Fun, Sun and Snow

Posted on Sun Nov 29th, 2020 @ 5:19am by Lieutenant Lily Marlow & Lieutenant Orin Sempton

Mission: End of Line
Location: Station Adna
Timeline: During R&R
4161 words - 8.3 OF Standard Post Measure

Lily stopped at her quarters to check on her plants, give them a watering, and to get some other clothing before she headed back to the station. Packing her bag, adding some fruit to take with her, Lily made her way back to the station. She wondered if she would run into any other members of the crew, on never knew. Lily stopped to climb up onto a bench, to get a lay of the land so to speak.

As she scanned around, Lily thought she saw a possible familiar face. She quickly brought out her PADD and went through her files. Yeoman Stef. She hadn't met him yet, probably a good time as any, then as she was putting her PADD she noticed another familiar form, Orin.

Calling out and hopefully being able to be heard above the crowd, Lily called out to both Orin and Stef waving her arms. "Orin, Yeoman Stef, over here!"

Stef turned his head at the call of his name and saw a Human looking female stood upon a bench wildly waving her arms. He was dressed in simple civilian clothes and sported a small backpack casually slung across one shoulder. "You called ma'am?" he asked as he approached the female. Since she too was out of uniform, he didn't seem to recognize her.

"Hello Stef, yes I did call. I'm the new CMO on the Majestic, my name is Lily Marlow. Nice to meet you." holding out her hand to Stef. " And you can call me Lily, since we are not on duty at this time."

The young Vulcan didn't take the offered hand but offered a slight bow instead. "Nice to meet you too Lily. I apologize, the touching of hands is an intimate gesture in Vulcan culture, only reserved for one's mate. I would prefer not to touch someone's hand, if I have no immediate need to do so."

"Ah, duly noted as to your preference."Lily stated, filing this away in her mental files. " I will respect that." She didn't move from her bench until she was certain Orin had seen her.

"Since I've only been a part of the crew for a very short time, and I've only seen a few of the decks on the ship, I heard there was an arboretum."

"Yes ma'am," Stef replied, his expression changing, his eyes lighting up a little. "I take care of the animals there, make sure they remain safe and healthy. Mostly anyway as I cannot avoid a pet feline grabbing one of the rodents on occasion. I treat them and care for them when they are not well." He smiled ever so slightly. "My son tries to help me. I had quite a number of animals in my house, when he was born, so he is used to being around them."

"Animals? I am certainly going to have to pay a visit and see them." Lily stated with a smile."My brother is currently going to school to be a veterinarian"

"I was studying to be one when I was marooned on Mardra III," Stef answered, "I was retrieved before I could finish, however I do believe my knowledge is sufficient to serve as one soon."

Orin popped up from behind, making it a point to quickly look around before ducking low and sitting on the bench. "Lily, Hello." He looked over to her companion, eyes darting around in quick assessment, before raising his hand in Traditional Vulcan greeting. "Dif-tor heh smusma, I'm Ensign Orin Sempton, xenoarchaeologist. I apologize for my entrance."

Stef returned the gesture with a slight smile. "Crewman Stef," he answered, "captain's yeoman and ship's animal caretaker." He studied the man for a few seconds. "There is no reason to be nervous," he added, "we do not bite... Unless you are trying to hide from someone?"

"That obvious?" Orin replied with a wry half smile. "That damned Klingon hologram chased me near around the whole Starbase yesterday. Wouldn't take no for an answer." His head shot up as he head a familiar roar, then relaxed as he realized it was going away from them. "Sorry, well met Crewman Stef."

"I've met him." Lily chuckled at the memory, "my friend Nichelle Vannan, she's chief of operations, she ended up punching him when he appeared behind us. I had been asking the station Adna where we could get something to eat, and he appeared. That was certainly an interesting encounter." deciding it would be better not to dwell upon the Klingon, she stated, "To change the subject, do you two have any plans for your next part of your R&R?"

"What Klingon hologram?" Stef asked, "I have not encountered any holograms so far." He then shook his head. "No, no specific plans other than having a day or two to myself. Alecx is staying with Beata and other friends during that time."

"It's a combat or other kind of physical experience program, and a persistent one at that." Orin grumbled before perking up. "I have nothing planned. I got a good look at the place yesterday, but didn't really get to relax into anything for any amount of time."

Lily smiled, "I have an idea, if you don't mind.." she glanced at the both of them then sang a short piece of a tune, her voice clear and sweet, and not off key.

"Do you want to build a snowman, come on lets go and play."

Lily stopped and laughed, then spoke, "I couldn't help myself. However, there are areas that have a beach, there is one with a forest, and one with snow. Shall we go have some fun?"

Stef nodded. "Doctor... what is a snowman?" he finally asked, "I saw snow on Mardra III but I never visited the snow resorts. What is it like?"

