Playdate

Posted on Wed Apr 29th, 2026 @ 5:27pm by Lieutenant Commander Aurora Vali & Remal Kajun

2,685 words; about a 13 minute read

Mission: Character Development
Location: USS Sunfire

Remal paused just outside the door, shifting the small bundle in his arms with practiced ease as Patina’agi made a soft, curious sound against his shoulder. The faint sweetness of the jumja sticks lingered from the wrapped container tucked under his arm, still warm enough to carry the scent of spice and sugar. He adjusted the edge of the cloth around them, more out of habit than need, then reached up and tapped the chime.

Patina stirred at the sound, lifting her head just enough to peer toward the door, her small fingers curling into the fabric at his collar. Remal let out a quiet breath, something between a smile and a moment of reflection, before settling back into stillness. Playdates, in his experience, were rarely just for the children.

Aurora was busy making sure everything was ready for the play date when the chime rang, she had plenty of educational baby toys at hand for the children to play with. Getting up she answered the door.

When the door opened, he inclined his head slightly in greeting, calm and unhurried as always. “Aurora,” he said warmly, his voice carrying that familiar steadiness. He shifted Patina gently so she could be seen, her wide eyes already taking in the new space. “We thought we’d come by and see if the invitation still stood.”

He lifted the wrapped bundle just slightly, the faint aroma escaping as if to announce itself. “And we brought something to share. Homemade. I was told it helps negotiations.” His tone held the faintest trace of dry humor, the kind that never asked for attention but often earned it anyway.

Patina, deciding she had waited long enough, gave a small, excited sound and reached outward, already ready to explore whatever came next.

“Well hello to you too Patina!” Aurora smiled warmly as she greeted the excited little one. “Come on in Remal, I was just putting out some toys, we have loads!” She grinned as she motioned Remal inside. “May I?” She motioned to Patina.

"Oh, certainly. She's been pretty mild-mannered this morning." He handed Patina of to Aurora as he stepped through the door and it swished shut behind him. "So, where's your little one?" He asked as he set the Jumja sticks on a table out of reach of tiny hands.

“N’vea was a little late waking up this morning, she’s in her playpen in the bedroom. I was just about to go and get her actually, I’ll pop little one here down to play and I’ll go and get her.” Aurora gently put Patina down by some cuddly toys. “There you go Patina, see what you like to cuddle.”

Popping to the bedroom she wasn’t gone long as she re-appeared with N’vea. “Here’s the sleepy nut, all ready to play!”

Patina waddled over and plopped down with that 'new toy' interest. "Oh my, she's growing so fast." Remal couldn't help but to smile at little N'vea. "I bet she's been keeping momma pretty busy." He got up close and gestured to hold the little one, "May I?"

“Of course” Aurora smiled as she gently handed over N’vea. “She has more in the way of Vulcan genetics than I do, I don’t pretend to understand the genetic jargon but she’s more or less two thirds Vulcan and one third Betazoid.”

"Seems logical to me." He said jokingly as he took N'vea and held her up above himself in the air and allowed her the perspective of height. "Genetics aside, she's healthy, and adorable and that is all that really matters in the end right?" He brought her down close to his face and made a noise causing her to giggle.

“Right” Aurora nodded and smiled. “You are such a natural with children, a lot of men find it more awkward, but you are just so natural.”

"Thanks. I'll take that as a compliment." He sat N'vea down near Patina to start watching them interact. "I've been a field medic and have delivered more babies than I can count. I can almost remember each and every one, though that experience pales in comparison to being a father myself." He shifted, slipping into a seat where he could watch the two play and still converse with Aurora.

"How's Savar been with N'vea? I'm sure he's a natural attention giver." He smiled at the thought of stoic Savar playfully bouncing N'vea on his knee.

Savar is wonderful with her, as he is with all our children. You’d be surprised in the change between the man you see on duty, and the man he is at home.”

Remal caught the phrasing of 'All our children' but didn't make a big deal of it. Instead, he chuckled, "I'm sure." Then he shifted the conversation, "So, I've seen some new faces in your area, a nurse, I believe, and a Vulcan counselor? How is that working out? I don't know much about Vulcan interpersonal relationships, but having another Vulcan to talk to sounds... logical. Pardon the pun."

