Sisterly Adoration, LANDON!

[Cassandra Oakes]

Timeline: 17 September, 11 p.m.

---

It would make sense that her dear, darling little brother would be on the Ovtzelik for the arrival party. He had, after all, arrived on it. Casynya had been killing the last two hours by sipping several flutes of champagne and making small talk with some military types. Supposedly Liucq was in attendance but he had...gone off. Well, where?!

Part of Casynya's irritation was due to her recent space travel. She wasn't sure how one twin enjoyed it so much and yet she suffered the absolute worst illness from it! Even being on the Ovtzelik gave her an uneasy feeling in her stomach. That could have been the five flutes of champagne, though...

Smiling, standing out in her very nice red dress, she was trying to keep from a nervous dance. She was here to surprise him and Liucq wasn't even here! Casynya thrummed with energy, trying to keep control of her nerves. Tomorrow morning likely involved another intensive day in the lab while listening to English lessons on her headset. Fun stuff...She just wanted to have a good evening with her sibling in the meantime! Humane gene isolation could wait till morning...or mid-day if she drank much more!

Spotting a white-blonde head across the crowded room, Casynya perked up. Was it him?! She made her way through the crowd towards the shape that she dearly hoped was her brother. It had been far too long! Plus, if it wasn't him she was going to have to have another drink and that would just get messy!

[Landon Oakes]

Slipping back into the party had been easy enough. After all, he was a mechanic. Unless somebody wanted to talk Tzelik capabilities, he wasn't exactly the most popular man at the party, and even then, surely they'd want to talk to a pilot, the one who actually drove the thing and knew what it could do, instead of the man who fixed leaks in the engine and could tell you the theory of what the ship could manage.

Still, he quickly acquired himself a beer and moved easily through the crowd, only stopping when a hand came to his shoulder and he turned, finding his boss, Jinaque, looking at him with surprised suspicion.

"Where you been, boy?" he asked sharply.

Landon looked around before his gaze fell back on Jinaque, a look of polite confusion across his face.

"What do you mean?" Landon replied. "I've been enjoying the party."

"Enjoying it too much if you ask me," Jinaque answered. "You disappear off with one pretty blonde, and here comes another looking rather happy to see you."

Jinaque nodded over Landon's shoulder. Landon had to admit, he was confused. He didn't think anyone had seen him slip off with Ligeia, but before he could try to defend himself on that particular point, Jinaque claimed another blonde was coming his way. Landon was pretty sure he didn't know any other blondes, at least, not on Earth.

Turning around, Landon was stopped dead in his tracks, staring at a familiar face coming toward him, a familiar face he had been missing so very much. True, he hadn't seen his twin sister all that much, even back at home, because he was usually on the Alturis, but knowing she was there, that he would be back soon, was usually enough. The trip to Earth, knowing he wouldn't see her for months on end, had been incredibly depressing.

"Casynya?" he asked, his eyes widening in surprise. There was no doubt it was her, but there was that momentary surprise and confusion that overcame the ability to be completely rational about it all. Stepping forward, his hand came up to her neck, fingers tangling in her hair as he pressed his forehead to hers fondly.

"What the hell are you doing here? You can't let me do one thing on me own?"

Despite his words, his voice was cheerful, his adoration clear. Still holding the bottle of beer, he wrapped his arm around her body, hugging her tightly.

[Cassandra Oakes]

Casynya’s grin grew to fill her full face as sure enough, it was Liucq! She upped her pace and he closed the distance on his end and she let out a childish laugh of delight at the feelings of happiness that swelled as he drew her in, forehead to forehead.

”How could I let you have all the fun down here on earth without me, little brother?” she said, jabbing back at him fondly too. She giggled again and threw her arms around him in a tight bear hug, burying her face against his shirt. He smelled like home, even eons away from it. Whenever she was with her twin, it felt like the one tiny puzzle pieces that was missing had been replaced and she was whole again. She knew some people didn’t understand it—especially the military types—but their family had been close and the two blonde twins even more so.

”I missed you,” she said, a vulnerability to her voice. It was out of place on the otherwise confident scientist but he could always see right through her anyway.

