[Haven] What does love do?

[Tiggy]

Tucked into the corner, curled in a little ball, Tiggy felt a little more at ease. He had managed to distance himself from the busyness that was out there. He could still hear the noise of conversation but it was much more muffled now. He was aware that Winston had stayed nearby, for now at least.

He heard the Delroth associated person speak to him, his voice sounded gentle and reassuring, not at all what Tiggy would expect from someone like Kelpie had described Delroth and his friends to be like. Strange. Maybe the fairy had been inaccurate or mistaken in her understanding of Delroth, or at least her description of them. Tiggy braved a teeny tiny peek out of his safety ball, and was greeted with a gentle smile. He relaxed, just a little.

Everything had gone quiet and then Tiggy heard another gentle voice, it seemed to be welcoming them to the family. Tiggy felt reassured, if a little confused, peeked cautiously out of his ball again and looked at the beautiful gentle face that had lowered to his level. It was the bride, Elisabeth. "Th-th-thank you. You are beautiful. Many positive feelings for your day and future." That was about as much as Tiggy could manage in reply, before retreating back to his protective ball.

In his ball, he heard the awe of the crowd, the unison of their words in reply to the officiator, the pauses. He was also aware of the changing light.

A sudden feeling of calm came over Tiggy, he became aware of a familiar scent all around his little nose, and heard a little tinkle on the floor right beside him - another peek revealed a tiny glass turtle. Where did it come from? How did it get here? Tiggy hadn't heard anyone else approach him. Saoire? He couldn't see any other way for this turtle to be here, by him, at this time of extreme stress and anxiety.

Tiggy cautiously reached a little hand out to pick up the turtle, and, amidst the calm that had settled over and within him, he slowly unfurled from him ball, though remained small and tucked away, eyes darting around the room at everything around him. He squeezed the turtle tight in his hand. "Aaaaah" he breathed a long gentle sigh. He was, thankfully, all alone in his corner, all alone except for the mysterious turtle.

[Oram Mednix]

Birds of assortment is suspicious comportment.

The prodigies, while they did not grow more concerning, continued. Oram didn’t like that; he didn’t trust prodigies. Those images of Cassion, Daia, and the others behind the wedding party: what did they mean? What is going on, Cassion?! the hunter asked silently. I see an image of you speaking, but I don’t hear anything. When did you ever pass up an opportunity to declaim at length? Go on, tell me something!

Looking around, Oram noticed other things, as well: the void in the gift table, for instance. He hadn’t seen what the missing gift was, nor who had left it, but he was certain that the table had been full, and that that void was new. And speaking of voids, he seemed to be in one of his own. Specks of light rained down everywhere in the transformed chapel, yet they seemed to avoid him, specifically. A quick survey showed that, apart from himself, the only other person the falling bits of light avoided was the blond woman he had noticed earlier. What did *that* mean? Any thoughts on that, Old Dust? he wondered.

He noticed, too, a few individuals making a familiar gesture to ward against evil. By itself, that would not have troubled Oram; he had seen it plenty of times before, including at weddings. The travelers in his camp were a superstitious lot, and weddings had a way of heightening superstitious responses. Yet, combined with everything else that was going on, he found this spike in such responses unsettling.

Preoccupied thus, Oram almost missed Darius reciting the familiar formula: ”What say we all?”

”…’sure your love!” he hastily echoed, a fraction of a beat later than the rest, as his attention snapped once more to the ceremony that he was, after all, there to witness. As a lifelong Scalveen himself, he at least knew these rituals by heart.

”And who says so?”

”So say we all!” Oram responded, this time in unison with everybody else.

His mind once more turned to the happy occasion, Oram’s mood cleared a bit. It did not, however last. While Elisabeth and Balthazar began to exchange their vows, a shadow flitted across the light coming from outside, as if something had passed the window. A bit later, it happened again. And again. Something, perhaps numerous somethings, were definitely just outside the chapel, moving about.

