Memories of Bysorrn: Gratitude
Ten year old Cadrina Shepard has rescued an asari child, Oja, from drowning on Palturma Beach on the planet Bysorrn. Cadrina had been taught that a good deed was its own reward. She wishes that Oja's parents could have explained that to their child…
Mannikreck's, a once-popular open air restaurant, was positioned near the main entrance to the waterfront. It was the first business to be established on the beach since the planet was first colonized. Queras Mannikreck had supplied visitors of all races with food and drink for many years. Now that humans were planetside, the turian owner expanded his menu to entice the new clientele. Turian and other non-human attendance fell as a result, leaving behind only its most devoted customers. Queras did not let this trend discourage him as he hired on a couple of humans to his staff to further increase his multispecies appeal and to assist in preparing meals that were a health risk to his dextro-DNA constitution.
It was here that Cadrina Shepard waited for her friend Steven Hanol to show and meet up with some of the other local children. Ialvid and Eleya Nocris were here as well with their daughter Ojarali, whom everyone called Oja. Only two days earlier she and her father nearly drowned while rowing out in the ocean. The resourcefulness and bravery of Cadrina and her father Dylan averted this tragedy. When the asari child spotted Cadrina, she wasted no time in reiterating her gratitude.
Oja pranced back and forth along the front of the counter in her white and gold trimmed sundress, happily singing an improvised song about her hero. A turian couple stopped by to watch the little asari's performance. The wife insisted that her husband take a holovid of the little singer and her inspiration. Oja began her song again for the fourth time:
"Pretty human, can't be missed! Sweetest thing I ever kissed! Cadrina Shep-ard is the best and…"
Oja stopped and threw her arms out wide in Cadrina's direction.
"She's myyy girl-friennnnnnnnnnnnd!"
Oja then continued to march and sing her tribute. Cadrina sat at the counter sporting a red face and a very exasperated look. She let her head fall down into the cover of her folded arms with a thud as Oja sang the next verse:
"She's brave and strong, she saved my life! One day I will be her wife! But for now, I'm proud to say…"
Oja spread her arms once more, this time facing the turian couple.
"She's myyy girl-friennnnnnnnnnnnd!"
The husband zoomed in on Oja with his camera. Cadrina's back was to the lens. Her faced was still buried in her arms.
"Ca-driiiina - my new girl-friend! Ca-driiiina – it's not pretend! Said it before, I'll say it agaaaaaain…sheee's myyyyyyy girrrrllll-FRIENNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNND!"
The turian woman applauded as Oja curtsied. "Isn't she just precious? She just adores her human friend!" she said to her husband.
"…mmmm, no accounting for taste," was his response as he confirmed the vid was saved and put away his camera.
The husband's comment was enough to snap Cadrina out of her self-conscious haze. She raised her head and shot an annoyed glance at the turians.
"Hey; what wazzat for? You don't even know me!"
"I've known enough of your kind, thank you…" dismissed the husband as he and his wife passed her by on their way out. The wife gave a sideways glance at the human girl, looking ashamed. She did not feel that all humans were a blight as her husband did.
Oja quickly came to her love's defense. "Hey, you can't talk about my girl-friend that way, parbo-head!" she yelled out at him and stuck out her tongue, blowing across it.
Cadrina groaned and motioned to speak to her only to be interrupted by one of the human bartenders who placed an empty ice bucket on the countertop in front of her.
"I'm done with it in case you need to use it," he joked and flashed a wide grin.
Cadrina squinted and laughed mockingly, not needing the additional embarrassment. She turned her attention back to Oja.
"Ummm, Oja" Cadrina stammered. Her small admirer looked up at her expectantly. "It's… a realllly sweet song… but you don't have to sing it to everyone that walks in here!"
"Everybody seems to like it," Oja responded. "Besides, it's all true! Every little bit!"
"Oja, I'm not your girlfriend…"
Oja kneeled in front of Cadrina and rested her hands and chin on her savior's lap as she looked upwards.
"But you saved me and daddy! We wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you!"
