Chapter Three: Mother Knows Best

Jaref was very pleased with the progress he had made in so little time. Already Calypsa had allowed him to touch her and not once had he upset her. He had contacted a tutor the moment he woke up; the woman would be around tomorrow to evaluate Calypsa's knowledge. Her aesthetic strengths were satisfactory if not necessary; he understood why an illogical being might partake in amorous acts with her more frequently than was necessary. He however had better control, and had no such irrational desires. He was wooing Calypsa in a logical fashion in an effort to avoid confrontation and unrest within his clan. He had already communicated that they had not yet bonded; his mother was not pleased, as she found it improper. She would have to be more receptive to cultural differences however. He had yet to gather enough data to have a very good estimate on how long it would take to convince Calypsa to bond with him but, he hypothesized it would take less than a year. After all, they both liked sunsets, 3-dimensional chess and kissing, and neither of them were overly talkative, which was more than could be said about his original fiancé.

Jaref had never actually met her and he did have the utmost confidence in his parents' ability to choose a logical mate for him, but from what he had heard, they had close to nothing in common. He and Q'sun were both from traditional families that still clung to the clan system and that was pretty much where their similarities ceased. She was a seamstress, she was known to have difficulty not expressing emotion, she talked all the time, she hated chess, science bored her and it was rumored that she was more likely to take notice of a female than a male. His parents, of course, couldn't have known these things about her when she was only seven, so he could not judge them too harshly. It also was illogical to allow such insignificant matters to occupy his thoughts as none of those things would prevent her from bearing children.

He reprimanded himself for thinking of these things now; now it did not matter, Calypsa was to be his bond mate and his status would increase because of this. Jaref rose to go awaken Calypsa; today was the assigned day for becoming acquainted with her and it would only be logical to do so. He could have asked a servant to fetch her, but felt that would appear arrogant. He thought it logical to postpone her meeting the rest of his clan; he did not think she realized that it was a communal home and no less than thirty to sixty clan members occupied the space at any given time. Multiple structures were built on the property to prevent crowding; his clan was known for their affluence and the residence was quite elaborate, it was even situated near the traditional place of koon-ut-kal-if-fee. Jaref did not find it logical that such barbaric customs were maintained but, he never had been interested in the cultural side of things. He was grateful that due to current circumstances, he would probably never be forced to undergo koon-ut-kal-if-fee. At any rate, it was already a culture shock for Calypsa and he didn't want to distress her; it would delay their union which consequently, would delay the reproduction of offspring and that was essential to his research.

Jaref was deep in thought as he turned into another winding corridor and did not notice his mother until he was almost upon her. He spoke in Vulcan as it was expected within the clan home. "Greetings mother, I trust your rest was satisfactory?"

"Yes, thank you. I must speak with you my son." Jaren said to her son in her usual brusque manner, she was not a woman to waste time on pleasantries.

"Forgive me, I am busy, perhaps we may speak at a later time?" Jaref wanted to spend as much of the day as possible wooing Calypsa and had told his mother as much already.

Jaren raised an eyebrow, conveying her disappointment with his disrespect. "It will not wait till a later time. You may continue to charm your earth-woman later, come."

Jaref had no logical choice except to obey her so he followed her into her private quarters. They sat down and Jaref waited patiently for his mother to speak but she was in no great hurry apparently and he used the time for examining the intricate paintings that hung in her chambers; he had none in his own. "Would you like some tea?" His mother was pouring herbal tea, obviously content to take her time.

"No, thank you." Jaref was puzzled by his mother's behavior; it was unusual for her to act so casually.

Jaren raised her cup to her nose, inhaling the aroma deeply before taking a tediously slow sip. Jaref allowed his thoughts to wander seeing as his mother wasn't paying any attention anyway. Would Calypsa like to see the city…he thought not, she would appreciate seeing unadulterated nature more. He didn't know how he knew this, he just knew.

"You should not allow the girl to occupy your thoughts so frequently. I can easily sense your desire to go to her, you are irritated by my delaying of your doing so." Jaren eyed her son knowingly, absentmindedly sipping her tea.

"I simply wish to spend my time efficiently as it is rare that I have a day in which I am not expected to work at the research center. You must misread me; I am not irritated, I am simply curious about what information could be so pressing that you must impart it to me now." Jaref felt mildly offended by his mother's accusation, he did not desire anything.

She cocked her head marginally, her twinkling blue eyes seeming to probe him. "I wish to discuss the behavior that I observed last night. Your decision to allow such intimate physical contact with someone that was not your bond mate was illogical and improper."

Jaref might as well have been slapped, he blinked at her reprimand. He was the logical child and not used to being scolded. "I had not realized that you observed us, I had intended to be alone with her."

"I was merely passing through that section of the house at the time and happened to observe your interlude."

Jaref did not need to hear the words to know that she wished for him to explain himself. "It was not illogical, mother; I wish to make her feel content here and denying her request would have been viewed by her as indifference or perhaps even disgust. I do not understand how it was so improper; I have excellent skill in using my mental shields and the action appeared to put her at ease. We were fully clothed and I did not touch her inappropriately."

