by Vol Tryst and Dabin Reece
80812.00
During and after The First Thread
-=The Tryst Residence, Betazed=-
80812.00
During and after The First Thread
-=The Tryst Residence, Betazed=-
February emerged from the bathroom, clad only in a robe. She sat at the foot of the bed and stuffed her bare feet into her pink high tops for the short walk to the Tryst estate for the ceremony. Dabin likewise wore a robe from the hotel.
"What, not naked yet?" February asked, surprised.
"Hey, Dabin Reece knows he's got the goods. No need to be an exhibitionist or anything. Besides, if I walk naked through the streets some artist is libel to spontaneously want to sculpt my figure out of marble or something, and we just don't have time for it."
"Yeah, just remember, your eyes level with mine, Mister Reece."
"Yeah and you stay above the equator Bru." Dabin winked.
*If I peek at anyone, it's only going to be you.* He thought to her.
"Are we ready Bru?"
February patted her front, and looked around the room.
"Bathrobe, check. Am I forgetting anything?"
"I think that's it."
The couple walked hand in hand out of the hotel, to surprisingly few curious looks. Apparently seeing people walking around on the edge of nudity was no big thing on Betazed.
*Thank goodness we had more than a bathrobe for our wedding.* February thought.
*Yeah, we almost froze as it was. Still it was the most beautiful weather I could ever imagine. You can keep the sun and warmth of Betazed.* Dabin was never a fan of the cold, but the memories it elicited these days made it not nearly so bad.
As they approached the Tryst residence, Mr. Noon recognized them immediately as friends of the groom, and gestured in the direction they should go. He then held out his arm as an offer to take their robes. Dabin and February kicked off their shoes, untied their robes, and handed them to Mr. Noon.
"Wearing nothing is divine, naked is a state of mind!" Dabin declared.
Dabin slung his arm around February, making it clear who she was with, and joined the rest of the already assembled guests.
The Tryst residence was bustling with activity, and drinks of different kinds were held by the guests. The air was chock-full of fruity scents, but not overwhelmingly so.
All the doors were open, and the guests were divided by those who were indoors and those whom preferred to be out doors standing comfortably in the sun on the porch that extended from the house. There was no aisle to be seen as yet however, and it was unclear as to the exact spot the couple were to be married.
February and Dabin didn't see anybody they recognized for sometime. They were searching for someone with some clothes on, expecting that the Captain and some other members of the crew may not have been as brave as they were.
"And very brave you are, thank you."
The couple turned around to see Vol standing behind them, of course he was not wearing anything either. He handed both of them a drink, with a great big smile on his face.
"Every culture has its traditions Vol. You wouldn't show up naked to a wedding on Trill, so we aren't going to show up clothed to yours. Besides your philosophy is enlightened." Dabin said, trying to sound serious, "We cover ourselves in clothing in a vain attempt to conceal who we really are. I'm going to suggest to the Captain make nudity the standard dress code on the ship. I believe it will in time make us more comfortable with each other as a crew."
"Yeah maybe you can offer to shave her head into a Mohawk and let me know how what works out for you too." February said with a roll of her eyes.
Vol noticed that both of them seemed to have muscle cramps in their necks, as they never once moved downwards. Vol smiled once more, before licking his lips in an effort to find the right words.
"Might I make a suggestion? There's no shame in looking. In fact, the more you resist due to shame or embarrassment the more prominent your minds will become to those around you. Try to let go of what you think it means to catch a glimpse, and just think of it as a non-issue." Vol was trying to help, he didn't want his crew mates, his friends to be the center of attention without them even knowing.
Dabin shrugged. "Southern hemisphere it is." Dabin began looking around at the other guests. The more he saw, the more he realized they were just people like him, and it really wasn't any big thing to look at them this way. As a side effect of looking, the soreness in his neck subsided much to his delight.
"Where is the actual ceremony anyway Vol?" Asked Bru.
"Down at the dock, it will be a lakeside wedding. Things are being set up as we speak. We still have some time though before things get underway."
"That will be beautiful." Bru exclaimed.
"How will we know when you are ready to begin? Will Doctor Midnight..."
"Mister Noon." Vol said, correcting Dabin.
"That's what I said. Is Mister Noon going to ring the gong or something?"
"An announcement will be made soon enough." Vol said. "If you'll excuse me I should see what is left to do."
Vol excused himself, and February began to tug on Dabin's arm.
"Oh... my.... goodness." She said.
"What?" Dabin asked.
"Look!"
She pointed towards the entrance, where one Zanh Liis had just entered, complete with hair extensions that covered her front and back. Dabin squinted, unable to tell who or what he was seeing from the distance her was at.
"Who is that? Chewbacca? Wait." As Zanh Liis walked closer towards them, he was able to make out the ridges on her nose.
"Cheater!" Dabin yelled with indignation.
Vol grinned, as he turned to see what had riled up Dabin Reece, and saw him pointing at the Captain.
Zanh Liis and Vol Tryst locked eyes, and Liis thought for a moment she heard a small laugh, somewhere in the deep recesses of her mind. She sensed amusement from the young Counselor, but she also felt his appreciation that she had done her level best to honor him on this day.
The corner of her lip curled into her trademark lopsided grin, and then she gave him a quick, reassuring wink.
------------------
Vol Tryst
Ship's Counselor
USS Serendipity/Alchemy
and
Commander Dabin Reece
Chief Science Officer
USS Serendipity/Alchemy
Vol Tryst
Ship's Counselor
USS Serendipity/Alchemy
and
Commander Dabin Reece
Chief Science Officer
USS Serendipity/Alchemy