Title: Birthdays, Conniving Chiefs, Doctors, and Tailors - Oh My!
Author: Third Charm
Fandom: Babylon 5
Pairings: Marcus/Neroon.
Story Type: Romantic Comedy
Rating: M
Disclaimer: Babylon 5 and all subsequent major characters, plots, and ideas are the property of J. Michael Straczynski, Babylonian Inc. and Warner Bros. The following story was written only for the purposes of entertainment. No income had been made.
Warnings: VERY, VERY AU (As in canon is just a guideline folks!) and AT, not beta read, ATL death of a canon character, profanity, slash and erotic episodes.
Spoilers: You name it; it's in there.
Summary: This is a sequel "What Telling Birthday Wishes Brings". My, my, how will Neroon survive the courting intact?
Author's Note: One Earth year equals 0.74 Minbari cycles. The Minbari words and phrases were found at the "JumpNow" website in John Hightower's Minbari dictionary, though not all are direct translations. The Italian came from badly remembered high school lessons, please forgive any errors.
Birthdays, Conniving Chiefs, Doctors, and Tailors - Oh My!
Neroon had finally been able to extricate himself and Marcus from the Council Chambers. Oh Valen! There went trying to keep himself from being labeled an aging libertine. By the time Garibaldi had finished, even his most junior aides had been snickering behind their hands. The worst part of the situation had been knowing that there was no way to retaliate publicly without ruining Marcus's reputation as well. He, the Shai Alyt of the Warrior Caste and former Satai, had had to stand before the rest of the War Leaders of the ISA and take a tongue lashing from the Chief as if he was nothing more than a raw and undisciplined trainee!
Neroon was still stinging from the injustice of it all, as well as from that horrible smirk on Delenn's face! At least Sheridan seemed to have some sympathy for him. In fact, he seemed to know exactly what Neroon felt like. Hmm, maybe another, more private, alliance was in order? Valen knew he'd never get any help from Martag if this morning had been any indication.
Poor Marcus had spent the entirety of the tirade blushing, ducking his head, having the Commander patting his shoulder and saying in a false whisper that "none of this was his fault" while shooting dirty looks at Neroon. Oh, but the Chief knew exactly what he was doing! Well, at least shouting out the Marcus was a "sworn promise keeper" had all the Humans looking at his ma'fela with a new type of respect. Now he needed to verify what that statement meant!
And now, now they were stuck in the good Doctor's offices! As soon as everyone had gotten a good laugh at the sight of the Shai Alyt being verbally torn apart by an "overprotective papa Garibaldi", they'd tried to leave again. There had been no such luck. The Doctor had finally gotten over his shock and had then, as quietly and as unobtrusively as possible, hustled them to his office for something he referred to as "The Talk". A smirking Chief had followed them, ostensibly to chaperone, and now stood guard in front of the Doctor's office door. There would be no escape, and from Marcus's nervousness and mortification, Neroon knew exactly what the topic of this so-called "Talk" would be.
"Alright, I know neither of you are comfortable being here, but I think Marcus needs to know what he's getting into if you two are to proceed in this courtship. First of all, since you've taken a vow to stay virgin until you married, (So, he'd been right, that's exactly what it meant!) I really think you need the information, Marcus. You know that there are rituals in Minbari courting that preempt parts of the wedding night," Doctor Franklin said as kindly as possible.
With that statement, the Doctor launched into a detailed lecture into the topics of Human and Minbari sexuality; how they differed and were the same, and how they could be safely combined. Franklin then went into an extensive lecture on homosexual intercourse that had poor Marcus hyperventilating. The poor Ranger was so embarrassed that Neroon was barely able to keep Marcus from bolting.
Oh, Franklin kept it all very clinical, but Marcus still choked, groaned, and hid his face in his hands near the end. When the psychological torture specialist who dared to call himself a Healer brought out the "visual aides", even Neroon, who'd borne the situation stoically up until this point, groaned and ducked his head! That was when Marcus had stuttered out a plea for the Doctor to stop and buried his head against Neroon's shoulder, while repeating "No more!" over and over again.
At this point, the Chief interrupted. "Doc, I think Marcus has had all he can take. You've covered the basics. I don't think Neroon here is, um, untried. If our Ranger has any questions, he can carry the ball from here, okay?"
