[ussbansheec] The Lighthouses
- From: Andy Maluhia <CaptainAndy@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: ussbansheec@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Sat, 30 Dec 2006 15:11:18 -0500
_ The Lighthouses
_by Elizabeth Carter-Eislin and Eislin Rissa, Disir, Somhelth, & Taline
Bag packed, shuttle fuelled, star charts studied and course plotted.
Everything was ready for Taline to make her move out into the big wide
universe. She wanted to explore, to see what she could and write it all
down, kind of like a Taline's guide to the Galaxy. Her long brown hair
was tipped in blue that matched her eyes and it was pulled back from her
kind of sweet, pretty face that sported her father's nose ridges. In a
simple outfit of dark blues, she padded out of the shuttle and back to
her family home.
"Mama?" she called as she wandered through. "Daddy? Where you at?"
She'd discussed it with everyone and she knew they understood but she
was still a little nervous.
The Bajoran man's hair had long been completely white and he often swore
that it was his younger two children who made the last dark brown
strands go that way. He gave his wife, the love of his life, a wry
smile, which made his nose crinkle all the more. "In the living room,
Taline," he called fondly. "I haven't had the need to get up and get
run over by a rushing beautiful girl."
"I'd run you over any day, you know that, Daddy," she chimed as she
bounced through to land comfortably down on Rissa's lap. "Gonna miss
you," she said as she hugged her father tightly.
Rissa wrapped his arms around his younger daughter and pressed his cheek
into her soft hair. "I miss you already, Taline," he admitted, "but it
would be so hypocritical of me to ask you to stay. At least your
brother's going with you. Where is he any way?"
"Probably still saying goodbye to the house," Taline said sadly. She
stared into space for a while then sighed. "We can come home again,
can't we?"
"Why ever not? You'll always be our children no matter what," Rissa
said in a rare soft tone. "This may not be where I'm from, child, but
it's home and home is where somebody who loves you is waiting."
In any other home, the young man with the cobalt blue complexion and
shiny black hair would have caused a person to take a second look. As
Somhelth stuck his head in the room, though, all Rissa did was smirk.
The boy was smiling brightly, something that seemed to go against what
his genetic background called for.
"I think I have this place burned into my brain," he declared as he
flowed into the room.
Elizabeth grinned up at her unusual children with love. "You'd think
living here all your life you would anyway," she teased.
"Yeah," Taline said with a shrug, "but we need to say goodbye to it.
This house is as much a part of the family as the living members are."
Somhelth made his way to Elizabeth and out strong arms around her even
as he rested his chin on her head. He certainly didn't look like either
of his parents or his sisters since he was, in a manner of speaking,
adopted but he was still theirs and he knew it. "Come on, Mum, you know
it's true. The sights and smells are as much home as the people."
Elizabeth found a smile for her only son and her little girl. "Hey, at
least Disir's not abandoning us to go and seek her fortune somewhere,"
she laughed.
Taline gave her mother a sour look and stuck out her tongue. "Yeah, coz
you need someone to take care of you in your dotage," she teased.
"Eh, watch it there," Rissa said, shaking his finger in a mock warning.
"I'm not quite a hundred yet so I'm not that old."
"That's because you have Mum to keep you young," said a voice from the
opposite door way. Yes, neither Rissa nor Elizabeth were her parents
but Rissa had taken her in after she was freed from that horrible camp
and accepted her as his own. When he'd met Elizabeth shortly afterward,
it was just about love at first sight and the young Bajoran girl
accepted the Human as a second mother just as she'd accepted Rissa as a
father. She perched on the edge of Rissa's chair and said, "You two
better stay in touch or I'll wear my nails down."
With a grin wider than the Cheshire Cat's, Taline laid her head on
Disir's lap. "Keep in touch? Hell, we're coming back! We're going to
bring goodies from Bajor and Earth and Vulcan and everywhere we've heard
about but never seen. What d'you think, Som?"
"And we might even get to see some of the places Dad's claimed to have
broken out of," he agreed.
"And Mum's broken into," Taline laughed.
"Small wonder that the younger people in this household want to poke
their noses into such places," Somhelth opined, in one of those moments
where he sounded almost exactly like whoever his Vulcanoid parent was.
Then he grinned a devilish grin at Disir. "You can't get rid of me. I'm
too unique. Who would people ever stare at if they visited?"
