Mystery suggestions...

Posted on Sun 19th Apr, 2026 @ 10:59pm by Maiek s'Ethien & Mary Elizabeth Gregory

1,037 words; about a 5 minute read

Mission: [MAIN] From The Ashes
Location: Earth
Timeline: Cultural Exchange.

Maiek's brow furrowed as his eyes passed over and over the words that he recognized. He spoke and read the standard tongue, but this combination of words didn't make sense to him. Again and again he tried to make sense of the word order, even going so far as to pull out a dictionary PADD to aid him. The headache that nagged at his forehead was threatening to blossom into a full on tension headache and he had to put it out of his sight before it drove him mad. Heaving a huge sigh, he decided that it was better to just ask the question than continue to try to translate the untranslatable.

"Mary Elizabeth?"

"Yes?" Mary Elizabeth looked up from her computer, where she was corresponding with Mrs. Ellis, who she'd left in charge of The Hangman's Noose while she was gone. Mrs. Ellis wanted a return date. She gave Maiek a curious look because his brow was furrowed, and he seemed intensely puzzled about something. "What is it?"

"I fear I don't understand. Is this in code?" He handed her the scrap of paper that he'd found. It was from the padd of note paper that her brothers had been using before he'd arrived. It had many bullet points under the label 'New Brother Initiation'. His brow was crinkled in a manner that expressed his deep confusion in some of the terms that were listed upon the tiny sheet.

History lesson.
Footie had a note next to it 'Watching or playing?'
Boozer crawl had a question mark beside it in another hand and a note 'Might be fun'
Spoons and forks was circled by the other hand and underlined with an exclamation point.
Wonder if the greenie is good in a scrap.
Stag night?

Mary Elizabeth's eyes widened as she read the notes, and she slapped a hand over her mouth to conceal laughter. Finally, she lowered it and grinned at Maiek. "I think Jeremiah and Gabriel have accepted you as a member of the family. I'm only surprised Eleanor hasn't added to the mischief. Must be a bloke thing."

She pointed to the line items. "'History lesson'--I'm guessing they want to tell you about the family ghost--Zachariah Gregory, who lived several centuries ago and opened the original Hangman's Noose pub. Either that, or they want to tell you about all the blokes I dated, growing up. Maybe both." She continued down the list. "'Footie' I'm guessing is football. They want to know if you'd make a good fan or if you can play, as well. 'Boozer crawl'...They want to take you out drinking and possibly see how much alcohol you can tolerate while visiting several pubs in one night." She paused. "I have no idea what 'Spoons and Forks' is, unless it's an attempt to teach you Earth dining etiquette--which I don't think you need--or if they want to introduce you to Earth food--which, again, I don't think you need. So maybe they want to introduce you to weird Earth food, of which England has plenty--such as eel pie." She made a face. "If they introduce you to that, they'll probably tell you I love the stuff--I don't--and encourage you to bake me one."

"'Good in a scrap'--They want to know how good you are with your fists and perhaps also if you'll stick up for them in a fight. Not sure how one would arrange such a thing. 'Stag night' means they want to take you out for a men-only gathering, possibly a bachelor party. The idea is to enjoy some fun male company before you get married. Women are definitely not wanted unless there's to be a strip-tease." She shook her head in wonderment. "They really do like you, or they wouldn't be planning this much mischief."

He had made sounds of surprise at some of the explanations should given for the note she held in her hand. He'd been struck speechless by the idea of a stag night. That was something Romulan culture did not have a corollary for, and he was aghast at the idea. "The only woman I have any desire to see striptease is you. Is this a cultural necessity that comes with being wed?"

Mary Elizabeth giggled hysterically and kissed him, slowly and lovingly. "I don't want you seeing any other woman do a striptease, either, or I'd have to scratch her eyes out," she purred.

"Also do they not realize that taking me to the pub for a pint I believe it's called, is much the same as them drinking simply water? I'm not getting intoxicated, for Romulan physiology does not allow that with alcohol." He chose his words very carefully, for she knew the intoxicant value of chocolate for him, her brothers did not and he was not going to yield that information to her mischievous siblings. His arms closed around her, pulled her adeptly into his lap, and he rested his chin upon her shoulder.

"Ahem." Mary Elizabeth gave Maiek a mischievous look. "My brothers are inventive and help run a pub. I suspect they know how to acquire Romulan ale. Just saying."

"Do you wish for me to...encourage this?"

"Not to the point that it harms you," Mary Elizabeth said. "Don't let them get you falling-down drunk. I suppose I would say...humour them, up to a point. And if you're late or drunk at the wedding, I'll know who's really to blame, and I will have words with them--harsh words--but I don't think it will come to that. I think the intent is just harmless fun with their soon-to-be brother-in-law."

"I am not certain i could achieve falling down drunk, though I am not certain enough to speak thusly into the universe." Maiek spoke slowly, and smirked at her. It might be fun, to see the boys try to get him to a state of drunkenness.

"Let's not speak it, then," Mary Elizabeth said. A thoughtful look came over her face. "I wonder how you would do with chocolate liqueur...."

"I am open to experimentation, should you wish to document the process." the impish look he gave her was 3 parts delighted, 2 parts challenge and entirely hers to deal with.

 

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