Suicide is Painless

[Saa'riaana Dage]

There was a moment that she paused, and Saa'ri stared suspiciously at her father.

"Wherre's Motherr?"

[Samus Dage]

"Off doing whatever it is mothers do, I suppose."

A long sigh, and he lowered himself to sit on the sofa once more, leaning forward to move his comm back to its' spot on the side table.

"Anything I can help with?"

[Saa'riaana Dage]

"Well... "

Saa'ri gave a strange look to him, then to the door.

"jI kind of wanted to talk to the both of you."

[Samus Dage]

"Have a seat then," He made a gesture to the other side of the sofa.

"I was told I'd only have to wait ten minutes, so we can wait together."

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

T'yeellaa made good time from her quarters back to Hai'rathee, breezing past the corpsman on guard at the airlock, who barely managed to get 'Admiral on deck!' past his gums before she was gone. Getting places on a Keppa class destroyer meant taking trams, and T'yeellaa beelined it for the main artery that would take her near the conning tower, where the senior staff quarters were located. She raced down the hall, artfully dodging the few lollygaggers who weren't at the threshold of getting married, until at last she pushed through into her own quarters. She went straight to her desk, yanking open a drawer as she rifled through a heap of personal effects before at last finding the object of her desire. It was an oblong leather case, and it looked a bit old.

"jYess!" T'yeellaa exalted as she clutched the box against her chest, and away she went once more. Back through the corridors, back aboard the tram, back through the airlock and the too-slow corpsman, aalll the way back to her temporary quarters on Jovan station.

When the door parted, the Admiral stood at the threshold. Her hair was beginning to rebel from it's ponytail hold, and there was a glisten on her skin as she paused to catch her breath.

[Samus Dage]

He turned his upper body to look at the sight that stood in the doorway. His expression gave away his amusement, and looking back to Saa'ri, Samus gave her a wink.

"The old cat still moves when she's got a mind to, it seems."

[Saa'riaana Dage]

Her tail slapped at the lower edge of the sofa in surprise as she rose swiftly to her feet. It'd been a long time since she'd seen even a single strand of hair out of place on her mother's head, let alone the telltale shine of the beginnings of perspiration.

"Motherr... ?!"

[Samus Dage]

He too stood, facing T'yeellaa with a devil's grin and one hand in his front pocket.

"The Spirit in the Sky herself."

All three stood for what seemed like an eternity before he spoke up once again.

"Is the Spirit going to come the rest of the way in?"

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

"jI..found jit." Admiral Meorrrei declared triumphantly between breaths, holding up her prize in the air as she stepped into the doorway. She hadn't gotten better at running with age, but at least she could still do it, with a sacrifice of dignity.

"Quentjin..."

She took him by the hand, pulling him from where he was, over to in front of the window. It was a modest window, but any view of space would do.

"...sstand herre."

She paused, blowing a stray strand of hair from her face in defiance of it's attempt to derail her. Her eyes were serious, and she was biting at the insides of her cheeks to keep her smile from usurping her.

"Saa'riaana, come sstand bjy me."

[Samus Dage]

Samus was loathe to disobey, and allowed her to pull him along to the window.

He'd not really studied up on whatever ceremony went into Cizerack proposals as the need had never arisen. And so he did as he was told with no resistance, his hand still buried in his pocket, fingers firmly surrounding the small velvet bag that he always kept with him.

[Saa'riaana Dage]

Her mother's order was followed, but there was a healthy amount of confusion written all across her features. This new strange behavior was enough to put on hold whatever conversation she'd wished to have with her parents.

"Motherr, what arre you dojing?"

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

"Ssomethjing jI sshould have done earrljierr."

T'yeellaa looked at her daughter as she passed the box to her.

