90: Pamper Them With Bird Costumes
RYST
"So, as far at the Novas go, I have two options," Peydran said. We were going down his wedding to-do list over video conference, and my best friend was telling me his ideas on how to handle my birth family.
None of whom I wanted at my wedding.
"One, we go boring: send them invites, then reject their Travel Applications. Two: We accept their Travel Applications. Then once they are here, we treat them like lepers in isolation, but pretend they are royalty. Tell them they are honored guests of the Shurwinn. Give them black-clad guards who watch their every move, pretending that it's an honor to be observed 24-7 in our culture. Even peeing. Guards observe them on the toilet; it's an honored tradition."
"Then we limit their stream access to only children's content under the age of three. And tell them there's a fancy dress theme to the wedding and give them bird costumes to wear in public. Special bird costumes just for family of the bride to be paraded in front of the 9 Galaxies in."
"Honored guests that they are, they will be convinced that all of this is special treatment, and they will have no option but to pretend to enjoy the affections of the passive-aggressive Shurwinn."
I laughed so hard I couldn't breathe, picturing my mother in a demented bird costume being paraded in front of the entire Known Cosmos. "Stars, oh stars, Peydran. That's so fantastic! I'm almost tempted to do it. Will you please get an animation of that, if nothing else?"
"Done. So, it's option one— we just reject their Travel Applications?" he asked.
"Afraid so."
"And you're liking June 13th—coffee blossoms at Coal Stadium? It's gonna be an early morning and a crazy hot day in the desert, but the awnings and cooling systems can help. I think it will be really, really, awesome if we go sunrise."
"I like it. I think it's perfect. Very, very dramatic. Really, Peydran, that will make Shurwinn look like something more exotic than anyone EVER imagined. How are all the diplomats taking the wedding prep?"
"They are shitting themselves, Ryst. It was instant flight to the very top of the Ministry as soon as I touched base with all the city-planning contacts and told them you wanted to marry your fiancée, Galactic Minister Nayth Carmidee here in Shurwinn, and that we are inviting our friends from all 9 Galaxies. No one has EVER done anything like this, Ryst. Never! The first ever all-9-Galaxies event. And it's not some manufactured diplomatic event. It's a real wedding. A love match made in heaven. They are eating it up. Anything you and Nayth want, you've got it."
"You know I don't care, Peydran. I don't care at all. I'm really excited about our 9 Galaxies Collab friends coming, though. I hope everyone can make it. The rest of it doesn't really matter to me."
"I know, Ryst. But take a little time to think about what you want to do. Even if it's just for Gentia and our friends. Take some time to put that big heart of yours into it, because it is really special. It's not going to be about politics, as much as the diplomats would like it to be. It's about family. So, put that into the mix, and it will still be about you and Nayth. Nobody knows the story of you and Nayth except me and Ren. So, the four of us can smile and nod at the whole show, but deep inside, it can still be powerful and special because you and Nayth are something extraordinary. Even if no one ever knows about it."
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"Hmmm. I don't think it's just going to be you and Ren. I think I met another Talented last night."
"WHAT?!"
"Umm hmm. Annika."
"Hold on. What, Ryst? What is it? I've got nothing in my files about her. She's not even a martial artist. Some type of dancer/ singer troubadour from Trauton 4?"
I nodded. "I saw that in your recon file. But Peydran, I've never had a reaction to someone like I had with her. I saw these blue spirals when I looked at her, and it nearly knocked me down. Then when I shook her hand— yes, I was so stunned that I greeted her and Borden in Starlend! By default! I acted like a total idiot, and she looked at me because she knew about me. And then Borden said we would come to dinner tonight. It wasn't an invite, it was a demand."
"Nayth has no idea, no idea what is going on. He was completely stunned. His childhood friend and the only people he's close to other than Freya, and he had no idea what to make of anything I said! The tangle went crazy when I met them. This whole thing— our engagement, the two weddings, Borden and Annika, and Ren too. It's all part of the big tangle."
Peydran nodded, "I know it's Ren too. The way he said he heard you on the breeze. You have to listen to the simple things he says in order to understand him. He really means it. He's hearing something— maybe it's not the actual wind. Maybe it's a note of a song, and he describes it as a breeze, but he knew you were having a wedding. So, I won't be surprised if he—
Peydran cut off as a piping sound grew closer. "Honey?"
Ren's face peered at me through the video. "Is Nayth there?"
"He's on groom business."
Ren kissed Peydran soundly then went away piping on some type of wooden wind instrument. Peydran looked dazed. "That man makes me so nuts. He slept for four hours last night, at least."
I raised my eyebrows, and Peydran nodded. "Yeah, that's a good night's sleep when he's like this. But I realized the first night, that if he wasn't doing this— if he didn't disappear into the music studio, then he wouldn't be Ren. And that thought made me so sick, Ryst. I wanted to puke it was so horrible! So, I decided to be really happy that he was in his studio composing. Because that's what makes him Ren, and Ren is who I love."
"Peydran, you're amazing. Truly. You are the most amazing man I've ever known— well, you, and Ren, and Nayth."
"You're surrounded, Ryst."
"Totally. I'm the luckiest woman alive. What else is on the list? What else are we discussing? Oh, hey, did you see the Freya footage, Peydran?"
"No, Gorshen is putting it together. I've got too much going on. I told him to get me a 15-sec clip of the best stuff, but I haven't seen it come through yet."
"Ren is going to LOVE her. Together they can dissect the sex lives of everyone they've ever known. Nothing is off the table with Freya."
Peydran cackled. "Sands, they will be a nightmare. Sands! We'll have no peace. Did you tell anyone about Sibsil Creed yet?"
"Nope."
"Alright. Alright," Peydran nodded. "So, what about your actual, real, secret wedding? Nayth's on groom business?"
"Yeah, once again, I'm the clueless off sphere. I think Freya is doing this for giggles. I don't think any of this is actual tradition. I think she likes messing with me."
Peydran snorted.
"Yeah. I have no idea. Dance lessons. Learning a choreographed dance with Klear. But I think it's actually a bride and groom dance. And I won't know what I'm wearing until right before I walk into the wedding, which I won't know anything about either. Hopefully I will actually have clothes on. With Freya, you can't really tell."
"I know it's a secret wedding, but please tell me there will be recordings."
"Nayth won't leave you and Ren out in the cold. He really wanted you two to be on the list of thirteen guests, but I told him I didn't think you'd be able to. I just had this feeling."
"Hmmm. I'm not sure. I can't even really ask Ren right now. So, well, is it an option, if he finishes the music soon?"
"If you two can to come, Nayth will move heaven and earth to get you here."
"Alright, it's up to Ren, then. I'll let you know. Anything else at the moment?"
"I love you, Peydran. Don't you forget it."
"I love you too, Ryst. Sunshine."