Star Trek: Starbase 777 - los-angeles︱downtown

Holy shit, was it good to be back on Earth. With all the… well, everything, that went down in the past year, Edgar felt like his brains were about to explode after one more case of Extraterrestrial Shenanigans. And god, how he’d missed all of this. The same downtown area that he’d come to know and love growing up, from coming to and from day trips with his parents or school breaks when he had just enough time to grab lunch without being unbelievably late. And getting to show it all off to someone else was another blessing! With how much she talked about Earth, Vida was surprisingly uninformed about a lot of the classic stuff— not that it was a bad thing, since the two of them had been able to visit most of the landmarks for California that she’d had on her list. The last stop, excitingly, was a small beachside place that had gone up while they’d been aboard Starbase 777. Anya had been enthusiastic about the place, so he figured it was prime time to try it out, and get some classic sibling bonding bullshit done before he ran out of shore leave. The reservation wasn’t for a while, so they had all the time they could want to waste along the shore.

"C'mon, c'mon." Vida tugged on Ed's bag excitedly. She held a big notebook, stuffed with papers and pictures from Earth. She called it her "itinerary," despite the distinct lack of a schedule or a clear plan. It was just a big list of things she wanted to see. "If we get our things set up soon, we could take a transporter to Palm Springs!" She was still wearing her outfit for the beach--jean shorts, a United Earth crop top, and some heeled sandals. She happily strode quickly next to Ed, speeding just ahead. "There's still so many places to visit..."

“Okay, okay!” He laughed, trying to keep up in his poor choice of flip-flops, “We do have that thing nearby, though. We’ve just got time to kill.” He wore a dark red academy tee, along with the cargo shorts he’d been saving for a proper trip back home (double the pockets, of course), hair tied up as much as the weather dictated. He was tempted to cut it these days, when it got this hot, but he knew he’d regret it when boarding the station again. “The beach is just up ahead, and we’re gonna meet Anya at that new place in, uh… half an hour?”

"Hmm... Well we could visit then after, maybe get some food" She posited. Vida had surprisingly not been very nosy on Ed's sister. Usually, she would be very interested in gathering all the details of someone, but surrounded by all the Earth culture, her mind was off in the clouds. Regardless, she was still excited to meet someone who still lived on Earth and could show her all the best places to go. She continued to walk ahead, face in her notebook. (edited)

“Could I take a look?” He peered over her shoulder, breaking into a slight jog to keep up with her as she blazed a path towards wherever she had her mind on, “I wanna see what’s left.” Anya was… something, and Ed almost felt anxiety churning inside him at the thought of her meeting Vida, but he trusted his sister. Sometimes.

Vida handed him the book over her shoulder, resting her hands on her sides. The pages were mainly filled with random names of locations all across North America (including a page dedicated to California) with tiny notes attached. * Chichén Itzá: cool square buildings * Montreal Courthouse: French & history! * Jamaica "So what's your sister up to? We dragging her away from important stuff for this?" (edited)

Okay, pretty good picks, although they seemed to require a year-long voyage around the planet to get through it all properly. A week would suffice with transporters, though. And the courthouse did seem quite interesting… “Well, she kind of just floats around.” He shrugged, “She’s still doing the music thing, but, like… she’s definitely more of an explorer on Earth. I’m sure you two will have a lot to talk about; I think she’s been to most of the spots on your list.”

"Well, let's stop by, then!" Vida insisted. She practically dragged Ed by the wrist. "Er... which one is it?" She looked around the various beach houses and hotels, confused.

“Oh— just up ahead, actually!” It was his turn to pull her, now, as he pointed towards the next block and began a steady trudge towards it, friend in tow. “She lives in an apartment up that way, if I’m remembering right. She moves a lot, but I think this is the one.” He gestured, making his way over, “You know how some people are, can’t stay still, and whatnot.” No, Edgar, your mother just adopted two kids with attention disorders.

