Star Trek: Starbase 777 - ekhaem｜jianux-public-gardens

A new public garden complex in the heart of the Mol'Rihan capital, the land was full of flowers and paths, perfect for hiking or just taking a stroll. There was also a relaxing quarry where people could swim and relax, complete with a rental booth for inflatable toys like chairs and tubes, as well as comically long pool noodles if someone wanted to 'noodle it up'. The water was clear and a great place for families to hang out. The area also boasted a wide network of tunnels for those who wanted to have a more private swimming adventure (floating on a raft hand in hand?) as well as a special diving area. Out of the water, visitors from across the galaxy were welcome to explore the various grassy areas. Each tree or collection of flowers was complete with a plaque that had the name of the plant written in Rihannsu as well as Standard in an effort to help educate the public on the diverse flora of the new Romulan homeworld. Off of the main paths, there were dirt paths that led into a small forest where visitors could climb trees or explore. In the centre of the garden sat a memorial, a stone obelisk with flowers all around it. It was dedicated not only to the namesake of the gardens, Jianux Torre'vnau, but to all of the other inhabitants of Biscae village who had perished or went missing following the Supernova. Remans and Romulans alike, their names were engraved at the base of the structure along with the Torre'vnau name as they were the ones that funded the gardens.

It didn't take long for Rai to arrive back on his home planet. On the transport down he had messaged his mother and asked her to join him on a stroll through the gardens. He hoped that a walk surrounded by nature would calm him down, plus there was a nice path through the forest that seemed like a good private place to chat. He didn't want to risk anyone else seeing him, not like this at least.

And here she was, one of the senators of the upper house, Meruvix Torre'vnau. Both loved and hated by her fellow Remans. Many people saw her seat as the Torre'vnau matriarch as a step in the right direction, others saw her as merely a puppet being used as a PR stunt for the Torre'vnaus to try and reclaim their respect. She was a strong woman and a proud Reman and not someone to back down easily. Meruvix was dressed in civilian clothes that day, not wanting to bring too much attention to herself. She greeted her son with a big smile when she saw him off in the distance. "Jolan tru, S'Kivux. You look stressed," She quickly noticed that Rai was covering his face and without any hesitation, raised her hands to cup the sides of his face.

"Ri'ranov... I... Have a confession to make... Can we walk a little further first?" Rai asked, still wearing his Republic uniform that he had left the station with. In a very un-Rai fashion his uniform was heavily wrinkled with a few sweat stains and his hair was a mess too. He looked much different than the confident and put together Captain image that most of his colleagues would probably recognise.

"Of course, anything," Meruvix dropped her hands and turned her back towards Rai as she had a feeling he didn't want her looking at him, at least not now. She walked in front of Rai, leading him through the winding dirt paths, weaving through trees. The forest canopy cast a dark shadow on the ground below, adding a beautiful dark blue hue to the mix of greens and browns.

When Rai thought they were sufficiently covered by shadows and that no one else was around, he dropped his hand and stopped walking. His boots made a sharp scraping noise as they kicked up some dirt. "Ri'ranov..." Rai's voice was soft and hesitant.

"S'Kivux," Meruvix turned around to face Rai who looked so beautiful in the shadows. The little rays of light that broke through the treetops that hit the lights and shadows of Rai's freckles made it look like he was sparkling. But she couldn't ignore what appeared to be a large bruise on his face, making her lift her hands again to cup Rai's cheeks. "I missed you. Every time I see you I am reminded of just how beautiful you are. You and Renakir, my two shining boys," Meruvix's expression was soft and gentle. Although she was concerned for Rai, she also knew he was someone who was always cautious of how he appeared in front of others and she had a feeling he was going to say something about the mark on his face.

"Thank... you.." Rai felt like he could cry at the kind words from his mother. He gladly let Meruvix touch his face, one of the two people in the universe he would allow to do such a thing. The other person being his conspirator, Zero. "I wanted to talk about.... Solait. We... Aren't going too well lately," Rai closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Meruvix's large hands continued to hold his face. Her cool skin against his warm cheeks felt nice, he felt safe here. "I... Have a skin condition. I don't know the Havrannsu word, but it's called Cehlaer Ehrhe (Galaxy Skin), I have always had it, I just hid it under make up. I felt ashamed, it made me feel imperfect, but... When I was on Rapture, everyone complimented me for it, they accepted me. I felt like I didn't have to hide anymore," Rai opened his eyes and began to explain the situation as calmly as he could. "But when I transferred to 777... And I saw Solait... He.. said I looked like I lost a fight," When he repeated his brother's words, Rai began to break down, tears streaming down his cheeks and both hands now resting on top of his mother's. "I... Have been scared to talk to him ever since."

"Oh, S'Kivux," Meruvix listened to her son's dilemma and leaned in closer so she could press her forehead against his. The two of them were almost at equal height, with Meruvix being only slightly shorter than her tall Romulan son. "I don't think he meant it like that but I understand you feel hurt by his words," Meruvix gave Rai a soft smile, her green eyes meeting Rai's silver ones.

"But.... It does, doesn't it? I look like... I look terrible," Rai retracted his hands and pulled his head back so his mother could see his face clearly again. He touched his cheek and tried not to sniffle too much. All of his eyeliner was probably smudging too, which was not going to help his self confidence at all.

"S'Kivux," Meruvix stepped towards Rai and gently ran her thumb against Rai's under eye area to wipe away the tears. "You do not look terrible, you look beautiful, no matter what. Your soul is what matters," Meruvix's voice was a little more than a whisper as she gently pushed Rai's hair from his face so he could finally look at her with both eyes. "We all have things that make us unique, it's not an imperfection, it's a charm. Our Vulcan cousins have a saying, infinite diversity in infinite combinations. And you, S'Kivux, are perfectly you," And with that, Meruvix wrapped her arms around Rai and gave him a firm hug because she knew he liked that. Rai may have looked strong and a little intimidating, but even he needed to be held sometimes. They held the embrace for a long while, just basking in the cool shadows in the forest. "If you want, I can talk to Renakir first," Meruvix said when they separated, her arms gently gripping Rai's shoulders.

"I... I would like that, thank you, ri'ranov," Rai gave a soft reply along with a small nod of his head. "I... Want to tell di'ranov too... And... Well, maybe not the Romulans. I... Don't have good experiences telling anything to the Khellians, Kaleek is the one who made me hide my condition in the first place," Rai paused as he thought about it for a moment before quickly dismissing the idea to meet his mother's family again. "In Kaleek's eyes, my condition made me unfit to lead the Khellian house, maybe it was for the better," Rai said, not wanting to think too much about his biological mother's family. He was much happier being a Torre'vnau, at least they were taking steps in the right direction whilst the Khellians... Were falling into ruins. "Thank you again, ri'ranov. I love you."

"And I love you too, S'Kivux. Always and unconditionally." (edited)