Instead of voicing any fears she might harbor, she said, "Thank you. That'd be nice." The idea of bathing before her wedding felt comforting, a normal ritual before the unknown of an alien marriage ceremony. Try as she might to rationalize thisyear, it felt so strange for her to think she would be married by the end of the evening. Maybe this was the universe getting back at her for not giving David an answer and fleeing the restaurant. A little karma for her behavior.
Zahra frowned when she spotted Holly fidgeting with her tablet as they walked after the Khuuz’eth women. "Nervous?"
Holly sent her a sheepish grin. "A little, but also excited. It's a big assignment with a lot riding on all of this," she waved a hand around them, "to work out."
"First solo assignment?" Zahra guessed. She remembered the first time she’d been sent out on a mission. She’d questioned her ability over and over again. But after that first mission things got easier every time she was deployed.
Holly nodded. "Yes. Hopefully it doesn't show."
"So far you've been great. Neither of us were given a lot of time to prep for this, but we’re both doing the best we can in the situation we’ve been presented."
"No, there wasn’t a lot of time given." Holly agreed. "A new culture in just a few weeks. It can be a bit overwhelming at times, knowing how much rides on all of this. Hard to get everything memorized and down." Holly clutched the pad to her chest. “I can only imagine the turmoil inside you. Despite all the positives I’ve been trying to find, I don’t want you to feel like your worries aren’t being heard or understood.”
Zahra nodded in agreement, determination flaring to life inside her. "Together we will see our way through it." Zahra was secretly glad there'd be another human along for the journey. It made the whole thing feel a little less daunting to know she wouldn’t be left alone after her wedding night to face a new culture and world.
“Here we are. This will be your room for getting ready for tonight." One of the women addressed Zahra as they stopped before another room.
“It’s kind of like a bridal suite.” Holly whispered before Zahra could ask what was wrong with the last room.
“And… where do I go later tonight to sleep?” Zahra asked instead, her brow furrowing with uncertainty. Did she return to the first room or the bridal suite?
The female Khuuz’eth exchanged glances, their eerily glowing eyes settling back on her. “You will sleep in your husband’s chambers, of course.”
Duh. Zahra felt her cheeks heat. She felt like a child, asking stupid questions of the adults around her. “Yeah,” she snapped her fingers, “forgot about that part for a second.”
“You appear to be flustered.” One of the women commented as she lifted her head slightly.
Zahra wondered on the gesture. “Just hard to go from single to married in a day. Humans tend to get to know each other for at least a few months if not years before getting married.”
Holly placed a comforting hand on Zahra’s shoulder. “It’s not like the two of you dated. Apprehension would be the logical response to this situation.”
“Dated?” One of the alien women asked, her eyes seeming to swirl with her curiosity. “What is this?”
Holly jumped in, ready to explain human customs to them. “It’s where two people get to know each other before committing a lifetime. Normally, the two would go on hikes, picnics, little outings to see how they mix before they decide on forever.”
“Humans mate for life then?” The more curious of the two alien women asked.
Zahra snorted. “I think our divorce rate is about eighty percent these days. Humans want to try to find their perfect mates, but people can change over time, and sometimes it doesn’t work out.” Or the other person can’t get to the aisle, like Zahra, but she wasn’t about to say that. Kind of the wrong place, wrong time to tell them she was a flight risk.
The woman made some sort of noise in her throat, and Zahra wasn’t entirely sure what it was meant to convey. Maybe astonishment?
“The door to this room will open to either of your bio signatures.” The other Khuuz’eth woman explained.
Holly approached it, and the door whooshed open allowing them to enter.
“If you need anything, let us know.” The two alien women placed their closed hands to their chests, bowed slightly and then left the two of them alone.
As Zahra took in the room, she noticed it looked pretty much the same as the room onboard the shuttle. The circular sunken bed sat in the middle of the room, but this room was unlike the first or the shuttle. The walls were crafted from the same grey material, but it had swirls of darker gray. Large swaths of electric blue cloth hung from some of the walls. A light perfume that reminded her of lavender drifted through the air, and she wondered if that might be coming from the open balcony doors on the opposite side of the room.
"Guess we should get you ready for the wedding." Holly shrugged as she placed her pad down on a nearby table.
"Guess so." Zahra’s stomach felt like a shuttle entering the atmosphere, a bit rocky. Good thing she hadn't eaten much during the day or it'd be threatening to come up right now with her nerves.
“There should be..." Holly murmured as she walked around the room, "ah, here it is." She held up a black dresswith elegantly cut sleeves and highlights of blue. "This is a dress provided by your future husband. It's supposed to show his ability to provide." Holly grimaced. "I think. There might be some troubles with the translation. There didn't seem to be a word that really conveyed the same meaning, so they did their best."
Zahra faced Holly and arched an eyebrow. "I don't think you're supposed to tell me there are translation issues before I marry the guy. After is probably better."
"Anything contractual was translated and then translated again just to make sure we understood them fully." Holly reassured her.
