Chapter 7: Touring the Town
A/N: Manufactured-triumph, you're such a gem, thank you for your encouragement! Warmest thanks to you, too, LORIOVER50.
Today's vocab lesson: "Ailhun" means "wife", "deyhhan" means "husband". Of the food, only Osol twists are canon (Deep Space Nine). I also had a good look at pictures of the Romulan Senate building (Star Trek: Nemesis), and while Vreenak is canon, his first name Merken is not. It appears in one of the Star Trek novelisations (none of which I have read, I am sorry to say…!)
Thorek mulled over Kihika's words. As a Romulan citizen with full rights, albeit in the bad books of the Tal Shiar, and as a husband, he had responsibilities. He had most certainly not expected Asha to describe him as generous and patient, given his cold attitude towards her. Yet she had described him as such. Although he had not offered to show her his hometown, or help her with practising Rihan, or simply get to know her better. Instead, her assistant Kihika had taken charge of familiarising Asha with her new environment.
It was humiliating. On the other hand, he had heard terrible tales about unions like his, where Romulans had treated their non-Romulan spouses like dirt, subjecting them to unspeakable cruelty, breaking their bodies and spirits, driving them to suicide. Negligence towards a spouse, he reflected, was another type of disrespect, even torture.
He heard the two women descend the stairs, ready for their excursion. Asha was wearing a green embroidered dress with flowing sleeves and a matching shawl tied around her waist. The ends reached till her calves, accentuating the airy style of the garment. Not only was it perfect for the warm humid weather, it also brought out her brown-green eyes. Kihika was dressed in a simple but elegant grey robe.
"Romulan wear becomes you very well, my ailhun. Are you having lunch in town?"
"Yes," both women said at the same time, and Asha followed up his comment with: "Thank you for your compliment, my deyhhan."
He inclined his head as a "You're welcome" and asked: "Have you planned where?"
"The establishment In'hhui Khfau. Fish Palace in English, my Lady, as you mentioned enjoying seafood. Romulus is very rich in marine life."
"So far, I have asked my kitchen staff to program the replicator with food patterns similar to your Terran meals. Now is a good time to introduce you to Romulan cuisine," Thorek said. "As I am partial to seafood myself, I would be pleased to lunch with you after my morning's work."
"Sure, I'd like that," Asha said, trying not to look astonished.
Kihika inclined her head. "I will arrange a reservation for three people. In'hhui Khfau is very popular and becomes quite full around lunchtime," she explained to Asha, taking out her PADD to send off their reservation. She showed it to her mistress. "This is what it looks like."
It was confusing to Asha, not just because her mastery of the language was very basic, but because the script was vertical in contrast to the horizontal scripts she knew back on Earth.
Kihika was right about Asha stagnating at home. Their trip outdoors brought the shine back to her eyes, a bloom to her complexion and tons of questions about Romulan life. She watched Kihika start the flitter and asked her about driving licenses. Asha did have a driving license from Earth, but as it was not valid on Romulus and her rights were limited, she wondered if she could drive one. She was reassured to hear that if her Romulan spouse agreed, she could do so after he took the necessary steps.
Once they had parked in the city, they stepped outside, and Asha looked around eagerly, observing Romulan women, men and children go about their daily routine. Their voices and the general hustle and bustle raised her spirits. The first step was the market, where the two women watched others bargain with the vendors and make their purchases. Some Romulans soon noticed that a Human was among them. A few stared at Asha suspiciously; one Romulan woman pulled a face as if a bad smell had assaulted her nostrils; others, however, actually inclined their heads in greeting, probably reassured by Kihika's presence. Although she was intimidated by her very first interaction with them, she gracefully responded by pronouncing "Jolan'tru" and focusing on the accent Rhian t'Merek had made sure to din into her mind. Finally, an elderly couple approached her and Kihika and asked her questions about her country of origin, family and her unusual eye colour. Kihika acted as translator. The couple was satisfied, smiled and continued on their way.
The next stop was the Romulan Museum and Aquarium of Marine Biology. Kihika smiled as Asha gazed fascinatedly at all kinds of odd aquatic creatures, including one which resembled an octopus, and an enormous whale-like creature with massive tusk-like teeth jutting from its upper jaw. Asha's head was almost bursting with impressions from an exciting morning, and she was very hungry when lunchtime approached.