"Oop!" Vida was tugged alongside Ed. He seemed to know the area well. She tucked her book away in the pocket of her bag and wrapped an arm around Edgar's as he tracked down his sister's apartment. A lot of them looked damn near the same, though ahe could tell some of the people here liked to have fun with the paint job.

He kept moving, until they reached a multiple story building, exterior lined with sun-bleached gray brick. “This is it!” He exclaimed, “Jesus, they all look the same. I think this is it, at least.” He leaned in, seeing the buzzer for specific rooms, and hit the one labeled with an added tulip sticker, barely legible from the sunlight its faced in its day. “Anya… Anya it’s the ghost of your brother. I’ve come back from the grave to haunt you, let me in.” He put on a stage whisper, speaking into the panel like he was telling it a life-changing secret.

A snort came from the intercom, and then a reply. “Okay, freak. Door’s unlocked, get in here.”

With a glance to Vida, he grinned, arms still interlocked. “Shall we?” He did his best courteous bow, opening the door and standing in front of it to keep it from closing.

Vida chuckled at Ed, and opened the door. She flung her arm up dramatically. "Vida's heeerre!" She proclaimed, dramatically, with a step into the door in front of Edgar.

“Aaaaah! Hi!” Anya stood in the doorway, eyes bright and spots warping slightly with the size of her smile, “Oh, you must be Vida! Edgar told me you were coming!”

Stepping back to allow the two of them to meet properly, he leaned against the wall, taking a look at his sister. She seemed happy, as always, but less restrained than when he’d seen her last during the holidays.

Vida unlinked from Ed's arm, approaching Anya. She took both her hands in hers. "Hi, it's so nice to meet you! You must be Eddie's sister." She squealed, confident she'd already met a friend. (edited)

“I am! God, it’s been forever since he actually brought a friend back here. Especially one who seems cool as hell— it took you long enough.” She directed the last bit at her brother, before squeezing Vida’s hands and leading her inside.

Ed put up his hands in self-defence, but shrugged it off, following the two of them inside. “Hey, you redecorated. I miss all the posters.” He noted, with the shittiest grin imaginable, before dodging her glare.

"It looks nice! Very nice decorating." Vida remarked, looking around. "I love decorating. Almost as much as cooking."

“Awh, thanks! I was going for an ancient rockstar kinda vibe with this one, because of the ceiling slant over there. Kinda giving grungy guitarist older sibling vibes.” She chuckled, as if any of that actually meant anything, architecturally. “But shit! You’re a cook, yeah??” She clapped her hands together, “That’s awesome.”

“Yeah, best cook on the station.” Ed gave Vida a friendly elbow, and shot her a grin as he watched his sister fuss over his friend.

"Oh, he's underplaying it." Vida said. She put her hands on her hips. "Best in the Quadrant." She gave an elbow back at Ed, significantly harder than he did, with a jovial expression. "I'll whip us up something tonight. We can get some stuff while we're out."

“Ooh, I’ll take you up on that offer! Especially if I’ve got the best cook in the Quadrant with us.” She grinned, amused and equally genuine in her reply, “What’re you gonna be making us, Chef Vida? Please tell me you’re a wine pairing kind of gal.”

Ed snorted, knowing his sister enough to know she had never once mentioned wine pairings in their twenty-five-odd years of knowing each other. “I didn’t know you drank anything other than beer.”

“Shut up.” She swatted her brother on the shoulder, before quickly turning back to Vida.

"Oh, that could definitely be done." Vida told Anya. She took her bag off her shoulder, but held onto it, not knowing what to do with it. "Sounds like a pork kind of evening, yea?" She already felt very at-home and accustomed to this place with Anya here.

“Sure thing! That’s sounds perfect.” She grinned, leaning against the counter, “Oh— shit, can I grab you two anything to drink? I should’ve asked earlier.”

"Oh, nothing for me." Vida said, knowing she'd raid the fridge later. "Eddie?"

He blinked, having zoned out because someone forgot to write his reply. “Oh— I’m good, honestly. Unless you have the orange soda from last time.”

“Grown-ass man.” She stuck out her tongue, but retrieved a neon orange can and handed it to him, “Soo, Vida! I gotta know what it’s like being a chef on a space station— it sounds sick.”

