Post 278: From the Frying Pan

Stardate: 70703.1950
Title: From the Frying Pan. . .
Author: Lair Kellyn
Scene: Holodeck Four/Beach
Time: Following "A Toast" by TC Blane
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Lair Kellyn held her cup high as TC Blane led the assembled crew in an old-fashioned salute. She had always found this to be one of the human race's most charming customs. She grinned, thinking how Blane had offered her husband the unfermented version of the beverage they were all sharing in order to suit his singular tastes.

Micah Samson stood next to Kellyn, dripping wet in his Hawaiian print Bermuda shorts-styled swimsuit. He held his surfboard up with one hand while he enjoyed his share of the wine. His hair dripped, running little rivers down his shoulders and raining onto Fox Margolis, who still sat on her towel in the sand. She clucked her tongue.

"Hey, cute knees. Back up a little, will you?" she asked, brushing water off her arm. She put her mirrored sunglasses back on and set her cup aside as she turned back to her tanning. She frowned a little. "I don't understand why I'm not getting any darker yet. It usually never takes this long."

Blane turned away stifling a chuckle, and Samson began looking for somewhere to discard of his empty cup while pondering the fact that Margolis had just referred to him as 'cute knees'.

"Oh, here. I'll take that." Lair Kellyn offered, reaching for his cup.

"You sure? I don't want to be a bother."

She smiled at this thoughtful, recent addition to the Indy's science department. She'd heard nothing but good things about him from everyone that had served with him on the planet during the crisis. "I'm sure, Micah. I'm a mother. I'm used to this sort of thing."

"Thanks, Mom." Samson laughed. He handed her his cup, saluted and then headed back out into the surf. He tossed back a casual thank you to Blane as well for the wine and said that he'd love another glass with dinner, before the card tournament.

Kellyn noticed that February Grace was trudging up the sand toward the group. She was grumbling to herself, having a very specific kind of conversation that Kellyn had seen before- in her old friend Dabin Reece.

Reece was also a Trill and Trills had, she found, a tendency to talk to themselves when they were under stress. A lot of species did this, that was true. But Trills were the only people Kellyn knew of (besides those whose sanity was questionable) who heard answers from a secondary party in their head when they did it.

Grace hurried by and TC extended a fresh cup and the bottle of wine toward her, offering both since she'd just missed the toast. But she simply shook her head, offered a quick "thanks anyway" and then plunked down on the sand a little ways down the beach.

"Great toast, TC." Ashlyn Trind commended as she finished her wine. "You have a way with words."

"Well, I'm not really one for public speaking," TC replied humbly.

"You'd never know it, you handled it like an old pro." Kellyn added. "And you're right about this crew. I've been a lot of places with Starfleet, served with a lot of people. But there is something about this ship. Once you've served here, it tends to feel like home no matter where else you go. No matter how long you're gone."

Blane nodded and went to sit back down on his towel, but Trind stopped him before he got too far. "Have you a minute, TC?" she asked, tucking strands of bright blonde hair back behind her ears as the sea spray blew it forward.

*Uh oh.* TC thought. When a shrink, even a pretty one, asks you if you have a minute, you'd better get your story straight in your head pretty quick. Because questions are about to be asked.*

"Sure." he replied, forcing a smile. He was glad at this point that the one serving of wine was all he'd had.

"Let's take a walk then," she invited, and he gestured for her to lead on.

Sunshine, who never let his new master get far out of his sight, left Arie down by the shoreline and fell into step behind Blane and Trind as they walked. TC reached down and patted the dog on the head.

Ashlyn, meantime, turned back and shot a look toward Kellyn. "Talk to him." She mouthed, pointing to Salvek. Kellyn sighed.

Salvek had already returned to his previous spot in order to keep a good close eye on Arie. Kellyn decided that the location was far enough out of the child's earshot to begin this conversation and knelt down on the blanket he'd spread over the sand.

Lt. Commander Lair Kellyn
Engineering Officer
USS Independence NCC-90791