In'hhui Khfau was already quite crowded, and Thorek was waiting for them at their table, looking regal in his crisp top robe. He was sitting with a glass of almost neon light blue liquid.
They greeted each other, and Asha sat down, looking at his drink with curiosity.
"What is it?"
"It is kali-fal." He pushed it towards her. "Do you wish to try?"
She looked at him with watering eyes and coughed. "No thanks. I think it might be a bit, uh, strong for me."
"That is obvious," he remarked dryly, moving the glass away from her at a safe distance. Instead of being insulted, she laughed.
"It would be surprising if it wasn't." She dabbed at her eyes discreetly. "I like the colour, though. Blue as ice. I have seen so many colours this morning."
"Tell me what you saw, then. In Rihan, please."
She haltingly told him about the first part of the tour, with Kihika translating tirelessly where necessary. Thorek helped her choose from the menu and ordered the same for himself and Kihika. When the food arrived, Asha eyed her fish warily. Its flesh was green, one of the dominant colours of Romulus. She daintily cut off a piece and put it boldly into her mouth. It was buttery soft, spicy and a little pungent, with a flavour that reminded her a little of tandoori mixed with garlic.
"I like this a lot," she announced. Thorek and Kihika nodded approvingly at each other. The vegetables served with the fish looked like fennel but tasted completely different. They had a sour undertone. It complemented the main dish well. Asha cleaned up her plate. Dessert was more challenging, consisting of a confection called Osol twists.
"These do not taste half as sweet as they look!" Still, she finished hers bravely. It was sour, and as a chocolate lover, she had to battle to eat it; but finish it she did. Kihika focused politely on her confection, but Thorek watched his wife closely. "You can leave it if you wish," he said gently.
"Oh no! See, I'm almost finished. It's a very…unique…dessert!" she said bravely, fortifying herself with a gulp of water.
When they had finished, Thorek parted with a "Jolan'tru", and the two women visited the Romulan senate building. Asha almost gasped at its size and the architectural skill evident in its construction. Massive statues, staircases and well-tended green lawns surrounded the area. Kihika and Asha joined a small tourist group consisting of Romulan civilians. It was a fascinating experience. As their guide was describing some impressive murals (Kihika whispered helpful translations to Asha), a Senator strode through the hall; a tall handsome man with astonishing blue eyes, the colour reminiscent of kali-fal. He was dressed in impressive robes, and his posture was proud, his head held high. The whole group pressed their hands to the left side of their chests and inclined their heads deeply. Asha hastily imitated their movements. When she raised her head, she discovered, to her shock, that the Senator was staring right at her. Summoning all her courage, she gazed back steadily. After a few seconds, he resumed his way and disappeared from their view as he left the room. She smoothed her braid nervously.
"That," their guide said in an awed voice, "was Senator Merken tr'Vreenak, former Vice-Chair of the…Tal Shiar."
Asha shivered inwardly. The arm of the Tal Shiar was truly everywhere. Maybe he had heard of her capture by his former employers. Maybe he had even been involved…? She snapped out of her thoughts and focused on the rest of their tour.
Asha and Kihika finished the day by taking a yall'ianen carriage home. This contraption was very similar to horse-drawn carriages back on Earth. A typical Romulan one was outfitted with a sunshade (mostly green) and pulled by a pair of yall'ianen, horse-like animals with lovingly braided manes and tails. Bells decorated their harness, filling the streets with their merry jangling. Their dark-brown coats were speckled with black spots, not unlike a leopard; they had large pointed ears with tufts, and enormous doe-like eyes. They were good-natured creatures, fiercely loyal to their owners, and could land an interfering Romulan into hospital with a vicious bite or a solid kick. Kihika encouraged Asha to pat one. It nuzzled her gently while she stroked its soft face.
Asha was quite exhausted when she took supper with her husband, but she told him enthusiastically about her impressions, with some Rihan thrown in. Thorek listened, smiling every now and then, and barely getting a word in. To make things better, Kihika was drawing up an outdoors program for her mistress to make sure she saw as much of the city and its outskirts as possible, for what Asha had seen had only been a very small part of a gigantic planet.
For the very first time since her arrival on Romulus, Asha slept peacefully through the night, undeterred by Thorek's reminder that he was going to introduce her to Romulan cuisine the very next day, or Senator Vreenak's icy stare.
