Heart of Darkness, Epilogue #1: Matters of the heart (and other organs).

“Why is everyone grinning at me like that?” Visionary asked suspiciously, taking in the smiling faces of Dancer, Lisa and Yo as they tried to look innocent. Hallie contented herself with trying to look casually unaffected as she sat in the chair by the window, sipping some simulated coffee and reading a digital newspaper. “All right… what’s going on?” the Regular demanded.

“Nothing, nothing…” Dancer assured him with a little wave. “But I think Miiri wants to talk to you for a moment. She’s in the study.”

Visionary raised an eyebrow and waited for some further elaboration, but the three of them just continued to grin at him. “Ooookay, I’m a little creeped out now” He admitted as he crossed the room to the door of the study. With one last glance to find their expressions hadn’t changed, he opened the door and ducked inside.

Lisa shook her head. “Like a lamb to the slaughter.”

“Aw… I think Visi is cute when he is being confused” Yo argued.

The first lady of the Lair Legion snorted “You think Vizh is cute all the time”

“It’s about how often he’s confused” Dancer pointed out. “So it’s a good thing it works for him.”

“Don’t even start with me…” the lawyer argued, turning from the study door. “Don’t think I haven’t forgotten What You Did.”

“What was cute Dancer to be doing?”

“A Very Bad Thing” Lisa answered.

“Is this being a Finny ‘bad thing’?” Yo asked curiously.

Lisa blinked. “See? See? This is why we don’t go around upsetting the delicate balance of the universe. You now have me quoting Finny in regards to sex.” She spun around to confront the hologram sitting on the couch. “Hallie, settle something for me… What’s the first rule about Visionary?”

“Er…” the AI offered, flustered to suddenly be drawn into the baffling conversation. “Don’t feed him after midnight?”

“Not what she was getting at, but good answer” Dancer encouraged. “With his metabolism, all that midnight snacking is just going straight to his gut. Which is why he’ll be starting a morning workout regimen as soon as he’s healthy enough… complete with stretching exercises.”

“You are to be putting the cruller box on the top shelf of the cabinets?”

“No changing the subject” Lisa interrupted, turning back to Hallie with a gleam in her eye, and maybe a hint of something a little bit more. “Okay, so we’ll put “don’t feed the Vizh” on the list somewhere… But the number one, top, bold-faced, large font rule is that Visionary is not for sex! Am I right? Back me up on this…”

“Well, I…” Hallie began again.

“It’s not like you’d ever want to jump his bones…” she continued remorselessly, with that interested glint in her eyes again. “Would you?”

The holographic woman froze like a cute green deer in headlights.

“Of course not! I mean, look where it leads…” Lisa said, concealing a small smile and gesturing to the closed door of the study. “When Miiri tells him and his new heart explodes from a coronary, his warranty is definitely going to be voided. Enty will have to cobble together his next one out of a couple of turkey basters and some aquarium tubing.”

“You are not thinking Visi will be overjoyed at the news?” Yo asked.

“He’s taught the Juniors for two years now, and raised Kerry too” the lawyer noted. “The idea of 18 years of that kind of responsibility in front of him? We’ll be lucky he doesn’t leave a Vizh-shaped hole in the wall. I still say it was foolish not to fit him with an exploding dog collar linked to an active security field before he found out.”

“Pshaw…” Dancer scoffed. “Vizh loves all those kids, not just Kerry. Well, maybe not Zach all that much… And Hamboy did leave that grease stain on his favorite recliner… And Samantha suggested he’d look more stylish if he shaved his head, um, and that it would just be bypassing the embarrassing, upcoming“flap comeover” years anyway at the rate his hairline is receding… and Harlagaz… well, even if war goats really are indoor pets on Ausgard, what with the ham juices you can’t really blame them for what they did to the upholstery… But, um… he definitely loves Glory.”

“So if Miiri’s having puppies, he’ll be all for it” Lisa drawled.

“Oooh!”

“She’s not having puppies Yo.”

“Awwww”

Just then the door of the study creaked open, and all eyes turned to see Miiri’s head poke out with a look of concern as she chewed her bottom lip. “Um…” she began.

Lisa gave her a knowing grimace. “Smelling salts?”

“Yes please” the Caphan answered.