Drawing back from her brother, she let the goofy smile take over her face. ”I took a position in the Tletonise Research facility on earth. I hope it’s worth the treacherous flight here. Those small transports…” she trailed, looking slightly green again. ”I’d have found you sooner but for one I was sick from the flight and two, I thought it would be much more fun to surprise you.”

A mischievous grin passed her eyes, "And I bet you can't guess my brand new last name!"

[Landon Oakes]

There was an odd feeling with his siblings. It didn’t matter how amused he was with them, how much he loved and adored each and every member of his family, he still got the overwhelming urge to smack them around the head every so often. So when Casynya called him ‘little brother’ he did have to attempt restraint. It worked mostly, he didn’t physically assault his twin sister, but he narrowed his eyes and frowned almost playfully. Little brother indeed. Like an hour made so much difference?

“I missed you too ‘Synya!” he admitted, releasing his tight hold on her so that she could draw back a little away from him. He did, however, bump the heel of his palm against her jaw in amusement.

“You were ill?” he asked, unable to keep the mocking grin from his face. Sure, she was an hour older than him, and about twice as intelligent (if you asked her anyway,) but it always amused him that she could barely go a foot in the air on a ship without feeling some kind of sickness. “Are you sure it’s not just that you’re old and disease is wearing you down?”

As she asked him what he thought her last name was, Landon groaned audibly.

“If you’ve chosen something ridiculous, ‘Synya, I’ll refuse to call you it!”

[Cassandra Oakes]

Casynya shot her brother a mock-glare at the remarks on her age, but she supposed she deserved it what with calling him little all the time when he clearly wasn't so little. She raised an eyebrow at him when he assumed she'd chosen something ridiculous.

"Only if 'Oakes' is a ridiculous last name," she said, her grin reappearing. The word 'Oakes' felt weird on her tongue still and English was giving her fits, but it was a start. "Cassandra Oakes, actually. Though I find the language silly and difficult," she admitted with a pouty frown.

She'd pick it up eventually. She was already working hard on listening to instructions during her work shifts. She had thought Cassandra sounded somewhat similar to her own name, at least the first syllable of it...and having the same last name as Landon seemed important to her when she had read the reports on the importance of human surnams and their meanings. Though Oak seemed to be a type of plant on earth too...

"Show me around your ship?" Cassie was looking for any excuse to spend time with her brother and she figured if she kept moving she might not feel quite so green around the gills still. The entire week had been whirlwind in nature and she just wanted to be with her family for just a little while. Things could go back to breakneck speed again tomorrow.

[Landon Oakes]

Landon smirked at her glare, knowing that she probably didn’t take any actual offence to his comment, but it amused him none the less. If she could joke about him being little, he could joke about her being old!

His eyes widened in surprise at her news, that her name was Oakes now. She’d taken the name he chose? He knew that some Adveni chose to have the same last name as their siblings, but it was not mandatory, so knowing that Casynya had done so for him was actually rather sweet.

“Cassandra?” he repeated, grinning. “Well, that shouldn’t be too hard to remember, being similar and all.”

The knowledge that his sister found the language difficult brought a small smirk to Landon’s lips. He knew Casynya was much smarter than him, but knowing the things he was good at didn’t come automatically to her bloomed a small feeling of pride. He wasn’t perfect with English yet, but he was quite good with languages. Maybe he’d be able to help his sister learn something for once instead of the other way around.

“Not really my ship, ‘Synya,” he answered with a fond grin. “But of course I will show you, as long as you promise not to be sick on me.”

Reaching out and taking his sister’s hand, a fond gesture his missed in their time apart, Landon took a few steps to get out of the crowd before he turned suddenly, leaning forward and kissing Casynya on the temple.

“You are the best birthday present I could hope for!” he told her lovingly. “Happy Birthday ‘Synya!”

[Cassandra Oakes]

She was glad that Landon liked her name, more so than she let on. It meant a lot for her to have his approval and while some of the other Adveni found their relationship too sentimental and close for comfort it suited her just find to be associated by name with her twin.