Itching with unease and curiosity, yet hesitant to break the ranks of attendees and possibly spoil the mood of the occasion, Oram decided to call on Amoach to look outside, to determine what was causing the shadowy movements. It only took a few trills before the diri announced to him: ”Birds. Lots of them flying around. All different sorts, too, yet flying as a flock.”

Great, the hunter thought sourly another prodigy. Assorted birds flying together in one flock was definitely not typical behavior. Nor did it make sense that they would start flying around over a chapel. Had the wedding been in the open air it would have been different, especially if there was food. But *this* didn’t make sense. And birds suddenly showing up in that number could mean…No, Oram was definitely not happy now.

[Balthazar Black]

100 Ashan 722

In the time after the ceremony, Balthazar would have countless questions about exactly what had happened around them. He'd pick apart every image shown for relation to he and Elisabeth, then he'd cycle through the rest of the images until he knew every immortal who was and every immortal who was not depicted... but at the moment he didn't care. In the midst of the ceremony an almost unnatural sense of peace had taken hold of him. It was strange. He rarely ever felt the way he felt now. He wasn't sure he'd ever feel it again. Comfort. He knew Vri was watching them. He felt he would protect them. He didn't even think to wonder what they might need protection from on their wedding trial.

It didn't matter. Well, it probably did matter but it was incredibly difficult for Balthazar to look past anything but Elisabeth. Even with all his training, all his honed senses, he couldn't focus on much more than her and the general feeling of safety. Everyone in the room might be thinking anything now, but Balthazar still had the same thoughts he'd had when he entered the chapel. Wood or glass, friends or enemies, immortals or spirits, what was around them did not matter. It was Elisabeth's trial. She mattered. Nothing and no one else... unless they said something to earn a smacking.

Darius began the ceremony again and to Balthazar, everything that had been bothering him as he walked up the aisle had completely faded from focus. It was hard to tell if it was natural influences or not but the mage didn't care at the moment. Everything was as it should have been, at least to him. He stood happily in his spot beside Elisabeth, in front of Darius, and for a few trills he really didn't feel like the smile on his face was a lie. Sorrow was as much as part of him as love, but in this rarest of moments he could truly feel none of the sorrow that he normally did. He could hardly think of anything other than the impending ceremony and vows- which was saying something considering how wildly his thoughts normally ran.

It was Vri but only in part. If not for the immortal, the mortal beside the mage would have been enough to still his thoughts. They often had trouble because of that very thing, his endless thinking and Elisabeth's inability to calm it on command, but he had no doubt in this moment she would have without anyone else. In fact, he was currently under the impression it was all her. How could it be anything else? The dress, the woman in it, the setting- Balthazar was surprised he was still breathing. After all, how could you be around so many breathtaking things and have breath left for yourself?

The others, most likely those who had relationships with the immortals, might have been pulled from the magic Balthazar was trapped in by their own concerns about immortal representation. Some in the crowd made efforts to ward off evil. Not Balthazar. He didn't even notice in his stupor of love. He'd never considered immortals the type to get personally offended when people didn't bend the knee. Why should it matter if they were worshipped? None of them were the Immortal of Followings. Well... Famula maybe. Immortal of Servitude could have been fairly similar. But why should others who had not marked the couple and sought their devotion care? It was not for mortals to know. Even less likely for those who'd given away part of their soul to four parasites before knowing where the power came from. Loyalty to those who were loyal to you. A life saved, a gesture made. It was too simple in the eyes of the groom. To plain.

The only difference was that Balthazar had known a man before and after he became an immortal. The Immortal of Curses. If he had any reason to think anything deeply on it, what had happened to that man after the change might have been insightful.

If he were not in the position he was, Balthazar might have noticed Praetorum prodding around the new chapel with his magic. He was a more powerful attuner by a thin margin of personal error. He heard mummers in the crowd that didn't register with his more cautious side. The guests could say what they liked. It was probably about the transformation of the chapel and not the couple, so what did it matter anyways?

