Hello there friends, I hope the day finds you well. I beg you for some feedback on this chapter more out of nerves than anything else as I have no experience writing anything approaching romance. I would treasure any feedback both good and bad, it would be great and it would help me grow as a writer. I hope you enjoy.
-Old Night
Sindri wiped his brow as he stirred a few more of his dishes with one hand while carefully cupping a handful of finely ground chicken in the other as he fought the present ache across his chest and on his right shoulder. A surge of concern accelerated his hand's motions as he heard the door in the entry hall open and the muffled sounds of friendly greetings disrupted the hissing of his busy kitchen. In retrospect, he was glad Sid took to cooking with him so amicably. Even if it was not for women to sully their hands by creating the nourishment for their families, he did think much like his late father that everyone should know how to cook. Rolling the ground chicken into a tight ball before covering it with rich batter he was reminded for a moment of how it was said that on ancient Earth, women did most of the gardening and cooking as it was their assigned role.
Ridiculous
Turning the little batter ball in his hand he dropped it into the boiling oil as the smell of warm bread and seasoned fowl began to fill the room.
He smiled.
"What's that?" asked Sid as she stood next to him peering into the bubbling pot.
"These are cochinnias. A little treat from back home in Dubek."
"Did your mom cook them?"
"My mother didn't cook. That's men's jobs to cook for their wives and families."
"Why don't Darskirri women cook?"
Stirring the little cochinnias with a steady hand as they changed color to an orange-brown, Sindri patted Sid on the back with a smile on his face.
"If you start a job, then you ought to finish it. Women shouldn't have to get their hands dirty by rooting through the garden or hunting for dinner. Men catch and harvest the food so they also cook and prepare it. Women's hands are better suited for other things."
"Like what?"
"Making things. It is said amongst the men of our clans: Home does not rest upon the hearth but upon your woman. Our women typically pick up the trades that make the home. They make clothing for their families, tools for their men, and not an insignificant amount of them do good carpentry."
"Did your mom make you your poncho?"
"That she did."
"Do you miss her?"
"Every day."
"Do you think she would have liked me and Vee?"
The smile died on Sindri's lips as he removed one browned sweetmeat and replaced it with another.
"I don't know, to be perfectly honest."
"Is it because we are Turians?"
"She never met one who wasn't trying to kill her. But if she met you and your sister then she might have liked just you two."
The little Turian grabbed a set of wooden spoons to her right recognizing that her older brother was finished with them. With a little pout on her face, she dunked them in the sink and wiped most of the solids away before beginning to scrub them clean with a sponge.
"I don't remember my parents, so I don't know if they would have liked you. But I love you, so I think they would."
Smiling again Sindri nodded, his good humor returning instantaneously.
"Vee loves you too."
"I'm glad. I was concerned for a long time that she didn't."
Sid shook her head emphatically and dropped the spoon as she gesticulated excitedly lightly splashing her shirt with soap water.
"How come?"
"We would say hard things to each other before we started getting along. So I worried."
"Do you want me to ask her?"
"No, Sid. If I really want to know, I'll ask myself."
"Ok, because she and Amanda went out to get you a present."
Stopping for a split second and turning with demure interest, Sindri looked at Sid with a satisfied smirk.
"Really?"
"Yup. But I wasn't supposed to say anything, so don't tell them. I just don't want you to think Vee hates you or anything."
"What are they getting me?"
"I dunno."
With an exasperated sigh, Sindri shook his head and replaced one cooked Cochinnia with another.
Ridiculous woman
A smile crept across the man's face as he thought of Vetra. He knew he'd gotten to her. Gods forgive his selfishness. A kinder man would have perhaps offered everything he had without expectation of reciprocation but Sindri was not; and he certainly knew that Vetra was developing warm feelings for him and it had delighted him to no end.
At first, he'd just hoped she wouldn't keep him at arm's length, and over time he'd gotten what he wanted. She had genuinely come to care about him. And despite her early protestations to the contrary, she did obviously find comfort in having him around and in his attentions for both Sid and herself. He had suspected that someone like Vetra who'd had a harsh life with less than honest company by her own admission would be hardened and wary of vulnerability, but goodness he'd craved her friendship so badly.