Cadrina stroked the top of Oja's head. "Ohhh, you don't owe me anything! I'm just glad both of you are okay." She consulted her omni-tool; her friend was just about due to arrive and she needed to have Oja leave. He might not have the same tolerance level for the little girl's antics.
"Look, you should get back to your mom and dad. They're probably wondering where you are."
Oja sprang to her feet and pointed down across the main floor of the restaurant to Eleya and Ialvid, who were seated at a table on the far end. "There they are, right there! They can see me – HELL-OOOO!" The youth bounced in place and waved furiously at her parents, who waved back in acknowledgement.
Oja turned back to Cadrina. "See, they know where I am!"
Cadrina sighed and shook her head. Oja's lips spread into a wide smile, having proved to her own satisfaction that her parents knew her whereabouts. Three boys then walked into the premises and headed towards the counter: a salarian, a turian and a human.
Steven.
Oja cleared her throat and drew in a breath in preparation to burst into song again. Cadrina cupped her shoulder to stop her.
"Oja? Just promise me you'll behave and you can sit with me. No singing, okay?"
"…ooo-kay," Oja exhaled and climbed on to a stool next to Cadrina as Steven approached with his companions.
"He-heyy!" he declared as he bumped fists with her. He then introduced his new friends.
"Guys, meet Cadrina Shepard. Cadrina, this is Touk Landray," he gestured to the salarian and then to the turian "And this is Kale Mannikreck."
Cadrina shook each of their hands, recognizing them as two of the onlookers from the skate park a few days ago. She held on to the turian's hand slightly longer as she came to a realization about him. "Your father owns this place!"
"Sure does!" replied Kale as he gently withdrew his hand and then chuckled "Doesn't mean you'll get discounts or free stuff, though." He began to scratch at his chin. "I might… reconsider… if you let me have a go at your Skyboard!"
Cadrina frowned "It's in for repairs - sand and water damage?"
Touk and Kale murmured with a mixture of disappointment and remembrance, recalling the day when Cadrina's Skyboard was used to effect Oja's and her father's rescue.
"Of course, of course," said Touk."That was very courageous of you."
Oja threw her arms around Cadrina and chimed in. "Yeah! Isn't she great?"
Touk leaned in to get a better look at the asari "You! You're the little one who was saved. You are very, very lucky!"
"Uh-huh! She gave me a special kiss that saved my life!"
"Mouth-to-mouth resuscitation," Cadrina clarified. "I took a class with my dad a few months ago; never thought I'd need it so soon!"
"And now she's my girlfriend!"
"Oja…"
"Mommy and Daddy said I have to wait until I'm older to get married, but I'm verrrry patient! One time I waited a whooole hour for muba fruit pudding!"
"Oja?"
The asari's mouth gaped. Her eyes blinked and shifted in Cadrina's direction. Cadrina regarded her somewhat sternly. Oja huffed and shrugged and settled back into her seat. She didn't want to sit quietly She wanted to jump around. To shout and sing about how wonderful she thought Cadrina was. But the older children did not seem to want anything to do with her, much like most of the other adults. Oja rested her head on her arm and kicked her legs.
"Better be careful, Cadrina! People might talk…" chided Kale.
The children continued getting better acquainted. "So you're in Steven's game design group" Touk noted to Cadrina "I happen to be quite good at vid games myself. What are you working on right now?"
"A fighting game," she answered "with fish."
"Japan-ezze fighting fish," Steven added with a few impromptu martial arts gestures "With weapons, pirates, fishing line hazards!" He directed a stare at his human friend. "And absolutely NO HEGDEHOGS!"
Cadrina blushed slightly and looked to the floor. Once, her affection for these animals led her to convince her group to create a dungeon quest game featuring an anthropomorphic hedgehog as the hero. The game was a dismal failure when it was posted to the extranet. Cadrina was secretly hoping to rework her old character into a guest fighter in the new game.
"What are hesh-hogs?" asked Oja, hoping that she could be part of their conversation.
"Cute, spiky, fuzzy animals that have no place in vid games!" Steven replied in disgust. Cadrina snorted to herself, thinking of one particular old vid game that would discredit his assertion.