Darius did his part well. That was the predominant thought in Balthazar's mind as he listened to one of the few people he would truly consider a friend deliver his opening. The sailor might have been able to make a living out of this sort of thing. He adapted to the crowd, summoning a response from them despite the oddity around, and he proceeded through his part without much hesitation. He seemed confident to Balthazar. He seemed like he fit. He was the perfect choice. Was Balthazar just addled by the moment? Could there have been a better option? No. Darius was where he belonged. They would not have felt the same if it was anyone else.

When he was asked, Balthazar put his hand out to take Elisabeth's. It was nearly there- the perfect moment. Darius began tying their hands together and not a single doubt managed to creep into Balthazar's head. Any other trial he would have worried that the sailor had not tied the knot tightly enough, purely out of personal fear that it would slip, but not totrial. It all just felt right in the moment. Darius spoke and the words were not lost on Balthazar, but his focus never shifted from his bride. The knot was tied, the couple was bound, and the moment had come for the two of them to declare their love for each other in the eye of the public.

It was this which Balthazar had dreaded the most in anticipation of the ceremony.

Love had always been a private thing to him. He spoke only to the one he loved of the details and to the rest he gave a vague summary. The content of his heart was not for the masses to know, but totrial it had to be. Anything less would have been unfair. Elisabeth said her vows. She said many things that Balthazar already knew and felt in his heart because she had told him and shown him in so many different, little ways. Elisabeth had a similar thought to Balthazar, choosing to hide his parchment close to himself. He offered the parchment to Darius once Elisabeth's vows had ended. He did not need to read it to know what it said.

"I have never been good at this sort of thing." Balthazar said in a quiet voice. It was more for Elisabeth than the crowd or Darius. "I met you at a strange time in my life. I never would have imagined that I would find myself where I am now. Before you, it wouldn't have ever made sense. You have shown me what love should be and I promise that I will spend every trial I have left trying to show you that." He squeezed her hand. She'd written her vows quite differently than he had. "I promise- I vow to stand beside you in the good times and the bad, as you've been beside me in mine. I vow to love you as fully as you have loved me from this trial, until the end of my trials. I vow to support you in whatever path you pursue and whatever tests Idalos throws in our way." He said that with a small grin. They did seem to always find themselves knee deep in trouble... or neck deep... His voice grew quite again for the last lines he remembered writing. Quiet, but loud enough to be heard. "I am yours and you are mine. I will protect you as I would my own heart because losing you would be the same to me as losing it. I will stand with you no matter what comes."

Balthazar held it together well, but he should have been able to. He didn't like to cry in public. He rarely did it in private.

[Pegasus]

You are cordially invited......

Woe was quiet during the ceremony, choosing to sit and watch what was going on. Praetorum, however, was not. He was not content with being passive and he used his magic to try and see what he could. He attuned to the room, to the place where there was holy light pouring down, which had just turned into glass. As he Attuned, what he experienced was a cacophany of sounds. It was as though he had attuned to a room which was filled with Divine essence, a room with a Frequency so full of notes that - even had he been at the correct level to achieve this - he would have taken time to sort out what he was attuning to.

But he wasn't at that level. And so, as it was, he experienced a sound which was deafening and it would take a feat of discipline for him not to call out in pain. The reverberations of that would be with him for some timeLoss of your Attunement for a 40 trial period after that. , but in the short term, he was in a state of sensory overload; he saw and heard and tasted nothing except the continuing reverberations of what he had just done. His resolution to be careful, it seemed, had failed at the moment that he cast.

Darius invited the couple to exchange their vows, and that was what they did. Rightly so, it seemed that the happy couple saw only each other and they spoke their vows. Elisabeth first, who spoke to Balthazar and he, in return, spoke to her. While they were in a room, surrounded by people, it was obvious that they gave their vows one to the other and no one else was there for them.

As they did, the place was silent.


Winston, meanwhile, sat on a shoulder and he watched. He felt the warmth of home and he made the decision to open himself to that - to feel the love of the moment. He found that, when he did, the light that he had previously seen seemed to be there once more. Not physically, perhaps, not even visually, but there was a sense. An after-image, perhaps, and it was warm and nice. The woman whose shoulder he was on was happy for him to stay there.