There was something refreshing in the earnestness of Turians. They were honest and responsible and reliable and most of all selfless. And truth be told he understood their mindset firsthand and appreciated their race's quirks.
Callux had been that way, and so was she.
But now that he'd seen how blue in the face she'd gotten during the fights. How she jumped and breathlessly squirmed in place whenever he won and how she'd teared up and embraced him after his defeat he began to consider.
And to worry.
Perhaps he'd taken it too far and she was getting too attached.
He chastised himself.
You fool, Vetra is lonely. You know that. Why did you go out of your way to make a scene?
When he'd surreptitiously referred to her as the most beautiful woman in Grennik, he had just wanted to make her happy. And what more, he'd meant it. She was a wonderful woman with a ferocious heart and good character. It was a kind of beauty that perhaps was not apparent at first, but it was precious in its value. And she had honor; even if she didn't know it. This was why he wanted to make her feel special; why he fought and why he chose the flower seeds. Because she deserved to be fought for. She deserved flowers.
And if no Turian would do it, then he would.
I will never be able to repay her for everything she's done for me. Pouring all the love I have into her is the least I can do, and it's fine, she's a Turian after all.
The thought of presenting her with flowers brought a little warmth to his fair cheeks.
She wouldn't look at him askance for the meaning behind being brought flowers by a Darskirri man, but he hoped she'd appreciate the gesture.
"You're burning that one."
With a quick flick of his wrist, he dropped the wooden spoon and cursed under his breath.
"Don't burn the cochinni-things."
"Of course, Sid."
-0-
"Do you think he'll like it?"
"Yes, Vetra," Amanda replied for what felt like the tenth time as her tone became proportionately less sweet.
The day had been exciting to be sure and it had been a rare treat to see her employer and friend so engaged as to fight again. But she'd lost about a hundred credits altogether after he was defeated in that final bout. It was difficult not to feel sour about his loss however, she'd actually accrued several thousand credits in her favor until the end. So good where the odds and so dogged were the Darskirr's insistence to bet against Sindri that she had raked in considerable cash.
Only for his cousin to practically cheat with a sword that was bigger than she was.
Still, she resolved. If she was going to be robbed of the Stardust Supernova concert then she was going to create her own entertainment and help her friends along.
"Do you own any clothing that isn't boots, jackets, and spats?"
"I-uh. No."
Amanda watched Vetra placidly as the big Turian stressed and struggled behind the changing veil in room 6.
"C'mon Vee, you have to have something decent to wear. When was the last time you went on a date?"
"Ugh, don't ask me that."
"Ok, I just think that if you want to catch his eye you need to dress to impress."
"I'm not dressing up like a tart. Besides, what was wrong with the gray outfit?"
"That's not what I'm asking. All I'm suggesting is that you not wear something that a woman who is going to go out to chop wood would wear."
The Turian snorted behind the veil and tossed yet another shirt over its side.
Smiling, the young woman enjoyed the stress the older sister was experiencing. She knew that what Vetra wore was not as important than what she was going to do. Over many years Amanda had come to pick up some understanding of how the Darskirr approached things and more than one man had approached her with flowers. God help her, the clans were bizarre and she could never live that life but they had more than a few surprisingly sweet customs.
And Vetra knew none of them.
Which is why she'd so adamantly suggested getting Sindri a new set of clothes.
Women get flowers and if they reciprocate they give the men an article of clothing she made (or traded) for him. And Amanda knew that if anything would provoke a reaction out of Sindri, it would be a bundle of new clothes from his favorite Turian.
"Ok, so how's this?" said Vetra as she stepped out from behind the curtain.
Amanda's eyes brightened as she stood proud and tall wearing a set of black spats (again) with a bright cyan sleeveless shirt which generously showed off her shoulders down to her hands and framed her collar with a tidy neckline.
"I think that's the best out of the set. And just for a little extra spice, I got this off the coatrack," she said as she unfolded and presented Sindri's poncho from where she'd folded it on her lap.
"Absolutely not. I am not wearing that."
"Why, is it gross? I think you'd look good with his little wrap-around over your blue shirt, especially if you drape it so it only covers half your body."
"It's not gross. I am not going to put on his dead mother's last gift to him knowing that the Turian military killed her."
