SIM:JP - COUNTRY ROADS, TAKE ME HOME -LT KAJI, LTCMDR D'SENA
((OOC: This is a part one of a long story. It takes place during the 2 weeks between the Victory banquet and the Embassy ceremony. Kaji got called home for a funeral and meets a family member she didn't know. Joint-Ship post with Akeelah D'Sena, the Apollo's first officer. I'll be putting out a little at a time to keep from overwhelming everyone though it will technically be a backsim. Thanks for everyone's patience! Please read, D'Sena is an AMAZING writer!))
((Kaji Homestead in the Kiddian Reach, Idanii Continent, Planet Rodul))
::Talia Kaji was tired of talking. That in itself was a bit of a miracle, as she was rarely without words. Talking was usually one of her favorite pastimes, but today seen more words than the Library at Memory Alpha. From the moment her mothers had met her and her son Ben at the transport site in Dovet City, it had been a constant stream of “Oh, Benjiro, have you done/learned/seen this” and “have you heard about so-and-so,” along with an impressive dance around any issue of substance. Adriana Kaji was probably the most verbose woman in the galaxy. Bo, Talia’s other mother, was much quieter. Her soft questions interspersed Adriana’s sharp commentary and drew the others into the conversation. It was a delicate balance the two had maintained for over a century. Then they had herded Talia and Ben into the little automobile they owned and started the 3 hour trip to the old Kaji home in the mountains.::
::Talia had been terribly surprised to hear from her mothers in the first place. The brief message had been the first in almost a year. She’d come home one evening to find a short letter in her computer’s mail program. It was a simple note, informing Talia that her grandfather had passed away and inviting her and Ben to attend the funeral. It seemed absurd to travel halfway across the galaxy for a relative’s funeral, but it was an offer of peace from her family, so Talia had accepted instantly.::
::Now she was rather regretting that haste. The note hadn’t mentioned that the event was to be the largest gathering of the Kaji clan in centuries. Talia’s grandfather had fifteen children, all with bevies of children and grandchildren of their own. One of the downsides of long lived species was extremely large families. She smiled at the ancient woman who was currently rambling on absently, and pled a need for fresh air. Slipping quietly through the crowded parlor, she headed for the side door. It led, just as she remembered from childhood, to a quiet porch surrounded by trees.::
::Talia drew a few deep breaths and tried to release the stress. She loved her family dearly, but they could be terribly overwhelming at times. Moving over to one of the roof’s support posts, she banged her head lightly against it.::
Kaji: No. More. Family. Reunions. Ever!
D'Sena: And I thought I'm the only one feeling like that.
:: Kaji whirled around. She hadn't realized anyone else was on the porch.::
:: Akeelah D'Sena, sat on a small bench, that allowed her to look over the mountains, even though this was the very last thing she wanted to do. She did not even want to be close to them, but she did not really have a choice. If she had known that the re-union, heralded by her grandfather's funeral, was taking place in this cursed place, she would have stayed on the Apollo. But now she couldn't change it. ::
::Just as Akeelah could not change, that many years of her past were catching up quickly. The moment she had seen the adult twins between her parents, from the window of the shuttle service that had brought her to Rodul, all of the emotions she had hoped would remain in check, stormed into her mind and threatened to bury her underneath. Of course, after almost 26 years she was glad to see her parents in person again and not through the flat surfaces in her quarters, even though they were not happy about her decision to leave her home. But this had been the first time, she saw her sisters. And she did not want to get any closer to them, for their own protection. Of course they didn't let her, hugged and gushed over her, the successful Starfleet Officer, as her mother seemed to talk about her, given the twins a strange impression about their older sister.::
::The whole evening they asked questions about everything, her mother had easily joined in, the only one who knew that she she deserved a break every now and then was her father, who had now distracted the others, so Akeelah could slip out of the house, just for a little while. And of course then she was confronted with those mountains that were everywhere around them, without a chance to ignore them.::
::Her curly hair bounced when a breeze rushed through it and the solid black eyes, that for once were not seen as creepy but normal, rested on the woman who had just announced to all of Rodul that she liked to be here, just as much as Akeelah did. :: D'Sena: Do not let me disturb you, if you wish to announce more of your frustration to the world. Kaji: It’s tempting. I feel like screaming. Isn’t family just lovely?
::As the woman spoke, Akeelah stood up from her place, the heavy fabric of the high collared traditional tunic she wore fell back into place, so it neatly flowed to her knees, where it continued in loose pants over her half heel boots. She approached her and standing, facing her she looked into the deep tar pools for a long moment, as it was custom among their people, when meeting for the first time, as a sign of being open to one another.::
:: Kaji grinned into the eyes that matched her own so well. It was nice to be around her own species even if it was stressful at times.:: Kaji: Hey! Akeelah, right? I know we’ve met, but it’s been so long! Probably not since… ::she hesitated:: I mean, it’s been a while.
:: When the woman called Akeelah by her name, she was a little taken aback. This was a family re-union, so she did expect to know more people, than when she entered a Starship, but she could not remember having seen her before. Usually she had a really good memory, but now she drew a blank. The hesitation in giving the time frame, gave her the uncomfortable feeling, that it had been around Jenia's death. That would explain a lot, because Akeelah had not much memory of anything but the pain from that time. She tried to hide the realisation from her face, not wanting to be a downer. The circumstances were sad enough.::
::Talia tried to read Akeelah’s face. She hadn’t realized how much she’d come to lean on her telepathy since joining Starfleet. It was strange now, trying to guess at another’s feelings. She tugged at the annoyingly tight cuffs on her sleeves and tried to change the subject::
Kaji: So, um, what are you up to nowadays?
D’Sena: I am in Starfleet. .oO Keep it brief, it will make your voice less shaky Oo.
Kaji: ::Talia’s jaw dropped dramatically:: Seriously? Me too! What ship are you on?
D’Sena: :: Blinking, she was not able to hide her surprise. There were not many Rodulans in Starfleet, most remained on Rodul. But she could not help herself but straighten her back a little with pride.:: The USS Apollo. On which ship are you?
Kaji: Wow! I’m on the USS Victory! ::She laughed genuinely for the first time since she’d arrived on Rodul.:: Well, I sure didn’t expect to meet anyone from Starfleet here. I’m sure that went over well with the family. I know no one was happy when I joined.
D’Sena: I can honestly say, that mine were not very ... enthusiastic either. :: She was really bad faking knowledge when she had none, she liked being prepared and knowing in what was going on, so she had to ask. :: While you seem to know who I am, I do not seem to remember.
Kaji: Oh! ::she blushed:: Sorry, I’m Kaji, I mean, I’m Talia! ::She corrected herself hastily, realizing the surname wasn’t terribly unique right here.::
:: Akeelah tilted her head, scrunching her brows as she tried to see it in the woman’s face.::
D’Sena: Kaji, as in Adriana Kaji?
Kaji: Yeah! Adriana’s my mother!
:: Akeelah was stunned. She had not remembered her cousin, not even remembered that she had ever met her. Adriana was Akeelah’s aunt, the sister of her mother, she knew of her, and her bonded partner, also that they had children, but to meet one of them out here, was a big surprise. :: to be continued...
a JP by
Lt Talia Kaji Chief Counselor USS Victory
and
LtCommander Akeelah D'Sena First Officer USS Apollo-A
By golly, Jim, I'm beginning to think I can cure a rainy day!--Dr. Leonard McCoy