Yuma Robotics HQ, Central Dome, New Astarte, Planet Yuma, Coronado
5 Sept. 824 A.S.
Erik understood Doreen's frustration as she moved about the room and criticised herself for being forgetful. He'd been in this situation once as well, but it ended up as a reason for much laughter. For a second, he thought about telling her the story, but refrained - perhaps another time.
"Perhaps you might have an idea of how or where I can make his birthday better. I mean, I just don't know the area that well yet." "Well... a birthday sure is a moment worthy of honour. Hmmm..." - his voice drifted as he started thinking. New Thessalonica didn't have many special venues... nor did most of the other city islands for that matter. The Republic didn't over-do it when it came to leisure time, they were all a people mostly focused on work, on development... on making sure they have a good life first. Perhaps New Corinth would've been a good idea - the central cultural hub of Yuma. There were quite a few museums, restaurants and resorts there... Then it clicked. "Hm. Actually... when is his birthday exactly?" - he began with bright eyes - "Considering you're living on this planet now, you might as well get to know it... Here's my idea: I can arrange for you and Ben to go on a ferry-trip around the entire planet, see the mainland a bit, the ocean, the flora, the animals... If you think Ben would like it, let's call it a birthday present."
He stopped to see Doreen's reply. In his mind, he knew Peter would love this kind of trip too, because of Ben's company, but he didn't want to impose and suggest anything himself.
She turned around smiling, "He would love it." She walked toward Erik. "I would love it. It's the perfect idea. It gives us both a chance to see our new home in all of it's glory and I can't think of a better way for us to do it than with you and Peter. Time away from our offices...." She caught herself and stopped there.
Erik seemed to know how to make her feel better about things almost on cue. She enjoyed his company but some of her inner feelings were things she had never felt nor did she know how to deal with it. Regardless, it made her feel warm. Sitting on the edge of the chair by Erik again, her hands in her lap, she smiled softly.
"His birthday is Friday," she finally answered, "I'll arrange a cake during the trip somewhere."
Yuma Robotics HQ, Central Dome, New Astarte, Planet Yuma, Coronado
5 Sept. 824 A.S.
Erik appreciated Doreen's remark and smiled at her - perhaps indirect - invitation. There was something in her voice... a kind of happiness... that soothed him. He replied at a slower pace "I'm sure Peter will appreciate the occasion just as much, and I'd be honoured to celebrate the day with you." - he started chuckling - "I guess i'll have to make sure no emergencies happen on Friday."
Before he could say anything more, another notification flashed from his desk. His smile faded again, while his eyes darted to the problem. A few silent seconds passed as he read, after which he turned to Doreen and apologised "It seems we'll have to cut this short. I'll send you the details later. I'm sorry..."
Another notification - Erik sighed and started tapping a few keys on his desk. With one last glance at Doreen, he just added "Have a nice day!"
"Wait!" she hollered...but it was too late. Erik was gone. She just sighed and shrugged. She was going to go to his lab with him but it was probably an emergency that she would only make worse. Instead, she made an easy walk back to her office. Putting on a set of whites, she made rounds around the hospital. She also took the time to heal with her staff after the Gallic pilot. To her relief, not one staff was angry at her. If anything, she found respect among her colleagues.
Later that day, after all the rounds were made, she made her way to Erik's lab. He was busy. His whole staff was busy. Quietly, she watched as they worked. If there was a crisis earlier, she wasn't seeing it. Quietly, she was watching HIM. He showed kindness to both her son and her in a very short time. The barrier of professionalism was lowering a bit although around his coworkers, she referred to him as professor. She didn't want anyone to suspect anything BUT professionalism nor did she want rumors. Noticing how busy he was, she quietly returned to her office.
New Thessalonica Space-port, Planet Yuma, Coronado
morning of 8 Sept. 824 A.S.
During the past few days, Erik took his time making sure everything was in order. With a number of small projects nearing completion, it had been quite a hectic week at Yuma Robotics, but in the end he reassured himself that things wouldn't go sideways in a day. As such, he took this Friday off. Last night, he had arranged with his sister - who works at I.L.L. - to set up a private ferry, for just four passengers. Obviously, he then also sent Doreen a message to come with Ben at the Space-port, dock 3, the next morning, at 09:00.
As per usual, the space-port was full of action, people and transiting vessels. The hustle and bustle was quite common here, most of all, due to the place being a central node between almost all other floating islands on Yuma. At dock 3, an Intersun Luxury Liners vessel was parked.
Peter was already exhausting himself from jumping around near the stylish medium-sized ship. He was over-excited considering what his father explained about today and clearly couldn't contain it. The boy was dressed for the occasion, sporting a simple pair of jeans and a white short-sleeved shirt with the Corvins' logo on the right side of his chest. Erik too tried to go for a classy look, but still casual enough. He was wearing a brown fancy jacket over a gray shirt and pants to match. They had arrived about ten minutes before nine, so at the moment they just needed to wait for Doreen and Ben to arrive.
Unlike his son, Erik didn't show any excitement on the outside, although he did expect this to be - at least - a lovely day. Having fun with his son while showing Yuma to Doreen and Ben was undoubtedly something he would enjoy greatly. And on top of things, the weather felt perfect... with a faint breeze blowing from the west and the sun just starting to rise over New Thessalonica...