Franklin surveyed the two before him. Yup, Marcus was definitely at the end of his ability to withstand embarrassment. If he continued, the Ranger wouldn't be able to process any of the information anyway. Marcus was curled up tight against Neroon's side, had his head buried in the Shai Aylt's shoulder, while the Minbari was murmuring something in Lenn'ah and stroking the Ranger's hair. The Doctor took pity on him, well on them both, since Neroon seemed to be reaching his breaking point as well. Hmm, maybe the details of inadvertent injuries had been too much?
"Alright. But, if you have any questions that Neroon can't answer, I want you to come to me, you hear? And, if that's the case, you'd better get your butt in this office BEFORE the Shan'Fal mister!" Steven ordered.
There was a muffled, "Oh, Valen!" heard from the vicinity of Neroon's shoulder. The Doctor smirked. Their innocent little Ranger hadn't thought of that one, had he? "Well, better get the shock over with now. That way, there wouldn't be any embarrassing scenes later," Franklin thought. (Oh, how little he knew!)
The Doctor then took a good look at the Ranger's pale face when he finally came up for air. Oh, this had definitely been too much for him. Marcus might even need a stim before he left.
"Marcus, why don't you go freshen up? The lav is through there," he offered gently.
When Marcus left, the Doctor's expression changed from one of concern to one of barely control contempt. He turned to Neroon. "You either have the best poker face I've ever seen or you were not surprised by anything I said."
The Warrior was nonplussed. "As the Chief stated, I am experienced. I will not hide the fact. I am a Warrior, not a Priest. While I understand that your experience with Minbari comes mostly from their Caste, we are still different. In fact, I would say that we are quite different from the other two Castes."
"We do not have the same outlook on life as the Religious Caste, nor the Worker Caste. The closest ideals to ours that you would have seen would be those of Lennier, who has been trained as Tha'Domo (fighting monk). But, please, do not compare me to Lennier. And, Valen forbid, never compare me to Delenn! I have also had male lovers before, Doctor. I will not injure Marcus emotionally or physically, " Neroon stated nonchalantly.
"I meant on the topic of Human Sexuality, Shai Alyt," The Doctor stated, not willing to take a partial answer.
Neroon gave him a glacial look. If the healer wanted to see the worst, then so be it. "The war." No other statement need be made.
The Doctor flushed. Neroon could literally see the fury in him rise. The Chief stepped in then.
"Steven, it's not that. You weren't in on anything EFI did. I'm sure they were willing."
Marcus came back in at that moment, and he immediately defended his ma'fela. "Michael's right, Steven. Minbari Warriors don't do that. It's against everything they believe in. It's an act that holds no honor. The ones that came to Neroon were willing."
"EFI had a standing order out in the last days. If you got caught, do everything possible to stay alive. Spill everything you had. Hell, at the rate the War was going against us, trying to evade interrogation wouldn't have helped anybody. They told us to go native, to get close in if you could. The best way to do that would be to set your self up to be taken as a "pet" by one of the Warriors. The whole point was to get deep sleepers in."
Marcus's expression became haunted as he went on. "We were expecting a genocidal end, with some of Humanity taken as slaves, as an example to anyone else who wished to defy the Minbari. The last orders were given with the intent of hopefully Humanity surviving and rising again, when the time came. Even that time if it was centuries in the future. A synopsis of who we were as a race, a species, had been programmed in each of us by a P13. And yes, I know that P13 telepaths aren't supposed to exist, but trust me, they do. Anyway, it was done with the intent of passing on the collective knowledge of Humanity genetically, if there was no other way. Even our children, if we were ever allowed to reproduce, were to be sleepers through that programming."
Neroon looked at his ma'fela in shock. Marcus's voice was subdued and echoed with remembered pain. By Valen, just how desperate had Humanity been? What had they done to this race? How close had his love come to betraying his personal beliefs in order to follow those last, desperate orders? For the first time, Neroon felt true shame over the actions of the Caste during the War, not just guilt over their ignorance. This wasn't just about Id'Minbari any more, but about the deaths and degradation of millions of innocents.
Another thought came to him. What would he have done had Marcus been given to him back then? Shame hit him so hard that Neroon almost reacted physically. No, he had never been brutal with the ones that had come to him, but he'd never been particularly kind either. Their pleasure – not even their comfort – had not been a priority, just the release of his battle tensions. By Valen, what had he done!?
The Warriors had seen the prisoners, male and female alike, as courtesans. In the Caste's eyes, the Humans had only been only toys, not beings worthy of any respect. Why should beings that were willing to trade their bodies in order to stay alive be respected? Not one of the Warriors saw a plan designed. No one cared about an entire race's need to survive.
