[Round 9] Arrivals

[Guest]

((OOC: This is really long, but there's a good bit of humor if you can

get into it. - Jenn & Dave))

((Earth – Wilde Estate))

::The two officers stepped off the shuttle hand-in-hand. Idril smiled

to herself. It was so rare that she got to walk with Danny like this;

it was a treat to be able to show their relationship publicly. As his

commanding officer, there was a certain amount of distance that had to

be kept when on-duty. Now, though, on leave, she was free to do as she

liked. Walking across the lawn was Joanna Wilde. Letting go of Danny's

hand, she gave the older woman a big hug.::

Mar: Joanna, it's been too long. I'm sorry we missed you at the

celebration on the Ursa Major.

Joanna: It's quite alright dear. I was entertained nonetheless.

Perhaps I should have called ahead.

Mar: Things like that happen. I didn't get told you were aboard until

after you had left.

Joanna: Not to worry. I'm sure there'll be other occasions like it.

Mar: In any case, you offered to help me shop for the wedding. Mind if

I take you up on that?

Joanna: Mind? It'll be wonderful. In fact, I have some of the latest

previews in the kitchen. We'll browse through them over a quick snack.

Niles will get your bags.

::As the two women moved into the house, Niles the holographic butler

merely nodded curtly and approached Danny for the bags.::

Niles: It's good to see you again, sir. And Miss Idril too. Although

it seems Madame has got her to herself for the entire trip.

Danny: Yes, it seems that way, Do me a favour and keep an eye on them?

Niles: Of course, sir. You'll be wanting your usual rooms?

Danny: Naturally. Any idea where the old man is?

Niles: Your father has decided to teach Miss Amber the noble art of

fly casting.

Danny: Fishing? But Amber hasn't got a clue about fishing. In fact, he

and I always used to go every summer...

Niles: Forgive me for saying so, sir, but I think Mr. Wilde is missing

you.

Danny: The old fool. Where are they?

Niles: Down by the lake. Should I prepare the car?

Danny: No, not to worry. I fancy the walk. Tell the others where I am,

in case they want me tracked down with the bloodhounds. ..

::With a friendly pat on the arm Danny was off down the driveway

toward the lake on the eastern side of the estate.::

((In the Kitchen))

::The large kitchen at Wilde Manor was bustling. Yvette, the

holographic housekeeper was busy directing a number of helpers -

mostly human prepare a lavish dinner. Pots were boiling on the stove

and a number of maids were washing and preparing dishes for the feast.

Joanna led Idril through the busy kitchen to a large wooden table

where a variety of wedding magazines and brochures were. She sat in

one of the chairs and offered her a magazine in an excited fashion.::

Joanna: I've already been doing some looking round...what do you think?

::The Trill woman was a little overwhelmed as she looked at the spread

of the magazines.::

Mar: Umm…. Wow.

Joanna: I know, they're just fabulous. I'll arranged a meeting with

one of my favourite stylists to go over a preview of the dress, and I

can have a florist here the day after tomorrow to do flowers.

Mar: I have a few ideas of what I want, Joann. I'll need to try it on,

too…

Joanna: That can be taken care of. I'll instruct Niles to pack us a

lunch and we'll be in the city before you know it. Do be prepared to

step out into the lavish world that is 24th century London...

Mar: Maybe we should wait on that until tomorrow. The trip here was a

bit rough and I need some time to recover.

Joanna: Why of course. Have you set a proper date yet?

Mar: Danny and I haven't discussed it yet.

Joanna: Do it yourself. I've told you once, and I'll tell you again.

Do it yourself 'coz they won't. The Wilde men are useless at things

like this. Did you know Sidney and I were engaged for nearly two years

with no date set until one day I just went ahead and did it all;

flowers, clothes, food, hired the chapel, minister everything. Had to

make up one awesome story to get him out of the house in his suit, but

it was worth it.

Mar: I'd rather not leave him out of the loop. This is his wedding

too, remember.

Joanna: Well keep it in mind...

::As the two women chatted more over the brochures, Yvette approached

with a bottle of wine from the cellar.::

Yvette: M'excuser, la Madame, but I 'ave the wine you wanted.

::She held out the wine bottle on a silver tray with a small drop of

the grape in a glass. Joanna picked up the glass and inhaled the

fruity aroma before taking a tiny sip.::

Joanna: Wonderful. Thank you Yvette, we'll have three bottles. When is

dinner going to be ready?

Yvette: Ze cook tells me it will be ready for 8 o'clock. Shall I 'ave

Niles go fetch Monsieur Wilde and Manquer l'Ambre from ze lake?

Joanna: No thanks, Yvette, they'll be in when they're ready.

Yvette: Comme vous souhaitez, la Madame.

::With a brief nod, the Holographic housemaid retreats to usher the

helpers with the rest of the cooking. The Trill thought for a moment.::

Mar: She's new isn't she?

Joanna: No, you've met Yvette before. Although that was a few years

ago. Roughly two years ago she decided she wanted to be younger and

brunette, so she adjusted her holomatrix. Lucky devil, wouldn't we all

want to do that one day?

::The redhead nodded.::

Mar: I can imagine the attration of being able to do that, yes.

Joanna: I do hope you enjoy the feast. I've had Niles and Yvette

research some dishes from Trill for you.

