Ozu Saya
Engineering/Ops
[TI19]
Posts: 878 Likes: 29
Rank: Master Chief Petty Officer
Position: CoB/Chief Engineer
Species: Vulcan-Bajoran
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Post by Ozu Saya on Dec 5, 2020 20:29:25 GMT
[ Left Ear to-Ennien - LZ-2 - Kerelia] Yes, I've seen those 'dogs', Left Ear said, her tail coiling slightly again in amusement. Different species, both sentient and not, have developed different ways to communicate depending on our environment and physical characteristics. Sivaoans uses our noses to gather a lot of information, for example, but I know humans hardly use theirs. She gave a big teasing sniff toward Michael. Left Ear watched as Anna and Judy removed some of their coverings in preparation to go into the ocean. In response to Anna's question, the Sivaoan shook her head, adding a slight shudder. Her fur rippled and fluffed out slightly as the movement rolled down her whole body. Some of us do, but I've never wanted to. I might explore along the beach a little, but I really wanted to just enjoy being outside in the sunshine for a few hours.
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 6, 2020 1:18:52 GMT
[Cmdr. Judith Eastman(-Williams), Max Williams, Anna Eastman Williams, & Michael Eastman - LZ-2, Kerelia]Max did not have a chance to make a pithy comment about the Eastman family nose (shared by both women in the group) as the conversation moved to the ocean. Left Ear's reaction to the idea certainly seemed to be one of discomfort. "That's all right. We have plenty of things we can do without going in the water," Judy said diplomatically, not wanting to poke her finger into the wound, and reached for her sunglasses. "You two can go, enjoy yourselves. I'll stay on land," Max told the ladies. Anna immediately set off for the water, while Judy followed suit (albeit with slower steps) after putting the shades away again. Her typical instinct, of making a self-sacrificing counteroffer, did not apply to Max. "Did something bad happen to you with water once?" Michael asked Left Ear, being far less restrained by politeness than the more grown-up members of his family. Judy stopped, concerned that Michael might have just caused an incident; Max stopped admiring his wife's form (in his totally unbiased opinion, Judy looked better now in her bikini than did many women half her age) and turned his attention back to Left Ear and Michael. The boy picked up on these concerned energies from his grandparents. "You don't have to say if you don't want to," he quickly added.
Tag Ozu Saya
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Ozu Saya
Engineering/Ops
[TI19]
Posts: 878 Likes: 29
Rank: Master Chief Petty Officer
Position: CoB/Chief Engineer
Species: Vulcan-Bajoran
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Post by Ozu Saya on Dec 7, 2020 20:40:27 GMT
[ Left Ear to-Ennien - LZ-2 - Kerelia] Oh, no! Left Ear exclaimed, flattening her fur. I just don't really like to get wet all over if I can help it. And I can't swim. Some of my people can and like to go into water, but most of us don't. I know others who have had tragedies in floods.
I think my worst experience was on my Walk. It rained for two straight days, but it just made it really muddy and miserable. We'd crossed the river the day before, so we didn't have to worry about it causing us problems.
Usually, we just clean ourselves with our tongues, but I had to use soap and water over several days to clean all the mud stains out of my fur. Her nose wrinkled again, clearly showing her disgust at having to go so far.
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, 2020 1:40:35 GMT
[Cmdr. Judith Eastman(-Williams), Max Williams, Anna Eastman Williams, & Michael Eastman - LZ-2, Kerelia]Reassured that there was no disaster pending, Judy joined Anna in the water. "See that rock over there?" Judy asked her daughter, pointing towards what both women without their spectacles could see only as a vague grey object off in the distance. "Yeah, ish," Anna answered. "If you beat me to it, I won't make you clean your room today," Judy offered, and promptly took off swimming. Anna followed. The male members of the group remained with Left Ear. "What's this Walk? It sounds like a special walk," Michael asked, confused by this detail. He certainly understood the aversion to soap (excepting bubble baths), but this seemed like some unusual use of the word "walk", beyond the mundane stroll.
Tag Ozu Saya
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Ozu Saya
Engineering/Ops
[TI19]
Posts: 878 Likes: 29
Rank: Master Chief Petty Officer
Position: CoB/Chief Engineer
Species: Vulcan-Bajoran
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Post by Ozu Saya on Dec 8, 2020 20:11:57 GMT
[ Left Ear to-Ennien - LZ-2 - Kerelia] Left Ear watched as the two human females took off in the water, apparently racing if she heard them correctly. The noise of the surf made it more difficult for her to hear at a distance. She turned her attention back to her companions as Michael asked another question. Oh, yes. It's a very special walk. The Sivaoan settled, wrapping her tail around her toes as she began to explain. Many cultures have coming of age rituals. I know some humans have some.