Cassandra gave him an eye-roll when he reminded her that it wasn’t his ship. As far as she was concerned, it might as well be. Synya wasn’t overly fond of ships but the fact that this was pretty much her brother’s pride and joy made her solider on. ”I won’t promise anything, but I did take some medication for the wooziness. I’m not sure how you love the sky so much but I can barely be on a stationary ship! And people call us identical,” she said with a quirky grin.

As they walked off hand in hand, she was pleasantly surprised by her brother’s affections. She felt that strange happiness swell in her as her grin deepened. ”So I guess that means I don’t have to get you a gift?” Being twins that meant it went both ways though… Hmm…maybe a bad move!

As the twins moved away from the main party, it grew slightly quieter which helped with her stomach feeling like it was on a seesaw.

”Everyone else sends their love,” she said, ”Though Nigck expressed it with more playful insult than the rest.” Go figure. ”Mother wanted to know when you would be producing a gorgeous, genetically superior child—a question I’ve been enjoying for the last two years. At least now that I’m on earth she can’t nag me about it daily…”

[Landon Oakes]

Landon sometimes honestly couldn’t believe that he had shared a womb with his sister. They were different in so many ways, and her hatred of flying was probably one of the more significant. For a person who spent most of their life on a ship, having Casynya hate the things to the point of sickness was almost comical.

“Oh ‘Synya,” he answered, looping an arm around her shoulders. “You just say people call us identical because you don’t want to think about the fact that they call me the pretty one! The humans even have a term for it, they say age comes before beauty.”

He smirked and knocked the back of her shoulder with the front of his in amusement. It wasn’t often that men willingly called themselves pretty instead of handsome or hot or something like that, but when comparing himself to his sister, Landon figured pretty was the most befitting word.

Of course, if Landon had known that he’d used the human saying completely wrong, he probably wouldn’t have brought it up, but without knowing, his only hope was that Cassandra did not know the true meaning.

“Well, seeing as I did not know we were in the same atmosphere until ten minutes ago, I will admit to having not bought you a present,” Landon exclaimed happily, taking her hand again. “So I will accept that having you here is gift enough… for now. I hear the humans have a religious ceremony called Cwistamus, which involves gift giving too.”

He frowned suddenly and glanced at Cassandra.

“As I have heard it, it also involves a fat man in a red suit, but I have no idea to his purpose, so if you’re happy to skip that particular tradition, so am I.”

The news that their family sent their well wishes brought a small smile to Landon’s lips. He missed his family almost as much as he had missed his sister, though in general he did not see them as often as Cassandra. Nigck, of course, would send a mocking insult, their older brother was fond of teasing them, which for some reason was completely natural to all of them, unlike other Adveni families who were more stoic.

“Mother would be good to remember that for a genetically superior child, I would need to find a genetically superior partner, and unless one is assigned to me, I am quite happy to continue searching and practicing with genetically normal people,” he explained in a way he knew would not please their mother at all, so Landon was surprisingly glad she wasn’t there to hear it. Though, he did feel the compulsion to check over his shoulder to make sure she hadn’t turned up on Earth without his knowledge too.

[Cassandra Oakes]

Well, that was an odd phrase. Age before beauty? If you were older, you were not attractive? Hmm..."Well that's not a very nice thing to say to your sister! I'm not entirely sure what it means, but it sounds like humans don't revere their elders very well. Like a certain little brother I know..."

Cassandra smirked at Landon, listening to his story, though a more horrified look came across her face at the mention of a fat man who wore red and gave gifts. "That's an odd holiday. A stranger giving you unknown packages. It doesn't sound very pleasant at all."

She laughed a little, "Then again, the book I'm reading says humans also celebrate Valentine Day? They draw pictures of their heart and then eat sweets and profess their love for one another. It's no wonder they lost a war. Drawing pictures of their organs and accepting gifts from fat strangers."

His response to their mother had her smiling again soon enough. "Actually, brother, you phrased it more nicely than I do. I told her to make another one herself if she was so concerned about us passing on our genetics. I'll get to it...eventually. Perhaps first I should perfect the genetic sciences a bit before I give it a go. Plus...children."

