round 6 Ensign Devon Romjin & Tadanobu Hoshino - The Legacy Of The Son

[Blueheart]

(( Lyshan VI - Stardate: 2390.10.23 ))

:: There was a slight bite to the evening air. Devon suppressed a
shiver as she double checked the address she had written down. Biting
her lip, she stood staring at the numbers. Doubt or maybe it was fear,
once again rose inside her. She had no idea how the couple would react
to meeting her or more importantly the small baby bundled warmly in
the baby sling draped in front of her. But this was the right thing to
do. She had to at least give them a chance to know their only
grandchild. ::

:: Taking a deep breath, she climbed the last two steps and pressed
the door bell. Then she rocked gently back and forth as little legs
began to squirm against her stomach. ::

:: She was reaching for the bell again when the door slowly opened,
just a crack. ::

ROMJIN: Mr. Hoshino?

:: The eyes peering out through the crack narrowed momentarily as the
older man tried to register the woman's face. That moment was soon
gone once the eyes fell onto the baby. ::

TADANOBU HOSHINO: Oh, come in, child - it is freezing out there.

:: The door open wide allowing Romjin access to the home's entrance. A
single pair of men's boots lay neatly facing the door. On the wall, an
elaborate inked piece of calligraphy added character to a rather
utilitarian room ::

:: Tadanobu stood slightly above Devon on a step delineating the
inside of the house from the unadorned entrance floor. A fireplace
crackled out of view, shadows dancing in the background from where it
cast its light. ::

:: The older man's white hair bore a stark contrast to the dark
patches around his eyes, his body hunched up slightly from an unseen
burden. It wasn't hard for Devon to guess what that burden maybe. ::

HOSHINO: Now, miss, if you don't mind me asking, who are you? :: His
voice was low and measured, he was sizing her up, just as his own son
had barely a year prior. ::

:: Looking into the old man's eyes, her heart ached even more. Did he
realize his son had that very same way of looking at someone? Or was
it just the way the had looked at her? ::

ROMJIN: Devon Romjin, ::pause:: I... ::the baby made the slightest
whimper and Devon uncovered his head:: I'm sorry to bother you but...
::smiling sadly as her mind and heart raced:: I knew your son.

:: There was a moment's silence, not awkward, but one charged with meaning. ::

HOSHINO: You came to the ceremony today, didn't you? You stood at the
back of the crowd. I saw you. :: He inhaled deeply, exhaling with a
drawn out sigh. What was he to do? :: Come in, come in. Step up into
the house... and please, leave your shoes there. :: He smiled, it
seemed warm, but his eyes were dead. In truth, the old man was
wondering what he was about to hear... ::

ROMJIN: Thank you.

:: As she passed by him, he caught a glimpse of the baby's face. That
it seemed ethnically different to Romjin was immediately obvious: the
wispy black hair, the sharper dark eyes, the skintone... He knew what
was about to come next. ::

:: Stepping inside, she was glad to get out of the cold. She tried not
to show her nervousness as she unfastened her jacket while still
holding the baby close with one arm. Then she managed to unzipped the
sides of her boots and kicked them off, leaving them neatly where the
older man had indicated. ::

ROMJIN: Yes, I was there. ::her voice cracked ever so slightly:: I...
::She really wasn't good at this sort of thing.:: It was a beautiful
service.

HOSHINO: :: Motioning to her to sit beside the fire. The furniture was
wooden, hand-made by Tadanobu himself. :: Ryoma never mentioned he had
gotten married... then again, we didn't speak much before he... :: His
voice trailed away. ::

:: The house was spartan, although it hadn't always been that way.
Although tidy, it is was utilitarian and cold. It wasn't like that
when Ryoma was there. It wasn't like that until his mother left. ::

:: Sitting beside the fire, she loosened the sling and pushed it
further open to give the little one more freedom to move his little
legs. She looked up at the old man and blinked. ::

ROMJIN: Married... :: She glanced down at the baby and then back up at
the man. :: Oh... No. ::shaking her head:: We nev...

::This was very awkward to her. As if sensing her emotions, the baby
let out a squeal as he clutched his mother's finger. She couldn't help
but smile down at him. She took a breath and shifted him to a more
comfortable position.::

ROMJIN: I'm sorry. :she gave him a very nervous smile:: This isn't
exactly how... ::shaking her head as if to clear it, she looked back
down:: This is Ryo... your grandson.

:: The old man looked at Romjin with piercing eyes. Was she for real?
Coming to his house with a baby... what did she want? He forced
himself to look down at the baby's eyes, the hard face lingered for
only a moment before cracking into a sobbing wreck. They weren't the
soft sobs of heartbreak, they were the heartwrenching sorrowful tears
of a man who had lost everything only to be shown the light. ::

:: Tadanobu buried his face into his hands as he sobbed out loud. A
year of pain, loss, and burden came crashing down upon him. He leaned
forward, his elbows on his knees, his face still covered by his hands
as he attempted to catch his breath, to suppress the tears for just a
moment that he might gaze on the legacy of his only son. He wiped his
eyes with his sleeve and left his armchair, falling to his knees. He
didn't stop, crawling over to the baby in Romjin's lap, and reaching
out with a hand. As his fingertip reached the baby's cheek, Ryo
flinched, leaning back and grasping with his free-hand to wrap his
meaty paws his grandfather's weathered index finger. It was too much
for the old man to take. He dared not take back his hand, so he sobbed
openly, right at Devon's lap. His head eventually falling onto the lap
of the baby. ::

HOSHINO: I miss him so much... :: He barely managed to form these
words between breathless groans of sorrow. :: Thank you... :: His
voice was now a whisper. :: Thank you.

--tbc--
(PNPC) Ensign Devon Romjin
Intel
USS Discovery-C
-- as played by Lt. jg Collim Kieran

&

(PNPC) Tadanobu Hoshino
Civilian
-- as played by Ens. Ryoma Hoshino