Multicoloured Princess

Posted on 12 Mar 2018 @ 6:04pm by Commander Scarlet Blake & Lily Blake & Lieutenant Aria Rice
Edited on on 22 Nov 2021 @ 5:16pm

2,185 words; about a 11 minute read

Mission: Episode 15 - Emanation
Location: Perth, Australia, Earth
Timeline: MD 54: 17:15

ON:

Lieutenant Junior Grade Aria Rice smiled weakly as she sat in the restaurant, her PADD held close as she sipped her drink. A cocktail as colourful as the streaks in her hair was (which was purple today). Paired with tight jeans, high boots and a top with a corset, (black, black, red, black and silver, in that order with what she wore), a PADD with a book...and some time to reflect on her meeting with Lirha. She still had some days left of her leave, although the Saratoga was back now so she was considering what to do. Her tour was done, she could decide to stay for the next lot or go somewhere else. But that was a decision for after her leave.

She sighed as she sat back, crossing her ankles and stretching her body, not caring if some of the regulars looked at her with disapproval. Aria Rice never really cared anyway. Not anymore. She grew up! A little bit anyway, since with her height she couldn't grow up much.

"Princess!" the sound of the young girl's voice rang out almost as soon as her little red-shoe-clad foot stepped into the restaurant. "Princess!" the girl broke free from her mother's hand to make a run for Aria, her excitement shining in her eyes...which were fixed on her purple hair.

Aria looked at Lily with wide eyes and laughed, getting up and swooping the girl into her arms, hugging her tightly. "My little waterlily..." she said with awe, laughing. "Oh, it's so good to see you! You've grown! And gotten...heavier...oh...my back..." she gasped dramatically and sank to her knees in the restaurant, already giggling.

Lily was giggling with her, shaking her head frantically from side to side. "I'm not *that* heavy! I'm notta troll! Or an oiliphant!"

"No, just a monkey," Scarlet Blake chipped in as she caught up with her, setting her hands on her hips and shaking her head with surprise. "Well well well, if the monkey hasn't gone and found the circus..."

"Circus is in town..." Aria smiled and kissed Lily's hair before standing, stroking the girl's arm. She met Scarlet's eyes, letting out a soft breath. "Scarlet...you're looking good."

"I was about to say that about you..." she motioned to the outfit Aria was wearing. And wore well. She'd forgotten the mystery of Aria Rice's waist. Or more to the point, the lack of it. That tiny little waist had always made Scarlet wonder where she fit all of her ribs.

"She looks like a Princess," Lily said firmly, but with an almost shy smile as she settled into Aria's arm, reaching to play with some of Aria's purple hair.

Aria smiled warmly, taking a breath as she held Lily close. She had missed her. She had missed her and Scarlet. She met Scarlet's eyes, holding them for a long moment before she motioned to where she had been sitting. "Want to join me?" she asked, with clear and unhidden hope in her face.

"Please, Mummy?" Lily looked up to Scarlet, with a look not unlike that of Aria's.

Scarlet chuckled softly, shaking her head as she moved to take a chair at Aria's table. "Of course, if we're not disturbing. We were going to get dinner before heading back." And she could do with some company. She was glad she'd visited Lirha, but seeing her like that, in that prison. It made her angry. And that wasn't useful for anyone.

"Mummy went to see Captain Elf, but I wasn't allowed," Lily sighed softly at that as she shook her head. It was clear that she didn't know the full story why.

"She means Lirha Saalm," Scarlet said softly to Aria, shaking her head with a wry smile. "Please don't tell Lirha she calls her that. She has it in her head that because her skin is green she must be an Elf, like in those fantasy holonovels."

"Ah..." Aria nodded, serious as she sat down with Lily on her lap. "Well, there's a reason why you should never ever call her an Elf. Lirha's an Elf princess, but she has been banished from her lands. The more we say it, the closer those who are looking for her will be to finding her. And Lirha, she's gathering her strength to reclaim her Kingdom!"

Lily watched Aria with wide, blue eyes, soaking it all in with awe, already weaving more adventures together from the scraps Aria gave her. "I'll call her.....Captain Stardust then."

Scarlet shook her head with a soft chuckle, her hand touching her forehead as if part hiding her face. "How have you been, Aria?" she asked pointedly to change the subject.

"Oh," Aria smiled weakly before she chuckled. "Been on the borders," she said before she tickled Lily with a grin. "I was chasing down smugglers. And pirates. A proper adventure!"

"Oh!" Lily jumped in her lap, clapping her hands as she positively grinned at the prospect. "Did they have swords? And hats? With feathers? And boots? And frills? And gold? And treasure?"

"Well...not *all* of them..." Aria said and smiled as she looked over at Scarlet. "No swords. Knives occasionally...someone had a blue one! When switched on, the blade was blue...but mostly, we were all very civilised. And I got the treasure. I am good at that."

"Of course you did," Scarlet said softly, but the wryness of the words was evident in her eyes and the way a slight smile pulled at her lips. "It sounds like you're still good at being in the middle of trouble, Aria," she teased her, fondly.

Aria smiled as she nodded, looking over at Scarlet. "I am always in the wrong place at the right time," she said lightly before she laughed. "Just the way I am. What about you two? What adventures have you had?"

"Mummy had to be a teacher," Lily shook her head with a bemused look, lifting her hands into the air with how big her shrug was.

"At the Academy," Scarlet filled in quickly, shaking her head as she laughed softly. "I think I successfully traumatised a few young minds..."