She wrinkled her nose in disdain. "I prefer to focus on my career...and enjoying my trip to Earth. Of course mother doesn't agree. Let's hope one of our siblings appeases her soon..."

It would be rather nice not to be nagged for a while. To have some fun...say...maybe Liucq knew good places for fun?

"Have you been around Adlai much? Do you know of any exciting and fun places to go? I feel the need to enjoy a night on the town in the near future. With solid ground under my feet, that is."

Not that this party wasn't fun, it was the ship that was the issue! At least Liucq's presence made even her air-sickness more tolerable.

[Landon Oakes]

Landon laughed and slung his arm around his sister's shoulders, giving her an affectionate squeeze.

“Actually, big sister, it means that people should respect their elders more than they respect beauty,” he explained. “So while I may be the prettier twin, you get to go first because you’re the older one!”

Smirking broadly at her, Landon fished out his access card and pressed it against the lock toward the back corridors, letting the door swing open and holding it for Cassandra to go through.

“Wait, are you serious? They draw their organs and give it with candy?” he asked, grimacing. “Not the most enticing way to profess affection. They get weirder the more I hear about them.”

Shaking his head to get the image of pictures of bloody organs being handed over to profess love, Landon turned his attention back to the topic of their mother and her wish for them to carry on the family line.

“If Nigck hasn’t had children yet, I see no reason I should skip the pleasure of letting him have his eldest child duties of going first!” Landon agreed with a nod.

Cassandra asking him if he’d been around Adlai and if he knew fun places to go had Landon frowning as he let the door swing closed behind him, slipping past Cassandra to lead her down the corridor toward the nearest set of stairs leading down to the engine room. He’d already been this way once with Ligeia, it was amusing repeating the process with his sister.

“Synya, I arrived two days ago,” he exclaimed. “And apart from going across the city for a check up with a physician, I have not had much time off the ship at all.”

The fact that he’d also made a date with said physician was something Landon would keep to himself for the moment. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust his sister, but he didn’t need the news travelling back to their mother after a single date. Plus, Gunnyr was older than him, he wasn’t sure their mother would approve. In fact, Landon was pretty sure their mother would not approve of most of the people he’d had romantic engagements with, seeing as they were mostly either not Adveni... or men.

[Cassandra Oakes]

"Oh that's no fun,"she said, putting on a pout for her brother. "You need to get out! See the town! Meet a nice girl..." she trailed, thinking along the same lines personally. Not that he knew about the girls part, but she didn't see it as an issue. They likely had different tastes in women.

"We will have to fix your lack of a social life, brother," she teased, looking around the halls they were walking down. "Was it a cute physician at least? I have to go get my examination tomorrow. I wish they'd just let me stick myself with a needle and call it a day. I'm a scientist, after all!"

She was more than indignant that some low tier Adveni physician was deemed fit to wield a needle at her than anything else. Cassandra had done her own studies and medical training to get into genetic sciences and it went to her head more than once. Landon knew this well enough though.

"What is there that's fun on this ship? Hmm?" She drew the words out annoyingly, toying with her brother and hoping he'd humor her just a little bit. If one person couldn't resist Casynya's antics, it was her brother.

[Landon Oakes]

Landon rolled his eyes in an over exagerated gesture as she chastised him on his lack of social life. Personally, he didn't see it as lack of a social life until he'd been here at least a month. The last few days had been organising the ship for extended landing, he'd get around to the city stuff once work had calmed down.

"'Synya, I have no intention of letting you near my social life, nor my physician!" Landon replied. "I seem to remember what happened the last time I introduced you to somebody I was interested in."

Glancing at his sister, Landon raised an eyebrow.

"Though, seeing as you probably won't leave me alone until you have me set up on three dates and a weekly drinking ritual, I will admit that the physician was incredibly attractive and actually, not half an hour ago I was spending time with someone I knew from back home."

Landon smiled a somewhat 'so there' smile, hoping that would be enough to appease his sister's need to know he was enjoying himself.