No one would have respected Marcus's unawakened state. He would have been just another toy. How badly would have that disrespect spiritually damaged his love? Would he even been able to survive the shame and self-hatred Neroon was now sure his beloved would have felt? Oh, Valen! What if he had fallen onto the hands of the Wind Swords?! By the Ancients, it did not bear thinking of! Neroon forcefully shook himself out of his own waking nightmare and turned his attention to his now distraught intended.
"Zha'aia, it is over. Our Council saw our error, and somehow, we will atone for our actions. Please, ma'fela, do not dwell on the past. Please, do not let the past cause you any more pain. Look to the future, look towards our courtship and bonding. Look towards our love," Neroon said as he took Marcus in his arms, comforting both his love and himself. They held each other then, blocking out the other two men, and the rest of the universe.
After a bit, the Chief interrupted, "Okay kids, enough of that. That's getting past the point of acceptable behavior, here. Besides, Susan just commed me. Marcus here has an appointment with the tailor. You, kiddo, are in a peck of trouble over your wardrobe with our favorite Russian. She's taken the liberty of going through your things and decided that you don't have anything that is up to par for tonight. She'll be here any minute."
The Chief succeeded in lightening the mood. Marcus groaned as he and Neroon broke apart. "Clothes shopping! Haven't I been tortured enough for one day?"
Ivanova walked in with Delenn, of all people, in tow. "Nope. You are now betrothed, bratko. And that means living up to your social obligations, not coming up with lame excuses and running the minute some says that dreaded word, "party". Now, let's get moving. I can't believe you thought you'd get away with showing up in uniform tonight!" she finished as she started ushering Marcus out the door.
Neroon had a mischievous thought. "Would you feel better if I accompanied you, love?" he said with all innocence.
"Don't even think about it mister! You are so not getting a chance to play "Peeping Tom"!" huffed Ivanova. "Besides Martag is waiting outside, something about communiqués from Minbar."
Marcus started defending Neroon as they left. "Susan! I can't believe you accused Neroon of that! He is Shai Alyt and Satai! My fiancé would never act so dishonorably!"
Susan chuckled. "That's what you think! The only thing on his mind was the fact that in order for you to try on clothes, you needed to change. Hence, you plus clothing removal were on that Warrior's brain, NOT emotional support! Trust me!" she finished as they left the medlab.
Neroon sighed. Well, that strategy went nowhere. What was the Commander, telepathic? And Delenn! That... That... What did Humans say again? That witch! She was truly enjoying his humiliation! He'd have to speak with Sheridan soon.
"Healer Franklin, Chief Garibaldi, I bid you well. I must speak with my aide," Neroon said with a bow, and turned to leave.
"I'll walk you out, Neroon. I need to speak to your aide as well. He and I talked this morning. Martag pointed out the need to keep everything on the up and up with your people in this endeavor as well. We've got to come up with a plan for the right chaperones for the right events," the Chief said pointedly as they walked to the door.
Neroon sighed. Would there be no end to this? He was met by the most forbidding expression he had ever seen on his best friend's face.
"Just so you know, I fully back the Chief's actions on this, Neroon. Since he is acting as Marcus's foster father, he has the right to ask for your discipline for dishonorable actions in front of the Caste Council!" Martag looked around, "Let's take this conversation somewhere more secure. We do not need any more persons in on this mess!"
"Let's get to my office. We'll iron out the details there," Garibaldi said in a tone just as forbidding as Martag's.
Neroon felt like a criminal walking to the gallows as they walked to the Security Chief's office. He knew this situation wouldn't bode well for him when he answered his door this morning and found Martag waiting outside while Marcus had slumbered so innocently in his bed. Now, he wondered if he would live to see his nuptials. An upset Chief he could deal with, an angered Chief Aide siding with the Chief, well THAT was not survivable.
When they reached their destination, the Chief gave a nod to his 2IC, who promptly cleared everyone out of the outer office on an impromptu security drill. The officers left, grumbling all the while. They entered Garibaldi's personal office, the chief walked to his desk, and put his had on the door of one of his file lockers. He then turned abound.
"Sit!" he barked out.
Neroon found himself reacting like a trainee again. He sat. Would this humiliation never end?
