Amphea Backpost

Posted on Sat Oct 31st, 2026 @ 11:33pm by Commander Thomas Johnson & Lieutenant Commander Talia Johnson & Lieutenant Nezuko

1,845 words; about a 9 minute read

Mission: Kintsugi
Location: Amphei Prime
Timeline: Current

After getting the clearance, Thomas touched the shuttle down, and looked outside the shuttle window. This was his first time here, in fact he didn't know if they actually got a lot of off worlders here on Amphei. Turning to Nezuko.

{Nezuko, you are lead in this one.} He replied as he walked over to the equipment he and Talia would require during their stay.

Nezuko picked up the rebreathers that had been prepared for Thomas and Talia. She gestured for both her companions to sit on the bench near the access hatch and she put them on them herself, wrapping the straps around the backs of their heads and securing them with velcro.

{The batteries on these will last our entire stay. You can pull them down to eat or drink and put them back on. My parents have a guest room that can handle Class M air, so you can take a break if you need to, or for sleeping. How do they feel?}

{Okay I guess. Not that I ever enjoy wearing these things for long periods of time.} Talia responded. {Now I know how you feel onboard ship Nezuko.}

Nezuko smiled and reached out to squeeze Talia's hand. {I appreciate the empathy,} she signed. {And you will get plenty of time in recovery spaces, I promise.}

{I think we will be good, for the unfortunate short time we are going to be here, I would love to take a longer visit and you show us your planet.}

{Welcome to Amphei Prime!} Nezuko signed excitedly before pressing a key to open the access hatch.

They stepped out onto the communal landing pad atop a hill just a short walk from a small neighbourhood. A footpath led down the hill to a road that encircled a green space containing a few low buildings. Other streets came off the ring road like spokes, around which stood countless bulbous green and purple trees, a veritable alien forest, unfamiliar to the eye of either non-Amphea guest.

Thomas walked and looked around in awe, he had heard stories of the Amphean homeworld but never thought he would step foot on their homeworld. Let alone, become involved with one.

{ Wow! It’s lovely.} Talia smiled as she looked around.

Nezuko was loving how much Talia was using the sign language. It meant a lot that she had taken the time to learn it for her.

{Come along you two! My family home is this way!}

Talia nodded and followed on, she hoped the time she’d spent learning the sign language for Nezuko was long enough. She didn’t want to embarrass herself or Nezuko.

Taking both Talia's hand and Nezuko's, he let himself be led whereever Nezuko led them. Looking at the architecture, it brought him some ideas, to keep him busy when they were back on earth.

A few minutes later they were in front of the single-family dwelling where Nezuko grew up, one of a few dozen nearly-identical houses that lined the one side of the road. Opposite was a well manicured park, beyond which lay the alien forest. Children ran around silently, climbing on structures and going down slides. Some parents sat on benches watching, while others were undoubtedly deep in the woods looking for lunch.

Nezuko stopped in her tracks, and with her so did Thomas and Talia. She took in hair through her nose. There was something familiar.

Something joyful.

She let go of Thomas's hand and took two steps forward.

She spun around at the last second, just in time to be joyously tackled to the ground by a most welcome sight.

His protector instinct kicked in, however, he restrained himself considering her response. "Family i take it."

Talia nodded. “From the emotions I’m sensing I’d say so.”

After rolling on the ground for a bit, Nezuko stood and pulled the newcomer to his feet. {My twin brother and best friend, Tanjiro.} She signed. {Tanjiro, these are who I wrote you about. Thomas and Talia. Thomas is fluent in sign and Talia is learning, and is empathic.}

Tanjiro waved at both guests and signed {She has told me so much about you! Are Wyatt and Tahuna here too?}

Nezuko shook her head. {Breathing apparatus not great for kids.}

{Understood. Well, welcome! No one else is home yet but we can get you situated. Come, come!} Tanjiro gestured for all three to follow him up the stairs and into the house.

Taking Talia's hand, Thomas followed Nezuko, into the house.

Talia smiled as she held onto Thomas’ hand, they had seen images of Nezuko’s brother it was nice to finally meet him.

Once inside, he brought out a bottle of Kampalaberry wine and four glasses, offering straws which were compatible with Talia and Thomas's rebreathers.

{So, Thomas, Talia,} Tanjiro signed while grinning. {Do you have any embarrassing stories about my sister for me?}

Talia looked at Thomas, he was on the bridge with Nezuko more than she was. She certainly wasn’t sharing any private interactions for all to hear.