Aurora nodded. “She’s certainly proved herself to be a blessing, taking over while I was feeling unwell. Being married to a Vulcan certainly helps when it comes to dealing with other Vulcans."

He watched as Patina handed N'vea a plush toy, and she took it without a sound, giving one back in return. "Oh really? I'm glad to hear she's been a blessing, but are you saying you have a difficulty talking with other Vulcans?" His inner counselor starting to show.

“Not really, it can be awkward at times being half Vulcan myself. Some Vulcans don’t appreciate it. It depends on their own upbringing really, those who believe in Vulcan purity don’t find a half Vulcan comfortable to be around. Not that anyone here has voiced a particular opinion.”

He frowned, deep in thought, "You're describing a form of discrimination with a touch of marginalization. From what I know of history Vulcans treated Humans like that for a while. One would think, what with their evolved sense of logical sensibility, the Vulcan people would have been able to move beyond such things. I suppose we all have our prejudices in some form or another."

He pictured his days in the Bajoran Militia fighting against the Cardassian Occupation as a prime example. Shrugging his own prejudices aside he added, "But it's good to know you've not experienced any of that out of our newcomers."

“To be honest I never really bothered learning about my Vulcan side, and heritage until I met Savar. Now I feel much more in touch with it.” Aurora smiled warmly.

Remal listened, a quiet understanding settling across his expression as she spoke. He gave a small thoughtful nod, “Knowing where you come from has a way of shaping where you’re willing to go,” he said gently. The past carries lessons, even the uncomfortable ones. When you choose to understand them, you get to decide what you carry with you and what ends with you.”

His gaze softened slightly, a hint of warmth touching his voice. “N’Vea will grow up with a sense of both sides of herself being seen and understood. That kind of foundation gives her more than identity... it provides her with choice.”

Aurora nodded. “Exactly, I want her to have every choice in life. To learn what she wants to learn, and be who she wants to be.”

Remal’s attention drifted as Patina toddled into the space between them, thoroughly uninterested in philosophy and far more concerned with the small collection of objects she had claimed as her own. He reached down without breaking the rhythm of the moment, steadying her as she wobbled, then placing one of the toys back into her hands when she promptly dropped it in favor of something else. A faint, knowing smile touched his expression.

“They start with curiosity,” he said, watching her with quiet fondness. “Everything is worth exploring, everything is allowed to be what it is.” His hand lingered lightly at her back as she shifted directions again, already chasing her next discovery. “We guide where we can, keep them steady when they lose their footing, and trust they’ll make sense of it in their own way.”

Patina let out a small, triumphant sound as she seized her prize, completely certain of her success. Remal’s smile deepened just slightly. “She seems convinced she already has it all figured out. I suspect we’re just here to keep up.” She then plopped next to N'vea and offered to share her prize with her. "And in some ways they might be a step ahead of some adults." He mused.

“Children are amazing, resilient, curious, fearless, and full of awe and wonder.” Aurora added with a warmer smile as she picked up a toy and offered it to N’vea to share with Patina. “I don’t know just how empathic N’vea will be, her gene pool is more muted than mine, but I think it’ll be a small blessing for her. I sometimes wonder what life would have been without the constant hum of voices in the background, but that’s not something we have to worry about until puberty thankfully.”

Remal watched the girls for a moment as the toy changed hands, the simple exchange carrying more harmony than most adult conversations ever managed. “Children find their way through more than we give them credit for,” he said quietly, the thought coming easily as he followed N’vea’s reaction, the subtle cues, the small decisions already forming.

He paused, his expression softened instead, a faint shift toward something lighter. “Though I imagine the adjustment period may have its own… complexities,” he added, almost as an afterthought, before glancing back to Aurora with a hint of dry curiosity. “How long does Vulcan puberty last, exactly? I feel like that’s important information I’ve somehow missed out on learning.”

“Vulcan puberty is much like any other” Aurora grinned. “But for full blood Vulcans it’s a time of turmoil, anger, and rage. Hence why children are trained from an early age to suppress their emotions. For those who are part Vulcan like myself it’s not as traumatic, because you have that other half of yourself to fall back on. I never liked my Vulcan half until I met Savar, he changed all of that for me. He’s shown me what a rich heritage I have.”

