3 Years Later
14 Widow Street, Harretsburg, Pennsylvania
8 p.m.
Mycerra and Amani hunched over the wedding books donated to them by a former seamstress.
Amani adored the white lace and rejected the gowns in mass.
"You know what would drop my jaw? You in a lace lab coat with half your ass peeking out. That perfect blue-" Amani cut off Mycerra's playful teasing with a deep kiss and pinned her to the loveseat. Hands roamed over the loose pajamas covering Mycerra's toned physique before unbuttoning the top button. "So, demanding, my love. Give me more."
"You know what drops my jaw?" Amani whispered, lips hovering above Mycerra's. "You holding your shotgun, wearing black leather with the perfect cutouts for your perky chest and tight ass. Sparkling blue lipstick, a choker collar with a leash on it, and a half mask covering your eyes. You kneel at my feet and beg me to take your leash and make you my eternal sex pet."
Mycerra stopped teasing entirely and stared wide eyed at her lover, friend, and confidante.
"I'll make you beg until you agree to my perverse demands and prove you'll obey." Amani reveled in her untapped glory. "And you'll bring those pretty lips of yours to my knuckles, kiss the ring, and then place your mouth where it belongs – pleasuring me and only me until I have decided you earned the right to physical stimulation."
The vivid imagery in Mycerra's head ran wild.
The house phone interrupted their foreplay. Amani biotically lifted the device off the kitchen table and flung it toward the garbage can. In that moment of distraction, Mycerra lifted Amani off the couch and over her shoulder. Amani ran her hands over Mycerra's hard earned muscular back and shoulders. They crashed into their bed and each other in animalistic need for the other's touch while Tia slept soundly in her room on the other side of the house. Afterwards they lay in bed together musing about their first date.
"Wouldn't it be amazing if we could go full circle?" Amani said in slow epiphany, leg wrapped around Mycerra's waist and her cheek on her Mycerra's breast. She traced circles on Mycerra's opposite breast and abs. "You in armor at the altar. I could walk down the aisle in a lab coat made of lace. Black armor. White lace."
"No white armor?" Mycerra asked seriously, her arm curled around Amani's upper back.
"Think of the pictures. Better to have contrast." Amani explained. "Everyone knows I keep you on a leash anyway."
Mycerra laughed. "Yes, the dark knight in shining armor kept on a leash by the darling, innocent princess." She rolled her eyes.
"More like the evil princess keeping the darling, innocent knight on a leash, but why should they know the truth?" Amani mounted Mycerra and perched on top of her, a delectable divine goddess that owned Mycerra heart and soul. "And our truly innocent daughter will wear an adorable gray fluffy dress with a blue ribbon."
"Shower, sleep, then talk to your mother tomorrow about the wedding?" Mycerra suggested. She ran her hands up Amani's stomach and back down to the V of her nethers. "I'm sure she'll be her usual unhappy self."
Amani shook a finger in scolding.
Mycerra tickled her and pulled her back down to the mattress. "I'll be nice." Mycerra promised.
Amani sighed. "Oil and water…oil and water." Amani resigned the familial situation they managed to survive so far.
An uncomfortably tense conversation with Lenaye followed the next day. Mycerra spoke not a word for fear of upsetting Amani and derailing their already expensive plans. Most people expected the wedding to follow through. Bibi agreed to play with the cover band. Rio and several other street vendors accepted the offer to cook for the wedding. They couldn't turn around and yank the future income from the individuals calculating it into their budgeting and preparations.
She listened to mother and daughter argue about the virtues of a legal marriage by Alliance standards. She feigned boredom when she really wanted to reach through the telecommunications screen to strangle Lenaye for being a bitter, paranoid grump incapable of trusting people.
Amani ended the call with a stifled growl. "Humans live as long as turians. The Alliance records prove that. Why can't she accept that?" She punched the table.
Mycerra rubbed her back. "She's attending. That's a win."
"Is it?" Amani bemoaned.
"I'm the only one allowed to call her a bitch. You're supposed to be the loving, supportive daughter." Mycerra said and pulled Amani into a hug. "Spend some time with Tia and Titus. I think he wants to do that stupid father and future spouse talk. I'll figure out where to find black armor for the wedding and maybe a seamstress able to make you a lace lab coat. It's just the lab coat, right?"
