"It feels just a bit like a set-up." Amanda said, sighing and gathering her hair up. She looked at herself critically in the mirror, turning this way and that, before letting the auburn mass fall. "He's accepted that you and I are going to be together, but now he wants to parade me around like a show pony - and I'm sure he expects that I'll trip up."
"I highly doubt that, Amanda." Sarek said. Amanda saw him raise an eyebrow in the mirror. She smiled, and shrugged. They were in the little sitting room in her home, the one opposite her bedroom. Sarek had brought work with him, and was apparently studying it diligently...when he wasn't watching Amanda. "Remember, it would not be seeming for him should you embarrass yourself. Personally I do not believe that you will, although you seem to be convinced of it." Amanda sighed and tucked her hair behind her ear as she sat down heavily beside him.
"I'm not expecting to be an idiot," She said. "But showing any humanity in front of your father's guests would be construed as idiocy. See what I mean?"
"You have never before given cause for alarm," Sarek said evenly, perusing something on his PADD. "Perhaps you have forgotten that most of my fathers acquaintances have a positive view of Human-Vulcan relations."
"How positive?" Amanda asked dryly. "Enough so that they won't be appalled if I do this?" She reached out and brushed the back of Sarek's hand with her fingers. The slight tensing of his muscles was almost imperceptible, but Amanda noticed it. She grinned.
"That would be inappropriate in any company," Sarek said. He didn't look up, but Amanda could tell that there was a greenish tinge creeping over his cheeks. "Please refrain from doing that."
Amanda gave a melodramatic sigh. She was getting more comfortable in Sarek's presence - enough so that she could be just as expressive with him than with any of her Human friends or relations. "Of course I won't. I'll be on my best behavior. Still, inviting me to a fancy dinner so soon after we mended fences seems a little...suspect. Mending fences means, uh, adjusting after a conflict." Sarek raised an eyebrow.
"I'm perfectly able to determine the meaning of Human phrases, Amanda." He said.
"You had a lot of trouble with 'putting one's foot in one's mouth'."
A little crease appeared between Sarek's eyebrows. "The meaning is not precisely logical." He said, and Amanda could detect the exasperation in his voice. She laughed.
"Of course not. Humans aren't logical!"
Sarek gave her a very dry look, but there was affection in his eyes that Amanda could not mistake. "I am aware of that."
"And so is your father," Amanda said. She was unable to get the nagging feeling of uncertainty out of her head. The invitation had come as a surprise to Amanda. She knew that Skon had accepted the idea of her relationship with Sarek, but acceptance was not approval. Nevertheless, a few days after her meeting with Skon, Sarek had told her that his father was hosting a large dinner party, to which she was invited as his companion. "It's strange," Amanda continued, "I seem to go to a lot of parties and dinners and events here. Much more than I did at home."
Sarek made a noncommittal gesture, looking down at his work again. "You have entered a wealthy circle," He said, "Social and political events make up the majority of our schedules." Amanda raised an eyebrow at him, but he had already been re-absorbed into work. Feeling that she shouldn't bother him again - he was an ambassador, after all, and she'd been distracting him from his work rather a lot lately - Amanda glanced at herself in the mirror again. She was going to have to don impenetrable armor for this event. She would be damned if she did anything to embarrass herself, or for that matter, Sarek. Amanda smoothed her hair back again. "As regal and unshakeable as a queen," She said under her breath. She felt a touch on her leg - Sarek had placed his hand there.
"Always." He said, without looking up, and Amanda smiled.
In the days leading to the party Amanda and Sarek spent as much time together as was possible with their schedules. The one thing that worried Amanda, besides the upcoming party, was that Sarek was beginning to be harassed by his work - negotiations between Earth, Starfleet and Vulcan were strained over a trade agreement that couldn't be agreed upon. Amanda herself, reinstated to her class, designed activities with the children on important Earthen inventions that had been vital to society, although the children were often skeptical about how important they were. Despite that, Amanda was happy.
She was even happier when she saw the dress that T'Iva had found for her, although she was a bit puzzled when she saw it. It was a flowing confection in dark gold, sleeveless and with a high soft neckline - but it was really rather fancier than Amanda had imagined. "This dress is lovely, T'Iva, but isn't it a bit, er, elegant?" There was a tight feeling at the pit of her stomach. She anticipated T'Iva's answer, but she didn't wince when it came.
"I was informed that your dress should be highly formal, t'sai." T'Iva said, and Amanda felt her heart sink. Not that she didn't enjoy fancy-dress parties, but the fact that this dinner was practically white-tie was just another strain on Amanda's frayed nerves. Oh well, at least she would be able to wear a nice dress...and perhaps she would make Sarek blush again. And so she got dressed.