"He lets me wear it when I'm cold, Vee. It isn't some holy grail that he will burn you if you touch it."
"That's different, you are human."
"It's too intimate to wear his poncho; says the woman who he invited to live with him in his house. Trust me, Vee. Wear it. It's kind of a lowkey way of flirting by humans if a girl wears a piece of clothing that belongs to a guy."
With some hesitation Vetra reached out a lightly touched to old fabric, she wondered for a moment how many sights the homespun cloak had seen, how many highs and lows it'd been witness to. And how angry would Sindri be if she wore it.
"Just relax, Vee. I think this will turn out great."
-0-
Sindri stepped out of the kitchen with his billowy uniform sleeves rolled up to his elbows and a tall carafe of spicy smelling tea as Sid followed him with a plate stacked high with cochinnias.
Withdrawing from his well-loved kitchen and into the living room/reception hall of The Apothecary he felt a bubbly sort of elation for all the strange but friendly faces that greeted him. About two dozen altogether of the finest aliens Grennik had to offer and all of them genuinely happy to spend their new year's eve with him in his business rather than at home. It was all more than he deserved and often times he felt a real ache, a longing to see Callux again and show him what had become of the fruits of their joint idea.
A petty desire, but one that came around once a year.
The faces sometimes changed from year to year but none went missing for more than a single winter in between. Amanda, whose family lived in Kuov genuinely seemed to enjoy the cozy set up of the place so she would never miss a single holiday. Grin had no family on Mirrard and for her own part seemed to enjoy the holiday as much as she'd enjoy any other day. In fact, she seemed more comfortable with the routines and expectations of work than the chaos of a celebration with unfamiliar faces. Jordun, the local Krogan street tough turned carpenter, had long made it his own kind of yearly ritual to come spend New Year's Pyre at The Apothecary and he was the only one who earnestly participated the way a Darskirr would. Callux had once joked that the two would learn the complete body of sins of the other if they continued trying to outdo one another. The comment had once given him chills but there was nothing he'd done that Callux did not know and accept him for anyway.
Passing by the center table and setting down the tea, he gestured for Sid to pass him the plate she was holding before setting it down to a very appreciative host of guests.
It pleased him to see everyone's faces turn into smiles and happy tones as they thanked him and continued to chatter and drink happily as well as sneak the odd bite (even though they were not supposed to). Grin looked about as she nursed a drink with her silly straw before clinking her glass loud enough that it carried through the room.
"Hello everyone, I believe you all know each other. Tonight we will celebrate the ancient Darskirri holiday New Year's Pyre, it is less ancient than Sur'Ha-Gunva by several millennia but it is well established nonetheless. Please enjoy your food after Sindri finishes the customary prayer. You may join if you like or not as it is a prayer directed at his gods specifically."
Shaking the grin off his face Sindri patted Sid to grab a seat by Vetra only to look around and see that she was not present.
"Should we wait for her?" asked Sid as the people looked at him expectantly.
"She's not the praying sort. Here, let's stand over there and give everyone some room."
Standing straight and reassuming some of the decorum earnest prayers demanded he took command of the room on the space by the fire. As she followed closely, he tapped Sid's leg with his foot playfully as much as to amuse her as to be rid of his own nerves. So often before had he spoken the words and felt nothing since his Callux was lost and it still shamed him a little to offer prayer anyway. His friends wanted to hear him speak as they did one another during holidays spent at his clinic. The kindness was as much for them as it was for him, so sure he was that he was simply being indulged.
With a little reverence, Sindri Bogatyr turned to the little cubby above the fireplace and smiled as he reached for a small wooden box made of cedar foreign to this world. Reaching inside for a finger's worth of orange-hued ash he smeared a little streak of it on his sternum inside his black shirt.
His gaze flicked narrowly at his little sister who looked at him curiously. Kneeling by her he held up his orange, ashen finger and offered it to her and she assented, puffing out her chest as he smeared a little on her shirt.
Snapping the lid closed and placing the box back where it belonged he clasped his hands and bowed his head once he turned to his guests.
"This dust smells nice," said Sid as she stood close next to him and clasped her hands.