Taline's head tilted to the side and gave her brother an owlish look.
"Who visits?"
"Nobody," Somhelth said with an easy shrug, "but that's beside the
point. I'm still unique. I don't match and I don't care."
"You match fine, son," Rissa told him with a smile. "It's been you and
me in a house full of beautiful women."
"You match us," Taline huffed. She waved a tuft of her blue tipped hair
at him and stuck her tongue out. "See? You match!"
"Good thing I'm going with you then," Somhelth smirked.
"The galaxy's not going to know what hit it, Elizabeth," Rissa chuckled.
"It'll survive," Elizabeth grinned. "Our children are gorgeous, after all."
"So's their mother," Rissa said fondly.
That made Disir smile. The two of them were as soppy in love as they
were when they first met. "And you know, Som, you and Mum are the only
real plain noses here so you do look alike."
That made Somhelth laugh out loud. "How very true, Disir," he said with
a wink. "And I match her eyes."
Elizabeth put her arm around her son and held him tightly. "Y'know, it
helps that we're both so damn pretty. You got the rogue thing going on,
just like your Dad too."
"I love good influences," Somhelth said with a smile that was clearly at
odds with what seemed to be any of his genetic makeup. He always said,
though, that e believed a lot in the nurture vs. nature theory. "You
also know we love you guys. No worries 'bout us not coming back."
"You'd better or I'm sending your papa after you," Elizabeth teased.
"If he don't come back then the master spy's gonna be real ticked that
she's gotta come looking for the lot of you."
"Hey, I've never gotten lost in my life, Elizabeth," Rissa grumbled good
naturedly. "Not even in my misspent youth."
"Not misspent, Dad," Somhelth corrected with a wink. "Colorful.
Adventurous. Detailed...."
"Beautiful, roguish and charming," Elizabeth added, her eyes shining
with the soppy smile she had on. "As if I'd not go looking for you anyway."
Disir looked at her siblings. This was one of the things they loved
about their parents. As long as they'd been together, they still
clearly adored each other. "Of course you would," she said simply.
Something sad crept into Elizabeth's eyes as she smiled over at Disir.
"My babies will come home though," she said softly.
Rissa's smile for Elizabeth was just as sad as her look at Disir. "Of
course they will, beautiful," he said a bit roughly. "They know how
hard we've fought for them."
Taline hated the sadness she could hear in both of her parents so she
hugged her father tightly and smiled just for him. "Daddy, you know we
love you both. This is home, we have to come back."
Rissa tapped Taline's earring make it tinkle slightly then he held her
other ear lobe between hi thumb and forefinger. He was no prylar, far
from it, but he knew his childrens' paghs. Strong as ever. "Of course,
littlest, we know that and we want you back. Just be safe. Not bored
and bland but safe and sound."
"Never bored and bland," Taline grinned, leaning into her father's touch
and closing her eyes. "Prophets forbid. Adventure's the key."
"Are you kidding? I have music keyed up for when we go, Taline,"
Somhelth said with a smirk. "Remember that old 2d movie we watched with
the Human who hated snakes, carried a whip, and did all that crazy
stuff? Indiana Jones?"
"Oh no," Elizabeth groaned but her eyes were dancing.
"Definitely!" Taline cheered. "We have to have that theme tune playing
as we take off and set out into the sunset."
"Y'mean other than the fact that we're on a moon so it'd be a planet
set?" their mother offered innocently.
Both Disir and Rissa laughed brightly. "I can see Som with that hat for
sure," Disir added.
"Hell, we'll even replicate you a whip to keep your sister in check,"
Elizabeth giggled.
At that Taline stuck out her tongue and blew them all a raspberry. "I'm
not being some screaming, silly girl for old Indie over there to rescue."
"Prophets I certainly hope not," Rissa said with a snort, "but that
doesn't mean Somhelth might not want to be the rescuer to somebody
else. Either that or he'd make a damned fine pirate."
"Oh yeah!" Taline let out a wild cackle as she pointed at her brother.
"I'm getting you a parrot and a wooden leg named Jim!"
Somhelth shrugged then winked. "See, now I remember reading about that
pirate from Earth: Blue Beard. Blue Beard...blue skin. It'll work."
Then he burst out laughing. "Don't know about the parrot though. I'd
have to meet one first."
