Star Trek: Eventide 777 - botanical-gardens

Leora Ville | CIV BOT 26-Feb-22 09:54 AM

It seemed that the majority of her days aboard had been spent wandering. Every time that she thought she finally knew where everything was - whether by learning it from scratch or going 'oh this place has been done up' - there was always somewhere else to explore. The station was stupidly large... But at least places like this made up for it. The gardens here were perfectly serene. The artificial warmth - set that way so this functioned almost like a greenhouse - wasn't as hot as it was back on Risa but it was still pleasant compared to elsewhere. The sound of trickling water from the few water features within the garden was pleasant, relaxing; and the myriad of different flowers and plants kept her attention as she slowly wandered the paths. For a station so busy (just like her head trying to wrap around everything recently), at least this provided serenity.

Sharra | CIV BOT 26-Feb-22 09:56 AM

"...so when can we get a place as big as this?" A familiar-sounding voice seemed to ask from the entrance, through which the speaker, a green-skinned teenager of about fifteen or sixteen by appearance walked through, accompanied by possibly one of the strangest companions you could possibly have... a Jem'hadar in Allied Fleet Service commanding officer's uniform? Yeah, that was definitely a Jem'hadar...

Captain Ughaz'udan | CMD BOT 26-Feb-22 09:59 AM

"Sharra, we spoke about this already. The Dukan'rex may be modular in its interior design but a module the size of this garden will not fit. I'm afraid commander T'Chav's arboretum will have to do." The Jem'hadar addressed the young woman, patting her firmly on the shoulder. He too may have looked familiar... well, maybe! Just maybe. "I can always convince lieutenant Tindar to let you use her adjoining garden-"

Sharra | CIV BOT 26-Feb-22 10:01 AM

"It's too small!" Complained the teen with a typical teenager-y 'You ain't listening to me' pout. "I told you before, she-" She continued to converse with the much taller man as they walked down the winding, verdant green pathways of the garden. She really did seem passionate about the topic, this spirited young woman, judging by how she spoke and gestured.

Leora Ville | CIV BOT 26-Feb-22 10:06 AM

It seemed that her peace had been disturbed - but curiously, she found that the disturbance wasn't entirely unwelcome. The sound of chatter in the background was pleasant and those voices were also familiar... Familiar to part of her but unfamiliar to another, like a strange déjà vu. As the two newcomers walked up the path which intersected the one Leora was currently on she caught sight of them, and it wasn't as difficult as she had expected to put names to faces. Ughaz'udan was hardly a figure that a person would forget, nor was his energetic enigma of a daughter.

Sharra | CIV BOT 26-Feb-22 10:11 AM

"...and I'm saying you're using too much spa- ooh, hold on." Her gaze was momentarily drawn away to a bright purple flower that grew by her feet; small, bunchlike and with several florets. She wasted no time plucking it from the floor (oh, no) and running to the next nearest person she could see (being Leora) and excitedly asking "Hello! Sorry to interrupt your walk but would you happen to have any spare seedlings for this flower? It's really very pretty and I'd like to grow it at home-"

Captain Ughaz'udan | CMD BOT 26-Feb-22 10:12 AM

"Sharra." The Jem'hadar stomped after her, seeming exasperated - as if this had happened again... and again... and again... with possibly more 'and again's thrown in there and not said. He prised the flower from her hands and said, "I'm sorry. My daughter gets extremely excited when she sees a plant she fancies; they're an enduring passion of hers..."

Leora Ville | CIV BOT 26-Feb-22 10:22 AM

She should have expected the teenager to directly run over - every time she had met the two in the path the girl had always been so energetic, excitable, and personable no matter her age. The Trill had to resist the urge to grimace as that poor flower was all but snatched from the soil, but she still managed to offer a reassuring smile as Ughaz'udan all but stomped after Sharra. "Oh, that's okay, don't worry -" she stated to the Jem'hadar before addressing Sharra's question, hardly going to leave her ignored. "-I'm afraid that I don't work here, but uhm, considering that flower is now uprooted it might as well be put to good use... You could probably take a cutting. Looks like softwood, it wouldn't be too tricky."

Sharra | CIV BOT 26-Feb-22 10:24 AM

"...you don't?" The girl blinked in confusion. "Oh. Oh, god oh. Okay. Oops." She blushed, which made her face go a funny shade of orangey... green... er, weird color. Yes. Weird color. She obviously couldn't put the flower back now, so... "I- I'm so sorry! Uh... h-how can I uh..." She glanced around in a panic, to her dad, to the Trill, to her dad and back... yeah, she definitely seemed panicked. "Uh... mmmmake it up?"

Captain Ughaz'udan | CMD BOT 26-Feb-22 10:25 AM

"Just don't do it again." Sighed the Jem'hadar. "Sorry about that. Captain Ughaz'udan. This is my daughter Sharra."