Taking a deep breath the Exile let the scent bring forth old memories; a sense of warmth washed over him and to his surprise, he felt at home. It was then it occurred to him that he'd forgotten about the phantom pain he felt in his heart. The hole in his chest that ached every day. And he didn't feel angry, not at all. He couldn't remember the last time he felt like venom coursed through his veins. The old pain eluded him like mist in the morning dawn and with each successive breath, Sindri felt himself smile. It crept across his face with it came a deep longing to see his family again.
Not because of pain or anger or fright. But to share the moment with them and everything he'd done.
And his Turians.
We are judged in life, by the challenges we overcome. Both within and without.
We are judged in death, by the legacy we leave behind. For our kith and kin.
Now on New Year's Pyre, we offer up that which should set with the dying light of a year well-lived.
The pyre burns, o' I pray, all throughout the night.
Sindri opened his eyes as the warm words rose in his chest and his gaze fell onto Vetra. She stood apart from those seated next to Amanda who mirrored his and Sid's clasped hands. The prayer stopped and his eyes looked the older Turian from the top of her crest to her shoes. This was something unusual. Vetra was wearing a bright cyan, sleeveless shirt, and Amanda's silver star necklace. Very attention-grabbing, very feminine, very unlike her. And draped over her shoulder covering half her body to her thighs was his poncho, woven by his mother's hands almost two decades earlier. He stopped the prayer his mouth still slightly open, frozen in the motion of forming the words. Eyes turned away from the man and to the Turian as her eyes pinned and her mandibles hugged her jaw tightly. With a single nervous look at the human Vetra's hand reached to the collar of the poncho.
"Don't take it off."
She stopped and crossed her arms, holding herself.
"It looks nice on you, as does the necklace."
Closing his eyes once more, Sindri began the prayer again.
Even as other guests shared curious or knowing looks at one another and Amanda's foot tapped Vetra and she was swatted on the arm for her trouble.
We feed the fire, we fan the flames.
Where there is uncertainty, I shall be steadfast.
Where there is doubt, I shall be faithful.
Where there is rage, I shall stay its course.
Where there is shame, I shall seek atonement.
The pyre burns, o' I pray, all throughout the night.
We are strong, for we despise weakness. We detest it in all others, but none so much as within ourselves.
The pyre burns and our past shortcomings burn with it.
So let it be, as it was, on the sands of hallowed Mars.
The pyre burns, o' I pray, all throughout the night.
"Even gods may die." finished Sid, looking at her brother for approval.
"Well said, little sister."
-0-
Vetra felt a little flush across her face as she nibbled at her food. Sindri noticed the effort in her appearance even if she was wearing something simple and one of Amanda's necklaces. She wasn't sure when she should give Sindri his gift but every time she felt the courage rising in her chest she immediately froze in a mute panic thinking about what a scene it would make if she gave him his present in front of everyone. She'd have to ambush him in private with it. Cursing internally she regretted having set the gifts under her chair and between her legs. Oh well, at least that would be the smallest problem she'd have all night.
"So as Amanda tells the story, Sindri. You got kicked out of the clan, that true?" rumbled Jordun as he took a long drag from his acrid smelling drink.
Looking up from his own mug of spicy smelling tea the human grinned at his friend with a little modest pleasure.
"There is more to it than that, but yes."
"Yeah, two more things." the Krogan interjected as he winked at Vetra and Sid who smiled at him and the latter looked at her brother.
"I know tribes' important to you, Sin. But good riddance, regular zit in my ass those people are."
"Speaking of pains in one's bottoms. What is it like living with two Turians, Sindri? Given the racial acrimony between your peoples it must have been taxing?" asked Grin in her clipped cadence as she put her silly straw in her drink.
With a smug glance at her, Sindri threw up his hands.
"The little one is sweet, she tries hard and I am proud of her. The big one is a troublemaker."
Vetra smiled.
"Always giving me problems, always copping an attitude. Impertinent and disrespectful this one, Ms. Nyx."
"You are being, sarcastic?" asked Grin as she looked at him, puzzled.
"Yes, Grin."
"I knew it." she started, pleased with herself and looking at the others with a big smile.
"Mr. Callux would have been pleased to see you have made two new Turian friends."
"Sindri isn't just my friend, he's my big brother." quipped Sid between mouthfuls of noodles.
The look in Sindri's eyes softened and he looked at Vetra.
