Star Trek: Starbase 777 - okinawa︱beach-house

Despite it being summer, typhoon season for Okinawa, the weather for shore leave was predicted to be quite good. Still hot and humid, of course, it was a tropical island after all, but the skies were going to be clear and there was even a breeze as of now. It was the ideal weather to enjoy the ocean. Dr. Suzuki’s house was situated close to the beach, in a somewhat more private area than the popular public beaches of Naha. There was a little path with trees and flower bushes to get to the house from the driveway, and another path leading down to the beach. The house was small, with the kitchen and living areas on the first floor, and the main bedroom and two other bedrooms that both served as guest bedrooms now that the Suzukis had no more biological children living with them. The last time anyone had actually lived in one of those bedrooms was when Silver had stayed long-term before going off to Starfleet. The furnishings were nice, with a tropical island flair to the decorations. There was even a balcony on the second floor overlooking the beach.

@Celeste

Part of Ellie didn't expect to actually be invited down to Okinawa with Silver when she originally asked. She should have figured, though, ever since their last long conversation, their legs hooked around branches, Ellie noticed that Silver seemed to stare a bit longer... or maybe she didn't. Ellie was usually scared of the gaze of others, but Silver's eyes, despite their artificiality, felt... warm? Like she welcomed the analysis that each stare entailed. Thinking about it made her head light; perhaps it would make her heart flutter if she felt that connected to her body. "Is this the place?" Ellie tried to recall aloud, looking to Silver as they approached the isolated home of her 'parents'. Regardless of her companion's answer, she stepped forward, knocking upon the silk-textured door, rapping against it three times, before placing her hands in her pockets. It should be the right place... right...? Why was the Golem so... nervous?

“Yes, this is the right place!” Silver’s tone of voice was usually very even and unchanging, but this time, you could even hear that he was excited. Part of that was that he was finally coming home, but it was also because he was finally bringing someone with him! That day with Ellie had lived in their brain rent-free ever since they met her, honestly. They didn’t know what exactly they thought of her. She was very interesting, and good conversation as well. It was only right that Silver extended an invitation for her to come to Earth, and it was good fortune that she’d accepted.

The door opened, and behind it was a somewhat short, older man with a grey hair, a tanned, wrinkled face, and a warm smile. He didn’t much resemble Silver, but that was by design. Hinato was thoroughly Okinawan, while Silver was not designed to be of any ethnicity in particular, though he couldn’t help but give his creation at least some of his own features. “Silver, my dear! Welcome home! And you too, Ellie, welcome to Okinawa! It seems the weather is in your favor, it is not as hot and humid as it can get this time of year. It must have been a long journey from 777, right? Come in, I have tea ready.” He said in as chipper a tone as Silver’s, beckoning them inside the thankfully air-conditioned house.

Ellie really had to crane her neck down to look at Hinato... was that his name? Ellie's memory slipped a little, a rare occurrence she didn't enjoy. Perhaps she was thrown off by the bigger thing, the fact that the older gentleman knew the Golem by name. Turned her lapse of memory into feeling disrespectful. She paused longer than usual before speaking, the only sign of nerves driving her crazy. "Hello, a pleasure to finally meet you." Ellie greeted, smiling shyly as she stepped into the home. Taking her shoes off near the entrance. Her parents always expected that her shoes would stay by the door when she was home, so it was practically second nature. "Thank you so much. Quite a warm welcome for my first experience on earth." Ellie returned to a rather flat tone, following shortly behind Silver as the woman took a look around the building, staring at pictures and decorations, and outside at the azure shores.

@Nyx

Silver took off his shoes as well, so Ellie hadn’t gotten it wrong. In his opinion, it was just plain rude to come into a house and track in the outside dirt, even in your own house! Silver hadn’t brought much with him, considering he had a whole room here with clothes to wear. The main thing he’d brought was his sanshin in its protective case, considering part of the reason he was so adamant on coming home of all places was to play it at a festival that would be happening during his shore leave. “It is good to see you in person again, Dad, even if I do call you a lot. If you don’t mind, I’ll help Ellie take her bags up to the guest room first, then we can have tea.” Silver said with a little head bow. She opened her arms to take whatever luggage Ellie had brought with her, knowing full well that Ellie was quite strong, though she didn’t care. It was polite, and Silver wanted to be a good host.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you too, Silver speaks highly of you.” He said with a smile to Ellie. He wouldn’t have allowed anyone he thought might mistreat his child into his house, after all. He knew how trusting Silver was, and he did regret making her that way knowing how awfully some people treated androids. He nodded to Silver and Ellie and moved a bit out of the way in order for the two to make their way upstairs.

