Disclaimer: I don't own any of this, which is a minus. I am alive, which is a plus.
T'Jin and T'Pen insisted on providing clothes for the new guest and even guided her to the nearest sonic shower, not so much out of concern for her as out of concern for their own noses. "I could hardly concentrate," T'Pen said later, "the odour from her garments was so objectionable. What does she mean by running about the city, in such rain no less, and risking her own health and safety, merely because her friend might have been injured? It would have been more appropriate for her to go to the house of her other friend's mother."
Bing shook his head, in amusement at how ignorant his companions could be. "How could she not? Jane is like a sister to her, and Amanda a sister to she! If Sarek were injured – heaven forbid! - would you not hurry to his side, T'Pen, regardless of wind or weather or other obstacles in your path?"
"How could the atmosphere above your world prevent physical injury upon its surface? And I would trust that my brother would be in good and capable hands should he come by that physical injury, thereby not necessitating my immediate presence."
Blushing at the compliment she had clearly paid him – for it was clear she implied those good and capable hands would be his own – Bing still pressed his case. "But truly you would not rush to his side at all, T'Pen? You would not risk your life to be with him, should he need you?"
"But that is not my task, Bing; and let us speak no more of it." T'Pen and T'Jin moved on to discuss the item that they had discovered in Amanda's muff, namely the phase pistol, which had alarmed them to a certain degree. "We were not aware that females of the species carried such weapons. She should not have brought such a thing within these walls, and even less hidden."
"Come now!" said Bing, beginning to be concerned for Miss Grayson's wellbeing under such censorship. Perhaps he was also thinking that his suit to Miss Rand might suffer if he allowed her friend to be deported from the embassy and charged with bearing in a weapon, which the ladies might do if left to themselves on the matter. "Young Terran ladies may freely acquaint themselves with practise in firearms, and own one. As to why she carried it now…no doubt she feared being accosted on the streets, by those who might have been the cause of the explosion."
The two considered this and were satisfied, but still when Amanda came into the room that was used for intellectual stimulation, as warm and dry as toast if a little swamped in T'Pen's gown, none of the Vulcans did anything to break the silence. The married pair and T'Pen and Bing played 3D chess amongst themselves, and if Bing would have been inclined to include Amanda the other three were too absorbed in their games to even notice her. Sarek was apparently just as absorbed in writing letters, and so Amanda walked to the settee with only Bing's acknowledgement. She felt half inclined to go back to Jane's room – her friend would be better company than this even if she was asleep – but on arrival she found a book nestled upon the cushions, and since no one seemed inclined to stop her she picked it up and settled down with it, admiring the strange clothes that her hosts wore even as she felt rather stifled in what she had borrowed.
Very soon it became clear that the book was Bing's property; surely none of the Vulcans would read such a delightfully comical farce! She could forget all the pain and worry of the last few hours and immerse herself in the ridiculously witty plot, and she did not even realise she had laughed softly until she felt eyes upon her and looked up to see T'Pen's eyebrow rise as she looked over from her game.
"Do you read often, Miss Grayson?"
"Yes, I do, but I like doing it for pleasure more than for duty. I much prefer a novel to a text book, even if I am required to read the latter more than the former."
Bing smiled over her now, and she could tell that she had found a kindred spirit. "Would you care to play against me," he offered, "once this game is finished?" She found some small ungenerous enjoyment at the look on T'Pen's face at the implication that her opposition was not good enough for him, but kept her lips quite straight.
"I thank you, sir, but I am afraid you would beat me very quickly. My father's skill sadly passed me by. However, if you had such a thing as a set of playing cards?" The question was quite sincere; she loved to play cards even if she never gambled, and she was quite disappointed when Bing regretfully shook his head.
"I am afraid I do not. My friends have no interest in loo, or any other game of that sort. But if you will wait until this game is finished, you might face a player worse than you?"
"Perhaps, sir."
The players went back to their game and Amanda went back to the book. She only thought on the other occupants of the room again when Bing once more spoke, perhaps to take his mind off the atrocity of his game. "And who is it that you write to, Sarek?"
She thought it only her imagination that the ambassador hesitated before he replied. "I write to Sybok." There was an extraordinary lack of emotion even for him; as she looked up by chance she saw T'Pen near to stare at her brother as he carried on with his missive. Clearly there was some trouble there, but she found that she simply did not care nor believed any inquiries she might make would be answered, even if it were the height of good taste to ask. She went on with her reading, and she did so fast enough that she soon finished the book and looked about the room for another. Bing once again tore himself from his game to comment that she was very quick at reading.