Visionary reentered the study a short while later, holding a bag of frozen peas against the side of his head that had struck the coffee table when he passed out. “Er… sorry about that…” he noted sheepishly. “It’s been a long couple of days.”

Miiri sat in a divan by the window of the cozy study, looking out across the grounds to the lighthouse that now rose above the eastern shore of the Island. “I’m sorry… I should have told you when I first knew. Or at least when Dr. Gale told me that everything seemed to be progressing “satisfactorily”. But I hesitated, and then you…” she swallowed and looked down. “I’m sorry.”

“No! Nonononono! Please don’t apologize!” Visionary said, rushing over and dropping his peas beside her. He knelt down so he could see her face and grabbed her delicate green hand. “I can’t imagine what you’ve been going through all this time. As for me… I just needed a little moment to let it all sink in. I’m pretty sure it did that while I was unconscious. I do my best thinking that way. Plus, it’s the first sleep I’ve gotten in days, and the rest did me good.”

She raised an eyebrow and touched the red welt protruding from his temple. “It’s made you lumpy is what it’s done” she noted.

“Well, yeah…” he managed. “But at least none of that is genetic. Odds are the child will have a nice smooth head.”

She let out a soft chuckle. “So you believe me when I tell you that it is yours?” she asked earnestly. “The others, they say that scientifically…”

“I know” Visionary noted. “The Librarian filled me in on the details of the “how” and all while Uhuna was double-checking that I hadn’t gone and died again. Mostly, I think they told me so I wouldn’t ask a lot of idiotic questions in my talk with you.”

“It is good for the father to know how babies are made” Miiri agreed. “Although the Earth use of fowl and insects in this process seems rather elaborate… And this is an observation from one of a society where couplings can include ballads, dancers and teams of virgins to anoint the loins of the master with yoslec oil.”

It took Visionary a moment to shake the mental image and decipher what she had said. “Oh! Right. Who told you about the birds and the bees?”

“The Shoggoth related it one night after asking about Caphan rites.”

“Ah… well, it might have lost something in the translation then” Visionary judged with an inward shudder at the idea of the Shoggoth teaching sex education. Visionary worried enough about his performance in four dimensions… a few of them more than others. Still, if it put the kids off the idea of sex, then maybe he should see if the loathsome elder beast was available to talk to the Juniors sometime…

“But you know then about the Lovetoad’s plans… To produce illegitimate children of powerful interstellar families and gain blackmail advantage over the ruling houses of various governments? And that he planned to pervert our roles as hostesses to his house to do this?”

Visionary’s face darkened as recollected what Bookman had told him. “Yes.”

“And… you know that I had this genetic treatment given to me without my knowledge? That I didn’t mean to… That I wouldn’t… You never would have taken me to your bed had I not drug you there myself… I just don’t want you to think…”

The Regular blinked in shock. “You’re worried that I might believe that you found me so irresistible as to intentionally try to get pregnant by me?” He made an effort to seriously consider that option, but instead all he could picture was Lisa laughing hysterically. “Um… yeah… I can safely assure you that such a thing would never cross my mind.” He swallowed. “Truth be told, my first reaction…”

“After fainting?”

“After fainting… was one of shock. I didn’t know that… well, that I could.” He squirmed uncomfortably. “I mean, Cheryl and I never really tried, but... All the jokes. All the comments. What if…”

She scowled at him. “You’re real, dammit.”

“Lee suggested that, with the timing and everything, I would only just have an outside chance of being the father. That odds are…”

Miiri rolled her eyes. “Men!” she sighed in pity. “For all your “progressive thinking” and learning, study and science, you truly know nothing of how such things work, do you?” She shook her head. “We did yelka-sto in the b'rah position... twice. Do you think that is something I would do for some mere visiting dignitary? What kind of high pleasure slave did you take me for?”

“No! I… I would never think that you would… Um… elsa-yo with, ah…” he chewed his lip in thought. “Er… which part was that again? Because I think I might have fainted once or twice that afternoon too…”

The Caphan couldn’t resist a bit of a smug little smile. “My apologies… we really should have worked up to the Lo’terol position, but I was perhaps a bit carried away.” She ruffled his hair with affection. “If Uhuna treated you this time, why did she not remove your bump?”