"I like games with fuzzy a-minals!" Oja remarked in favor of Cadrina.
Her endorsement did not sway Steven. "Well, we don't make games for babies!"
"I'm not a baby! I'm five!" Oja fired back, holding out her open hand just a couple of inches from his face.
Cadrina reached under the girl's arms and lowered her to the floor. "That's enough, Ojaaa," she told her in a mildly flustered sing-song voice "Time to go with your mom and dad, nooow."
But Steven had hit a nerve with the asari. "I like fighting games and shooting games, too!" Oja climbed back up on her stool and up onto the countertop. She picked up two sauce dispensers, holding them as though they were guns and pretended to dispatch imaginary enemies in front of her. Cadrina and Kale tried to grab her but she managed to evade them.
"eh-eh-eh-eh-eh-Bam! Bam! Show no mercy – ha-hah!" Oja hopped over their arms back onto her stool. The impact of landing on her backside startled her, causing her to squeal and squeeze the dispensers she held and spray purple-colored sauce all over Steven and Touk.
"Agh, direct hit!" the young salarian cried.
Cadrina finally managed to restrain Oja and take back the dispensers, apologizing for the trouble her young charge had caused. Oja laughed and pointed at the sauce-stained children. Kale quickly scrutinized their faces. It did not appear as if any got into their mouths or other facial orifices. He then leapt over the counter in search of some towels.
"Great Spirits, that sauce is dextro-based!" he exclaimed as he pored over the shelves.
Steven stood with eyes wide and hands extended, afraid to move lest the sauce drip further down on him. "Uhhhh… are we gonna die?"
Kale vaulted back over the counter, wet towels in hand, and proceeded to carefully clean off Steven and Touk. "No, but you might start to swell or itch. And if my father sees you like this, he'll peel my plates!"
All the while, Oja continued to find the whole situation funny. Cadrina had tried being patient with the little asari, but now her patience was exhausted.
Cadrina knelt down to Oja's eye level and firmly grabbed her shoulders. "That was not funny, Oja! You messed up their clothes and they might have gotten really sick! Now tell them you're sorry!"
Oja still did not comprehend what might have happened if the children had swallowed any of the sauce. "I made sauce guns, Cadrina!" she giggled "Better than stupid fighting fishies!"
"Oja! Stop it!"
"He doesn't like your hesh-hogs in his games! Serrrves him righ-t!"
"Oja!"
"Nobody talks to myyy girl-friend that way and gets away with it!"
Cadrina's last ounce of restraint burned away. "STOP IT, OJA! YOU'RE BEING A BRAT!"
Everything around her seemed to cloud up as she screamed. Immediately after, the world appeared normal again, but now very still and quiet. She became aware that she had attracted attention from everyone around her. Her eyes focused in on Oja's startled face. The toddler's lip quivered. Her eyes watered and she began to sniffle. Cadrina's friends were also surprised at her loud, shrill tone of voice. Steven momentarily though he could still hear echoes of it.
"Ohhhhh, dear" Touk uttered, having evaluated all the signs, knowing that the next sound that would be heard was preschool bawling.
Cadrina raised her hand timidly to try to calm the asari down, but it was far too late. Oja started to moan and she appeared as if she were trying to withdraw her head between her shoulders. Her face wrinkled and she ran past Cadrina out of the restaurant wailing. Cadrina immediately followed. Oja ducked around and under the front stairwell leading to the restaurant entrance. Though swift, Cadrina easily caught up to her. She found Oja huddled in the sand leaning on one of the stairwell's support columns, her face hidden between her knees. She could hear the shuffling of sand as Cadrina knelt down beside her.
"Go away, Cadrina!" she sobbed "Go away!"
"…I'm sorry I got angry, Oja…" said Cadrina quietly "I didn't wanna yell at you… but you shouldn't have acted up like that. That sauce you squirted on them… only turians can eat it. It can make anyone else sick…"
Oja sniffled "You hate me, don't you? I almost hurt your friends!"
