Page 86 of Right Next Door
“What about a marriage?”
Misty’s hotly snapped question made all three of them look at her. Boktare and Fia looked confused, but that wasn’t a surprise. They hadn’t studied human culture like Tsok had.
“We’ve already discussed contracts,” he assured his mate sadly. “Merely agreeing in a legal capacity isn’t enough for the senior.”
“I don’t see why not,” she snapped, crossing her arms. “Agreeing to things in a legal capacity is how literally everything else is done, so I don’t see why now, suddenly, it’s not good enough for you.”
Boktare opened his mouth to reply, but she cut him off
“However, I wasn’t talking about the strictly legal side of marriage. I meant the whole thing.”
Tsok cocked his head curiously. “There’s more than the marriage certificate? Do you intend to change your name to mine, Misty? Because I do not have a second name the way humans do. Our people have designation numbers, and that’s not really something I can share with you.”
To his surprise, her stern demeanor broke and she began snickering. “You’re so cute.”
Unprepared for that statement, he found he didn't have a reply ready. Boktare, however, took advantage of his brief confusion to cut in-
“Excuse me, butwhatis a marriage?”
“It’s how humans bond,” Misty fixed him with a glare, her mirth vanishing as quickly as it came on. “My people don’t really mate the way everyone else does. We can’t even recognize our mates as easily as the rest of the universe. Back in the times before we had things like bureaucracy and DNA testing, the only way we had of binding a couple was through marriage. Marriage made sure that everyone knew a couple was together, that the children from that couple belonged to the man, and that the woman would be taken care of by her man.”
Boktare frowned. “I’m afraid I don’t see the relevance.”
“You wanted a way to make sureeveryoneknew about a couple’s decision to be together. Well, what better way than to make it a huge party? A big celebration. Vows and ceremony and the whole kit and caboodle.”
“The what?”
“Weddings require planning. They require forethought.” She made a face. “I mean, proper ones do. I don’t think you guys need to worry about Vegas weddings out here.”
“Whatweddings?” Boktare was only looking more and more confused. Tsok wanted to laugh, but he felt it would be rather hypocritical considering he had no idea what she was talking about either.
“Make it aThing!” She emphasized. “Make it something hard to do. Make it so that the parents are involved, and their consent is- well, maybe notnecessarybut encouraged. Or if people aren’t close to their parents, make it friends or some other family. Marriages back home need witnesses to be legal. Demand witnesses so that everyone can see that no one was coerced. Make it a whole tradition to do like a nasal filter removal so that there’s a specific time and place for it. So that the couple chooses when the rut happens. It can be their honeymoon! Their filter-moon, I guess. A wedding so that everyone they love can be witness and know that they both made this choice, then a reception to party and hype the couple up, then they can go off to their designated rutting area, take off their filters, and fuck like bunnies until they’re both happy.”
Tsok understood before Boktare did about halfway through her quickly spoken suggestion. Because he had been studying human culture and he, at least partially, knew what she was talking about. He had just never made the connection between the marriage certificate that marked someone as officially mated in the eyes of human law, and the wedding she described. Hejust thought the party was to celebrate the signing – a formality, rather than a necessity.
But the way Misty was presenting it now, it was like itwasa necessity. Make it so that, before a couple could go through their rut, they had to prove themselves as willing to be together. Willing tonotgo through a rut together. Basically, reversing the order of how things used to be done between his people, back when mating was a natural part of their lives.
Like he was doing now.
“Humans used to have this no sex before marriage rule,” Misty continued, looking at Boktare seriously, as though willing him to understand. “Some people still do it now. Your people already have this sense of pride in their abstinence culture. Build on that! Put the idea in their heads that saving your mating for marriage is important because… because…”
“Because marriage is the only true consent,” Tsok took over, building on her idea. Looking Boktare dead in his eye as he continued. “Even humans, as sexual as they are, are capable of saving themselves for marriage. Surely, our people can do the same.”
Boktare’s face creased with displeasure. “Of course, we can. That is hardly in question.”
“Then, it is a neat solution, isn’t it? You have witnesses who know both parties who can make sure that they are there willingly. You can have them make these vows to each other. The planning of such a big party alone would be enough to prevent the majority of fools who would try to rush such a decision in a day.”
Boktare was scowling, but Tsok recognized that expression, and an eager sort of burning had lit up in his gut at the sight of it. That was Boktare’s thinking face. It was how he lookedwhen he was adding new information to his current beliefs and measuring them against each other.
He was listening.
He wasconsidering.
“I’ll send you information on human weddings and marriage,” Tsok said, grasping for the chance. “There is a lot there to sift through, as there are many wedding cultures and traditions that change greatly depending on where the human is from. But the core remains the same – it binds the couple together in a way that no one can deny. In a way that human cultures consider sacred, in their own ways. Even when they agree on nothing else, a bond between a male and bride is important.”
“I will look forward to getting the data,” Boktare said slowly, and though his voice was hard, Tsok knew that to be a good thing. It meant he was taking them seriously.
With that, the senior and his mate bid them both a goodnight and walked back into the party room. Tsok watched them go with a triumphant smirk before focusing back on his mate’s face.