On the occasions that Amanda had visited Skon's estate in the past, she had seen enough of it to get a good impression of its size. She realized now, though, that she had been underestimating. She and Sarek were among the first to arrive, and together they were conducted through what seemed endless parlors and sitting rooms to the back of the house. Amanda couldn't help staring, and she could tell that Sarek was amused at her wide-eyed expression, but it really was amazing. How wealthy isyour family?
Very, I'm afraid. Sarek quirked an eyebrow at her and gave the tiniest hint of a shrug. Amanda wanted to smile, but restrained herself - she had entered the war zone, albeit an odd, sparkly one full of luxury and elegant clothing. She had been amazed at her appearance when T'Iva had finished with her. T'Iva had spent the best part of a patient hour arranging Amanda's hair in auburn loops and curls, artistically studding the design with golden pins until it was so firmly anchored in place that Amanda couldn't have dislodged them even if she tried. Sarek, too, was in elegant regalia: the traditional floor-length Vulcan robes in rich cloth of gray-green, with embellishments of gold at the shoulders, cuffs, and hem. Thus they were dressed to enter the fray: a long room at the very back of the house, complete with gold-burnished vaulted ceiling - rather intimately low - and a line of windows that perfectly displayed the estate's gardens in the gloaming.
Skon himself was at the far end of the room, where there was a small sitting area. Strategically placed servants watched Sarek and Amanda as they approached him. The older Vulcan stood up, and for the first time in a while Amanda saw the regal geniality - if one could call it than in a Vulcan - that she had once known him for. "Na'shaya, Sarek, and welcome to you as well, Amanda."
Amanda gave him a polite nod, not sure what else to say to him. Sarek was of course completely at his ease - but that was truly helpful to Amanda. His calm was lending her strength. "The other guests shall be arriving shortly. Would you care for something to drink?" A servant was immediately at Skon's side, poised to receive their orders. Amanda asked for one of the few Vulcan drinks whose ingredients she knew and liked, and they arranged themselves to wait for the other guests. It wasn't a long wait, for which Amanda was grateful. Both she and Skon were keeping a masterful container on their true feelings, but she wanted to avoid as much one-on-one contact with him anyway. It was somehow unnerving to have to interact with him now, after seeing him vent a degree of emotion to her. It was as though she had seen him in his underwear by accident and now had to get along with him as if nothing had happened.
An interesting image, if rather disturbing, Amanda. Sarek glanced at her, and Amanda saw a reassurance there as well as a bit of amusement. The moment was brief, as Sarek had to get back to listening to what his father was saying to him, but Amanda felt bolstered all the same.
In any case, the other guests were not long in coming, and Amanda was introduced to each of them in turn. She fought desperately to keep their names in her head, but as always happens when meeting a large group of people, their titles evaporated as soon as she had heard them. If worst came to worst she could always borrow the names off Sarek, as he would be certain to know them all by heart. The group wasn't large - four men and three ladies, all of whom had something to do with either the High Council, High Command, the VSA, or Sarek's ambassadorial office. Amanda imagined herself as a Vulcan princess throughout the entirety of the introductions, which helped. It was hard not to feel like a princess in that dress, of course. Shortly after these guests came in, Amanda was surprised and pleased to see Selek and his parents enter the room. She saw him perk up when he saw Sarek and she together, but from the look on his parents' faces, the tether they were keeping him on was very short indeed. Amanda had no opportunity to go and say hello to him, either, for just then dinner was announced, and they were all shepherded over to the table.
The long table had been meticulously arranged with all sorts of dishware in shades of gold and bronze. Each place had a name assigned to it, and Amanda was somewhat distressed to find that she had been placed between two strangers and across from Sarek. The table wasn't wide, but she wouldn't be able to talk to him all that easily. Amanda built up another layer of armor for herself as they took their seats.
"This opportunity to meet you was welcome to me, Miss Grayson," One of her companions said as he sat down next to her. "My son Rotah has been under your tutelage at the Children's Institute." Amanda blinked - Rotah had been the one who presented her with the "may-I-court-you" charm that Sarek had returned to her. He was one of her favorites, though, as much for his quiet intelligence than anything else. The other children tended to be more vocal about their opinions, which was lovely, but noisy.
"Rotah is an excellent student," Amanda said, poker-faced, although usually she would have smiled. "It's pleasant to meet his father." Amanda watched the man's face for a moment, trying desperately to remember the name that had zoomed past her less than fifteen minutes ago, but came up with a blank. A tug on Sarek's mental sleeve provided her with Osu Namaur, a distant relative of my house and a baronet.