Remal listened, his attention steady, not on the explanation but on her. He let a quiet moment pass, watching the way she held that truth now compared to how she spoke of it before. “When I see you,” he said gently, “I’ve never seen one side or the other.” His gaze met hers, calm and certain. “I’ve only ever seen Aurora.”

He let that settle before continuing, his tone grounded, unforced. “It will be the same for N’Vea. She won’t be measured in parts, not here. She’ll grow into herself, in her own way, shaped by what she chooses to carry forward.” His eyes drifted briefly toward the children, a softness there that didn’t need to be named. “Whatever part speaks the loudest in her, it will still be hers.”

Remal understood what it meant to live in pieces, to carry different parts of himself and choose, moment by moment, which one the world would see. Anger had never ruled him, though it had visited often enough in harder years, tempered through quiet discipline and time. Still, there were places within him that felt less certain now, edges worn thin by experience. Of all the things he had learned to steady, his faith was the one that no longer settled as easily as it once had.

“Exactly, it doesn’t matter what genetics you’re made up of, you are who you want to be. Not what people expect you to be.” Aurora smiled warmly. There are times I wonder just what it’s like for joined Trill’s with the memories of prior hosts, they are truly a mix of different personalities yet they exist in harmony. It’s fascinating.”

“Ideally, yes,” Remal said, the agreement coming easily, though it carried a quieter weight beneath it. “Though not everyone finds that kind of balance.” His thoughts brushed briefly past Rosa, the complexity there lingering for a moment before he let it go.

He shifted slightly, the tone easing as he glanced back toward Aurora. “Do you think I could ask for a drink?”

At the word, Patina’s head snapped up with sudden interest, her attention pulled from whatever world she had been building. She turned toward them, small hand lifting in an unmistakable imitation, fingers opening and closing as if to claim her own share of whatever was being offered, a soft, insistent sound following as she made her case known.

“Now that I understand” Aurora grinned as she stood up from her seat. “I’ll get us all some drinks, would you like anything in particular Remal?”

Remal considered for a moment, his gaze drifting briefly toward the children before returning to Aurora. “If you have any spring wine, I would not turn it down,” he said, his voice easy and unassuming. A faint hint of curiosity followed. “Though I wouldn't mind trying something Vulcan, if you have a preference. It seems only fair, given the company.”

Returning with the drinks in no time at all Aurora handed Remal his, then gave Patina a little sippy cup of juice, N’vea seemed too busy with her toys to worry. Taking a seat Aurora grinned. “We should do this more often, it’s fun.”

Remal accepted the drink with a quiet nod of thanks, his attention settling into the rhythm of the room as the children continued their small, important work. He took a measured sip before letting his gaze move between them, something thoughtful settling in his expression.

“It's good to make time for this,” he said after a moment, his tone warm but grounded. “And not just for them.” His eyes returned to Aurora briefly, carrying a quiet understanding. “I would like to do this again. It feels… worthwhile.”

He shifted slightly, glancing toward Patina as she busied herself, then back again. “And I suspect they would agree, in their own way.”

“Not just them, me too” Aurora grinned. “I would love to do this again Remal.”

They let the conversation drift after that, unhurried and easy, the kind that filled the space without demanding it. The children carried on in their own world, trading toys and attention in quiet bursts of energy that slowly softened as time wore on. It was Patina who signaled the shift, a small yawn breaking through her focus, followed by a slow blink that spoke louder than words.

Remal noticed it immediately. He rose without drawing attention to the moment, moving with that same quiet rhythm as he began to gather the scattered toys, guiding Patina gently to help in her own way. She obliged in small, uneven efforts before giving in to the weight of sleep, her steps slowing until he lifted her into his arms. She settled quickly, her head finding its place against his shoulder as if it had always belonged there.

He turned back to Aurora, his voice soft enough to match the moment. “Thank you for having us,” he said, a warmth there that needed no embellishment. “I think we both enjoyed it.” His gaze flicked briefly toward the container they had brought. “Please, make sure the jumja sticks don’t go to waste.”

With a small nod, he shifted Patina slightly, ensuring she was comfortable, and made his way toward the door, leaving behind the quiet echo of something simple and good.

Aurora watched Remal and Patina go, glad she’d had the chance to spend time getting to know him better. She had no doubt they’d definitely have another play date soon.

 

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