The Kimar
Disclaimer: Fiction, not for profit, etc. I do not own any of the characters, and everything is made-up. Thanks for reading.
Characters: Thaal Sinestro, Abin Sur (off-camera), Boodikka, Kilowog
"Just how far do you think the kimar falls from the tree, hmmm?"
Boodikka noted the approach of her senior officer with and stood patiently. Newly married and about to take time away from the Green Lantern Corps, Thaal Sinestro was coming to her with a lesson plan for the Corps trainees. Aside from his many degrees in anthropology, archaeology and related fields, he was considered an expert in law enforcement, both theoretical and practical.
Sinestro was carrying a small basket under one arm, and on his lips was the faintest of smiles, Boodikka noted, which was for Sinestro an unusual display of emotion, but then Korugans could like that, especially in a professional setting.
"I take it your lesson plan is prepared," asked Boodikka.
Sinestro handed her a small crystal. As with other official material, it was embossed with the symbol of the Green Lantern Corps, a green circle with a bar above and beneath on a white circular field. "It is. Please ensure that the trainees follow it exactly and be sure to keep detailed reports of their progress, Boodikka."
Otherwise, she thought, chaos will ensue and the Universe may well collapse into entropy. But she said nothing aloud. Sinestro preferred things tightly defined and in exacting order, and Boodikka knew from long experience that it would be pointless to mention that detailed plans rarely survived contact with real life. "Very well, Sinestro." She regarded the basket, which, upon closer inspection, contained several small, globular objects. It smelled like...fruit? "So, what's in the basket?"
Sinestro stiffened almost imperceptibly, his expression neutral. There was a long pause before he replied, "A gift for my wife. Such things are not discussed amongst colleagues and certainly not between opposite genders." He gave the impression of offence, carefully suppressed.
"Sorry," she replied. However, now her curiosity was piqued. She wondered if the fruit would be listed on the Oan database. She, too, kept her expression neutral. Sinestro could be touchy on his good days, and he would be angry if he suspected that someone was prying into his personal affairs.
A slight bow. "It is nothing. if you have no further reports, I shall depart. I shall return in twenty-one diordans*"
Sometime later, Boodikka was discussing the lesson plan with Kilowog, who oversaw much of the physical training of the rookie Lanterns. A computer search had revealed that the fruit in the basket might be one of several varieties the grew in the Korugan oases and on the shores of the small oceans, but not much more than that. It seemed that Sinestro was not the only Korugan who was reticent about discussing certain matters. Hmm, she thought, Kilowog and Sinestro have been friends for a long time, and both are male. Perhaps he might know?
"So, what do you think, Kilowog?"
"Good plan. Detailed, like always. These poozers have enough trouble with the exercises, but I think we can fit it in. He off, then?"
"Yes." Boodikka's expression conveyed that she thought Sinestro was "off" in more ways than one. She respected his skill and his attention to detail. There was no question that his sector, 1417, was the most orderly of all. Still, the man never took a vacation, and he slept but four hours a night, if that. All work and no play...Boodikka wondered what sort of woman would be interested in such a consort. Come to think of it, no one even knew her name, though Boodikka had her suspicions that Sinestro's bride might be connected to Abin Sur, the Lantern assigned to Sector 2814. He and Sinestro were very close friends, and Boodikka had noticed shared and secretive smiles exchanged between the two.
"Good for him," Kilowog said, interrupting Boodikka's reverie. "Looks good. I'll review it."
"Kilowog, you've been to Korugar, correct?"
"Yeah. And?"
"Just before he left, Sinestro had a basket with him. It was full of what looked like fruit - small and round, a sort of dark purple colour."
Kilowog laughed, a deep rumbling sound. "Oh, those. Those are kimar. Grows on Korugar. Males give those to their mates. They're supposed to confer fertility. They don't talk about it. It's some sort of old-time custom."
"Oh." Boodikka smiled. An old-fashioned courtship ritual? How quaint! So, there were more tender emotions under that inscrutable visage. Who would have suspected Thaal Sinestro of such sentimentality? She thanked Kilowog and moved off toward her quarters. Boodikka reflected that she would much rather be patrolling her sector, but the rookies needed training, and the senior officers of the Corps rotated training the new recruits amongst themselves, and it was her rotation.
Later, Boodikka heard that Sinestro's consort was pregnant. "I guess the kimar worked," she said to herself with a ribald grin. She was tempted to rib Sinestro about it, but...no, that was not a good idea. Not at all. She returned to her classes with a twinkle in her eye and a secretive smile that lasted for several days. And if Sinestro suspected the source of Boodikka's amusement, he said nothing.
-finis-
* Per DC canon, a diordan is the equivalent of one Terran day. How long the Korugan day is, compared to a Terran day, is anyone's guess.