Posted by Ensign Lily Locksley ((A) Chief Medical Officer) in Lily in the Sky with Diamonds

Posted by Lieutenant Duncan Rhodes (Chief Science Officer) in Lily in the Sky with Diamonds

Posted by Ensign Lily Locksley ((A) Chief Medical Officer) in Lily in the Sky with Diamonds
Posted by… suppressed (2) by the Post Ghost! 👻
SNIP
“One thing you can explain to me though, is that spiritual thing and being bound for all eternity. Is it some kinda cult?” Duncan teased her, looking at her sideways. “Do we get to seal the deal with blood or the soul of our first born? Sacrifice a coyote under the full moon to Ramen the sun gods twin brother? Ohhh I know,” Duncan said with mock excitement, “When we are old and wrinkly and can’t do the deed anymore do we get to drink poison and reincarnate into new bodies and start afresh?”

Lt Rhodes, CSO

“Yes to the newborn, no to the coyote, and I would rather throw ourselves off a cliff before we are reincarnated but that is completely up to you,” she responded leaning against the gate in front of a house. “So we are here,” she gestured widely at the house behind her. “We are home.”

The building was not grand or even picturesque but what it was was homey. A large porch wrapped around the front with several rockers waiting for someone to while away an afternoon with ice tea and good company. The second story had what was once referred to as a Juliet balcony on all the bedrooms. A large garden filled with colorful flowers lined the house foundation and the path to the front door. “Now don’t be afraid. We got this right,” she held out her hand for Duncan to take as she opened the gate.

Lily Locksley

Taking her hand, his grin widened. “Why would I be afraid? Of course we got this, we always do.”

Lt Duncan Rhodes, CSO

The sound of activity in the room beyond the screen door erupted with the noise of someone coming forward. “Lily O’my valley,” a chipper voice called out from inside the room. It was followed by several other voices all replying things like Lily is home, our Lily is back, and Lily!.

“Yeah, we got this right?” Duncan asked her, his grin dropping slightly and he gave her hand a squeeze.

“I am not sure we do. Have this I mean,” Lily looked at Duncan going slightly paler. Putting a hand on his chest, Lily tried to push Duncan backward yet the people approaching beat her in approaching compared to her plan for retreating.

Four men exited the house filling the porch forcing Duncan and Lily to back up slightly so everyone could fit. Lily could see the men gearing up for a song. The deep inhalation and rigid posture meant at any second song would be pouring from their lips. She had to warn Duncan. Later it would take far more explanations but at least being prepared helped. “Duncan,”’ she whispered out of the side of her mouth. “Remember when I said we were not a cult....just keep an open mind and know I can explain everything.”

Duncan watched with wide eyes, his lips frozen in a half grin half smirk… thing. “Are they, gonna sing?” He asked her, and his voice sounded a little confused. “How much of an open mind do I need to have, love?”

“You need to close your mind,” she whispered softly, “and blot out everything that is about to happen.”

As if her words were a small whistle getting everyone on key, the men began to sing in a harmonious quartet. The men hummed for a few seconds finding their key before song erupted as a greeting.

I’ve found a friend in Jesus, He’s everything to me,
Lily is the fairest of ten thousand to my soul;
The Lily of the Valley, in her alone I see
All I need to cleanse and make me fully whole.

“Okay so remember when we were talking about spiritualism....we adopt all sorts of bits and pieces from everywhere. This sounds really religious,” she let her voice trail off knowing that when a song out right used the word Jesus it was hard to not make the connection to Christianity. Her family was not the church-going type but so far all Duncan had heard was afterlife this and now Jesus was thrown into the mix. She bit her lip looking at him for a reaction.

“Well, the tune is catchy at least,” he said out of the side of his mouth, she would be able to see the tease in his eyes. “Is this like, a forgiveness song from you running away from the community or more like they’re putting you up on a pedestal.?” Thinking back to his comment about this being some weird Mintaran thing going on in the village, his eyes widened. “Oh my god, you people run some kind of Matriarchy here don’t you, a proper little Mintaran style family system!”

“Okay I will give you that and it is officially a Christian hymn but look at it more as…happy… and less leave your name on a card as you exit the church so we can recruit you,” Lily struggled to explain why four men were greeting her with a religious song on her parent’s doorstep.

Each of the men took turns looking over the couple as they serenaded them. The men smiled warmly at Lily as if they knew her for years. They looked at Duncan as if he was a welcomed extended member of the family like a beloved nephew or such. Their voices not only rang out clear and strong but they also had sweeping arm gestures as if they were performing a show.

“Do they want me to clap? Am I expected to, like, do something with my hands?” He asked her again out of the side of his mouth, but slid his arm around her for the umpteenth time since arriving at the village.

