Avarin’s-family-home

USS Odyssey

Vulcan / avarin’s-family-home

Narrator BOT 07-Jun-21 12:22 PM

Derek and Avarin arrived outside, both paused to look at the beautiful home which had been designed by Avarin’s father during his career as an architect.

[Sci] Lt. JG Avarin BOT 07-Jun-21 12:27 PM

“So, this is where I grew up,” *Avarin said, a far away look in her eye. She could remember playing in the back gardens with her siblings, learning how to meditate at her father’s side, her mother showing them all neuropressure techniques, while her father’s sketches and designs were spread all over his studio. Her heart ached fiercely, a grief she hadn’t allowed herself to feel over a decade welled up and she felt like she’d been punched in the gut.*

Counselor Derek Sullivan BOT 07-Jun-21 12:29 PM

“Do you want to take a minute?” *He asked softly. Derek knew this had to be hard for her, to the home that she’d left in the night.*

[Sci] Lt. JG Avarin BOT 07-Jun-21 12:31 PM

“No, better to do it fast and get it over and done with. It isn’t logical to sit here and theorize when the answers to all of my questions is behind that door,” *She said, heading down the driveway before pressing the door chime.*

T'Reya BOT 07-Jun-21 12:36 PM

*The door opened after a short while. There stood her mother, in a traditional lightweight Vulcan robe, her hair in a complex braid. She looked at Avarin, then to Derek, and back to Avarin again. She tipped her chin up some without showing any further reaction, and asked stoically,* "Yes?"

[Sci] Lt. JG Avarin BOT 07-Jun-21 12:51 PM

“Mother, it is good to see you. The ship I am currently stationed on is on shore leave, and I thought perhaps it would be agreeable to visit home,” *She said, her voice even and her expression a soft neutral. On the inside she was in turmoil however, it was so good to see her mother, and to hear her voice. She tightened her grip on her bag, trying to ground herself.* “This is Derek Sullivan,”

T'Reya BOT 07-Jun-21 01:01 PM

*It had been over a full decade since they saw each other, however the unexpected and unannounced visit gave her no time to prepare mentally. She locked herself in a stoic neutrality since nothing had sinked in. Looking to Derek, she gave the Vulcan salute,* "I am T'Reya, you are welcome here." *She then lowered her arm and looked to Avarin,* "This was your home, once; you may still treat is as such." *Opening the door and stepping back, she said to both,* "Do enter."

[Sci] Lt. JG Avarin BOT 07-Jun-21 01:09 PM

*Avarin bowed her head, and stepped in. This was going better than expected so far, much better considering she was actually allowed in. Perhaps time had allowed things to heal after all, on both sides.*

Counselor Derek Sullivan BOT 07-Jun-21 01:11 PM

*He returned the Vulcan salute, his wedding ring flashing in the sun.* “Thank you, it’s good to meet you T’Reya,” *he said, smiling.* “I’m glad for the opportunity to finally meet Avarin’s half of the family,”

T'Reya BOT 07-Jun-21 01:30 PM

*She heard Derek speak of 'half of the family' and blinked slowly, turning her head to look dead at Avarin with her nostrils just slightly flared. She continued to hold the door open, despite them all being inside. She continued to look sternly at her, waiting.*

[Sci] Lt. JG Avarin BOT 07-Jun-21 01:41 PM

“Mother, Derek is my husband,” *Avarin said, as if remarking on the weather. She knew she should have meditated this morning, this was awkward and anxiety inducing. Her stomach clenched, and she knew if she didn’t let go of her bag’s handle it was going to shatter in her palm. So she relaxed her grip and clasped her hands behind her back.*

T'Reya BOT 07-Jun-21 02:14 PM

*Her back shuddered very lightly from the top down to the bottom. However, after a few seconds she closed the door,* "I will inform your father, you may sit in the main hall." *With that, she walked off without looking at either of them again.*

[Sci] Lt. JG Avarin BOT 07-Jun-21 02:27 PM

*She let out a tiny breath, oh she had spoken far too soon. This was a mistake, one of epic proportions.* “Come let us sit,” *She said, gesturing to the main hall.*

Counselor Derek Sullivan BOT 07-Jun-21 02:28 PM

“This isn’t going well is it? Is it because of what happened, or because I’m a human?” *He knew some people didn’t agree with interspecies couples, though Avarin was so tolerant it had never occurred to him that she could have come from parents who felt like that.*

[Sci] Lt. JG Avarin BOT 07-Jun-21 02:32 PM

“I do not know, *ashayam*. I simply do not know,” *She settled close to him, feeling once again like a child. Forty years of age, and she was concerned with her parents’ opinions still.*

T'Reya BOT 07-Jun-21 02:38 PM

*T'Reya returned with Avarin's father. She had a solid parsteel expression. She was visibly tense from head to toe. She presented her husband simply, saying in a tone-steady voice,* "Meet L'Vor, Avarin's father."