In her chest, her heart jumped and her smile widened.
"He would definitely have teased me for the mess I got into."
"Was it worth it?" purred Amanda from across the table while stealing a little conspiratorial glance at Vetra.
With a barking laugh, the man rose from his seat.
"If you are going to start asking me personal questions I need to start drinking."
As he walked away to the kitchen Amanda gave Vetra a meaningful look.
With a little shudder of nerves, the Turian got up from her seat after Sindri entered the kitchen and she followed after him, gift bag in hand.
"What are you up to?"
Looking at Mrs. Rivana and twirling a braid around her fingers, Amanda smirked.
"Just helping my buddies along."
-0-
Hearing the kitchen doors open Sindri turned with an unopened ale in his hand. The Turian looked anxious and held both her hands behind her back.
"Was I mean? You know I like to tease you."
Vetra shook her head and stepped forward with a little ambivalence and her eyes refused to meet his gaze.
"No, uh. You were fine. I just-I wanted to give you something."
"My friend, you don't have to get me anything in exchange for the furniture. I did it because I wanted to take care of you two."
Taking a deep breath and closing the distance between them both Vetra swung her hands over gingerly with a neatly folded bag with red gift paper peeking out of it.
"What's this?"
"I want to get you a gift. After the tournament today I feel you deserved it."
With a genuine smile, Sindri took the bag in his hands and bowed his head an increment.
"You honor me. Thank you."
"Open it, I want to know what you think."
Looking into the bag Sindri saw a handsome black button-down shirt a darker hue than his hair and a pair of jeans to go with it. A real leather belt sat wrapped on top of both and a pair of classier leather shoes to go with it.
The smile faded from his face by a shade. Looking up at the Turian in front of him suddenly his ears felt very warm.
"Clothes? Why clothes?"
"Are they the wrong size? I thought I had the-"
"No, Vee. I'm sure they are fine. I'm just unused to receiving gifts and you are making me nervous."
At this, the Turian smiled at him.
"Yeah well. You were making me plenty nervous too today. Besides, if you are going to go through the trouble of growing flowers then I could spare a minute to buy you a nice outfit."
Sindri stood still even as his heart skipped a beat.
"Go ahead and put it on. I'll go back to the party."
"You know, flowers are good because they take a long while to grow. It gives me time to ensure I get them right and that I am sure I want to give them to you."
Vetra stopped and looked back at Sindri who hadn't moved from his spot or relaxed his posture. Her face flushed blue for an instant.
"Are you saying you weren't sure about the flowers?"
"No! I'm just shocked, to be honest. That you'd actually welcome flowers from me."
Stepping backward and biting her lip in idle nerves Vetra reached to open the door to the dining room.
"I wouldn't say no to flowers from you. So get dressed and come out, I want to see how you look in something that isn't army fatigues or a uniform."
And with that, he was alone in the kitchen, the sound of laughter from four different species carrying through the walls and wooden door.
She knows? She knew what the flowers mean to my people. And she got me clothes? She knew! What do I do?
Vetra Nyx was reciprocating in the Darskirri way. He didn't think it could ever conceivably come to this but it had.
I just wanted to be kind and get her flowers, I didn't mean to actually court her. What do I do with her? She's actually been interested in me all this time? Oh, Gods why did I make a spectacle of myself today? Would she even be happy with a man like me? With a human?
Panic seized him as he stood stock-still, so swallowed by his thoughts and the sudden rush of percussive heartbeats in his chest.
Vetra is my closest friend, I don't want to hurt her. But she's already expecting me to actually go through with courting her if I am growing flowers and if I just tell her I didn't mean for her to take it that way it would humiliate her and break her heart. If I go through with it and hate it then I'd break her heart still.
Sindri looked at the clothes in the bag he held and out of the corner of his eye he saw the little seed bag, still fastened by a single strand of rough twine to his key rings.
A bag of seeds.
Nothing more than a promise of something beautiful, if one had the good sense to nurture it to life, or to let it grow at its own pace after letting nature take its course.
Is this natural?
He thought of Vetra. Her voice and her face, the trilling sound of her laughter and the feel of her skin. The thought brought him a warm comfort despite the brand burning across his brain glowing with the knowledge that she was never going to be a human. He'd already broken many taboos but where it came to loving an alien he'd always done so in a platonic fashion. But if he went through with this, if he gave her flowers, then this would be a step too far.
