The Beach [Late Saturday morning]

[sorella-vecchia.livejournal.com]

Prom had been interesting. Triela didn't really see what all the fuss was about. She supposed she'd kind of enjoyed herself, but, really, if she was going to hang out with Jak she'd much prefer to do so with guns. Things were more interesting that way.

As it was they'd just talked and had some food. He didn't dance, and she didn't dance well, so...

At least it hadn't driven her crazy or anything. And she'd gotten back to her room in plenty of time to get enough sleep. So she'd went on with her usual Saturday routine. Which looked like most of her days, really.

Woke up early. Swung by the range. And now it was the part of her day where she took a long run. This one led her out along the beach as she made pretty much a full circuit of the island. Triela didn't feel any need to really push herself today, so she was running at an easy pace. For her, anyway. Hair pulled back in a ponytail and (quite sensible, thank you very much) running shoes were her little act of rebellion against all the stupid orders from Alessandro...

[Expecting one, but open.]

Comments

[atreides-heirs.livejournal.com]

A young girl with conspicuously blue eyes stood on the beach and watched the sea. There were no oceans on her homeworld, not even lakes.

But as she noticed Triela all attention was on her, as if the water was forgotten.

"Mommy!"

[sorella-vecchia.livejournal.com]

Triela stopped running and frowned as she looked around. She'd seen the girl as she got closer, but she hadn't noticed anyone else nearby.

And still wasn't noticing anyone else nearby.

So who was the girl yelling at?

[atreides-heirs.livejournal.com]

Chani started running towards Triela. "Mommy! There's a sea here!"

[sorella-vecchia.livejournal.com]

Triela was still looking around, clearly confused, as the girl ran toward her. Who was she talking to?

Even after the years she'd spent in Fandom, there were some things which just never occurred to Triela as possible.

[atreides-heirs.livejournal.com]

"Mommy?" Chani stopped right in front of her mother and looked up at her with her Fremen-blue eyes. "What's wrong?"

[sorella-vecchia.livejournal.com]

"Mommy...?" Triela repeated, frowning down at the girl. There was something about her that seemed familiar...

...

Wait. Those eyes...

[atreides-heirs.livejournal.com]

Chani reached up to give her mother a hug. Perhaps she was confused about this place too. "Did you follow me through the portal?"

[sorella-vecchia.livejournal.com]

Triela didn't hug back, but she didn't pull away either.

"No, I've been here for quite some time," she answered, still frowning as she tried to figure out what was going on.

[atreides-heirs.livejournal.com]

"No, we had breakfast," Chani informed her. "Before I had my morning lesson with aunt Ghanima. So you can't have been here long." She was still holding on to her mother.

[sorella-vecchia.livejournal.com]

Well. That name combined with the eyes confirmed some suspicions.

Triela gently disentangled herself from the girl and crouched down so she'd be at eye level with her. "I think that, perhaps, you've mistaken me for someone else."

[atreides-heirs.livejournal.com]

Chani shook her head. "No, you're my mommy. Who else should you be?"

Her mother's behaviour was worrying, but she knew how to hide emotions.

[sorella-vecchia.livejournal.com]

"I am, am I?" Triela asked, standing back up. "And where is your daddy?"

She was sort of worried about what she suspected the answer to that question was.

[atreides-heirs.livejournal.com]

"In the palace somewhere," Chani replied. "Doing Emperor things. Unless he came here too, like you." She took her mother's hand. "I'm hungry."

[sorella-vecchia.livejournal.com]

Triela allowed her fingers to curl around the little girl's almost protectively. "Hungry, huh? And what are you hungry for?"

She'd already begun to slowly head back to the dorms. Because she suspected that the little girl's father was not, in fact, off doing Emperor things.

[atreides-heirs.livejournal.com]

"Food," Chani replied. It could include many things and if she was offered something she disliked she could claim it was badly cooked and thus not to her taste. She followed her mother who seemed to have an idea where they were going.

[sorella-vecchia.livejournal.com]

"That's an admirably vague answer," Triela decided. Which, well, was the sort of thing she might say herself...

"So you came through a portal this morning?" she asked.

[atreides-heirs.livejournal.com]

"I did," she said, looking up at her mom. Vagueness ran in the family.

[sorella-vecchia.livejournal.com]

"Alone?" Triela pressed. "Or did anyone come with you?"

If she was lucky there was only the one little girl who thought Triela was her mother.

[atreides-heirs.livejournal.com]

"Just me," she said. "Where are we?"

[sorella-vecchia.livejournal.com]

"Fandom," Triela answered, turning to watch the girl's face for any reaction to the name.

[atreides-heirs.livejournal.com]

The girl nodded and took a little skip. "That's where you and daddy met."

[sorella-vecchia.livejournal.com]

The sinking feeling in Triela's stomach wasn't getting any better.

"Is it?" she asked, forcing a gentle smile. "Do we talk about the past so much?"

[atreides-heirs.livejournal.com]

"No." Yes, there was that vagueness again.

[sorella-vecchia.livejournal.com]

Well... she was certainly cagey enough to be Triela's daughter...

Which was, somehow, slightly comforting.

"You take after me more than your father, don't you?"

[atreides-heirs.livejournal.com]

"You say I do," Chani replied. "Daddy says so too, sometimes."

[sorella-vecchia.livejournal.com]

Triela chuckled. "Which means you're quite sensible." She sounded... kind of proud.

And it occurred to her how odd it was to feel that way about a girl she'd never seen before.