For my people, when we are old enough, we go on a Walk with some of our friends. We ask the leader of our camp for the name of another camp that needs our number of adults. They give the name of a camp about five-days' walk distance. Then we have to walk there on our own. We're only allowed to take a knife, usefuls and anything we can make with our hands - spears and such. It can be difficult and dangerous, depending on the weather and predators. The whole group has to make the entire Walk together or no one becomes an adult and you have to do it all again. We grow up hunting and making tools, so it's really just a test of our skills. She didn't go into the rare occasions where a member of a group died while attempting the Walk. Fortunately, those instances were few and far between.
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, 2020 22:22:00 GMT
[Cmdr. Judith Eastman(-Williams), Max Williams, Anna Eastman Williams, & Michael Eastman - LZ-2, Kerelia]Max nodded. It seemed like a rather perilous rite of passage, not the type of life he would choose (or indeed, had chosen) for his children, but he wasn't one to disrespect another culture just because it was different from his own. "A lot of Earth cultures have similar rituals, some still practiced, and some not. The one that our kids went through is a test of very different skills."Max turned his head towards the sea, where he saw two patterns of foam indicating the mother of his kids, and one of said kids, moving rapidly back towards them. "Judy can explain it better than I can.""Explain what?" Michael asked his Grandfather, as the older man summoned Judy over with a dramatic wave (a smaller gesture with his fingers would require the glasses to make out properly. "Bar Mitzvahs," Max answered, as Judy arrived and began to towel off. "Can you explain Bar Mitzvahs for us?" Max asked her. "Of course, of course," she answered. "By the way, our daughter is out of shape.""No, Mom just cheats," Anna protested, with a tone of good-natured banter. "Anyway, in the Jewish religion, when a child reaches what was the age of adulthood 2000-odd years ago - 13 for a boy and 12 for a girl - they go through what's called a Bar or Bat Mitzvah. The young man or woman reads a passage from the Torah, the Jewish sacred text, in front of the congregation, and then delivers their own speech that relates to the text that they've read. The purpose of the ceremony, first and foremost, is to make sure that the next generation of Jews is literate - which was pretty unique in ancient times - as well as to foster critical thinking and public speaking skills," the older woman explained the cultural ritual of her own people. As she did, Max helpfully placed her prescription sunglasses on her head, and she lowered them back to her eye level, to see properly. Standing just behind her mother, Anna also dried off her face, and took her own pair of prescription shades when her father offered them.
Tag Ozu Saya
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Ozu Saya
Engineering/Ops
[TI19]
Posts: 878 Likes: 29
Rank: Master Chief Petty Officer
Position: CoB/Chief Engineer
Species: Vulcan-Bajoran
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Post by Ozu Saya on Dec 10, 2020 15:31:09 GMT
[ Left Ear to-Ennien - LZ-2 - Kerelia] The banter among the members of the Eastman-Williams family (the names were something Left Ear hadn't even ventured to figure out; she just went with whatever she was told to call people) made Left Ear miss her own family. Her tail tip waved slightly as Judy began explaining the Jewish ritual. Left Ear's head tilted when Judy finished as she considered the woman's words. That is very different, she said thoughtfully. That is your...Way of Living? she asked cautiously, translating the words into English herself, not trusting the universal translator to be precise enough. From my observations, it's unusual for humans to hold to religious practices, isn't it? Or do you simply not display them openly? She could imagine that being the case, or that she simply hadn't been in circumstances to observe such activities.
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 10, 2020 18:21:42 GMT
[Cmdr. Judith Eastman(-Williams), Max Williams, Anna Eastman Williams, & Michael Eastman - LZ-2, Kerelia]Judy nodded. They had come upon a complicated question, one that had vexed humans in centuries past, and continued to puzzle historians: what is religion? They also came upon another question, incidentally: what is a Jew? Who is a Jew? "Well, religion in the sense of worshipping a God is pretty rare, but we've kept a lot of customs and practices. We've essentially secularized them, set aside a lot of the mysticism and the divinity, and kept the traditions. With Jews in particular, because of our history in Earth's darker ages, religious practices and teachings are so enmeshed in the culture that it's just about impossible to unscramble the proverbial egg. At this point, I'd say the Jewish experience as it exists today, as I live it and as we've chosen to teach it to our children, is a culture with its roots in the religious practice," she explained. "The special thing about the Jews is that they were the only culture that practiced their religion. My ancestors, the Scots, practiced a similar religion to many other societies, so our egg is less scrambled," Max added. "I think the Way of Living is a lot more tied into your everyday practices on Sivao than are most of our old religions," Judy continued, tying back into Sivaoan culture. Michael just listened to these explanations, fascinated by the history lessons imparted here. He was, after all, a very studious boy, and believed that his Grandma was the smartest person of them all (followed by his Grandpa).