"It is not logical to be so concerned that she is content; she is obviously pleased to be here as it is and if she feels you are indifferent it might encourage her to behave like a Vulcanian to win your favor."

"I am only trying to be polite to her; we cannot expect her to understand our ways so quickly. It would be illogical to make her feel inadequate as she is quite adequate and seems more than willing to change to accommodate my needs."

"I cannot agree with you, yet it is apparent you will not be swayed from your opinion on that matter. Now, I must protest to your apparent affinity with her. If a cure is found, and I am confident that it will, it would be wise to procure a Vulcan wife and send the earth woman home where she belongs. It would be unwise to become too accustomed to her presence." Jaren was not pleased with the arrival of the Terran females and feared they would destroy Vulcan culture altogether if they were allowed to stay.

"Mother, it is unlikely that a cure will be found very soon. It is quite likely Calypsa and I will have children by that time; I would not ask the mother of my children to leave the planet; that is highly illogical and unethical as well." Jaref did not understand his mother's reasoning.

"The hybrid offspring would go with her of course, that is not so unethical. When the women of Vulcan are fertile again there will be no place for the hybrids."

Jaref knew that technically the children would be called hybrids but he found her use of the term unnecessary. "The children would be without a father and that is not wise, it has been proven that Vulcan children with two active parents are much more likely to be happy and in control of their emotions. I do not see that it will be necessary for me to take another wife."

"Your offspring would not be Vulcans; they would not belong here, or anywhere."

"My offspring would be a part of this clan and a credit to science and genetics." Jaref emitted no emotion; he was very skilled at staying passive.

"Nevertheless I will expect both the woman and her offspring to return if a cure is found then, you could have a Vulcan bond mate worthy of you."

Jaref controlled a faint surge of anger and clenched his jaw. "I do not know if what you expect will be so. Is there anything else you wished to discuss?"

"That is all but, remember what I told you and reflect up on your own actions and feelings, my wisdom is greater than yours in these matters my son."

Jaref nodded and walked out the door without saying anything else to his mother. He could not see her logic and did not wish to dwell on her words at this time. His mother did not have a soothing presence; she made his emotions more raw than usual. Calypsa however was a calming element and he felt at peace and at one with logic in her presence. He spoke the code into the console and entered her chambers quietly. She was sleeping peacefully on top of the sheets with her large Returian rat lying on her chest as it rose and fell. Her garb was minimal, undergarments and not modest ones. The yellow Returian rat sensed his presence and stared at him with blank-looking white eyes, its antennas perked up in suspicion. The animal had moderate telepathic ability and sent a message of thirst to Jaref. Jaref lifted the plump creature off of Calypsa's form, careful not to touch her exposed flesh, and set it in the cage to get a drink of water. It stroked his hand lightly with its antennas to show appreciation as he released it.

"Datie likes you." Calypsa yawned, watching Jaref amusedly. "He doesn't usually like men that well."

Jaref turned to see Calypsa lying on her side smiling at him, propping her head up on her hand, the other hand resting on her hip. "He was thirsty; it will take him some time to adjust to this climate. I am able pick up his telepathy; perhaps that is why he does not object to my company. Are you sufficiently rested?" Jaref held his hands behind his back, examining her form. Her body was quite satisfactory apart from some scars that gave him pause.

"Yeah, I wasn't really asleep; I just had my eyes closed. Are you sufficiently rested?"

"Yes, thank you. I thought today I might take you to the Herflathiam Dunes, it is an aesthetically pleasing area and the chances that there will be anyone else there are very slim. I thought perhaps we could bring a picnic and explore the area. If you wish to stay there a very long time, there is an ideal spot to observe the stars. Does that sound agreeable to you?"

Calypsa found it ironic how the most romantic sounding date ever suggested to her was suggested by a Vulcan. "That sounds…wonderful. When do we leave?" Calypsa got out of bed and stood up, heading for her dresser.

"I shall meet you at the main entrance in 1.5 hours. I suggest you have breakfast before we leave. I have told the kitchen staff to be ready to prepare whatever you wish; you need only ask them."

Calypsa nodded, unable to look away from him for a moment. "You need only ask"…that was what gramps always said; Jaref was like him, sweet and old-fashioned beyond belief. She walked up to Jaref and kissed him on the cheek, fighting back tears. It had been so long since anyone had been so kind to her, it was a foreign feeling and it brought down her emotional dampener. "Alright, I'll be there."

Jaref left the room feeling confused. She had kissed his cheek with absolutely no explanation at all and appeared to be having difficulty not crying. He did not understand the meaning of these things and that was irksome. It was fascinating how the feeling of her lips on his cheek had awakened a primitive urge to feel more of her skin against his. His biological self seemed to respond to Calypsa satisfactorily and he assumed their act of mating would be most intuitive. He did not feel the need to initiate a sexual counter however, she seemed content without him doing so and it would do no credit to his control if he paid any attention to primal urges. It was just an interesting development.