Stardust - Part 1

Posted on 11 Feb 2013 @ 6:33pm by Lieutenant Aria Rice & Commander Scarlet Blake

1,244 words; about a 6 minute read

Mission: Episode 03 - Frontier
Location: USS Galileo: Deck 3 - Blake's Quarters
Timeline: MD 02 - 17:00

ON:

"Alright, darling..." Aria smiled as she sat down on the floor, the puzzle scattered around them. She frowned as she picked one up, biting her lip. She had stepped in at the last minute to look after Lily while her mother worked some essential overtime. "Hm...corner piece, methinks..." she smiled warmly to Lily, leaning closer. "What do you think?"

"Like that?" the four year old girl took it to lay it on the ground, sitting back to consider it. She reached out after a moment to straighten it out again, not liking how it was wonky. "What's the picture?"

Aria took the box and smiled weakly. "A starship. Seriously, they need a better selection in the replicator..." she said and watched her, her eyes warm. She liked Lily. She liked being here, all...well, quiet.

"Are you a princess?" Lily suddenly asked as she reached out to try and find a puzzle piece she could squish into the joining hole of the corner piece.

Aria smiled as she watched her, shaking her head. "No..." she said and picked up another piece to inspect. "Always wanted to be, but no...you are though. You're your Mummy's princess..."

"I kissed your hand. Means you are a princess and I am a knight," Lily laughed warmly, trying to sort through the pieces. She was very organised, trying to separate side bits from middle bits.

Aria smiled warmly as she watched her, her own eyes shining. "I'd rather be a knight myself. Horse, out in the wild, enjoying life...rather than to be locked up inside all bored..." she said and smiled warmly to her.

Lily nodded with that, smiling brightly to her, her blue eyes shining as her long, dark hair fell forward with the strength of her nods. "Mummy says starships are big boats in space."

"And she is right," Aria smiled and nodded as she helped her put a few pieces together. "Like one of those...heroic ships you read about in books...only rather than water we have the stars. Pretty cool, huh? We're sailing on stardust..."

"That's amazing!" the girl said with a grin, taking care over each part of the word.

She smiled warmly and looked down at the puzzle. "You getting hungry?" she asked and looked at her, with an easy chuckle.

Lily sat back and nodded with a small smile. "I can eat anything!" she said with hopeful eyes.

Aria smiled warmly as she watched her, her own eyes warm. "What do you fancy? When you close your eyes...and open your mouth...and take a big bite! And chew, and taste...what are you eating?"

Lily carried through the exercise seriously, closing her eyes and taking a bite into an invisible food. "Ice cream!"

"Ice cream!" Aria laughed and pulled her close, tickling her. "Something sensible first! Ice cream later with a film..."

The dark haired girl giggled helplessly, her skin flushed as she tried to escape. "I...I...okay! Okay! Jam sandwich! Jam sandwich!"

"Good girl," she smiled and kissed her hair before standing, picking her up with her. She walked to the counter and put her down on it, searching her face. "Strawberry jam?"

Lily nodded, smiling happily as she swung her legs back and forward over the counter edge. "What are you?"

"What do you mean, sweetie?" Aria smiled as she got bread and found real, homemade jam, humming as she made the sandwiches. And the same for her, she liked jam.

The young girl pursed her lips, tilting her head as she clearly tried to think of another way to ask. "What do you ~do~?"

"Ah," Aria smiled and nodded, chuckling softly. "I work as a security officer...sort of means I make sure everyone here is safe. Like your Mummy makes sure that people are happy..."

"Like a soldier?" Lily smiled warmly at that, reaching out to play with the lace on Aria's sleeve.

"A bit..." she said and smiled as she watched her. "Just more...relaxed," she said and cut the sandwiches up into long bits, so that it was easier for Lily to handle.

"Brave girl," Lily said seriously, watching her with awe as she smiled.

"Wanna know a secret?" she leant close as she placed the sandwich down. "No one is brave. Sometimes...most times...we're all a bit scared too. I'm scared of the dark...I always keep a light on."

Lily watched her with surprise before leaning to her with wide eyes. "Me too," she whispered. "Mummy said there's no bad things in the dark."

"And there aren't...but you still get to be scared," she said and smiled gently. "Tell you what...I'll check your room before you go to bed...wardrobe, under the bed...all of it."

Lily smiled at that, happy with the agreement as she nodded and tucked into a sandwich. "But that's not yet," she said warily, not wanting to be sent to bed sooner than her bedtime.

"Of course not yet," Aria said and smiled as she took a bite of her own, thinking. "Ice cream and film first...We should watch something really funny!"

"The pirate film!" she laughed warmly with a bright smile, thrusting a hand up into the air as if she had a sword, making an argh sound as if a pirate.

Aria laughed warmly, her eyes shining. "I am totally getting you a pirate costume for Halloween," she said fondly and moved to pour them both some milk.

Lily watched her with wide, dark, curious eyes, her head tilted as she smiled to herself. She took everything in; how she moved, how she looked. "You look a bit like Mummy."

Aria smiled as she put a straw in the glass and offered it to her. "Only your Mummy is a lot prettier," she said, her eyes shining.

"You pretty!" she smiled brightly, taking the glass. "Like a princess! Mummy's not a princess."

"What is she then?" she asked gently, sipping her own milk as she watched her with warmth.

"Don't know," Lily admitted with a small smile, biting her lip, looking rather a lot like her mother when she did it. "She says she is a head doctor."

Aria chuckled softly, nodding. That was one way of saying it. She watched Lily with awe. "Yes...she is. She makes people happy...a happiness doctor. If they're sad, she will talk to them, make them feel better."

"That's like magic!" Lily laughed warmly, watching her with curious eyes. "You don't need her though."

"I am her friend," she said and smiled warmly. She finished the sandwich and sighed contently. "I love jam."

"Me too! Like pudding in a sandwich!" Lily held her hands up as if it was a moment of inspiration.

Aria nodded as she watched her, with awe. "Pretty much sums it up, sweetie," she winked and stood, stretching her body. "What do you fancy doing now?"

"Cleaning sticky hands," Lily made a face, clasping and unclasping the jammy hands.

She laughed warmly and nodded, helping her down. "Bathroom," she said and led her through. "You're smart for your age."

Lily shook her head with a laugh, her nose wrinkling up. "I'm a silly head!"

She laughed warmly as she moved to help her wash her hands. "Lily, you're smart...not a silly head at all..."

TBC:

Lieutenant JG Aria Rice
Security Officer
USS Galileo

Lily Blake
Civilian Child
USS Galileo

RSS Feed