Posted by Commander Mason Black (Executive Officer) in Eden Prime - The Black’s Arrive

Posted by Commander Mason Black (Executive Officer) in Eden Prime - The Black’s Arrive

Posted by Lieutenant Commander Paris Black (Science Officer / Astrometrics) in Eden Prime - The Black’s Arrive
Posted by… suppressed (3) by the Post Ghost! 👻

snip

“Twice?” Mason breathed hard and laughed. “Anybody would think Mommy and Daddy haven’t had enough alone time lately,” he kissed her quickly and then reached for her bikini top which was laying on top of a pile of surf and paddle boards. Passing it to his wife he picked up both his shirt and hers, making sure to give her the right one as he looked around for a very important piece. “Baby where the hell are my shorts?”

Stopping at the sound of her quiet laugh, he looked up at where she was pointing and frowned. “How the heck did they get up there in the rafters?” Bending at the knee and jumping, he was just able to reach the bit of fabric hanging low enough for him to pull them off the wooden roof rafter, then he balanced against the jet ski that had been their chariot of the gods for the last quarter hour as he struggled to pull them on, still weak at the knee’s and tossing his shirt over the handles of the jet ski.

“Mommy,” a voice squealed happily as she walked out onto the porch. “Daddy,” Harper called out looking around.

“And just like that, we are back on the clock,” Mason laughed and turned, giving his wife a smack on the rear end as she grabbed the nearest leisure activity item she could and rushed out to greet Harper before she could make her way inside the shed looking for them while Mason struggled to turn his shirt the right way in before putting it on. Of course because he was trying to do it quickly, it was taking twice as long as normal.

“Mommy found a surfboard,” Paris came stumbling out of the shed holding a small paddle board and not the full-sized board one day Harper would recognize. Aedan Teller did think of everything when he created the place. The shed was perfectly angled so that one inside the shed could see anyone coming through the small window however anyone on the porch would only see the side of the building. “Mommy and Daddy were just looking at all the fun stuff we have to play with,” she spoke slightly out of breath. With her free hand, Paris made a rolling motion for Mason to move faster to her side.

“Hey honey,” Mason said walking out of the shed and moving to where Paris was standing. “There is so much cool stuff in here, you are going to have so much fun, I can’t wait!” While he spoke, he was stuffing something in his pocket and looking at Paris, realized that both his wifes’ and his hair probably looked like they had gone a week as castaways on a deserted island.

“Yay,” Harper clapped her hands. “Look at what I found,” she jumped up and down and disappeared back into the house.

Tossing the surfboard to her side Paris let out a laugh. “Well that was cauu loooose,” she laughed feeling Mason scoop her up in his arms. “You know we almost got a visitor,” she laughed kissing Mason. This vacation was good for them both as a family and a couple.

“Nope, fifteen minutes, baby there is a reason you are the best Vacation Activity Time Management Planner in the business,” he said as their lips parted, but he couldn’t help trying to hold that kiss just a little longer. It was different to the kiss they had 16 minutes ago, this one was tender and playful, fun, light and the love it carried was of a far less intensely urgent kind.

Grinning at her he began to walk to the hut with her in his arms, looking into her eyes with a simple, sanguine feeling of contentment that he had never felt as a bachelor, even as a man with a girlfriend as amazing and perfect for him as Paris, the addition of Harper had lifted his sense of completeness to a level he hadn’t imagined he could feel. “Come look at what I got you,” he smiled, “there is coffee for you, and maybe a little something for Harper as well. Oh, and I have your Bikini bottoms in my pocket. You left them in the shed.” Looking at her as he walked, he let his eyebrows lift and drop a few times. “You saucy puppy you.”

From inside the hut, came a squeal of laughter from the little girl and moments afterwards, a deep, strong bark followed by a happy whine of an excited animal.

Mason Black, XO

Paris looked at Mason and stuck her foot out stopping them from entering. “Is there something live in there with our daughter,” she raised an eyebrow looking at Mason.

Paris Black

“I sure hope so,” he looked at her and his eyebrow rose slightly. “If not I’m going to have a really hard time explaining how Harper is making that sound.” Coming up to the door, he set Paris down on her feet and nodded for her to go inside. “After you gorgeous, take a look at how we are going to be slumming it for the week and how I managed to get fifteen minutes alone time with my girl.”

The inside of the yurt was something that defied the simple look of the exterior, somehow it was able to look bigger than expected but at the same time, far more comfortable. There was indeed a second yurt attached to the first via a small tunnel that opened only to the larger one, and this was where Harper would have her own room. The inside of the yurt was decorated in warm tones of wood, the frame and the floor both complementing each other and the faux fabric walls a warm cream that mimicked the old hides that used to be used to build them. Small windows let the occupants see out and let plenty of light in while pictures in wooden frames of Paris, Harper and Mason as a family decorated the inside of the Yurt as if they lived there.

The large space was split into two spaces, with the smaller bathroom space walled off with a door for privacy. This contained only a washroom for personal use and a shower, as outside the yurt was a large Spa. The larger interior space of the main yurt held a huge Alaskan King bed, sofas arranged around an actual fire place with rugs that mimicked animal skins on the floor but much comfier, and a full kitchen with an actual refrigerator stocked with real food, a replicator, breakfast bar and island, designed to compliment the large barbeque and pizza oven outside next to the brazier, picnic table and loungers.

Around the walls were placed lanterns that could be set to either flicker with fake flame, or produce a steady, normal light. Glass display cases held a variety of ancient looking items that gave the yurt a tribal feel, and bookshelves held a range of real books, many of them fairytales and other stories. All in all, there was a reason this was a VIP camp site and Mason stood there looking at it happily as he watched his wife critically examine it.