"I think the embasassing parts would be mostly on the side of me. Lets just say the anatomy of the amphean female, aren't exactly identical to the anatomy of the human or betazed female." Thomas replied

Talia gave her husband a wide eyed look, that wasn’t what she was expecting him to say.

{He asked.} Thomas replied shrugging his shoulders.

Nezuko blushed a deep shade of crimson, but also silently laughed, as did Tanjiro.

{I like you, Thomas,} Tanjiro signed, grinning. {Come on, let’s bring your things to the room you’ll be staying in.}

Thomas odded, and followed him. Leaving to the two to probably gossip.

Alone in the kitchen, Nezuko hugged Talia tightly. {I love that you’ve both come here,} she signed. {Thank you.}

{ It’s our please…no…pleasure!} Talia added as she corrected a slight error in her signing. {You’re family now, so your family are part of ours too.}

---

A few hours later and the dining room was full of mirth and merriment, even if it was nearly silent, aside from the laughs of Thomas and Talia, whom had been welcomed by Nezuko's parents as new members of the family.

Neither guest had been part of a larger Amphea conversation before, but they picked up the social cues pretty quickly. As one needed to look at the speaker to understand them, interruptions and overlapping conversations were not feasible. Instead, someone wanting to speak next held up two fingers and a thumb, and the speaker would gesture to them to indicate that they were finished so everyone should look at the other person. Nezuko had asked that everyone sign a little more slowly, and people accommodated. Hazuki, Yuria, and Kaede, for their parts, often worked with outsiders for whom Amphea Sign was a second or third language. Tanjiro mostly worked with other Amphea, but was more than happy to make sure the new family members could understand him. How else would he be able to tell embarrassing stories from Nezuko's childhood? Miyori meanwhile was fascinated with their guests, never having met a Human or a Betazoid--and she'd never met anyone with a beard before.

For dinner, Tanjiro had grilled up some Khaki Saola and Giant Amber-Shrew with Lhasa Fruit and Kampalaberry sauces, along with a sweet root vegetable that Nezuko had not previously offered Thomas and Talia. The conversation slowed while they ate, and the breathing apparatuses Thomas and Talia wore slowed them down further, but it meant they could all savour the excellent meal Nezuko's twin prepared for them. "My son will make sous-chef soon," Hazuki said proudly.

After dinner, they retired to the living room and reshuffled seats as they did so, Miyori putting herself right next to Thomas to sign with him one-on-one.

{I think my sister has a crush,} Nezuko signed to Talia.

{I think so too!} Talia signed back with a grin.

{We’ll rescue him in a few minutes. Do you like the guest room?} Nezuko asked.

Talia nodded. {I think it’s lovely, thank you so much for bringing us here Nezuko.}

Nezuko waved at her little sister and signed if she could borrow Thomas. Miyori signed back something rude and then stuck her tongue out, but then she gestured for Thomas to go see his wife and girlfriend while she went to the kitchen to help her brother clean up.

{I promise she only bites if you ask her to,} Nezuko signed playfully.

{Tempting, however, at the moment, the only ones i want to be bitten by are the two im looking at right now. And they know I don't need to ask.} Thomas replied he half thought about if that was an offer or a playful jibe.

{Well, my parents will probably go to bed in an hour,} Nezuko explained. {My siblings will go back to their own homes around that time, though Tanjiro should come back early in the morning so we can go hunting. I’d love it if you both joined us! It will be early and long but a good excursion outdoors!}

{I’m not sure if I’m good for too long a walk. My muscles are still recovering after the c section.} Talia added with an apologetic glance.

"I haven't been hunting since i joined the academy." Thomas replied, "I would be honored to experience your style of hunting."

Nezuko nodded. {So, we should also go to bed right after my siblings leave. The air in the guest room is already cycled for you to sleep without your rebreathers. And before we go to sleep, maybe Talia and I take you up on this biting offer,} she added with a wink.

Thomas couldnt help but smirk at her suggestion. "Absolutely... and you know you don't need to be gentle."

“I’ll try joining in, but just be gentle with me okay?” Talia smiled as she reverted to speech rather than sign for a moment.

Nezuko smiled and nodded. {As easy as you need,} she promised before kissing Talia on the lips, and then going on her toes to kiss Thomas.

In the sitting room, Tanjiro waved to them. {Get a room, you three!}

Talia couldn’t help but blush, before grinning at Thomas and Nezuko.

{Well I think we ought to listen to your brother, and get a room. Shall we?} Thomas replied as he brought both women closer to him.

Talia nodded and smiled in agreement.

Nezuko waved goodnight to the rest of her family, smirking as Thomas led her and Talia back to the environmentally-accommodated guest room.

 

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