Posted by Civilian Revna Freya McKenzie (Resident) in Long Awaited Honeymoon

Posted by Civilian Michael ‘Big Mike’ McKenzie (Clan McKenzie Chief) in Long Awaited Honeymoon

Posted by Civilian Revna Freya McKenzie (Resident) in Long Awaited Honeymoon
Posted by… suppressed (1) by the Post Ghost! 👻

(snip)
The door opened for the two and Mike let Revna slide inside first, taking the opportunity to appreciate all the dress revealed and what it left covered. He climbed in after her, and soon they had arrived at the Opera House.

The round, domed building was done in a classic Terran style with towering pillars around the entirety of the seven story structure. Lights and vid camera drones were everywhere as their slider came to a stop right in front of the red carpet that led to the main doors. Mike looked at Revna and said “Ready?” as the door opened. He exited and held out his hand to her, helping her up from the slider’s seats. As they stepped out, there was a lull in the paparazzi and onlookers for a moment as many tried to figure out who had arrived. Then a voice yelled out “Hey! That’s Lady Revna McKenzie!” and the vids started to click and flash.

Revna hated the press. She hated the vids about them and all the speculation. What she hated more was she was supposed to smile and be polite like everything the media was doing was ‘okay.’ Instead she’d like to take her shield and bash a few cameras, or maybe her bow and shoot a few drones out of the sky. As long as she was with Mike though, she was ready for anything. She took his hand and one long sleek leg on a high-heeled sandal appeared through the slit in her dress, then the other foot. Revna stood giving Mike a dazzling smile. Then someone yelled her name. Revna’s hand tightened slightly on her arm, but she turned that smile toward the dreaded press. “You did this didn’t you?”

Mike chuckled and said “So they recognize you now and not me? I swear, it’s this monkey-suit you got me in. Hang on, I gotta change something.” he reached up and grasped the top of his sleeves with the opposite hands and RRRRIIIIPPP- the sleeves tore away and were dropped to the ground. He took off the jacket, flipped it around… and there were dozens of patches sewn across the now-vest. ‘Anti-Flag’, ‘The Ramones’, ‘Leather Nun’, ‘The Tossers’, ‘Street Dogs’, Dropkick Murphys’, ‘Rancid’… and in the middle of the back far larger than any other patch was the iconic gavel-smashing-skull symbol of the band ‘Government Kills’. Mike grinned at Revna and said “Hope that I still look good to you, but I gotta be me.” and he bent down and kissed her as the vids and voices began to increase in volume as the couple was recognized as Revna and ‘Big’ Mike McKenzie from the vid of their reunification on Event Horizon station.

‘Big’ Mike McKenzie

Revna watched him rip the sleeves off and turn it around. She laughed and said loudly enough the press would hear her, “Now, there’s my husband. I wondered where he had gotten to.” Then Mike was kissing her. The kiss ended long enough for her to whisper against his lips, “You look best when you are being yourself, and right now I just want to get back in the slider and take you home.” Revna kissed him again, forgetting all about the press in that moment.

Revna McKenzie, wife to ‘Big’ Mike

“You got us into this. Gotta stick it out.” He turned and started walking her up the red carpet. “Hey! Hey Mike! When can we expect you back in the studio?!” yelled a photographer. “And when are you releasing a sex tape, huh?!” he yelled directly after. Mike’s head whipped around, but before he could react, a large blue hand grabbed the floating vid-cam in front of him, smashed it into his face with a loud CRRRUUUNCH, and an Andorian of no small stature yelled “ACH! THAT BE LORD AND LADY MCKENZIE YER SPEAKIN’ ABOOT, YA CRASS BASTARD!!” with a brogue as thick as Seamus’s. Mike paused, blinked a few times, and the Andorian just looked up and gave him a single nod. Mike shrugged and went back to leading Revna up the carpet as the bloodied paparazzi and the Andorian were suddenly of more interest than the diplomat and her rock-star husband.

Revna whipped around Mike to get a look at the person the question came from. It seemed the problem was taken care of. She continued on with Mike. “I need my comm. Lady Freya! I have to call Ragna and tell her. She and Seamus will never believe me.” She laughed as they stepped inside where it was somewhat calmer.

Once inside, Mike looked down at Revna and laughed softly. “I dunno which was weirder… the question; or an Andorian with a Scottish accent.”