"Looks like the first stop will be where we can play in the snow, and we can show you how to build a snowman."

She looked at Orin, "Do you know how to build a snowman?"

"I, uh..." Orin looked down. "I do. But we only ever made ones based off the old marble and bronze statues." His ears began to tint pink. "My, uh, my father was insistent they look proper."

Lily raised an eyebrow at that, then shrugged."Sounds more like ice sculpture to me. The snowman will not be made like that. Just the pure simple, aspects of what I did as a child. Could even make a snow fort! Or go tobagganing. Come along gentlemen, lets not tarry too long." giving a slight skip as she took the lead, guiding them to the environmental suites.

She stopped in front of one, "This is the snowy area, over there are the other terrains. "

"We can rent winter gear here." Lily said, "and its my treat."

"Only if you allow us to repay you at a later get together," Stef commented. "What kind of gear do we need? I have no experience with this kind of environment."

"I agree with Stef, only in that case." Orin turned to the Crewman. "You'll definitely want gloves, and a scarf is multi-functional. The size and filling of the jacket will depend on temperature and your level of comfort with cold climates."

"Agreed." Lily nodded, then listened to Orin's explanation to Stef. when he was finished, Lily added, "When Nichelle and I went inside we had the jackets, boots. scarf and gloves which were suitable for skiing on the mountains. We weren't dressed to deal with the cold of Antarctica. That should give you an idea as to what the thickness of the outfits we used."

"Then I would probably need a little more," Stef mused, "Vulcans are not made to deal with cold, especially not in that amount. Technically I am already always a little cold, when walking around the ship." He did keep his private quarters at a temperature that was a little above the standard ship temperature.

"So not Alaska, probably closer to Colorado." Orin shuddered. "Good. My father dragged us all there for six months on one of his digs. Whittier. Beautiful place, built originally a station for American troops after World War Two. It was a self contained watch station. It's own power station, barracks, food stores, jail, movie theater, hospital, library..." He cut himself off, as he realized he was rambling. "Sorry. You'll probably want the full array of cold weather gear. I'm used to the cold, I'll just grab some gloves, a jacket and a scarf."

"Probably," Stef agreed. "You seem to have fond memories of being moved around," he observed. "Until attending Starfleet Academy, against my parents wishes, I had never left Vulcan before. Much less traveled around on my home planet."

Lily listened to the exchange of the two men, giving a bit of a smile. She turned to order her winter outfit which consisted of boots, gloves, scarf, ski pants and jacket. All blue in color. She also added a knit cap which was an electric blue with bright red stripes.

"Your turn gentlemen." she stated with a grin, before disappearing into a booth to change into the winter gear.

Stef ordered full winter gear and went to change as well. Within minutes he returned wearing jet blue snow pants, black snowboots, a matching very puffy jacket and a white beanie hat. "I look ridiculous," he muttered as he pulled on his gloves.

"But you'll be warm, and thankful for it when we step in. Once cold seeps in, there's only so much you can do to warm back up." Orin said as he laced up the boots. He'd gone for a more simple choice; A pair of boots, gloves, an extra long scarf and a flannel patterned fleece lined jacket. He wiped the beginnings of sweat from his brow.

"You wear that little and you are already warm?" Stef asked, not even breaking a sweat just yet in his own warm attire.

"Fast metabolism." Orin answered. "I'm always warm."

Lily stepped out from the changing booth. "Okay, let's go in. "

Stepping inside, the sun was high in the sky, White fluffy clouds were a contrast to the sapphire blue. Lily puffed out a some air just to see her breath in front of her. There were evergreen trees in the distance, with snow frosting the branches. She moved forward looking for a patch of snow that was clear from any markings. Finding one she immediately fell backwards, waving her arms and legs about. Giving a laugh of sheer delight. She sat up and rose from the snow, taking a look at the imprint she left, it looked like a perfect snow angel to her.

"Gentlemen, care to try it out?" she asked with a bright smile.

Orin didn't wait for her to finish before dropping into a fresh pile and following suit.

Stef watched them with a look of fascination on his face. "Why do you do that?" he asked curiously, "what is the purpose of lying in the snow like that?" Not knowing what an angel was, he didn't make the link to it with the duo's activity.

"What we are doing is called making snow angels." Lily explained. "There isn't really any purpose for doing so except its fun, and in some cases for the person making it, they feel a certain peace. As to why I do so, it helps me keep in touch with the childlike side of me, and I love seeing the imprint of it. " she said with a smile. "Try it, just lay down in a patch of clear snow, move your arms and legs like how Orin and I did. " her eyes bright and cheerful.

"It's..." Orin searched his mind for the right word. "A type of childlike abandon." He moved his arms up and down, creating a feather like pattern in the wings. "There's no logical purpose, just a pure outpouring of childlike emotion."