"Lab coat on top, Underneath, white blouse, slacks, and heels. Can't best the classics." Amani kissed Mycerra's cheek. "I love you, Mrs. Colton."
"And I'm the luckiest woman on Earth, Mrs. Ysett." Mycerra blushed.
The next several days passed in a blur for Mycerra. Nihlus agreed to hunt down a set of black armor for the wedding in exchange for extending shore leave to his crew another two days. She agreed in a heartbeat, seeing no reason to deny his crew much needed social relief. The hunt for lace landed on Amani's lap. They reserved Bernard Park for the wedding and restricted the ceremony and reception to their closest friends and family. One look at the finished guest list concerned Mycerra. Amani brushed it off with the reassurance Lenaye would pay for a portion as penance and they could pay the rest without going into debt.
The wedding date snuck up on them faster than either anticipated. Both agreed not opting for a wedding planner needlessly complicated their lives. Confirming details and booking dates reduced their last week as an unmarried couple into a madhouse of stress and excitement combined into one continuous dose of 'no rest for the joyous couple'. Tia soaked up the endless attention and basked in the idea of tossing flowers and presenting the rings to her mother and father.
The day before the wedding, Mycerra dedicated the evening to polishing the black armor with Nihlus, Titus, Aurellian, and Haestrom. Pacyra escorted Amani to the bar for a few rounds of drinks Tia joined her uncle and 'uncles' in the living room with dextro chocolates and amino chocolates.
"Here comes the flower girl." Titus scooped up the four-year-old. "The prettiest flower girl of all the Ysetts and Coltons."
"The only flower girl of all the Ysetts and Coltons." Mycerra wryly. "I can't imagine Nihlus and Pacyra raising children, no offense. The Normandy isn't a home for children, and you're too important to a lot of people to settle down and raise a traditional family."
Nihlus stiffened. "Are you suggesting I shouldn't?" He challenged.
Mycerra cocked a brow and rolled up her sleeves. She leaned forward and planted her feet wide apart. "No. What I'm saying is the Normandy isn't a place to raise children. You're the spearhead for warfare, and no child should be on a battlefield. I don't care what the quarians did in the fight against the reapers. If you're going to raise a child, you do it someplace safe."
"I would never allow that to happen. Nor would your sister." Nihlus insisted diplomatically.
Mycerra shrugged. "She doesn't seem the motherly type."
"You don't either." Nihlus stated bluntly. "And you're pricklier than she is."
Mycerra laughed from the gut and relaxed. "Product of my environment." She beamed.
He considered her a solid moment. "I know you're a good person, Mycerra. I know you mean well, but you're not the easiest person to tolerate and live with. Pacyra exercises great tolerance for your coldness to grow the sisterly bond. I know you try. Let's be honest, you're an acquired…"
"Taste?" She suggested helpfully. "I know. You're no walk in the park yourself. I appreciate the help you give, but I will not be cowed by your title, reputation, and influence. I'm not alive because I let people walk over me. I'm alive because I fought for every damned inch. With blood, sweat, and tears."
"And I'm not downplaying that." Nihlus said calmly. "You must lower your guard to your sister. She is trying. You lowered it for everyone but her. You're blaming her for what your parents inflicted on both of you. That's wrong."
Mycerra frowned. "I graduated at age eighteen. She had years before the reapers struck to contact me. Even if she believed I was in a mental hospital, she could have visited. She chose not to. And I understand that the past decisions should not dictate our future relationship with one another – I do – but you can't sit there and tell me it's easy to overcome. I spent years, Nihlus, recovering from my past. The reapers were the best thing to ever happen to me. They gave me a clean slate, a second chance at a real life, and I am doing my best to make the best of that life. The shadows of the past don't dissipate simply because you and she want them to. I'm prickly, but I'm trying. I never said I was perfect."
Titus cleared his throat and pointed to Tia. Nihlus dropped the argument and picked up the chest piece to help polish. Tia hopped off Titus's lap and held out a box of dextro chocolates to Nihlus with her most innocent smile. Nihlus grumpily accepted one.
"There is one thing I would like to gift you as a wedding gift." Haestrom interceded nervously. He handed over a spare data pad from his shared office with Tabitha Votham. "I need you to keep an open mind and remember I didn't have the support you did."
Mycerra picked up the data pad and tapped play on the selected video.
