appear I am in your debt once again." she said mildly when the heavy curls fell into her hands.
Ael had managed to decorate her brother with a sizeable amount of mud, but it did not seem to dampen his enthusiasm, evident by his happy laughter as he tripped over a rock and fell backwards into the shallow water. Another fistful of mud impacted squarely on Nnoil's forehead and he simply stuck his head into the river, rubbing vigorously.
Sakarra knew what was going to happen even before Ael's cautious approach had led her into arm's reach of her brother. Two hands shot out, grabbing the little girl's ankles, and pulled.
Well, they had already been soaked.
"One never knows what skill might prove beneficial at any given time, but I am certainly grateful I was the beneficiary of your father's efforts." The young Vulcan went about restoring her coiled braids, pondering how to compensate for the two hairpins which had been converted into another piece of art by the inventive Nnoil.
"You find your current duties satisfying, then?" Sakarra noticed he had not moved from his position next to her and could not help but cast the young human another curious glance.
"I think that undoing a knot is quite worthy of a debt, but I won't push the issue," he said softly and settled down next to her. "It would appear as though I'm going to have to insist they take a bath when they get back to their mother's quarters. I doubt she'd appreciate it if she came home and found her children covered in mud smelling like newts and frogs."
Brent winked at Sakarra at the idea of their mother being annoyed at him for something like that. He wondered if the Captain ever did such things in her youth as play with small insects and get into mud fights with siblings. "Satisfying? Hmm. Yes my Marine duties keep me busy and entertained. Although I'm not sure how much longer I will be an officer. I hear there is a new Marine Captain onboard that will probably take my place. I will probably be an enlisted man again soon. If you mean do I enjoy looking after the Captain's children." Brent pondered that one for a moment. "I have to admit I was not overjoyed at the idea at first. I have only had puppies that I have taken care of in the past. After a while though, I've come to like it. I do miss some of my free time though; it's almost like working double shifts at times."
"Indeed." The raven haired Vulcan raised an amused brow at the 'smelling like newt' comment and returned the young Marine's wink with the corners of her mouth moving upwards ever so slightly.
At the mention of the Marine Captain however her black eyes became thoughtful, almost to the point where one could have detected a hint of sadness.
"I believe it is safe to say you will remain busy for some time longer, … Brent. The Marine Captain I assume you are referring to is currently in no condition to take command. And there are other unresolved issues as well."
With a decisive move, she pushed another hairpin into place, causing her arm to brush ever so lightly against the young man's shoulder. Well, humans rarely objected to unintentional contact and there was plenty of fabric in between to prevent any accidental mental spark, but she still cast him an apologetic look. How odd she should be so at ease next to him she would actually become this careless.
"I can relate to the double shifts however, though in my case it is rather Charon who requires my undivided attention."
Which it would again precisely 62.87 minutes from now when she was scheduled to meet with two department heads to look over the repair reports.
"If you intend to return the children soon, I would like to offer you my assistance. Not only may a second pair of hands be helpful in cleaning them as it were, but it is quite possible they will react adversely to sonic showers. Most Vulcan children do, and some hybrids as well. Even adults occasionally find the experience … unpleasant."
"Ah the ship she be a harsh mistress," he said in vaguely pirate style voice in reference to her idea that the Charon would be the one demanding all of her time. He nodded every so slightly at her look. He really wouldn't have paid it any mind but he figured that she must have felt the need to apologize since she seemed apologetic to him.
"That is a shame to hear about him. I hope that he recovers. Nasty what those bastards did to him," he said before letting out a deep sigh. "I think you're right. About the showers anyway. But if we go back to their quarters at least it should be a familiar setting and therefore less likely to put up too much of a fuss about it. Hopefully they've gotten used to whatever the Captain has there. But I would love to continue to have your company and for the help cleaning them."
"Then I shall be gratified to provide both the company and assistance." Sakarra nodded, securing the last braid before getting to her feet in one fluid, elegant motion.