“God no don’t encourage them,” she replied out of the side of her mouth. “I also haven’t told you the best part. If they like you, you will have your own song before we leave. Don’t you feel lucky?” The smile plastered on her face was slowly turning from forced to genuine. She could not help but find humor it the situation. Duncan was so classy and refined. She loved the stability and security he gave her, yet here he was, in the most unstable city in the Federation, shoes covered in mud, being serenaded by four strange men half singing about Jesus. If that did not show he loved her, nothing ever would. “I love you, Mr. Rhodes,” she said laying her body up closer to Duncan’s side. The formality of his name was in stark contrast to the hippy-dippy love commune she seemed to had dragged him into which is exactly what she wanted. Lily needed something to remind her that she would soon be back to her life with him and not in this idyllic existence of peace and love she ran away from as fast as she could.

In sorrow she’s my comfort, in trouble she’s my stay;
She tells me every care on us to roll.
She’s the Lily of the Valley, the Bright and Morning Star,
She’s the fairest of ten thousand to my soul.

“He used to sing this to me when I was little. Well, it was hummed actually,” she got a far off look thinking about the past. “He would hum this and it is a really pretty melody. Take away the Jesus and stuff and it is a catchy little song isn’t it,” Lily hummed a few bars with them as they sang.

“Yeah it is,” he glanced at her when she started humming and grinned, with a laugh. “It sounds like you remember this song pretty fondly, the tune is pretty, you’re right. I doubt it would sound any better with music either.”

He all my grief has taken, and all my sorrows borne;
In temptation he’s my strong and mighty tow’r;
I’ve all for him forsaken, and all my idols torn
From my heart and now He keeps me by His pow’r.
Though all the world forsake me, and Satan tempt me sore,
Through Jesus I shall safely reach the goal.*

“Satan? You guys have Satan in here with your Matriarchy?” Looking at her he raised his eyebrows, but his face wasn’t too serious. “You got you your Jesus and your Satan, you sure you guys ain’t some kind of Mintaran offshoot cult here Lily?”

She burst out laughing. “I am not sure but since we are not so big on rules there would be no one filling out that form they have. I met a women from Mintara at a medical conference a few years ago. I thought it was a bit of malarky but her and her husband Max are the perfect couple. Maybe they are on to something,” she shrugged.

“Okay so this is completely religious,” she threw her hands up admitting defeat. She had hoped to hold off the crazy religion of the town until she had at least five kids and the thought of divorce was an impossibility. It was a pipe dream. At some point, Duncan was going to have wanted to meet her family. Lily bit her lip wondering if she should have however stuck with the story of her parents moved and did not leave a forwarding address. Yes it made her parents sound like rather grumpy people but grumpy was easier to explain than crazy. Grumpy was a way of life. Crazy was something that you could be born into. The last thing she wanted was for Duncan to assume exactly what he was thinking. She had been with him long enough to see the slightly widened eyes and tight lipped posture. In about ten seconds Duncan was going to break out laughing or throw his hands up and say that he had nothing.

She’s the Lily of the Valley, the Bright and Morning Star,
She’s the fairest of ten thousand to my soul.

“A huh,” he nodded, slowly, clear he was listening.

“But that doesn’t mean we embrace a religion. We…they embrace all of them. Jesus here, Buddha there, Prophet every once in a while. It’s quite a potpourri of spiritualism,” she wore a strange expression on her face as if Lily was counting off the number of deities the village claimed as the song swindled to an end. The silence that ensued at the song ended was almost as jolting as how it started. The four men waited as if they were looking for applause or just processing the look on Duncan’s face. Before words were spoken however one man stepped forward and embraced Duncan as if he were the one returning home instead of Lily.

“My boy, my boy, my boy welcome home,” Lily’s dad said patting Duncan on the back. “It is so good to have you home.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QS6KMx_0NDQ

Lily Locksley

“Um, Thank you,” Duncan answered with his own nod, holding out his hand in greeting. The side glance he gave Lily however spoke volumes, Wait, is this your Father? Shouldn’t he be greeting you? Or did you used to be a boy and taller? What was that about me being home? Lily.... help.

“Come here,” the man completely ignored Duncan’s hand and embraced him in a hug. The hug was a lot longer than was appropriate for a stranger but short enough that it was over before Duncan had to figure out whether to pat the man on the back signaling he wanted to get free. “Welcome. Welcome,” he took a step back before moving to embrace his daughter. “My lovely little lily,” he held her tight and kissed her head. “You have no idea how much we have missed you honey,” he said softly moving back to look at his not-so-little girl.

“That was quite a resounding rendition of that tune, I’ve never heard it before.” Duncan smiled at the group, “Lily told me that her hometown was friendly and welcoming, but I never expected that. My name is Duncan, Duncan Rhodes.”

“Oh, we know who you are and are so excited to finally meet you. Ever since Lily wrote home saying she met one night at a charity event and said you were the one, we could not wait to meet you,” Lily’s father commented with a knowing smirk.

“Lily has been showing me around a little bit, this is a wonderful little place, I can see why Lily is as adorable as she is.”

Duncan Rhodes

Bump