"I do believe we are leaving most of the fun back at the party," he lamented. "Apart from that, most things will be shut down now, rerouting energy to where it is needed for the entertainment."

And, of course, Landon knew that because he'd been the one to do it. Shutting down the disused parts of the ship in preparation for the evening's event had been his last job to do before getting changed into something more appropriate for meeting important Aveni in Adlai.

[Cassandra Oakes]

"Boo!" She pouted, not really interested in a party when her brother was with her. "I suppose pulling pranks on the night of the party would be frowned on, huh? No re-routing the electricity from the restrooms?"

She did love a good prank...

"I'm already booked solid in the labs. Exciting new projects since I hear the humans are so very close to us in genetics, but we must make time to go out and see this strange world," she said, longing in her voice. It would be nice to be together again. She'd have someone to talk to about her silly dating problems and he could tell her all about his adventures and conquests. It had been hard trying to skirt around the issue of not being fond of men to her mother... maybe she'd get to the point where she could say something to Landon about it. He always seemed to understand her!

Cassie stifled a yawn and stretched, "They've got me working night and day, but we should get lunch. I want to try this human cuisine. Elysia told me that it's all fried and sugary. It sounds positively odd."

She wasn't outright hateful of humans like some. Their world seemed interesting to say the least.

[Landon Oakes]

Landon frowned regretfully and shook his head.

“No, I’m afraid not,” he answered. “I’ve not been on this planet nearly long enough to know whether I’m willing to risk being kicked from my job and left her permanently because my sister thought a regurgitating toilet would be funny.”

Landon listened as his sister explained that work was already busy for her but that she still wanted to explore. It didn’t surprise him in the least. While Landon was by no means unsociable, he often found it difficult to keep up with his sister and social events. It just seemed like she was built for popularity. Then again, he didn’t exactly struggle to make friends, even with non-Adveni. He was personally looking forward to meeting more humans and finding out about their culture. Whether his sister wanted that, or she just wanted to find out about their genetics and different forms of alcohol, he didn’t know.

Landon’s nose wrinkled a little.

“Yes, I heard about this frying custom. Doesn’t it mean something along the lines of boiling animals down to a liquid and then putting the food in it to cook?”

He’d read about it in a book on culture and it sounded, to him, revolting. Then again, he supposed, if told how the Adveni cooked food it would sound odd too. The Venish cuisine had certainly taken some getting used to.

“You’re not going to invite me to look around your labs?” Landon asked. “Why Synya, I’m insulted that you wouldn’t let me near the human... specimens. Mother could get that grandchild after all...”

Landon paused, thinking about whether the human males would be as entertaining as the females. It was that way with the right Adveni.

“Or not depending on the human involved.”

[Cassandra Oakes]

It was Casynya's turn to wrinkle her nose. "Well I was going to invite you but if you've got that kind of interest in humans that I suppose not! You'd give mother a heart attack." She didn't think their family would approve of inter-species children. Not one bit.

"But I could set you up with one of my co-workers. Intelligent women who need to get out and enjoy life more, I'm sure you could figure out some way to entertain them?"

Casynya winked at her brother. She'd already tried to entertain them herself, but it seemed the women in her lab preferred men. A shame, but her loss could be Landon's gain.

"Speaking of humans, I've got tons of work to do so I shouldn't stay out too late, but really, you should come by the lab. I'll let you meet the humans if you really want," she said, giving him another look of mock-disgust. "Though I've been thinking I might have to get myself one. It would be nice to come home to a clean house and dinner minus the pesky prospect of balancing a partner and work. It would be...fun."

That was one way of putting it. Fun to dress them up and prance them about like a trophy. She wouldn't be able to decide on a girl or a boy though...

"Anyway dear brother, the night is late and I have to figure out genetics in the morning. Best get home or else you'll see four-armed mutants coming out of my lab..."

She pulled her brother into another tight hug and gave him a kiss on the forehead...leaving a bright pink mark of lipstick. "Do come by? It'll be like home!"

Cassie was so glad to be near her twin again! But work was work and they were no longer children who could spend all their time play-fighting 'capture the planet' with their other siblings and work beckoned.