Hannah Mizu's Arrival

[Keb 0]

Ambassador Mizu sat down in the waiting area for the transport’s arrival gate. He slumped a little in his chair, stretching out his long legs. It wasn’t as if there’d be too many people around likely to know him, so he didn’t have any reason to put on his ambassadorial manners. He was looking forward to seeing his wife, but at the same time, he was dreading it.

 

In no language known in the universe, save for in sarcasm, could his interview with Keb and her Cardassian fiancé have been called “successful” or “pleasant”. It was probably the worst fight he’d had with Keb since she had been a teenager. Maybe hormones were the problem once again, but it didn’t make the situation any more tenable. She had always been a stubborn mule with the patience of…well, if he was perfectly honest with himself, she’d inherited her father’s own impatience level quite completely. The obstinacy, too. That’s why it was so important to protect her from her own weaknesses; he knew exactly how dangerous they could be, and how necessary it was to overcome them.

 

Yet, his wife, Hannah, didn’t seem to be of the same opinion at all. When he’d taken leave and gotten on the transport, he had assumed she was on the same wavelength regarding Faldek. They had discussed it at length, and Hannah had definitely been worried. But when he contacted her after seeing Keb, she was all kinds of angry at him for going.

 

“Of all the idiotic, insane things to do! I could have told you it would never have the effect you were looking for. This is Keb we’re talking about. The other kids might listen to you that way, but she won’t. She never has. You always had to bribe her to get her to do anything for you. I doubt you’ve got a bribe better than a man she wants to marry. And really! If you’d told me you were going to Risa, you could have brought me along. Or I could have told you what a stupid idea it was. Honestly, I’m surprised she didn’t slap you for this.”

 

The ambassador kept glancing at the exit, hoping that Hannah wasn’t planning to do exactly that when she disembarked. It had been really difficult to get her to stop ranting at him on the screen, and she hadn’t really calmed down until he agreed that she could come to Risa and join him.

 

The door finally opened, and a handful of vacationers streamed out. He stood only when he finally caught Hannah’s eyes. He gave her a discrete, brief kiss, and then winced. She didn’t slap him. She just took his hand, with the patience that seemed so natural for a teacher. “Roland, you silly man,” she said. “It’s about time you brought me to Risa.”

 

“This isn’t a vacation, Hannah.”

 

“I’ll take what I can get. I want to get something to eat, and then I want to finally meet this Cardassian who managed to win Keb’s heart.”

 

The ambassador smiled a little, holding tightly to his wife’s hand. Sometimes he forgot that she was his better half.