The oddly angled view of Haestrom's former office precluded the speaking men. She instantly recognized Haestrom's voice from years of working together. The other voice, deeper than Haestrom's average middling timbre, distinguished itself immediately.
"You'd do well to remember who you work for." The unknown person warned.
"Have you looked around? The world isn't what it used to be, Major." Haestrom countered evenly. "The Alliance has bigger concerns- "
"The Alliance doesn't care about you. You're expendable."
Mycerra pause the recording and looked at Haestrom. "Let me guess. Cerberus?" She asked sarcastically.
Haestrom wiped his forehead with a hand cloth. "I wanted to tell you." He pleaded.
She sighed and pushed the data pad across the work table. "I'm not mad. We're on solid ground." She reached for a pauldron at the exact moment Tia held out an amino based chocolate.
"In my defense- "
"We're solid, Haestrom. Cerberus harmed a lot of people. You have nothing to apologize for."
"I would have liked to have known, however." Titus said pointedly and stared across Nihlus toward the nervous human. "It would have helped us."
"In my defense-"Haestrom played with his hands.
Mycerra cleared her throat. "We're dropping the issue. Past is the past. We already know Cerberus won't die, and if we continue the good fight, that's all that matters." She stated flatly and nodded to Nihlus. "Nihlus would agree with me."
Nihlus kept his head down in a 'not my fight' gesture.
"And if he doesn't, we're here to celebrate a joyous event tomorrow. Isn't that right, Tia?" Mycerra pat Tia's tendrils lovingly.
"I love you, Daddy."
"I love you, Munchkin." Mycerra pulled Tia into a hug and kissed her forehead. "Go give Uncle Titus a quick hug and get your blankie. We'll put on a movie for you while Mommy is spending time with Auntie Pacyra."
Tia obeyed Mycerra. Titus obliged the little girl with a begrudging hug before Tia ran off to grab her favorite blanket from her bedroom.
Mycerra squared up with Titus in the interim. "We all sinned, Titus. And we all deserve some forgiveness. Haestrom is as human as I am, and he's been far more loyal than half your guardsmen." She scolded her favorite turian.
Tia ran back before Titus could argue. She held up her favorite animated cartoon about an ensemble of farmers from different species raising varren and pyjaks on an unknown planet. Mycerra buried her annoyance at the selection and put it on for the child. Haestrom helped tuck Tia into a pillow fort before joining the others in armor polishing.
They made small talk about day to day politics, the odds of Haestrom winning the next mayoral election, galactic politics, and wanting to visit the Citadel for personal entertainment instead of business and medical concerns. Pacyra and Amani joined them, drunk enough to need an escort from polite guardsmen afraid of upsetting Titus Deltano.
"You wouldn't believe it. Aurellian and the new famous vlogger were on a date." Amani giggled drunkenly. "It was – adorable!"
Mycerra caught the sauced asari chemist and walked her to a chair. "Now, now – no crowding the shy turian." She chided the love of her life. "Tia's sleeping. Take a quick shower and crash into bed. I won't be far behind."
Amani drunkenly tried for a kiss. Mycerra granted her the privilege and fell into the asari's lap.
Nihlus latched onto Pacyra to avoid the awkwardness.
Titus and Haestrom straightened the slight mess the group made before joining Nihlus and Pacyra in the grand escape. Alone with a sleeping Tia snuggled in her favorite fluffy blanket and a pillow fort, Mycerra and Amani cuddled uncomfortably in the armchair. Amani buried her face in Mycerra's exposed chest and trailed kisses along her cleavage. Refusing to allow it led to more premarital sex before the grand day, she helped Amani discover the shower and the delights of hot water, lavender soap, and a soft bed.
Mycerra passed out in the living room with Tia.
The household exploded at the 7 a.m. alarm.
Amani and Mycerra started the checklist half asleep. Tia's tornado of happiness to play pretty princess for the day helped wake them up. Aurellian showed up early to the house for morning check in. They walked down the list methodically before Tia threw a wrench in and asked about the cake. Amani stressed and called the baker. Mycerra forced Tia to take a bath before she needed to go to the hair salon. Aurellian called the rest of the people on the list to reassure Amani everything was on schedule.
Mycerra crossed paths with Pacyra at the salon. As the stylist washed and curled Mycerra's hair, Pacyra paced the middle floor space between the six workstations.
