Chapter 6
But you -- you're not allowed
You're uninvited
An unfortunate slight.
– Alanis Morriset, "Uninvited"
The same taciturn guard from yesterday was waiting in the transporter room, wearing the same bored expression. There was another terse delivery of instructions, and Ezri was led to a changing room. But this time, instead of the embroidered tapestry and the blue silk robe, there was a rather hard examining table and a hospital gown. The second day of Declaration was set aside for medical testing and examination. Ironically enough, the same people that could embrace ceremony to the point of superstition could also be the most clinical people Dax had ever met.
The doctor in charge of the procedures could have learned a thing or two about bedside manner. He met any attempt at conversation with stern glances and curt replies. Pretty soon, Ezri gave up chatting with him altogether and submitted quietly to the examination. Dax was poked and prodded; she was turned about in any manner of different postures and scrutinized with eyes and tricorders; she was required to answer endless series of questions regarding nutrition, exercise, hygiene habits. At one point, the doctor even tried to corner her with loaded questions about her emotional and psychological health. Fortunately, he soon realized she was more than a match for him in that area, and the conversation was quickly dropped.
Ezri wasn't concerned about her physical suitability to Joining. She knew that there wasn't the remotest sign of rejection and that she was in excellent health. If there had been anything wrong with her, Julian would have told her a long time ago. One thing she'd never doubted, even in two lifetimes knowing the man, was that he was bluntly honest with bad news.
Needless to say, the Board's obsession with the unusual circumstances of her Joining was more annoying than anything. Three hours of the routine examinations weren't enough to convince them of her health; the doctor insisted on a full neurological analysis, including deep neural scanning for both Host and Symbiont. Ezri soon found herself lying on a biobed, half-naked and freezing, with electrodes glued to her forehead and belly.
"Stay still and relax, please," the doctor told her sternly. Then he turned his back and leaned over his monitoring equipment with more interest than he'd ever shown in the patient herself.
This, of course, was also a long and tedious procedure. At least they're not lecturing me anymore, she thought, mentally shrugging it aside. Laying her arms flat at her sides, she closed her eyes and concentrated on silencing her thoughts. One blessing of her brief tenure in Initiate training was learning how to meditate; it had proven valuable even before she had to deal with the overwhelming mess of contradictions that was Symbiosis.
She was left alone long enough to get deep into meditation, her breathing slow and steady. She focused on the darkness of her closed eyes, on the steady beat of her heart. The cacophony of her Joined mind fell to a silent, strong presence. There was only the basic, the primitive.
Ezri felt very relaxed. She drew a breath deep into her lungs, and at the motion there was a feeling, almost a memory, of sliding into place. It was akin to a sense of warmth and protection that the Dax Symbiont had always felt in the earliest moments of Joining, the first embrace of the Host....
A blue flash pierced the darkness behind her eyes, startling her out of the trance. Ezri gasped slightly, then opened her eyes with a puzzled frown. That was strange.
From across the room, the doctor was gazing at her curiously. "Try to remain calm, please."
Ezri smiled blandly. "Right. Sorry."
The rest of the scan went without interruption. Ezri half-waited for the flash to happen again, but when nothing out of the ordinary happened she began to think she'd just imagined it. In a few minutes, the doctor cleared his throat in a concluding fashion and stood beside her.
"You are in good health, all that is expected with a young Host. We still have to analyze your neural readings, but it is not required that you be present for that. You may leave."
She held back a sigh of relief. The doctor removed the electrodes and gave Ezri a cloth to wipe up the sticky residue. She cleaned herself and pulled the flimsy gown around her as quickly as she could. She couldn't wait to change into her clothes again.
"See you tomorrow," she quipped.
"Actually, about that...." The doctor gestured vaguely. "Anyway, your escort will tell you. Have a pleasant day."
*****
It took several long minutes for Dax to leave the room. The Trill doctor was eager to review the findings of the scan, but he made himself wait a while longer, just in case she decided she'd forgotten something and unexpectedly walked back in. When he was sure it was safe, he recalled her neural readings and scrolled through them until he found what he was looking for. A sudden increase of activity, visible through almost all brain wave levels, spiked upward through the otherwise-calm patterns.
"Odd," he mumbled to himself. "Worth looking into, perhaps...? Probably nothing. Still...."
After a moment of deliberation, he nodded briskly and saved the data into a separate file. Relevant or not, the occurrence would be analyzed and logged, and the appropriate persons would be notified. At this point, they couldn't afford to ignore any possibility, no matter how small.