L’Vor BOT 07-Jun-21 02:43 PM

*When his wife had appeared in the doorway of his studio, with an expression like a thundercloud. His first thought had been something had dug up the meditation garden again. Not that his little birdie had flown home, hurt and joy warred under the layer of his iron restraint as he nodded.* “It has been some time Avarin, will you introduce your companion?”

[Sci] Lt. JG Avarin BOT 07-Jun-21 02:46 PM

“Father, this is Derek Sullivan. My husband of almost seven years now,” *If her chin stuck out a little bit in defiance, she’d deny it until they day she died. But she was a grown woman, and she would not crumple under the gaze of her parents. Not this time, and not anymore.*

T'Reya BOT 07-Jun-21 02:49 PM

*Seven years. T'Reya seemed to get taller as her chin lifted slightly and her knees locked with her shoulders squaring tightly. Her fierce eyes were dead set at the empty space between her daughter and the Human, unable to look at either of them. She said nothing.*

Counselor Derek Sullivan BOT 07-Jun-21 02:54 PM

“It’s good to meet you L’Vor,” *He said, giving the Vulcan salute again. All while deliberately ignoring the laser eyes from T’Reya, he knew Avarin had gotten it from somewhere.*

[Sci] Lt. JG Avarin BOT 07-Jun-21 02:58 PM

“Mother is there something you’d like to say? You look as though you have a lot on your mind,” *Avarin said, her heart picking up speed. But she was tired of the icy looks, and loud silence. If her mother had an opinion they could communicate like adults, that was why she had come, to open up communication. For once she was thankful for the diplomatic training her parents had forced on her, it was actually coming in handy.*

T'Reya BOT 07-Jun-21 03:25 PM

"No. Not at the moment." *She said, her eyes streaking from the spot between them to Avarin. She was processing this unexpected news and visit with some difficulty. However, she elegantly bowed to the three without taking her eyes off her daughter,* "I will prepare and bring refreshments." *A tactical retreat, in her style: as polite and formally proper as possible. She turned and walked off after tearing her gaze from Avarin, leaving the three to converse. She needed a moment to recompose herself.*

[Sci] Lt. JG Avarin BOT 07-Jun-21 03:34 PM

*Avarin looked away as she nodded, she hadn’t expected an open arms welcome. That wasn’t in their custom to begin with, but she hadn’t anticipated the chilly atmosphere.* “I was told you were unwell, how are you doing?” *She looked up at her father, he seemed healthy enough now.*

L’Vor BOT 07-Jun-21 03:38 PM

*Seven years, and she’d never told any of them. Why? Why would she hide this from them? Where had it all gone so wrong?.* “You have been away for some time, my illness has passed. Though it was very serious, why did you refuse to come. I was asking for you?” *He kept his tone properly neutral, but there was so much hurt behind his words. When he had been sick, his survival had not been a sure thing. But his daughter had still refused to see him, even as he asked for her to be sent for.*

Counselor Derek Sullivan BOT 07-Jun-21 03:49 PM

*He raised an eyebrow, this was the first he was hearing of that. He knew her dad was sick, but not that she’d been contacted repeatedly. He sat quietly, listening in.*

[Sci] Lt. JG Avarin BOT 07-Jun-21 03:56 PM

*She looked up.* “I didn’t know what was waiting for me here, I left in the night after Mother said that we would be fixing my rejection of my arranged marriage in the morning,” *She explained, looking out the window. What little she could see of the garden from this angle was still as beautiful as she remembered it.*

L’Vor BOT 07-Jun-21 06:06 PM

*He nodded, she thought perhaps they would try to marry her off again. Or corner her into something that went very much against her wishes, perhaps at one time he might have tried that. But time and distance had ways of highlighting what was important, and at that moment despite how much hurt there was between them he just wanted his daughter back.* “Your home will always wait for you here, I hope you know that now my little birdie,” *He said, bowing his head at her.* “And as an extension of that, a home for you as well Derek,”

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[Sci] Lt. JG Avarin BOT 07-Jun-21 08:11 PM

*Do not cry, do not cry, you are in control not vice versa. So. Do. Not. Cry. She thought as she clenched her fists tightly.* “Thank you, I have...missed home. And I have missed you and Mother. I should have returned sooner,” *She admitted, looking back to the window in hopes of hiding the dampness in her eyes.*

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T'Reya BOT 08-Jun-21 11:40 AM

*T'Reya returned with a tray of hot tea and cold Vulcan-equivalent to lemonade. She set it down and stepped back, letting them take what they wanted,* "Derek, the tea is hot but the glass cups contain a cold beverage. I am aware Humans consider Vulcan dry and hot due to the comparison to Terra." *She had taken longer then expected to prepare the tray, so one could only wonder what she'd been doing in there. Had she been Human, perhaps they would have heard plates breaking.*

Counselor Derek Sullivan BOT 08-Jun-21 05:53 PM

“Thank you T’Reya, Vulcan is a lot warmer than home. But It’s still a gorgeous place. Like the deserts back on earth, but populated, and lacking scorpions. I hope,” *He chuckled, takings a glass of the cold drink. If he saw an alien scorpion it would take all three adult Vulcans to pry him off the ceiling, the ones on Earth were creepy enough thanks.* “I’m sort of curious though, what season is it now for you here?”