He'd be committing a sin, something deeply unnatural.
Do I allow myself to let this seed grow?
The thought came to him, unbidden, of Vetra suddenly being absent from his life. Sid somehow still in the picture but the elder sister gone. It made him recoil to think of the hole this would leave in the house. The thought of her with another man bothered him. She was not unnatural, neither was coming to care deeply about her; his Turian, his Vetra.
Do I love her?
It was not the Darskirri way to do things by half. Not in war, not in craft, and not in love. If he was going to allow whatever this seed was to grow and nurture what it would blossom into then he should embrace it fully and without shame.
Shame.
You deserve a better man than me, Vetra. You deserve to be with someone who isn't a coward.
It is what I am. But not what I will be; for you and the little one. All of us three.
Peeking again into the bag he smiled with boyish enthusiasm at the thought of belonging to Vetra and didn't fight the stream of joy that was threatening to drown him.
-0-
A loud creak and a sudden but brief burst of frigid air cut through the hall as a few stumbling steps announced a latecomer to the celebrations.
Taking a long sip from her dextro-ale the Turian smiled quietly thinking about the quiet pleasure of Sid, Sindri, and herself sitting together in their own section of tables.
One glance at Amanda's face as she put her drink down and suddenly stood up putting on a fake smile dashed the good feelings.
"Doctor, doctor! I'm unwell, I need you to take care of me."
Turning her head at the slurring, hissing tone she saw Alexandra stumbling her way towards the tables stopping just short as she looked at the back of one of the Krogans present.
"Hey, babe! What's up?" started Amanda as she stood and scooted to quickly come to the drunk Darskirr's side. "I can pull you a plate and some food for you to eat with me, come have-"
"I don't share a meal with aliens, Amanda. They are dirty."
Interlocking her hands and holding them behind her waist Amanda smiled patiently.
"Honey you came at a bad time. And you know you can't be here, Sindri's an exile."
"Psh-what does it matter to me? He's a healer and I'm hurt and he needs to take care of me."
"Alex, you're really drunk and aren't thinking clearly. How about you come sit in the living room and I bring you some water and a warm plate of food?"
The woman swayed as her eyes dragged away from the medical assistant in front of her and scanned the room. Her green eyes wandered to each face unlike her own and sneered until she found Vetra who pointedly ignored her.
"And you."
Unperturbed Vetra raised her chin and glowered at the young, raven-haired woman.
"What did you do to him?" Alexandra slurred even as Amanda tried to guide her away.
"I don't know what you mean," replied Vetra as she turned her attention back to her dinner curtly.
"Oh yes, you do. How dare you, you skull-face? How dare you steal one of our men?"
At this, the Turian snorted and shook her head.
"I can't steal something that never belonged to you."
"Oh yes you can, he belonged to his people."
"Not anymore."
In three steps Alexandra crossed the distance and slapped the plate off the table and stuck her finger in Vetra's face.
"You had no right to trick him. Or to wear what his mother made him, you ugly bitch."
To Amanda's surprise and rising dread Vetra did not stand nor did she react but merely folded the napkin on her lap and tossed it on her table. Regarding the young woman completely now with her blue eyes, she crossed her arms.
"He said it looks nice on me. Plus why are you here? Making a mess in Sindri's business, throwing his food on the floor, ruining his holiday?"
Tears welled in the corners of Alexandra's eyes and were quickly wiped away.
"Whatever. Where is he? I want to see him."
"I'm not letting you talk to him."
"Sindri!" Alexandra cried out.
Vetra snapped to her feet and grabbed her by the arm, slapping her hand over the young woman's mouth.
"That's enough, Alexandra! You are leav-ow!"
Recoiling, Vetra inspected the finger where the young woman had bitten her.
"Don't you touch me you, disgusting alien. You don't deserve to keep Sindri, he was meant for me!"
Clenching her fist Vetra shoved the Alexandra away and towards the doors. Her ear canals felt hot knowing that she was causing a scene and embarrassing herself in front of everyone. Just being the target of her ire and over a man no less also made her flush with shame. But this was eclipsed by genuine anger. She wasn't going to let Alexandra see Sindri.
