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"Look, you said you wanted to incorporate Kryptonian rituals into the wedding, and I'm just giving you some ideas!" Kara Zor-El's arms were crossed and she was glaring at a scowling Bruce Wayne in the library of Wayne Manor. In the corner, Clark Kent had his head buried in color swatches and appeared to be ignoring both of them.
"Kara, I am not cutting my way out of a huge cake with Kal." The girl opened her mouth and he cut her off with a waving finger. "On Earth, the only things that come jumping out of cakes are strippers, and I would like to get through this with a shred of my dignity intact."
"The strippers are for the bachelor party," the dark head in the corner murmured; Kara and Bruce both pretended to ignore the interruption.
"Well, if you won't have the cake ceremony, you have to include the shryl and oolo, at least."
Bruce frowned. "And what are they?"
Kara brightened at his apparent interest and clapped her hands together. "Oh, they're mandatory for weddings between two men on Krypton. The shryl is the staff carried by the man from the higher-ranking house--that would have to be my cousin," she noted apologetically. "It's made of ivory and carved all over. And the oolo are the three rosewood rings carried by the other man. The climax of the ceremony is always when the second groom slides his oolo one at a time over his new mate's shryl." She made motions with her hands to mimic someone sliding a staff through rings. "It symbolizes their two lives becoming one--what are you laughing at?" she demanded, noticing Bruce's shoulders twitching.
"Are you sure that's what it symbolizes, Kara? It sounds...more on the crude side, as symbolism goes."
Kara opened her mouth, then closed it. A blush spread across her face. "You Earthlings wouldn't get it, I suppose," she muttered peevishly. "It's very spiritual when done properly," she declared, lifting her chin.
She stalked over to where Kal was still shuffling cloth swatches more-or-less randomly and grabbed one out of the pile. "Aquamarine. Your robe should be aquamarine, cousin," she said, then beat a hasty retreat from the library as Bruce continued to stifle laughter.
After she left, Bruce collapsed onto the sofa and laughed heartily for a while. He looked up to see Clark leaning over the sofa back, smiling. "Shall I show you how very spiritual the ritual is?"
"Only when done properly, Kal."
A wicked smile. "I always do it properly."