Devin was quick to reassure Tiggy, and then he too paid attention to the couple. He communicated with his familiar, but what he heard back was that the birds were watching. Observing. That Delroth was interested in this couple, specifically, and that he wanted to give them a special gift. Why Delroth might, of course, was not clear and what constituted a 'special gift' was quite something else. But one thing that his familiar communicated was quite clear. Delroth ~ and his sister ~ were observing.

Genna kept an eye out, a careful eye, but there was nothing more to see at this point, other than the exchange of vows. Looking at the windows, she saw nothing different about them, but she did have a sudden insightsecret PM sent!. She did, however, also spot Tiggy. Tiggy had retreated to a corner, clutching a tiny tiny glass turtle. While Tiggy kept hold of that turtle, Tiggy felt calmer. It was like - while he held the turtle - that Saoire was there and holding his hand. Tiggy noticed, in fact, that turtle even had the right smell - which was a tricky thing when one is a small glass turtle!

Oram prayed a question to Cassion - and he made some good insightful and very very accurate points. And still, there was nothing. No light fell on him (nor on Gennadiya), and he didn't feel the unease. His Immortal patron ~ or at least the one he prayed to ~ just wasn't there, or wasn't answering. It was, he suddenly realisedsecret PM sent!, quite odd.

But the pair who exchanged their vows, whose hands Darius tied together, they knew none of this. They saw only each other and that was right and how it should be.

“Love recognises no barriers, it jumps hurdles, leaps fences, penetrates walls to arrive at its destination, full of hope.”
~ Maya Angelou ~

Meanwhile .....

"Is he injured?" She asked, concern in her voice.

"He is fortunate," he replied, firmly. "That is twice. Ethelynda should mark those who protect themselves, in order to defend others. He got off lightly" His voice was sharp, irritated. "He would do well to remember his place."

She raised an eyebrow at that. "What do you mean?" she asked and he turned to her. His eyes were dark like swirling pools of eternity. "I stand with my Blessed in this moment,", he said. "And no mortal will seek to examine me in such a way. He lacks manners. He should learn some, lest he dislike the manner of his being taught them"

Nodding, she focused on the two. "It is love. Do not be filled with anger in the face of such."

He smiled and kissed her forehead. "My anger is fleeting, and because of the risk to this ceremony."

She smiled at him. "I would think that you would be more forgiving, you know," she teased.

Vri looked at his wife and Champion with a serious expression. "Nothing is less forgiving than love which has been injured," he said. "Nothing at all."

And just then........

And so, their vows were spoken before friends and family. The couple had made their promises, one to the other, in the presence of their witnesses. The ceremony continued, and now, it was time for the next part. As Darius kept things moving and involved the audience, the sun reflected on the glass and they could hear the sound of birdsong, as though in celebration.

OOC:
Alright, you lot. Sit up straight...... You there, in the back? Stop tugging at your collar. And someone get that ferret off of Jim's shoulder, will you!? ....

Overview

Ok everyone, welcome to the wedding of Balthazar Black and Elisabeth Angelus! I'm going to be modding it for you. Please note the following:

• Only PCs who are invited may post in this thread.
• Darius is officiating the ceremony. ( Scalvoris Wedding Traditions for info)
• I'm going to ask you all to identify up to 3 knowledge per post using the new [knowledge tags. Same for this round. I'm happy to help anyone who needs it - but if you don't identify it, I won't be identifying it for you

• No posting sections this time. Since the Ceremony is ongoing people who are NOT Balthazar, Elisabeth or Darius may choose to opt out of this round. You don't have to do so and you are certainly welcome to post.
• Elisa, Balth, Darius - you guys need to post!
• Reminder - 3 knowledge per post, please.

