Good 'Ole Summer Time [Open to All]

OOC: How does your character enjoy the good old summertime?

[Riga, Latvia]

The sun was still low in the sky, giving the air a crispness that only morning could bring. A light breeze set all the flags in the capital city aflutter, and his heart fluttered along with them as it always did when his lady was with him. Henriks grinned, taking Chira's hand and giving it a quick kiss. He watched as waves lapped gently against the banks of the river, mesmerized by their movements.

No day could be more perfect, he thought. Summer was drawing to a close, he was engaged to the most spectacular lady in all the universe, and she and his family were finally going to meet.

Henriks 'oofed' as arms suddenly wrapped around his torso from behind in a tight hug. He momentarily let go of his lady's hand to spin around to face the culprit. "Māra!" he laughed, and his little sister squealed with delight. Wrapping his arm around her neck with brotherly affection, he explained "This is my little sister, Chira, the baby of the family." He grinned. Just his sister. The rest must be at home, he thought. Knowing māte, she'd be baking up a storm.

Māra shoved him off. "Baby?" she scoffed, mouth gaping in a half smile. She'd seen nineteen name days now, hardly a baby. Placing a hand on her hip, she said, "My brother's just being silly. I'm Māra, and you must be Chira. We've heard so much about you." She beamed and walked up to give her sister to be a hug.

[Latvia]

One of the first things Chira noticed about the real Latvia in the fall was the scent of falling leaves in the air. It had always been one of her favorite things about autumn. Although it was not yet that time of year...it was close. Soon, it would be time for the brilliant colors to come out.

Soon...it would be time for the wedding.

It still seemed a little surreal to Chira, if she thought about it too much. She had never been one to dwell overmuch on things like her own future, and who she might spend it with. And yet, here had come Henriks, with his sweet and adorably old-fashioned charm...sweeping her right off her feet. If surviving a devastating war had taught her one thing, it was to seize the moments of happiness that life gave. Sometimes, they were few and far between.

She caught motion out of the corner of her eye, smirking as she deftly stepped out of the way, allowing Henriks' sister to plow into him. Chira laughed and returned Mara's hug. "Yes, I am Chira," she grinned. "And I've heard quite a bit about all of you, too."

[Riga]

Māra grinned in reply, arching a brow. "Oh, I'm sure he's told you all sorts of stories," she laughed. "And boy do I have so many stories I could tell you about him." She stuck her tongue out at her brother. She was going to like having a sister, she decided. Māra never had one before. All she had was older brothers growing up, and Henriks was the first of them to be getting married.

It made Henriks grin to see the two of them already getting along so splendidly. "Careful, māsa. Wouldn't want you to get drenched in the river," he teased. "Everyone back at the house then?" he asked, more or less serious now.

Māra nodded. "Māte has been baking all day. She insists the replicator will never get the bread just right," she explained. "I hope you like tea," she added to Chira almost in the form of a question, smiling. "I think we drink almost as much tea as the British, though I've never been to England, so I wouldn't really know." Māra laughed as she began to lead their little party back to the house. "What's America like? If you don't mind my asking. Henriks says your family is from Virginia?"

"I do love tea, yes," Chira smiled. "Caramel vanilla chai, actually, is my favorite." Reaching over, she slipped Henriks' hand into hers. "Your Mate sounds quite a bit like my own grandmother. She loves to cook any chance she gets, and swears on it versus replicator food."

Chira decided that she was probably going to like this girl. It kind of reminded her of her own self, just ten years a junior. Having grown up in a house full of brothers, she could probably sympathize with the girl. "Well, America's not too different than here, from what I can tell. Most of my time Earthbound, I've spent going to various schools and going for degrees. I'm also from the Alpha Centauri system, which is a bit like here and there. So," she grinned at Mara, "I guess it goes to show that things are quite similar, no matter where you go."

[Riga]

Māra smiled, her skirt flicking slightly in the breeze as they made the short trek to the house. "Yes, our mother loves to bake when she can. She doesn't have much time during the school year. Somehow she always seems to be grading papers and tests. Gran was the same way."