Vida leaned against Ed's side as he held the soda. She sighed. "Well, it's a lot of the same stuff. A lot of the same customers. I spend a lot of the day making al ot of the same stuff. Or working all night on an event's meal. Eddie here likes to order the same few things over and over.'

“Hey, I like the same stuff! I’m a man of routine, or whatever.” He laughed, “But yeah, you always tell me about the weirdos who order difficult shit during a rush.”

“So goes the life of the service industry.” She poured herself a glass of something rose-tinted, from an unlabeled bottle, “Anything you enjoy making the most?”

"Baking's overrated, I tell you. Roasted is what you want." Vida told her. "Roasted veggies, roast beast, that's where it's at." She put a hand on Anya's shoulder. "Come, show me your fridge. I'll get us whipped up something. Eddie, could you get my bags?"

“Yes, ma’am.” She offered a joking salute, stepping aside to open the fridge, “Look, a lady offers to cook for me, I can’t turn her down. Have at it.”

“Oh— yeah, lemme just—“ Ed re-organized what he had in his arms, so he could properly do as he was asked. Every time he brought a friend to Anya, she managed to steal them away for the entire visit. Not that he minded them learning about his family, but it was always a little strange to see how easily Anya caught on to these people.

Vida poked her head in, filing through the contents, already thinking of a soup and a side. She hummed, assembling an idea in her head. She'd have to find something online since there was no cook book with this house. "What do you do for food, Anya? Got anyone cooking for you at home?" She asked.

“I’m usually the only one home to cook, but I’m a simple meal kind of girl.” She shrugged, “If you’re missing something, we can run out to grab it.”

“We as in me.” He raised an eyebrow, hands on his hips as he peered over her shoulder, “Right? I’m assuming that’s what you meant.”

“Oh, absolutely. You’re gonna be the one going out if I’m missing something.” She giggled.

Vida leaned over to rustle Ed's hair. "No shame in it. Ladies love a man who can be useful." She looked at Anya's array of food. Not that much. She could do with some vegetables, and especially some seasoning. "Here," Vida said, writing down on a slip of paper. "Let me make a list of what we need.*

“Eh, fair enough.” He shrugged, not really minding being the errand runner at the moment. There were worse things, he supposed.

“Okay, what’re you making?” She quirked a brow, hopping up to sit on the edge of her countertop, “I might be able to replicate some of it, if we’re down an ingredient.”

Vida tapped her chin, surveying the food. "Well, you've got some good spices and toppings for a roasted squash. Everything except a squash." Vida lifted her nose and waved her hand. "Nonsense. We're supposed to be having a fun night. Replicated food is what you get at a drive thru, let's do some real eatin'!"

“Alright! I like the way you think.” She nodded, hopping off the counter’s edge once again, “I think the farmer’s market is still open for another half hour. Could you…?”

“Hell yeah. On it.” Ed clapped his hands together, “I’ll be back, in… uh, like— however long a squash run takes. Soon.”

"Have fun!!" Vida called out to Ed as he exited. "So," Vida leaned into the table, looking at Anya. "Tell me about you two as kids. What's Ed's deal?"

“Right down to business? Okay.” She laughed, brushing a tuft of bleached pink hair out of her face, “Uh… well, I’m second oldest, and I was, like— eight, when he joined the family, so he’s always been the baby out of all of us. We got along, but obviously, there was some difference.” “And, uh… he used to cry whenever he lost a game, he had a really bad Minecraft phase, and I don’t think he’s ever worn anything with sleeves willingly.” She listed them out casually, “What, specifically, did you wanna know?”

"Well, he always acts like an open and shut case. Nothing to hide," Vida described. "Nothing surprising or troubling in childhood. C'mon, y'all gotta have something interesting." She raised an eyebrow. She did look down, though, and realized she should probably start assembling her other ingredients for the squash.