Namaur inclined his head to her. "He has told me much of his lessons with you. I approve of the curriculum - it is essential that our children learn from as many teachers as possible, especially those who come from foreign planets." Ah, so this one is a good guy, Amanda thought to herself.
"I agree," Amanda said, taking a sip of her tangy drink. "Cross-cultural education has always been a dream of mine. I find working at the Institute very rewarding."
"You must be grateful to be reinstated, then." The woman on the other side of Amanda said. Amanda turned and tried to put the face to a name. This woman was very pretty, not much older than Amanda - at least it seemed that way. Vulcan age and appearance did not correspond in the same way than that of Humans did. Unbidden, a pang of jealousy for the woman's very dark, very sleek hair and equally dark almond-shaped eyes arose in Amanda. She squashed it successfully, managing at the same time to remember that this sylph-like woman was called T'sai Theleia. She looked...oddly familiar, actually. Amanda felt a slight edge of anxiety that didn't belong to her, and wondered why Sarek should feel uncomfortable around this woman.
"Yes, I am." Amanda replied, once she had lined her mouth and brain up again. "There has been little interruption between my classes, and I have been able to continue without any problems."
"That is commendable." Theleia said, her dark eyes completely blank. "I am impressed that you were able to maintain order." A slight feeling of irritation buzzed in Amanda's mind like a fly bumping against a window pane. Wasn't it rather rude to bring up Amanda's...incident so early in their acquaintance? Who did this Theleia think she was? Fortunately, their conversation was cut short by the first course being brought in.
As Amanda has suspected it would be, the food was delicious. Skon spared no expenses, she knew, and clearly he had not been merciful with these ones either. There were salads, soups, breads, strange creations with nuts and spices and all sorts of other things. Some were completely alien to Amanda, but she did her best to try everything, although she realized eventually that if she tried every dish she would burst a seam of the lovely dress. There was a huge amount of food. There was also, thankfully, a lot of wine. This compensated somewhat for Amanda not being able to talk to Sarek easily - she spoke easily with Namaur, who told her about his children at length (apparently parents are parents everywhere, no matter what their species). As Amanda was quite fond of children, their conversation was pleasant, and Amanda found that she liked the baronet. The occasional incursion by Theleia, however, was unwelcome. She reminded Amanda strongly of how Sarek had acted towards her when they first met - condescension dripped off her words, enough to make Amanda grind her teeth to avoid saying something nasty in reply. She could sense, also, that Sarek was keeping a close eye on her interaction with Theleia, but Amanda couldn't pinpoint the reason. He was not forthcoming with information on her, so Amanda just had to guess the reason for the woman's presence there.
"I am pleased to see, Miss Grayson, that you have taken to Vulcan fashions very well," Theleia commented as their main course was being taken away.
"Yes...thank you," Amanda hazarded, not sure where this comment was leading.
"I had expected for you to appear in Terran garb, which would of course been rather unsuitable." Theleia was holding her wine glass in one elegant white hand and peering at Amanda over the rim. There was something unpleasant in her eyes that Amanda didn't like.
"T'Rea was kind enough to advise me on Vulcan dress when I first arrived here," Amanda said, attempting to make her words a little less brittle, although they still came out more like glass than cloth. "So I have been wearing Vulcan clothing for several months now."
"Oh yes, several months." Theleia said thoughtfully. "Your fellowship is nearly over, then. How pleasant it will be to finish off with a success and return home. I expect you are looking forward to it." A little shock of cold went through Amanda, and she wondered for what felt like the fifth time that night was Theleia was getting at. She didn't like being reminded of the fact that her fellowship would be ending soon - especially since she was still not on sure footing with what exactly she and Sarek would do when that time arrived.
"I have enjoyed my stay on Vulcan very much, yes." Amanda said, avoiding responding to Theleia's exact statement. Thankfully, Theleia was drawn away by her other neighbor and Amanda was able to escape from her. The rest of the meal went pleasantly. Amanda spent most of her time listening to the conversations of the other groups around her, but she didn't mind. She enjoyed listening to Vulcan conversations on law, politics, culture, and she even heard a few snatches of religion. Amanda went along happily in this mode for quite a while, until Skon held up his glass.
"I would like to suggest a toast in honor of our Human guest, Amanda Grayson." He said. Amanda looked up, shocked, and met his gaze. There was nothing to be read there, and Amanda did her best to echo his expression. "It is a great success how far we have come since I first welcomed you to Vulcan all those months ago."
"...Thank you, Councilman." Amanda said, trying to quash her confusion and embarrassment back down into a manageable package. "It has been an honor to be here." And so her health was drunk, Amanda feeling slightly dizzy from something other than the k'vass. Sarek caught her eye, and there was a glint of pride in his expression - pride and relief. He's happy that his father has finally accepted me, Amanda realized, and that made her feel happier, too. Still, there was something lurking in the back of her mind that made her feel unsettled. Perhaps it was only Theleia.