"Perhaps the holographic horse could be persuaded to carry both of them back towards the arch? It should not mind the mud; however it might provide an incentive for the little ones to cooperate."
The young woman doubted that Rihannsu hybrids were as vulnerable to cold as Vulcans, but by her estimate Ael and Nniol had been in the fairly cool water long enough for even a human to experience a minor chill.
Brent blinked at that idea and nodded his head in approval. "That is an excellent idea actually, thank you Sakarra," he said and got the horse from it post at the tree and walked it over to the children. They were both giggling and laughing by that time. Brent told them that it was time to go but that they could ride the horse to the arch if they wanted. They both seemed to like the idea and before long Brent had put them both onto the horse as they dripped water. Brent sighed and chuckled at the sight as the two of them seemed to behave themselves for the brief ride over.
When they reached the arch Brent brought them down off the horse and took Nnoil by the hand. "I'll hold onto him, can you please hold onto little Ael there," Brent said as he took Nnoil up and gave him a piggyback ride. "Computer! End program," he said out loud as the small wet child clapped and seemed all around happy at the situation.
"Certainly." The young woman nodded and found herself subjected to a critical look from a little girl before Ael seemed to come to a decision and reached up her arms.
Raising a brow at the little one's stare, Sakarra gathered the girl up in her arm and was mightily surprised to find two little hands grabbing on to her uniform jacket while a small, mud-caked body nestled against the warmth the Vulcan was emanating.
They swiftly made their way to the turbolift and encountered quite a number of curious looks, but if the happily laughing Nnoil shaking his muddy hands at anyone unwise enough to get close did not discourage any questions, the Vulcan's stoic face certainly did.
Still, there was something … odd .. about some of the looks and Sakarra's hearing was keen enough to pick up some whispers behind their backs. Usually she dismissed such things, but this time she was puzzled. Surely the crew knew who those children were, no?
They arrived at the Captain's quarters and the doors obediently slid open, apparently having been programmed to allow the Marine access. Sakarra briefly paused in the doorway and then confidently steered towards where she remembered the large bath was situated. How long ago it seemed that she had been called here because a frightened engineer refused to repair these quarters without explicit permission from Rehu herself.
He had wondered the same things himself. Brent had only showed up on the Charon a month or two ago. While he wasn't an expert on Vulcan gestation periods he assumed that there was no way that this could have happened. While Brent considered himself a gentleman, it would have taken timetravel for him to go back in time at the very least 9 months and have a fit of passion with Sakarra then come back to this time. He smirked at the idea. To say nothing of the childs age! Some people were just dumb.
Brent moved into the quarters, past the exotic plants that he wondered if Nnoil had ever ate. The boy seemed quite content to eat just about anything else he came across. That thought process could come later though. The children needed baths. He strolled into the bedroom and looked around for a few moments before spying what appeared to be two bathrooms. If Brent had not already been thinking it when he strolled into the one nearest to the master bed and saw the large tub and real live running water, he groaned.
"Man. Now I almost want to become a captain. Look at this. This is huge! You could almost have a party in here," Brent probably would have continued lamenting his small quarters on Deck 10 except a small muddy hand pulled on his ear a little. Oh right, the kids. He turned around and kneeled down dumping little Nnoil into the tub. "Alright time for a bath."
"A party? That might be unwise, considering the combination of alcoholic beverages and slippery floors tends to lead to unfortunate consequences."
Sakarra peeled the soiled shirt form Ael's upper body and placed it neatly on some tiles.
"Aekhhwi." The girl announced proudly, pointing at the tub where her brother was already happily engaged in turning the water flow on full. Small hands reached into the warm stream, subsequently spraying drops of lukewarm water over walls, floor and every other person present.
"Indeed, ko-kan. However I believe we should adjust the temperature somewhat."
[To be continued...]
Brevet 1st Lieutenant Brent Warren
Marine Commander
Lt Cmdr Sakarra Tyrax
Chief Helm Officer
USS-Charon
