Maat S'chn T'gai

Chapter Fifty-five - Interested

New Vulcan

July 2266

T'Sura

When the door chime sounded, she went to see who it was. They were not expecting anyone, so she was puzzled. She opened the door, and found a strange man standing there. "May I help you, sir?"

"This is the home of S'chn T'gai T'Pau, is it not?"

"That is correct, yes."

"I should like to speak with her please."

"May I ask what it is about?"

"It is about clan business. I would like very much to speak with her, please."

"Come in, and be seated. I shall go and see whether she will see you. I will need your name." She waited expectantly.

The man sat down in one of the armchairs in the living room, holding himself neatly, sitting straight. "My name is Kwi'glan Parik."

She knew she had never heard that name before. She went down the hall, and knocked on her grandmother's door, and when she heard her say 'enter', she opened the door and stepped in. "Grandmother, something strange has happened. A man I have never seen before has come to the door and asked to speak with you on clan business."

"Did he give a name?"

"Yes, he said his name is Kwi'glan Parik."

T'Pau's brows drew together. "I do not remember ever meeting anyone by that name. I am not sure I have even met anyone from that clan. I believe their holdings were on the southern continent. How does he appear?"

"He is neat and clean and well behaved. He is sitting in one of the chairs in the living room waiting to see whether you will speak to him or not."

Despite herself, T'Pau was curious. "Bring him in. I will hear what it is that he wants."

T'Sura went back to the living room, and beckoned to Parik, and he rose and followed her. She escorted him into T'Pau's sitting room, and then left. T'Pau had not told her to bring tea, so she did not. T'Pau would summon her if she changed her mind. She went back to the kitchen, where she had been making fruit salad, and found Saavik with the sharp knife in her hand. "Saavik, you know that you are not supposed to handle the sharp knife."

"I wished to help you."

"Then you may take the peelings and stems and seeds and put them in the compost barrel."

Saavik wiggled and danced about. She loved to put things in the compost barrel. She held out her hands, and T'Sura carefully laid the small pile of refuse there, and Saavik walked carefully over to where the compost barrel was set into the wall. She pushed the button that opened the panel and carefully tilted the contents of her hands down into the barrel. Then she pushed the button that made the barrel revolve, and stood there, with her hands over her mouth, giggling. T'Sura watched her, her lips twitching.

T'Pau

In T'Pau's sitting room, T'Pau looked at the man standing there. She was certain she did not know him. She motioned to the chair on the other side of the small table, and he carefully seated himself. "What is it that you wish to speak to me about?"

"I have heard that maat S'chn T'gai has accepted certain clanless men into the clan as full members."

"Yes, this is true."

"I should like to apply to be so accepted."

She looked at him in consternation. "We are not in the habit of accepting total strangers."

"What must I do, then, to convince you of my worthiness?"

She spoke sternly now. "We have accepted two young men, those who bonded with my granddaughters. These are the only ones who have joined us."

Parik looked thoughtful. "Are there other unbonded women in your clan?"

"Only myself."

He nodded. "Then I shall court you." His eyes sparkled.

T'Pau was totally taken unawares. She stared at this man, unable to form a single word. And then she recovered herself, and drew herself up straight. "I am not available for courting."

"Is there some reason why not, t'sai? You seem to be in good health, and have all your wits about you. Why would you not wish to be courted?"

Why indeed? She had never thought of this before. She had been alone now for forty-eight years. It had taken her three years to recover from Skon's untimely death. Only her duties as matriarch of the clan had kept her going when the bond between them was severed so suddenly. Was there any reason why she should not let this man court her?

She looked straight at him. "Please tell me something of yourself."

"I am the last member of maat Kwi'glan. I am proficient in many trades, because my occupation on Vulcan was to support the museums and exhibit halls of my region. I can rebind books, real books, and even make paper. I can repair broken glass so that no one can tell that it was ever broken. I can repair and strengthen old cloth, so that it may be exhibited without further damage. I can repair furniture. I am an excellent calligrapher, as well as a fair artist. I have repaired damage to many paintings. I was born in the year 2145, on the southern continent of Vulcan, and I was bonded at the age of seven, as was customary then. When the proper time arrived, the bond was completed, and my bondmate bore me a son and a daughter, both of whom grew to adulthood, and had children of their own. When the devastation occurred, I was on Earth, teaching a seminar at a museum there. My entire family was consumed. I collapsed and was taken directly to the Embassy in San Francisco, where the healers where successful in restoring me to full functionality. During the time that I was under treatment there, I did go through the fires, with the help of the healers there. They have not come again, although I am certainly young enough that they should not have stopped." He paused, looking at her, as if to say, 'what else would you like to know?'.

She was stunned. This man had excellent skills. He should be sought after. Why had no one offered him a place? He did not appear to have any detrimental social habits. His appearance was pleasing. It was true that he was twenty-three years younger than she was, but this was not an insurmountable problem.

It was while she was sitting there, trying to decide what to do, that Saavik came skipping into the room. She stopped when she saw the man sitting there, and looked at him curiously. "Who are you?"

"Saavik, you are being impolite."

"I am not offended, t'sai." He turned to the small girl. "I am Kwi'glan Parik. I have come to see your matriarch on clan business."

Saavik drifted closer to the stranger. "What is business?" Her small brows were drawn together.

"Business is something that needs to be discussed, in order to reach an agreement. I am trying to get your matriarch to agree to something that I have suggested."

T'Pau watched the interchange before her. Saavik did not seem the least disturbed by this strange man, and was speaking longer with him than she had yet with any of the clan's men. Her decision made, she turned her eyes to the man sitting across from her. "You may come to afternoon tea on next firstday. I promise nothing after that. We shall see how it goes."

Parik rose from his chair, and gave her a low bow. "I am grateful for your acceptance, t'sai. I will see you on firstday." And he turned and left the room.

Saavik approached her chair, and leaned against her knees. "Nice man. Can I have tea with him?"

T'Pau laid her hands upon the wild curls on Saavik's head. "Yes, my child. You shall have tea with us." And now she must determine how to explain this rash decision to the rest of the clan.