Gifts

There are currently the following gifts:

• Honeydrops, made by Winston
• Wine and glasses in a beautiful box, from Devin
• Whiskey (purple), a decanter and glasses, from Woe
• Mead, made by Tiggy
• Glass wind chime, from Oram
• Daggers, made by Prae
• A hand-carved box with 12 draws in it; each draw has a different tea, made by Jacien
• A set of silver cutlery from Haven Farm
• A silver and glass bowl from Munny Farm
• A set of silver tableware (salt, pepper, napkin rings, etc) with delicate engraving on it from Horatio B Thunderbussel.)
• A small glass coin, without a label.
• A snowcrystal carefully wraped in a box - from Eckman
• A small glass flower, a pretty ornament - from Stan at the Glass Temple
• Two pure white feather quills, without a label.
• A luxury box of chocolates and some nice crystal glass bowls, from Bao Bao
• A pair of whistles (one in silver, encrusted with gems of Peanut Wood, for Elisabeth, and one in gold, encrusted with onyx, for Balthazar.) and and a serving bell (golden and silver) from Kisaik
• Genna's gift will get given to them - but the day after / when they're next seen. One of the Haven settlers has taken it and is keeping it away from the wedding, cos of the whole "warding off evil" stuff.
• Other stuff as I think of it / remember people!

My next post will be Friday 3rd June.
If you don't post by Thursday 2nd, be warned that I may well post first thing in the morning.

[Darius Baer]

Ever since Elisabeth had asked him to officiate the wedding, Darius had been nervous. He had placed a lot of pressure on himself to make sure he did it right. There were traditions to follow and speeches to be said, and he didn't want to make a mis-step and ruin the couple's memories of it.

Initially, he had decided that it was the Immortals - ensuring their involvement would not go unnoticed - who would be remembered for making their markPun! on the event.

But when Elisabeth and Balthazar spoke their vows, Darius realised that he had nothing to worry about. Such was the romantic beauty of their words, that he could have stumbled in drunk to the ceremony, knocked over the vases of sand, and proposed to one of the Havenites that he'd never met, the wedding would have been remembered for the vows that had been so beautifully spoken.

Actually, that wasn't true at all. It would have been remembered for the clumsy drunkard who tried to profess his love to a stranger.

But they were beautiful vows!

The sound of birdsong crept into the building, and before he quite knew what was happening, Darius could only watch as a fully visible Katara - apparently quite the romantic herself - decided to take flight out of one of the chapel windows, and to enjoy the moment with the nearby flock. She ducked and dived, letting out a happy screech as her flaming feathers left faint wisps of smoke in their wake.

Wresting his attention away from the excited flock, Darius returned his gaze to the couple in front of him.

"Thirdly, the soul," he continued with the ceremony. "You have each brought with you a gift of significance. Please exchange gifts and explain to us - your witnesses - what that significance is."

Darius waited patiently for the bride and groom to do precisely that, before guiding them to the table with vases of sand. Then he spoke to the guests.

"As a further display of their commitment to one another, and as a tribute to Scalvoris, Elisabeth and Balthazar have decided to mix together two Scalvorian sands. They will do so to show that their combined grains have become bonded. One cannot be extracted withiut impacting the other. But..."

The celebrant held up a hand, as if to prevent anyone from interrupting him: a common occurrence at a Scalvorian wedding.

"...they will not pour all of the sand, for while the central vase that defines their relationship shows that they cannot be separated, they are still their own people. They are still their green and orange, cool and warm."

Darius waited patiently for the pair to combine the sands, granules in two colours tumbling over each other in the central vase and forming an inseparable blend.

Then, while still at the table, he held his hand out for their vow parchments, and lifted one of the many candles that decorated the chapel.

"As the ash cannot return to paper," he announced, with every Scalvorian in the room echoing his words, "may these two be forever changed."

Flame caught the corner of the two pieces of oarchment, and the fire soon took hold. Dadius heldd onto it for as long as he could without getting burnt, before letting the embers and ashes fall into the betrothal box that had once held the rope.

With the faint smell of fire lingering in the room, Darius gently guided the couple back to the altar and turned - one last time - to face the guests that filled the room.

"Behold!" he cried out.

"Behold!" echoed the guests.

"Before you, bound together by love, stand Mr and Mrs Balthazar and Elisabeth Black!"