@Celeste

Ellie wasn't one to overpack or under-pack, really; she just had two suitcases she gripped in her hands, not bothering to use the wheels, especially through the sand. She preferred to keep it clean and away from bugs anyhow. She was honestly surprised by how many bugs there were, as well as the persistent gnats that floated around her face. A small stray thought she spoke of earlier on their way over, the golem could only imagine how annoying they could have been if she were still a human. "Oh, yes, thank you Silver." Ellie gently handed over the lighter of the two suitcases, not an intentional action. Silver was just closer to the suitcase filled with clothes, some of which she had recently bought, more experimental stuff than she had worn before. As far as she was concerned it was just Ellie, Silver, and Mr. Suzuki. She didn't usually fear judgement, but there was an added comfort with Silver, and his family seemed just as wonderful. "Thank you, again, for bringing me here. It is... beautiful here." Ellie spoke, she was unsure of how long their stay was to be certain, if it was just a day, or a few days, or longer, so far, Ellie didn't mind. She's just happy that this place is as warm as it is, even if she does feel like she might overheat if she stays in her trench-coat for another hour.

A tropical island was the perfect place for bugs, but Silver never minded them anyhow. Mainly because Silver had always been synthetic, and she had never had to deal with a mosquito bite, or gnats in her eyes, or anything of the sort. She’d lived a blissful life free of such organic issues, traded for horrors only a synthetic body could ever withstand. “I’m glad you like it.. I know you wanted to see Earth, and this is the best place on Earth, in my opinion. I may be biased though, as it is my home. We should go down to the beach later, we’ll be in time to see the sunset. I always liked to do that, when I was here.” Silver loved such things as sunsets, having lived so long on a planet where the sun would rise and not set again for months on end, only to fully set once and not rise for just as long. “I’m glad you wanted to come with me.”

As they spoke, Ellie couldn't help but realize that she had never seen a REAL sunset before; she'd seen faux settings in the holodecks, or through the window of a station as the sun eclipsed the edges, and disappeared as the station traveled. She's only seen pictures, or paintings... she was happy she had brought her canvases, paintbrushes, and paints. The idea of painting a sunset and running around on the beach—a real beach—Ellie couldn't help but feel excited, and had Silver not invited her, the woman would likely have just stayed on the base and let the opportunity disappear again. "Maybe your bias is accurate." Ellie meant it as a kind of joke; there was something genuinely wonderful about the coasts and the endless surrounding ocean. It was strange to be somewhere where she couldn't see a wall at the end, but instead just a final horizon line. The golem looked a bit sheepish in her cold, stoic expression when Silver spoke of being happy that Ellie had joined and was tagging along. Being silent for several seconds longer than the usual buffer between responses. "It would be rude not to accept." Ellie was a little quieter as she spoke, and the urge to change the topic as quickly as possible hit her. "Also, if it may be possible, would there be anywhere I can get changed in a little bit? I am wearing too many layers." Ellie picked at her coat pocket as she walked with her free hand.

“It’s a good thing, to look outside and not see a single wall. Or anything man-made, actually. It’s just ocean, as far as even my eyes can see.” She commented, like she’d somehow read Ellie’s mind. She couldn’t, of course, they were just thinking about the same thing. An android with telepathy was probably impossible. Silver also took a moment to buffer, though her brain was Actually buffering for a hot second before it kicked back online. She didn’t know why she favored Ellie’s company so much, why she was so interesting. “Oh, yes! I’ll show you to the guest room, you can change there.” With that, Silver led Ellie up the stairs and opened a door, leading to a small guest room with a lovely ocean view and a nice, decent sized bed with fresh sheets and blankets. Silver’s dad was anything but a bad host.

Ellie took a moment to drop her bags off and get out of the oven that was her usual coat and standard uniform. Adjusting her plain t-shirt and obsessively fixing her shorts. Her outfit was typical, but to her, it was revealing. Rarely did she show off her arms or her legs, something new. This was a perfect opportunity for 'something new', though. So far, the three had spent most of their evening relaxing, talking, and drinking tea. Even if Ellie was more of a coffee person, she drank a couple of cups anyway, as long as she could add the cinnamon sticks in. For now, Ellie fixed her painting equipment, unfolding the easel she had managed to stuff in one of her suitcases. "Hey, Silver? Do you want to walk on the beach for a bit?" Ellie called from the guest room door, a canvas, an easel, and her painting pieces stuffed under her arm. "I was hoping to paint the sunset." The golem commented as she walked on, pulling on the new necklace that she had gotten, a little key hanging from it that didn't actually fit any lock she knew of. The whole thing called to her, and it tied the outfit together... hopefully.

“Yes, I would love to. I’ve missed being able to walk here.. a holodeck is just not the same.” She said, leading her out a sliding glass door and down to the beach. Here, the waves were calm, and the sand was soft and still warm from the sun. The leaves of the palm trees blew gently in the wind, and the sunset painted the sky a brilliant mix of yellow and pink. The golden light reflected so wonderfully off Ellie that it made her look like a work of art in her own right. Silver knew beauty when she saw it, though she’d never been made for that. She hadn’t been made for a lot of things.. and yet, she still became more than she was meant to. Was she meant to love? Was that what this was? Silver wasn’t sure. “You look very pretty, out here.” She said finally.