Tag Ozu Saya
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Ozu Saya
Engineering/Ops
[TI19]
Posts: 878 Likes: 29
Rank: Master Chief Petty Officer
Position: CoB/Chief Engineer
Species: Vulcan-Bajoran
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Post by Ozu Saya on Dec 11, 2020 15:33:25 GMT
[ Left Ear to-Ennien - LZ-2 - Kerelia] Left Ear's ears twitched as she listened to Judy and Max explain, occasionally twisting back as she caught some sound from behind her, but her icy blue eyes stayed focused between the two. That's very interesting, she said finally. I can see some similarity with Sivaoan practice. The original roots of our Way of Living were based in a belief in deities. Now, as you said, it has more to do with how we interact with and take care of our environment and natural resources. We believe that we must care for all life on our world. When everything happened with the Eeiaouans, part of the reason was the extinction of a number of species and the destruction of large swathes of forest due to the harmful practices of the city-dwellers.
Since then, maintaining our nomadic lifestyle and conservation are some of the most important aspects of our culture. And I believe that's the reason we were asked to come here to help with establishing a colony here. I suppose that's proving more difficult than anyone anticipated. Her whiskers quivered in amusement.
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 11, 2020 17:39:47 GMT
[Cmdr. Judith Eastman(-Williams), Max Williams, Anna Eastman Williams, & Michael Eastman - LZ-2, Kerelia]The older couple sat down, as usual with no space between them. Anna was more than used to her parents' PDA, but still couldn't help but wonder if the fact that they still treated each other as young, fresh lovers spoke to some eyesight or memory problem. "This planet is weirdly complicated; it's stumping our techniques too, not just yours. I did a lot of work with environmental impact back when I was in the Corps of Engineers..." Judy began to reminisce. "Fire Island," Max interrupted, reminding his wife of one particularly rough project. "Oh, Gosh. That was one I worked back when Anna was... very young. We were overhauling a shuttle silo on Fire Island, which is an environmentally sensitive area outside of New York, and full of the summer homes of well-connected people. I thought that project was a nightmare, ecologically speaking, but this is somehow worse," she finished her reminiscence. "I remember Fire Island. Mom used to take me to job sites; I had my own little hard hat," Anna recalled, with evident fondness. While she didn't share the depth of Michael's devotion to the family matriarch, the young woman dearly loved and deeply respected her look-alike Mom. "What's that behind you?" Michael asked Left Ear, noticing some noise behind her. Then, they heard a loud call, a sort of vaguely feline SCREM. It sounded more like an announcement of the SCREMing creature's presence than a cry for help. The creature making the noise was a short-legged feline with lots of fur, particularly in the ears.
Tag Ozu Saya
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Ozu Saya
Engineering/Ops
[TI19]
Posts: 878 Likes: 29
Rank: Master Chief Petty Officer
Position: CoB/Chief Engineer
Species: Vulcan-Bajoran
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Post by Ozu Saya on Dec 12, 2020 17:33:46 GMT
[ Left Ear to-Ennien - LZ-2 - Kerelia] Yes, this planet certainly seems to be resistant to being even lightly developed. Maybe we should listen, she said wryly, her whiskers pricking forward and her tail corkscrewing. When Michael called attention to something behind her, Left Ear started paying more attention to the sounds she'd been hearing. They hadn't seemed to be anything to be concerned about, but if there was something actually there... And before she'd turned her head completely to look, there came the SCREM and her whole body whipped around, rising into a defensive posture on all fours. She'd met Sir Doug's domesticated felinoid, but this one was wild. Left Ear knew that it could pose a danger, particularly to Michael as the smallest of their group. Her fur stood on end and a low growl rumbled from the back of her throat as she reached with one paw, claws retracted, to gently shove Michael closer to his grandparents and further behind her own bulk. If she could scare the creature away without harming it, she would.
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 12, 2020 23:17:15 GMT
[Cmdr. Judith Eastman(-Williams), Max Williams, Anna Eastman Williams, & Michael Eastman - LZ-2, Kerelia]The PooDoo, encountering such a large creature, arched its back and hissed, trying to gain enough deterrence, and then began to prowl away, inland. It wasn't entirely sure why it had gone here in the first place, in fact. Michael sat down beside Max, where he had been pushed. He wasn't sure what the big hassle was about, but accepted it. "Look at it. It's so fluffy," Anna pointed out the PooDoo as it walked off. She reached into the beach bag to take her camera and try to photograph the creature, but the lighting wasn't good and the PooDoo was too fast. "We can find other pictures for you to take," Judy said reassuringly. "If nothing good comes up, I'll just take pictures of you and Dad," Anna offered, half-teasing. In truth, she was working with her brothers to prepare a commemorative album for their parents' upcoming 20th wedding anniversary, but that project was a secret for now. "Let's build a sand castle," Michael suggested. Aunt Anna could take pictures of it, or help with the construction, or both. He also thought that Left Ear might be quite good at it, potentially.