Paris turned around and didn’t say a word to Mason about the space. Instead, she took his hand and whispered, =/\=Lock down the room.=/\= Backing up she moved towards the large bed smiling at Mason as she had with they first met. There was no mistaking the look in her eyes nor what she wanted. Right now she was not Mrs. Black but Lt. Carisi who years prior, convinced him one day to pretend to be her boyfriend when her parents had arrived on the ship. “Lieutenant,” she said in a sultry voice, “I think I might need to ask a favor.”

“Oh really,” Mason worked to hide the grin that was threatening to break through his features. It took a moment, but in seconds he was the straight faced Officer that the lower ranks feared when they had to front him for some kind of misdemeanor. “What kind of favor are you needing exactly, I seem to remember, the last time I did you a favor I ended up at a Diplomatic dinner on Risa. You got anything that can beat that?”

“It is my duty to report that I have and intend on continuing to demonstrate conduct unbecoming of an officer,” Paris said.

“Point taken. Lets get on that favor.” Moving up close to her he picked her up in his arms once more in the classic honeymoon carry towards the bed. Unfortunately, he hardly made it another step before a small voice rang out. Small, but at the top of it’s lungs. “Mummy! Daddy! Come and see this! I wanna show you something, where did you go!”

“Okay which one of us thought having children was going to be a good idea,” she laughed pressing her forehead to Mason’s. Of course it was totally her and she would not want it either way but like all parents, Paris and Mason were learning the the simple fact that kids could have the worst timing.

Taking a slow, deep breath, he let it out and opened his eyes, looking at Paris. “I’m taking a raincheck on this one, you don’t get to tease me with rank play and then get out of it so easily.” Mason kissed her on the lips and let the kiss linger for a small moment, a soft moment of intimacy after the rush of the boat shed and the promise of more during their vacation.

The one thing that broke the calm of the scene was another loud, deep bark and happy whine and a giggle from Harper as she knelt behind one of the sofa’s. Sitting beside her but still towering over her was a massive dog with golden fur on it’s sides and back and a darker face, almost with black fur running from it’s ears down it’s chest. It was sitting with it’s enormous mouth open and a tongue that was clearly larger than Harpers hand. Black, intelligent and loving eyes watched her and turned to Paris as she walked in, with the dog shuffling excitedly towards her once or twice before sitting again and half barking at her to get her attention. Whining slightly and wagging his massive tail furiously, he leaned his head on an angle and watched Paris as Harper alternated between petting and cuddling the monster animal, her hand disappearing in the voluminous mass of fur.

“Um Mason,” she said sweetly. “What is that?”

“Baby, we just became pet parents as well,” Mason wrapped his hands around Paris’ waist and nuzzled her neck. “I felt like Harper might want a friend to play with, and when I saw him at the shelter, I fell in love. He’s a Leonberger, and you and Harper get to give him his name. I think he likes you already.”

Mason Black

“What about something poetic like Uneeda Newhome,” Paris looked at Mason like he had lost his mind.

Mason screwed up his face at the name, totally ignoring the implication and just shook his head. “Nah, that sucks.”

“No that is a stupid name just like Leoburger. Sounds like hamburger and you said food names are stupid mommy,” Harper said in an upbeat tone. The little girl wasn’t wrong. It was only a week ago Paris went off on a tangent about how stupid names like Solar, Comet, Apple, and Candy were the dumbest names anyone could call their children.

“Kids got a point,” Mason agreed, whispering to Paris. “I personally like Uneeda Weespank but not in public.”

“Or maybe Uneeda newwife if you think this is happening,” Paris kept her voice sing song fun with a smile plastered on her face.

“Dats stupid too. He don’t smell so why would we call him Uneed a wiff,” Harper looked at Paris with a junior version of the patented you have lost your mind expression Paris wore more frequently now that she was a mom than before.

“What if we call him Leo daddy. He looks like a lion and I love lions?”

Paris and Harper Black

“She shoots, she scores!” Mason said loudly now, stepping forward and picking up Harper and swinging her around in celebration of the new name. “Leo it is! Should we shave him like a lion too? Imagine how many people we can scare on the ship when we get back if we bring a Lion. Mommy loves the name too, right baby?” Mason looked at Paris as he reached down and petted Leo on the head, tucking Harper under his arm like a shoulder bag as he did so.

“You are just going to encourage this,” Paris said playfully as if she were really mad. The way Mason completely transformed into someone else around Harper made Paris melt. “Just twirl her around and,” she put her hands up balled into fists saying, “yay we just adopted that weighs as much as me.”

“I bet Leo loves the beach too,” he said as he put Harper on her feet again. “And playing fetch, and running. What’s our plan for this afternoon? I say we take a swim, have a drink and dinner and then go for a walk to the lookout and watch the sunset.”

Mason Black

“Or we can saddle Leo and get two more for us and take a horse…I mean dog ride on the beach watching the sun set,” Paris suggested letting out a deep breath.

“So Mason was there a yurt that came with something more…compact like a beagle or chihuahua?”

“Mommy,” Harper said in a firm tone putting her hands on her hips. “Are you making fun of Leo because he is big? You know he can’t help that and you always say judge books by their covers?” The comment never made sense to Harper. How did one know if they wanted to read the book unless they judged the pictures on the front as interesting?

“No I say don’t judge a book by its cover meaning everyone is special and unique and you should get a chance to meet the person and not just think you like them by the way they look,” Paris said.

“But didn’t you just say Leo is stinky and too big and you haven’t even petted him yet,” Harper asked.

“Mason....help please,” Paris looked at her husband.

Paris Black.