"This is big, Mycerra. You have high profile guests attending. The security alone- "
"Titus has it under control, Pacyra. He wouldn't want to disappoint Palaven." Mycerra tried to reassure her concerned sister. "Palaven has his own security. Tuchanka can take care of himself. Nihlus has a whole crew willing to protect him and especially you. Admiral Hackett and Ambassador Anderson sent their best wishes. Kahlee Sanders is required to attend a conference otherwise she'd have attended in their place. Everything – "
"-will be fine." Pacyra finished for her younger sister. "Except that Councilor Ysett doesn't want this wedding to happen, and half the security are asari."
Mycerra caught sight of the babydoll curls and temporarily lost herself in awe.
"Are you listening to me, Mycerra?" Pacyra stressed.
"Breathe, Pacyra. It's my wedding day, not yours, and I already have a reputation for dramatics. Leave it to me, okay?" The stylist turned her around in the chair. "Besides, if anyone is going to blow up on anyone this wedding it'll be me and Lenaye. Breathe."
The stylist removed the black cape with flair and beamed with pride at the tight coils pulled into a high ponytail. "You are breathtaking." The stylist confirmed what Mycerra already knew.
She had no regrets tipping the stylist and dragging Pacyra onward to the wedding venue, Bernard Park. In the on-site bridal suite, a makeup artist sat both ladies down to doll them up for the cameras and captive audience. The photographer captured background pictures for the unofficial album. Pacyra tried to duck out of photos, but the photographer nabbed a few perfect shots.
Constant checking of the clock pushed Pacyra into active mode.
Mycerra stopped her before she escaped the on-site bridal suite. She hugged her older sister, regretting the divide that stubbornly lingered between them. "Thank you for attending. It means a lot." She whispered, emotion thick.
"Wouldn't miss it for the galaxy." Pacyra cleared her throat forcefully and rubbed Mycerra's back.
Trapped in the bridal suite, she counted the time down. Nihlus delivered the armor at Titus's request. She unboxed the armor pieces with the ceremonial black gloves. Nihlus lingered. She looked up from her distorted reflection. "Yes, Nihlus?" She asked nervously.
His mandibles clicked together.
"Just speak your mind." She encouraged. "There isn't anything you could say that would ruin my day."
He checked himself. "I know you're trying to be a good sister. I understand that recovery is a rough process." He clasped his hands in front of him.
"If this is about last night, I'm not saying you won't be a good father and that she won't be a good mother. If you do adopt, I think you'd be the best parents in the galaxy." Mycerra clarified. She set aside the black clothing her armor would sit on top of. "I only meant the Normandy SR2 isn't the best place to raise them."
He smiled. "I know."
"I know I'm difficult, Nihlus. I appreciate the tolerance that is exercised." She avoided touching her hair and enjoyed the swinging of the coiled ponytail. "Bad habits are hard to break. It's not an excuse, just an explanation."
He nodded. "My mother would like to meet you."
"Mother?" Mycerra said dumbly.
"Turians are born of the womb, not an egg." Nihlus said in deep resignation. "I know humans consider us avian-like, but we are born of the womb."
She smiled despite wisdom telling her not to. "You never talked about your mother."
"She's well aware of your misadventures." Nihlus announced pre-emptively. "She's met Pacyra, and she wants to meet you. She's speaking with Amani right now."
Mycerra's brow lifted artfully. "I'm not going anywhere until my team of wedding planners tell me it's 'go' time. She's welcome to invade my space. She can't touch the armor, my hair, or my makeup." Mycerra made a grand gesture toward herself.
He relaxed. "Her name is Patrina."
She smiled and removed the leather gloves. "My door is not locked. I'll have time to speak with you after the ceremony if you want to have a heart to heart about my bullshit. I'll try to take constructive criticism like a champion."
"Speaking of the Champion, he just landed. Mannis Campos is with him." Nihlus informed her. He opened the guest list on his omni tool. "Wei Yu and Wei Bohai are with Spectre Otho Quin. They're helping Aurellian and Titus Deltano. Tabitha Votham and Edwin Haestrom are coordinating with the local caterers- "
"Street vendors." Mycerra reminded him. "Food will be available at any time after the ceremony."
He handwaved away her correction. "They're coordinating with the local caterers. Everything is according to plan. The cover band is preparing the music."
She sighed happily. "Go. I'm fine. Just have someone fetch me when it's time for me to stand in front of the officiant."