*****
Only early afternoon. Ezri squinted against the sun that had not yet reached its full height and shook her head. The cool peace of morning had not completely faded, and she was already back at the resort. And she wouldn't be returning to the capitol city again. Not today, not tomorrow. It was over, and as unending as this series of interrogations and lectures had seemed, right now it felt like it was over much too quickly.
She shook her thoughts aside as she walked up the wide steps of the hotel. It felt good to be outside in the sun, in the sweet-smelling air. Ezri decided to focus on that. No matter what political games the Symbiosis Commission decided to play in their grand halls hundreds of kilometers away, it was still a gorgeous spring day in Caysil.
The man at the desk of the lobby greeted her politely as she entered, even going as far as informing her that her companion could be found in the Main Garden Courtyard. "Made good use of our racquetball facilities earlier this morning," he told her. "I hear he posed quite a challenge to some of our other guests."
"That's typical," Dax said with a bright smile. Being personable, she told herself sternly. Not keeping tabs on him – just being personable, like they're paid to do. Don't get paranoid, Ezri. Nodding a thanks to the attendant, she walked through the lobby to the door leading to the courtyard.
Julian had apparently felt the same way about being outside. He sat at a small table that had a pleasant view of the garden, and had just finished eating. He wore comfortable exercise clothes, and his skin was a shade or two darker, already tanned by the wind and sun. Grinning a bit, she skirted the courtyard to walk up behind him and hug his shoulders.
He acted appropriately surprised, turning his head to smile up at her. "Ezri! That was quick!"
"Really." She kissed his cheek and stepped around him to pull over an empty chair. "It certainly seemed to go on for ages."
Julian winced a bit in sympathy. "Bad time of it again?"
She shrugged. "Oh, not as bad as yesterday. That was the cross-examination, today was the endless series of tests and scans. Even more intense than usual, since I managed to avoid the usual Initiate testing. I don't think I've listened to so much medical and scientific jargon in my entire life." She grinned impishly. "Which is quite a statement, considering present company…."
"Very funny," he said wryly. "So what's the third day going to be like? Easier, I hope."
Ezri hesitated, then shrugged her shoulders. "That's just the thing. I won't have a third day. I'm done, Julian."
He blinked. "What? But I thought you said…."
"I know I did," she replied. "And in any other case, there would be a third day. Ceremonial rituals, solemn speeches, public declaration of Oaths, hours and hours of pomp and circumstance. It's the day that usually lasts the longest."
A scowl was forming across Julian's face before she was done speaking. "And they're denying you that? Are you saying you've been rejected?"
She shook her head quickly, before her own quiet doubts could be revived by his words. "No, I'm not saying that at all. I've been passed, as far as the Commission is concerned. They still don't like the situation or me very much, but I'm official. They just… want to keep this as low-key as possible."
Julian looked less angry, but not by much. "Oh, I see. So they accept you, as long as you have the good grace to keep quiet."
"Exactly," Ezri said, rolling her eyes. "They don't want 'mistakes' like me put in the spotlight any more than is completely necessary. Don't worry. I've never liked the third day anyway. It always seemed so redundant."
He looked at her, and his expression softened. "But it means something to you, doesn't it?"
Dax sighed and looked down at the table, thinking out her response. "I guess. Going through the ceremonies – that's all just routine. Show the right solemn esteem, say the right responses, nothing emotional or personal about it. But missing it, knowing they're embarrassed about me – it just reminds me of all the things about Trillian that I don't like."
Julian looked upset for her sake; Ezri shook her head. She reached across the table to take his hand. "I refuse to be depressed about this," she said. "I don't seek the Commission's approval, and now that I'm all Declared and official I don't need to worry about them any more. It's a weight off my shoulders, Julian. I can move on now."
He smiled back. "And the Establishment be damned."
"Indubitably," Dax laughed.
There was a small silence. Then a light, perfumed breeze cooled the heat of the sunlight on Ezri's face, and Julian tipped his head to one side. "So," he said, as if discussing a matter of great importance. "We have the rest of today, and all day tomorrow, and at least ten days after that before we have to go back home.
"Right," Ezri said playfully. "So the question is, how are we going to pass the time?"
"Well, I have a few immediate suggestions," he teased. "But beyond that, there's a lot of things I'd be interested in seeing. This place is fascinating in a lot of ways."
A meditative expression crossed her face. "Yes," she had to admit. "In spite of everything, it's still beautiful here."
Julian twined his fingers through hers and smiled. "Then I want you to show me all the things about Trillian that you do like."