The guests immediately erupted into a roar of approval that drowned out the birdsong, and he felt a wave wash over him that mixed elation and relief.

[Elisabeth Black]

100 Ashan, Arc 722

Haven Settlement/Faldrass

As Balthazar said his vows, Elisabeth’s heart soared. He was a private man that disliked showing his emotions and strove to only to let the outside world see what he wished them to see or know. That was who Balthazar was. It, admittedly, had taken time in the early trials of their relationship for her to understand why he felt so keenly that their bond needed to be guarded. Slowly, the mage had taught her what their love meant to him. He protected their love because it, to him, was a rare and precious thing to have entered his life, and Balthazar felt he needed to fiercely guard it.

But his vows, she would never forget. Elisabeth would never forget the way he looked at her when he said them or how Balthazar grinned at her when he mentioned confronting life’s challenges – they did tend to run into trouble, didn’t they?

Everything about his vows was pure love, and oh, how blessed and honored she felt to be the one he would forever cherish. Before the ceremony, she understood it, but the weight of their shared emotions, perhaps aided by their link, thundered down on her like a raging storm. Elisabeth could feel love so strongly in the chapel that she almost thought one could reach out and touch it, and it was such a beautiful thing.

Elisabeth held it together until that moment, but then decided that ‘holding it together’ was something she was unwilling to do. It was their wedding trial, and love demanded to be felt and shared. Restricting it, now or any other trial, was unacceptable.

Her heart opened, the walls came down, and a single, sparkling tear slipped down Elisabeth’s cheek, marveling in her love for Balthazar, but it was more than that. So much more. It wasn’t just the love she felt for him, but everyone. Love was for all, and to choose love meant hope, always praying for greater happiness for everyone. Elisabeth had never felt more certain about that than she did right then.

The birds sang, and the ceremony continued.

Smiling at Darius, Elisabeth briefly considered how much it meant to her that it was him standing there before them, uniting them in love. It hadn’t been a small ask, but the blond Baron had jumped into the fray, feet first, enthusiastic about what they wished him to do – classic Darius. The gratitude she felt for him was immense, and the bride felt honored to call him her friend.

The time had come for the symbolic gifts, and Elisabeth went first, handing the small velvet bag to Darius to hold while she fished out the present from within it – the one-handed thing was going to be interesting!

Squeezing Balthazar’s hand gently, she produced, for all to see, a long silver chain with two charms attached. The charms, a flame set against Embersteel with a fire agate at its core and a snowflake, set against silver with a small moonstone at its center, sparkled in the light pouring through the stained-glass windows. Tradition dictated that Elisabeth explain the significance of her gift, although, with everything she was feeling, she wasn’t sure if she’d get through all of it.

No. Love would see her through. She had faith.

Stepping towards Balthazar, Elisabeth gently slipped the chain over his neck. A bit awkwardly, however, since she only had use of one hand. Her eyes lifted to his as a gentle hand slipped over the charms against his chest.

Full of emotion, her words came rushing out.

“Snowflakes and flames. They’ve followed us throughout our relationship. There have always been obvious parallels in our lives, but when I was thinking about what I wanted to give you, I wanted something that went deeper.”

Smiling, she continued. “Snowflakes never fall in the wrong place. Every time, they land where they are meant to, like us when we both ended up in Rharne. We were at the exact right place at the right time – we landed precisely where we were supposed to, starting us on the path that brought us here to-trial.”

Giving his hand another squeeze, she continued. “Flames represent life and rebirth. Our love was born in Rharne, blooming and flourishing, but like a snowflake, each love is unique, like each couple who finds their way to this cherished and sacred ceremony. No love is the same – we all love differently – and each love impacts the world in different ways.” Love could do amazing things - this she knew. She lived it.

Elisabeth was glowing. Speaking of their love, having her words witnessed by others was a gift. “Fire also symbolizes eternity and forever, and this necklace, whose charms are level with your heart, is a reminder that this, what we share, is forever. Our love, and all that we vow, is eternal. “

Elisabeth gently let her hand find its way to Balthazar’s face, caressing his cheek softly as she gazed up at him with sparkling eyes. “I always thought I was the snowflake, and you were fire, but I was wrong. We are each both, and our love is a testament to that.”

