NU2U: "Blood Ties, 16b/26 (TOS/AU, S/Ch, Sa, Am, Vulcan OCs, K, Mc; h/c, anx [PG13])
Gamin
pregnant wife Christine to Vulcan to be presented at a clan gathering,
where both run afoul of certain ultra-conservative clan members. This
part: shopping expedition conclusion--Kirk and T'Merit buy some
jewelry for Christine, then their group goes to meet Sarek, Amanda and
McCoy in the spaceport business district. (Vulcan term introduced
here: "sapohr", c. 1994 by Gamin Davis; discussed more in-depth in a
later story of mine called "Land of Silver Birds".)
Disclaimers: Part 1A.
******
They explored five different stores, and Kirk was treated
approximately the same in each one as he had been in the first--plus,
none had what he was looking for. They had reached what was almost
the last remaining baby supply store before Kirk was able to describe
a playpen to the proprietor and find exactly what he wanted. As he
carried the box out of the store and started back toward the aircar
with it, a jewelry display in a store two doors down caught his eye.
"Setek, will you put this up for me? I saw one more thing I'd like to
get a closer look at before we go."
"Of course, Captain," Setek acquiesced, raising an eyebrow at Kirk in
puzzlement as he took the large, flat box and headed off in the
opposite direction.
T'Merit curiously followed Kirk. "What have you found?"
"You'll have to tell me," Kirk replied, as they continued in the
direction
of the jewelry display. He found it on a table in front of a store
that
called itself a "Miscellaneous Gift Shop" and pointed it out to
T'Merit--a necklace/bracelet/ear-ring set that appeared to be made of
jewels formed into t'lerya flowers and linked together. "Here--this
is it. These
are what I saw. They're gorgeous--they sparkle like sapphires and
topaz, but their shapes look as if they've been blown like glass."
"They are called 'sapohr'--colored crystals that grow in our desert
mountains," T'Merit informed him. "These have been carved into
t'lerya flowers."
Kirk thought back to a long-ago leave, when Spock had invited him back
to Vulcan to grieve and heal after his loss of Edith Keeler. "Oh,
sapohr--I know what those are; Spock gave me one once," he realized.
"I've just never seen them in jewelry form before." Then his mind
returned to the present. "I noticed T'Syrith found a floor pillow
with a t'lerya on it when we were out before," he recalled.
"It is a popular flower and a popular design." T'Merit eyes him
speculatively. "What would *you* do with such jewelry, Captain? Do
you have some female acquaintance who has an affinity for Vulcan
flowers?"
"Not that I know of," Kirk returned slyly. "Actually, I thought it
would
make a good gift for Christine, since she likes those flowers so much.
Spock could give her the necklace, I could give her the bracelet and
Dr. McCoy could give her the ear-rings."
"Doubtless Spock would appreciate the opportunity to give her such a
gift, since he has not had the chance to look for one," T'Merit
observed
approvingly.
"That settles it, then," Kirk decided.
As if on cue, the store's proprietor appeared before him. "You seem
interested in the sapohr jewelry. This display is the last I have in
this
particular design."
"How much?" Kirk asked.
"You have excellent taste, for a Human. I do not sell these pieces
individually--200 credits for the set."
That seemed a bit expensive to Kirk, but he eyed the jewelry again and
decided it was worth the cost. As he dug the credits out of a
concealed pocket in his uniform pants, he realized, much to his
embarrassment, that he did not have enough left. "Damn. I don't have
that much left on me, and I can't beam back up from here--too many
people around," he muttered, half to himself, putting away the credits
that he had. "I guess I'll have to come back for it tomorrow."
"I cannot guarantee that it will still be here," the proprietor
cautioned.
"Sapohr jewelry is among my best-selling merchandise, and the t'lerya
pattern is nearly impossible to keep in stock."
"Oh." Kirk was visibly disappointed. "Couldn't you hold them for me,
just until tomorrow morning?"
The proprietor raised an eyebrow at Kirk in an affronted expression,
ignoring the latter's pleading tone. "If by that you mean *refuse* to
sell
them to anyone else when I know that dozens of people will be
interested in them *and* prepared to pay for them immediately between
now and closing time, certainly not. Only a Human would make such an
illogical request."
