Hliuh

Posted on Wed 26th Feb, 2020 @ 10:03pm by Mary Elizabeth Gregory & Maiek s'Ethien
Edited on on Sat 7th Mar, 2020 @ 1:57am

1,272 words; about a 6 minute read

Mission: Resolution
Location: Romulan Park, Promenade decks
Timeline: Late August, 2393

Once they'd fled the Noose- Maiek laughed softly and squeezed her hand in his. He led her towards one of the smaller gardens, that ended in a labarynth with a shrine to the elements at the center. He'd wanted to take her here since they'd spoken initially after she'd expressed interest in his culture. "I don't suppose that you'd be interested in a...I believe they called it a pick knack?" He wasn't certain if that was the word he'd heard or not, but he'd been assured that ladies liked that, and it involved food being taken into an outdoor area to be consumed, instead of in a restaurant or one's home.

"I don't know. What is that?" Mary Elizabeth asked. She took note of the small, park-like area they were in.

"The humans I work closely with speak of such a thing...where one takes a basket of food and drink into a place one would not usually eat, and proceed to eat there. " He offered the Romulan equivalent of a shrug. "They insisted that any woman would enjoy such a thing, and the only female present did agree with that assessment."

"Oh, a picnic! I should have realized that was what you meant, considering we're in a park. Picnics are fun, so yes, let's do that." Mary Elizabeth gazed around them. "This is a beautiful garden. It always amazes me that they put trees and things in starbases. I could understand shrubs, maybe, or smaller plants all over, but finding trees when I got here surprised me. Do you come here often?"

"Fairly regularly," Maiek answered with a mischievous look in his eyes, for he knew what lay at the center and she did not. " Once I discovered its hliuh."

"Now you've got me curious," Mary Elizabeth said with a grin, "and my mother would be the first one to tell you that that's a dangerous thing. What's a hiluh?"

"Hliuh," he corrected her pronunciation slightly, his smile soft as he gazed at her "It means." he paused a moment trying to translate "surprise."

"Hliuh. Well, then," Mary Elizabeth said, her eyes sparkling with merriment. "In that case, I'm willing to wait for the surprise in its own good time. No need to rush it."

"It will reveal itself shortly." his hand rested atop hers, which was still tucked into the crook of his elbow. A tiny clearing at the center of the labyrinth opened before their eyes as they turned the final corner. The shrine to the elements was one part modern art and three parts traditional shrine. The tiles on the ground made a gentle spiral that corresponded to the turning of each element of the Romulan calendar year into the next. Four pedestals, which reached the height of one's knees, held sculptural representations of the elements themselves on their surfaces. Romulan script was carved into each pedestal. Each one held an orb of glass with the element in question encased within. "Hliuh, the shrine of the elements. Avilh, The element of Earth. Ihhuein, The element of Water. Jaeih, The element of air and Okhala, the element of Fire."

"This is beautiful!" Mary Elizabeth said in a soft voice as she let go of Maiek's hand so she could make a circuit of the small shrine. Once she had circled it she slipped her arm back into his. "Would you tell me about them? What are their meanings to Romulans?"

"The elements regulate our calendar, in ancient times the element corresponded to the time of year, and the god or goddess that ruled over that time of year. There are two gods, and two goddesses and any of a number of lesser ones that are worshipped in the home and in the lands themselves. Most families have a shrine of some sort to their own lesser deities." His fingertips stroked her hand "I was born in the height of summer on the longest day, which is considered the cusp of the fire elements domain. It is associated with the Southern wind, and a God for fire is considered to be a masculine entity. It is also considered to be an element of balance, as fire can harm as well as it can heal." He walked to the ball of fire, that put out a pleasant warmth and placed an offering at the base of the orb. "Offerings that can be consumed by the fire completely are considered appropriate, as they are considered to go directly to the God's table. "

"Ah! I was born toward the end of winter, heading into spring. March 3, by Earth's Gregorian calendar." Mary Elizabeth said. She tried not to pay attention to how lovely Maiek's hand felt against hers and failed. She entwined her fingers with his to deepen the contact. He had such exquisite, long fingers. "Do the Elements as a religion date just from the settlement of Romulus, or do they date all the way back to Vulcan?"

"I actually do not know how the Gregorian Calendar translates into the Romulan Elemental Calendar. I will have to look it up and see what element you would be by our calendar. The next time I see you, I will have an answer. " speaking softly so as not to disrupt the connection he felt with her. The entwining of her fingers with his warmed him to his core, and he knew that it wasn't just his own warmth that he was feeling. Maiek was not overly proficient in the mental arts, but he wasn't blocked either. He felt her in his soul. He welcomed her there, and traced the fingers of his free hand over the back of hers. "I have just acquired a book on the subject and I will let you know what I discover. It has been a part of Romulus for the recorded history, but until now I had never been able to compare it to Vulcan mythos."

"Vulcan has a mythos?" Mary Elizabeth asked. "I presumed they were all atheists."

"No indeed not. They would not have Priests and Priestesses and Monks were they atheists. They have a rich mythos, it's just ancient. " he answered after a moment of thought. "Vulcans like logic, but that was not always the way. They were once just as passionate a people as the Romulans were in their prime."

Mary Elizabeth followed Maiek's line of thought. "And thus their need to embrace logic so devotedly, I'm guessing. So the Romulans rejected Surak's teachings as a way of life?"

"I am not actually sure of what happened when. The ancient timelines are not clear, as to when the schism occured and when the rift between our peoples became so absolute that it couldn't be spoken of." His tongue wet his lips as a small sealed container the size of a basket materialized at his feet. That had been very precise, and he credited his aunt for not only the precision but the foodstuffs as well. "I...hoped your curiosity about my culture might cross over to the food. I have ensured none of it will cause you any harm."

Mary Elizabeth blinked as the container appeared mere inches away from them. "What are you, a wizard?" She grinned. "As for food--I run a pub, and I've worked as a sous chef. Trust me, I am always keen to try new and different foods." She smiled at him. "Especially when they appear right in front of me, and I don't have to cook them."




Hliuh: surprise

 

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