Sand – it was time for the sand! Sand was an essential element of Scalvoris, so the sand ritual was something they had felt strongly about. Honoring Scalvoris, their respective forgings, and, yet again, the idea of hot and cold. Fire & ice. Snowflakes and flame. Balance.

Taking her jar of green sand, she and Balthazar listened to Darius. He explained the symbolism as the sands mixed, and they stopped at the appropriate moment, smiling as their friend explained that while they were joined, they were still Balthazar and Elisabeth.

The vows burned, and she knew the ashes would make their way into one of the two boxes present. They were forever changed, never again to be who they were before Darius joined their hands.

As much as she was looking forward to the final proclamation, Elisabeth couldn’t help but take one more precious moment and soak everything in. She had known that the ceremony would be profound, but the young woman could have never imagined the depth of her emotions. The gratitude in her heart was boundless. The love? Endless. Wasn’t that the way love should be?

They were brought back before Darius again, and Elisabeth knew it was time. She breathlessly waited for the words, and when they were said, the most brilliant smile illuminated her face. The ceremony was over, but their life together as husband and wife was just beginning.

Turning to her groom, there was one thing left. The traditions didn’t say anything about it, but….it felt right.

Stepping closer to Balthazar, Elisabeth lifted on tiptoes. Using her free hand to caress his face again, she kissed her husband.

OOC for Peg

Balthazar's necklace is being purchased in this collab thread, that has not completed yet. It's almost done. It is within tier for Elisabeth.

Thank you Visna for the beautiful wedding template!

[Winston]

Back with Tiggy - Pre Arriving

Winston did not interfere as Devin attempted to coax Tiggy out of his protective ball. He seems super pleasant and Winston decided that it was a good thing he didn't have a shell, or ball, or closet to come out of, because regardless of the reputation his patron might have, Davin would seem to be able to charm the spots off a panther and if Tiggy didn't come out soon, Winston just might.

Back to the Ceremoney

Winston enjoyed the good vibes and feelings of the trial and spent the moments he could steal away from the ceremony itself to 'hero spot' around the room. There were so many 'characters' that he still had no idea how he ended up being here.

As the ceremony continued at Darius' expert hand, Winston continued to follow the lead of the crowd as best he could "...may dese two be foredda changed." He shouted in chorus.

"Behold!"

The mixing of the sand, everything, all of it, it was all connected, even the very building itself had been transformed into it.

As the vows came to an end and the two of them kissed, Winston let out a cheer with the rest of the assembly. "Yaaaah! Fa da LOVE!" Despite the fact he did even really know a single person other than Tiggy, Winston was riding merrily on being in the presence of something that might well be a once in a lifetime experience. Such people. Such events!

[Oram Mednix]

Secret PM sent. Secret PM sent. Peg’s sending you a message, and telling you where it went!

Nothing. For once, Cassion was quiet. Oram was unsure whether to feel smug or concerned. Notwithstanding the beautiful ceremony unfolding seemingly without a hitch before him, the hunter was leaning towards the latter. Still, whatever was keeping Cassion away (and perhaps those other four? It figured that Cassion and Daia would be absent together) was the Immortal’s problem and not Oram’s. If Old Dust was not going to let his Adored in on his plans, Oram would just have to trust that there was good reason. And just because Cassion was not present at this ceremony, that did not mean that Oram should not be. Balthazar and Elisabeth were friends, and they were getting married today.

”Behold!” he echoed along with the other guests, as the ceremony wound down after the bride and groom had exchanged their vows. Oram did not cry at weddings, and he did not cry at this one. On the other hand, he also was not bored as he usually was at weddings. This one was definitely more interesting than most. It’s too bad you missed it he thought, glancing at Cassion’s window. Maybe I can tell you the story about it later.

