“You're not eating.”
Pan looked up from her meal. Trunks was smiling, sawing off a piece of filet held in place by his fork. She hadn't noticed the dish had arrived.
“I'm sorry. I'm just a little tired.”
“Ah. The trip from the Outer is long,” Trunks lifted the fork to his mouth. “But at least you had company, right? How are Krillin and his bunch?”
“Good. Marron's children are getting bigger by the day.”
Trunks was still smiling, his blue eyes sparkling. No matter where she was or what she was doing, those eyes always overwhelmed her. She returned with her own grin.
“That's wonderful. Maybe that is a sign that we should work on making our own.”
Trunks and Pan had been married in the South Quadrant in what used to be called Satan City. Millions attended, and according to the state press almost every person on Chikyuusei had watched it via commlink. The most highly publicized event in history. The sacred rites alone took up three days. And she had smiled, waving to the crowd alongside her new husband. All part of the program, she told herself. All part of the dance.
“Krillin was telling me about how many uplinks it took to air the ceremony in the Outer.”
Pan lifted her spoon to play on her plate. “Capsule Corp was able to handle it sufficiently, I take it?”
Trunks chuckled. “Surprisingly. We've been working on a couple of new data languages to avoid the bouncing.”
“...'Bouncing'?”
“It's a new phenomena that's giving our satellites and observational drones a little bit of trouble,” He paused to look down at her pushing vegetables around in a circle. “You're really not hungry at all, are you?”
“...I had a little bit to eat earlier.” Pan lied. “Plus, I'm still not used to all of...this.”
She gestured with her arms to the spread of space around them. The cathedral-sized dining hall was bathed in white, blue, black, and purple. Their families' colors intertwined to show their new matrimony. Trunks look around as if he saw nothing, then returned his eyes to her, his smile waned.
“I see. That's because you remember a simpler time.”
“I just don't think it is healthy to pretend to be something we are not.”
“Pan, I know. But you remember what happened after your grandfather left. Don't you?” Trunks lowered his head. “After Baby and the Dragons, humans didn't trust anything or anyone. Not even each other. Technology was too dangerous, magic was too dangerous...people were dying in the street from want of basic medical care. And the moment we would try to help them? They would chase us from the cities. Whatever makeshift government they could form tried to pass laws to control us. They were afraid of us. They would have been glad to have lived in darkness and their own waste forever.”
“But they didn't,” Pan whispered abruptly. “The Arjunsei-jin came and brought the War.”
“...Right. The War.” Trunks held a glass to his lips. “The War that we won.”
Pan didn't reply. She turned to the expanse of the window as Trunks sighed.
“We didn't ask to be deified. It just...happened. And we all agreed that it was the best thing at the time. To just...go along with them.”
Along with the dance, Pan said to herself.
“Well,” Trunks had finished the last bit of his filet and tossed down his napkin. “I have to get some work done eventually.”
He stood up from his seat, and seeing the quick approach of the servobots and attendants, leaned down to give Pan a chaste kiss on her hand. He began to walk away.
“Trunks?”
Trunks did a complete turn on his heel. “Yes, beloved?”
“Do you think my Grandfather is ever coming back?”
Trunks paused. Then he smiled. “Why should he? We don't need him right now, do we?”
And he left his wife alone.
Pan looked up from her meal. Trunks was smiling, sawing off a piece of filet held in place by his fork. She hadn't noticed the dish had arrived.
“I'm sorry. I'm just a little tired.”
“Ah. The trip from the Outer is long,” Trunks lifted the fork to his mouth. “But at least you had company, right? How are Krillin and his bunch?”
“Good. Marron's children are getting bigger by the day.”
Trunks was still smiling, his blue eyes sparkling. No matter where she was or what she was doing, those eyes always overwhelmed her. She returned with her own grin.
“That's wonderful. Maybe that is a sign that we should work on making our own.”
Trunks and Pan had been married in the South Quadrant in what used to be called Satan City. Millions attended, and according to the state press almost every person on Chikyuusei had watched it via commlink. The most highly publicized event in history. The sacred rites alone took up three days. And she had smiled, waving to the crowd alongside her new husband. All part of the program, she told herself. All part of the dance.
“Krillin was telling me about how many uplinks it took to air the ceremony in the Outer.”
Pan lifted her spoon to play on her plate. “Capsule Corp was able to handle it sufficiently, I take it?”
Trunks chuckled. “Surprisingly. We've been working on a couple of new data languages to avoid the bouncing.”
“...'Bouncing'?”
“It's a new phenomena that's giving our satellites and observational drones a little bit of trouble,” He paused to look down at her pushing vegetables around in a circle. “You're really not hungry at all, are you?”
“...I had a little bit to eat earlier.” Pan lied. “Plus, I'm still not used to all of...this.”
She gestured with her arms to the spread of space around them. The cathedral-sized dining hall was bathed in white, blue, black, and purple. Their families' colors intertwined to show their new matrimony. Trunks look around as if he saw nothing, then returned his eyes to her, his smile waned.
“I see. That's because you remember a simpler time.”
“I just don't think it is healthy to pretend to be something we are not.”
“Pan, I know. But you remember what happened after your grandfather left. Don't you?” Trunks lowered his head. “After Baby and the Dragons, humans didn't trust anything or anyone. Not even each other. Technology was too dangerous, magic was too dangerous...people were dying in the street from want of basic medical care. And the moment we would try to help them? They would chase us from the cities. Whatever makeshift government they could form tried to pass laws to control us. They were afraid of us. They would have been glad to have lived in darkness and their own waste forever.”
“But they didn't,” Pan whispered abruptly. “The Arjunsei-jin came and brought the War.”
“...Right. The War.” Trunks held a glass to his lips. “The War that we won.”
Pan didn't reply. She turned to the expanse of the window as Trunks sighed.
“We didn't ask to be deified. It just...happened. And we all agreed that it was the best thing at the time. To just...go along with them.”
Along with the dance, Pan said to herself.
“Well,” Trunks had finished the last bit of his filet and tossed down his napkin. “I have to get some work done eventually.”
He stood up from his seat, and seeing the quick approach of the servobots and attendants, leaned down to give Pan a chaste kiss on her hand. He began to walk away.
“Trunks?”
Trunks did a complete turn on his heel. “Yes, beloved?”
“Do you think my Grandfather is ever coming back?”
Trunks paused. Then he smiled. “Why should he? We don't need him right now, do we?”
And he left his wife alone.
