Moonstone: Scene 5

Bb Major Fuoridise

I'm on my third attempt at dressing myself. Clothing for Flowers is not the kind of stuff you just throw on and go.
Chirp! Chirp!
"Are you dressed yet? You have to go take a test in the medic area."
"What kind of test?" Ok, so I have on the pants that go under this freaking dress, and I have the dress on. I figured that part out. What's left...? Someone tell me this is a joke. I have to wear gloves and a hat?
"Do you need help?"
"No, I'm almost ready."
"Have you applied any cosmetics?"
Cosmetics?
"Look inside your handbag."
Maybe I should just let her inside so she's not yelling through the doors. I opened the doors.
"Well, that's a nice change, but here, let me help you finish up."
I barely had time to blink before I was fully dressed and my face painted.
"Ok, now let's go to the medic area. Wait! Did you put your Kyr in your handbag?"
I looked up at the DPU where the little sphere was still resting.
"You should never be without your Kyr. Ever."
I unlocked it from the DPU and popped it into my drawsting bag. I followed Itxata through the halls of my own house down to the medic room. I figured out that the house was at least symmetric, so maybe I would finally be able to not get lost anymore. GAH! My entire family was waiting in the medic area. Even my brother Kellan was here! He had been gone away at an academy in the capitol of the Air Province for such a long time! The medic showed me to the examination area, and my uncle followed.
"Now we're just waiting for Dristenven and the Arkh's Flower testing unit."