"Don't you touch me!"
"You are so pathetic. Is that what this is about?"
With a snarl on her face, Alexandra struggled to maintain balance as she staggered backward and towards the doors. Incensed, she tilted forward and took a good look at Vetra, perhaps unreservedly for the first time.
"You don't deserve him! You can't love him the way he needs, he deserves a better woman than you."
"Who? Someone like you? Get real, you brat! The only reason you are here is that you are having a drunken tantrum because you couldn't land the man you wanted."
"We were going to get married! And then you ruined everything."
All the acrimony on Vetra's face evaporated in a heartbeat and a pregnant quiet overtook the room before the Turian began to laugh. The sound was trilling and bell-like, as was common to her species, and it was earnest in its expression.
"That arranged marriage was to you?"
Alexandra did not answer as the scowl on her face only deepened and her heart beat faster and faster in her chest. A hot and bitter engine poisoning the blood pounding in her head.
"He wasn't interested in the slightest Alex, he was annoyed."
"You don't know that! You manipulated him! You robbed him of his clan, his family. And he is never going to love you the way he would have loved me, he will never love an alien the way he could have loved a real woman."
"Drop that shit, Sindri could have had it easy if he'd just bent the knee to the Elder and kissed the ring and you. But instead, he chose the pair of aliens his family wanted to hurt. In front of your Elder, the clan, and all the gods he chose me and Sid over you and them, you shit-wit. So get fucked and get out. Now!"
Stomping forward and wrenching Alexandra towards the door the young woman tried in vain to break the angry Turian's grip on her arm.
"Does it feel good when he's inside you? Does it feel good knowing that when he's fucking you he's probably thinking about strangling you to death too?"
Alexandra didn't see the hand as it flew to her cheek and clapped her face to the side almost knocking her off her feet. For the span of a few seconds the room held still in absolute silence as Alexandra held her face, now suddenly very sober and staring at Vetra wide-eyed and mouth agape in shock. Then the shock turned into a malicious smile like a knife being slowly pulled out of a sheath. With another snap of her hand, Vetra grabbed Alexandra by the hair and twisted her head up to look straight at her.
"You are never going to talk to Sindri, these people or me ever again. And do you know why? Because if you do, I am going to tell everyone what happened here tonight. How you came crawling back to The Apothecary begging to get railed by the Exile while completely drunk off your ass."
The young woman's face slowly gave way to an expression of dread.
"They will never believe you."
"They don't need to believe just me. But also Amanda, Grin, Jordun, Rivana, and all the others. You are going to be the laughingstock of the entire town and Pavoka too."
Tears began to well in Alexandra's eyes as incoherent anger began to redden her already ruddy expression. Her green eyes darted to the faces behind Vetra and suddenly her expression dropped and a deep look of shame overtook it as she turned on her heel and ran out of the Apothecary. The handle clattered against its own mechanism as the heavy wooden door slammed open and a great gust of cold wind marked the young woman's flight into the frigid, dark night.
With a sigh, the Turian stepped forward and shut it with a little grunt of effort. As the cold dissipated and she became aware of the crackling heat of the fireplace she flushed again with embarrassment.
Okay, so Alexandra and I made a huge scene. Might as well just deal with whatever the rest have to say.
Turning around Vetra tried for a smile that immediately died on her lips as she locked eyes with Sindri who stood with the crowd observing her.
Suddenly at a loss for words, her mandibles quivered in anxious energy unsure of what he thought or would say.
The man stepped forward with the shadow of a smile playing on his lips and eyes. Now as before when she'd presented him with clothes he had this timid air about him that was almost meek in how shy he looked.
"Come, let me serve you another plate."
"You're not mad?"
Sindri shook his head and finally looked at her as he led her by the arm back to her seat past the rest of the people present.
"Why would I be angry with you for defending my honor?"
"Because I caused a scene."
"No, Alexandra is the one who put on a little display. You stood up for me."
Taking a single shaky breath as Sindri pulled out her chair and helped her seat herself she gestured an apology at everyone else present.
A little thrill went through her as everyone else began to converse and eat and a few quipped at Alexandra's expense, Sindri lowered himself by her ear and whispered quietly enough that no one else could hear.