Visionary smiled ruefully. “I think she felt I deserved it.”

“She’s wise for her age” Miiri agreed. “But I hear you’ve brought back a new friend with you… On that can see into the truth about a person…”

“The Sorting Hat!” the Regular noted, catching on.

“Go get it, and we’ll settle this ridiculous business once and for all” she insisted. “I want everyone to know the truth.”

“Yes… okay…” Visionary agreed, not getting up. “But… well, as long as I’m already down here… I just thought…” He swallowed hard. “Miiri, you’re an absolutely wonderful woman, full of life and warmth and far, far stronger than you let on. In fact, you’re a bit devious, having been practiced in playing the role you were born into, though it was too limiting to contain all of what you are… and that means you’re constantly surprising me… constantly exciting.” He looked up into her curious eyes and continued. “Few people I’ve ever met have been able to make me feel as good as I do when I’m with you… Not, er, the yekka-lekka-yo thing... although I don’t really have words to describe how incredible that… ah, I mean…” He took a deep breath and tried again. “You make me feel good about myself. Like I’m worth something. Like I’m really a hero.”

“You are a hero” she smiled down at him. “You’re just too foolish to notice.” A thought crossed her mind and her eyes widened. “Wait… on your knees… I have read of this! You’re not… Are you proposing Earth-style monogamy bonding via a matrimonial ceremony?”

“Er… we just call it marriage” Visionary noted nervously. “You may be spending too much time around the Shoggoth” he added as an afterthought.

“Why should you suddenly want to do this?” she asked curiously.

“Well, it is sort of traditional in situations like ours…”

“Visionary” she said to him in a warm, if no nonsense tone, “What about me makes you think I’m a particularly traditional person?”

“Er...” he began. He had to concede she might have a point on this one…

“On Caph, I was raised without expectations of any monogamy, either in love or in family. In truth, the concept remains quite alien to me, and I question the benefit when compared to the wealth of experiences that can be gained from sharing all such aspects of my life with those I name my sisters. But I recognized the deficiencies of that system too… all too well, in fact. I have just shaken off the trappings of one culture that did not fit me… I am not so quick to adopt another’s until I know what I truly want for myself.”

Visionary looked up at her. “I could make you happy…” he noted earnestly.

“You already do make me happy. More than I can say…” she smiled at him with great affection. “I do love you. I just… would not be ready for any such things. Not yet. Not when I’m just getting the chance to expand myself, and find out where I belong in the universe. Marriage is, as I understand it, something for two people who are ready to become something more together than they are alone. I am still growing on my own…” She bid him to sit beside her and kissed him on the forehead. “I would not dream of seeing you neglected while I still had to grow. Life is too precious to waste it with waiting when you’re ready for something more. I paid dearly to learn that lesson, and my honor is to be able to pass that knowledge onto those I care about.”

He smiled at her. “I love you too” he said. “But what about the child? I mean, I yekaleka-lo’ed either way. The baby is coming, even if I’m not capable of… Even if by chance it’s not mine. I don’t want you to ever have to worry about being alone.”

“Ah… That is why on Earth it’s traditional in our situation, isn’t it?” she noted. “You think I need the reassurance of your custom’s marriage to know that I won’t be alone?” she asked, looking at him speculatively. She seemed to reach a decision. “Visionary, do you remember when we first met?”

“I have vague recollections of it, yes…” he admitted dryly. One doesn’t willingly forget finding nine voluptuous, scantily clad, green-skinned women draped across one’s bed. “On the whole, I’m glad I didn’t attempt the escape through the plumbing.”

“Me too” she agreed. “More to the point, do you remember the pledge you made for us? Do you remember when you broke it?”

He blinked in panic. “I’m sorry… I don’t… I didn’t think…”

“You never did” she replied. “In fact, you took it to infuriating lengths… especially for Odoona, who really wanted to please you. No matter what hardships you endured…”

“No pun intended, I assume.”

She suppressed a smile. “Yes. And you faced scorn and derision, discomfort and dishonor in order to keep your word to us, a bunch of frightened, disowned refugees that wanted to cling to a strong master rather than stand on our own feet.”

“I… think I’d have a hard time convincing too many people that it was such a chore for me” he noted.