The bride and groom were kissing. The assembly was cheering. Oram looked around curiously, towards the entrance. Among his travelers, somebody would typically just bring out an instrument at this point and strike up without delay. Guests would be dancing before the married couple even recessed. This ceremony might be a bit more dignified, Oram guessed. There would probably be some sort of reception. People lining up to murmur congratulations. Oram would be one of those, he realized with a sigh. If you don’t do your meet, how can you have any pudding?

But there was more to wanting to congratulate these two than just tedious ritual and etiquette; Oram was genuinely happy for these two. He also wished to congratulate Darius on a great ceremony. He knew sailor to be a bit shy, like he was, so standing up in front of a crowd to officiate could not have been comfortable for him, yet he had handled it like a pro, and Oram didn’t begrudge telling him so.

[Devin]

Devin furrowed his brow slightly when his familiar informed him that the birds were watching. Observing. The look on his face became even more thoughtful when his wonderful parrot informed him that Delroth was interested in this couple, specifically, and that he wanted to give them a special gift. As a High Priest of Delroth, Devin was of course aware of the fact that a gift from Delroth could mean a number of different things, beyond the obvious.

And then there was the fact that Delroth’s sister was supposedly observing as well. Devin had met Edasha once, during the grand opening of the temple that he had built for Delroth. She had stroked his cheek and blown him a kiss. He couldn’t help but wonder why she was here now though. Elisabeth and Balthazar were attractive people, but there was nothing about them that made him think of Edasha. Maybe, hem used, they had invited Edasha to their wedding though?

Whatever the case was, the young man immediately sat up a little straighter, and he ran a hand through his hair, in case his hairstyle wasn’t perfect anymore and smoothed an errant wrinkle on his jacket. He had decided that he didn’t want to outshine the bride of the groom even though that was a challenge for someone like him – you just didn’t outshine the bride or the groom – but he wanted to make sure that he looked as attractive as possible in case Delroth and Edasha showed up!

He smiled slightly when he heard the sound of birdsong – it made him think of Delroth – before he focused on Darius’ speech again. It really was a lovely speech, he decided, and very appropriate for a trial like this one, and for that reason, he cried out together with the other wedding guests, in a very, very enthusiastic tone of voice, “Behold!”

The words that Elisabeth had said to her new husband had been lovely as well, to the point that he had to resist the urge to exclaim “aww” or something similar, which just wouldn’t do when you were a vain and proud High Priest of Delroth. When she caressed Balthazar’s face and proceeded to kiss him, he couldn’t help himself anymore though.

He applauded because this was such a great moment!

[Praetorum]

It took under a heartbeat for Prae to realize he'd made a mistake, but it was too late. Like staring directly into the sun, Prae found himself blinded with overwhelming sensory data, ears ringing and eyes flashing and hide tingling with too much for him to sort through. Gritting his teeth, Prae lowered his head and squeezed his eyes shut, trying to keep quiet as the pain of it reverberated through his entire being. It wasn't the worst pain he'd felt in his life, but it was deeply unpleasant. Still, he was determined not to disrupt the wedding, and focused inwards, letting the pain slip away to the back of his mind, separating out the part of him trying to process it, and the part of him listening to the words being said around him. 



Prae was starting to think he should stop casting magic in Scalvoris. It rarely ever seemed to go well for him. 



Well, no, some sensible, no nonsense part of him said, sounding startlingly like Cassion's voice. Praetorum needed to stop giving into his sparks' impulses. His Suspicion spark could push all it wanted, but Prae should have known better. Or at least thought it through a little longer. He supposed it did answer a question Prae had often idly wondered, what an Immortal's frequency would sound like. 



Loud, was the answer. Very, very loud.



His head was still ringing as the call and response went on, and Prae made the decision not to join in, suspecting that he was distracted enough that his voice would only be disruptive right now. Doubly so as the pair began to make their vows to one another. Lowering his head, Praetorum focused on controlling his reaction to the pain, his vision and hearing still so overwhelmed he couldn't make out a thing. If he managed to gather himself in time, he would join in the applause as the ceremony came to an end. Otherwise, he would simply try not to disrupt the wedding.