He bowed his way out. "Good luck, Mycerra, and may your marriage be fulfilling." He wished sincerely.
She returned the bow.
At the closing of the door, she breathed in and out. Checking the clock again, she thanked the reapers that only an hour remained. Changing into the black pants and long sleeved shirt, Mycerra allowed herself to acknowledge the mounting nerves.
"Hello?" A female turian voice called out.
"In here!" Mycerra stepped out of the small dressing room clothed head to toe. She slipped on her polished black boots and laced them up. The elder female turian sized her up visually. "Do you mind helping me put the armor on? There's rubber gloves you can use to avoid fingerprints on it."
Upon first impression, Mycerra admired the tanned skin tone and blue facial tattoos strikingly like Nihlus's.
"Better yet, don't worry about it." Mycerra remembered their talons for fingernails. "I'll manage. You must be Patrina."
The woman nodded. She seated herself in the off-white overstuffed armchair and crossed her legs. Mycerra attached the armor piece by piece with rubber gloves. The weight of the heavy armor anchored her in old and new memories blending nostalgically together. "Your reputation precedes you, in a manner." Patrina said with clear disapproval.
Mycerra brushed aside the criticism. Attaching the armor in its entirety wasted ten minutes of dead air between herself and Nihlus's mother. She dared to play with one of the coils in the full-length mirror and practiced her best camera-ready smile.
"As you well know at this point in time, Nihlus Kryik is surrounded by individuals of renown." Patrina interrupted the dead air and awkward practice posing. Mycerra adjusted the black leather gloves and turned to face her extended in-law. "You refer to them rudely."
"Tuchanka likes being called Tuchanka and I don't call the Primarch 'Palaven' in front of others. That's more of a convenient nickname with an interesting backstory." Mycerra defended herself dispassionately.
Patrina's dissatisfied expression only amused Mycerra. "As the sister-in-law of my highly esteemed son, I expect you to conduct yourself in a more appropriate manner with your superiors. Your record speaks for itself, therefore I am obliged to acknowledge you are not incapable of 'carrying your own weight'. Should my son ever need your assistance, I am sure you'll be appropriately available." She further lectured.
Mycerra wondered if she exchanged notes with Lenaye Ysett.
"And should you require his assistance, I am certain you would not ask for anything that would tarnish his reputation." Patrina wrapped up authoratively.
She wondered why the lecture failed to upset her. "By chance, Councilor Lenaye Ysett isn't outside the door ready to tell me why I'm the worst partner of choice for her daughter, is she?" She asked seriously.
Patrina shook her head.
Mycerra checked the time again. "She still has time." Forty minutes until start of the ceremony.
"Why would you want her to insult you?" Patrina asked in confusion.
"I don't know. Why did you feel the need to insult me?" She shot back.
Patrina placed a three fingered hand on her carapace. "I was merely attempting to help you improve your reputation. As a mother should." She actively dampened the disapproving tone.
The sincerity took Mycerra back and repositioned her hostility toward Lenaye alone. She breathed and refocused. "There's a difference between you meaning well and her choosing to be a complete, total heartless bitch trying to control her daughter's life. Obviously, I'm a threat to her grand plans for Amani." Mycerra rolled her eyes and played with her ponytail again.
Patrina stood and approached Mycerra. Standing a foot apart, Patrina cupped Mycerra's face and looked her in the eye with a frightening intensity. "I am certain she is concerned about her daughter's well-being and that she means well. Never underestimate a mother's love for their child. I will leave you to self-contemplation before the ceremony starting time. I have the fullest faith you will never embarrass my darling Nihlus." The 'mom' energy oozing off the elder turian silenced Mycerra's sharp tongue.
Whittling the meager remaining time by lounging in the bridal suite and practice posing, Mycerra considered herself the luckiest woman alive. Aurellian fetched her five minutes from start time.
"Miss Mycerra Colton, are you ready to become a married woman?" He asked cheerfully.
She pulled on the leather gloves. "I am."
"The hair is an excellent choice." He complimented her.
Sliding her arm through his, Mycerra embraced the overwhelming confidence. "Aurellian, I have a question."
"I am at your disposal." He permitted.
She chose her words carefully. "Are all turian mothers hyper critical of their children and their children's…allies and acquaintances?" She whispered just in case Mrs. Kryik tucked away out of sight close by.