The chief started to speak again. "Don't worry about security cameras or any recordings. I just activated a prerecorded loop. Nothing we say will be known by anyone but the three of us. So, let me start," the Chief took what appeared to be a steadying breath, and then, "YOU MOTHER FUCKING SON OF A BITCH! WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING? THIS ISN'T JUST ABOUT MARCUS! IF THIS MORNING HAD GOTTEN OUT, YOU'D HAVE GIVE THAT INSANE BASTARD SHAKIRI A WAY BACK INTO POWER!"
Neroon paled. He'd never even thought of that. If the Caste Council had removed him for improper conduct, Shakiri would have indeed been able to petition for reinstatement. Oh, Valen! No wonder Martag wanted him "roasted" as much as the Chief!
"The Chief is correct. You should have thought of all your objectives last night, not just let your heart lead your head," Martag added icily.
The Chief snorted. "His heart? I'd say it was his cock! And that leads back to Marcus. Neroon if you really love him as much as you say you do, you've got to try to understand something more about Humans. Just like you said Warriors stand apart from the rest of Minbari society, so does EarthForce from the rest of Humanity. We're not held to the same ethics and standards of behavior as the rest of our species. Because we can die at any time, and die so far from home, our peccadilloes are overlooked. Human male soldiers are even expected to be very experienced. The more dangerous your assignment, the worse of a lothario society expects. And God knows we've earned those reputations. Now, on that note, human Rangers are judged as any member of EarthForce would be, as any other soldiers, by the rest of the Station's humans."
"Going on, what you see out here isn't what you'd see on one of our colonies or Earth. Civilian Society is more conservative. Now that the situation has gotten more stable, things are returning to what they used to be like." The Chief paused and frowned before going on. "I don't know what the Clark and Shadow situation is doing to society, though. Anyway, before the War, promise keepers – you do know what that means?" Neroon nodded yes, and the Chief went on.
"Well, women have tried to live up to that ideal for as long as our race has been around, and around three or four centuries ago, the men actually started giving the ideal lip service outside the Church. About two and a half centuries ago, they started getting serious about it. I think the fact that well over sixty percent of population of the continents of Africa and south-east Asia and twenty percent of the rest of the world had died of a particularly nasty, and at that time incurable, sexually transmitted virus had something to do with it."
"Now, to get back to what I was saying, before the War, promise keepers weren't rare at all. The desperation of the War changed all that. When a species is fighting for survival, it tends to drop what won't help it survive, and not passing on your genetics definitely won't help survival."
"So it was another sexual revolution for the Human race. As long as you weren't fucking in front of your CO or some underage kid, well, get to it on the double, soldier! Get her knocked up as fast as possible. We'll worry about you two getting hitched if you come back from the front alive, otherwise, well, one of your buddies will take care of her and the kid. And if you and your buddy are doing it too, well everyone needs comfort after facing hell. Why pass up any kind of love when you're about to die?"
Neroon broke in at that point. "But, if what you are saying is true, wouldn't the situation been overlooked? After all, Marcus is still a Warrior. Only I would have been held accountable," the Warrior stated, puzzled.
Michael sighed and wearily rubbed his eyes. "Yes and no. Yes, the military here would have shrugged and said, "So what?" Nothing new, poor bastard just got caught with a bigwig. Oops! Set those locks better next time, kid." The civilians would have just rolled their eyes and looked Marcus as just another lecherous soldier."
"That said, the shit would have really hit the fan when you tried to defend yourself in front of the Council. And if what Martag said this morning is true, Shakiri would have made sure you ended up being impeached. Your defense would have been that you were getting engaged, and you and Marcus had only gone through that ceremony, however the hell you pronounce it."
"Well, once it had gotten out through the grapevine that Marcus was virgin, AND BELIEVE ME, IT WOULD HAVE, there would be no end of scorn from the soldiers. What kind of loser holds on to it this long? And the civilians would have immediately jumped onto the "why the little tart sold himself to the highest bidder" gossip train. I don't even want to know what your people would have said and done! I had to put paid to all of that. The Promise Keeper Vow was and is the best way."
"Once you said that, I saw the Humans in the council chamber looking at Marcus differently," Neroon said.
Mr. Garibaldi smiled smugly at that comment. He seemed very pleased with himself to the Warrior. Neroon was now even more curious as to what the Chief had to say.
Michael explained, "Yes, well, for Marcus to be able to hold to that kind of Vow after everything he's lived through, he's got have had some kind of superhuman self-control. Sometimes, after sometimes after a particularly horrendous situation, only the comfort of another person will do. Now, if Marcus could forgo that comfort for the strength of his convictions, he's got to be the poster boy for Human ethics. And believe me, Neroon, whether or not he took that Vow, that's exactly what he has been doing, even if it has been unconscious."