"I see..." Stef mused, though he really did not see. He eased himself down on a clear patch and followed their example. He shivered as he already felt the cold penetrate his thick clothes, and he quickly stood again. "I still do not know what an angel is," he stated as he examined his handiwork.

"Well said, Orin." Lily commented, as she watched Stef make his first snow angel. "In human lore, Angels are beings which come and help those who need it. They serve a higher power." Lily replied, "Some people say they have wings, others say they do not. It all depends on people's beliefs and doctrines. Maybe Orin could explain it better?" looking towards him.

"It really depends on the region." He started, Kicking his legs over his head and rolling to his feet. "The most basic explanation without breaking down the myriad of Mediterranean religions are that angels are intermediaries between man and God. They serve a number of roles depending on the religion." He drew a simple examples of a shield, a scroll and a sword in the snow above his snow angel. "They could be guardians, messengers or harbingers."

"My sister was a scientist, she would have found this all extremely interesting," Stef mused, his expression saddening a fraction, "and these snow angels...do they serve a purpose?"

"No real purpose, just something I found to be fun to do." Lily replied. "And I wanted to introduce you to something different." she said with a grin. "And now, to make a snowman or two!" moving to another area and started to make a large ball of snow for the base of the snowman.

She momentarily paused to roll up a couple of smaller balls of snow and threw one at Orin, and the other towards Stef, aiming for the center of the chest. The snowballs were not packed down tightly to hurt, just enough to keep their shape as they sailed through the air.

The Vulcan gasped as the fluff of snow exploded against his chest, showering his face as well. "What was that for?" he asked. Since he'd never played in snow before, a snowball fight was as alien to him, as he was to his companions.

"That, my dear man," Orin began, wiping the snow from his face, and giving his glasses a quick one finger wipe with his gloved hand. "is a prelude to war." He quickly scooped up a handful, packed it and aimed a side armed throw at Lily in a quick spin-like motion, before his limbs tangled themselves up and he pitched forward onto his face. He lifted his head up, and wiped the snow off once again. "I saw that going better in my head..."

Lily, moving to get out of the way of the snowball, forgot that she was near the base of the snowman. She tripped over it just as Orin's snowball hit her, sending Lily sprawling on the other side, with one leg ending up on the snowman base. she had landed face first in soft snow. She rolled over to her back, spluttering and wiping the snow from her face. Then started laughing.

Stef looked between the two sprawled officers, a frown creasing his brow into an almost solid V. Then, he stooped down and made two loose 'balls' of snow, tossing one at each of them. There was no precision in his aim, he didn't seem to possess the accuracy ascribed to most of his species. "Is this..the idea?" he asked as two loose white projectiles sailed towards both downed officers.

Orin laughed as the ball smacked him on the back. "That's the spirit! This is what's colloquially known as a snowball fight." He began to untangle himself and stood up, taking a pile of snow and packing it down. He held up the sphere on his fingertips. "This is a snowball. A simple packed ball which can then be used as a projectile, or," he let the ball roll down into his palm and began rolling it in the snow, making it larger and larger. "It can be increased in size to create something." He picked the 1 foot diameter ball up out of the snow and drew a crude approximation of a face on it.

Stef's snowball landed directly on Lily's head, she sat up quickly to see who had thrown it.

"Oh! Good shot!" she called out, getting back onto her feet, making certain she didn't do any more damage to the base. "Stef, why don't you work on the middle part? All it needs is to be a size smaller than the lower half, and larger than Orin's" she stated, walking over towards the two men. "Next time we do a snowball fight, I'd say we will need to make snowforts."

"What is a snowfort?" Stef asked as he did his best to roll a ball of snow, frowning as it kept falling apart. "Why is this not working?" he asked as he tried to start again.

"The snow is loose, try adding a little more pressure as you roll it, to pack the snow better." He gingerly set the snowman's head on it's lower half. "The point of a snowball fight is to not get hit. A snowfort is a packed snow wall, or structure to hide behind in order to not get hit. Your castle during a siege."

Doing as he was told, Stef found he had a little more success and after a few more attempts he was finally up to a head size ball. "How does one build a snow wall?" he asked, "and what is the purpose of such a siege?"

Lily pondered Stef's question, then remarked, "I had asked the same question of my brothers and they had told me that its just something they liked to do. They loved the aspect of building something out of snow, some people have made intricate snow forts, and at one time there had been a contest for such things as that in my home town. Then there was the event of a snowball war. There ended up being specifics as to not having rocks or solid ice put in the center of the snowballs, that was dishonorable. I don't know if there is any specific history as to why the snowball wars started but, its been passed down generation to generation. It used to be that it was once un-lady like to be a part of such activities, but then there were girls that were defiant and getting involved anyway. "

She looked towards Orin, "Perhaps you have a better explanation than I have?"