He laughed heartily. "Without a doubt."
"So, hypothetically speaking, would a turian mother-in-law be better or worse than Councilor Ysett?" She pressed curiously.
"Assuming that the mother-in-law refused to acknowledge your existence, you'd suffer less. If the hypothetical mother-in-law chose to acknowledge you and criticize you, Councilor Ysett would be preferable in comparison." He answered honestly.
Mycerra nodded along and jerked to a stop when Aurellian halted them at the back entrance into the ceremonial hall. He opened the door for her. She entered the moderately sized hall packed with seated people. Placing herself to the right of the officiant, Primarch Adrien Victus, she squared her shoulders and faced the audience and aisle. Her nerves bubbled up. Titus joined her as the 'father' of the 'groom,' a handsome tall turian in a blue-gray suit lined with black turian silk.
She turned toward the Primarch of Palaven and smiled anxiously. "Thank you. I am in your debt." She whispered.
He returned the smile. "How could I refuse the multitude of connections on your guest list?" He countered in good spirits.
"Of course. Urdnot Wrex is impossibly busy these days, and Councilor Ysett has risen in rank of late." She bantered.
The music played over the speakers. Mycerra wanted to hate the time-honored traditional wedding march. It ratcheted her nerves up a notch. The inner Mycerra bubbled with eagerness to see Amani.
Lenaye Ysett entered the ceremonial hall first, clothed in a blue-gray, curve hugging strapless drop waist dress. She lined up on the bride's side at the altar. Mycerra smiled nervously in Titus's direction. He nodded once, almost imperceptibly. Grateful for the leather gloves, she squeezed her hands to combat the shaking.
At the end of the aisle, Nihlus Kryik locked arms with Pacyra. Nihlus's suit matched Titus's to the tiniest detail. Pacyra's lace lined hemline differentiated her dress from Lenaye's. They glided down the aisle, easy smiles and squared shoulders for all. Aurellian Deltano and Tabitha Votham followed in the bespelled silence. Tia appeared at the end of the aisle in the princess poofy blue-gray dress with a basket of flower petals native to Cyone and Thessia. Haestrom urged her forward and disappeared out of sight again, presumably to prepare Amani for her bridal walk.
Tia sunk her hand into the basket of petals and tossed petals left and right in random intervals. She reached the last handful of flower petals at the three-quarter mark and walked up to Mycerra proudly. Mycerra took the basket, handed the ring box to Tia and placed the basket beside the pedestal. Tia moved in for a hug. Mycerra put her arm around Tia and forced Tia to look forward at Amani starting down the aisle.
Time slowed for Mycerra at the vision Amani meticulously curated for this moment. A white thessian silk blouse tucked into white slacks and draped over sparkling white chunky heels. A string of pearls hung from Amani's delicate neck. White leather gloves hid her soft teal blue hands. Atop the gorgeous classy outfit was the coup de grace, the white lace lab coat that stopped mid-thigh. She stopped on practiced marks for the photographer.
"Mommy is really pretty." Tia tugged on Mycerra's hand.
"Yes, Mommy is." Mycerra agreed breathily.
Amani held Mycerra's gaze the entire time, nerves affecting them both. Mycerra held out her hand to Amani once she entered arm's reach. Amani accepted the extended hand and faced Mycerra.
Tia held up the ring box. The Primarch smiled despite the professional image he wanted to sell. Mycerra slid her arm around Tia's shoulder and rested her palm on Tia's back. Amani mimicked the action, effectively trapping Tia in their circle of love.
The Primarch turned on the microphone and tapped it twice. He scanned the seated guests and spoke with profound authority and reverence.
"It is a privilege to witness and officiate the union of Miss Mycerra Colton and Miss Amani Ysett on this blessed day, July 4th. When I first met Miss Colton, I met not the impossibly stubborn woman we know her to be, nor the outspoken critic she is. I met a survivor clinging to hope, someone who hadn't truly stepped into a role of leadership properly. As I recall, her nickname for myself resulted from our initial introduction. Palaven. It so happened after a fateful misadventure to Omega that our acquaintance continued. Omega not only made me a recipient of holiday gift cards. It ultimately led us here to witness the blessed union of Mycerra Colton and Amani Ysett."
Mycerra blushed. She'd apologize later, again, for not using more formal language in the 'I need help' emails.