"It is a good gift to have, you should not deny it," he insisted, despite her protestations that it was nothing. "With it you can culture patience, since you know that you can reach the end of anything you choose to read. It's a trait that many people still lack, I'm afraid."
"That is true, though I admit I would think of my own enjoyment or task before any lessons I might learn."
"And I must admit that I did not think of it at all; it was Sarek who suggested it to me, and I who agreed with him in turn."
Naturally, Amanda thought, but did not say so, nor showed her displeasure at having agreed with Sarek about anything; she could hardly retract her words, so she might as well continue. "Patience is indeed a virtue that we all should have more of, but so many vices lie in the ways to it. To have just one way cleared is a great relief, I must say." She walked by the seated ambassador as she spoke, and did not notice his nostrils flare so slightly at the wake of air she caused.
"It is not merely a relief but a necessity." The ambassador spoke without any apparent arrogance, and so she listened even if she would not be drawn into a spar. "Without patience and logic, a society cannot sustain itself. In the time since I have first arrived I have met but half a dozen Terrans who I truly perceive to fulfil the image Terra wishes for itself."
Perhaps this was arrogance yet again, but tempered with such an actual if unstated concern that Amanda could not find herself able to rebuke him this time. After all, a parent might disapprove of the actions his children but he cared for them too, and if the Vulcans were not in some way the foster parents of Earth, which race was? Still, there was something of an unintentional insult in there too, as there always seemed to be. She was determined to not let him get quite away with it. She inquired with all innocence what criteria that image required. The ambassador and his sister proceeded to all but recite a list comprising the perfect sentient and she found herself more than slightly incredulous of their expectations; she nodded with great politeness as they cited intelligence, various physical and mental accomplishments and temperamental characteristics, not least a complete control of emotion - all leading her to gain a near picture of a Vulcan rather than a member of her own species - and when the two at last concluded she replied, now in all apparent innocence, "I am no longer surprised at your knowing only six accomplished Terrans, ambassador; I rather wonder now at your knowing any."
She saw she had surprised the ambassador even if he did not show it. She did not quite dare look at T'Pen's face; she smiled for Sarek and crossed to the book shelf for another work.
He had not lost his voice as he gained his surprise, at least. "Are you so severe upon your own species?"
"I confess I have never met such a Terran," she replied, turning to face him once more, "with all of the qualities you claim that we should aspire to. Even if we were all of those things, we cannot be all of them all of the time. But," she mused now, "I have heard that monks of the Buddhist faith, and the Brahmans and fakirs of Hinduism, they manage to achieve what some might consider perfect harmony and control. And since those six accomplished Terrans are hopefully the leaders of our world, it is only to be expected that those they lead will, eventually, follow their example. I have little hope for myself, though."
She excused herself soon afterward, picking up her skirts to depart as she rarely had to do with her own gowns. She left hr hosts in some confusion and debate as to whether she had been sincere or snide in her comments. T'Pen was most decidedly of the latter opinion and disapproved of Amanda belittling her species for all the world as if that task was particularly reserved for her. Bing, who minded not whether he was among those half dozen Terrans, found the whole thing hilarious, and Sarek could not be drawn into the conversation. Instead he finished his letter, after a time excused himself as well, and when no eyes were upon him snatched up the book Amanda had so enjoyed and took it with him to his chambers.
You have to have this scene in a Pride and Prejudice story, no matter how sci fi-y. You just have to. It's like a law or something.
Someone asked in a review of an earlier chapter what the rest of the world is doing in terms of lifestyle, considering that America and presumably England is pretty much cemented in the Regency (at least for now.) My answer is, because that period of history is not my strong point (except for what Napoleon was up to, and even then it's patchy), whatever they were doing during the Austen timeframe, albeit with some changes. Russia's War and Peace without the war and the serfs, France has a President that people often refer to, as a joke, as 'the Emperor', Africa's a country of united tribes and people there can chose to live traditionally or as people in other countries do, etc. Each continent has representatives that somehow come together to form a not quite central world authority, and I'll stop there because I'm even less proficient at modern politics. I'm sure more will emerge as we go along, even if I'm making it up as we do. I'm open to suggestions, by the by, especially as we might be going to Japan later in the story!