Kirk got the distinct impression that he was being deliberately
discouraged from buying the jewelry because he was Human--or maybe it
was just that Vulcan merchants, like other Vulcans, put business first
and always adhered to standard procedure. Either way, Kirk's
disappointment had now changed to disgust. "All right, forget it.
Come on, T'Merit--let's go."
"One moment, Captain," T'Merit objected, stopping him with a touch as
she coolly regarded the proprietor. "Sir, I am T'Merit, of the House
of Surak. Since this Human's position as a Captain in Starfleet
apparently does not convince you of his integrity, I will vouch for
him. If he says he intends to return tomorrow for the jewelry, you may
believe him."
The proprietor seemed impressed, but unmoved from his previous
position. "With respect, Lady T'Merit. I cannot make an exception,
even for an acquaintance of yours," he insisted carefully.
"I suspect what you mean is that you *refuse* to make an exception-
because he is Human," T'Merit retorted, her tone unchanged. "Very
well. How much is the jewelry in Vulcan currency?"
"406 drina," the proprietor told her suspiciously, wondering what she
was planning to do or say next.
Kirk, however, knew instantly. "T'Merit--" he started to protest.
"Consider this my part of Christine's gift," she interrupted firmly,
withdrawing the money from somewhere within her dress and handing it
to the proprietor, who took it and pulled three small boxes out from
underneath the table, placing each piece of jewelry in its own box.
T'Merit quickly took the boxes and turned finally to Kirk, giving them
to him. "Ready, Captain?" she asked then.
"More than ready," Kirk returned dryly, glaring briefly at the
proprietor
before turning away and starting back down the sidewalk with T'Merit,
toward Setek and the aircar. "Thanks, T'Merit," he said sheepishly,
when they were well out of earshot of the gift shop. "But the jewelry
wasn't *that* vital, you know."
"Nonetheless, you would have regretted not getting it for Christine--
and *I* would have regretted doing nothing to make the purchase
possible," T'Merit reassured him quietly. "If you wish, you may pay
me back in Federation currency, at your own convenience--but it is not
necessary."
Convinced finally that T'Merit did not feel taken advantage of, Kirk
gave in and accepted her gesture. "I appreciate it. It's very kind of
you," he acknowledged, at last.
"Christine is...kind...to my daughter T'Syrith," T'Merit pointed out.
"I am only returning the favor."
******
In a few minutes, they were all back in the aircar and on their way to
the spaceport district. It was a short trip, since it was adjacent to
the
business district and thus only a few blocks away. As they entered
the area and T'Merit began looking for the best available parking
place, Kirk noticed that the principal difference between it and the
main business district was the dominance of the spaceport backdrop.
Vulcan Space Central apparently consisted of a series of buildings
large enough to tower over the mostly one-storey structures in front
of it, which housed the import shops--accompanied by the telltale
signs of Vulcan's connection with other worlds: the constant sight of
incoming and outgoing spacecraft. And these, of course, were only
those that did not rely exclusively upon transporters to board and off-
load passengers.
After T'Merit had found a space near the front of the designated
parking area, they saw McCoy, Amanda and Sarek almost immediately; as
they crossed the wide street between the parking area and the
sidewalk, McCoy announced his presence quite loudly, yelling Kirk's
name from some distance down the sidewalk from the Captain, Setek and
T'Merit. Kirk waved to him silently as they hurried across the street
and down the sidewalk toward the Doctor, making a mental note to have
a word with McCoy later about the impropriety
of raising one's voice in public on Vulcan.
"We were beginning to wonder what was keeping you," McCoy greeted him.
"We lost track of the time. At least, *I* did. If Setek hadn't been
with
us, I guess T'Merit and I would still be talking," Kirk explained
apologetically.
"Oh?" McCoy prompted, immediately interested; Kirk's responding
expression, however, made it clear he wasn't going to discuss it now.
Sarek raised an eyebrow questioningly at Setek, whose responding
expression conveyed the same meaning as Kirk's. "I trust you all
found the gifts you were looking for," Sarek offered quietly.
"We did," Setek returned neutrally. "What of you and Amanda?"
"We selected a set of nursery furniture, to be delivered tomorrow
morning," Sarek informed him. "There are only two baby supply stores
in the spaceport district, as Vulcan does not choose to import many
such items," he added then, for Kirk's benefit. "Most of our time
here has been spent following Dr. McCoy back and forth between the two
stores."