Her hand back in his, Henriks raised it so he could kiss it. Normally his sister would have poked her tongue at him for it, but her eyes were on the clear blue sky. "They have lots of trees there, and mountains," Henriks told his sister. He'd only seen a small portion though. "I think you would like it." There weren't any real mountains in Latvia, but plenty of snow at least. And lots of trees.

When at last they reached the Ābols' dwelling, Henriks paused a moment before pushing the door open. The scent of baking bread was the first thing to greet the trio. His mother stepped out of the kitchen as they stepped into the living room. "Māte, tas ir Chira."

His mother took a moment to wipe the flour dust off her apron before beaming and the young woman who had captured her son's heart. "Welcome to our family, Miss Chira," she said beaming. At that, Henriks' two brothers, who had been lounging on the couch, sprung to their feet.

As the small group made their way to the house, Chira couldn't help but be amused by the slight similarities between Henriks' mother and her own. Well, except for the baking part. Her own mother, Ariadne, was an indifferent cook at best, and had no problems at all with using a replicator. It was actually her father who was always the household chef. However, both Henriks' mother and her own were teachers, in their own way. Ariadne had started out in education, before moving on to research and development.

"Yes, I agree," she grinned. "You'll definitely have to come visit soon." Chira hoped that her soon-to-be sister in law would take her up on the offer. Hopefully, they could go out together, and the girl wouldn't make Chira feel too old.

The cozy confines of the Abols household approached, and Chira had to smile again. The surroundings were markedly different, but she couldn't help but be reminded of her grandparents' home...especially when they entered, and Mate was busy baking bread. Chira hadn't a clue what Henriks said, but she assumed it was an introduction. She would have to make an effort to learn his native tongue. If her brother could take an honest stab at Romulan, then she could learn Latvian.

"Thank you, ma'am," Chira said, returning the smile with a nod of her head. "Good to meet you," she said, to the room at large.

"I'd love to visit America," Māra grinned. "I've never been across the big lake. I do hope you'll be able to show me. It wouldn't be the same if someone else did." She really wanted to spend time with she who would be her sister. Chira was definitely turning out to be as wonderful as her brother had said. Māra disappeared into the kitchen. Off to pilfer fresh bread, no doubt, Henriks thought to himself.

Grinning, his gaze turned back to his lovely lady. "And these are my two brothers," he explained. "Pauls, the one who looks like me, is my twin and also serves as a medic on the Roosevelt."

"If ever an angel did walk the earth," Pauls said with a wry grin. Henriks gave him a playful shove as if to say, enough of that. "Well, it's a pleasure to finally meet you," Pauls continued, more serious. "Might have met sooner, but I don't think Starfleet wants me and him to serve on the same ship. It'd be too confusing for the command staff," he laughed.

The other brother didn't wait for an introduction from Henriks, speaking a moment after his younger brother had stopped. "I'm Juris," he said, offering his hand to shake. "I own a restaurant 'round here."

It was at that point that his mother and sister emerged from the kitchen, bringing food to set down onto the table that had been set up. There was bread, pierogi, and Henriks had asked them to make some of Chira's favorites. "Hungry, m'lady?" he asked with a grin.

Juris, Pauls, Mara, Mate, Chira thought, remembering them all, one by one. She gave a happy little laugh as Henriks' brother, Pauls, complimented her. "Oh, I can imagine the two of you were trouble growing up," she said, chuckling. "It was bad enough growing up with Gabe and Garen in the house. I can't imagine if they were doppelgangers."

She greeted Juris in turn, and then made her way to the table with the rest of them. There were plenty of traditional foods, and...

"Oh, my gosh. Is that chicken parmesan?" She understood immediately that Henriks had probably tipped his mother off as to one of her favorite meals.

"Oh, yes. We were quite the duo, weren't we, Henriks?" Pauls laughed as he nudged his brother with his elbow. "They had us in separate classes at first, thinking that it would be less trouble that way. But we loved to switch places, especially--"

"--on test days," Henriks continued, grinning. "So they finally decided that it would be easier to have us both in the same room--"

"--where they could keep an eye on both of it at the same time. They still had some trouble telling us apart, but at least they knew where both of us were." Both the twins were grinning at this point. Pauls pulled out a chair so he could plop his rump into it. Henriks pulled a chair out for Chira before pulling one for himself.