“I think he’s just like that, honestly.” She shrugged, “Worst thing that comes to mind is a really weird situationship with a mercenary a few years back, but last I heard, they haven’t really spoken. Look, Vida, I promise he isn’t hiding anything tragic.” She grabbed a couple of pans from the drawer in preparation, giving them a quick rinse before placing them on the counter. “If you wanna get really deep, we’re all adopted, because something or other happened to our parents, or whatever. But honestly, I don’t think about it that much. I doubt Ed does, either, he was a newborn when our parents got him.” She said, “I’m sure lots of people on the Starbase have a mega-traumatic backstory, but I think he’s an outlier.”

Vida narrowed her eyes. She suspected otherwise. Especially that mercenary thing, but whatever she wanted to hear, Anya clearly wouldn't be telling her. "Hmph. So, if he's always been the everyman of the family, what were you as a kid?"

“A bit of a wanderer. I like being all over the place, honestly.” She hummed, hand pushing her bleach-pink hair out of the way, “With all the music shit and the traveling, I’ve never really had a need to pick just one thing to be or do. How about you?”

@Misty

"Eh just kinda settled on cooking 'cause it's fun. And Starbases are super cool. I dunno not a whole military-gruffness type, ya know?" She leaned forward on the counter. "Maybe I'll go off and do my own thing for a lil, I dunno." She stretched. She could feel a slight weakness in her legs. "Augh, me and Eddie been doing so much walking around. It's been cool, but man, it's tiring."

“No, I get that. If you like it, though, hell yeah.” She chuckled, before noting Vida’s discomfort, “Hey, if you wanna sit, I can do some of the handiwork, you can boss me around.”

Vida waved her hand. "Nah, girl, you can relax. This is what I'm here for." She glanced at the block on the counter. "Well. I could use some help cutting up some roots for a sauce." Vida reached over and picked up a knife. "Care to join?"

“Hell yeah. I’m on it.” She grinned widely, hopping into motion and grabbing a wooden cutting board before letting it clatter onto the counter, “Does it matter how big they’re chopped?”

"Very fine. Try cutting into thin strips. Then you'll bundle them together and cut them into tiny clips at the end." Vida instructed Anya. "In the meantime--I'll heat up the oven." Vida trotted over to turn on the oven, trusting Anya to start cutting on her own.

“Alright, I gotcha.” She nodded, moving to do as she was told while keeping her gaze on Vida from the corner of her eye. “So… how’s Earth been so far? Living up to your expectations?”

"Oh, we've only been around a little bit. But it's so much different than I expected!" Vida told her, excitedly. "First of all, there's way less pirates here. Second, nobody's been to the Taj Mahal! I thought everybody went there!"

“Yeah, unfortunately you’re a few centuries too late for pirates.” She sighed, moving to begin chopping, “Shame, I would’ve made a kickass pirate.” She hummed, smiling at the second point. “And it’s not really a big tourist place honestly, but I get why you’d think that. I’d like to go, someday.”

"Man, this Earth stuff is so weird." She rested her head on her hand, elbow perched on the counter. She looked at Anya on her right, cutting. "You know, maybe we could visit at the same time. That'd be fun, wouldn't it?"

“Ooh, yes! Next time you guys get a week or two off, hit me up. I’d be down for some travelling!” She nodded, whipping her head to get a lock of pink out of her eyes, “Anywhere else you’d be wanting to stop by?”

"Oh my goddess, SO many different places," Vida told Anya. "I wanna see Cairo, Buenos Aires, Pyongyang, that Big Bridge From London (I don't remember what it's called), Earth is so interesting, I wanna see all of it."

“Ooh, girl, I’ll drag you around earth if you’d like. I’ve been to most of those spots once or twice.” She giggled, “You’ll love Cairo.”

Vida let out a little squeal of excitement. "Ah, that would be amazing! My first Earth friend!" Technically Ed would be her first Earth friend, but she didn't befriend him on Earth! Didn't count. Then again, Anya wasn't a human. 50/50 Earth friends between them.

“Aw, yeah!” She moved to elbow Vida playfully, “You’re welcome around here anytime, with or without my brother involved.”

@Misty