"My friends are okay, thank goodness… I don't hate you…"
"But you don't wanna be my girlfriend! You don't love me!"
Cadrina sat down beside Oja in the same manner as the asari, resting her chin on her knees. "Oja, listen to me. Please?"
Oja sniffled a bit more and lifted her head. She would not look at Cadrina.
"If you don't love me, why did you save me?"
Cadrina, taken aback by such a morbid statement from someone so young, gently took Oja's head and coaxed her into looking her way. "Oja! How can you say that?" She caressed the girl's cheeks with her thumbs, wiping away tears. "You needed help! You and your father were in really big trouble!"
"The prince in the story did every-thing to save the prin-cess! He almost died! But he loved her so much he could climb all those mountains! And kill all those monsters!"
"If it was anybody else, I'd do the same," Cadrina stated matter-of-factly.
"Whyyy? You don't love them! You don't' even know them!"
Cadrina tried to articulate a reason Oja could understand. "It's… just… what I do. What I should do. It's myyy… civic duty!"
"Ci-vik doody?"Oja wondered aloud, beginning to calm down a little.
"Yeah, like the turians. They believe it's their duty to cooperate and help each other, to fix things, to get things done."
"But you're a hue-man! Tury-ens and hue-mans don't like each other!" Oja's despair was slowly being replaced by curiosity.
"Some of them still fight," Cadrina acknowledged "But everyone else is trying to get along now. That's why humans are on this world now and the turians are on ours, to learn from each other."
"Oh," Oja raised her head a bit more "But they're still strangers. Mommy and Daddy told me I should never talk to strangers. If you can't talk to strangers, you can't help them either…"
"It's o-kay to help someone you don't know sometimes, or even talk to them a little bit," explained Cadrina "Just don't say anything too much about yourself or walk away with them! Little things, like saying hello or wishing someone a nice day, offering a seat to someone who's tired or helping someone pick up stuff they dropped."
Oja gave another small moan of understanding.
"Your mommy and daddy love you very much. They just want you to be safe."
Cadrina was glad to see that Oja had stopped crying and now thought of a new topic to bring up to restore her to her former self. "Hey, your mama's got a biiig tummy!" she began "You're gonna be a big sister soon, huh?"
"Yeah…" Oja sulked. Cadrina thought the toddler would be excited at having a new addition to the family.
"I gotta admit I'm a little jealous," Cadrina went on "I'm the only one in my family. I'd love to have a little brother or sister, but mom and dad are waaay too busy! They say they were lucky enough just to have me!"
"Mommy's having a new baby, so I'm not a baby anymore," Oja observed "Mommy and Daddy will take care of her more cause she'll be really tiny and can't do things by herself…" She set her chin on her knees "…like I can…"
Cadrina rubbed Oja's shoulder "Your mom and dad will love you just the same, you'll see!"
Oja's tone grew more concerned. "What about the baby? I dunno how to be a big sister! What if I don't like her?" She looked worriedly at Cadrina.
"What if she doesn't like me?"
"She's gonna love you!" reassured Cadrina, putting an arm around the young asari's shoulders "And you're gonna be nuts about her!"
Oja cocked her head.
"You're gonna love her, too!" Cadrina rephrased.
She paused a moment to let Oja take in all that was said and to understand her point of view. The asari youth was already anxious and fearful about her place in her family once her new sister was born. And then she suffers a near-death experience and is rescued by someone who she believed would take care of her and love her if her parents were too preoccupied. Surely, she must have at least a couple of other friends her age. But none who would really understand what she was going through; some might already have siblings older or younger. Oja needed guidance from someone a bit older than her, who knew what being an only child was like. Someone who could show her there was nothing to really be afraid of. Cadrina gathered herself up and spoke.
"Oja… I'm too young to get married… and I'm still too young to have a girlfriend or boyfriend…" She turned to look at her young admirer. "But I'd really like to be your friend."
"Really?" said Oja, her face lighting up with joy. "My best-est friend?"
Cadrina smiled "…best-est friend!"
Oja threw her arms around Cadrina's neck and pressed her cheek to her friend's. "O-KAAAY!"