His mother returned from the kitchen, having discarded her apron, and slipped into the seat at the head of the table. It was father's usual seat, but he was busy and wouldn't be back until later. "Yes, chicken parmesan," she smiled. "A little birdie told me that you would enjoy the dish, and we wanted to make sure you feel at home."

Māra began dishing up plates for everyone. "Just out of curiosity," she asked, handing a plate to Chira, "what got you interested in the medical field?"

She just had to laugh at the spectacle of the twins finishing each others' sentences. There was something about having a twin that came with a certain...x-factor...that science had yet to isolate, or even begin to properly study. Chira couldn't imagine if Gabriel and Garen were twins. The latter had already been bad enough of an influence on her baby brother...

"That little birdie was correct," she grinned, nudging Henriks. "And thank you." She accepted the plate, settling it on the table in front of her. Chira wouldn't have minded just digging in, but it would certainly be rude of her. "Well," she said, thinking a moment. "I guess...well, I've always had a desire to help people. My first university degree was in clinical psychology. The nursing accreditation came later, so as not to limit myself." She shrugged. "It just...always felt like the right thing to be doing. I'm glad for it...for the opportunities Starfleet has afforded...and the people I've met," Chira said, smiling demurely at her fiancée.

Henriks couldn't be happier than he was right then, surrounded by family and good food. His fiancée to one side, his twin to the other, and a plate topped with chicken and pierogi sitting before him. Life was good, better than it had been for months.

He picked up a fork and just held it in his hand for a moment. His elder brother sat opposite him, flanked by their mother and sister. Juris had been quiet, but he usually was, and he was never one to eat with his mouth full. Pauls, on the other hand... "People, eh?" he said between mouthfuls, nudging his brother with his elbow, grinning at Chira. "It's a shame we're not on the same ship. And while keeping us apart didn't work in school, it works just fine for Starfleet because we can't readily switch places. If only we could," he laughed.

Oh, how Henriks had missed his brother and his foolish antics. "Forgive my brother," Henriks told her, kissing her hand, "but he has always been a bit out there."

Māra had been listening, and watching, the whole while. "I think it's very wonderful what you do," she said, poking at her peas, spearing half a dozen of them onto her fork before sticking it into her mouth. "Psychology sounds very fascinating, understanding how people's minds work." She threw a quick glance at her three brothers. "I wish I could understand them better. I wanted to to join up and enlist in Starfleet like them, to help. But my parents wouldn't consent, saying that I was too young and had studies to attend to. But I suppose I should be grateful to them for that, especially after seeing the scars Henriks came home with."

She looked briefly down at her plate before looking back up. "I'm sorry if I talk too much," she said quietly. "They say I have a motor mouth. Would you like some tea?" she asked, suddenly changing the subject.

"It's...challenging, definitely," Chira nodded, giving her fiancee a little smile as he kissed her hand. Henriks was one for the sweet and romantic gestures, that was for sure. Not that Chira minded one little bit.

To be honest, Chira couldn't really blame Mara's parents for not wanting their child to enlist, especially with everything that had been going on for the past...oh, ten years, or so. The Borg, the Dominion...it was a dangerous time, even though the war was done. She reached over, taking Henriks by the hand, her eyes full of nothing but love. "Scars, yes. But...it's time to patch all of those up, isn't it? That's what doctors do." She gave a little kiss of her own to his hand, turning back to the family. "It's dangerous out there, yes. But it's also very rewarding. Now that the war's won, hopefully Starfleet can get back to what we're supposed to be doing...exploring."

Henriks looked down to his arm briefly at the mention of scars. He only had two, one of which was on his arm. It was amazing what doctors could do about scars, make them vanish as if they'd never been there. But he'd kept his. Erasing the scars would be like erasing the memories of the war, he thought, and would be good to have the reminder.

He absolutely loved it when his lady smiled. He would do anything to see that smile, and it would have brought one to his face if he hadn't already been grinning from ear to ear. How could he do anything but in her presence. His twin was ginning too, no doubt thinking that he looked silly. Juris hardly smiled, his mother quite the opposite, and his sister... often had a flair for the dramatic.

But she had disappeared again, if only momentarily, returning from the kitchen with two steaming pitchers of tea. "Carmel vanilla chai," she said, pointing to the leftmost one after setting it down, "and homemade peppermint," she explained, pointing to the other. "May I pour you a cup?"

