Judith Eastman
Civilian
Grandma
Posts: 2,593 Likes: 84
Rank: Civilian/other
Position: Civil Servant
Species: Human
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Post by Judith Eastman on Dec 6, 2021 22:54:38 GMT
[Judith Eastman(-Williams), PhD & Max Williams - Beach, LZ-2, Kerelia]Judy and Max were in their own world, oblivious of all around them. Ever since her recent retirement from Starfleet, they'd taken more and more time for each other, celebrating the strong bond that had nourished them both for so long. Right now, they were cuddling together on the shore, admiring the natural beauty of the beach and of each other. He was in a pair of light-grey swim trunks, and she in a matching bikini, so there was a lot to admire. They were slightly wet from their latest frolic in the sea, and utterly oblivious that they were no longer alone on the beach.
Tag Left Ear to-Ennien
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Left Ear to-Ennien
Medical
Posts: 229 Likes: 3
Rank: Civilian/other
Position: Cadet/civilian healer
Species: Sivaoan
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Post by Left Ear to-Ennien on Dec 6, 2021 23:56:03 GMT
Left Ear to-Ennien, Brave Tongue to-Srallansre and Berry to-Vensre - LZ-2 - Beach] Come on,' Left Ear said excitedly to the two Sivaoans accompanying her. Brave Tongue, the large, orange and white striped male, looked doubtfully with icy blue eyes the same shade as Left Ear's at the line of surf surging toward them along the beach. He carried a large tote full of food and usefuls for their outing. The smallest of the three was the only one walking on all fours. Berry, Left Ear's younger half sister stared at the water fearfully, frozen at the point where the path from the colony ended at the edge of the beach. Left Ear was loaded down with brightly-colored plastic buckets and other implements for building a sand castle as Judy and Max's family had shown her so long ago. She paused when she saw that Berry wasn't following them onto the sand. ' It's okay, Berry! We won't go all the way to the water. We just need wet sand to build in.' ' But the water keeps coming toward us,' Berry said. ' But it goes back. See? There's a line and the water won't come up farther than that. Just come down a little. We can set out some usefuls and just sit on the beach for awhile and watch it.' While Left Ear still didn't care for swimming, she'd found that she quite enjoyed other beach activities, including building sand castles. ' O-okay,' Berry said hesitantly. Just then the wind shifted, and all three Sivaoans' heads swiveled to peer down the beach to where the scent of the retired captain and her husband were lying in the sand. Left Ear hesitated, not sure of the etiquette for beach-goers. Was it okay to go toward them, or should they stake out their own place further away? Tag Judith Eastman
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Judith Eastman
Civilian
Grandma
Posts: 2,593 Likes: 84
Rank: Civilian/other
Position: Civil Servant
Species: Human
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Post by Judith Eastman on Dec 7, 2021 1:30:25 GMT
[Judith Eastman(-Williams), PhD & Max Williams - Beach, LZ-2]"I'm in the mood for a walk," Judy said to Max. The day was so nice, after all. "With you, anytime," he accepted, and they slowly helped each other to their feet. The couple put on their sunglasses and coverups (both old white button-down shirts of Max's) and walked right up to the water, arms wrapped around each other. "Do we go left or right?" Judy asked, leaving the choice with Max. "Let's go left."They turned left, and saw in the distance an unmistakable sight. "HELLO!" Judy called out to the Sivaoan family. She turned to look at Max, he nodded, and the two changed their course to join the Sivaoans. He didn't mind joining the others, since he'd have plenty more quality time with his wife soon.
Tag Left Ear to-Ennien
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Left Ear to-Ennien
Medical
Posts: 229 Likes: 3
Rank: Civilian/other
Position: Cadet/civilian healer
Species: Sivaoan
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Post by Left Ear to-Ennien on Dec 8, 2021 0:58:46 GMT
Left Ear to-Ennien, Brave Tongue to-Srallansre and Berry to-Vensre - LZ-2 - Beach] ' Judy, Max,' Brave Tongue said, nodding gravely to the elder Human couple as they approached. When he had a point to make, Brave Tongue had a lot to say, but otherwise, he tended to remain rather taciturn, observing others' interactions. Berry was picking her way across the sand, nose scrunching, as she complained, ' I'm getting sand in my fur!' ' It'll wash out,' Left Ear said carelessly, showing none of the distaste she'd had previously for having sand in her own fur. Her tail looped cheerfully as she turned her attention to Max and Judy. ' Hello, Max, C-c-capt...' Left Ear trailed off as she realised she wasn't sure what to call Judy now. What you called people was very important in Sivaoan culture, and miscalling someone, especially deliberately, was offensive. Even though she knew that Humans didn't tend to take it that seriously, Left Ear still didn't like calling people by the wrong names. Tag Judith Eastman
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Judith Eastman
Civilian
Grandma
Posts: 2,593 Likes: 84
Rank: Civilian/other
Position: Civil Servant
Species: Human
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Post by Judith Eastman on Dec 8, 2021 2:31:50 GMT
[Judith Eastman(-Williams), PhD & Max Williams - Beach, LZ-2]Judy laughed good-naturedly as Left Ear split the difference on her former title. "That role has passed on to someone else now," she clarified. "Judy is fine."Judy still didn't know whether she would have a singular replacement in her old role, or if the command structure would be reshuffled again. It didn't matter much to her. "We're actually set up very close to here, if you lot don't mind moving a bit more," Max offered. "We've been celebrating the fact that she's no longer a captain."Judy nodded. The couple were indeed celebrating, still, and there was an unusually strong sense of both joy and closeness between them. They'd always been happy together, and always closely bonded, but now, somehow, more than ever before.