"I would like to know what it's like to feel a real sunset on my skin for the first time." Ellie crooked a small smile as she heard Silver talk, fixing her shoes on as she made her way to the door, holding her supplies under her arm when Silver spoke up again, after the long stare she had been holding on Ellie she hadn't thought to comment on. Ellie's first reaction was to freeze up for a moment; after trying to fix her shoes on, the Golem had to make sure she had heard what she heard. The canvas slipped a little from her hands. "Oh... uhm. I-" She never stuttered; this was irregular, and she knew it. "Thank you, I... thought I'd experiment." Her grip tightened around the canvas and easel. "It's reassuring..." Ellie met Silver's gaze finally, the embarrassment clear on her face. "You look... quite pretty as well, perhaps beautiful." What? Where had that come from? Regardless, it came out of her mouth. The last time she had received a compliment was a few weeks ago; the last time she heard something like that said in that way was... wait...? Wasn't that girl at the time... flirting with her? She was still training in the academy, but... So many wires were getting crossed. "I was hoping to paint the sunset." She cleared her throat before she spoke. "But I'd rather feel the water first." She took a few steps, planted the easel in the sand, and placed her supplies quickly. "Would you walk out into the water a bit with me. I have never swum before." Outside of training at the academy, she rarely dipped into the water. This was clearly an attempt to change the subject from the beauty of appearances, though she felt a fool for saying something on impulse... it was rare she said things so visceral, and so true to her view of someone.

“Thank you.. I feel much more like myself now that I restored my long hair. It is impractical, but I enjoy it anyhow. An entirely utilitarian life would be unpleasant to live, wouldn’t it?” Being called beautiful was new to her, too. Why had Ellie said it? Was it simply polite, because she had said it? Silver could think of a million more compliments, she could continue this feedback loop until the end of time. “Of course, I will walk out with you.” She said, leading Ellie out to the shoreline, where the warm water lapped against pure white sand. She took off her shoes and stepped in, and it was as if she was two days old again, unburdened by anything and full of potential. It had been good, then, to live unspoiled like that. But.. she’d been very alone then, too, without any friends, without anything like what she had now. Maybe this was better, to have gained this.. whatever this relationship was. Silver did not know if they could call it friendship.

Ellie settled on quieting herself for the time being. She can't embarrass herself more if she stays completely quiet... right? Still, she wanted to speak, to keep talking to Silver instead of sitting silently in the water. Both sides pulled at each other as she waded into the water, stepping out of her shoes and leaving them just outside the tideline. Worried the water would be colder than it was, she sat, timidly, on the edge for a second, like some cat, before deciding to step into the water as Silver led her along. It was... surprisingly pleasant, but the woman was still a bit nervous. She'd only known the holodeck, or oppressive foreign planets she wasn't made for. This was something entirely different. "I'm happy I chose to come out here. I know I am repeating myself, but it's great to be somewhere outside of the base every once in a while while not on assignment." Ellie waded deep enough to reach her hips, which was a dozen meters out or so. "Perhaps I am overanalyzing, but you seem to be very content and comfortable here. Would you like to sit in the water for a bit and watch the sunset?" Ellie bent her knees, slowly sinking into the water until it hit her chin. The salt was coarse against her clothing, but so wonderfully natural that she barely noticed when a wave kicked her mouth under the surface.

“I understand what it is like to spend a long time in one place that you cannot leave.. I do not like it either. I was made to work on machinery, but I like nature just as much.” She said quietly, wading out with Ellie. She also had to go far out for the water to reach her hips, she wasn’t much shorter than Ellie. When Ellie crouched down, Silver sank into the water and floated back up on her back, though she didn’t drift far. “I could be here all night, if you wanted. You are good company, after all.”

Ellie smiled at Silver, and the man's nonchalance with everything, as she began to float on the surface of the water. Ellie couldn't help but chuckle a bit at Silver's floating at first, before noticing her drift slightly away. Ellie knew Silver wouldn't drift far, but she instinctively reached out, grabbing Silver's hand before the golem could stop herself. "Oh, my apologies, I should have asked first." Ellie quickly released the grab, sinking a little deeper into the water to hide her mouth and some of her further embarrassed expression. What about Silver made Ellie this... instinctual? She barely knew Silver, but she felt very casual around her in comparison to others; maybe it was the similar way they talked, or saw the world. Maybe it was Ellie's curiosity; she could read most people well, but Silver wasn't someone the golem could read as easily. Was it because Silver was an android? The reality of such rarely crossed Ellie's mind. Perhaps it was the limbo'd mind of the Golem. "I could stay out here for a while, the water might get cold, though."

@Nyx

Silver had been a little surprised, but she’d actually grabbed Ellie’s hand back, for lack of anything better to do. Living flesh-hands were so interesting.. the way skin felt, the way calluses formed, the way nails could chip and bleed. Silver’s hands were as perfect as the day they were made, and would never change until she one day in the future would need to replace them. She let go once Ellie did, a rather awkward look on her face. “It is alright, don’t worry.” She said quickly, though she didn’t offer her hand again, not really understanding the strange fascination it had brought her “Water holds temperature far longer than air does. It is why winters are so much milder on the coasts than inland. Water is like.. storage, in a way, maybe. It holds the memory of summer well into fall, it remembers fleeting experiences very well. Like we will, once we go back to the station. An artificial brain rarely forgets anything.”

@Celeste