Ava's Chronicle - Identification
Avlynka sat on the bench in the bustling office, clutching the card that the woman at the counter had given her, doing her best to keep her feet out of the way of all the people shuffling past. Printed on the card was a number-she had no idea what number-and she quietly held it up every time a clerk would shout out the number of the person that would be seen next, smiling and putting it down when the clerk would shake her head.
She had been waiting for almost an hour, looking around the busy office at all of the signs, none of which she could read, looking at the photos of missing persons on one bulletin board, notices of recent policy changes on another. Avlynka had come to the Tribal Council office in the small city of White Point, and was doing her best to remain calm and patient, despite the long wait.
A year had passed since her Voluval, and her face now carried her intricate naming mark, perfectly framing her Voluval mark, proudly situated between her eyebrows. She had many marks now, but most were covered beneath her pullover of polar fox fur, her wool pants, and her fur-trimmed leather boots on her feet. Even in White Point, one of the most remote settlements on Matar, she looked antiquated, primitive, out of place. Two nearby children, waiting with their mother for some legal form or another, watched her with delighted interest.
Avlynka waved at them a bit, smiling and watching them.
“Hello.” the young boy said nervously.
“Hello.” Avlynka replied, it being one of the very few words in standard Matari she knew; the ancient Sebiestor dialect spoken by her clan was almost impossible for most other Matari to comprehend, and likewise, standard Matari was a mystery to her.
The little boy and his sister squealed in delight when she responded to them and excitedly pointed her out to their mother, giggling all the while. The woman did her best to calm her children, before smiling weakly at Avlynka and saying, “I'm so sorry, they're just excited, is all. You know how kids can be.”
Her confused look discouraged the woman from any further attempt at communication.
Avlynka was, indeed, quite out of place, surrounded by men and women and children in weird looking clothes, touching buttons on small electronic devices in their hands, the children playing with elaborate holographic hand-held games, speaking an odd language... she practically screamed with relief when, finally, a young woman walked over to her and asked, in perfect Peninsula Sebiestor, “Are you Avlynka Star-Fire?”
“Avlynka Surionen, ma'am.” she eagerly replied. “But yes, Star-Fire is my clan!”
The young woman smiled; she had pale blond hair and fair skin, a simple naming mark consisting of delicate blue lines down the sides of her face. The woman was so very different from herself, that Avlynka had a hard time remembering that they were both Sebiestor. “Well, it is nice to meet you, Avlynka.” the woman replied quietly. “My name is Veli Mehata, and I am a caseworker for members of aboriginal clans. Please, come with me.”
Avlynka nodded and happily did as Vehi asked, even though she had no idea what an “aboriginal clan” was. She just hoped that Vehi would be able to help her.
“Please, sit down.” Vehi said, motioning to the chair in front of her desk. “And please, tell me, what is it that we can do for you?”
Avlynka sat down carefully and smiled. “I need to get my Tribal identification card, ma'am.”
Vehi nodded; “Well, I can do that for you easily enough.” She tapped some of the buttons on the keyboard on her desk, and watched the computer's holographic monitor as she asked, “So, you're an adult, now?”
“Yes ma'am.” Avlynka replied politely.
“I hope your Voluval was not too trying?” Vehi asked as she typed, filling in some of the entries on the screen. Gallentean influence was strong in the Minmatar Republic at the time; the Gallente-inspired government model burdened the Matari with endless paperwork, but also encouraged offices and bureaus like the one Avlynka was visiting that very day, ensuring that even the most primitive among the Minmatar would receive the full benefits and assistance of their government.
“How old are you, Avlynka?” Vehi asked.
“Seventeen, ma'am.” she replied.
Vehi nodded; “And your full name is Avlynka Surionen?”
“Avlynka Tarja Surionen, ma'am.” she replied, smiling.
“And Star-Fire clan, Ko'mak sub-tribe, Peninsula nation, correct?” Vehi asked.
Avlynka nodded politely. “Yes. That is correct.”
The session in the office continued, and before long, Avlynka stood, smiling, looking down at the brand new identification card in her hand. While for most Matari, the card had a myriad of uses, for the members of aboriginal clans like the Star-Fire, it would be used to keep track of their accounts in the Tribal bank, to pay any duties or taxes they owed, as well as to simply prove the bearer's identity, though the last feature was unnecessary. The naming mark was, first and foremost, for identification, and it was far harder to fake than a simple plastic card.