When the meal was finished, Skon suggested that they all go through into the next room for after-dinner tea. Amanda herself would have preferred coffee, as she was feeling slighty weary by then, but she was glad of the chance to escape Theleia and find comfort by Sarek's side again. Namaur graciously accompanied her into the next room, adding his own comment of appreciation to Amanda. The adjacent room was just as lovely as the dining room, although it was somewhat more cozy, with delicate curtains on the windows and another sitting area that was partially sunk into the floor. Without exactly meaning to, Amanda made a beeline for Sarek, who seemed relieved to have her there as well.
"Are you enjoying yourself?" He asked her, and there was a hint of anxiety behind the question.
Amanda wanted to smile to reassure him, but that was Very Not Allowed. Instead, she nodded and said "Yes, this has been very nice. Osu Namaur was very interesting to talk to, but I was a bit confused by the woman sitting next to me, Theleia -"
"Oh, she is not very pleasant." Amanda looked down to see Selek trotting up to them. He was dressed in the most formal outfit she'd ever seen him in, and looked uncomfortable in it.
"Hello, Selek!" Amanda said, more brightly than she meant to. "I'm glad to see you - I feel as though I haven't spoken with you in a long time."
"Yes..." Selek said vaguely. "Hello, sa-kai," He said to Sarek, who gave him an almost-smile and nodded. "But you are right, Amanda, Theleia is -"
Selek was cut off by the arrival of the very person he was about to denounce. She descended upon them like the most elegant, beautiful bat ever, and Amanda did not at all like the look she gave Sarek upon arrival.
"Hello, Sarek, it is good to see you." She said, her voice as smooth as glass. "I have been wanting to greet you all evening. Amanda and I had a most interesting conversation at dinner." Interesting for you, insulting for me, Amanda thought, and by the slight tensing in Sarek's shoulders she knew that he had heard that. Or perhaps he was tensing for some other reason.
"Good evening, Theleia." Something was stirring behind Sarek's words, but Amanda couldn't quite figure out what it was. There was a hint of familiarity about it, though, but it was something that she hadn't felt from him in a long time.
"Sarek and I have long been in one another's acquaintance," Theleia said, turning to Amanda. It was as though the woman had turned on her Intimidation Ray; Amanda suddenly felt very sloppy and underdressed under the scrutiny of Theleia's dark eyes. And strangely small, even though Theleia was shorter than she. Petite, really. Delicate. Amanda felt gangly.
"Yes, we have known each other since childhood." Sarek said, not looking directly at Theleia, his voice somewhat strained. Amanda glanced at him - the familiar crease was between his eyebrows. He was agitated, and Amanda didn't know why.
"I was also his ko-kugalsu at one point," Theleia continued, with the air of someone adding a mildly interesting fact to the conversation. Everything fell into place for Amanda - she glanced down at Selek, who nodded almost imperceptibly. Sarek seemed to have frozen, himself, and Amanda was left to scramble for something to say.
"Oh, how nice," She managed, finally. She was saved, strangely enough, by Skon - or at least, one of his guests. The two of them were standing a little ways away, and the man standing beside Sarek's father raised his glass and his voice to address Sarek.
"Ah, I had meant to ask you, Sarek, have you decided upon a date yet?"
"The betrothal has not been officially announced," Skon said before Sarek could reply. "Sarek's schedule has been quite busy as of late, and there has been no proper time."
Amanda felt like a bug frozen in amber. She turned to look at Sarek, whose face was slightly paler than usual. He looked back at Amanda. "Betrothal?" She asked, shakily, for the moment - and to her chagrin - forgetting that she could have asked him privately through the bond.
"Ours." Sarek spoke the word as if it had been forced out of him. Amanda blinked. She opened her mouth, then shut it again. Nope, I can't do this, she realized. I need to get out of this room. Without actually saying anything out loud, she turned and went out of the room, her heels clicking on the polished floor of the dining room. Over their noise, however, she could hear Theleia's unpleasantly delicate voice.
"Oh my, I wonder what that could be about."
Author's Note: I'm not sure how I feel about this chapter. I think in the future it will have to be re-written. Possibly by someone else. I realized I had loose ends to tie up that I forgotten about completely, ie. Theleia, so...here she is.
I was feeling rather horrible about not having a chapter out in two weeks, so I wrote this. I apologize that it's not...awesome, but there will be more forthcoming that will hopefully make this chapter seem like a bad dream xD I am far more certain of what's happening in the NEXT chapter, so that one will be better. I promise! Love as always