::She chuckled. Idril blinked as she looked at the menu; it read like

a list of her mother's cooking from her childhood.::

Mar: I get the feeling I should be checking my ship for data leaks in

my personal database. Did Danny help you find these?

Joanna: Kind of. The hardest part was choosing the wine. We also have

more family staying with us. I'll give you the introductions later.

Far too many names to remember now!

::She just shook her head and went back to the magazines. There were

more people in Danny's family than had been in her family for

generations back.::

::Suddenly, the back door to the kitchen burst open and three dripping

wet bodies entered - cold, shaking and covered in mud. Sidney clomped

through the kitchen sullenly until he spotted the boiling pans on the

stove and he tried to sneak a quick spoonful, but not before Yvette

caught him and smacked his hand away. Like a schoolchild, he sulked

away to the table. A wet and muddied Amber and Danny soon followed.::

Joanna: What in the...?

Sidney: Don't ask! One - your daughter hasn't got the knack for fishing.

Amber: I did try to warn you...

Sidney: And two - your son can't steer a boat.

Danny: Neither can you! If you hadn't have tried grabbing the controls

it wouldn't have happened.

::Idril had to try hard not to laugh. Her hand covered her mouth to

keep it all inside, but her eyes sparkled with the laughter nonetheless. ::

Joanna: All of you upstairs to change! I'm not having you muddying up

my parlour and smelling of dank old lake water!

::As the elder Wilde and his heirs moved out of the kitchen into the

hall, the hard scowl on Mrs. Wilde softened.::

Joanna: Men, you can't live with them...and you can't shoot them either!

::The younger woman smiled and shook her head.::

Mar: I seem to remember trying that once… Danny dodges too well, though.

Joann: Takes after his father then. Why did you try and shoot him, dear?

Mar: Long story, but definitely one you'll have to hear sometime. So,

what do you think about…

::The two women continued on into the early evening, when they finally

got called for dinner.::

Niles: If you would follow me…

::The Holographic Butler escorted the two women to the dining room

where most of the other guests had already arrived.::

((Wilde Estate – Dining Room))

::As they were escorted into the dining room, everyone greeted each

other and sat as the first course of the meal was served. Joanna

insisted Idril sit next to her. As the others all chatted amongst

themselves, Joanna discreetly pointed out the other members of the

family.::

Joanna: ::quietly:: The woman sat over there is Aunt Lavinia – the

widow. Next to her is Uncle Thaddeus, who is married to Aunt Octavia,

Lavinia's sister. The two twins are Roxy and Regen Wilde, just

graduated from the Academy and are the children of Thaddeus and

Octavia. This side of the table is Uncle Bernard. His wife is the

K'tarian, she's off teaching a seminar on her homeworld. Next to him

is Eugene and his wife Harriet. The only two who are missing are

Francis and Penelope…it's their wedding anniversary. Go figure?

::After about the fifth name, the Ronin's CO had already lost track of

who was who, but nodded, smiled, and tried to look like she was

remembering the names.::

Mar: I don't think I would've noticed if you hadn't mentioned them,

Joanna. This is a good-sized bunch as it is.

::Danny's father stood at the end of the table.::

Sidney: Glad everyone could make it. As you know, my son is home on

shore leave and he's brought his lovely fiancée back with him. So

when's the big day?

::Idril sat and arraigned the napkin gently in her lap.::

Mar: We haven't decided yet.

Danny: We find it hard to set aside definite times to be off duty. The

ship and Starfleet must always come first…

Joanna: I'm sure the galaxy is safe for a few weeks while you two get

married and have a honeymoon.

Mar: That's up to Command, of course. With the Ronin in for repairs,

though, I don't see a big problem with it.

Amber: We're all looking forward to going shopping. I have the best

idea for a bridesmaid dress. Has mother shown you?

::This didn't sound good to Idril, knowing how much Joanna was trying

to run the show. By all the gods, this is my wedding, the Trill

thought, I've had a plan for it since I was a little girl and I'll be

[...]ed if I let you all run me off it. She smiled as best as she could.::

Mar: No, she hasn't, but I'd be happy to see it.

Amber: Don't worry, it won't upstage yours.

::She hid her own acidic response in a bite of her salad. She let the

Wilde women natter on as she smiled and nodded occasionally. Why was

she feeling like this? As the women chatted, Sidney turned to Danny.::

Sidney: So Danny. Given any thought for your Stag Night?

Danny: Well no, actually. Since there's no clear date set I didn't see

the point. We'll probably take a shuttle from the ship somewhere

interesting, just a few of the guys.

Sidney: Nonsense! We'll have to get you sent off in style. Now, I've

been speaking to a client of mine and he's promised two days on Risa,

the works!

::Sydney's voice brought her attention around to them.::

Mar: Danny, don't say no. Go have your fun. We all know what happens

on Risa stays on Risa.

::She winked at him and squeezed his thigh in that `if you get Orion

dancing girls, I'll kill you' kind of way.::

Danny: Well, tell him thank you, but I have no plans as of yet.

::As the evening moved on, the whole table talked of weddings,

ceremonies and various traditions that were apparently mandatory for a

Wilde affair. Danny sighed and ate in silence for most of it, knowing

that whatever he suggested would be rebuffed. For her part, Idril was

getting more and more uneasy.::