"Anyway, to get back to the point, by now the whole station will have gotten word that you and my personal P.I.T.A. are getting hitched, and are holding to both the traditions of your people and the highest ideals of ours, which works in our favor. It will help us combat any rumors if they start. After all, why would a promise keeper give in with the end in sight? Having me breathing down their necks like a psychotic father protecting his virgin underage daughter from drunken Centauri Lords won't hurt our situation either."
The Chief chuckled. "Oh, but that Ranger's gonna hate me before this is over. I just made him the prime example of the strength of Human conviction. From here on in, every Human is going to treat him like a prince. Women will be fawning over him, and cursing you for taking him out of the viable gene pool. Men are going to go out of their way to be polite in actions and language, while hating him for making them all look bad, and hating you even more for landing him. The soldiers that he fought and bled beside, and who used share their exploits in and out of the bedroom with him will now treat him like an innocent child. I wouldn't be surprised if the Human Rangers clear out the locker room for him when he goes in to change."
The Chief burst into laughter. "They'll probably even post a guard so he can shower alone and unmolested. Every Human here will be working double time to make sure that his sensibilities aren't insulted anymore. He shouldn't be surprised if there's a line-up of people trying to take the worst of his missions. They'll want him to make it to the wedding in one piece."
Martag chuckled. "When the Minbari find out what "Promise Keeper" means, and see how the Humans are reacting, they'll be doing the same thing, especially the Religious Caste! Our Caste, on the other hand, will be dumbfounded. How could a Warrior who is not called to the life of Tha'Domo hold to that ideal? Don't be surprised to see Minbari of all Caste and Rank bowing low as he passes."
Micheal shook his head and laughed again. "Martag, you and I will definitely NOT be on his Christmas card list this year! All right, on to the next order of business. You, Neroon, are going to be acting like Galahad around Marcus from here on in, got that? No more hanky-panky unless it involves one of your rituals, and THEN and ONLY THEN do you do anything. Got it? You, bucko, will be bearing the brunt of this mess socially since you proposed."
Neroon agreed. What else was he to do?
"Now, when Humans get engaged the one making the proposal gives their intended a betrothal ring. Usually, in Human society, it's a man asking a woman. But here, we can pull from Marcus's cultural past. Marcus's family is from the British Isles, and in the ancient Gaelic and Celtic tradition, even the men wore engagement rings, I think. I'm Italian, so I don't know for sure. Anyway, if you look like you did some research into his ancestry, it'll make you look real good. And this thing won't look like we're all flying by the seats of our pants."
"So, what you are doing when you leave here is going to a Human jeweler who can make you a claddagh, which is what the Celtic engagement rings are called. There's one jeweler on the station who owes me and will keep mum on the timing of this, just be prepared to pay through the nose," Garibaldi said as he handed over a flimsy. "You'll be presenting the ring to Marcus tonight at the party. Make it a real show."
"This works well with the Minbari tradition of giving a significant gift to signal the start of the courtship. Last night's little "dinner party" had best be forgotten by your servants, Neroon," Martag said.
"I'm sure if you ask them, the answer would be, "Dinner? What dinner?" Selective amnesia is required when serving a Satai," a smug Neroon answered.
"Let's hope it lasts," answered a skeptical Garibaldi.
"Now, let's finish this. While you spoke about the – ahem – facts of the "future relationship" with the Doctor, I contacted Sech Derhann. I informed him of your "long standing" interest in Anla'Shok Cole and the courtship. Needless to say, he is ecstatic to hear that his two favorite students intend to bond. He has agreed to come and act as your chaperone for the Minbari portions of this courtship," said Martag.
"And my threat of sicing Great Aunt Francesca on you wasn't an empty one. I had Zack contact her while we were with the Doc. I had him tell her that you want to marry "il figlio di mio cuore" – that's "the son of my heart" in Italian. Made him quote me word for word. Since I don't have any kids of my own, that got her old system pumpin'. Anyway, Zack added the "promise keeper" part on his own."
"Well, the old girl and her two escorts are gonna be here in two days, don't ask how that's possible. Just know that when "la famiglia" wants something done, it gets done. Also, by saying what I did, I've basically adopted Marcus into "the family". That means if you ever, and I mean EVER, do anything to hurt even one hair on his head, you'll be hunted down like a rabid dog, and put down like one too. Got it?"
Neroon nodded. "I take it that you belong to an old Warrior Clan?"