Orin had to stop and think about that for a second. "I think part of it has to do with human nature and war. We're a competitive species, and the desire to stand out is more inherent in us as children. As such, when groups would get together, they would pack snow and create chest night walls, or even roll large snowballs much like the base of our snowman here, place them together and hollow them out to create snow structures. Once at least two of these are created, the competitive desire to see which is better comes to the forefront, and a war is declared, with groups throwing snowballs until someone gives up, or a structure is destroyed."

"Surely, a well built fort is not easily destroyed?" Stef hefted a newly packed snowball in his hand. "These things fall apart easy, how does it destroy a fort?"

"It depends on how solidly you pack the snow. There are different styles of snowballs. The ones you throw at someone, then the ones you make which can put a dent into a snow fort. It all depends on the pressure you exert when making the snowball." Lily made one that was tightly packed, then one that was more for throwing at someone. "Here is the difference." Lily holding out the two snowballs in the palm of her hand.

"This one could hurt someone," the Vulcan answered as he examined the tightly packed one. "What if you miss and hit a person instead?"

"It depends on where they get hit, if it is in the body then they have padding and might get bruised. If they are hit above the main body, well it will certainly hurt. My brother had accidentally gotten hit in the face, he got a cut on his cheek. My mother wasn't too happy about it, but she didn't scold him, just took care of the injury and went on."

"There is always a chance that something like that will happen, as there is also the chance it doesn't break upon impact giving your 'enemy'," Orin air-quoted the word. "more ammunition to use against you. So it was always best to aim low." He rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Though accidents are known to happen, and sometimes physics are not your friend."

Lily nodded, "That is so true." she then set to making a miniature snow man just about knee high, it not taking so long to do. "At times smaller is better." she laughed. "This brings back memories of my childhood." she stated. " Another thing I really liked to do, was slide down the hill on a toboggan. "

She looked at both Orin and Stef. " Care to go do that?"

"I have no idea what that is," Stef commented, though he did smile, "but I am willing to try anything. What is a toboggan?"

"A sled, usually meant for more than one person." Orin said with a half smile. "Used for transportation and sport, such as, a race." The last part was more of an asked question than a statement. "But first, lets finish our friend here." He picked up the snowman head, and held it aloft in one hand. "Alas, poor Yorick. I knew him Horatio. A fellow of infinite jest, of most excellent fancy."

"May I?" Stef asked, holding out his hands. "I would like to finish it."

"It's all yours." Orin replied, slowly shifting his weight and holding out the head for Stef to take.

Gingerly, the Vulcan took the head and placed in on top of the other two stacked balls of snow. "It looks a little... bleak?" he asked, poking two fingers in to create eyes. "How do we give it a face?"

"Well..." Lily thought for a moment then said. "Computer, 12 pieces of coal, a button, a corn cob pipe and a top hat plus a yellow scarf with orange stripes. " the requested items materializing, with said items inside the top hat.

"A dashing top hat, two pieces of coal for the eyes, a button for the nose. The other pieces of coal, for a mouth and buttons. With a scarf for a splash of color." Lily stated. Handing the items to Stef.

Following her suggestions, the Vulcan gave the snowman his face and clothes. "Sticks for arms?" he suggested as he looked around, "he has to have arms does he not?"

"Indeed, he should." Orin agreed. "Computer, two sticks, about two and a half feet long, a quarter inch in diameter, bent at a 20 degree angle at the center point, with three smaller branches about three inches in length at the end, splayed out." The two sticks materialized standing before them. Orin reached over and picked them up before turning back to Stef. "Would you like to do the honors?"

The Vulcan smiled. "I think Alecx would have liked this too," he said as he stuck the sticks into the sides of the snowman. "Now, does that not look fancy?" he asked as he stepped back to admire their handiwork.

"I do believe that he looks quite elegant." Orin agreed, with a nod. "Lily?"

"Yes, I certainly agree with you on that. Very elegant!" giving a warm gentle smile. Then an idea popped in her head. "Why don't the two of you stand near the elegant snowman, and I'll take a picture of you." pulling out her PADD. This was certainly a moment to be captured. "Then I will get into the picture and we can commemorate this moment. Or..." she made a request for a tripod so she could set the PADD on there for a group picture. "Always a good thing to do to make good memories." she stated giving a laugh. "Let's take some pictures!"

Stef nodded in approval as he stood next to their handiwork.

Lily decided to have some fun while the PADD was taking pictures. Rabbit ears on the snowman, trying to do Rabbit ears on Orin and Steph. She even made goofy faces, all the while laughing. Of course she made certain to have some more normal shots where all three were standing next to the master piece.

"Now that we've finished our friend here," Orin nodded to their finely dressed friend. "Computer, 3 toboggans, well waxed on the bottom." Orin smiled mischievously at his two companions. "Shall we race?"

"Yes lets race!"