Mimi has a chat with Sordd's mum.

Disclaimer - See Chapter 1

Chapter 24 - Khaf-spol-tor-khaf-spol (Heart to Heart)

Mimi was feeling unusually tense, she was currently following Sordd along one of the corridors in the hotel, towards T'Rama and Skon's room. They had already passed, unchallenged, through two security checkpoints.

Mimi spoke with a nervousness in her voice, "Sordd!" she grabbed hold of the back of his robe. He stopped and turned, he noted she was biting her lip which he had come to recognise as a sign of some kind of emotional turmoil, which could be positive or negative.

He tucked a stray hair behind her ear, purposefully touching his skin against hers so he could more accurately gague the emotions she was feeling. "T'Sai Mimi, there is no need for you to be nervous, you have met my mother before." Mimi began to fidget with her hands, another obvious sign of nervousness.

"That was briefly in a hotel lobby, I don't know what to say to her…"

His eyebrows furrowed slightly, "Start by saying hello, like you did with my father forty four minutes ago."

Forty four minutes ago she had met Skon. He was warm and open, just like he had been the first evening they had met in the corridor. They had sat together having tea and talked for some time on a number of subjects including the field trip Mimi had taken the children on yesterday, Mimi's work, and other interests they both had in common. He was very easy to talk to. He had added her as a friend on 'Fortnite,' on Avarak's recommendation, despite Sordd warning him that her game play was "erratic and illogical."

"That was different, there was a room full of people, including T'Shahel and Avarak. This is a room on my own with her …" her tone continued to be nervous.

He sometimes found Mimi to be incredibly confusing, she would move from being bold and confident to self doubting and insecure faster than the speed of light, and then revert back again in just as quick a time frame. "My mother is not a le-matya, she will not harm you." He stroked her cheek with his index and forefingers. It was bold of him and he knew it, however, he could sense Mimi draw comfort from the touch and she began to relax, it was logical for him to continue in this fashion, they stood in the corridor until Sordd felt Mimi was sufficiently calm. "Be yourself T'Sai Mimi." he said encouragingly.

They continued down the corridor until Sordd stopped at a door. He knocked then entered, Mimi followed close behind.

The room was far more spacious than Sordd's apartment, although of similar layout. The main differences were a glass ceiling which allowed sunlight to filter through and illuminate the entire room naturally, and the floor which was made from terracotta tiles instead of solid wood flooring. Everything was tidy and in its right place. Mimi could detect the distinct smell of incense, sandalwood with a hint of magnolia, it was obvious T'Rama had just been meditating.

T'Rama was standing, with a natural elegance, at the window looking out towards the ocean view. She was wearing a deep blue robe. She turned around when Sordd and Mimi entered the room, the front of ther robe was heavily ornamented with beads and Vulcan glyphs written in gold. T'Rama's piercing blue eyes immediately fell upon Mimi, who was slightly hiding behind Sordd.

Sordd spoke first simply saying, "Ko-mekh." and bowed his head slightly.

She replied "Sa-fu." with a warmth in her words.

"As per your request I have brought T'Sai Mimi to speak with you." He was aware that Mimi was hiding behind him, without much success. He stepped slightly out of the way so that she could come into full view.

Mimi did not know what to say or do, frightened that it would be the wrong thing, so she said and did nothing but breathe.

"Sordd leave us." T'Rama looked towards him and nodded. Mimi was relieved that her gaze had moved from her to him, no matter how fleetingly.

Sordd bowed his head again, "As you desire ko-mekh." He turned to leave the room, while he did so he discretely brushed his hand against Mimi's, she felt a wave of peace flow over her at his touch. The exchange did not go unnoticed by his mother, she refrained from commenting.

Mimi turned to watch him go, the fear she had felt earlier returning. She turned round again to meet T'Rama's gaze.

T'Rama broke the silence, "Sit down child…" she indicated for Mimi to sit on one of the couches. "There is no need to be afraid, I do not bite."

Mimi smiled nervously and sat down on what was a very comfortable grey coloured couch with lots of cushions. T'Rama sat down on the couch opposite Mimi, an oak coffee table was between them. T'Rama maintained her elegant posture. Mimi tried her best to sit upright.

"I will not waste time with pleasantries. It is obvious that your relationship with Sordd is more than a mere ... 'friendship'. I detected a change in my son before we met you in the hotel lobby, before he informed me of his pursuit." Her voice was steady and calm, her deep blue eyes were piercing Mimi like a laser, it was almost as though she could read Mimi's thoughts… Could she read Mimi's thoughts?

"In answer to your question. Vulcans are touch telepaths, with varying degrees of ability. I'm sensitive enough to pick up stray thoughts and emotions without touch, as are both of my sons." Mimi's eyes widened at this revelation. "That does not mean I can read your mind. I could only do that if we were to make skin contact, and then it would only be with your permission."

Mimi blushed, wondering how many stray thoughts she had had when in Sordd's company, wondering about how many times they had made skin contact. Her blush deepened. Then she quickly tried not to think about that incase T'Rama knew that she was thinking about things that she shouldn't be thinking about, this could get complicated.

T'Rama continued, unfazed by the bombardment of thoughts coming from Mimi, "A bond has already started to form between you and Sordd. It is a thin thread at the moment, it is there nonetheless. It is my understanding that humans often enter into 'casual' relationships with members of the opposite sex … I'm interested to know what your intentions are. Is this a mere casual relationship or do you intend to bond with my son?"