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Ozu Saya
Engineering/Ops
[TI19]
Posts: 878 Likes: 29
Rank: Master Chief Petty Officer
Position: CoB/Chief Engineer
Species: Vulcan-Bajoran
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Post by Ozu Saya on Dec 14, 2020 20:52:59 GMT
[ Left Ear to-Ennien - LZ-2 - Kerelia] Left Ear remained in her defensive stance until the smaller creature disappeared, and her ears remained focused that direction even longer. Once she felt the danger was past, though, she shuddered, sending a ripple along her skin. As it passed down her body, the fluffed-up hair returned to laying flat. Left Ear straightened and sat on her haunches again, twisting her head to lick at a patch of fur on her shoulder that didn't quite go flat with the rest. I'm sorry, she said to Anna. I was worried that it might try to hurt Michael. PooDoos can be unpredictable. She also found it odd to take pictures of the creatures, but it was something humans seemed to do. Oh, what's a sand castle? She asked when Michael changed the subject. Building something sounded like a good plan.
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 15, 2020 1:30:06 GMT
[Cmdr. Judith Eastman(-Williams), Max Williams, Anna Eastman Williams, & Michael Eastman - LZ-2, Kerelia]"It's fine. I didn't even think to take a picture until I saw how ridiculous it looks," Anna reassured Left Ear. Michael was a little baffled by the question. He thought the explanation of a sand castle was in the name. "It's a castle you build out of sand," he explained. Judy patted her grandson's head, endeared by the child's mind, so precocious and yet so ready to grow and learn more. "In the ancient past, humans built castles in particular architectural styles, with moats and circular towers. Using simple tools, like a little shovel and a bucket, you can build something that looks like a castle, out of damp sand on the beach," she explained, taking the relevant tools out of the beach bag as props. Anna, thinking her mother looked ridiculous doing so (more so than the PooDoo did), snapped a picture. Michael took another shovel and bucket from the bag, following Judy as she walked about 10 steps away from the blanket and motioned for the others to follow. "Where should we build?" he asked. "Let's agree to put one corner of our little castle over here, and then dig a moat into the sea," Judy directed. Crouching down, she dug a little indentation in the sand, to mark the site. "Okay," Michael agreed. He, too, had accompanied her to job sites, during her last assignment on Earth, so he knew Grandma was the expert in building things. He joined the digging work. "And let me tell you a secret," Judy added, with the assured tone of an experienced engineer. "If you dig down deep enough from here, you'll find water, at the same level as the ocean. It's what we call the water table.""That's awesome. Let's find the water table!" Michael responded to the suggestion eagerly. "Left Ear, why don't you dig? I'm a little old for this," Judy invited the Sivaoan. She knew that if she spent an extended period of time hunched over, working with Michael, she'd regret it later - she was just too old. "That's a good idea. We don't want a backache tomorrow," Max added to the sentiment, patting Judy's back. Helping each other deal with the little aches was a part of their experience aging together, and they made the best of it, but they weren't in the business of seeking maladies. Anna busied herself in taking more pictures of the landscape, and of her relatives.
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Ozu Saya
Engineering/Ops
[TI19]
Posts: 878 Likes: 29
Rank: Master Chief Petty Officer
Position: CoB/Chief Engineer
Species: Vulcan-Bajoran
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Post by Ozu Saya on Dec 15, 2020 16:37:44 GMT
[ Left Ear to-Ennien - LZ-2 - Kerelia] Left Ear moved with the others down closer to the water, eyeing it sideways, though she understood tides and knew that the water wouldn't just suddenly come further up the beach without warning. When she reached the damp sand, she paused to scoop up a handful and feel it, finding it actually a rather pleasant sensation against her pads. It was almost like a massage on her feet, too. She willingly crouched beside Judy as she and Michael began digging. We did similar things with dirt and clay when I was younger, she said. We usually made designs, or mountains and rivers.Left Ear took one of the shovels, but after a couple of scoopfuls, she set it aside and extended her claws, using her large paws to dig into the sand and pile it behind her. Her claws were able to slice through quite effectively and she removed more at each scoop than she had with the shovel. Tell me how much you want out so I don't do too much, she told Michael.
Tag Judith Eastman
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