"O-o-okay!" agreed Cadrina. She held Oja close and gently rocked her. "We learn how to be big sisters together! You know, being a big sister is a lotta responsibility. You have to help your mom and dad raise her, too. There are things out there…" Cadrina's voice became a whisper "A monster that you'll need to protect her from!"
"What monster?" Oja whispered back.
Cadrina took a dramatic pause then suddenly removed her arm from around Oja and began tickling underneath her armpits "Theee –TICKLE MONNNNSTEEERRRRRR!"
Oja laughed and squealed as Cadrina kept tickling her and wrestling her to the sand. Oja retaliated and started to tickle Cadrina's sides, rolling her on her back. Cadrina didn't feel all too sensitive where Oja was tickling, but she played along for the young asari's benefit. After a minute or so the two friends rested and then stood up, dusted themselves off and strolled out from under the stairs. Waiting at the bottom of the stairs were Ialvid and Eleya. Ialvid looked at Oja and crossed his arms.
"Mr. and Mrs. Nocris," blurted Cadrina "Oja's just fine. We just had a little talk."
"We overheard," Ialvid nodded "Thank you, Cadrina." Cadrina nodded in return. He extended a hand to Oja and took on a stern expression. "Come along, young lady! There are two very messy boys you owe an apology to!"
"…yes, Daddy…" was Oja's quiet reply.
Cadrina gently nudged Oja to take her father's hand. As Ialvid led his daughter up the stairs, she looked down to Cadrina who smiled at her. Oja's lips drew up slightly, still feeling remorse for what she did earlier, but knowing that after any punishment she was due, her newest and "best-est" friend Cadrina would be waiting for her. Eleya stood behind to speak with Cadrina.
"You're all she talks about," she remarked "You and your father – 'Mr. Dylan,' she calls him." Eleya and Cadrina laughed.
"When is the baby due?" asked Cadrina, noting Eleya's abdomen.
"Not for another three to four months. I understand that human gestation periods are two months shorter than ours – your species lucked out there!" She cradled her abdomen and slowly ran her hand along the top.
"Still, I remember when I carried Ojarali. It was rough and a bit frightening at times, but Ialvid and I managed. It isn't like that now, but… I can't really play with her as much as I used to. Ialvid, Goddess bless him, he really tries to do his part. But between his work and raising her… no, I can't! You've done far more than enough for us!"
"I don't mind, really" assured Cadrina "I just need to ask my parents if they're okay with it. I can babysit Oja."
Eleya stepped closer to Cadrina and lightly her cheek.
"Thank you, Cadrina…" She gazed at Cadrina's face taking in her features. She squinted a little, seeming to find something of great interest in them.
"What is it?" Cadrina asked.
"Oh, nothing…" Eleya withdrew her hand "It's… there's just something about you. In your aura…"
Cadrina's eyes beckoned Eleya to say more.
"I feel… somehow… that you have a great destiny ahead of you, that you will do something of great importance one day. I just … I just know it…"
Eleya held Cadrina's chin. "You have a good heart and an open mind. Never allow them to whither. Find strength and love in your family and your friends."
Eleya blinked and then adopted a lighter tone, releasing Cadrina's chin.
"Listen to me just drone on! I didn't mean to keep you – go! Go be with your friends, Cadrina. I'll walk you back inside."
Cadrina's attentiveness to Eleya's words melted back into a friendly smile "Thank you, Mrs. Nocris"
Cadrina and Eleya went up the stairway back into the restaurant.
END
Author's Notes and Thoughts:
- Originally, I had Oja call the turian husband a "doody-head." But this is a non-human child; names for poo don't always translate along. I know, details, details!
- Easy 5 points for whoever gets the hedgehog game reference. As for the fighting fish game, I thought of a parody of the Soul Calibur game called Sole Halibut. Knowing Steven's obsession with karate, it's sure to be a monster hit on the extranet!
- My sincerest apologies if you should happen to get Oja's girlfriend song stuck in your head. I had to come up with it – how do you think I feel?