“Do you remember when you sired Kerry?”

“I pray this is another trick question…”

“Exactly. She is not your child, and yet look at all you have done, not just in all your time as her guardian, but in the last few days, just to keep your pledge to watch over her.” She shook her head. “And you think I need to have you bound to me in a legal ceremony to know that you’ll be there for me? Nonsense.” She reached out and took his hand, bringing over to lay on her perfect, if slightly swollen, abdomen. “Here is all the reassurance I need: Visionary, do you swear to me that you will find this child to be worthy of your love and affection, that you will guide and teach the child to become as good a person as you are, and that you will nurture and protect the child with all your will?”

He met her eyes and nodded. “I will… I swear.”

She laid a hand on his cheek. “Then you will always be the father of my child in any way that matters.”

“Well, short, felt and floppy…” Lisa called out as Miiri, Visionary and the Sorting Hat exited the study to find the assembled Legionnaires waiting. “…Don’t leave us all in suspense now. What are the results? Will we be hearing the pitter-patter of little fake feet?”

“A-hem” the Hat began from his position in Visionary’s arms. “It is my distinct pleasure to announce that you should have all know better than to argue with this charming young lady here.” He grinned. “Visionary is the father.”

A cheer went up as the crowd rushed forward to congratulate the happy duo.

“Ha! Good for you!” Trickshot proclaimed, slapping Visionary on the back. “I had fifty bucks riding on you. Guess you couldn't be fake now.”

“Hmmm… Well, technically, stranger things have happened” Al B. noted. “If you could produce the right proteins, and infuse them with a crystalline data storage capacity, then you could conceivably… well, conceive when merging it with acceptable genetic material…”

“Al…” Hatman said, laying a hand on his shoulder to draw him away. “So not the time.”

Dancer snagged Visionary’s arm and extracted him from the crowd to a secluded corner of the room where Yo and Lisa waited. “Congrats” she said, giving him a peck on the cheek and a wink.

“Congratulations” Lisa echoed, while Yo simply gave both Visionary and the hat a crushingly enthusiastic hug. “Now, how about giving your closest friends a little inside information on the betting pool, hmmmm?” She smiled sweetly. “What’s it going to be?”

“Er… What?” Visionary asked as he tried to shake the flattened hat back into some semblance of it’s normal shape.

“Sorry” Yo noted to the grumpy headwear.

“No problem” it answered. “Although you could assume a form with more cleavage if you’re going to crush me with your chest again.”

“The baby!” Lisa said in a hushed tone. “What’s the sex of the baby? If Chappy Chapeaux here sat on Miiri’s head, then he obviously found out what the sex of the baby is going to be.”

“Oh… er, that…” Visionary squirmed. “Well, you see, um…”

“Er…the treatment to make Miiri’s egg accept non-Caphan DNA slowed down the gestation somewhat, and… um…” the Hat tried.

“And the positioning in the womb was kind of strange…” Visionary noted.

“Plus, I think I might be coming down with a headcold…” the Hat argued, adding some sniffles for good measure.

“You understand…” Visionary suggested hopefully.

Dancer exchanged glances with Lisa, before giving Vizh a hug. “Yeah… I think we do.”

The young hologram found Miiri sitting on the sofa, enjoying the sunlight that was streaming through the large windows of the mansion. “So…” Hallie began hesitantly. “Congratulations.”

“Thank you Dear Sister…” Miiri replied warmly, pulling her feet up to her side and welcoming the holographic woman to sit with her. She was grateful for the company even after the crush of congratulations that had taken place earlier. “It’s been a long few days, hasn’t it?”

Hallie nodded. “Things are finally settling down again… But they’re not quite going back to normal, are they? Makes life interesting…”

“It’s been a while, if ever, that I could really call my life boring” the Caphan noted wryly. “But it’s become surprisingly happy as of late.”

The Artificial Intelligence gave her a true smile. “I think you probably have earned that” she offered. She turned to look out the window at the lighthouse and chewed her lip nervously, playing with a lock of her green hair. “So…” she finally began. “Did he propose?”

“He tried” Miiri admitted, the corners of her mouth upturning at the memory.