Pouring tea, Māra, added, "It's good starfleet has you three. So many must need patching up, and counseling. Henriks tells us that your voice has a magical quality to it, and I can see he isn't wrong," she said, smiling at her sister to be.

Magical? Now that certainly made the color rise in Chira's cheeks. No matter how confident she was in her abilities, career, and life...instantaneous blushing was one of the holdovers from her girlhood that she just couldn't shake. She'd stopped fighting it years ago. It was just a part of her, now.

"Ah...well. I wouldn't call it magic," she said, smiling demurely. "I just...well. I've always been a good listener, and have been fortunate to find a place for that in my line of work." She smiled happily at the tea. He remembered her favorite! Of course he did. Henriks did stuff like that. "I'll take the chai, thank you."

She gave Henriks a little nudge. "Have you told everyone that we've settled on a time of year for the wedding?" Maybe she could make him flush a little, herself.

As far as he was concerned, it was magic, but wasn't everything magic when dealing with love? He didn't care. It was magic all the same. He released a sigh of contentment.

Māra filled the mug with the selected tea before setting it carefully before Chira. Chira had said it was her favorite, Māra remembered that, when they were walking from the river to the house. So she had made sure to make a batch of it in addition to the family favorite. "Same please," Henriks asked. Requests for peppermint came from the other three.

Chira nudged Henriks as he took his cup of tea. He went red as an apple at the question, having entirely forgotten. "Erm, sometime in the autumn," Henriks explained, taking a sip from the mug.

"This autumn?" Māte asked. Henriks nodded. "Oh, that's wonderful!" She clasped her hands together, ecstatic. "The leaves will be so beautiful, as will you. Have you two set a date yet?"

Henriks Ābols wrote:

As far as he was concerned, it was magic, but wasn't everything magic when dealing with love? He didn't care. It was magic all the same. He released a sigh of contentment.

Māra filled the mug with the selected tea before setting it carefully before Chira. Chira had said it was her favorite, Māra remembered that, when they were walking from the river to the house. So she had made sure to make a batch of it in addition to the family favorite. "Same please," Henriks asked. Requests for peppermint came from the other three.

Chira nudged Henriks as he took his cup of tea. He went red as an apple at the question, having entirely forgotten. "Erm, sometime in the autumn," Henriks explained, taking a sip from the mug.

"This autumn?" Māte asked. Henriks nodded. "Oh, that's wonderful!" She clasped her hands together, ecstatic. "The leaves will be so beautiful, as will you. Have you two set a date yet?"

Chira took a sip of her tea, giving a happy little sigh. The commingling of both caramel and vanilla was one of her favorites, and never failed to soothe her. Not that she was particularly nervous right now. Henriks' family was more than accommodating to her, and she'd never had problems talking to people, obviously. Chira couldn't help but think back to when her brother had brought Archangel home for the first time. The poor Romulan had looked like she'd rather had been at a Tal Shiar company picnic.

"Er...I guess we haven't really set a concrete date. Just been thinking about the fall." She set her cup down, quirking her mouth in thought. "How about October? I'm not sure when your all's colors are at their peak, but...I like October."

Being as far north as they were, fall tended to be a shorter season for them. They had long summers and winters, with short springs and falls. Already the air had a certain nip to it and leaves just beginning to turn. "October sounds wonderful, dear," Māte replied. "Such wonderful colors then."

Māra got a mischievous look on her face. "You could do it on all hallows eve!" she declared, laughing. "Ghosts and spirits," she added, wriggling her fingers. "It'd certainly make for an interesting day."

"October would definitely be good," Juris agreed, much more serious than his youngest sibling. "Pumpkins will be in season then. I could always make some pumpkin bread for the reception. Pie too, if you like."

"Pumpkin bread? Pie?" Chira laughed, grinning widely at everyone. "Oh...I think you all and my grandma Arthur are going to get along just fine." She glanced over at Henriks. "A Halloween wedding?" Chira shrugged, poking her tongue at her fiancée. "What do you say, Henriks? I can wear a black and orange dress. We can dye Teodors black...give out candy to the guests..." She reached over, tapping him on the shoulder. "And you can decide if you've been tricked or not," she teased.