"Naturally, when I received the request to officiate this union, I accepted. How could I refuse a well written formal request that contrasted sharply with her initial requests for assistance in escaping Omega for herself and the other unfortunate souls 'spirited' away to Omega by nefarious forces. How could I not represent Palaven to the true core of humanity, not the representatives hand selected for their formal positions in leadership. How could I not return the simple favor of proving to Humanity as she proved to Turians that a cooperation is possible. More than that, it delights me to see her improved well-being, the improved livelihood of locals I have interacted with numerous occasions at the end of the Reaper Assault, and to know out of the darkness a great light guides us to our better futures."
Amani raised a brow at Mycerra in question. She expected to be grilled once the merriment wore off and reality sunk back in.
Primarch Victus lowered his gaze to the couple. "Would you like to exchange the personal vows now?" He lowered his voice.
Amani nodded.
He turned off his microphone and Amani activated her discreetly teal toned earpiece with the extended speaking attachment. The other she reached out to Mycerra. Mycerra intertwined their fingers together in absolute adoration.
"I can't say we had the most heartwarming of introductions." Amani faltered and collected herself in embarrassment. "There was something about you. Something impossibly, incredibly imperfect, and you were the most gorgeous human I laid eyes on. You were also one of the first humans I laid eyes on, but that is a fact that doesn't matter. Not here, not today." Her voice cracked with love. "As Omega would engineer it, our first date was a complete disaster. Naturally. You were real. You were honest. You were mine. I won't say we've had the easiest of journeys to this day. Somehow, we made it work. Somehow, in this fractured galaxy, we found each other, patched the holes, and stitched together our own tale of success and happiness. The Reapers may have fractured us, but we glued the pieces back together. There is nowhere else, no one else I'd rather be with than with you, 'Cerra, and our wonderful little miracle, Tia. I am the happiest chemist in this galaxy and I will always be as long as I have you."
Mycerra resisted tears.
Amani turned off her microphone and pulled Tia into a tighter hug.
Mycerra turned on her microphone, equally cleverly flesh toned to blend in. "Five years ago, we met at a low point in my new beginning. I loathed Omega and I wanted to return to Earth, solid ground beneath my feet instead of a tin can in the middle of space. Omega gave me a chance to step forward in my new life. It gave me you. I remember asking you to lunch as a thank you. Who knew that making tear gas from scratch could lead to this?" She laughed nervously. "Who knew that instead of a perfectly sane human I needed a crazy chemist? Who knew that visiting hell itself would lead me to paradise? I've been through hell, challenges I never wanted to face, and an environment that is hostile to life itself, and I wouldn't change any of it. I have you. I have the imperfectly perfect woman I needed in my life. You match me in ways I never realized I needed. I will be your Tiamna if you'll be my Shotgun. For whatever time I have left, it is yours."
Amani and the Primarch turned on their microphones again.
"Do you, Mycerra Colton, take Amani Ysett to be your partner in life?" Primarch Victus addressed Mycerra.
Mycerra swallowed hard, the barrage of emotions unrelenting. "I do." She said thickly.
"Do you, Amani Ysett, take Mycerra Colton to be your partner in life?"
"I do." Amani said breathlessly.
Primarch Victus bowed his head to them. "I now pronounce you partner and partner."
Tia thrust the ring box between them.
Mycerra chuckled and removed her left glove, then the right. She handed both to Titus. Tenderly, she removed Amani's gloves and handed those off to Titus. "I am yours and you are mine. Together we are." Mycerra said softly as she slid on the silver wedding band.
Tia helpfully offered Amani the gold band.
"I am yours and you are mine. Together we are." Amani repeated tearfully.
Mycerra dove in for the kiss. Amani melted into emotionally loaded lip lock. Mycerra rested her forehead against Amani's and held onto the back of her neck for dear life as the world itself seemed to tilt and spin in a gloriously top of the world feeling. Tia hugged them at the waist. Reality seeped back in and with exceeding reluctance, Mycerra pulled away from Amani.
A firm, guiding hand helped them face their captive audience. Mycerra lifted Tia to their eye level. "I present to all Mrs. Colton and Mrs. Ysett." Primarch Victus's infectious positivity spread through the charged audience.
They turned off their microphones and turned to each other. Primarch Victus lifted Tia into his arms. Mycerra reclaimed her black gloves from Titus. He hugged her.