Mimi bit her lip, she felt very intimidated by this woman. She softly whispered, "If he asks me to marry him, my answer will be yes. However, he hasn't asked me as we are still dating…although early on he stated that his intention was to marry me." Mimi thought it best to miss out the mating part. She looked down at the oak table that was between them, thinking about the oak table. Mimi paused before speaking again, "Would you object?" she looked up to meet T'Rama's gaze.

"My son is of age..." T'Rama replied matter of factly. Mimi wasn't sure if this response meant that there were no objections, T'Rama was incredibly difficult to read. "He has stated to me that his katra finds you compatible. The more time you spend together the harder it will become for him to pull away, the harder it will become for you to pull away."

"I don't want to pull away." Mimi replied in a calm and steady voice.

"That may well be. I want to ensure that you understand what you would be entering into if you were to bond with my son. The marriage bond is sacred to Vulcans. It is not a casual thing, not something to be entered into lightly. You may not want to proceed with the relationship when you understand what it will really means." T'Rama's eyes softened a little, "What I am about to speak of is for your own protection, I do not want you to be misinformed."

Mimi found some boldness, she wasn't sure where from. "Sordd told me about pon farr, if that is what you are referring too. He told me on our first date."

There was obvious surprise in T'Rama's face, which she schooled away quickly. "Fascinating." He has obviously learned from the mistakes of his brother Sarek she thought to herself. "What did he say to you?"

Mimi blushed.

T'Rama's voice was calm "I'm old, a clan mother. Nothing you say will embarrass me, I have heard it all before. What did he say to you?"

Mimi took a deep breath, she was a biology teacher for goodness sake this should not be embarrassing. "He told me about arranged marriages, the betrothal ceremony and the different kinds of bonds. The seven year cycle of pon farr. The effects of pon farr being a neurochemical imbalance, lack of emotional control and disregard of logic. That the male becomes very possessive. He also spoke about plak tow and ritual battles." This all rattled off Mimi's tongue very quickly. She took another deep breath. "That the only thing that can satiate pon farr is mating with a bondmate, and that mating outweighs all other motivations…He also told me that if I was to become his bondmate and I was unwilling to reciprocate he would force me because of the effects of the fever… and that his life would be in my hands." Mimi paused, with more boldness she spoke, "T'Rama, I love Sordd, I would not want him to die."

T'Rama raised a single eyebrow and said nothing. She was suitably impressed that her son had been so honest and open about the whole matter early on in the relationship, which was most logical of him. She was also suitably impressed with Mimi's response, which she had also seen in Amanda… there seemed to be something about humans … she could not put her finger on it…

After some time she finally spoke. "He has been honest with you T'Sai Mimi. You do understand that love is a very human emotion that Sordd will not be able to express in those words?"

Mimi said nothing but simply nodded her head, she knew this after her conversation with Amanda.

"You also need to understand T'Sai that if you do become Sordd's bondmate he will want to take your body, but being a telepath he will also want to take your mind. Outside of the fires of pon farr he will not probe your mind, unless you allow it. However during pon farr he will be unable to control himself, he will want to penetrate your mind. He will want all of you, body, mind, katra or spirit as humans put it. You will be consumed by each other in every way, meaning that you will explore each other's thoughts and feelings. Are you willing for someone who is telepathically stronger than you to explore all of your thoughts and feelings, and be unable to stop them?"

Mimi sat in silence for a time weighing things up. "If it meant that he would survive, then yes." she said quietly.

T'Rama sat in silence again. For the first time in the conversation her eyes were focused on her fingertips, which were pressed together, instead of on Mimi.

"So you are still intending to say yes if he asks you, bearing in mind that there are also children involved?"

"Yes T'Rama, and yes. I've come to the conclusion that I don't want to live without Sordd being in my life. I would also love to have T'Shahel and Avarak to be part of my family." She had a determined tone in her voice.

There was another period of silence, which was not in any way uncomfortable. T'Rama's eyes were still focused on her fingertips.

"You will need to learn to shield your thoughts, I will assist you in this, as will Sordd. I cannot determine your telepathic ability without melding with you, perhaps that will be something we will do at a later date, with your permission." She briefly looked up at Mimi then returned her focus to her fingers. "Sordd is more gifted telepathically than I am myself, which is one of the reasons he became a healer. He is a strong enough telepath that he will enable you to feel what he is feeling and thinking. That will be helpful, particularly during the early stages when the bond is forming between you.

"My son has immense emotional regulation, more so than many Vulcans, this did not come easy to him. However, given the opportunity he would probably allow his emotions to take over and he would sleep with you this evening, if you gave him the chance. Do not allow him to do that unless it is something you desire. Vulcan men are strong. Vulcan women need to be stronger, you need to be stronger." She looked up again, "Go at a pace which is comfortable for you, do not let him pressure you into anything you are not comfortable with.

"I will counsel my son regarding what we have discussed today. His next cycle is in 1.5 years, that will give you time to settle into a deeper bond, which will afford you some protection when his time comes."

T'Rama was beginning to taper off, "I will train you on how to carry out a Vulcan nerve pinch, it is a useful technique during pon farr…In due time we will speak on these things again… unless you have any questions at the moment?" She looked toward Mimi, her eyes were a lot softer now.

"No, I don't think so." Mimi replied, visibly a lot more relaxed and at ease.

"Let us both return to the conference room then." T'Rama rose from the couch and led Mimi out the room.

Notes

Ko-mekh - mother

Sa-fu - son