“Now, if you have any changes in your family or marital status, you have to let us know, alright?” Vehi said as she walked with Avlynka through the waiting area and toward the door. “Before long, you'll be preparing for marriage, if I am correct?”
“Yes ma'am.” Avlynka replied. “Soon, I suppose.”
“Well, when you marry, you come let us know.” Vehi said with a smile, holding the door open for Avlynka. “There are a few assistance programs to help young families, alright?”
“I will, ma'am.” Avlynka said, waving, as she stepped outside. “Thank you!”
“You're welcome, Avlynka.” Vehi said, waving and then walking away. Avlynka stood outside for a moment, wondering what sort of “assistance programs” a couple in a clan like hers could possibly need, but she quickly decided not to worry about it as she climbed on her father's snow-machine and headed north, back towards her home.
“I'm home.” Avlynka called out as she stepped inside her parent's kenkii, kneeling to untie her boots. Inside the kenkii, the air was warm and fragrant, filled with the scents of the thick, spicy stew cooking on the stove and the cedar her sister was working with, as she carefully bent and glued the thin strips of wood, clamping them in place, thin strips that were to soon become a new pack frame.
“Welcome home!” her mother called from the rear room. “How was your trip?”
“Cold.” Avlynka replied, walking inside, enjoying the warmth on her cold, damp feet. “And the headlight is acting flaky again.”
“Tell your father.” Tarja said as she peeked through the doorway of the back room. “I think he went to the Lehtonen's, he will be home in a while. Sit and get warm.”
Avlynka nodded and plopped onto the floor between the stove and the small table where her younger sister Sukki sat working. She watched her sister for a moment, then said, “Wow, you're good at that.”
Sukki smiled. “Not all of us can be hunters with fancy marks.”
“Hey!” Avlynka said, frowning at the tease.
“It's for you, by the way.” Sukki said quietly, looking over at Avlynka and smiling for a moment, before turning her attention back to her work. “Yours has seem better days.”
Avlynka blinked. “Really?”
“Yes, really.” Sukki replied. “You do need a new pack, and besides, we never did get each other Midwinter presents this year... so yeah, it's yours.”
“Guess I should finish yours...” Avlynka replied, grinning.
“What?” Sukki asked, stunned.
Avlynka hopped up, retrieved the needle case and the dress she had been working on for the past few weeks, and sat down on her blankets. “This.” Avlynka said. “With that caribou I shot, I have enough leather to finish it.” The dress was a relatively simple affair, but made of soft, carefully tanned caribou leather and trimmed with small steel rivets, and would lace up the front. “I'm going to do some embroidery on the sleeves and stuff, too. We'll have to do a test fitting soon... you like it?”
A broad smile spread across Sukki's face. “I love it. I looked at it the other day, and was... I thought you were making that one for yourself, though?”
“I will make the next one for myself. No worries.” Avlynka replied. “Besides, like you said... we didn't get each other anything for Midwinter, did we?”
“Mom put you up to this, didn't she?” Sukki asked, laughing.
“Yep.” Avlynka replied. “You too, right?”
“Hey!” Tarja called, walking into the front room. “I shouldn't have to force you two to do things for each other, you know?”
Sukki glanced at her sister, who was nodding. “I know, Mom.” she said quietly.
Avlynka smiled at Sukki for a moment, and began to work on the dress. “Well, I doubt you'll have to tell us ever again, Mom.”
“Good.” Tarja said, sitting at the table across from Sukki. “You two are good at different things... so do those things for each other. That's how a family, or Clan, or whatever, works.”
“She does make good clothes...” Sukki said, grinning, “...even if she does smell like... whatever the hell that smell is.”
Avlynka just laughed and worked on the dress, and the three women sat, talking and laughing, only turning in for the night when Olno finally returned home from the Lehtonens' and the company of his friends. Their “crafting night” became something of a weekly ritual; Olno would disappear for the evening, and the three would gather around, working on various projects and talking, passing on their ancient traditions from mother, to daughters.