"I did choose you and Sid over my clan and her. And if I knew then what I know now, I'd choose you again over all others, Vetra Nyx."
As Sindri stepped away and back to the kitchen's Vetra swallowed hard and her heart thundered in her chest in a sort of giddy anxiety. It didn't take her long to realize she really wanted Sindri to come back with her plate so she could look at him again, or that she was smiling in anticipation.
-0-
The streets of Grennik were quiet. New Year's Pyre was a somewhat dichotomous celebration, the character of which was at once jubilant for what it signified but also contemplative for what it meant. Many revelers spent the eve tending their bonfires or hearths in rumination of all the sins and shortcomings of the last year and whispering oaths to improve and be better people for the next.
To any passerby, The Apothecary was raucous and broke the silence of the wind and lonely cobblestone streets. Inside, voices drawn from every corner of the known galaxy speaking in a single tongue laughed, shared, and chattered happily amongst themselves as the moons began to wheel overhead. In pairs or trios eventually, they began to depart as the night carried on; many of them unable to carry on eating or drinking themselves. Not an insignificant few speculated on the dinnertime show they were treated to. And whether or not the universe was quite so strange as to produce the coupling of a Darskirri man and a Turian woman. If nothing else, it would be good gossip.
Jordun, the old Krogan, seldom liked walking back home after drinking so much as it made his joints hurt. So he settled into the couches by the front door's entrance hall by the fireplace as was his habit. Sid curled up on the end of the couch closest to the fire, using Vetra and Sindri's jackets folded like pillows underneath her head as she snored lightly; now content with a full belly and a full day. He'd mentioned to Sindri that he was quite comfortable there and not to worry; he'd bounce away any unwanted visitors, for which the exile warmly thanked him.
Mrs. Rivana insisted on her own part to help clean up with her wife and Grin. They reasoned that if Sindri went through the trouble of cooking, then the least they could do is tidy up. He didn't complain but found it curious that this year they were so adamant that he should just leave it all to them; they even made him another cup of his spicy tea and led him to the comfortably furnished turret that sat at the corner of the Apothecary all the while insisting that he should take a rest.
Turning his head away from the stained glass windows he locked eyes with Vetra as she turned the corner and held the wall for support.
"Do you mind if I sit down?" she asked, nerves still obvious in her eyes, her pupils pinned as she looked at him.
"Not at all, you must be tired."
At this, the Turian stopped and fidgeted with her fingers.
"I'm ok. I actually just wanted to talk to you."
Cupping his tea with both hands Sindri felt his heart jump.
"Did I do something wrong?"
"No."
The word hung between them like a bush of awkward thorns. Vetra seemed so unsure of herself to Sindri, she was perhaps struggling to "speak softly" to him.
Patting the space next to him on the old couch upon where he sat the Turian took a seat being careful to not touch him or encroach on his space.
"I'll just speak plainly; did you want to talk about the flowers?"
Vetra nodded as she struggled to refrain from looking at him.
"If you don't want me to, I won't."
"I didn't say I did not want them."
For a long moment, Sindri looked at her before taking a deep breath in an effort to relax. He edged the back of his hand towards her own like he would offer it to a snarling animal to sniff. To his surprise despite her adamancy to not look at him yet her hand pulled away from him.
Then she laid it on his and interlocked her fingers with his own.
It made his heart race and looking at how she swallowed hard and turned her head to look at him fully now. Stealing glances at their hands together it was obvious how much worry she had in her eyes as if asking for permission. A little smile raised her cheeks as she looked at their entwined hands for a long moment. She liked it.
A familiar grin worked its way on Sindri's smug face.
"You have gorgeous spurs, you know."
Vetra's cheeks turned a deep shade of blue and she withdrew her hand after pushing him away half-heartedly out of embarrassment.
"Sindri Bogatyr! That is not something you just say to a girl!"
"Oh? How come?"
"Don't play dumb! I bet Callux told you about stuff like that."
Trying to stifle his laughter and then failing he clapped his hands in delight as Vetra's face turned an even deeper shade of blue and she crossed her arms in faux-indignation.
"That he did. When we were deep into our cups together we'd speak of women on occasion. He liked them short with curvaceous hips and polished spurs he said."
"And how do you like them?"
"Like you."