[Sci] Lt. JG Avarin BOT 09-Jun-21 08:37 PM

*She would thank Derek later for saving her from making the small talk, though she wasn’t sure why he’d brought up scorpions of all things.* *She grabbed a cup of warm tea, and sipped it.* “Fall, or the equivalent. Thank you for the tea,” *Avarin said, nodding at her mother.*

T'Reya BOT 09-Jun-21 09:52 PM

*She nodded politely to communicate 'you're welcome' Avarin, then looked to Derek, ignoring his mutterings about arachnids entirely as the statement about them warranted no reply,* "I presume my daughter has told you all about her parents over the last seven years, so would you care to tell us about her husband?"

Counselor Derek Sullivan BOT 09-Jun-21 10:04 PM

“Well I grew up on Earth, I’ve got two siblings who still think I’m a bit of a nut for going to space. I work as a Starfleet counselor, which I really enjoy. In my spare time I like to paint or sketch, I also practice martial arts, and like to skate when I can. If there’s any specific questions you have, I’ll happily answer them. I’m an open book,” *He sipped his drink, it really was quite good. Cool and refreshing, and it would hopefully settle his nerves somewhat. He always had gotten nervous when it was time to meet his partner’s family, apparently this time was no different.*

T'Reya BOT 13-Jun-21 01:47 PM

*She listened, not taking a tea and remaining empty handed. When the Human finished speaking, she leaned back slightly,* "A counselor, a fine profession for a Human. Was this seven year streak of silence based on your counsel or did you merely permit it to occur?"

Counselor Derek Sullivan BOT 14-Jun-21 05:49 PM

*He choked, well shit. T’Reya didn’t beat around the bush apparently.* “Ah, no. I don’t counsel people who are very close to me, it impairs my objectivity. I also believed it wasn’t right for me to tell my wife what to do in such a…delicate situation,” *He said, clearing his airways of alien lemonade.*

T'Reya BOT 14-Jun-21 06:01 PM

"Convenient." *She said simply, and turned her eyes to her daughter expectantly.*

[Sci] Lt. JG Avarin BOT 14-Jun-21 06:11 PM

*She sipped her tea, trying not to say anything hurtful. She’d hurt them both enough as it was, and had no desire to do more damage.* “I didn’t know if the news would be welcome Mother, you said that we would fix things in the morning after I rejected the arranged match the night I left. I did not know if that expectation would still be in place, so I decided it would simply be better if I kept quiet,”

T'Reya BOT 14-Jun-21 06:23 PM

"I am disappointed that you concluded a need to abscond from us. It is evidence that I was unfit as a parent to you, and for that I offer an apology."

[Sci] Lt. JG Avarin BOT 14-Jun-21 06:59 PM

*The apology didn’t feel as good as she once thought it would, she was just weary of the divide between them.* “You were not unfit, you were rigid and had high expectations. But I can be rigid in my own way, ask Derek,” *She glanced over to him, she’d mellowed over the years and learned the art of give and take thankfully.* “I should not have left, and I should not have stayed away as long as I did. I realize that now, and I apologize,” *She said, looking into her cup.*

T'Reya BOT 16-Jun-21 08:41 AM

"Rigid or not, I made you determine the need to flee and hide from us for so long that we are only now learning of a marriage that has existed for over half a decade. Whatever I may have done to force that radical determination on you, was certainly most egregious. Regardless of the circumstances, I regret the loss of so many years." *She did not want tea, but she had an odd need to do something more than just stand there. So she elegantly reached down to the tray and prepared herself a cup, adding only a bit of the Vulcan equivalent of honey.*

[Sci] Lt. JG Avarin BOT 16-Jun-21 09:11 AM

“There will be many more years, to make up for the ones lost. Now that I have returned I do not plan on vanishing again, though work takes me far from home I will keep in contact as much as possible,” *She said, her tone softening.*

T'Reya BOT 16-Jun-21 09:20 AM

*She had nothing more to say, since what she wanted to say was hurtful expressions of how she had been negatively affected. She sipped her tea, and let her husband or her brand new new but still seven years old son-in-law pick up the conversation.*

Counselor Derek Sullivan BOT 17-Jun-21 09:26 AM

“I for one am glad we could all meet, it’s nice to meet the folks who raised an amazing woman like Avarin,” *He briefly pressed himself against Avarin’s side.* “So you’ve heard about my career in Starfleet, but what do you two do?” *He sipped his drink again. Maybe he could snag the recipe, it was quite tasty.*

L’Vor BOT 17-Jun-21 09:29 AM

*He arched a brow, Derek wastrying to diffuse the situation. That much was clear, though the situation was already diffused.* “I was an architect before I retired due to poor health, I still do some freelance designing as it keeps me occupied. The meditation garden outside is one of my best designs, It was built many years ago when Avarin was just a small girl and has weathered pleasantly,”

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