Tag Left Ear to-Ennien
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Left Ear to-Ennien
Medical
Posts: 229 Likes: 3
Rank: Civilian/other
Position: Cadet/civilian healer
Species: Sivaoan
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Post by Left Ear to-Ennien on Dec 8, 2021 21:23:58 GMT
Left Ear to-Ennien, Brave Tongue to-Srallansre and Berry to-Vensre - LZ-2 - Beach] Left Ear shook her head and chuffed lightly. ' It's a good thing Humans don't care so much about names as often as you seem to change them,' the young Sivaoan joked. Her head swivelled to look questioningly at Brave Tongue and he answered both her look and Max's suggestion. ' That's fine. We hadn't chosen a particular spot yet.' ' I just want a good spot to build a sand castle,' Left Ear said, lifting her loaded arms of supplies. Brave Tongue glanced back at Berry. The youngest Sivaoan didn't seem to be struggling to walk in the sand, but she minced along distastefully, moving very slowly. ' I could carry you,' he offered blandly. Berry's head whipped up and she glared at him. ' I'm not a baby,' she said scathingly, her short tail flicking. Berry was around ten years old. Brave Tongue blinked once at her, slowly. ' Then what's the solution?' His deep voice was calm in the face of the child's emotion. She stared. Berry hated when Brave Tongue was so reasonable when she complained or got into trouble. It took all the wind out of her blustering. ' Stop complaining?' ' That would be a start,' Brave Tongue answered gravely. ' Walk faster?' ' If it's not giving you too much difficulty. We'll get the usefuls down and you'll be able to sit on them more quickly.' Left Ear kept her mouth shut, but her whiskers quivered in amusement as her younger sibling got one of Brave Tongue's famous talking-tos. She'd had her share at Berry's age, probably more, in fact. He was just so reasonable it was almost impossible to pick a good argument with him. It was one of the reasons he was a good diplomat. Berry took a few running steps and found that it didn't kick up much more sand than walking so she kept going until she'd caught up with the others. Tag Judith Eastman
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Judith Eastman
Civilian
Grandma
Posts: 2,593 Likes: 84
Rank: Civilian/other
Position: Civil Servant
Species: Human
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Post by Judith Eastman on Dec 8, 2021 22:33:17 GMT
[Judith Eastman(-Williams), PhD & Max Williams - Beach, LZ-2]"This is a Starfleet thing; I've only ever had one name," Max replied earnestly to Left Ear's joke. He'd always been Max Williams, pure and simple. As they began to walk towards their own spot, the human couple were amused by the Sivaoan parenting unfolding before them. They still had parenting of their own to do, but with Anna being well into her teens, it was a different sort of affair. They approached a beach umbrella, which shaded a collection of bags on a picnic table, and two towels laid out beyond its shade. "You know, we've actually had the beach here all to ourselves for the last two days. Just the two of us," Judy shared, clearly very pleased with that fact. "You really get to appreciate nature when you have that sort of quiet."