"Earth for us then," Taline said cheerfully. "Besides, I wanna see New
Zealand."
"Look for sheep," Disir said promptly. They all knew she still had that
stuffed one Elizabeth had given her years ago. It seemed an odd gift
for a girl her age but it had been loved and treasured since. "Follow
the smell."
"We'll bring you back a pet lamb," Taline teased.
"Really?" Disir asked. She couldn't help it. She really did love the
creatures. She grinned up at Rissa. "We can call him Fergus."
Rissa simply shook his head in mock resignation. "First a parrot and
now sheep."
"Well why not? That's what this is all about," Taline cheered. "Not
just adventure but bringing back souvenirs."
Somhelth released Elizabeth and nudged Taline. "This really can't wait
another day, can it?" he asked softly. His eyes, a rather unusual
grayish blue, were looking at nothing in particular.
She frowned and shook her head. "I guess we should get going soon," she
sighed softly.
Somhelth knew he was, as their father was prone to say, dragging his
feet but he couldn't help it. Grown man he might be but he was torn
between going and staying. This was the only home he'd ever known.
"You better drag me."
"And there I was about to ask the same thing," Taline sighed.
Elizabeth smiled at her two babies. "Drag yourselves. If you stay
here, you'll regret it."
Rissa nudged Disir to move so that he could get up. He did so slowly,
out of habit rather than age, and kissed the oldest of their three
before he settled his eyes on the other two. "Go, kids. Go see Earth
and those sheep."
"And the parrots," Somhelth quipped.
"And the parrots," Rissa agreed. "Go see Bajor and Vulcan, if you can
stand the damned heat, and Risa and Andor....ah, you get the picture.
Just stay out of jail."
"Oh, we'll stay one step ahead of the bad guys, I promise Daddy," Taline
said firmly as she hugged him tightly. She felt her mother come up
behind her and hold her too.
"If you get into trouble, you know the people to call to help you,
right?" Elizabeth asked, knowing she'd asked a hundred times.
"Yes, Mum," Somhelth replied even as his elder sister put her arm around
him. "And we know which people to never mention your names to. Though
I still think certain warrants had to have expired by now."
"It doesn't matter," Elizabeth said firmly. "Be careful."
"Always," he said, holding up a hand in a Bajoran gesture of promise.
Rissa had made the same gesture to him when he was old enough to realize
how very different he was. Rissa had sworn to him that he was part of
them, no matter where he came from. "Careful but not straightjacketed."
"Good," Elizabeth nodded. She put her arms around her son and hugged
him tightly. "Now go on with you both before I change my mind and lock
you away forever."
"Walk out with us then," he said, still with his arm around her. "The
bags are all nicely stowed already so it's just getting in and making
Taline drive."
"And a damned fine driver she is, considering the two best teachers to
be had," Rissa said with proud smile.
"Oh yeah, no crashing into asteroids or black holes for us," Taline
snickered.
"It's already been done," Rissa said casually. "Though feel free to
liberate them that need liberating."
"Like you did with Disir, Daddy?" Taline asked as the group all made
their way to the shuttle.
Rissa smiled fondly at their oldest then back at their youngest.
"Exactly. You won't be sorry, believe me."
"We know," Taline said with a grin for Disir. "We'd miss big sis if she
hadn't been saved."
Somhelth ducked inside the craft and flicked on the lights. He then
stuck his head back out. "Plenty of room for anyone else you know."
"We could all go!" Taline cheered even though she knew it wasn't likely.
Elizabeth smiled fondly but shook her head. "I'm old and comfortable,
little one. But Disir could go too."
"No," Disir said firmly. "You two need looking after, even if you don't
think so."
Smirking at her daughter, Elizabeth rolled her eyes. "You'd think we
were old enough and ugly enough to take care of ourselves, wouldn't you?"
"Not old and definitely not ugly," Disir said promptly before she stood
between them both, lacing her arms around them. "They can be Indy and
company. I'll stay here."
"You can be our beacon," Taline said softly as she leaned in to kiss
Disir's cheek lightly. "Our lighthouse to guide us home."
"I'll hang a lantern in the window every night for you," Disir promised,
her eyes starting to well with tears.
"Hey, don't cry," her sister said softly. "Shh... it's ok. We'll come
home."
"I'm a softy, you know that," Disir sniffed. "We'll miss you but we'll
be holding the door open, too."
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