[Ozu Saya and family - Beach]

Saya and Kyo maneuvered down the trail to the beach with their child, their pet, and their numerous belongings piled on an anti-grav wagon. Kyo pulled the wagon with Evekh 'helping' by pushing from the back. Saya led their Vulcan three-horn pet Alieth on a leash and harness, holding her back as the cat-sized creature caught the scent of Bridge and Tunnel and tried to run ahead.

Evekh spotted the corgis and abandoned his station to run ahead. 'Don't go into the water until one of us gets there,' Saya called after her son.

The four-year-old waved back at his mother and ran over to where Bridge was begging from Max. 'Hi! he said brightly, waving to the older man.


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[Saya and family - Beach]

'I'm good,' Evekh answered Max, standing on his toes to see what the man was cooking. The little boy had quite an appetite and would try just about anything once. His diet was more varied than his mother's, dipping into meats on occasion. Kyo and Saya had decided from the beginning that as soon as he was old enough to start making choices about what he ate, he would be allowed to make his own choices about whether he was solely vegetarian or not. For the moment, his decisions were random. He ate vegetarian about half the time, usually when it was Saya who prepared the meal. If Kyo wanted meat for those meals, he'd replicate something for himself and Evekh if he wanted it.

Saya rolled her eyes when she saw Judy's swimsuit, wondering what had prompted the ridiculous design. When Evekh looked their way to ask permission to join Judy, she nodded and waved him toward the water. As long as someone was keeping an eye on him, she wasn't worried. The four-year-old could already swim better than she could, having taken to the water like a fish.

Evekh yelled with joy and pelted across the sand toward Aunt Judy. His swim attire consisted of blue shorts and rashguard as his skin was as fair and sensitive as his father's - the curse of the red hair. They'd coated him in sunscreen before leaving the colony, knowing they'd never get him to stand still long enough if they'd waited until they reached the beach.

Kyo, wearing loose, light grey shorts, shirt and sandals, pulled the laden anti-grav toward Max and parked it where he could unload towels and chairs.

Saya wore a green two-piece tankini with bright yellow flowers on it and a sheer cover-up. Alieth was trying to tug away to go to Bridge and Tunnel, but Saya held her back as she joined Max and Kyo. 'It's all right to let her loose? I'm a little concerned about her in the new environment.'


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[Saya and family - Beach]



Saya crouched to unhook the leash from Alieth's harness and the three-horn galumphed across the sand to gently head-butt Tunnel. It was the standard greeting for her fluffy-butt friends. They were surrogate parents to her, her own mother having been killed when she was very tiny.

'Oh, I'd like to see them. The holo-photos I've seen are certainly impressive.' She moved to Kyo to retrieve their contribution to the meal. 'Hasperat bites,' she said, joggling the container back and forth. 'We tried a slightly new recipe - they're a little bit spicier.'


Evekh chortled as Judy swung him into the water and immediately slapped his hands down to make a small fountain of water. At Judy's question, he tilted his head and looked up at her, squinting in the bright sunlight. 'Yesterday,' he answered decisively.


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[Saya and family - Beach]

Alieth honked and trotted, as well as she could, after the corgi. Vulcan three-horns weren't built for speed. She loved the sand, but stayed well clear of the water, always nervous since she couldn't swim.


Saya smiled at Max, pleased with the praise. Until Judy had begun teaching her, Saya had never cooked in her life. Her recipes were limited, but what she did make was done well.

She shook her head at Anna as she took the plate from Max and grabbed a fork. Saya cut a piece of the eggplant and popped it in her mouth. As she chewed, she nodded thoughtfully. 'It's good,' she said when she was done. 'Nice bite to it.'

Saya cut off another piece and offered it to Kyo. He hummed appreciatively. 'Delicious,' he agreed.


Evekh grinned up at Aunt Judy and answered, 'I will. I'm gonna be tall as Daddy!' He held his wet hand over his head as high as he could reach, even hopping on his toes to make the point, the water helping him jump a little higher. Right now the boy was looking more like he might take after his mother in height, though his looks were definitely more his father's, except for the very slightly pointed ears.


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[Saya and family - Beach]

Alieth began nosing around in the sand - it often hid such interesting treasures - and found a shiny rock that she pushed toward Bridge with her horn-tipped lip. Vulcan three-horns could be horders; Saya had to learn to keep any small items up off the floor, and it was a struggle teaching Evekh to do the same. He loved their pet, but it made him rather grumpy when one of his toys went missing.


Saya and Kyo perched side by side on one of the benches, though Kyo seemed poised to leap right back up. He asked Max, 'Can I do anything to help?'

Meanwhile, Saya turned her attention to Anna. 'How are your studies progressing this year? Anything you're particularly interested in?'


Evekh was very used to Judy's antics, so he happily accepted the role of guide and headed off to the picnic tables with her in tow. 'Come on, Aunt Judy,' he said as he dripped his way up the beach. 'Come on, Alieth,' he called. The three-horn ignored him.


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[Saya and family - Beach]

Saya offered Anna a small smile, an expression that didn't escape her much except with family and close friends. She kept an eye on the approaching Evekh and Judy as she replied, 'Do you have an idea of what sort of projects you want to work on?' The engineer had a passing interest in architecture since elements of it overlapped with her own field, though her preference tended toward ship design rather than buildings.


With Max's refusal of help, Kyo sat back, shaking his head as Evekh and Judy approached, more at Judy's antics than his son's. He was going to call Evekh over to dry him off, but Judy took care of him.

The boy tolerated the drying off begrudgingly. At home, he'd begun wanting to do such things more on his own, but he didn't seem to mind it so much from Aunt Judy. For now. The lap was too much, though. Instead, without a word, Evekh sat on the bench beside Judy.


While Alieth had selective hearing when it came to obeying commands from her people, the three-horn didn't want to stay on the beach alone and contentedly followed the corgis, albeit at a slower pace. Her legs were even shorter than the corgis' were.


'Ready for some food?' Kyo asked Evekh.

The little boy nodded.


Saya raised an eyebrow at Judy, catching that Evekh had chosen to ignore her offer of a lap to sit on, and said, deadpan, 'I live in earnest hope that he will learn not to pick up too many of them.'

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[Saya and family - Beach]

'Indeed,' Saya responded to Max in the same deadpan tone, while quirking her eyebrow yet again at Judy. She could be such a mass of contradiction. The Vulcan-Bajoran hybrid conveniently forgot her own mix of contradictions in the moment.

Evekh began bouncing slightly as Judy rattled off the menu, though he reamined quiet and didn't interrupt, so Saya nodded to him. Immediately, the boy said, 'Beefandsausageandriceandhasperat!'

Kyo gave him a narrow look. 'Are you sure you can eat all that?'

'Yes,' Evekh said decisively.

Kyo shrugged and made a 'go ahead' gesture. If his son didn't finish everything, Kyo wasn't opposed to doing so himself. And it was quite likely that a good bit of food would make its way to the animals, whether intentionally or otherwise.

Saya smiled and said, 'I'll take rice and a little bit of all of the vegetarian options.'

'And I'll have the chicken and vegetable skewers and rice and hasperat for now. Thanks, Judy,' Kyo added. Both he and Saya were used to the older human's preference for serving, though they did still try to help on occasion. Usually the only time they could really make her sit out was to have her and Max over to their quarters.

Tag Judith Eastman