Tag Left Ear to-Ennien
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Left Ear to-Ennien
Medical
Posts: 229 Likes: 3
Rank: Civilian/other
Position: Cadet/civilian healer
Species: Sivaoan
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Post by Left Ear to-Ennien on Dec 13, 2021 4:14:26 GMT
Left Ear to-Ennien, Brave Tongue to-Srallansre and Berry to-Vensre - LZ-2 - Beach] When they reached the spot Max and Judy had staked out, Brave Tongue set down the large bag and pulled a couple of usefuls out. Left Ear went up the beach toward the forest and returned with several stones, which they used to anchor the corners of the large pieces of fabric. They were water resistant and warm, but lightweight and likely to be blown around in the breeze coming in off the shore. Berry stepped onto one of the usefuls as soon as they were set down, trying to shake loose some of the sand in her fur without getting all over the fabric, with only marginal success. ' It's beautiful here,' Brave Tongue acknowledged. ' Are you certain we're not disturbing you?' While not too familiar with Humans in general or Max and Judy in particular, the Sivaoan was perceptive and accustomed to interacting with other species. Even the Eeiauoans were different enough in their behaviors that it required some finesse to deal with them. Meanwhile, Left Ear headed right down toward the water with all of her sandcastle building supplies and plopped them down just above the line that demarcated the limit of the tide's reach. ' Come on!' she called, beckoning to Berry. The young Sivaoan wrinkled her nose and shook her head, settling down to lie on her side on the useful, stretching until her back popped and closing her eyes to enjoy the sun. ' You're going to get bored up there,' Left Ear said, quietly enough that she didn't think Judy and Max would hear, but loud enough for Berry and Brave Tongue to understand. She knew the adults, Left Ear sometimes forgot that she was actually one herself, would probably go into some kind of adult conversation that would eventually have her sister wanting to escape. Tag Judith Eastman
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Judith Eastman
Civilian
Grandma
Posts: 2,593 Likes: 84
Rank: Civilian/other
Position: Civil Servant
Species: Human
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Post by Judith Eastman on Dec 13, 2021 5:55:52 GMT
[Judith Eastman(-Williams), PhD & Max Williams - Beach, LZ-2]"Yes, yes, it's quite alright. If we wanted more privacy, we would've picked a more secluded spot," Judy reassured. They knew all the best spots along the shore, including this rather public one and the more secluded nooks. The couple took their coverups off again and lay down together on their towels. They were comfortable, in the sun and in their own skins, and when Max realized that they were almost definitely the least covered humans that these two Sivaoans had ever seen, that didn't bother him. "Our standards of modesty are more lenient for bathing suits," he explained briefly, rubbing Judy's stomach to make his point. She smiled, confirming that point. "So, I see you two have been staying around," Judy pointed out by way of a more engaging conversation starter. "Planning to stay in the region?"The couple could tell there was some tension between Left Ear, who wanted to build a sand castle, and Berry, who did not. For now, they wouldn't intervene.
Tag Left Ear to-Ennien
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Left Ear to-Ennien
Medical
Posts: 229 Likes: 3
Rank: Civilian/other
Position: Cadet/civilian healer
Species: Sivaoan
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Post by Left Ear to-Ennien on Dec 14, 2021 17:12:28 GMT
Left Ear to-Ennien, Brave Tongue to-Srallansre and Berry to-Vensre - LZ-2 - Beach] Left Ear began digging and piling sand around her with one ear turned toward the others to catch what she could of the conversation over the sound of the surf. She kept eyeing her sister slyly, trying to catch her attention to come join her, but Berry deliberately kept her eyes closed and basked in the sunshine. Brave Tongue accepted Judy's words with a nod and watched the Human couple curiously as he sat on the useful beside Berry. He'd had very little experience with Humans out of some kind of uniform or formal situations, so was not accustomed to seeing so much of their bodies. He appreciated the explanation that Max provided. Sivaoans' sexual organs were hidden mostly by fur and females' breasts were visible only when they were nursing; but otherwise, he knew that non-Sivaoans sometimes had difficulty identifying their sex initially. He did find it odd that most Humanoids, or many at least, seemed to hold similar standards for how much of the body was appropriate to show to others. At Judy's question, Brave Tongue pondered for a moment before saying, ' I'm not certain. I've completed my latest rotation at the embassy on Eeiauo, so I have no constraints on my time. Berry's mother was upset at her running away, but is comfortable with her remaining here at least as long as I choose to stay. Beyond that, it will depend. Berry has expressed a wish of remaining with her sister.' Berry opened one eye to peer at Brave Tongue and wrinkled her nose at being discussed. Tag Judith Eastman
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Judith Eastman
Civilian
Grandma
Posts: 2,593 Likes: 84
Rank: Civilian/other
Position: Civil Servant
Species: Human
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Post by Judith Eastman on Dec 14, 2021 20:33:37 GMT
[Judith Eastman(-Williams), PhD & Max Williams - Beach, LZ-2]Judy propped herself up slightly using her elbows, not wanting to converse from a fully horizontal position. "It's a complicated decision," she acknowledged. "I'm sure you could find something to do in this region, but it is far from home.""For many humans - for us, certainly - home really is where your friends and family are," Max added. "That matters more than location, to us."Then, he stirred, moving to get up. "Where are you going?" she asked. "To get you a pillow, so your shoulders don't hurt later.""Thank you, honey, but I don't think I'll be needing a pillow," Judy dismissed (though she appreciated the thoughtfulness), as she dramatically (and while burying the usual groans) came to her feet. "Because if Berry here won't help her sister build a sand castle, I will."Max chuckled. He loved this side of Judy, silly but with a purpose.
