Maat S'chn T'gai Vol 2
Chapter Thirty-eight - Clan and Family
New Vulcan
June 2273
T'Pau
Parik stood in the solar, watching as the clan's children performed gymnastics in the common, under the supervision and direction of Sytak and T'Olla. When she came out of the kitchen with two cups of tea, he took one from her, stroking her fingers as he did. A deep sense of peace and contentment filled her. She joined him to watch the young ones, bending, stretching, jumping, twisting. And then Sytak made a motion with his hands, and they formed themselves into lines, with the youngest ones in front, and he guided them through the first kata, with T'Olla as his partner. All but the very smallest moved smoothly, with no wasted motions. "Sarek and Selek will be quite pleased with what Sytak has done. When they come to watch, I am certain that they will award the first level to most of the children of our clan. There will be many beaming faces at the clan gathering tomorrow evening."
She leaned against him, enjoying the feeling of warmth, soaking in his strength. "Even T'Rena grows accomplished. She did not fall down once."
A sound which might have been described as a chuckle, if one did not know that it came from a Vulcan male, came from her bondmate. "Indeed, she grows more steady on her feet with each day. And ever more curious about the world around her. She will be more than ready to start her schooling when she has achieved the proper age."
"It does not seem possible that so much time has past since she was born. The pace of life is slower here, there is less stress. Our people are thriving. I find I do not miss the pomp and political maneuvering of our old life at all."
"I do agree with you. There are many things which are missing from our lives which cannot be replaced, but there is much good in this new world of ours. The scarcity of power and industry has led most of our people back to the days when everything was produced by hand, and given many great satisfaction in creating things both of daily use and of beauty. And it has caused many to reconsider the attitudes they had in the past, that only research was a proper vocational path for a Vulcan."
She nodded softly, her eyes still on the children outside. "We have encouraged that. And encouraged as many as possible to learn the old skills, so that they are not forgotten. And the schools are encouraging it as well. Each child is helped to choose a skill to learn, and the best masters are brought in to teach them. One afternoon each week is now dedicated to training in these things."
"I have been requested to come and share with some of the children who have expressed an interest in learning to bind books and repair old things. In the fall I will start with whoever will learn. It is an area where I would greatly appreciate some assistance, for there are few with any skill at all in this field."
"And there are many things in the museum which are in need of repair."
"Indeed, and the repairs go slowly, for the correct materials are often not available, and I must create the paper, or the cured leather, or the correct type of cloth, either by myself, or with the assistance of those skills in that field, if there are any. I must make my own glues, and my own clamps, and everything else that I need. Varun has been invaluable to me, assisting me in creating clamps and presses to hold things together until the glue has set. He also introduced me to the woman who creates the glues he uses on intricate wooden pieces used in construction, and she has helped me to re-create some of the specialty glues that I used to be able to purchase, and now must make myself. If I could find a child who was interested in that subject, and train him or her, it would be of great assistance to me. And I am sure that there are many others who feel the same way."
"Indeed. The apprentice system, which had almost entirely disappeared from our culture, is now flourishing again. One thing which is on the agenda for the clan heads to work on at their next gathering is the revision of the rules of apprenticeship, which are very much out of date, and not well suited to our current situation."
Beside her, he nodded. "Excellent. Once the rules are modernized and formalized and published, perhaps even more will be willing to let their children apprentice themselves to the masters of their choice, and there will be more learning the old skills." He took another sip of his tea, emptying his cup. He took her also now empty cup, and carried them into the kitchen, then returned, just as Sytak and T'Olla released the children, and they all came running towards the house, eager for a cold drink. He had seen T'Boh and T'Sura, in the kitchen, filling glasses with chilled fruit juice.
They stood aside as the children came into the house, walking slowly through the solar and the small dining room, each one taking a glass and moving back into the dining room, out of the way of others still coming in. All were careful, and there was nothing spilled or dropped. Empty glasses were carried to the sink and rinsed, and then the children were trooping back outside again, eager to run about in the warmth of the early evening. Soon the weather would be too hot for them to exercise outside most of the day, so they were taking every advantage to do so now. And right behind them came the very youngest ones, down from the upstairs gather room, with T'Pena guiding them, to play outside for a while before the evening meal. They found themselves joining her, each carrying a small child out the door and setting them down in the sandbox which had been constructed. The three adults seated themselves on the bench placed in the shade of the house and carried on a quiet conversation while the watched the youngest members of the clan crawl about. It was an altogether satisfactory way to end the day.