Honored (Book 2 of the In Search of Honor series)
Epilogue: The Brightest Flame (Part 4)

Cat slowly worked her way up latching the buttons on the back of the cream dress that fit tightly til just below her hips and then flared out in layers of tulle fluff. It was an old dress Cat apparently pulled out of a closet where the old wedding dresses of the Wall were stored.

“The beads that look like butterfly wings on the back fit you so well!” Cat exclaimed and then giggled to herself as she finished hooking the back up, the last button just below the bun most of her hair was tied back in.

“Why do you think it fits me? Is this not just the dress that was both in decent shape and the best fit?” Elizabeth asked while staring at the mirror in front of her that had the mirror at her back reflected on it. She gently touched one of the small ringlets of hair that framed either side of her face. The room they were in was fairly plain with mirrors on all the walls, a body form the dress had been on, a small table with makeup and jewelry, and a couch to rest on.

“You lack romanticism! Even if it was just what was best shaped to your body, it also matches your situation and life.” Cat tugged on the dress getting it to fit just right on her, and then took a step back to stare at Elizabeth.

Elizabeth thought she looked like a doll dressed up in this snug dress that accentuated what little shape her body held. The dress was quite pretty with an imprint of roses at the bottom, and beaded vines and roses on the bodice. And of course Cat’s favorite part, the beaded butterfly wings on the back. Her skin was clean and clear, a change made during the cyborg surgery, but Cat had added blue above her eyes while muttering things about an old rhyme. She’d also added fake lashes and insisted on a dark red lipstick. Truly a Most Honored child’s doll. Maybe it was fitting since she was a plaything of the elders now.

“I think you look stunning!” Cat burst out as she circled around her like a predator eyeing its next meal. “You would’ve looked even cooler if you’d let me dye your hair blue or even just a blue wig.”

Elizabeth turned to look at the Wall maintenance woman whose own hair was an ombre moving from purple roots to blue at the bottom. “It is unnecessary for carrying out the mission, and hair dying is not a thing outside the Wall and could be a hindrance to the mission of fitting in outside the Wall.”

“You’re no fun anymore! Even if you’re a cyberperson now, you can still have fun and appreciate silly human rituals and practices,” Cat proclaimed before bouncing to the door to peek out. “They’re almost ready. I need to hurry and get the finishing touches on you.” She grabbed a necklace off the small table and hurried back carrying a myriad of shiny and sparkly objects.

Cat started by putting a simple necklace set with shiny stones and a small simple drop hanging in the middle of her chest. Then she placed a band of shiny stones around her forehead and tied it back behind the bun. A tulle veil seemed to come out of nowhere, and Cat firmly lodged the comb in just above her bun. The veil hung to just below Elizabeth’s hips, and had a vine of flowers along the edge. Cat smiled fondly as she touched the veil. “This is the same veil I used for my wedding.”

Elizabeth stared at Cat, opened her mouth as if to ask a question, and then blinked and closed her mouth. “My system tells me you are married to Von.”

Cat smiled brightly and ran a finger through her hair, “Yes!” Her voice went even higher in pitch with her excitement, “Von is so wonderful and always keeps me on task. Life is better when you have someone to share everything with.” She giggled a little as she ran her fingers over a small ring on her left hand, “Von made living stuck inside the dome a little more fun.”

“The point of marriage does seem to be a guaranteed partnership that does not change and is there to support you through life,” Elizabeth stated.

Cat smiled and nodded as she went to peek out the door again. “Oh, they’re ready!”

She opened the door into one of the gray halls of the Wall. Another pale Wall woman was waiting outside the door and she was pointing toward just slightly down the hall. The doors were open and a marching tune was playing from the room.

Elizabeth walked down the hall and into the room gathering all eyes to her stately and measured entrance.

Her eyes were locked on Dan in a simple black suit with his brown hair tamed and slicked back. They both smiled, the epitome of a couple obsessed with each other. Their gazes did not ever waiver to look around and acknowledge the small audience sitting in the pews around them. The few people there were Elizabeth’s friends and family from the City, a couple Wall people including Lok and Cat, who was sneaking in to sit next to a pale short blue haired Von, and a smattering of other City people who were in the last exile group. In total there were only around 20 guests.

The ceremony was fairly short with a default vows written to match the couple programming, a quick exchange of simple metal rings, and finished with a kiss for the audience. The happy smiling couple walked out and the guest followed behind to another nearby room that was set with tables and food.

Elizabeth and Dan navigated through the guests with arms locked together and smiles for everyone around. An excited and happy state for the benefit of those around. They easily fed each other cake and danced their first dance in perfect sync as if they were highly practiced. At the end of the day, everyone went back to their rooms perfectly pleased with the events.

Back in their own room, Dan helped Elizabeth unbutton the fancy white gown. “Now that I have participated in this thing called a wedding, I am convinced it is an excuse for parties in the strict and formal civilization.”

Elizabeth didn’t say anything for a moment as she contemplated his words. “I agree with you partially, but it is also a way for the humans of this culture to guarantee themselves at least one person as a support network. Humans are so cut off from each other.”

“We will soon be cut off from everything except what we have downloaded to our internal database,” Dan said as he held her hand while she stepped out of the wedding dress.

“Yes, but we will still have access to a large bank of information, and we will have each other. But we would have had each other even without the ceremony and human rituals.” She pulled the ribbons holding her hair in place out as she said this while Dan carefully undid the necklace.

“Which goes back to my saying this an excuse for humans to party,” He responded and handed her the necklace which she put on the dresser in front of her.

“Yes, and no. Humans don’t have code binding them to each other. Humans aren’t guaranteed to anything, so the vow said makes them feel safer in their connection,” she turned to face him. “We have more than any human can have without this ritual.”

He stared down into her eyes, his own calculations adjusting for what she said. “I understand now. The partnerships in the village did not always provide stability as people sometimes changed who their partner was. At the same time, that flexibility meant that people could easily change as they grow, but I could see where the desire to have someone who wouldn’t leave you would come from.” He reached forward and took her hand. “I am glad that we are here for each other.”

“Yes, we are partners for life even without such human rituals.” Elizabeth responded as she let her human reaction module guide her to close to Dan and reach up to put her hand against the back of his head.

He followed suit and leaned in; his lips gently brushed hers before he pulled back. “We don’t need our human reaction programming on at all anymore. We should turn it off completely.”

“You are the one who suggested leaving it on at low levels all the time to learn working within a balance of reacting the way people expect,” she whispered.

He reached up and gently touched the side of her face, “I don’t hate being a little human sometimes.”

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