Tag Left Ear to-Ennien
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Left Ear to-Ennien
Medical
Posts: 229 Likes: 3
Rank: Civilian/other
Position: Cadet/civilian healer
Species: Sivaoan
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Post by Left Ear to-Ennien on Dec 16, 2021 18:57:32 GMT
Left Ear to-Ennien, Brave Tongue to-Srallansre and Berry to-Vensre - LZ-2 - Beach] ' I'll have to consider that. Perhaps speak to the other Sivaoans. It's a small number of us for two bards,' Brave Tongue said, arching his back and stretching hugely. His broad face turned up to the sun, eyes closing in enjoyment. He was more accustomed to living in artificial environments than the others, but he still appreciated the experience when it was available. When Judy said that she was going to help Left Ear build a castle, Berry's head jerked up and her eyes widened in shock. As far as she was concerned the Human female was old, and playing in sand seemed like a thing babies did. Left Ear looked up when she heard Judy's comment and beckoned her down the beach with a broad sweep of her arm, tail coiling into a happy helix. Her gaze slid sideways to her sister to see if Judy's actions were getting her in motion. Tag Judith Eastman
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Judith Eastman
Civilian
Grandma
Posts: 2,593 Likes: 84
Rank: Civilian/other
Position: Civil Servant
Species: Human
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Post by Judith Eastman on Dec 16, 2021 20:06:03 GMT
[Judith Eastman(-Williams), PhD & Max Williams - Beach, LZ-2]With a little look from Judy, Max figured out that his presence would further her plan along, and so came dutifully down as well, catching up to her as they reached Left Ear. Theirs was a classic dispute-resolution tactic known to grandparents - making the stubborn, misguided child feel silly and realize their mistake that way. "Well, let's begin, shall we?"Since Left Ear knew what she was doing, Judy didn't feel the need to provide guidance. Max, by his nature, was also content not to be in the driver's seat.
Tag Left Ear to-Ennien
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Left Ear to-Ennien
Medical
Posts: 229 Likes: 3
Rank: Civilian/other
Position: Cadet/civilian healer
Species: Sivaoan
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Post by Left Ear to-Ennien on Dec 17, 2021 19:50:13 GMT
Left Ear to-Ennien, Brave Tongue to-Srallansre and Berry to-Vensre - LZ-2 - Beach] Left Ear's tail coiled even tighter, if that was possible, as Judy and Max came down the beach to join her. ' Let's start digging a trench for a moat and pile all the sand in the middle,' she said, taking the role of the leader since the whole project had been her idea this time around. Up on the usefuls, Brave Tongue had caught on to what the Humans were doing, so he stretched again, then reclined in a position that allowed him to easily see the castle builders and his young charge beside him. Berry hadn't laid back down but was peering at the others, still trying to reconcile her own hastily-formed opinion about sandcastle building with what she was seeing. She was afraid of looking silly for objecting so strongly if she joined them now. Brave Tongue was quite familiar with the young Sivaoan's temperament and waited just a few minutes before saying quietly, ' It's foolish to stubbornly hold to a wrong stance. The embarrassment of admitting you were wrong only stings for a moment.' Berry's nose wrinkled. How did he always know exactly what she was thinking? But she wasn't quite ready to give in. She did sit up so she could watch the proceedings more easily. Tag Judith Eastman
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Judith Eastman
Civilian
Grandma
Posts: 2,593 Likes: 84
Rank: Civilian/other
Position: Civil Servant
Species: Human
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Post by Judith Eastman on Dec 17, 2021 23:50:39 GMT
[Judith Eastman(-Williams), PhD & Max Williams - Beach, LZ-2]Judy got on her knees and began digging with her bare hands. She worked at a leisurely pace, to accommodate her joints, but with a fair deal of strength. Max was at first a bit distracted in admiring his wife's form, but being pelted with a bit of sand that couldn't possibly have come his way by accident brought him to contribute to the digging as well. "We should set some of the sand aside in buckets already, to build with," Judy suggested, having made some progress. "If we stack all our construction material on the job site, we're gonna have a complete mess."
Tag Left Ear to-Ennien
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