Posted by Ensign M’Nalie Eshenti (Engineer) in Side sim. Seasons with seasons.
MNalie was a spiritual person at heart and so she occasionally visited a holosim of the temple and grounds of what a human might mistake for a Shinto shrine. It was of course a simular structure with design elements that couldn’t be found4 anywhere on earth. But form and funuction would be recognisable. The scents were not the same even though Earth incence and aromatheoropy scents were traded across the alpha and Beta quadrants now. It was actually funny to watch the humans of Starfleet discover that they went Earth things traded by any number of races had gotten there first. One of the examples was the music being played by a small orchestra seared on the Gazebo. Pachabels Canon in g minor. In her teens M’Nalie had wanted nothing more than to be a musican. She had thrown herself wholeheartedly into learning everything and every style available. So she was amused that the monks who were by reputation the strictests of conservative traditionalists posible were playing music not even composed by Caitans. Oh this version used Caitan instruments and obviously had been tweaked to fit the Caitan’s greater hearing range. Sp that Pachabel himself might not recognise it anymore. But it was still a human foundation to Caitan house so to speak. She placed incense at her families ancestrial marker and gave alms to the monks in appreciation of their unwavering care of the temple. As she made her way towards the exit to the grounds she noticed a Male Caitan of the more typically khnow type looking about as if lost. The monks and visitors ignored him. He shouldn’t of been here. It was rare for Kitten Cait as her people called them to visit the Southern Island Chain M’Nalie called home. Ignoting them when they did visit was the accepted responce. But there had been a war a millenia ago. The casualties of that war’s spirits resided at this shrine site. So this tourists visit was oviously causing a very subtle, very low key building up of hostility that temple goers and Monks alike were fighting to keep from showing. The ancestors were angry. That was the common belief. M’Nalie as the Clan Matriarch’s daughter as proclaimed for all to see by the cut, decorations piercings and ritual scarring she displayed was the highest ranking official on site. The duty fell to her. She was not a fan of the Kittens. They were directly and indirectly responcable for her clans slow decline into nonexistance. So she approached the male quietly and stood near enough to be impossible to ignore. She could smell his musk and the scents he wore. They happened to be her favorite scents. “It is best if you come with me .”, she rumbled at him. He spun suddenly aware of her and took in a deep breath. Even a Kitten Cait like this one couldn’t help but recognise the traditional clan ritual garments and who they declared her to be. When her recovered enough to talk he replied, “You are M’Nalie?”, , it was M’Nalie’s turn to be shocked. He knew her by name? She was confused and just stood there looking at him in confusion . It must of shown on her face as he laughed nerviously. She wanted answers but on the temple grounds was no place to question him, so she growled, “We are leaving.”, and took him by the arm to steer him out of the temple, To her surprise he ducked under her grab and started to move deaper into the grounds, “I need to ask the ancestors a question first.” He said moving out of reach and heading deeper into the grounds towards where the family markers were situated. She followed him without hurring to maintain the semblence of control but she was a slow fuse burning towards a explosion. She was so fucused on him she didn’t notice where she was till he stopped forcing her to stop as well. They faced each other standing before her own ancestors marker. M’Nalie blinked, the male said. “I have come with the permission of the Matriarch to declare this Female M’Nalie, Daughter of the Matriarch to be my mate in full view of her ancestors, with the blessing of her mother. To fulfill the unfulfilled condition of the truce. By this act I declare the long hostility ended and Cait and all her clans to be at peace.”, he then ducked under the fully extended claws that M’Nalie swung at him. A Monk dipped a Fahl branch fresh cut with blooms intact in sacred water and slapped both M’Nalie and the male with it. The shock of the ritual token of acceptance by the monks and the ancestors shocked M’Nalie motionless. She was in shock. Someone had done a great deal of research into her culture and beliefs to pull this off she thought. She was far to angry to appreciate it though. Not wanting to marry some kitten stranger was why she fled Cait. It was a sore topic. It had caused the problems between her and the councilor as a root cause.
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M’N Alie finally snapped out of her rage long enough to growl, “Computer end simulation.”, everything faded revieling the bare holodeck. Everything except the male Caitan that is. He stood 20 feet away from her and said. “When a Matriarch commands something be done there is no running away, but you have known that better then anyone. I prefer you not kill me but I understand if you want to do so just now.”, he made no move to advance or retreat but watched M’Nalie carefully. “Your mother sends her regards and will leave you alone from here on out if you will comply with one last instruction.”, he said quietly.
. M’Nalie sighed and sat. Letting out a deep breath, ” She Wants a grand daughter”, M’Nalie said in a bemused rumble, “and she thinks you are the male for the job.”
He came over and sat next to her, “Yes. Exactly.” He replied
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That this had all been recorded and already sent to Cait was obvious to M’Nalie. So they sat and they talked a long time. He followed her off the holodeck which was the final proof hexwas real. That she now had a mate officially even if she insisted he court her properly before they attempted to follow her mothers last instruction.

Ensign M’Nalie Eshenti. Engineer.

Amazing post Roger.

Cale