Leora Ville | CIV BOT 26-Feb-22 10:29 AM

"It's alright," she stated in reassurance to Sharra, still offering that smile of reassurance. "There's nothing to make up. If you are looking for staff then it's probably easier to look for the people in uniform next time, though. And uhm-" she paused in regards to Ughaz'udan's introduction, ever-awkward with this sort of thing but knowing that she had to just go for it. She offered a hand in that traditional Human greeting of a handshake that was so widely used within the Federation. "-I know. I'm Leora Ville. It's a pleasure to uhm- re-meet you?"

Captain Ughaz'udan | CMD BOT 26-Feb-22 10:39 AM

The Jem'hadar's eyes widened, and he might've said something-

Sharra | CIV BOT 26-Feb-22 10:41 AM

-had his daughter not cut him off, blurting out with the beginnings of tears in her eye, "...no way. No freaking way. Aunt Treville? Is- Is that you? Oh, god. Father told me that you were a joined Trill and that you'd never really die so long as the Ville symbiont had a host but um-" She bit her lip and looked away seeming embarrassed. "-hoo boy. Okay. Wow. He never said it'd be like this. I'm... not even actually talking to the aunt Treville I know am I?"

Leora Ville | CIV BOT 26-Feb-22 10:47 AM

Part of her wanted to tell the teenager off for the 'no freaking way' but at least it wasn't actually a swear... And since when did she tell people off for almost swearing, anyway? She let Sharra ramble on but then couldn't help but frown as she came to an abrupt halt, seemingly embarrassed. Now the two of them were in the same awkward boat. "It's... Kind of. It's her, but also her with a difference, because there's also me. The same but different." She paused and ran a hand through the ponytail that she had her gingery hair tied back in, allowing that frown to melt into a sheepish smile. "I'm still working it out too."

Sharra | CIV BOT 26-Feb-22 11:02 AM

"Oh, that's weird." The teenager commented. "Wow. Okay. You're cute by the way. Oh, that feels so weird saying it out loud." She blushed a dark shade of weird orangey green. "Sorry. Um. Aunt Treville would've killed me for that, hah-"

Captain Ughaz'udan | CMD BOT 26-Feb-22 11:03 AM

"I imagine it must not be easy." The Jem'hadar captain mused. He couldn't imagine having the memories of five or six or seven people in his head - how the joined Trill people did it was a mystery to him. "Would you like to join us?"

Leora Ville | CIV BOT 26-Feb-22 11:27 AM

She didn't know what else to do at the comment of 'you're cute by the way,' so literally all she could do was laugh incredulously. At least she hadn't been told something along the lines of 'you suck and I want the old Ville back' - that was one of her worries. "Thank you," she replied to Sharra, now trying to stop laughing considering just how out of nowhere that comment had been. "And it's not easy -- but... Reconciling with people is making things a little easier, so I would love to join you. If that's alright with the both of you, that is!"

Sharra | CIV BOT 26-Feb-22 11:38 AM

"Yes please." Poor Sharra looked positively flummoxed in her attempts to wrap her brain round the spotted enigma that they were now chatting to; so this nice redheaded Trill was her aunt Treville but also not but also her aunt Treville but... oh, god, the more she thought about it the more her head hurt. So she decided to simply go with the flow and walk; hopefully the blood flowing to her legs would go to her brain and make it work better too...

Captain Ughaz'udan | CMD BOT 26-Feb-22 11:39 AM

"Forgive her. Sharra was deeply affected by Aleto's death, more so than myself and Virana." He added, falling into step besides his daughter. "She loved her like a second mother, you know. How supportive she was of her development and love for the sciences after being equally supportive to me."

Leora Ville | CIV BOT 26-Feb-22 02:37 PM

It was difficult to know what sort of reassurance you were meant to offer in this sort of situation. Leora almost felt as though she should be guilty for not just being the Ville - or Treville - that they had known. There really was no easy way to navigate having been joined, was there? For a few moments they paced on in silence with her having fallen in line with the other two, wringing her hands in front of her... Until she ended up with them held behind her back, spine straight -- a familiar posture if ever. "You don't have to apologise. Losing someone is hard enough, but having to work out the details of their joining is something else -- believe me, it confuses me and I'm the one who's on the end of the procedure! ...Confusing as it is, though, and as much as we're meant to keep old lives separate... I am glad to see you both again. It's nice for something to feel pleasantly familiar instead of just confusing."

Sharra | CIV BOT 26-Feb-22 03:13 PM

"Aunt Treville always stood like that." Observed the hybrid girl, whose eyes had glanced back towards the redhead for a moment.

Captain Ughaz'udan | CMD BOT 26-Feb-22 03:17 PM

The Jem'hadar hummed softly - perhaps jointly in agreement to his daughter's sentiment and as acknowledgement of Leora's sentiment. Maybe even he didn't have enough life experience to rationalize away dying, then being transferred to a new body and becoming one with someone else, but still somehow remaining yourself... to the one who'd just undergone the procedure Founders know how long ago, and was supposed to know intuitively how that felt. "I am pleased to see you again - though I suppose this time I won't be addressing you as Commodore any longer, and neither shall Sharra be calling you her beloved Aunt." He commented. "Have you met others who have helped you to adjust?"