Henriks grinned, on the verge of bursting out laughing. "Tricked most definitely, my lady," he said happily, "but a wonderful trick it would be." Who was to say all tricks were bad, magic tricks for example. And what was more magical than a wedding? he wondered to himself. "And it wouldn't take much to make Teodors completely black," he added. 90% of the cat was already the color of darkest night.

Sipping at his tea, Henriks found it to have cooled to just the right temperature. "It all sounds wonderful, Chira," he told her, more serious now. "So is that the day you would like, m'lady?"

Chira smiled back, nodding. Had they been alone, she would have continued teasing him about 'tricks' and the 'treats' that would follow on the wedding night. However, it sure as hell wasn't really dinner conversation, especially when someone's mother at the table.

"We'll tie an orange ribbon on him, maybe," she chuckled. "I don't think the little fellow would ever forgive me for painting him up..." Chira took another sip of her tea. "I like the day a lot, actually...why not? Halloween wedding. Sounds like a plan." She smiled at the family at large. "Well. It...looks like we have a date set!"

"We could always try to rub a little bit of soot in the white parts of his fur, simple enough to clean off later," Henriks grinned. "And I think he'd only let you tie a ribbon 'round him if you let him play with it first."

Māra was grinning too, though with a slightly bemused tone to it. Likely she hadn't thought her half hearted idea would actually be used for the big day. But more than anything, she was excited. She was actually going to have a sister.

"So much to plan," Māte added. "Food, guest list, festivities--"

"There should be plenty of time to plan the food," Juris interjected. "Everything'll be fresh made. Can't have my little brother and you having a wedding feast of replicated food." He grimaced at the thought. "I'll make him help," he said, looking directly at Pauls.

"Are you kidding?" Chira chuckled. "You're more than welcome to rub soot into your cat, Henriks...but I'm not going to hold him down. I don't think Teo would ever forgive me...he'd remember..."

She nodded along with Mate. "Certainly. Though...well, we honestly haven't talked that much about the actual ceremony. But...I'm a simple girl. I don't need things to be too overblown." She smiled happily at the idea of non-rep food. "You know...when my brother got married, my grandparents insisted on just that very thing. I think our families are going to get on swimmingly. And," she said, quirking an eyebrow at the brothers, "I'm sure there'll be plenty for everyone to do."

"I don't think getting soot on him would be a problem. It's getting it off," he laughed. "All we'd have to do is rub the soot on it like giving him a belly rub, but I doubt he'd like the bath after."

"He's already pretty black, so maybe it'll look like ghost paws wandering around in the night," Māra suggested, grinning at the thought.

When Chira gave the two brothers a look, Juris simply sipped at his tea and Pauls feigned a look of shock. "You mean to put me to work? As the lady commands." he laughed. "I'll be there to take care of all the people who get drunk."

Henriks nudged his brother. "Nē, brālis. I have something more in mind for you."

Māte arched a brow, as if she knew what he was thinking. But then she turned her attention back to Chira with a warm smile. "Well, my dear, even a simple wedding must be planned. I do hope you will let me know what I can do to help make your special day wonderful." After a brief pause, she asked, "Would anyone care for some dessert?

"Dessert sounds wonderful, ma'am," Chira said, taking another sip of tea. "And, yes...I figure that we'll need more than just a wedding certificate and a Justice of the Peace," she chuckled, referencing the ancient Earth custom. Chira reached over, taking Henriks by the hand. "This is as much your day as it is mine, Abols. Anything else you wanna add?" It was amazing to think that this was actually happening...and every mention, every plan...brought it one step closer to reality.

Juris watched as their mother rose to fetch dessert from the kitchen. She took the finished dinner plates that were finished with. "Paldies, māte," Juris said as she took his plate. Dishes in hand, māte quickly disappeared from sight, soon reappearing with a cream like dessert topped with berries.

As it was dished out, Henriks grinned at his lovely lady beside him. "As long as you are there, m'lady, what else would I need?" Candy would be nice too, he mused to himself. And mmmm, the pumpkin pie his brother promised. But nothing mattered more than Chira and his family. As long as they were there, he would be beyond content.