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"Five Weddings (and a Funeral for My Sanity)"
Rating: PG-13 I saw Dominic Keating’s spot on “Heroes” and heard how he can mimic several accents in addition to his own, so that gave me an idea for this chapter. And you see that Azkiel isn’t as clueless about Mettus’s inner demons as the rest of the extended family. Please R&R. I’d like to know what you all think about this story so far. Four Hoshi had visited the bazaars of Marakesh and the open-air markets of downtown Naples. She’d been to the popular shops on Risa and the humble Andorian fire-gem fields. The sights and sounds of these places had been a wonder to behold: all the bright colors and smells and tastes, all exotic and familiar at the same time. A traditional Denobulan dinner reminded her of those visits, all packed into a single evening. Chef placed the steaming trays of food in strategic places of the mess hall, so a diner didn’t have to walk far to get food. Low tables sat among floor cushions and overstuffed pillows. Electric candles provided the ambience; the shadows danced on the silk drapery on the walls. Native Denobulan drum and flute music came from the speakers. The room’s temperature was set several degrees below normal. Hoshi shivered at first, but with the number of Denobulans and Humans, she soon found the air stifling warm. She sat cross-legged on an oversized pillow, her long green skirt spread around her like petals of a flower. Several conversations rose and fell around her, and she concentrated on keeping track of some of them. Although there were no formal seating arrangements, Hoshi noticed that the various branches of Phlox’s family tended to stay with their immediate kin. The only exceptions seemed to be Phlox, Feezal, Feezal’s daughters, and Zariel. Zariel was quite a character, as Phlox had described her. Her blonde hair spilled over her shoulders in an elaborate hairstyle, her face done up with cosmetics, her dress decorated with more glitter and gold than Phlox’s tunic. Zariel laughed as she entertained Travis and Johannes with stories about her theatrical career. Hoshi grinned as she saw Zariel touch Travis shoulder in a friendly manner. The helmsman barely noticed the contact. Johannes didn’t seem to mind Treesal’s arm within his; in fact, Johannes shared a grin with Phlox’s daughter as they listened to Zariel. Are all Denobulan women so friendly? She wondered. Even if they weren’t in mating season, they had no fear or shame around Human males. It wasn’t a deliberate seduction, like what an Orion woman would do. It seemed to be from a genuine curiosity and friendliness. “Lieutenant Sato-Reed? May I speak with you a moment?” Hoshi turned to see another Denobulan female standing over her shoulder. This woman wore a black gown trimmed with gold and red, with a soft hood over her cranial ridges. Hoshi immediately identified her as one of the family members mourning their Matriarch, but couldn’t remember her name. “I am Yutis,” she said, her voice quiet. “My parents are Azkiel and Kannik.” “Ah.” So this was one of Azkiel’s daughters, one of the two who were getting married soon. “Of course, Yutis.” Hoshi followed Yutis to a relatively secluded corner of the room. Relatively was the relative term indeed; the room was so crowded, Hoshi was surprised that anyone could have a private conversation anywhere. “Denobula has 12 million inhabitants on a single continent,” Yutis said, as if reading her mind. “We are used to such crowded conditions. We learn to close our eyes and ears whenever necessary. It is a survival skill.” Hoshi nodded. “I can see that. What can I do for you, Yutis?” “Like my second father, Phlox, I am curious about other people and cultures. I know that certain subjects are considered...private among Humans, but I wanted to ask you a question. You are married to the Armory Officer...how did that come about? Did your parents arrange a match?” Hoshi smiled at the earnest expression on Yutis’s face. “No, our parents didn’t arrange it. Malcolm—Lieutenant Commander Reed—and I knew each other for years before we were married. In fact, we met when Enterprise launched on her first five-year mission. He was a lieutenant then, and I was an ensign. I suppose you can call us the most unlikely couple to get together.” “How so?” “Well, his job was to defend the ship, and sometimes that involved using weaponry or force. My job was to translate and extend the hand of friendship to different cultures.” Yutis raised her eyebrows in surprise. “Yes, that seems an...unsuitable match, indeed.” “We have a saying that ‘opposites attract’. It happened in this case.” “Denobulans have a similar saying, ‘The moon attracts the sun and the sun attracts the moon’.” Yutis managed a smile. “Phlox told me that you do not marry multiple mates. “ “No, it isn’t our practice, although other cultures, like yours, do.” “What would happen if you and your husband didn’t desire each other anymore?” Hoshi shrugged and tried not to think of such a thing happening. “If that happened, well, we’d probably go our separate ways.” Yutis’s eyes widened and her mouth dropped, aghast at the concept. “Without support? Without other family members to help? That would be very lonely. I couldn’t imagine being all by myself in that kind of situation.” She nodded and said, “Yes, it would be lonely. That’s why we treasure our single marriage bond and make sure that doesn’t happen. If it does, well, that’s also why we have friends and colleagues to help us through the tough times.” A look of understanding passed across Yutis’s face. “So you have a...substitute family, of sorts.” “Yes, I suppose you can call it that.” Hoshi chuckled and added, “The Enterprise crew had become my family, since my own is so far away at the moment. It helps ease the loneliness.” “Do you consider Phlox part of your substitute family?” She laughed and nodded. “Yes; your second-father reminds me of my grandfather sometimes. Always with a kind word and a laugh, and not hesitating to dispense his advice.” Yutis’s laugh was dry. “Yes, the elder members of the family don’t hesitate