"So it took me a while to make up my mind," McCoy grumbled. "It's
been a long time since I bought anything for a baby."
Kirk grinned at him, unable to keep from being amused. "What did you
finally get?" he asked.
"Sweaters, caps, several sunbonnets--and some crib sheets, because
Amanda couldn't resist them. Most everything in pink," McCoy
returned, his mood seeming to lighten instantly as he thought of his
purchases with pride.
Kirk shook his head incredulously. "Between you and T'Merit, those
girls are going to be wearing pink until they're in kindergarten," he
remarked jokingly, looking back at Sarek again. "I'm surprised you
decided to get furniture here instead of back in the business
district."
"The selection *is* rather limited," Sarek admitted. "However, I
would not have found the furniture we chose elsewhere. It is white
and trimmed in pink and blue; I recalled Amanda mentioning that both
colors held a certain significance within Human customs regarding
babies, so I thought it would be appropriate," he elaborated. "Now,
Captain, if you wish to look around before we must leave, I suggest
you do so quickly."
"I'll go with you, Jim," McCoy offered, and they headed off with McCoy
leading the way.
"I had better go, also," Sarek decided, beginning to move off after
them. "Amanda, stay with Setek and T'Merit--and be sure you are all
where we can find you when we return. We should not be gone long," he
added, over his shoulder.
McCoy took Kirk on a quick tour of the two baby supply stores first,
showing him the gifts they had picked out, then he and Kirk began to
explore the neighboring stores as Sarek followed silently, alert for
any signs of possible trouble that he might need to steer the Humans
away from.
Although Kirk and McCoy were fascinated by their discovery of what
sorts of things Vulcans thought worth importing and selling to their
own people, nothing really caught the eye of either until they entered
what Kirk immediately identified as another "miscellaneous gift shop"
and McCoy's gaze fell upon something he was certain Kirk would want.
"Jim, look at this," he whispered, directing Kirk's attention to what
he had found. "Wouldn't this be perfect for your wedding present?"
Kirk had almost forgotten about the two-part wedding present he had
brought with him from the ship for Spock and Christine--the computer
tape record of their shipboard wedding and a photo (so far unframed)
taken from the tape; there had not been, up to now, an appropriate
time to present it. He examined the object of McCoy's attention--a
beautiful silver and gold frame, decorated on the corners with IDIC
symbols with what appeared to be genuine diamonds in their centers.
"It's perfect, all right," he admitted wistfully, knowing also that he
would have to make a trip back to the Enterprise before he would be
able to buy it. "It doesn't *look* imported, though."
As was apparently customary, the store's proprietor appeared out of
nowhere just when he was needed. "It is a Terran reproduction of a
Vulcan design that was recently discontinued," he supplied readily.
"*This* was made on Earth?" Kirk echoed, in surprise.
"Yes; quite well-crafted, actually, though of somewhat inferior
materials. Still, I expect to sell a substantial and increasing
number of them now that the original design is no longer available."
Kirk started to pick it up. "May I?" he asked uncertainly.
"Of course," the proprietor invited.
Kirk picked up the frame carefully, examining all sides of it.
"Is it the right size?" McCoy inquired of him.
"It's perfect," Kirk reiterated regretfully, cautiously setting the
frame
back down.
"How much?" McCoy asked, turning to the proprietor after having
deduced Kirk's dilemma.
"Seventy-five credits."
McCoy pulled out the required credits and gave them to the proprietor,
who wrapped the frame with several layers of paper and padding, put it
in a box, bound up the box, and handed it to McCoy. McCoy gave it to
Kirk. "This'll be *my* wedding gift," he explained.
Kirk smiled gratefully at him. "Well, it's getting dark. We'd better
not
keep our hosts any longer," he decided.
Sarek's curiosity was piqued about this mysterious "wedding present"
of Kirk's, but for the time being, he kept that curiosity tightly
reigned in. Setek, T'Merit and Amanda were just where he had left
them, apparently having spent the whole time standing and talking;
they split up again finally into their original groups, and Kirk went
with Setek and T'Merit back to the latter's aircar, then they followed
Sarek back to his home.
END PART 16B