"Never change, Mycerra, never change."
She pressed her lips together to keep from crying. "And never disappoint you again? The horror." She joked.
Titus pulled Amani into a hug too. Amani awkwardly escaped it at the fastest convenience.
They hugged Aurellian, Nihlus, and Pacyra. Mycerra briefly hugged Tabitha and awkwardly hugged Pacyra in front of the large audience. Pacyra sought a quick escape from the mass attention. Lenaye and Mycerra maintained three feet between them. Amani braved the hug. The dirty look that passed between Lenaye and Mycerra did not go unnoticed by the shrewder attendees.
Greeting and thanking each person for attending soaked up the next half hour. After dismissing everyone to food, mood music, and dancing, Mycerra stayed behind to speak with the people she spoke to rarely. Tia and Amani mingled with the other guests eager to eat street food in the early summer afternoon.
Catching up with Hadrian Yanus, Mannis Campos, Javik, Tannetus Kloss, Wei Bohai, Wei Yu among others occupied Mycerra the better part of the afternoon. She met the Spectre that adopted Bohai onto his team after the passing of Calun Dravis.
"Otho Quin." The turian spectre extended his hand.
Mycerra immediately shook it. "I imagine the last few years of Dravis's life was peaceful?" She asked hopefully.
"Salarians rarely choose an easy life, much less an easy ending to that life." Spectre Quin said gently. "One could say that when they found the remnants of his ship that adventure welcomed him into the final journey."
"What do you mean remnants? They didn't find a body?" She asked in confusion.
He put his hand on her shoulder. "They found Calun Dravis. It's believed space pirates bested his small crew."
She swallowed hard. "He always preferred to work alone or with small groups." She said stiffly. She mentally flashed back to their last telecommunications call and breathed deeply. For the briefest moment, she started to understand why Lenaye wanted someone with a longer life span for Amani.
"He helped train a capable medic." The spectre gestured to Bohai and Yu. "The boy's calm under fire is unparalleled."
Her spirits lifted slightly. "He's technically an adult. I know he's young, but he's ready to take the galaxy by storm and I hope he does. With a spectre to look up to, he can only rise."
"You are more familiar with Wei Yu than I. If they were on the same team- "
"Would they kill each other?" She interrupted. "No. They work together well. They argue as siblings do. They defend each other, as siblings do. I think they might have a secret language with one another, but I haven't witnessed them signing back and forth more than a few times."
He nodded along and 'hmm'ed. "If I were to ask her to join the team?"
She leaned toward the spectre. "Between you and me, I think Bohai and Yu joining forces will be beneficial for them. They're the last of their blood and having each other to fall back on will be…healthy." She glanced in the direction of her own sister clinging to Nihlus and basking in the attention rained on them from adoring humans.
"And your own relationship with your sister is proof of this?" The spectre challenged skeptically.
She laughed. "I'm a damaged individual who needs help, Spectre, and in her own way, so is Pacyra. It's incredibly hard to recover from such neglect and abuse without a few bumps along the way. Add in the fact we were raised in polar opposite environments with the same expectations that we both try to achieve in our own way, and it's a mess. Bohai and Yu had a more wholesome raising, parents who were actively involved in their lives. I think what you're trying to do is a wonderful idea. It'll benefit your team and you can rest assured they both are publicly trained. Turians aren't known for lax public images, and Dravis definitely trained Bohai to present himself properly."
He nodded approvingly in the direction of the twins.
"I should warn you, Spectre. "She faced him and put her back to the twins. "They're unapologetically human. I'm sure that doesn't mean much now, but when you work with them, you'll notice."
The champion stumbled over to her and threw his arm around her shoulder. "They're about to start the slideshow. Amani told me to drag you away from the spectre." Hadrian said jovially.
"I would not dare hold up Mrs. Colton." Spectre Quin released Mycerra good spiritedly.
Mycerra leaned on Hadrian. "Ah yes. The slideshow that will somehow in some way be used to embarrass our daughter in her distant future." She allowed herself to be lead away, wildly hoping that Bohai and Yu ended up working together for Spectre Otho Quin.
Spectre Quin opened his omni tool and sent a quick message to push the paperwork forward.
Bohai and Yu hurried to join the slideshow broadcasted to everyone in the reception area.
Spectre Quin followed them, a battle plan on how to better his position and improve the strengths of his team for future missions.