The Arkh's personal assistants were coming here? And Darx? Why would my uncle's assistant be coming as well? What did the white tag mean? I knew that it would not be acceptable for me to ask a bunch of questions. My uncle left the examination area, somewhat dazed. Itxata came in with a smile on her face. I started to ask her a question, but she shook her head. Instead, she came over to me and took my hand. She started tapping her fingers in my palm. I recognized that signal! She was using the same hand codes that Drendyn taught me when I was little! I coded back to her that I understood.
"What's this test for?" I signed in her hand.
"You know the story of the Weeds, right?"
"How there was a bunch of females that bred extremely undesirable traits, and were exterminated?"
"Yes, that's the story, granted, that's the male version, but close enough. Because of that time, there is an internal genetic classification of all flowers, so that weeds can be terminated before germination. That's what that tag means."
"YOU MEAN I'M A WEED???"
"NO! Weeds tag as a black class band. There is another half of the weed story, there was a group of Flowers with perfect genes, you see, and that is what all Flowers strive to breed, and the tagging shows your potential owner what percentage of perfect genes you contain. Orange is the bottom, where less than half of your genes are from the perfect line, and yellow is over half. The lighter the yellow, the more perfect genes you have. The one exception is that Flowers with 100 perfect perfect genes are tagged as White. No you can imagine all the havoc that caused when some Flowers put on fake tags..."
She was signing so fast I could hardly keep up with her. Apparently, she could sign faster than she could vocally talk!
"So I think I get it, in order to be certain the White tags are accurate, you have to be tested by an official process?"
"Yes. Which is what's going to happen to you. If they find that the White tag was correct, you'll be marked with a shiny gold tag that only they can give out to certify their results."
I wanted to ask her more, but my uncle returned into the examination area with Darx and two males that were obviously from the Arkh's service. The two males were carrying locked boxes and they each had weapons.
The unlocked the boxes and set up their equipment. It looked like high end analyzing and tracking equipment to me, and I was highly curious as to how it was made, and what it did.
"Ok Flower, if you would state your Species Designation for us." The taller of the two males looked directly at me with piercing coral-colored eyes.
Species Designation? I looked at my uncle as if to get permission, so that I could see what Itxata was doing out of the corner of my eye. Her bag? She was holding her bag with both hands? My uncle nodded to me and I turned back to the male that had asked me the question. OH! The Kyr! My flower! OK.
"Peacock Water Lotus."
My statement everyone in the room to stop what they were doing and stare at me. Oh hellfire! Did I just say the wrong thing?
"May I have your Kyr, please?" The second, shorter male with sandy colored eyes asked me.
I took the little sphere out of my handbag and handed it to him. Immediately it started making that tinkling sound. He placed it into one of the round pieces of equipment he had set up next to him and began touching something that looked like a control panel. What I wouldn't give to be able to study that equipment! He nodded to Coral-eyes.
"Very well, mark Species Designation as Peacock Water Lotus."
I remembered what Itxata had said about only one water lotus, so maybe they didn't believe me when I told them?
"What is your name, Flower?"
"Leliah but Lyte is my common name."
"And you are her father?"
"Yes, I am Khyte, of the family Khial." My uncle was looking quite pleased with himself.
"Very well." Sandy-eyes set up more of his high end equipment around me and nodded to Coral-eyes.
"Now Lyte, we will be sampling many areas of your skin, hair, and blood. You will feel a small pinch whenever we take a sample. Please try to remain still." Coral-eyes nodded to Sandy-eyes.
SMALL PINCH? Who were they kidding? I was poked, prodded, stabbed, injected, until I swear there wasn't an untouched spot on my head, hands, arms, ankles, and feet! It hurt! I hurt! Then after all of that painful torture, I had to sit and wait while I was analyzed. I could tell when they both had reached a conclusion, because they had the same looks on their faces.
"You see, the common tagging process isn't sensitive enough to detect the difference between a 99.1 and a 100 percent perfect genetic makeup. Anything over 99.0 with a common tag results in the White band, which isn't officially correct." Coral-eyes removed my white band. So now I would get what color? Light yellow? Is that the one she said was better or was it orange?
"After triple checking our results, and testing from many different sources, we have concluded that Flower Water Lotus does indeed have 100 percent perfect genes." Sandy-eyes and Coral-eyes both placed their hands upon the black box behind their equipment. Coral-eyes took out a shiny gold strip of metal and held it out next to me. It slithered out of his hands and wrapped around my wrist.
"Now, if anyone tries to remove this tag from you, it will go black and fall off. If that happens to you, contact us immediately." Sandy-eyes stared at me intently. I suddenly felt very young.
"Khyte, you will also need to come with us back to the Arkh's palace, you will need to be present for a class change for the Khial family.
I watched them pack up all of their marvelous equipment, and again longed to be studying.
"Dristenven, I will need you to preside over the family affairs while I am away." My uncle could barely contain his exuberance of joy. My uncle gleefully followed the two men out of the examination area.
"Ow."
"Well, this has been an exciting Ultralight. I believe we must now all prepare for the remembrance ceremony." Darx had an expression on his face which I couldn't read, then again, I hadn't seen him since I left for the academy. I had so many questions.
"Darx..?" Oh hellfire! Only the male me would have known that name!
"Would you mind preparing Flower Water Lotus' things for the remembrance ceremony today?" Itxata rapidly looked back and forth between me and Darx.
"Of course sir. I should be happy to." Itxata gave me one more quick glance before she left the room.
"I don't remember telling you that name. In fact, I don't remember Khyte ever having a daughter before." Darx stepped closer towards me.
PANIC! What do I do? How do I act? What's the right thing to say right now? GAH!
"Oh Lyte, I have some questions regarding-oh Dristenven! You're still in here? I thought you would be taking care of the ceremony preparations."
DRENDYN!
"Oh of course, you are so right. We shall have to plan a new celebration for our Flower after the ceremony, as well. I must have lost track of time in all the excitement!"
"Oh yes, and I promised Lyte I would help her prepare, after all, she did just lose her *twin brother*."
"Oh of course, you must be heartsick little Flower. Please go prepare for the ceremony. I'm sure we'll have a chance to speak again soon."
"Oh couldn't it wait Dristenven? She has gone through so much lately and I'd hate to see her wilt."
"Of course Drendyn." Darx forced a smile.
As we left the medic area, I caught a signal from Drendyn.
"WATCH YOUR SPEECH AT ALL TIMES!"
Point taken.
Gah. I was still so sore from all of that poking! Now I had to clean up to go to my own funeral. There was just something wrong about that. Very, very wrong.