Leora Ville | CIV BOT 26-Feb-22 03:30 PM

The way she had adjusted her posture hadn't been conscious, but as it was pointed out she realised it definitely was a posture that didn't belong to her... Just like how she had ended up using so many words that weren't hers as well. She wasn't exactly going to complain about the sudden increase in vocabulary but stars she sounded like a bit of a snob. The worst was throwing in words that hadn't been used for 400-odd years. "I've spoken to a few people, but not too many. It's not the easiest thing, you know - approaching someone and explaining exactly who I am. I'm not the most confident of people," she added with a laugh. "Being here has helped things, though. I haven't been through a zhian'tara so it's sometimes difficult to work out what trait or emotion is originally mine or stems from someone else -- but the life before your own is always the one you're entwined with the most, so being here has helped me... Understand and remember more, I would say."

Captain Ughaz'udan | CMD BOT 26-Feb-22 03:44 PM

"The zhian'tara. The joined Trill rite of closure." He mused. "I understand that it is a rite of significant importance - so much so that the symbiosis commission on Trill goes to magnificent lengths to hold it at any cost and at any time. Ensign Drev had his last week aboard the Dukan'rex's holodeck. His second to previous host was a Starfleet veteran of the Dominion War - he took a single look at me and attempted to take my life." Yes, that said absolutely nonchalantly and with a short bark of laughter by a species which was supposed to face death (and shoot it dead) on a daily basis. Maybe it wasn't surprising, huh? "I only wish we did not allow him the use of a Gorn's body - I can still feel his hands round my neck. That aside, however." A short pause ensued. "I also understand that it is meant to bring understanding to the current host. Perhaps you should consider it. Perhaps then you may find the confidence you need."

Sharra | CIV BOT 26-Feb-22 03:46 PM

"Crewman Stassh." Piped up the hybrid. "He also ran off through the hallway wondering why he felt so stretched out and tall. He stomped the Masturan lotus I was growing."

Leora Ville | CIV BOT 26-Feb-22 04:24 PM

"Well that's completely and utterly terrifying," she replied, expression having contorted into a significantly concerned frown. It was incredible how she found that to be extremely concerning but meanwhile Ughaz'udan simply laughed. That sort of thing must be like a game to a Jem'hadar like him. "I hope your lotus managed to recover... And that your neck did the same," she added with a sidewards glance to the Jem'hadar captain, a definite look of perplexed concern. "I've been considering going through with mine but my relationship with the Commission is a little bit... Wobbly, I feel is a good term. At least if I did go ahead with mine then nothing like that would happen. I don't think any of my predecessors would have reason to go feral. We've not hit that trend of there being at least one bad host, I don't think. I mean Osraul was kind of a jerk, but that's about it."

Captain Ughaz'udan | CMD BOT 26-Feb-22 04:35 PM

"Consider this. You will not win the battles you do not fight. I believe Aleto has heard me say this a few times in her life and told me to simply stop repeating it like a parrot." He quipped. "Your understanding of yourself as a person may not come if you put the rite off forever. The character of your previous hosts is irrelevant. Understanding who you are, or I suppose in your case who you were, may give you part of the answer you want." Then he shrugged, admitting flatly, "But of course I am not a joined Trill or an expert on one. I am merely offering my opinion as a friend."

Leora Ville | CIV BOT 26-Feb-22 05:03 PM

"The character of your previous hosts clearly is relevant considering that your officer, when under the influence of one, tried to strangle you," she replied primly. "I am well aware that undertaking the zhian'tara would offer further understanding, but as I have said, the Symbiosis Commission and I do not have the best of relationships. It is hardly something that one can simply arrange." There was a moment of silence and she seemed entirely focussed on some sort of light blue orchid which stood alone amongst a patch of grass, and then her tone slipped back from the rather prim and pointed edge it had taken on, one that was less frustrated and more 'I am stating these facts and these facts are correct.' "...I don't usually sound like that."

Sharra | CIV BOT 26-Feb-22 06:31 PM

"That's aunt Treville. Especially when she gets all serious." Sharra smirked.

Captain Ughaz'udan | CMD BOT 26-Feb-22 06:38 PM

He knew that prim flintiness anywhere - it sounded and somehow looked odd on this poor redheaded jumble of a lady, he might've said out loud. "Like I said. I am no expert. Do what is best for you. The understanding shall come some way or another." Yes, mister obvious. "Good luck."

Sharra | CIV BOT 26-Feb-22 06:38 PM

"Dad... don't say it. Please?" The young hybrid teased. "Please don't-"

Captain Ughaz'udan | CMD BOT 26-Feb-22 06:39 PM

"and remember, vi-" The Jem'hadar blinked. "Fine. The idea stands. That is all that matters."

Leora Ville | CIV BOT 26-Feb-22 11:09 PM

It was with a striking suspicion that Ughaz'udan had been about to hit her with a 'victory is life' reference that she couldn't help but chuckle. For a moment her pace slowed, observing the two from behind before taking a few longer strides to catch up with them again. As confusing as everything was... It was rather nice to be back.