"I would expect nothing else," Aria said with a grin, shaking her head before she looked down at Lily. "And you know, teaching at the Academy is something loads of people wish to do but they are never good enough. Your Mummy is amazing, so she got to teach there. Like...a scholar in a story. But then again..." she looked at Scarlet, a small smile curling her lips. "She will always be a Warrior Queen."

Scarlet laughed softly at that, shaking her head, a touch of colour coming to her skin at the words. "I'm suddenly getting the impression that you're the one to blame for all the ideas in that little one's imagination..."

"Shh! Don't blame me, rejoice instead..." Aria said and poked her tongue out at her before she laughed softly. "We should eat! You hungry, Lily? I am really, really hungry..." she tickled the girl before gently poking her tummy. "Yep, you are hungry! I can tell!"

Lily giggled helplessly at the claim, her body curving with the poke to try and avoid it, but unable to. "Does my tummy feel all empty and growly? It feels it!"

Aria nodded before she hugged her tightly, kissing her hair. "Then we better order a feast! I feel like a feast..." she looked at Scarlet and chuckled. "Let's just...order lots of food and talk. I've missed you two."

Scarlet nodded in agreement, pleased for the excuse to catch up with Aria. She was a positive force in what could be a very grey universe. She ordered several random items from the menu for them all to share, as well as a round of drinks. The waiter seemed to relax now that he had an order in hand from the boisterous table. "Well, we won't be stuck at the Academy much longer. We're going to be heading back out on a ship at somepoint soon."

"Yeah!" Lily's eyes lit up at that and she nodded enthusiastically to Aria, as if that would make it even more true. "I can't wait to be flying again."

"Well, then you have to!" Aria said with a smile, nodding as she watched Scarlet. "I am looking for another posting myself. I think it is time. And applying for a posting can be...oddly grounding. Reminds me that we're all the same really."

"Absolutely," Scarlet tilted her head as she watched the other woman, a little playfulness sparkling in her eyes. "We can get you back on the path of promotion and command yet..." she said lightly, knowing full well how Aria felt about that.

Aria grimaced before she shook her head. "Oh no. No. No. Noooo! I am even staying away from Assistant Chiefs and Chiefs just in case people get ideas. Because they could! I am meant for simpler things...nicer things..."

Scarlet chuckled softly at the words, shaking her head with a sigh. "It's a waste. Good officers made of your kind of caliber aren't always easy to find." It was a much trodden conversation between them, she didn't really expect to change her mind.

Aria smiled gently before she shrugged. "Maybe because they don't tend to make officers so small. I tried, Scarlet. I mean, I tried hard. And I blew it. So it's clearly not the path for me. I'm happy like this. Less to worry about, you know?" she winked before she looked at Lily. "Gives me more time to spend with the people I care about."

Scarlet glanced down at the words and how she put it...together with the glance to Lily. She held her breath for a moment, through the flickering stab of guilt, before nodding softly. She brought a small smile back to her features, reaching to pour water for them. "I'm glad you're happy."

Aria did catch the look and her eyes widened as she realised how it had come out. "No! No, I didn't mean it like that!" she said, her breath catching. "You're like Wonder Woman and able to juggle more than one thought...me, I am like a gold fish and can barely remember what I did two seconds ago let alone have that responsibility and a family..." she reached out and grabbed Scarlet's hand, swallowing hard.

"It's fine, it's fine," Scarlet said quickly to ease her, giving her hand a squeeze. "I know. Things are just a little...sensitive at the moment."

Lily leant in closer to Aria, only having caught some of the stream of her quick words. She put her hands up to her own face, sucking her lips in and wiggling them in an impression of a fish.

Aria looked at Lily and laughed softly, shaking her head before she stroked her hair. "Now that is an amazing impression of how my brain works!" she said before she looked at Scarlet, her eyes gentle. She stroked Lily's back though, slowly and soothingly. "I'm on leave for a bit...if you need any help...?" She was there for Scarlet.

"Oh! Oh, you can stay again? I can weave your hair? And you...you paint my nails?" Lily grinned at the prospect, having enjoyed their girly days together. She'd missed her multicolour haired princess babysitter.

"Only if you have time," Scarlet added softly with a brisk shake of her head, not wanting Aria to feel obliged.

"I always have time!" Aria said and smiled, looking over at Lily before she giggled. "And paint your nails and do your hair and we could dress up as well! Maybe do our own little adventure? Maybe...go and rescue some dragons?"

"Yeah!" the young girl grinned, before the smile fell and she gave a theatrically heavy sigh instead. "There's so many in so much trouble..." she shook her head.

"Well then..." Aria said, her voice soft as she nodded. "We shall rescue them," she promised and looked at Scarlet. "Another great adventure for us all."

Scarlet gave a soft smile of amusement at that, looking down into her glass. "That's one way of putting it," she quirked an eyebrow, shaking her head. "Maybe you'd like to meet up later? After someone's bed time?" she tilted her head to Lily. They could catch up with some adult talk.

"I'd love that," Aria said as she nodded, just watching Scarlet with clear hope written on her face. She needed that. To catch up with Scarlet.

"After your bedtime, Mummy?" Lily teased with a grin, having caught on too well to what she meant. She laughed at the cheek of it, shaking her head as she cuddled in to Aria.

Aria laughed softly, gently tickling the girl's side. "I have taught you well, my little hobbit..." she said in a dramatic voice. "We shall conquer things like bedtime...and rule the world of dreams..."

OFF:

Commander Scarlet Blake
Academy Instructor
Starfleet Academy

Lieutenant JG Aria Rice
Security Officer
Unassigned

Lily Blake
Civilian Child

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