‘Big’ Mike McKenzie

“The Andorian with a Scottish accent,” Revna quipped. The question was rude and crass, but then again so was most of the paparazzi. They seemed to feed off of stuff like that. They were quickly met by a person from the Opera House staff. “Lord and Lady McKenzie. If you will follow me please?” He kept looking back at Mike, like he couldn’t decide if he should ask for the autograph or not, but his manners stopped him from doing so. They were led toward a staff door and through a couple of halls until they were behind the stage and moving down a line of dressing room doors. The man rapped his knuckles on the door. The door opened and a man appeared. “Yes?” He was a in his early 30s but looked tired. He spotted Revna and his eyes went wide. “Lt Edman!” and rushed past the guard and towards her taking both her hands in his and then seemed to compose himself. “You are the special guest my sister bragged about?”

Revna squeezed his hands and smiled. “Yes Rokvaj, I am. It is so good to see you. You look good. Traveling with your sister has been good for you. I’d like to introduce you to…”

“Michael, Big Mike, McKenzie. Yes, everyone was quite excited to know there was another celebrity attending tonight. So it is true the vids I saw of you the two of you.” He made a formal gesture, “It is my honor to Revna’s husband.” A beautiful elegant woman, wearing a silk robe over her costume came out and smiled, wrapping Revna in a hug. “This woman saved my brother’s life, the least I could do is provide you with tickets.” She made the same gesture as her brother, “It is an honor to meet you, Lord McKenzie.”

Revna

“Call me Mike. I save the ‘Lord’ stuff for the stuffy people.” Mike said with a grin. “And Revna saving someone doesn’t surprise me in the least, although I bet it makes for a great story. Maybe we can do that after the performance?” He looked around and grinned. “Been a while since I’ve been in a backstage dressing room. Weird… no matter what the show, the genre, or the venue… they all smell the same.”

Mike

Eylanya laughed, “That they do. It’s a heady mix of exhaustion and elation. I do apologize, but I have to finish getting ready. If you are willing to stay after the performance, we would very much like to catch up.”

“I can show you to your box,” Rokvaj glanced between them and where his sister disappeared. Revna gripped his hand. “Stay. I know you have your traditions. Mike and I can find our way.” Rokvaj nodded, “Yes, alright. I will come to your box after the performance.” He made the same formal gesture and then suddenly hugged Revna and hurried away without a word. Revna slipped her hand back onto Mike’s arm and turned back the way they came. The guard that escorted them down appeared and led the way to a private box overlooking the stage.

Revna

Mike got a some glances as theyvtraveled through the halls; almost as many as Revna. When they were seated, a bottle of champagne was brought to them and two glasses poured. Mike grinned at Rev. “Gotta say… this is pretty nice.” and he looked out on the stage. “You know, when I started playing, I always wanted to play a place like this. Not much call for punk in an opera hall, though. Besides… most people that can afford to go to these shows tend not to take kindly to songs about using a guillotine on the rich.” and he laughed. He raised his glass to his wife and said “To the arts.” and chuckled.

Mike

Revna raised her glass, “To the arts. And paying on debts owed to my husband.” She laughed softly and took a sip. It was good, lots of bubbles, but didn’t have near the smoothness of the mead she preferred. “No they probably don’t take to people screaming ‘off with their heads’. Advertise to the right audience though, they’d enjoy it. It would sound impressively powerful in a building like this.”

It wasn’t long before the house lights dimmed, the stage lights came up, and the tapping of the conductor’s wand on his podium was heard. The fast paced rhythm of the opening movement began, the curtains parted and the performers made their way onto the stage.

Revna

Many people didn’t like punk rock. They saw it as loud… brash… violent… simple… even primative. Most people weren’t musicians, however. And fewer still were musicologists. And for all the loud, confrontational, in-your-face political and class-based messages of the genre, the majority who understood music were aware that many punk bands were extremely talented; and when asked what bands were the most talented, the most musically capable, Goverent Kills was on almost every list… usually at or near the top. And Mike was a significant part of that.

He was never formally trained. He never took classes or lessons… never had a proper ‘mentor’. But what he did have was an almost prodigy-like intuitive understanding of music: it’s complexities… it’s nuances… it’s ebb and flow and how music wasn’t only played; but how it effected those who listened to it. It was this understanding that was his blessing… and his curse. As the first piece started, he was lost. Every fiber of his being resonated with each note, and he sat enthralled and smiling. Music for Mike was more than a livelihood, more than an enjoyment. For him, music was living. And no matter the style, the genre, or even the civilization… if it was music, Mike had it in his soul.

He watched as the performers came on stage and he unconsciously reached over and took Revna’s hand, squeezing it in anticipation.

Mike