"Thjiss wass gjiven to me bjy mjy motherr. A long tjime ago. Everrjy Cizerack gjirrl getss one, afterr krree rrou. jIt'ss a kaa'rri. jIt'ss a token of marrjiage to be gjiven to a mate sshe choossess. Ussualljy, mosst women go thrrough sseverral. Thjiss jiss mjy fjirrsst. Mjy onljy. jI got thjiss when jI wass fourrteen jyearrss old."

Carefully, T'yeellaa opened the old box. It creaked on hinges that were a few pivots away from failing, and the once-white silk interior had yellowed somewhat with age. Within, however, lay a delicate gold and silver chain, with a pendant in gold and an inlaid ruby. It was the kaa'rri of a woman of privilege, a beautiful token.

[Samus Dage]

Unable to help himself, Dage leaned forward slightly, craning his neck to have a look at the box's contents. T'yeellaa's explanation of what a Kaa'rri was was one he'd known, but the history behind this one was distinctly different, and his eyes went from the pendant to his little Kitten. She'd never mentioned this bit of history, and in that moment he wondered if his own token... the ring that he'd had made especially for her so very many years ago would stack up.

It was a thin gold band with tiny, intricately cut azure-colored Myomarian diamonds set atop in an artistic spiral pattern. He'd kept it in a small pouch, bringing it with him everywhere. And yet, he'd been careful enough to keep it hidden every time they saw each other.

He pulled the pouch from his pocket, returning his attentions to the well-worn bit of velvet.

"That's a shade nicer than what I have to offer, I suppose."

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

Now it was T'yeellaa's turn to be surprised by custom. Her eyes widened at the sight of the band he offered her. It was beautiful in it's own right, and it's significance was further highlighted by the fact that she knew that a token like this was much harder to come by for a man of his means.

"Quentjin, jit'ss beautjiful."

A thought came to the Admiral as she looked from the offered band, to the man who presented it. She knew from her time browsing Jovan jewelry kiosks that human customs were different. Males weren't given rings to be given to a potential wife. Only when they'd settled on the fact that they would embark on that path did they begin to make that preparation.

"How long have jyou had thjiss?"

[Samus Dage]

He swallowed.

"Well," he tried to casually brush off the significance of the ring he'd pulled from the pouch. He looked at it, and despite the years, it still shone as brilliantly as the day he'd picked it up on Myomar. Just like the woman he had wanted to give it to for so long.

"A few years. Memory's a bit foggy but... "

He coughed.

"Twenty-six, I think."

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

And at last, T'yeellaa could no longer contain her smile. It grew slowly but certainly, and she couldn't help but be amazed at how they'd both spent so long dancing around this moment right now.

"Quentjin Ssamuss Dage...wjill jyou marrrjy me?"

[Saa'riaana Dage]

She was still holding the box, her eyes having gone from its' beautiful contents to the ring that her father held out for her mother. Everything seemed like some surreal dream, watching her parents propose to one another in their own peculiar fashions. She remained quiet, letting them have their shared looks and smiles, but dammit she was here for a reason!

Her features twisted in a split-second of indecision before her mouth opened, and the words came tumbling out unbidden.

"jI'm leavjing serrvjice... "

[Samus Dage]

And just like that, his world was flipping every which way as T'yeellaa spoke those words he'd wanted to hear for so long followed by a crack shot out of left field from Saa'riaana.

Samus Dage shifted his attentions immediately from the love of his life to his daughter, and for the first time in a very long time, his mouth fell slightly open in silent shock.

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

As T'yeellaa's ears strained to catch every perfect nuance of Samus's voice in it's expected reply, three little words to her right caused the same ears to flinch. The surprise in T'yeellaa's face was delayed, still hanging on joyous expectation as she turned to look at Saa'riaana. She expected to see some sign of teasing or insincerity.

She got nothing of the sort.

"Excusse me?"

[Saa'riaana Dage]

There really was no going back now, and her ears drooped apologetically, her tail wrapping around her left leg before growing still.

Her voice was low. Not necessarily meek, just quiet.

"jI... jI'm leavjing serrvjice... "