Michael laughed mirthlessly before his face began to resemble the White Mask of Death. "You wish. No, Neroon. I belong to an extremely old bloodline of criminal masterminds and paid assassins."
Neroon swallowed hard and paled while Martag looked grim at that announcement.
"There's a genetic reason why I'm good at what I do, boys. Look up the word "mafia" when you have the chance. Better yet, watch the old vids, "The Godfather" and "Scarface". Oh, we've gone mostly legit over the centuries, but the old ways are still there. That's why you'll never know when it's coming. We ALWAYS take care of our own!" Garibaldi threatened.
Michael then swiftly changed moods and gears. "That means I'll be taking care of any costs entailed with this shindig as well, other than the ring and the Minbari mumbo-jumbo. Oh, and you had better be on your best behavior when my Great Aunt is with the two of you! The old girl is faster with that cane of hers than a quick draw artist is with a PPG! I've got the healed fractures in my hands to prove it!"
The change in the conversation let the two Warriors recover from the unpleasant news as well as from the threats. Neroon groaned while Martag laughed at the idea of an elderly Human lady assaulting a Minbari Warrior in his prime. Even Michael had to chuckle at that thought.
"She sounds exactly like Master Durhann. He's a terror with his walking stick as well!" Martag chuckled out.
"Two of them! If I end up going to the Na'fak Cha (Rebirth and/or Marriage Ritual) in a body cast, you two will be explaining to Marcus why his state of grace won't be changing any time soon! And, after his wait, I don't think he'll take kindly to the addition to it!" Neroon groused to the hysterical laughter of the other two men.
Marcus was never so relieved to be in a dressing room in his life! Oh, thank God and Valen! Peace, peace at last! Could he hide in here until the engagement party started?
Delenn had really been put out that he hadn't confided about his "budding relationship" with Neroon to her. And now she wanted details! Thank God that Susan had one of the most devious minds in the universe! While he blushed, stuttered, stammered and hem-hawed, she'd gotten Delenn on the subject of "promise keepers". It had gotten Delenn to leave him alone, but - Oh Boy! Did that EVER change the way Delenn treated Marcus! No more grilling, but the pampering, it was getting outrageous! He was still a Ranger thank you!
Did the Chief have to make it public knowledge that he was still virgin? It looked like every Human in the Zocalo had heard the news. Great! Just how was he going to live this down? He saw how everyone was looking at him! At first, he thought that every EarthForce member and Human Ranger would make sure to make his life hell! Well he found out it was true, just not in the way he previously thought.
And when they'd walked into this shop, the tailor had gone nuts! The little old guy had kept going on about how the suit Signori Garibaldi and Signorina Ivanova had ordered for him was ready, and how he was such a good boy! More soldiers should be like him! What good boy, should have been in the Church!
Oh, don't worry about the cost! Young Signore Cole shouldn't worry about anything. His new "papà" would take care of everything! How sad to lose everyone like this good boy had. It is a good thing he'd found the love of a strong Warrior like the Shai Alyt, si? And a strong new "papà" like Signore Garibaldi. No, young Signore Cole should not worry about anything! After all, "la famiglia" always took care of everything for their young ones! Oh, Valen! Just what had he gotten himself into? This didn't bode well. He was being treated like the son of a Mafia Don! Oh, right. The Garibaldi Family WAS an old LCN family. BUGGER!
Just as Marcus had gotten the ladies calmed down over the cut of the tux and shooed the little hyperactive tailor away another Ranger walked into the shop. When he saw Marcus was about to go change, he immediately said he'd wait until the "Cole Party" was done. Marcus had seen that there were three changing rooms and politely pointed this fact out to the Ranger. The Ranger simply said that there was no need to add to the bedlam in the back. Besides, he had time. He'd wait. Marcus shrugged and went back to change. When he came out, since he'd promised to let Susan see what he looked like in the tux, he found two civvies waiting as well.
Apparently, and unbeknownst to Marcus, the Ranger had very quietly threatened (while Susan had distracted Delenn) to emasculate the both of them if they had in any way insulted the modesty of his "Brother in Arms" while in the dressing area. The poor unfortunates decided it would be safer to wait until Ranger Cole was done and out of the shop. Especially when the shop owner started threatening to sic "papà" and "la famiglia" on them as well!
Marcus knew it would just get worse from here. How long was it to the engagement dinner again? Could he just wait in here? Oh, Valen! What horrendous crime in a past life was he being punished for?