Finding an unoccupied lounge chair, Aedyn watched his sister warily as she sauntered back to the rest of the Canterbury crew. How was it possible for her to have gotten even faster since the last time he’d seen her? Not just fast, but deadly accurate. Thanks to Faelyn, he’d be sporting some colorful bruises by the end of the night. Of course, she would have a few of her own, not that he’d intentionally intended for her to walk away with a few reminders of their beach-side rough housing.
Brushing the sand off, Aedyn smothered a grunt as his fingers grazed his ribs. Though Fae was the youngest of the Laarson triplets, she always gave as good as she got. All three of them were competitive, but Faelyn excelled at it. Not that Aedyn wasn’t competitive himself. His sport, rather sports, of choice were boxing and mixed martial arts. By their very nature, they were inherently competitive. He’d honed his skills through years of training, hard work, and dedication. Though he was more than capable of besting either of his sisters when it came to strength, their speed, agility, and sheer, precise accuracy not only evened things out, it usually gave them the advantage.
And to think they never went all out on each other. Aedyn absolutely would pity anyone making the mistake of underestimating either Katlyn or Faelyn. Kat was calm, methodical, and brutal when necessary. She was a huntress; a predator. Fae… Fae could be all those things, too, but she could be downright feral if the situation called for it.
Thankfully, life in Starfleet was a bit more predictable and less by the seat of their pants. The skills all three of them had learned and depended on during their early teenage years to survive weren’t needed in the Federation, where most of the people and beings they came into contact with were civilized.
Most of the time…
Satisfied he’d brushed off most of the sand, with the exception of some stubborn bits left in his hair, Aedyn leaned back on the lounger to observe the beach goers. After the chaos and carnage of Frontier Day, seeing everyone relaxed and enjoying a bit of R&R was a welcomed change. Sweeping his gaze along the beach, he paused on the few people who were camped out beneath umbrellas. Okay, so that guy looked like he’d be happier anywhere but here. It took a moment to remember who he was. The Chief Science Officer on the Reverent. What was his name? Voss? Yeah, that was it. Voss didn’t strike him as someone who enjoyed social situations. To each their own.
Just as he glanced away from the grumpy science officer, he caught sight of a petite, dark haired beauty. Given she was over here with the Reverent crew, chances were she too, was part of the crew. The crews had been sticking to their respective areas and hadn’t begun to mingle yet.
Who was she? What department was she in? Did she have a boyfriend?
At that thought, he scowled. It was a distinct possibility, but it wouldn’t deter him. Laarsons didn’t give up that easily on anything. As she slipped into the crowd, he noted where she went. She wouldn’t get away. Before the day ended, he would know her name and which department she was in. And he wouldn’t rely on secondhand information, either.
Letting his gaze wander once more, Aedyn spotted Kat across the beach, with the rest of the crew of the USS Kirk. As usual, she looked relaxed and beautiful, at ease in her environment. Not ready to earn himself more bruises by interrupting whatever conversation she was having with the guy in the obnoxiously colorful floral shirt.
“No thanks. I choose life,” Aedyn chuckled under his breath.
Pushing to his feet, he hauled his shirt over his head and kicked his shoes off. A swim to cool off before the food on the grill was ready seemed in order. Plus, it would give him the opportunity to relocate closer to the pretty brunette when he would come back out of the water.
