His new wardrobe was a surprise. It seemed Shalamorn's stuff had been working on it for a while, trying to design and create something that resembled his O.R.C.A. dress blues while using their original fabrics. There was a great variety of clothing, from more casual outfits to uniforms, tops and bottoms in white, of the woven beige fabric, blue and green silks, and some of the purple the soldiers wore as pants. Jason wasn't sure of he would try the purple ones but if the ocean people were able to dress up out of their comfort zone, so could he.
"It's not an easy task to create a wardrobe for official events," Shalamorn explained. "Of course, we have some traditional clothing for coronations and cultural celebrations, but we don't have strict rules about how to dress at occasions. Usually, we show up in our favorite dresses, many self-made, chaotic messes of fabric and color."
"Yes," Jason agreed, "I remember. The Ocean people don't seem to care much about appearances. Besides, dressing up doesn't make much sense if you're back in the water in a moment's notice."
Shalamorn smiled. "Exactly. But I found myself enjoying the earthly wardrobe. Some of the dresses, I've been provided with are beautiful and even though, I don't like shoes very much, I can understand why some women on Earth enjoy wearing those with high heels. It forces you to walk straighter. It gives you an air of elegance and grace."
Jason ran one of the silky pants through his fingers. "You don't need heels to be the picture of elegance and grace," he said. "I think that's why Neri feels self-conscious at times next to you." He looked up when she didn't respond. Shalamorn's expression was troubled, the deep line between her brows just like Neri's.
"She was a joyful and curious child, kind and trusting towards strangers."
"She still is."
Shalamorn nodded. "And yet she is also now a grown woman. We," – she hesitated, "we barely talk. There is so much I want to know about her island, Charly, all about her life on Earth. There's always something else. I see how she is with you, with Brett and Diane and I am glad, she found her family. That was not alone the whole time. But I am an outsider, a stranger."
"She loves you," Jason responded. "And she will still love you when she gets to know you better. With all your flaws."
Shalamorn chuckled. "Sharp as ever."
"You cannot make up for the time you lost," Jason continued. "Just get to know her as she is now. You praise me all the time. Praise her und show her that this whole conflict scares you as much as anyone else. That there is no need to put you on a pedestal. Trust me," he winked at her, "I know exactly, how it feels to stand in your own way. When you finally meet eye-to-eye things get resolved faster than you think."
Shalamorn smiled. Then she fished a pair of white loose trousers and a fitting shirt with short sleeves embroidered with the native woven fabric out from one of the rackets. "White always represents authority, the only color you won't find us swimming in. This will be perfect for your meeting."
Even though, Jason preferred darker colors, everything felt comfortable. The shirt resembled a T-shirt in its cut. He traced the woven fabric with his fingers when Gerron entered the meeting room with the other captains. Shesh, grey-haired with sharp blue eyes and grim-faced, Kalon the only female captain in Earth, dark-skinned, her hair braided neatly. One by one they bowed, Shesh and Kalon not as deep as Gerron and Tabarik, their faces neutral.
Jason took a deep breath and straightened. "Thank you for coming. I … I am neither familiar with customs, nor too much with your language. I never heard of the title of An'Goleda before today and I can only guess how much you honor me with giving me this title. I am aware that not all of you agreed to it and that I yet must earn the trust some of you have put in me. I will do everything in my power to ensure the wellbeing of the people, represent their interests and serve them as best as I can. I promise." He finished by crossing his forehead with two fingers, his palm open and directed forward.
The captains bowed again. Shesh still wore a neutral expression, but Kalon seemed positively surprised.
"And we will serve you, An'Goleda, with our advice, our hearts and our lives," Gerron responded. "I, Gerron, promise." He mirrored the gesture and Jason thanked him with a bow. Tabarik followed his example almost eagerly. Shesh and Kalon exchanged looks. Then, Kalon followed up and Jason thanked her as well.
"You learned the words," Shesh said slowly. "But you are an alien, and I don't think you understand their meaning in our language yet. Time will tell if you can be true to your promise. Until then, I cannot give you my promise."
"I understand," Jason answered, "and I hope, that you will the one to teach me."
This time, Shesh bent his head forward.