to make their opinions known on every subject in the universe. It’s even worse when you decide to marry. My mother and second-mother want this color, that color, this flower, that flower, this music, that music, no animals and no alcoholic kassa. It’s enough to drive a single woman mad!” “My mother was just as fussy, Yutis. I think it’s genetically programmed into all mothers to fuss over their daughter’s wedding. Mother wanted a traditional Japanese wedding; Malcolm’s mother wanted all the formal bells and whistles. We had to compromise over a lot of things. In the end, it was worth it.” Yutis inclined her head. “If Phlox is like a grandfather, then may I call you Sister? I would like that.” She extended her hand, palm up to Hoshi. “Thank you, Yutis. I would like that, too.” Hoshi put her palm on Yutis’s, sealing the adoption. “Mother, this is dangerous. I don’t trust them, and now you allow my sister to adopt one of them into our branch of the clan?” Mettus Phlox’s voice was a low hiss, unheard by anyone but Azkiel. The bright blue eyes flashed in anger, but Azkiel saw something else underneath the anger. Fear. “Mettus, these aren’t the Antarans,” Azkiel reminded him firmly. “These Humans have been very accommodating to us, allowing us to have the ceremonies here so the family can be together. Please show some consideration. After all, you decided to come along, and as such, you must obey the rules of hospitality.” “Yes, Mother,” he muttered under his breath. “If you’d get your nose out of the Matriarch’s old tomes, you’d find out that the universe is a much different place now than when she was young. Think of it—“her eyes flashed with black humor, for she knew exactly how to bait him—“as we become friends with other species, even family traditions may change.” Mettus hissed again, this time in annoyance. “Human adoptees? Human wives and husbands? That’s as bad as the Antarans, Mother!” “Open your mind, my son!” she admonished him, her tone still low and dangerous. “If you will not, at least be civil for your sisters’ sake and for your father’s sanity! I noticed that you haven’t approached him yet for his blessing. Can you at least unbend enough to do that?” “No,” he replied simply. “Never.” Azkiel shook her head in dismay. Where did he inherit this stubbornness? She thought back over Mettus’s childhood, as he sat at the Matriarch’s feet and took every word she had said as gospel. Not for the first time, she cursed the old woman for poisoning her son’s mind. And she cursed herself, for allowing it. “What shall I ever do with you, my son?” Mettus didn’t answer, for uproarious laughter erupted from the center of the room. Zariel, Phlox, and Feezal was in the middle of a scene from “Zeret’s Big Block”. Somehow, they’d managed to rope Captain Archer and a dark-haired human—Azkiel recognized him as Hoshi Sato’s mate, Malcolm Reed—into participating in the spontaneous drama. She raised her eyebrows as Archer made some kind of speech about “the noble and grace of the eagle in flight” and something concerning “gazelles and wild stallions”, whatever they were. After Archer’s long-winded speech, Reed piped up, in a strange accent completely different from his own, “Tarnation, Cap’n! Herdin’ them stallions are gonna be like herdin’ cats. Or stubborn beagles! How’re we gonna do that?” He rolled his eyes and with one hand on his heart said, “Perhaps we need t’ask Missus Zariel t’sing again and charm ‘em all with her voice. What ya say, Cap’n?” The Humans completely lost any sense of formal decorum and just about all fell over laughing. Even Hoshi Sato laughed until tears streamed from her eyes. Reed looked over at her and gave her a full-blown smile. Azkiel had the impression that he didn’t smile like that very often, and if he did, it was reserved for his wife. The sun attracts the moon, and the moon attracts the sun. She thought the saying fitted them both. Azkiel saw Phlox’s grin at Zariel as he began singing in a deep bass voice, his “operatic tone”, as he called it. Feezal clapped her hands to the beat and soon the entire audience followed suit. Azkiel didn’t join in, for she was supposed to be in mourning, after all, but she did tap her foot, out of sight of Mettus and the others. Mettus stayed stubbornly silent, while Yutis and her youngest daughter Opur watched from the fringes of the crowd. Azkiel noticed Yutis’s fiancé Idmu had placed his hand on her arm, while Opur’s fiancé Kiritan gripped her shoulder with white knuckles. Azkiel blinked tears from her eyes. Where have I gone wrong? “Too bad Trip isn’t here,” Travis chortled, as the Enterprise crew gathered together after the impromptu entertainment. “Dinner and a show.” “You did a pretty good imitation of his accent, sir,” Bernhard added, with a touch of surprise. Lailah, sitting next to him, looked suitably impressed. “I didn’t know you could do impressions like that.” “It’s not something I do often,” Malcolm admitted. “When you’re around Trip Tucker enough, you pick up a word or two.” “That was more than just a word,” Jon Archer objected. “That was the intonation, the stress, everything. Even I was impressed.” Treezal chuckled and squeezed Johannes’s arm. “If you and Bernhard use your accents enough around Zariel, she’ll probably be able to reproduce it accurately. She’s always interested in new techniques for her acting repertoire.” “A mimic?” Hoshi asked, her interest piqued. “I can help her with that.” Feezal sighed as she glanced at Phlox, who looked over at Mettus. His son sat with his back to the gathering; Phlox gave a silent sigh and turned his attention back to Feezal. “He’ll come around, Phlox. Give him time.” “It’s been ten years. I suppose his attitude has hardened even more that duracrete during that time.” “The Matriarch sheltered him, protected him. Now she isn’t here to interfere.” Feezal linked her arm through his. “The funeral will be tomorrow afternoon. After Mettus sees Shastia properly interred, perhaps he’ll be more willing to listen.” He patted her hand. “I hope you’re right, Beloved. I hope you’re right.” |
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