“… And?” Hallie prodded. “I noted you didn’t announce anything when you came out of the study together…”

“I turned him down” the Caphan supplied with a sigh. “As touching an honor it would be, and as much as I care for him… I was simply not at a point in my life to consider it.”

“Ah” the hologram replied carefully.

“Of course… that won’t always be the case” Miiri continued with faux detachment, watching the glowing woman out of the corners of eyes filled with mischief. “The day may come when I decide that Earth marriage is the direction I wish my life to take. And if no one who loves him has had the good sense to snatch Visionary up to live happily ever after by then…”

“Hey there” Visionary called out, making Hallie jump as he entered the room behind them. “If it isn’t two of the most gorgeous women in the universe, of any hue.” He kissed them both on the cheeks, then took a seat on the chair opposite the couch. “So… what are you talking about?”

“Er… nothing really” Hallie assured him quickly, jumping to her feet. “And I left a bunch of my systems defragmenting… I should really get back and check on that and leave you two parents-to-be to talk…” She gave a little wave. “Catch you later Vizh.”

“We’ll see” Miiri replied playfully.

The Holographic woman shot her a startled look before she blinked out of site.

“What was that all about?” Visionary asked curiously.

“Girl talk” the Caphan replied evasively. “Actually, I was hesitating to ask her something that I thought you might want to ask her yourself.”

“Oh?”

“Well, I know I already gave my big speech about not being a traditional kind of girl, but… Being most favored slave and giving birth to my master’s children was the greatest honor I could hope to achieve growing up… one that would traditionally be filled with pomp and ceremony. I know it’s silly, but… I find a small part of me clinging to the desire to fulfill that tradition.”

Visionary smiled. “It’s not so silly. I’ve known some of the most progressive women I’ve ever met to have grown up dreaming of an elaborate old-fashioned wedding. I think the special moments in our lives deserve the special treatment.”

“So you would not be adverse to the traditional Caphan birthing ceremony? It would make my sisters back on Lemuria overjoyed.”

“Then let’s do it. Absolutely. I mean, I survived my crash course for the Vina Drea, I’ll manage whatever I have to do here.”

“Wonderful!” Miiri replied, leaping up and depositing herself in his lap to give him a hug. “Now, naturally we’ll need to include all of my sisters… As most favored slave, I was thinking of selecting Deeela, Losiira, Luuma and of course Odoona to be in your Mera’h, with the rest in the birthing party. Traditionally, you are to pick the final three members of your party yourself… I was thinking Lisa, as her skills are renown without question, and perhaps Dancer, as your body language together indicates an intimate comfort with each other. Do you think Hallie might be interested in one of the spots?”

“Er…” Visionary began, his spider-sense buzzing fiercely. “Exactly what does my Mera’h party do again?”

“Oh, nothing too strenuous with the duties divided between the 8 of them…” She assured him. “You’re simply to constantly prove your virility upon the bodies of the Mera’h for the duration of my labor period.

“What?!” Visionary choked, trying hard not to imagine that scene, for fear of bypassing a faint and going straight to a coma.

“It should only be 12 to 36 of your hours, at most” Miiri assured him. “Don’t worry… Deeela and Losiira are experts in prolonging a master’s stamina. It’s certainly not a man’s S’leak-ta that gives out first under their ministrations.” She snuggled up close to him. “If you’d like a larger Mera’h party to greater quell any lingering doubts about your virility in the question of parentage, I’d understand of course… Uhuna showed a great deal of interest in the custom, although she’s already volunteered to help me with the birthing process…”

“Uh-huh” Visionary answered, carefully trying to control the new heart in his chest.

“And then the two of us share the same recovery bed” Miiri concluded happily. “We can go over the ceremonial positions, songs and ointments once we get the larger details squared away.

“Uh-huh” Visionary repeated nervously. “Um… it might be best if you not bring this up to too many of the Legion until I come up with a way of asking them personally...” He swallowed hard. “Especially not to Lisa, okay? For the safety of my S’leak-ta.”

“Okay” she agreed, kissing him on the cheek. “You’re going to make a wonderful father” she assured him.

He nodded. “If I live that long” he observed.

Post By Visionary Sun Dec 11, 2005 at 11:27:36 pm EST	Subject Heart of Darkness, Epilogue #1: Matters of the heart (and other organs).

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