She had Benjen dressed for the day. He was in a pair of jeans and a light colored t-shirt. He couldn't sit still. Between being his birthday and that he would get to spend a whole day with Peter, he was bouncing. As Doreen prepared herself, she was smiling at the thought and gave some snickers about it. Yuma was warm so she didn't want to overdress. After all, it was to be a day of fun and no work so she dressed in a designer tank type top and a matching skirt.
Taking a beach style bag, they left for the dock.
Upon the site of Peter, Ben made a mad run for him. As the two jumped around, Doreen was several steps behind, shaking her head. As she walked up to Erik, she scanned him with a smile. "Nice" she thought to herself. She walked right up to him, standing almost shoulder to shoulder. She had made a habit of coming up behind him in his office and whispering a greeting in his ear. This time, she just leaned into him a bit and did the same, "Good Morning!"
She took a look at the two bouncing boys before them and turned to Erik, "I think we should get going before they wear us out."
New Thessalonica Space-port, Planet Yuma, Coronado
morning of 8 Sept. 824 A.S.
With her being so close all of a sudden, Erik felt a tiny rush of warmth, which prompted him to turn towards Doreen, put a smile on his face and say hello. Giving her entire body a quick, discreet, glance simply asserted his prior opinion - she definitely radiated when it came to looks. "I think we should get going before they wear us out." "Probably a good idea." - he chuckled back at her comment. The boys were already a bit too tiresome - albeit cute nonetheless - and the trip hadn't even started.
Erik waved at the ship's bow twice to signal the captain, who quickly opened the hatch and deployed the passenger ramp. As soon as it was ready, Erik shouted "Come on, boys! We're boarding." and watched as the two sprinted over the ramp and into the ferry. He let out a snicker and then turned to Doreen again, elegantly motioning for her to enter the ship as well, while he followed one step behind.
The inside of the ferry wasn't too luxurious, but it definitely showed the same style as the Gaia-II, the ship that brought Doreen and Ben to Yuma in the first place. Being a smaller craft, meant for short voyages, it had no staff around - only the four passengers and the captain who remained at the bridge for now, preparing for lift-off. The ship's lobby had been, however, already arranged with some assorted birthday decorations, which had caught the kids' eyes.
His eyes opening wide like saucers, Ben immediately reacted upon sight of the decorations. He realized what this was all about.
"Mom!" he exclaimed, "You did this for me?" He ran up and hugged her.
"Yes, Sweetie, we did," she answered, "but Dr. Corvin made this a possibility."
He then hurriedly turned to Dr. Corvin. In his excitement, he hugged him too. "Oh thank you Doctor Corvin. Thank you." Then, he and Peter decided to run off, leaving Erik and Doreen alone. Doreen was laughing but then dropped to a soft smile, looking at Erik.
"I think you've made a friend, Erik," she said to him. Looking around, their was no one about. "I think we had better catch up to them, Dr. Corvin," she said teasingly.
As he received Ben's hug, Erik simply stroke the top of his head and smiled. It didn't feel much different than his own son's hugs... it was a sincere and innocent act, one full of happiness. "Happy birthday, young man!" he spoke softly, before the boy went off.
"I think we had better catch up to them, Dr. Corvin,"
Erik smirked at Doreen's chaff, but thinking for a second about her remark, he replied "The day's just starting... we'd better save our energy for when we really need to run after them." - he snickered while beginning to move towards a hallway - "Besides, the ship's small enough so they can't go far." He took of his jacket, folded it nicely and placed it on the backrest of a chair before motioning for Doreen to follow him.
The ship had just started to stir as it was taking off. Before long, they were cruising out of New Thessalonica's sight. and into a blue yonder. They eventually came onto a balcony-like deck, with a whole wall made of glass, which enabled them to see outside the ship. The view was already magnificent. This side of the ocean was quite calm, the tropical winds barely birthing any waves. In the distance, a lush, yet small, island was becoming visible...
"The islands look so pristine from afar... It's a pity the flora chokes pretty much anything we'd try to build on them." Erik noted, as he was leaning on the glass wall and gazing away.
She put on a smile as she looked at the island. It was one of want. She gave a quick look to Erik before turning back. It was beautiful. She had mentioned her desire to live on one and she wasn't about to waver on it. For once, she wanted to live where she wanted to live. Her apartment was nice, yes. Her old Gran Canaria condo wasn't bad either but she was looking at a virtual paradise.
"Beautiful," she said softly, "simply beautiful." She leaned forward a bit, "One day........one day......that island will be home....some day, some how."
She turned back to Erik, smiling brightly. She could hardly believe that this man was doing so much for her and her son in so little time. The little girl in her wanted to hug him but the woman said "not yet." Her smiles kept her from hiding it though. She just turned and enjoyed the view, ".....one day."
_____
Not far from them, Benjen and Peter were playing. While Ben noticed the island as well, he didn't go into a deep state of admiration like his mother did. It was his birthday and of the ten he had, this one included, this was the best. He had his buddy, his Mom and his buddy's Dad on a personal tour. Looking around the ship he was on, he gave a sharp smile to Peter, "Let's be pirates!! Argh!"
Before long, they were both talking like pirates and acting like them.